Shellscape replaces the often worn boulevards and dirt driveways with a much more appealing shellfish shell. (Tony Olynyk)

By Spencer Sterritt

Shellfish lane

Nanaimo not-for-profit takes shellfish approach to eco-friendly landscaping

Jun 18, 2019 | 11:10 AM

NANAIMO — A Nanaimo student is leading the charge for a more environmentally-friendly and eye-catching way to landscape your home.

This summer, soon-to-graduate teen Tony Olynyk’s will get his company Shellscape off the ground. He hopes to help save the environment by replacing the gravel used in driveways and landscaping with the much more eco-friendly shellfish shells.

He’s created two prototypes, a dirt driveway and grass boulevard, and told NanaimoNewsNOW everyone loves the new look and the benefits they bring.

“I don’t think anyone talks about gravel in the same way, where they think ‘Woah this gravel looks really beautiful’ or ‘This is really nice looking gravel.'”

He said the minerals inside the shells boost the health of the ground around a house, provide great traction for cars and, most importantly, aren’t hard on the feet.

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“I know gravel feels like Lego when you step on it, but when (shells) get crushed enough they start to feel like sand.”

He picked up roughly 5,000 shells from Timothy Oyster Co. in Ladysmith. Since the empty shells are already the byproduct of an existing industry, Olynyk said they are an environmentally-friendly alternative to gravel pits and the emissions caused by breaking rocks apart.

Any profits made over the summer will be donated to the Vancouver Island Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to cleaning the Island’s once-pristine coasts.

Olynyk said in his research for school and his Shellscape project, it’s become clear how important protecting the environment is.

“I’ll get all the downsides of climate change. I know I’ve got to change my daily habits, from wasting and using plastic bags to acting unsustainably.”

Shellscape doesn’t yet have a social media presence, but information can be found online through a quick search.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit