From TED, very grim:

The fact that teenagers in science fairs are producing innovations in technology to decompose plastic, using readily available materials, suggests to me that there has been absolutely no corporate initiative as of yet, to achieve these ends.

So it has become the responsibility of our generation to not only change the minds and habits of both consumer and marketplace, but also to find the means of cleaning up the discarded remains of a 400 year legacy of overconsumption and garbage generation.

Nonetheless, hope springs eternal...

The fact that teenagers in science fairs are producing innovations in technology gives great hope to coming generations. The vacuum of corporate initiative to be proactive in managing waste and designing cradle-to-cradle, suggests that we, as individuals have a tremendous opportunity in filling this vacuum, solving the problems that we have inherited.

It’s In the Bag! Teenager Wins Science Fair, Solves Massive Environmental Problem

We’ve all heard the plastic bag horror stories—the billions of bags discarded every year that wind up polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been wracking their brains for years to figure out a solution. But leave it to a Canadian high school student to leave them all in the dust. Daniel Burd, an 11th grader at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as little as three months—a finding that won him first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, a $20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.

Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms. If those microorganisms, as well as the optimal conditions for their growth, could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.

With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbe growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for three months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control.

Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17 percent lighter than the control after six weeks. Once Burd examined the most effective strains of bacteria, he was able to isolate two types—Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas—as the plastic munchers. At 37 degrees and optimal bacterial concentration, the microbes had consumed 43 percent of a plastic sample within six weeks.

Next up, maybe it’s time to put him to work on this whole carbon emissions thing.

I found this nifty article on growing Kale... I thought, "I would like to grow kale." The article seemed noteworthy

Jan 9, 2010 Melissa Rodriguez

from http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/growing_kale

Kale is a non-heading plant from the the cabbage family, grown for its leafy green leaves.

Scientific Name: Brassica oleracea Acephala

Kale is a non-heading plant from the the cabbage family, grown for its leafy green leaves. Another common name, borecole, may originate from the Dutch word boerenkool, which means farmers cabbage. Historically, kale has been one of the most common green vegetables grown in Europe. Ancient Greek and Roman varieties are the ancestors of modern varieties. Kale is easy to grow and very nutritious.

Kale comes in a variety of colors, sizes and is usually curled at the edges. There is even a dwarf variety. The ornamental plants are frequently used for bedding purposes or for garnishing. Kale likes cooler temperatures and grows best as a spring or as a fall crop. For a spring crop, sow seed in late fall and allow to over winter in the ground covered by a light mulch. Low growing kale is the best variety for over wintering.

Soil: Kale grows well in strong, moist soil that is enriched with organic matter. However, it will grow in nearly all soil types provided that drainage is satisfactory.

Planting Distances: Rows and the plants within the rows should be forty-five to seventy five centimeters (eighteen to thirty inches) apart, depending on variety.

Planting Depth: two and a half centimeters (one inch).

How to Plant: Transplant tall varieties of kale when they are ten to fifteen centimeters (four to six inches) high. The low growing kale does not transplant well therfore it is best to direct sow those varieties. Sow thinly in rows where they are gowing to grow and then thin the seedlings to forty-five to seventy five centimeters (eighteen to thirty inches) apart. Since kale is grown for the leaves, apply organic sources of nitrogen at intervals.

Pests: Kale rarely suffers from pests, but when it does it is subject to the same pests as cabbage: cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, harlequin bugs, root maggots, cut worms, aphids, thrips and flea beetles.

Harvesting: The whole plant can be harvested at once or extend the harvest by picking individual leaves. The plant is cold hardy and will even taste better after frost.

Storage: Refrigerate up to five days.

Use: Eat fresh or cooked.

Decorative Uses: Many varieties of kale, known as flowering kales, are grown for their ornamental rosette leaves in a variety of colors: white, red, pink, purple and blue. The ornamental kales are sometimes called ornamental cabbage. As long as the plants have not been treated with pesticides or chemicals, the ornamentals are edible.

"With these kinds of friends, who needs enemies"...

As agrobusiness moves further and further away from recognition of the causal nature of evolution, we as a species play Russian roulette. It is hard to conceive of a more profound reason to begin recapitalizing urban land, and push cities to become more self-sustaining. At the end of the day, growing large quantites of low-quality food at a high density is not a desirable alternative to growing high-quality food on a greater ammount of land at a lower density.

from: http://bit.ly/5HAEaD

Dec 27, 2009 Cassandra Truax

Many people want to start a garden for the first time, but don't know where to begin. Why not start with a community garden? A group of gardeners lighten the work load and share knowledge with each other. If there is no community garden in the area, then start one.

