tagged w/ Sustainable Agriculture
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Rolling Stone decided to start the year off by kicking ass and taking numbers…or rather, announcing names and pointing fingers in their article, The Climate Killers Meet the 17 polluters and deniers who are derailing efforts to curb global warming.
It’s about time there was a public hit-list of people who aren’t for the planet. (After all, it’s very publicized technique used by several climate change deniers who will not be named). Over all it’s an informative article that examined the influence of thoughts, money, and action across sectors. The author clearly had fun creating clever nicknames for the offenders, such as the Flip Flopper (Dick Gephardt) and The Arm Twister (David Ratcliff). Unfortunately I found the tone of the piece off putting in the moments when it came dangerously close to stooping to name calling. The way I see it, we (the people who are actively in the pursuit of securing a way to live sustainably on the planet) do not have time for name calling. Everything that is said and written needs to be impeccable and supported by facts, not just emotion and a sense of, “this is just the right thing to do.” (I realize this is ironic coming from someone who spews nothing but opinions. Shoot. Now that I think about it, I wouldn’t be undeserving of a t-shirt that says, “Hi. My name is pot. I call tea kettles black.”)
But here’s what kills me, after an article that names some of the most dangerous polluters in regard to the environment and ideas, the first comment on the article says, “global warming is a myth.” I keep wondering what can we do to shift the conversation? HEEELLLOOO~ they just listed 17 people that are in the active pursuit of hurting the state of the planet and the entire conversation resorts to the broken record statement of “global warming is a myth”. It feels like there is no way out of the “Yes!” “No!” shouting match about the legitimacy of if climate change will affect people’s ability to survive on the planet. It is pointless to engage in a conversation about if Al Gore’s plan is to take over the planet and rule the economic system.
So (gasp), what would happen if we turned in a different direction and focused on making sure we have clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, clean soil to grow our food in? What if we replace “global warming” with “healthy planet”? Would it change the conversation? Would we still get the same number of people saying, “Healthy planet is a myth!!” And if so, how would that influence the conversation? Would it refocus us on the task at hand and give our minds a break about conspiracies, lies, and motivations?Rolling Stone decided to start the year off by kicking ass and taking... more
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leahl
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added this
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28 days ago
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HuffPost Interviews Joseph Stiglitz: January 20, 2010
During the economic turmoil of the last few years, Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz has been one of the most strident and incisive critics of the historic bailout of the banking sector.
Never one to mince words, Stiglitz, who served as the Chief Economist at the World Bank and on President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, has said the meltdown has resulted in a kind of "ersatz capitalism" in America. He has also repeatedly called for a second round of fiscal stimulus to support struggling Americans.
We recently sat down with Professor Stiglitz to discuss his new book "Freefall: America, Free Markets And The Sinking of The World Economy", and how the Obama administration should go about reshaping our economy.
With so much talk of a recovery, where is our economy right now?
The way I put it is that, if you look back before the crisis, the American economy was basically supported by a housing bubble, which supported a consumption boom. In one year, we had $950 billion in mortgage equity withdrawals. That got reflected in the statistics and our savings rate went to zero.
The implication is that post-crisis, even if we have our banking system work, it is not likely that we will go back to a zero savings rate in the U.S. If we don't go back to a zero savings rate, it's going to be hard to have a robust recovery unless you find something else to fill in the gap.
quilt patch from The Great American Energy Quilt Project 2010
Coalwar.comHuffPost Interviews Joseph Stiglitz:... more
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An often misunderstood technique due to it's roots in Rudolph Steiner's esoteric spiritual philosophy, biodynamic agriculture treats farms as unified organisms and emphasizes the relationship of soil, plants and animals.
For more videos, visit: http://www.OrganicNation.tvAn often misunderstood technique due to it's roots in Rudolph Steiner's... more
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Dry composting toilets are all the rage these days, and Chicago is no exception. In fact, a group of West Side poop savers are at the forefront of the humanure movement.Dry composting toilets are all the rage these days, and Chicago is no exception. In... more
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A ten minute presentation:
"The Food Forest is being developed by Annemarie and Graham Brookman and their children Tom and Nikki, to demonstrate how an ordinary family, with a typical Australian income can grow its own food and create a productive and diverse landscape."
