Nurturing Underwater Gardens Along New York City’s Coastline
Growing seaweed for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient urban estuary
Growing seaweed for a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient urban estuary
Seaweed City is a nonprofit organization that grows seaweed along New York City’s coastline to clean our water, rebuild marine ecosystems, and support coastal resilience.
As climate change accelerates, seaweed aquaculture will be a part of the solution. It improves environmental conditions, including as marine habitat, a plastic alternative, a storm surge buffer, and a method of pollution extraction.
Newtown Creek embodies New York City’s industrial legacy, where centuries of commercial shipping and refineries have left the waterway contaminated with toxic chemicals. On top of that, twenty-two Combined Sewer Overflows empty into the creek. In partnership with Newtown Creek Alliance, Seaweed City manages a seaweed garden that naturally absorbs pollutants, adds oxygen, and provides marine habitat. The garden functions as a living laboratory where we study kelp’s potential for environmental remediation alongside LaGuardia Community College.
New York City faces increasing challenges from chronic flooding, rising tides, storm surge, pollution, and warming waters that threaten both human communities and marine ecosystems. In partnership with the Trust for Governors Island, Seaweed City developed New York City's first "seed-to-soil" seaweed lifecycle laboratory, where baby kelp is grown in our nursery, planted in the Buttermilk Channel's high-energy waters, then monitored, harvested, and processed for a variety of community science experiments. These experiments include soil amendment workshops, bioplastic demonstrations, and art projects—closing the loop on the full kelp lifecycle.
Governors Island - Seaweed City Container near Yankee Pier
12:00 pm
The power of building community with each other and nature is what drives us. Whether you’re joining a seaweed workshop or kelp cruise, supporting our mission with a donation, or interested in installing a seaweed garden, we invite you to be part of our mission to care for New York City’s underwater gardens.
Seaweed City is a nonprofit organization that grows seaweed along New York City’s coastline to clean our water, rebuild marine ecosystems, and support coastal resilience.
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