Program and schedule
Summit focus
Our focus for the Pacific Seaweed Summit is to:
- Uphold the sector’s responsibility toward economic reconciliation while honouring Indigenous self-determination
- Learn from each other and create common understanding of the current state of the sector
- Identify gaps within the sector and effective paths forward in key sector areas:
- Products, processing and market fit
- Standards, policy and environmental Impact
- Workforce and training
- Build sector connections and capacity
Schedule
The tentative schedule for the summit can be found below. More details will be provided closer to the summit date.
Panel descriptions
Panel 1: State of the Seaweed Sector
This panel will provide an overview of where the seaweed sector is right now – in BC and in North America more broadly. Panelists will discuss the challenges and bottlenecks facing the sector, and will share their outlooks on the future of the seaweed sector.
Moderator: Celine Trojand
Panelists: Mark Smith, Desiree Lawson, Sarah Gutzmann, Jennifer Clark, and Kendall Barbery
Panel 2: Environmental Stewardship
Panelists will discuss the environmental benefits and impacts of the seaweed sector, and how to grow a sustainable, climate-resilient seaweed sector while protecting our wild seaweed resources.
Moderator: Chief Chris Roberts
Panelists: Tom Campbell, Natascia Tamburello, Kylee Pawluk, and Ayla Brown
Panel 3: Seaweed Processing Infrastructure
Panelists will discuss missing linkages along the seaweed value chain. The discussion will include actions that can be taken to fill processing gaps and decrease the cost of seaweed stabilization.
Moderator: Maurita Prato
Panelists: Jason Rose, Shaelynne Bood, Spencer Serin, and Taylor McCarten
Panel 4: Investment and Partnership
This panel discussion will help seaweed enterprises understand the funding landscape (both private and public investment) and how to foster business partnerships and investment in the BC seaweed sector.
Moderator: Karen Guinan
Panelists: Majid Hajibeigy, Mike Williamson, Ashley Callister, and Tom Rudolph
Panel 5: Value-Added Product Development
The panel discussion will focus on how we can use BC seaweed biomass to create valuable and sustainable products through secondary processing. Experts spanning various processing and manufacturing pathways will share successes, challenges, and outlooks for seaweed product development.
Moderator: Naser Arda
Panelists: Eric Warner, Angela Willard, Ranah Chavoshi and Stevie Dennis
Workshop descriptions
This conversation will bring together Indigenous attendees, creating time and space for engaging in topics of interest. The focus will be collectively determined by Indigenous attendees during the first day of the Summit.
Room: The Gathering Place
Facilitator: Ayla Brown
This workshop will explore:
- values that hold fast for a thriving seaweed sector; and
- how seaweed sector initiatives (from hatchery to product development) can put those values to action.
Room: C250
Facilitators: Celine Trojand, Erin Latham, Kendra Moore, Rhianna Nagel, Tom Rudolph
What does a thriving seaweed sector actually look like? And how do we know?
This hands-on workshop brings participants together to build a shared framework for measuring success across three dimensions: Economic Performance, Investment Readiness, and Growth Trajectory. We will also discuss the environmental and social dimensions that make growth worth pursuing.
Working through draft indicators drawn from ongoing sector research, participants will prioritize what matters, push back on what’s missing, and contribute to a measurement framework being developed by CARTI and PSIA.
Come ready to think, debate, and contribute.
Room: C270
Facilitators: Naser Arda, Mark Smith, Laura Mercy and Jordan Hawkswell
A hands-on culinary workshop celebrating the flavours of our wild coast. Taste a variety of locally harvested seaweeds and learn to transform them into unique snacks and pantry staples.
Room: Outside courtyard (A211 if inclement weather)
Facilitator: Shasta LeBlac from Lush Valley
In this hands-on workshop, participants will be introduced to the alternative photographic process of cyanotype. This includes an introduction to the history and chemistry of solar printing, techniques for creating a successful blueprint, and time to experiment with local seaweed to make your own unique print.
Room: Seaweed Innovation Lab (E215)
Facilitator: Krista Bohlen
This session will begin with a photo essay of Summit highlights, including key takeaways and suggestions for action (and photos of all the fun!). The whole group will then work together to refine those takeaways and next steps for a thriving BC seaweed sector held fast by community values.
Room: Student Commons
Facilitator: Rhianna Nagel