Sustainability – Page 9 – Nullius in Verba

For Every Complex Environmental Problem

For every complex environmental problem there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong. Any time there is a discussion about forests, someone brings up the possibility of substituting hemp for paper and for petroleum products. I read on one discussion forum, “[Industrial hemp] can be harvested every four months while traditional varieties ofContinue reading “For Every Complex Environmental Problem”

Samboja Lestari

Willie Smits is working to turn the deforestation, caused by palm oil plantations in Indonesia, around. His district had been deforested because of the desire for palm oil to make bio-diesel (download a BOS report on the threat from palm oil). His organization, Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), has created 3,000 jobs through reforestation at SambojaContinue reading “Samboja Lestari”

Samboja Lestari

Deforestation and Reforestation

Experts Advance New Way to Size Up Global Forest Resources According to research out of the University of Helsinki, “An increasing number of countries and regions are transitioning from deforestation to afforestation, raising hopes for a turning point for the world as a whole, according to researchers advancing a more sophisticated approach to measuring forestContinue reading “Deforestation and Reforestation”

Deforestation and Reforestation

Tree-Free Living is not a Good Idea

… or very silly if you think about it. One of the blogs over at EcoFriendlyDaily.com recommends “Creating a Tree-Free Home.” “Tree-free” did not turn out to be as onerous as I thought it would be: “Tree-free means reducing or eliminating paper products in the house. There are a million places we use paper everyday,Continue reading “Tree-Free Living is not a Good Idea”

Toilet Paper, Hummers, and Global Warming, oh my!

Peg Fong from the EcoGeek blog asks “Which is worse? Hummers or toilet paper?” She cites a February 25, 2009 New York Times article, Mr. Whipple Left It Out: Soft Is Rough on Forests. According to the Times’ article, “[F]luffiness comes at a price: millions of trees harvested in North America and in Latin AmericanContinue reading “Toilet Paper, Hummers, and Global Warming, oh my!”

Wood Energy?

Interesting 60-Second Science about how the “Old Energy Source Wood Be New Alternative.” The money quote: “If chopping down forests for fuel doesn’t sound like the greenest solution to our energy needs, the scientists note that we’d have to figure out how to manage our woodsheds sustainably, to avoid slashing and burning our way toContinue reading “Wood Energy?”