4.8

Bricks Made Out of Seaweed: Sargoblock Homes and Social Entrepreneurship

In this step we’ll learn more about how an invasive seaweed, Sargassum, washing up on beaches in Cancún, Mexico, is collected and turned into building bricks, Sargoblocks, which are then used to build affordable housing for local communities.

Social entrepreneurship involves applying traditional business strategies to develop sustainable solutions for pressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges. A prime example of this practice is found in Cancún, Mexico, where innovator Omar Vazquez is tackling two distinct crises simultaneously: the ecological threat of invasive Sargassum seaweed and the region’s shortage of affordable housing.

Vazquez’s company, Blue Green Mexico, converts tons of seaweed washing up on tourist beaches – a major economic and health hazard – into durable, insulating construction bricks. This process not only restores the coastline but also channels resources toward constructing homes for vulnerable, low-income families.

The following video illustrates how Vazquez transforms this environmental waste into a vital social asset.

Further reading, learning and references

Hua, Y. P. (2024). Creating Systematic Change: The Role of Social Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy. Circular Economy and Sustainability, pp.241–258 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-66007-8_15

Mexico News Daily – ‘Mr. Sargassum’ has built 13 houses with blocks made from the smelly seaweed https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mr-sargassum-built-13-houses-with-seaweed-blocks/

Apeiron Construction – Sargablock – Solutions from Under the Sea https://apeiron-construction.com/sargablock-solutions-from-under-the-sea/

© Daniel Mossberg, CEMUS, Uppsala University and Sonali Phadke, studio Alternatives and Stephanie Foote