Here is a description of Permaculture from the Food Forest web site:
"Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is a framework for thinking about and designing environmentally sustainable farms, gardens buildings and communities. It aims to create systems that will sustain not only for the present, but for future generations.
It is based on a philosophy of co-operation with nature and each other, and of taking responsibility for our impact on population and consumption of things which have high environmental costs.
Permaculture presents an approach to designing environments which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems and also the productivity of naturally improved plant varieties and technologies from many cultures and countries.
It was devised by Bill Mollison (who worked on the land for many years and spent time in both the CSIRO and the University of Tasmania) and David Holmgren (an environmental designer who runs a property and a farm design service in Victoria, Australia).
The principles of Permaculture are laid out in the 'Permaculture Designers Manual' and 'An Introduction to Permaculture'. They are based on a combination of modern science and traditional wisdom.
Permaculture design is used widely and successfully in the developing world.
It encourages the individual to be resourceful and self reliant, and become a conscious part of the solution to the many problems which face us, both locally and globally."A ten minute presentation:
"The Food Forest is being developed by Annemarie... more
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The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. There are many people today who are concerned with the serious problems that face our modern society: unemployment, violent crime, replacement of humans by technology, over-population and a decline in the Earth's ecosystems.
http://www.thevenusproject.com/The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing... more
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Cologne 2010: Frankfurt designer Kai Linke is working on a project to grow furniture from plant roots. Linke explained the project, called Roots; his experiments so far involve cultivating fast-growing plants such as grass, cress, bulbs and bamboo and chanelling their roots into a miniature chair-shaped mould.
Once the roots have completely filled the mould it is removed, leaving a scale model of a piece of furniture. This exploration is the first stage of a long term project, which Linke hopes will result in a full size chair made of roots.
The idea referring to this concept arises out of the abstract conflict of deformations in nature. Deformations can be caused by human hand consciously or by coincidence. The intervention of humans into the growth of a plant can be described as deformation.
The human is the activator for a modified plant-growth. The plant is disturbed to develop itself in a natural way. In different trials with help of grass, cress, bulbs, bamboo and hyacinths the rooting-growths was analysed.
The roots were channelled into shapes in different culture mediums until they filled those shapes completely. After the roots have conquered the whole space – similar to a plant in a pot that is too small – the shape has been taken away. Remaining are the roots, formed into the shapes of stools and tables. The material wood, in this case root wood is forced already during it’s growth into a desired shape and not as usual by human deforming of the outside to the material into the desired shape. This concept is depending a natural circumstance such as: weather, water dung, potting soil and the paste in which the root fills the form.
http://www.dezeen.com/2010/01/29/roots-by-kai-linke/Cologne 2010: Frankfurt designer Kai Linke is working on a project to grow furniture... more
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With a growing body of new scientific evidence behind them, experts say that any acceptance of the safety of GMOs flies in the face of modern scientific methods. They point out the handful of original safety studies on file come primarily from GMO patent holders themselves.With a growing body of new scientific evidence behind them, experts say that any... more
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There are foods that I buy organic only occasionally, when I'm feeling flush, and then there are those, like potatoes, that I always make sure to buy organic. I think I got that from my mom, who was the first to tell me about how heavily conventional potatoes are sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. She always recommended that I either buy organic, or be sure to thoroughly peel conventional potatoes.
READ MORE: http://www.organicnation.tv/blog/dirty-dozen-why-to-always-buy-organic-potatoes.htmlThere are foods that I buy organic only occasionally, when I'm feeling flush, and... more
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Not good!
I knew once Cargill and Monsanto got involved with Pepsi and Coke to introduce their own patented chemical solutions of Stevia, nothing would ever be safe with it again.
Sensient's been working on chemicals that trick the taste for a couple of years now.Not good!
I knew once Cargill and Monsanto got involved with Pepsi and Coke to... more
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The 'grow your own food' movement is live and well, and more and more young people are getting in the game. Meet Becky Rushford who, at 29, is managing a farm in upstate New York.
