The Kelp Highway

• Contact your state and federal legislators to advocate for policies that will protect kelp forest ecosystems and the species who depend on them. (Not sure who your legislators are? This website can help you find your state representatives; see the bullet below for help with federal representatives.)
• Check out our recent blog post to learn about the Keeping Ecosystems Living and Productive Act, or KELP Act, which would establish a grant program for kelp forest conservation, restoration and management projects. Contact your member of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor the KELP Act (H.R.4458)!
• Visit our broader take action page for current advocacy opportunities.

• Get informed about efforts to help restore critically endangered pinto abalone.
• Help educate others by sharing this video on social media.

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity and released into the atmosphere are also increasing air and water temperatures around the world. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is also absorbed by the ocean, which causes a chemical reaction that increases the acidity of seawater (also called ocean acidification). Toxic chemicals from roadways, agricultural and residential sources, and industry drain into the sea via stormwater runoff. Rising temperatures, increasing acidity and pollution are not healthy conditions for kelp forests.

You can help mitigate these issues by reducing your carbon footprint and preventing pollution. Here are some ways to get started:

• Make choices that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.
  • Use less gas. Carpool, use mass transit, ride your bike or walk. When you have to fly, consider buying carbon offsets; many airlines offer ways to do so.
  • Reduce energy use. Put on another sweatshirt instead of turning up the heat. Turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them.
  • Invest your money responsibly. Explore climate-conscious investing practices such as those weighing environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
  • Eat less meat and dairy. Consider fresh, seasonal produce that’s grown locally to reduce the carbon emissions from large-scale production, processing and transport.
• Reduce plastic use. Most plastics are made from petroleum products and have greenhouse gases associated with every step of the process.
• Decrease pollutants entering local waterways and stormwater runoff.
  • Use commercial car washes that treat wastewater. Fix leaks in your car to keep oil, antifreeze and other fluids from landing on the pavement and entering gutters or stormwater drains.
  • Reduce waste by reusing, reducing, recycling and composting. If buying new, look for products with minimal packaging and bring your own shopping bags.
  • Prevent liquid and solid waste from entering gutters or stormwater drains. Review your city’s or county’s website for disposal options, such as the Hazardous Waste Management Program for King County or the Rainwise program for Seattle.
  • Choose non-toxic, environmentally friendly household and yard products. Even far from the water, nearly everything that goes down your drain or washes into storm drains and creeks eventually ends up in the sea.
  • Pick up your pet’s waste and put it in the trash bin (not the compost bin!).
  • Dispose of unused medications safely. Find a drop box near you at Take Back Your Meds.
  • Build a rain garden on your property to capture runoff from your roof to allow water to slowly seep into the soil and be filtered naturally.
• See more ideas on our take action page!

• Become a Seattle Aquarium volunteer to educate others about the importance of kelp.
• If you’re a kayaker, you can volunteer to participate in kelp surveys through your local marine resources committee.

Donate to the Seattle Aquarium and be a critical part of helping to advance our conservation education programs and advocacy work—as well as new conservation initiatives such as our species recovery program, through which we’re helping to restore critically endangered pinto abalone in the Salish Sea.