The Sisters of St. Joseph and the Shinnecock tribe both reside on the Shinnecock Bay in Long Island, which has deteriorated from land development and fertilizer runoff in recent years. In an attempt to save the waters, a group of sisters and Shinnecock women decided to join forces by starting a kelp farm that launched in 2021. Kelp absorbs carbon and nitrates from polluted waters, helping to neutralize ocean acidification. Water quality has improved dramatically since the women opened the kelp farm, and Shinnecock Bay has seen the return of scallops, clams, sea horses, and other aquatic species that had previously fled the polluted waters. The sisters and Shinnecock women maintain the kelp hatchery and have expanded to other areas of the bay. Beyond clearing pollution, the farm has created green jobs, provided economic support to the Indigenous community, and bridged friendships between the two distinctive communities of women.
Image via The Guardian
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