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Every time we eat meat, it's as though we're throwing away 6-20 calories worth of grains and legumes for every calorie we take in. And that's just the pure "calories in, calories out" equation. When you factor in all the extra stages of production that are required for meat relative to grains and legumes, the anti-environmental nature of meat consumption becomes even more stark: First, you have to grow many times more corn, grain, and soy (with all the required tilling, irrigation, crop dusters, poisons, and so on), than would be required if we ate the plants directly. Then you have to transport all that grain and soy to feed manufacturers, in gas-guzzling, pollution-spewing 18-wheelers. Then you have to operate the feed mill (again, using massive amounts of resources), truck the feed to the factory farms, operate the factory farms, truck the animals many miles to slaughterhouses, operate the slaughterhouses, truck the meat to processing plants, operate the meat processing plants, truck the meat to grocery stores (in refrigerated trucks), and keep the meat in refrigerators or freezers at the stores.
A smart combination of different crops, such as beans and maize, can significantly cut the use of crop protection agents and at the same time reduce the need for fertilizers. In order to meet the food demand of nine billion people in 2050 and at the same time reduce our impact on the environment, such as the use of crop protection agents and developments leading to deforestation or desertification, we can no longer rely on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers alone. 'We need to conduct much more research to better understand how to utilize the potential provided by natural ecological processes,' said Professor Anten. He points to recent research data showing that mixed crops require 20-40% less land to obtain the same total yields as mono-crops. There are several reasons for this. Different plant varieties make use of different growing times and different nutrients in the soil. They can also facilitate each other, for example by providing shade or making the soil more acidic, so that more phosphate is released. Also striking is the fact that mixed cultures are on average 40% less affected by diseases on average than single crops. In China there are even examples of a 90% reduction in diseases caused by fungi, leading to increased overall production.
This koala had the worst day ever. The little guy wandered back to his home in New South Wales, Australia last week only to find it had been cut down and chipped by logging operations. (RT @IS_Foundation: Heartbreaking! He was later taken to a local veterinarian and released near an established colony, but the heartbreaking photo shows some of the hardships faced by the animals over the past few years. Severe habitat destruction and the spread of a deadly chlamydia outbreak have decimated populations and the Australian government declared the species threatenedin some areas for the first time last year.
To highlight this year’s theme: “Earth day everyday, everywhere for everyone,” the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Earth Day Network Philippines Inc. (EDNPI) kicked off Monday (April 22) a different kind of competition among Metro Manila high schools and colleges. Celebrating Earth Day at the Quezon Memorial Circle, the Mini(mize) Carbon Olympics was launched to pit students of 47 secondary and tertiary private and public schools against pollution. “If they would be competing against each other, it would only be for bragging rights,” EDNPI executive director Voltaire Alferez told the Inquirer. He said the olympics would tap schools in Metro Manila, the pilot area, to educate them in ways to reduce carbon emission through energy-saving measures and efficient solid waste management. “They (schools) would basically be competing with themselves on improving their existing environmentally sound practices as a way of addressing climate change,” he said, adding that during the activity, the schools would be taught how to “audit” greenhouse gas emissions and their energy consumption.
Aquaponics: Is this promising, sustainable farming method the urbanized future of agriculture? ... Five ways small-scale organic farming can save agriculture from America's 'greed for profit' system • Study: Organic farming ... Because aquaponics is essentially a closed system, with the exception of fish food having to be cultivated or purchased separately, it can function independently, and without many of the normal inputs required for traditional farming. This means that a well-designed aquaponics system can be installed and operated virtually anywhere, including in dense urban environments -- high-rise rooftops, the tops of parking structures, and even basic parking lots are just a few examples of the many locations where high-output aquaponics systems can work.
This is good news for the many urban farmers with limited access to clean, unpolluted growing soils. A well-designed aquaponics system with stacked growing pods is capable of growing high volumes of fruits and vegetables -- according to Gaus, a 2,700-square-foot greenhouse farm he is currently building on a rooftop in Basel, Switzerland, is expected to produce more than five tons of fresh vegetables and roughly one ton of fish per year.
Sustainable Future, Green Home - greening the world, one household at a time (Earth Day: looking back, looking around, looking forward. Since 1990, Earth Day has been observed internationally. That year, 5,000 environmental groups sponsored events in 184 countries. What began with a best selling book and one frustrated senator 50 years ago has become a massive, global grassroots campaign. Sen. Nelson described the first Earth Day as a national teach-in. Other common Earth Day events include classes and seminars to teach interested people about how to live a greener lifestyle. Think of the impact it will have when people learn about and start practicing such things as finding non-toxic alternative cleaning supplies and gardening productspatronizing local stores that specialize in local goods produced with local resourceseating locally grown foodreducing consumption of packaging, plastic bags, and other waste materialsmaking their homes more energy and water efficientdriving less and more efficientlyreducing paper uselocating and purchasing recycled products
BBC News
Northern Ireland launches 5p plastic bag charge
The Guardian Blogs (blog)
According to the European commission, plastic bags account for the majority of plastic waste polluting the marine environment. The Northern Ireland Executive has introduced the carrier bag levy, in a move designed to significantly reduce the 250 million carrier bags distributed in the country each year. Northern Ireland follows in the footsteps of Wales, which introduced a similar charge in 2011 and subsequently cut handouts of bags dramatically, with some retailers virtually eliminating the use of bags within a few months of the launch of the levy. The Northern Irish levy will cover all single use carrier bags, including those made from paper or plant-based materials such as starch, on the grounds that alternatives to plastic bags also have environmental impacts. However, the levy will not apply to reusable bags and some small paper and plastic bags, such as those used for medicine or hot food.