Why Start a Community Garden?

• To produce high-quality, nutritious food - Agricultural soils worldwide are depleted. These depleted soils produce food which is lacking in essential nutrients and taste. Garden-grown food is higher in nutrients and full of flavor.
• To create rich, biologically active soils - No till gardening creates rich organic soils in which beneficial microbes, fungi, and insects thrive. These soils are able to produce incredibly high yields in small amounts of space.
• To create space for heirloom varieties of seeds to be produced, cultivated, and saved -Mass produced, hybrid varieties of fruits and vegetables are usually sterile. That is, if they contain seed, the seed is not viable. Locally adapted varieties of fruits and vegetables are important for the long term sustainability of agriculture world wide.
• To increase community interaction - In a world in which people are becoming more isolated, community gardens are a great way to bring people together for a common purpose. And let's face it, gardening is not as volatile as politics.
• To teach us where food comes from - Many of us don't know where our food comes from, how it grows, and what is necessary to produce it. Reclaiming knowledge of food and how to produce it is a benefit to us all.
• To reduce the amount of money spent on groceries - The better tasting, and more nutritious fruits and vegetables are those that are organically grown. Organic in the grocery store is almost always more expensive. Organic gardening is no more expensive than non-organic gardening. Growing food in a community garden can reduce grocery bills.
• To create opportunities to create income - Community gardens that really get going can create extra income for participants from the sale of crops, compost, and other garden amendments.
• To reduce heat from urban asphalt - In urban areas, roads and parking lots create heat islands. Community gardens create islands of cooler green space.
• To create green space - Cities invest in parks and planted medians to increase green space. Green space breaks up the urban landscape, creating peaceful, human scale space.
• To improve quality of life - The combination of producing high-quality food, improving soil, reducing grocery bills, working together, and creating economic opportunities for a neighborhood improve the quality of life for all who live there.

from  http://bit.ly/6bJAD7:

In a survey by garden company W. Atlee Burpee on the perceived benefits of gardening, an overwhelming majority reported gardening to be good for managing stress, staying fit and making healthy food choices.

And in apparent agreement with first lady Michelle Obama, 79 percent of the respondents said America's obesity problem could be lessened over time if more people took up vegetable gardening.

In other results, more than three times as many respondents felt vegetable gardening was more beneficial to the environment than driving a hybrid. And almost 94 percent said children who vegetable garden are more likely to eat vegetables.

Here are details from the survey:

from  http://bit.ly/5g701o

Michelle Obama’s organic garden has gotten the lion’s share of publicity, but last spring, the White House tapped Charlie Brandts to construct a beehive on the South Lawn. Brandts populated the First Bees with a multi-culti blend of “Maryland mixed-breed bees, with Russian and Caucasian genetics,” according to the City Bees blog. (We don’t know anything about bee breeds but we like how diplomatic and inclusive hosting multiple bee families sounds.)

The first honey harvest took place in  June. In September, Mrs. Obama included the White House honey along with a porcelain tea set and a honey vase as her gift to dignitaries at the Pittsburgh Summit. In December, pastry chef Bill Yosses constructed the traditional White House gingerbread house with honey instead of refined sugar.

The prominence of the White House bees lends some glitz to the growing urban beekeeping movement, although there has been some grumbling that for most D.C. dwellers, urban beehives are in violation of local laws.

from http://bit.ly/4wRERT

Chances are that if you read or watch anything (besides McCommercials) regarding the state of our food system in the United States, it will mention the staggering amount of processed crap we manufacture and the integrity of our diets versus the price -- both financially and physically. Michael Pollan, professor and author of The Omivore's Dilemma, who recently appeared in the documentary Food, Inc., has championed the movement to drastically reduce the amount of "food products" that are consumed by our society.

Pollan appeared on The Daily Show last night to tout his latest tome, Food Rules, which is full of advice on how we can begin to create more healthy lifestyles by reforming what we shove in our pieholes:

#11: Avoid food you see advertised on television.

But don't avoid television when Pollan's appearing. His arguments have always been well-researched and convincing, but they've taken on a new significance with the pending health-care legislation.

Pollan believes that once health insurance companies are required to insure regardless of pre-existing conditions, it will effect change in our diets. "Suddenly the health insurers will have an interest in your health, which they don't have now," he told Jon Stewart.

Completely ass-backwards? Absolutely. But Pollan has a point.