BookClub
Welcome to the BlueTech Book Club Podcast—where water meets the written word. Hosted by Paul O’Callaghan, joined by Lily Chen, this is the only podcast dedicated to exploring the books that are shaping how we think about water.
Each episode features conversations sparked by a book—conversations that uncover the ideas, innovations, and stories behind water technology, sustainability, and the people driving change in the sector. From recent titles by academic powerhouses to big-vision narratives from filmmakers, founders, and futurists, we dive deep into what makes these books matter.
This isn’t just a podcast for water experts. It’s for the curious, the committed, and everyone in between—whether you’re just dipping your toes in or already knee-deep in the water space.
You’ll discover books that challenge and inspire new thinking in the sector, hear directly from authors, innovators, and thought leaders, and explore the human stories behind water technologies and movements. It’s also a way to stay connected to emerging trends, research, and radical ideas shaping the future of water.
BlueTech Book Club is brought to you by BlueTech Research. Join us—and bring a book.
BookClub
Mark Nelson – Tales from the Biosphere: Interconnection and Isolation
Ecologist and author, Mark Nelson was one of the original ‘biospherians’ and we were honoured that Mark joined us at BlueTech Forum 2020 to share his fascinating story. A renowned international speaker, Mark is also a founding director of the Institute of Ecotechnics and has worked with water, wastewater and natural systems for several decades.
Mark was interviewed by Aoife Kelleher, Lead Researcher, Brave Blue World. Mark shared lessons he learned from his time in Biosphere II around closed loops, connectivity, conservation, isolation and the need to tackle global problems with global cooperation. His research focuses on closed ecological system research, ecological engineering, restoration of damaged ecosystems, and wastewater recycling.
Mark is the author of numerous papers and books, including the excellent ‘Wastewater Gardener: Preserving the Planet One Flush at a Time’, co-author of a newly published 2nd edition of “Life Under Glass: Crucial Lessons in Planetary Stewardship from 2 years inside Biosphere 2” (Synergetic Press, 2020) and is featured in the new documentary exploring the Biosphere II journey, Spaceship Earth.
💡 Got a suggestion for a book or author we should feature? Drop us a line at lily.chen@bluetechresearch.com
📘 Paul’s book The Dynamics of Water Innovation is available at braveblue.world/book—Lily will personally make sure it wings its way to you.
🔗 Connect with Lily and Paul on LinkedIn, and visit bluetechresearch.com and braveblue.world to learn more.