At Team Blue Rising, our approach to sustainability is grounded in four core pillars: Awareness, Collaboration, Action, and Impact. These principles shape our strategy and define the kind of partnerships we pursue—focused on meaningful, long-term change.
Meeting the People Behind the Mission
Through our partnership with the Kelp Forest Alliance, we support the protection of vital blue carbon ecosystems such as kelp forests, mangroves, and seagrass meadows that capture carbon far more efficiently than land-based forests. As part of this work, Team Blue Rising Pilot/Team Principal John Peeters and I had the pleasure to meet Jodie Toft, Executive Director at Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF), KFA’s on-ground partner in Seattle (USA). What unfolded was more than a meeting—it was a close-up look at restoration in action: quiet, rooted in science, and led by community.
We met along Seattle’s Elliott Bay Trail, where strands of sugar kelp drifted just beneath the surface near the pier. A short distance offshore, one of PSRF’s 14 monitoring buoys was quietly collecting vital data—tracking temperature, light, salinity, and dissolved oxygen to assess the health of the kelp forests below.
As we walked, Jodie explained how bull kelp, native to the region, begins its growth each February and reaches the surface by late summer—an annual cycle central to PSRF’s restoration work and the region’s first kelp seabank. She called kelp the “carbon alchemist,” a fitting phrase for a species that not only captures carbon but helps restore entire marine ecosystems. Yet despite its ecological importance, public awareness remains low. Most people in the region know kelp only as seaweed washed ashore. Few know its potential beyond being edible: buffering acidification, anchoring marine biodiversity, and stabilizing our climate.
At PSRF’s Kelp Lab on Bainbridge Island, a team of researchers cultivates spores for replanting. These efforts are carried out in collaboration with local tribes, several of whom are represented on PSRF’s board and staff. These partnerships are key to both ecological outcomes and long-term stewardship, blending science with generational knowledge.
Raising Awareness, One Marine Forest at a Time
During our shoreline walk, Jodie pointed out various seaweed species, some native to the Pacific Northwest, others from further afield. The State of Washington is home to 22 varieties of kelp, with bull kelp the most dominant. In March 2025, the state officially designated bull kelp as Washington’s Marine State Forest—a meaningful step toward educating the public about kelp’s role in protecting species like endangered salmon and orcas—and in preserving the ocean’s ability to heal itself.
We ended our visit at a nearby salmon net pen, where juvenile salmon are nurtured before release. It was a clear reminder of the interconnectedness of these systems: No kelp, no salmon. No salmon, no orcas. No orcas, no Puget Sound as we know it.
This is the kind of work we’re proud to stand behind.
Restoration doesn’t always make headlines—it unfolds in labs, on boats, and on quiet walks along the coast. But it’s real, it’s urgent, and it’s happening. Through Team Blue Rising’s partnership with the Kelp Forest Alliance and the hard work of organizations like Puget Sound Restoration Fund, we’re proud to help bring these vital stories to the surface.
“When I first spoke with Jodie, I already knew exactly what bull kelp was—my childhood on Pacific Northwest beaches made that clear. At the end of their life cycle, those long strands often wash ashore, and as a child we’d twist them into makeshift whips to tease our siblings and friends.
During our walk past several monitoring buoys in the Salish Sea, my appreciation for this ‘silent alchemist’ deepened, and my gratitude grew. Kelp and mangroves serve a vital role in providing food and shelter for countless species. As a parent, I know how important a safe and nurturing home is for a young child. In the same way, we need to protect and support our surroundings so growth and safety can thrive together.”
— John Peeters, Team Principal, Team Blue Rising
