Norm Benson

Working landscapes, environmental correctness

According to a 2001 agricultural economic report, “urban expansion claimed more than 1 million acres per year between 1960 and 1990″ in the United States, and that expansion follows one of two two routes: 1. expansion of urban areas or 2. large-lot development (greater than 1 acre per house). (Heimlich 2001) Land trusts throughoutContinue reading “Working landscapes, environmental correctness”

If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?

Lands owned by state and federal government now contribute little to California’s wood supply (see the graphic below). Private landowners (the green area) now carry nearly all the burden for California’s timber harvesting and its wood demand. (Source: California Forestry Association CA Timber Harvest Statistics 1978-2009.) As previously noted on this site: Our California forestsContinue reading “If California’s timber industry falls, will anyone hear it?”

Toxic chemicals in our environment

As we know from a previous post, Dose Doth Make the Poison. Brian Dunning explains why chemicals, natural and synthetic, end up being incorporated into our bodies; it’s something all life does.

Weekend Postcard from Yosemite

Here is a picture of Yosemite with its iconic Half Dome in the background.

The Hunger Games

The world is not perfect, and 925 million people face malnutrition every day. Yet, we have made progress. Instead of more and hungrier people we (through the green revolution and other advancements) have forced the trend down.

7 Billion Reasons to be Thankful

Last month, the world welcomed the birth of Danica Camacho of the Philippines.[i] The United Nations chose her to represent the arrival of the seven billionth person on Earth. And, even though the UN picked Halloween, this event is more in keeping with Thanksgiving. Danica has inherited a better world than her mother. She hasContinue reading “7 Billion Reasons to be Thankful”

Postcard from the Earth: What a Wonderful World

I hear babies cry. I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know. And I think to myself: what a wonderful world. What a Wonderful World by G. Weiss, G. Douglas, and B. Thiele It’s photos such as these, time Lapse views of Earth from space, that makes one grateful to beContinue reading “Postcard from the Earth: What a Wonderful World”

No one “right” way to farm

Again, there is no one right way to farm. By its very imposition on a piece of land agriculture disrupts the local ecosystem. Read more about conventional farming and organic farming in this Scientific American article here.

Will Living Simply Help Save the World?

Last month, famed primatologist Jane Goodall was quoted on the Huffington Post as saying, “The world is in a horrible mess … We need to starting changing (sic) the way we live, from the clothes we buy to the food we eat. We need to change our greed and materialism. We need a critical massContinue reading “Will Living Simply Help Save the World?”

Fried Green Sustainability

In the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, Cathy Bates waits for a parking space only to have it taken by two female twenty-somethings who blow her off with, “Face it lady, we’re younger and faster.” She rams her tank of a car into their tinier VW convertible. Bates’ parting shot is, “Face it, girls. I’mContinue reading “Fried Green Sustainability”