Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Ten years ago, returning to Ireland where my father had left as an economic migrant in the 1950‚ . Decades later the situation was worse, educated young people leaving to seek opportunities in urban areas. Like many global coastal regions this leaves communities struggling to maintain populations and services. Schools, healthcare, and social supports suffer because of lack of employment. 
This project is designed to use a natural, sustainable resource that is accessible and renewable and provides employment for generations to come. Whilst also supporting a healthy marine, absorbing CO2, nitrates and providing natural products for many sectors.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

Replaces/avoids GHGs (e.g., projects that replace sources of GHGs, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, transport, or other energy uses), Removes/stores GHGs (e.g., projects that capture, sequester, or otherwise enhance the "sinks" that accumulate and store GHGs)

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

This project aims to ensure that rural coastal communities have a share in the emerging seaweed economy. Through a commercially appropriate and environmentally solid approach to seaweed cultivation and small-scale processing we will support a much-underrepresented group. Fishing communities and coastal regions have been impacted by depletion of fish stocks, large scale vessels displacing generations of fishers and devastation communities. Seaweed cultivation will provide a spawning ground and will improve marine biodiversity, whilst also serving to provide much needed additional income. 
The processing units are less reliant on physical strength as they are limited in size making them sustainable and requiring less physical strength. Many traditional seaweed harvesters in Ireland are men collecting many tons daily, our system will only process less than one ton per day. This will encourage women to engage in this exciting new approach and promote the opportunity to take leading roles as owner operators.

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Mission Statement:

At Redrose we supply systems that turn fishers into ocean farmers and increase the volume and value of seaweed using our innovative system for nearshore processing. Our business model is one that builds an infrastructure of small processing units to create a sustainable, equitable, scalable and commercially viable seaweed supply chain to meet growing market demands. 
A pilot floating seaweed farm has been demonstrated in a 'survival site', subjected to 4 named storms in 7 days, and towed 9 miles. The unit produced the anticipated yield of healthy seaweed for commercial application. The second pilot to include the nearshore processing unit will be demonstrated in the north of Portugal whilst early discussions around a third site in Africa is considering the specific location in Gambon and the funding of the project.

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