The lobbying group for the commercial algae sector mounted a PR push last week to leverage a nuisance bloom of algae in one of Washington, D.C., most iconic landmarks.
The Algae Biomass Organization, via Seattle PR firm Scoville PR, urged the National Park Service to delay draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool of algae, after the Washington Post reported the NPS’ frustration with a thick layer of algae and scum that grew after a $34M overhaul of the pool’s water system.
The Park Service spent the stimulus funds over two years on the new system to use river water from a nearby Potomac River tidal basin to fill the pool, rather than city drinking water. The new circulation system was activated on Aug. 31.
Algae Biomass Org executive director Mary Rosenthal acknowledged the frustration that algae bloom has caused, but said it also highlights the resilience and utility of the plant.
“While we would never advocate using the pool to produce algae full time, it is a highly visual reminder that the attributes of algae which frustrate consumers are the very same that make algae ideal as an industrial raw material,” she said, noting more than 200 companies and institutions are developing ways to use algae for fuel, feed and food.
The reflecting pool episode occurred just days before the ABO’s sixth annual Algae Biomass Summit in Denver.
An estimated 24 million visitors each year visit the reflecting pool, which sits between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument on the National Mall and was the backdrop for Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.