PenderBlog From The Pender Islands Of Canada

From MACLEAN’S magazine   www.macleans.ca

There’s beauty hiding in the weeds

By Julia McKinnell – Thursday, August 6, 2009

Seaweed lowers cholesterol, thickens sauces, and can give you skin as soft as Johnny Depp’s

On B.C.’s remote Hornby Island, population 900, Norwegian-born Vera Rønningen teaches local women how to make use of washed-up seaweed for food and beauty products. Rønningen sells packages of her seaweed beauty products locally at the co-op grocery store and boat rental kiosk for under $20—giveaway prices when you consider that Estée Lauder charges $130 an ounce for a seaweed cream called Crème de la Mer worn by Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp.

“I haven’t used skin cream for 10 years, just my seaweeds,” says Rønningen, who’s dressed in brown coveralls and work boots, her long blond hair tied in a bun. She has a bachelor’s degree in marine ecology from UBC and a master of science from Norway’s University of Bergen.

For the full story, visit www.macleans.ca

Maybe we could get her to come to Pender and give us an educational workshop.

Contact Vera @ 250-335-3106 or email: veraronn@telus.net