On the topic of What is Environmental Biotechnology?, some EBNet members will know that when our Green Stories: Microbes to the Rescue book first came out we had some faulty copies.
Rather than throwing them away, we decided they were still useful as outreach and to raise public awareness of the field. So we’ve been distributing them now and then to suitable outlets.
Some went to book exchanges in the Cotswolds, East Anglia, Yorkshire and Wales. Others into holiday rental properties – what better way to reach lots of people? Whether you are stuck indoors on a rainy day, or back from a walk on the beach or in the hills, a short story is just the thing. And there are new visitors every week…
One of the best spots turned out to be the main north and southbound platforms at Carlisle railway station. These both have charity bookshelves: if the train is delayed you can browse, choose a book and make a donation. The two shelves have raised remarkable amounts (see images) – and whenever EBNet members pass through, new copies are always needed.
Now we are starting to get sitings from further afield, with one copy recently spotted in a charity shop in Auchterarder, between Perth and Stirling. Another, dropped off at 10:00 in a supermarket in Keswick, had gone by 15:00. We should have put trackers on them, to generate data for projects on dissemination and on informal recycling networks.
So – have you seen one somewhere? If so let us know – we’d love to hear more. Meanwhile we are very pleased to be informing the public, and raising a little money for charity each time they are sold on.
For more on the Green Stories Project led by Prof Denise Baden see here.
