ULM Chief Innovation and Research Officer John Sutherlin, Ph.D., has completed his "environmental trilogy" with the publication of his third book, Hog Wash: The Strange Case of SSA Global.
The book chronicles the efforts of environmentalists, investors, and researchers as they strive to find an ecologically friendly process to clean up toxic waste from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that is polluting lakes, rivers, and streams. Sutherlin describes CAFOs as a major threat to the nation's rural water and air quality, posing environmental and public health risks. The book details Sutherlin's decade-long research project and the challenges faced in developing environmentally friendly solutions for CAFO waste.
The trilogy began with Playing With Fire in 2021 and continued with Garbage Gumbo in 2022. Sutherlin's motivation to write these books was influenced by the COVID pandemic, prompting him to address a range of ecological problems. The research for Hog Wash spanned 10 years, with an additional year for writing and further research, and six months for editing. Sutherlin's next project involves completing work on a documentary film, which will be his 26th film as a producer and director.