A maker from Mexico, Omar Vasquez, has developed a way to turn the hugely invasive seaweed, sargassum, into bricks that are strong enough to build homes that can even withstand hurricanes. Omar uses the bricks to build homes for low-income families.
Omar’s business has gained international attention. He has given TED Talks and appeared on Shark Tank Mexico. He and his team collect 40 metric tons of seaweed daily from Puerto Morelos, Mexico, to make the bricks, which they call sarcoblocks. The idea to turn seaweed into bricks came to Omar in 2018 when more than 50,000 metric tons of sargassum overran the Mexican coast.
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