David Hill: This week's trial of men accused of killing two activists in 2011 highlights the continuing problems faced in the Amazon (25 years after Chico Mendes, killings in the Amazon are endemic | David Hill http://t.co/3Pqt3BEHYO... These high-profile murders are just the tip of the iceberg. In Pará alone, 231 people were killed and 809 received death threats between 1996 and 2010, according to NGO Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), while in 2011 78 people received death threats and 12 people were killed. "Violence is the instrument of local capitalism," says Milanez. "They're proud to kill and they're seen by some as local heroes defending their property with their blood. It's insane, but it's what happening there." Trials like that starting on Wednesday are extremely rare. According to the CPT, out of 918 people killed across Brazil's Amazon between 1985 and April 2011, trials were held in only 27 cases.
Horrific news coming out of Chad, as we learn that 86 elephants, 33 of which were pregnant females, have been slaughtered by poachers on horseback. “Elephants in Central Africa continue to be under siege from unscrupulous poachers. The killing of 86 elephants, including pregnant cows, is evidence of the callous brutality demanded to feed the appetite of the ivory trade.” "At its root, though, it is ending demand for ivory in countries like Thailand and China which will ensure the survival of Central Africa's elephants." The price of ivory has passed $2,000 per kilogramme on the Asian black market, according to several non-government organisations. Groups of elephants follow traditional migration routes during the dry season from Central African Republic, through Chad to Cameroon. Thirty years ago there were estimates of 150,000 animals across the region, but today that figure could be as low as 2,000.
U.S. coal exports hit a new record in 2012. The trend undercuts U.S. progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, as more carbon-intensive fuel is burned overseas.
Via Adhi Noegroho
'Peak Everything: Industry At a Crossroads, Says Nestlé Waters North America' blog post by Francesca Rheannon. Here are some examples: From declines in formerly easily available minerals, like phosphorus (a basic component of fertilizer) to water, we are running out of the stuff we need to feed ourselves.We are running out of minerals that make advanced technologies like cell phones, computers and, yes, even “sustainable” green tech like wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries, possible (e.g., “peak lithium.”) Green tech and the virtual universe might not be all that sustainable, after all.We are running out of the forests we use to create packaging, as well as newspapers and books (OK, they’re migrating online, but see bullet point #2.) And, oh yes, we need forests to breathe (they create oxygen.)
The threat of extinction is growing for African forest elephants, according to a study released at the Cites summit in Bangkok (Tweederde van alle Afrikaanse #bosolifanten gedood door ivoorstropers (studie): http://t.co/Fd4OgWtVgU... "The analysis confirms what conservationists have feared: the rapid trend towards extinction – potentially within the next decade – of the forest elephant," said Samantha Strindberg of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of 60 scientists on the research team. There are about 100,000 forest elephants remaining in the forests of central Africa, compared with about 400,000 of the slightly larger savannah elephants. The total elephant population was over 1 million 30 years ago, but has been devastated by poaching driven by the rising demand for ivory ornaments in Asia.
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Manila Bulletin A tragedy in Philippine Agriculture - Manila Bulletin Manila Bulletin Last week I discussed the rebirth of the Filipino cuisine and noted its implication on the agriculture sector, specifically the growing demand for reliable...
Yale Environment 360 Declining Bee Populations Pose A Threat to Global Agriculture Yale Environment 360 Spread across 800,000 acres, California's almond orchards typically require 1.6 million domesticated bee colonies to pollinate the flowering...
Jadav Payeng plans to devote the rest of his life to turning a sandbar into another lush forest. Now, after some much-deserved R&R, Payeng is pledging to devote the rest of his life to planting another forest all by himself. “It may take another 30 years, but I am optimistic about it,” said Payeng, in an interview with DNA India. “I feel sad when I see people felling trees. We have to save the nature or else we all will perish.” Payeng’s one-man tree mission began when he was just 16 years old. Now—we know what you’re thinking: How does a family man provide for children if his singular obsession is seeding an entire hinterland? Turns out forest planting is a sustainable business. Payeng makes a living in the forest he reared, raising cows and selling milk in town.
Last year, 60 park rangers were killed in the line of duty. But rangers in Cameroon are willing to risk their lives to save the African forest elephant.
