S2 #24 Unpacking The Salt Legacy w/ Meaghan McDonald

What did you do for your summer holiday last year? Meaghan McDonald of Salt Legacy, spent 8 weeks with a team, working to clean 300kms of remote and "pristine" beaches on the West Coast of BC. Cleaning up 210 tons of garbage and waste to be exact. Almost half of the 210 tons was fishing ropes and nets. Approximately 60% of the total items recovered were able to be recycled.

That's what Salt Legacy is all about - recycling as upcycling. Meaghan had a goal of building strong connections between individuals and the ocean, in order to raise awareness and educate on alternative practices towards upcycling. Her vision started with re-using discarded boat sails, to turn them into backpacks. The upcycled sailcloth vision has now expanded to include fanny packs (yes, they're in fashion again), duffel bags, and coming soon - surfboard/paddleboard packs! Oh wait, then there's the additional pillars of outreach and education that she's added to her ocean vision. Not too bad at all for a girl from the landlocked province of Alberta.

If you know anything about her, it wouldn't surprise you that on that life-changing "holiday", Meaghan spent 2 hours cutting out a fishing net from logs, because it was in good shape and she wanted to incorporate it into her products. So along with 80' of usable rope, she packed it all in her luggage and paid overweight to the airline, to bring it home for upcycling at Salt Legacy.

She not only employs local artisans to handmake each piece, but also has a unique way to inform buyers of the legacy of each unique item. It seems Salt Legacy is building quite an amazing legacy - Meaghan is an amazing person, with an amazing product, so we hope you'll give this a listen.