Todd, John
INNOVATIVE ECOLOGICAL DESIGNER
(1939–)
John Todd is an internationally recognized biologist and pioneer in ecological design. He has been a practical activist in the ecology movement since 1969 when he cofounded the New Alchemy Institute in order to explore science and engineering based on ecological principles. Todd developed earth-based technologies to grow food, generate fuel, transform waste, and purify water.
Todd is best known for his wastewater treatment systems in which floating structures support plants whose roots grow in the wastewater, becoming home to a variety of introduced creatures, including bacteria, fungi, snails,
Todd is president of Ocean Arks International, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to ecological research, education, and development. A professor at the University of Vermont, he has authored over two hundred articles on biology and earth stewardship. He is involved in developing a zero-emissions community food center in Burlington, Vermont, where wastes from food production are recycled as resources. Spent grain, for example, can be used to grow mushrooms. He has received a number of awards for his innovative wastewater treatment system, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Achievement Award in 1996.
SEE ALSO W ASTEWATER T REATMENT .
Bibliography
Todd, Nancy Jack, and Todd, John. (1994). From Eco-Cities to Living Machines: Principles of Ecological Design. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.
Internet Resource
Ocean Arks Web site. Available from http://www.oceanarks.org .
Patricia Hemminger
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