Idea No. F90,009: potentially polarizing shower gift (involving seaweed)
A SOCIALLY AWKWARD BUT ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY GIFT FOR A BABY SHOWER, WEDDING OR BIRTHDAY
I recently read about a company (called Running Tide) that uses aquaculture to combat climate change, including using kelp for carbon sequestration.[1]
So that’s the real big idea here, but here’s my two cents: what if this industry was aimed at not just selling these carbon offsets to large companies but also at marketing them to individuals to buy as gifts? Think of the possibilities! You could be a Super Auntie and offset the first five years of your new niecephew’s[2] life! Weddings could include carbon offsets in a fun and possibly on-theme way (if your wedding has a sea and/or climate crisis theme). For milestone birthdays, guests could chip in and give the best present of rendering the birthday person climate neutral!
Also, could I just do this whole seaweed planting thing myself in a totally non-scalable (boutique! artisinal! expensive!) way? Like I could handcraft biodegradable buoys decorated with the names of the couple or the new baby to provide a more tangible gift to present? Planting something I don’t need to harvest, plus working on the ocean, might be my dream job.
NOTE: Apologies to everyone (my twin and sister-in-law, specifically) who are currently working to make a difference on climate issues in a real way instead of idly musing about unsustainable business ideas!
1. https://www.wbur.org/earthwhile/2021/02/16/maine-startup-carbon-kelp
2. a gender-neutral term for niece or nephew that I made up 5 years ago and which surprisingly hasn’t caught on at all