"Rushford turned this dream into a sustainable business, researching and planning a farming system for a client. At the time of the interview, she was putting together a plan to raise chickens profitably.
She is also out in the field, working the land, in a solo operation. Currently, she is managing one-half acre of farmland in upstate New York for some clients who run a café, restaurant and grocery store in Brooklyn. They invested in the farm so they could have sustainable, regional crops to supply their businesses. The half acre may seem small, but it can produce more than 10 tons of produce, Rushford said."
Read more: http://bit.ly/6lMARAThe 'grow your own food' movement is live and well, and more and more young... more
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It's time to buy seed again, but hundreds of seed companies have gone under in the past two decades.
Ulrich remembers the days before genetically modified seeds upended the industry. Critics of the big agriculture biotech company Monsanto say its popular Roundup Ready technology is to blame for that. Roundup Ready is a line of gene-modified seeds that inoculate plants against a herbicide, Roundup, also made by Monsanto, that kills just about everything else.
More than 9 out of 10 soybean seeds carry the Roundup Ready trait. It's about the same for cotton and just a little lower for corn
Roundup Ready technology was developed at Monsanto's world headquarters in St. Louis. Jim Tobin of Monsanto says it sells itself. "Farmers get to vote every year before they plant, and it's that vote each year that determines who has the largest market share or volume," Tobin says.
Monsanto spent huge amounts of money and took big risks to develop the Roundup Ready trait. Tobin says it has revolutionized agriculture. But now, "Well, we've invented something new," he says.
It's called Roundup Ready 2 Yield. It uses the gene as the original, just placed in a different spot in the genome. Monsanto says that boosts yield.
Interesting timing: Monsanto's patent on Roundup Ready 1 expires in 2014 and with it, a revenue stream of maybe half a billion dollars a year in royalties. That's unless it can switch farmers over to Roundup Ready 2.It's time to buy seed again, but hundreds of seed companies have gone under in... more
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Yes we can . . . hold you accountable as well President Obama. Don't let me down, the world is counting on you.Yes we can . . . hold you accountable as well President Obama. Don't let me... more
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Eco Art from The Coal Wars 2008
If you want to beat your competition, antiquate them.
In the Coal War, the battle for the BTU is the struggle for which fuel will replace coal. In coal communities, coal companies leave economic and environmental devastation in the void of an empty coal seam.
Willow trees grown for clean fuel provide high paying jobs for those left behind when the coal runs out. Safe clean jobs working above ground in the sun with plants will pay more than jobs provided by the antique coal based economy. The Battle for the BTU will be won when jobs in renewable energy pay double what coal jobs pay and depleting the labor base of the coal companies will cause the end of coal production.
True or false? Sweden has replaced 20% of all coal used in the production of electricity with willow trees.Eco Art from The Coal Wars 2008
If you want to beat your competition, antiquate... more
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Humanure Toilet application from one of 2 Natural Building conferences.
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Did you know that the orange stuff inside "100% natural orange juice," goes through an elaborate series of chemical procedures to strip it of oxygen and is then pumped full of artificial flavoring and fragrance? Time to start squeezing our own...Did you know that the orange stuff inside "100% natural orange juice," goes... more
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This page has lots of concise information about the Produce Traceability Initiative. It caters to smaller local farms but the information is applicable to all.This page has lots of concise information about the Produce Traceability Initiative.... more
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On the way from New York to Maine, we stopped off for a couple of days in Connecticut earlier this week, and we paid a visit to Yale University's organic farm in New Haven. I don't normally think of Yale as an ag school, but the Sustainable Food program is one of the best in the country.
The Yale Sustainable Food Project was founded in 2001 by Alice Waters and members of the Yale faculty, and the Project now operates a one-acre organic farm in New Haven and directs a sustainable dining program at the university.
Read more here: http://www.organicnation.tv/blog/visiting-yales-organic-farm-in-new-haven.htmlOn the way from New York to Maine, we stopped off for a couple of days in Connecticut... more
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