Sustainable Seas works to protect the Baltic Sea. Each year, massive algal blooms deplete oxygen, creating dead seabeds and threatening marine life. Without action, the entire sea risks collapse, yet the issue remains a low political priority.

One challenge is visibility. Algal blooms occur far offshore, out of sight for most people. To make the invisible impossible to ignore, we brought the Baltic Sea to land. Together with Professor Lena Kautsky at Stockholm University, we filled an outdoor billboard with real Baltic Sea water, recreated its natural conditions, and placed it outside the Swedish Parliament.

Over eleven days, the message evolved in real time. Algal bloom took over, oxygen levels dropped, and by the end, only a thick green sludge remained.The transformation was documented daily at agrowingmessage.se — a growing reminder of a sea in crisis.

Awarded Silver in Epica