Life Solved
ATOMIK VODKA ft. Professor Jim Smith
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Episode notes
Vodka distilled from grain and water sourced in a nuclear disaster zone?
Normally when alcohol inspires world-changing ideas, they don’t turn out that well, but this University of Portsmouth Professor is clear-headed about how to help kick-start Chernobyl’s economy.
Professor Jim Smith explains his findings after years of studying the impact of radiation upon wildlife and the food chain in nuclear exclusion zones. It turns out that people living in semi-evacuated areas aren’t experiencing life-limitations as a result of radiation as much as the limited economic opportunities.
In Life Solved, Jim battles the myth of Chernobyl as exacerbated by popular culture, and explains how his safe, good-tasting and high-quality vodka is the first consumer product to come out of the area since the 1986 disaster.
He argues that land is now safe to grow crops and plans for 75% of the products sales to go back into the local community and wildlife conservation projects.
It’s his hope that the Chernobyl Spirit Company’s Atomik Vodka will be the first of many innovations to change the fortunes of people living in the area, and showcase the real Chernobyl to the wider world.
Points of Interest:
Chernobyl Spirit Company: Atomik Vodka
The First Liquor Grown from Crops in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49251471
https://allthatsinteresting.com/chernobyl-atomik-vodka
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