SPIRULINA
SUPERFOOD TANK
Farm-Fresh Cyanobacteria
By Aaron WolfB aum
Supplement your daily diet with fresh spirulina “superfood”
grown indoors next to a sunny window.
In 2006, I worked with the Chlorophyll
Collective at Burning Man to demonstrate
how algae can capture greenhouse gases
from generator exhaust.
Inspired by the power of these simple,
single-celled plants, I then built a community
algae lab in a shipping container in Berkeley,
Calif. Ever since, we’ve been refining techniques for the home farming of spirulina
(Arthrospira platensis), an edible algae that’s
well known for its health benefits.
This project presents our favorite DIY
design: a home algae tank you can build
in just a couple of hours after a trip to the
aquarium store.
Algae farming is a revolutionary form of
agriculture that can produce copious food,
fuel, and other products in small spaces. It
requires no land, and can even clean up air
and water.
If you’ve eaten dried spirulina powder,
which is sold commercially as a dietary
supplement, you know it has an unappealing
“seaweed-y” taste. But live spirulina has a
lovely, creamy texture and a fresh, very mild
flavor — really, almost no taste at all. Try it!
Dr. Aaron Wolf Baum received his training at Harvard and
Stanford universities. He now teaches workshops on algae
cultivation and sells kits for growing spirulina at home.
SET UP: p. 95
MAKE IT: p. 96
USE IT: p. 101
Photograph by Sam Murphy
92 Make: makezine.com/26
