Trailbound Sketches “Footprints on Katmai” – Hahnemühle Green Rooster Project 2023

What does the phytoplankton in our oceans produce twice as much as the trees on our planet? It absorbs carbon dioxide and converts it into oxygen and glucose [C6H12]. This process, known as the “biological carbon pump”, is acutely threatened by ocean litter. As the litter consists mainly of plastic, which breaks down into microplastics, i.e. tinier and tinier pieces, there are six times more microplastics than phytoplankton in the oceans in some parts of the world. That’s why beach clean-up projects are so important. And that’s where Hahnemühle comes in. Because speaking of pure and clean water: it has been the basis of Hahnemühle’s sustainable paper production for more than four centuries. So it makes sense that we are committed to clean oceans with our Green Rooster Project 2023.

For “Footprints on Katmai” we have teamed up with artist Max Romey based in Alaska (USA), who loves our ecofriendly, longlasting artist paper for his watercolour paintings – in sketch books or on sheets. Together we´re supporting a Ocean Plastics Recovery Project and Island Trails Network (Alaska) on the remote coast of Katmai. One of many important projects to protect our oceans and thus our all-connecting element, water. We wanted to draw the bigger pricture with Max Romey as an exceptional talented artist, environmental story teller, and filmmaker. His film „Footprints on Katmai“ is aimed to understand a huge task we are all facing: As we all leave our footprints in the form of rlitter such as old shoes, for example somewhere in the world and they may end up in Alaska, where they definitely don’t belong. The film will show the big picture at environmental film festivals as one of Hahnemühle´s Green Rooster projects true to our motto #protectwhatmatters – we are giving back to nature & society.

We love Max Mission: his colourful impact storytelling in painted artworks, films and educational online watercolour tutorials about sustainability and pollution to reconnect us humans with the planet. We’re excited to see the full-length version of the film, which will premiere at environmental film festivals later this year. Until then, enjoy the preview images from “Footprints on Katmai”.