Book launch: The Seaweed Revolution

“You don’t need land, you don’t need to feed it and guess what…it doesn’t need water!”. Vincent Doumeizel, The Seaweed Revolution

Home to 70 million specimens of mammals, birds, rocks, plants, fish, fossils, and algae - the Natural History Museum in London was an ideal site for the book launch of Vincent Doumeizel’s The Seaweed Revolution.  A charismatic and persuasive proponent of the value of seaweed for the future of humankind, Doumeizel is also senior advisor on the oceans to the UN Global Compact and director of the Food Programme at Lloyd’s Register Foundation. 

He argues for natural solutions to global problems, solutions that inspire hope for future generations, and solutions that are grounded in science. For Doumeizel the story of seaweed - ‘the mother of the sea’-  foregrounds its major role in carbon capture, in ocean regeneration, as a nutritious and inexpensive human and animal food source, an organic fertiliser, a nutrient-rich ingredient in medicines and cosmetics, a key ingredient in food packaging and plastic substitute, and for a host of green and safe new jobs.

Even the book cover was made of seaweed, courtesy of  Notpla - whose strapline  is "We make packaging disappear." The launch was well attended by an enthusiastic audience, with a great many people linked in some way to this burgeoning new industry.  Aqua Botanika staff report that the intricate hors d’oeuvres laced with seaweed were delicious and they were entertained by the lively sea shanty choir. It seems that the revolution has begun on a  high note!

Podcast episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/3v5wXvc0TIVYT7uYpo4uIJ?si=cYjWhpi3RDK0BvAY_I0vTg