Ilocos Sur mangrove project helps decrease hunger and poverty Philippine Information Agency CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur, April 12 (PIA) -- The 10-hectare mangrove reforestation project in this town has resulted in an improved population of crab and fish in... The 10-hectare mangrove reforestation project in this town has resulted in an improved population of crab and fish in the village of Dardarat here.
Mangroves create a protective habitat for aquatic animals such as fish and crabs and help increase their population to replenish those harvested by residents for their daily food and daily supply of market products.
According to the town’s online publication, the project has helped in supporting the local government’s program to end hunger and improve residents’ lives.
Mangroves act as natural barriers protecting the shorelines which are vulnerable from erosion and thus shield residents from sea waves and strong winds during typhoons.
The mangrove ecosystem, now known as Cabugao Ecology Center, also serves as a demo site for students on field trip.
At present, there are big gaps between the government and nongovernment sectors that inhibit better governance and advocacy. The two sectors do not see eye to eye; one accuses the other of misdeeds. Bert Guevara, country coordinator of Earth Day Network Philippines Inc. (EDNPI), says there is now an ongoing paradigm shift in green advocacy. Realizing the counterproductive environment of war, Guevara says: “There is a better way.” EDNPI leads a host of nongovernment organizations shifting from war to cooperation, and achieving a more productive alliance between the government and nongovernment sectors in plans and projects.
As advocated by the late EDNPI founder Odette Alcantara, there are four key sectors for collaboration—Church/faith, business, government, and civil society, all serving the common tao. “The old way is mostly kanya-kanya (to each his own). They don’t even talk to each other. They regard each other with suspicion. Kalimutan muna yung tirahan (Forget criticisms for now). EDNPI’s mission is to fill the vacuum,” Guevara says.
Odette Alcantara pioneered the paradigm shift in EDNPI reforestation efforts by establishing cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, a former “archenemy” which provided the seeds, local government units which became “co-advocates,” harnessing free labor from communities and schools, and the military, which provided logistics such as transport vehicles, and even aircraft for aerial seeding. The power of cooperation meant a massive successful reforestation effort. The end result: more goals achieved by all four sectors.
178 nations at the world's biggest wildlife summit agree to strictly regulate trade in mahogany and rosewood timber (RT @KindaKnotty: Good news: New protection for endangered trees against rampant logging trade http://t.co/f8aj7Lt9oD... The 178 nations at the world's biggest wildlife summit agreed unanimously to strictly regulate the international trade in mahogany timber. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species(Cites), taking place in Bangkok, also gave new protection to rosewood in Central America, Thailand and Vietnam. Ebony and rosewoods are targeted to make high-price furniture, musical instruments, chess pieces and flooring. "There are 80 ebony species known in Madagascar but they are literally identifying more right now and there may be as many as 240 species in all," said Noel McGough, a botanist at Kew Botanical Gardens in London and a member of the UK delegation. He said the new protection, aimed at ensuring harvests are sustainable, had been urgently needed: "We need to move quickly." "Regulating the international trade will give the chance to feed money back to the poor local communities," he added. "Illegal trade just drains money away from them."
(By Joanne Boyer, cross-posted at Wisdom Voices) We make no secret that we here at Wisdom Voices are huge admirers of former Wisconsin Senator and Governor Gaylord Nelson. The Founder of Earth Day,...
Human urine is not only a good substitute for urea -- a costly chemical fertiliser -- but also synergises well with compost.
For thirty years, Jadav Payeng worked planting a jungle by hand in the Indian region of Assam. His remarkable efforts are shown in a new documentary. For 30 years on a sandbar located in the Brahmaputra of Assam, one man has carefully planted one sapling after another, creating a jungle out of a wasteland. Today the Molai forest covers 1,360 acres, providing vital habitat for birds, deer, and more. Jadav Payeng is shown here going about his daily routine to bringa forest to life:
PHOENIX - Fearing international intrusion into Arizona's affairs, the Senate voted Wednesday to make it illegal for state and local governments to recognize the United Nations or any of its (Arizona Senate OKs bill rejecting UN declaration on environment...
I wake up and suck a bowl of charred asbestos through a dirty bong. Well, that’s what it feels like most winter mornings when I open the door of the fourth-floor New Delhi apartment that I currently call home. But according to World Health Organization data covering more than 1,000 cities in 91 countries, China’s capital is not the city that consistently endures the world’s worst air pollution. It doesn’t even come close. One of the crucial measures of dangerous air pollution is the number of parts per million of particles smaller than 10 micrometers (PM10) wafting through the air. Beijing’s residents breathe in air with an average PM10 of 121, but millions of people have it worse. The rankings, cobbled together using air monitoring data from a variety of sources between 2003 and 2010, suggest that the world’s worst air pollution floats over Ahwaz, a city in southwestern Iran where the average PM10 level hovers around 372. Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, ranks second, enduring a 279 PM10, far higher than the global average of 71.
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