Say algae and most people think of pond scum. What they don't know is that without algae, none of us would exist. There are as many algae on earth as stars in the universe, and they have been essential to life on our planet for aeons. Algae created our oxygen-rich atmosphere, abundant oceans and coral reefs. Crude oil is made of dead algae, and algae are the ancestors of all plants. Today, seaweed production is a multi-billion-dollar industry, with algae hard at work to make your sushi, chocolate milk, beer, paint, toothpaste, shampoo and so much more. Delving into science and history, in this revelatory book Ruth Kassinger takes readers on an around-the-world, behind-the-scenes, and into-the-kitchen tour. We'll meet the algae innovators working towards a sustainable future: from seaweed farmers in South Korea, to scientists using it to clean the dead zones in our waterways, to the entrepreneurs fighting to bring algae fuel and plastics to market. Whether you thought algae was just the gunk in your fish tank or you eat seaweed with your porridge, Bloom will overturn everything you thought you knew about these little green cells and the immense power that they hold. This could be the future of our rapidly changing world.
By:
Ruth Kassinger
Imprint: ELLIOT & CLARK PUBLISHING
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 275mm,
Width: 210mm,
ISBN: 9781783964413
ISBN 10: 1783964413
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 01 August 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents; Introduction ix; Section I: In the Beginning; 1. Pond Life 3; 2. Something New Under the Sun 13; 3. Algae Get; Complicated 21; 4. Land Ho, Going Once 27; 5. Land Ho, Going Twice 37; 6. Looking for Lichens 43; Section II: Glorious Food; 1. Brain Food 55; 2. Seaweed Salvation 69; 3. On a Grand Scale 79; 4. Welshmen's Delight 89; 5. A Way of Life 99; 6. Flash! 113; 7. Spirulina 123; Section III: Practical Matters; 1. Feeding Plants and Animals 131; 2. In the Thick of It 147; 3. Land Ho, Going Thrice 159; 4. Seaweed Stuff 169; 5. Algae Oil 185; 6. The Algae's Not for Burning 203; 7. Ethanol 215; 8. The Future of Algae Fuel 229; Section IV: Algae and the Changing Climate; 1. Gadzoox 243; 2. Saving the Reefs? 255; 3. A Plague Upon Us 273; 4. Clean-up 283; 5. Making Monsters 295 6. Geoengineering 303; Epilogue 315; Acknowledgements 323; Appendix: Recipes 325; Selected and Annotated Bibliography 341; Index 371
Reviews for Bloom: From Food to Fuel, The Epic Story of How Algae Can Save Our World
With brio and great wisdom, Ruth Kassinger demonstrates how the apparently humble and often disregarded algae ( pond scum ) are actually amongst the major engines of life on our planet. Bloom is a classic of our environmental crisis, alongside books such as Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction. - Peter Forbes, author of The Gecko's Foot; A book full of delights and surprises . . . This is a beautiful evocation of the many ways that our past and future are entangled in their emerald strands - David George Haskell, author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist The Forest Unseen; Ruth Kassinger is a witty and affable guide throughout this globetrotting celebration of an overlooked life form - Thor Hanson, author of Buzz, The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers; 'Engaging and deeply informative' - Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
