It is too easy to forget about or ignore major global issues as a middle-class, white, American male. One such issue is that of sustainable food sources. We don't have enough of them!
Instead of trying to cover the whole issue, I want to use this post to focus on fish. Fish is an invaluable part of a healthy diet. Fish is delicious. The only people I know who don't like fish have not tried more than one kind prepared more than one way.
The ocean has been over-fished for years. Fish populations are dwindling. The solution -- fish farms! Have you ever seen a fish farm? Most of them are inadequate and unsustainable, not to mention unsuitable as an environment for fish. But how else will we be able to eat fish without eradicating the entire population?
Dan Barber, a chef and speaker for TED talks, describes a REAL solution to the fish problem. The video is brief, informative, entertaining, and inspiring. Here is the link:
TED talk video
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Role of Capitalism Within the Green Movement/Food For Thought
As I was researching some advances in green tech I suddenly experienced a rather startling epiphany--Capitalism is driving the Green Movement.
I was taken aback because for so long I've blindly trusted the "facts" I hear and used commonplace "knowledge" as fuel for my desire to be a part of the Green Revolution. In other words, I was a sheep. Baaaahhhh.
Getting back to the point: Capitalism is a driving force in American society. It is irresistibly simple and so easily manipulated for personal gain. Consider this thought -- Every well-marketed company, writer, businessman, etc. involved in the Green Movement is virtually guaranteed attention and profit because not only is Green COOL, it is GOOD!
How many people have unintelligently bought into that notion like I have? How many Green books have been purchased? How many hybrid vehicles have been sold?
I should say that these thoughts do not interfere with my strong belief that conserving water, fuel, food sources, and forests (to name the big ones) is crucial to long-term human survival, but I am certainly thinking twice about what I buy into.
Here is an article I found that was written as a result of a lecture about global warming by Dr. Singer, a scientist whose credentials are impressive. Please take the time to read the entire article. It is roughly a fifteen minute read.
Singer/Global Warming Article
I was taken aback because for so long I've blindly trusted the "facts" I hear and used commonplace "knowledge" as fuel for my desire to be a part of the Green Revolution. In other words, I was a sheep. Baaaahhhh.
Getting back to the point: Capitalism is a driving force in American society. It is irresistibly simple and so easily manipulated for personal gain. Consider this thought -- Every well-marketed company, writer, businessman, etc. involved in the Green Movement is virtually guaranteed attention and profit because not only is Green COOL, it is GOOD!
How many people have unintelligently bought into that notion like I have? How many Green books have been purchased? How many hybrid vehicles have been sold?
I should say that these thoughts do not interfere with my strong belief that conserving water, fuel, food sources, and forests (to name the big ones) is crucial to long-term human survival, but I am certainly thinking twice about what I buy into.
Here is an article I found that was written as a result of a lecture about global warming by Dr. Singer, a scientist whose credentials are impressive. Please take the time to read the entire article. It is roughly a fifteen minute read.
Singer/Global Warming Article
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Biochar
International Biochar Initiative
While biochar cannot be categorized as a technology, it plays a major role in progressive agriculture and therefore deserves some attention.
About two months ago, one of my great friends, a progressive thinker and environmental enthusiast named Robert, called me on his way home from a fungi research conference (he works alongside scientists at the University of Delaware studying fungi and possible applications). He was extremely excited about building some sort of contraption that would produce what he was calling "awesome fertilizer" or something to that effect. He asked me to assist him, and even though I wasn't sure what he was talking about, I happily agreed.
That weekend Bob and I enjoyed a borderline carbon-negative meal as the contraption, which is a top-lit updraft kiln (TLUD), produced biochar.
The meal was carbon-negative because the TLUD emits 75% less CO and CO2 than a campfire while burning and our fuel (wood pellets) were used to richen the soil in Bob's garden. And there's the money shot--the wood pellets, which were used to cook food, became biochar, which was then used to grow food.
So what exactly is biochar? Can it be used on a global scale? Hopefully you're asking these questions, and I'd rather not get into that in this post, but if you're interested in learning more, the link at the top will explain everything much better than I can. And provided below is a link to a video of Bob and I constructing and implementing our TLUD as well as a link to a site that can explain how you can make a TLUD.
TLUD Video
Greater Democracy
While biochar cannot be categorized as a technology, it plays a major role in progressive agriculture and therefore deserves some attention.
About two months ago, one of my great friends, a progressive thinker and environmental enthusiast named Robert, called me on his way home from a fungi research conference (he works alongside scientists at the University of Delaware studying fungi and possible applications). He was extremely excited about building some sort of contraption that would produce what he was calling "awesome fertilizer" or something to that effect. He asked me to assist him, and even though I wasn't sure what he was talking about, I happily agreed.
That weekend Bob and I enjoyed a borderline carbon-negative meal as the contraption, which is a top-lit updraft kiln (TLUD), produced biochar.
The meal was carbon-negative because the TLUD emits 75% less CO and CO2 than a campfire while burning and our fuel (wood pellets) were used to richen the soil in Bob's garden. And there's the money shot--the wood pellets, which were used to cook food, became biochar, which was then used to grow food.
So what exactly is biochar? Can it be used on a global scale? Hopefully you're asking these questions, and I'd rather not get into that in this post, but if you're interested in learning more, the link at the top will explain everything much better than I can. And provided below is a link to a video of Bob and I constructing and implementing our TLUD as well as a link to a site that can explain how you can make a TLUD.
TLUD Video
Greater Democracy
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