Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, estimated we could feed four billion people if we used organic farming. The earth now is home to seven billion people and will probably go to nine billion before leveling off and declining, according to the United Nations. Organic farming means 50% of our world population would dieContinue reading “Comparing organic farming to conventional. Is one better for the environment?”
Monthly Archives: December 2011
New Year’s Resolution: Eat Healthier. Does that mean organic food?
Perhaps you have decided to toast the New Year with organic champagne or an organically produced high-gravity craft beer because organic is better, not just for you but for the planet. After all, you have made a New Year’s resolution to eat better and healthier while caring for the environment. So, is organic superior toContinue reading “New Year’s Resolution: Eat Healthier. Does that mean organic food?”
Timberati’s Weekend Postcards: Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware
Last weekend the Weekend Postcard was of our trip to the east coast of the USA. This week the postcards hit some of the high points of our 3 month stay. From mid-state New York to Richmond, Virginia must hold some of our country’s most uptight people. The drive east is rather easy and lowContinue reading “Timberati’s Weekend Postcards: Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware”
Timberati’s Weekend Postcards: USA Road Trip, Left Coast to East Coast
This last August my wife and I headed east. We strapped two bikes on top, threw camping gear, computers, clothes, toiletries, Immodium, and homebrew beer in the back, and drove across these United States to the east coast. We recommend this form of travel to everyone; driving across what is usually “flyover country,” is funContinue reading “Timberati’s Weekend Postcards: USA Road Trip, Left Coast to East Coast”
‘Twas the Night Before Deadline
I write a column called the Green Chain for the Lake County Record-Bee‘s environmental page, the Green Scene. The Record-Bee printed this yesterday. ‘Twas the night before the Record-Bee’s Green Chain deadline. I had writer’s block, and not for the first time. When up in the sky, riding the clouds like a boat, I spottedContinue reading “‘Twas the Night Before Deadline”
Fear and Loathing in Lake County
Last Tuesday, anti-GE (genetically engineered) forces in the county threw their hats in the air, shouted hallelujah, and did happy dances when the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BoS) passed a resolution supporting the mandatory labeling of genetically modified food by a 3-2 vote. Supervisors Anthony Farrington (District 4), Denise Rushing (District 3), and JeffContinue reading “Fear and Loathing in Lake County”
Postcards from Niagara Falls, New York
This weekend’s postcard comes from Niagara Falls in New York. We visited them in August, and it was my first time. You feel the rumble of the falls. The roar of the water cascading onto the rocks below, while not deafening, is impressive. The falls drain Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. According to http://www.niagarafallslive.com, ThreeContinue reading “Postcards from Niagara Falls, New York”
Unintended Consequences – risks and rewards of needing energy
In this video, Matt Palmer, filmmaker and photographer, raises good points about how we produce our energy and its consequences–intended and otherwise. Energy is important to everyone and every process on earth. We want energy to power our lives. So, as Robert Bryce, author of Power Hungry, reminds us, “We put energy in a conversionContinue reading “Unintended Consequences – risks and rewards of needing energy”
Postcard from upstate New York
These pictures were snapped in August of this year as we were working our way toward Washington, D.C. We were impressed by the lushness of upstate (northern) New York. Delightful sights. Nice people. Can anything compete with the fun of a county fair,the freshness of just-picked corn, the susurrus of a slate-bottomed stream, or shaftsContinue reading “Postcard from upstate New York”
Preserving California’s old growth
On Wednesday you read that private landowners conduct the majority of timber harvesting in California. This is due to the de facto moratorium placed on timber harvesting within national forests (state and national parks do not allow harvesting except for reasons of public safety). And, perhaps you wondered if old-growth timber could be removed. Well,Continue reading “Preserving California’s old growth”
Nullius in Verba 