Welcome to the
Urchin Dye Store
Natural dye made from the overpopulation of sea urchins.
Do you want to help the kelp? Contribute to clean air?
Each Urchin Dye Kit contains about 10 urchins and clears 2 square feet of seafloor for seaweed to grow. Along with making a positive impact on our oceans, you also get to experience the magic of this unique dye process. And, you'll have a coral-pink bandana you made as the perfect conversation-starter.
Inside your kit, you'll find ingredients for a half-gallon (64oz) dye bath, an instructional zine, and a lovely Climate Beneficial wool bandana (24x24”). Plus, our packaging is 100% plastic-free and biodegradable, and made of seaweed.
Not included in your kit: two 64oz jars, stir stick, cloth to separate dye and sludge.
This super-soft, lightweight beanie is great on a cold day, or when you're having a bad-hair day. Made of 100% Marino wool that's been Climate Beneficial verified by Fibershed, and dyed with urchins from kelp restoration divers – the materials in this beanie could not be better for you and the planet 🌏
This versatile 24" square works great as an airy scarf, quick-tie bag, Furoshiki (fabric gift wrapping), or small baby blanket. Made from wool grown on sheep raised in ways that help restore ecosystem health and stabilize our climate. Each bandana is Climate Beneficial verified by Fibershed, which means it maximizes the drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere. And the urchins used to dye this bandana are creating space on the seafloor for kelp to grow back. A win-win! 🩵
Wear your love for these spiky, punk-rock critters on your sleeve or collar—or grab a few to create an urchin barren on your backpack 👾👾👾💜👾
Each pin is made of hard enamel with gold-plated details and measures 1.75” wide.
Join us on Pier 39 in downtown San Francisco for an urchin dye workshop and a behind-the-scenes-tour of Aquarium of the Bay. Your workshop ticket includes access to the aquarium so arrive early, or stay late, and see the animals 🦦🪼
In this workshop, you’ll get your own dye station including ingredients for a 64oz dye bath, a Climate Beneficial Marino wool bandana verified by Fibershed, and more. Aquarium of the Bay is a unique marine nature center because it focuses entirely on the aquatic life of the San Francisco Bay watershed. You’ll meet some local live urchins and get a private tour from Niko Kowell, the Dive and Safety Officer at the aquarium.
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2027
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco
Our Dye Process
Fund Kelp Restoration
Every cent we pay for our urchins goes directly into funding kelp restoration projects and divers.
Process Humanely
We humanely remove the urchin spines, clean and dry them, and then grind them into our main ingredient.
Steeped In Hope
From the divers, who spend hours beneath the waves, to the humane processing of the urchins, our work is steeped in hope. And ceremony.
Educate and Inspire
We use urchin dye as an educational tool for sharing the stories of kelp forest deforestation and to inspire innovation.