You’re obsessing about the wrong home energy uses

Keeping an eye on your own energy use is the “duh” approach to a smorgasbord of environmental problems, up to and including climate change. As a reporter, I can obsess over research funding for renewable technology, or streamlined permitting for solar installations, or more public transit, or better roads for cyclists and pedestrians, or how much fuel is burned in schlepping and refrigerating my food before it gets to me. But if I actually want to feel like I have control over one small corner of the world, I turn off the lights when I leave the room. When the downstairs neighbors in my apartment building turn all the lights on in the basement, because they are little weenies who are afraid of the dark, I go downstairs, turn them off myself, and generally think uncharitable thoughts about them and their various lifestyle choices.

In all this light-switch obsessing, I am a textbook illustration of a phenomenon explored recently by the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Chris Mooney over at the Washington Post does a good job of summarizing the study:

People generally weren’t very good at estimating how much total energy use the different categories consumed. For one, they didn’t realize that the biggest energy users — home heating and driving “private motor vehicles” — were dramatically more energy intensive than many other smaller energy users, such as computers or dishwashers.

You know what this means: I have been judging my neighbors for all the wrong reasons. This is pure tragedy.

Read more here.

Alys Fowler: restrain your urge to tidy the garden

Don’t clear away those tired and broken brown stems – they’re essential to the health of your patch next year

I look at the leek and elephant garlic seedheads that are toppling over, and eye up the snapped-off poppy seedheads and other bleached bits of growth. There are many house-beautiful webs made by the garden spider (Araneus diadematus), with their distinct cross on their backs. The frost will kill off these spiders and with them take down much of the rest of the garden.

The garden is a dishevelled mess and I contemplate tidying it up a bit, but at this point in the season this is an act of mere vanity. We now know that all those tired brown stems are essential for wildlife – in particular, the broken and not so pretty ones. During the coming month the poppy seedheads will tumble and some of the globe artichoke heads will fall as the stems rot. Others will stand proudly, of course, but in my experience those that lie horizontal are the ones that are colonised quickly by other life.

Some creatures may move into the hollow stem and sleep there over the winter. Others may make them the roofs of their subterranean homes. Moulds, mildews and fungi will start to break down the tough lignin of these stems. But before these rot back into the soil, others will feed off those fungi and moulds.

Clearing up the garden now is disastrous, yet it is deep within our gardening culture. We all have an urge to tidy away anything that is less than aesthetically pleasing, but the health of next year’s garden lies in all that is not so appealing.

Read more here.

Is BT about to Ditch Fixed Line Phones?

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

According to sources BT considers existing telecoms regulations obsolete and wishes to drop its commitment to fixed line telecommunications.

The future strategy vision from BT forecasts "IP services will be used nationwide by 2025". It considers a review currently being undertaken by Ofcom (the telecoms regulator) into digital communications as "an opportunity to roll back obsolete rules in this area to create a level playing field".

According to BT, "Regulation has not kept up with the massive growth in competition and rapid pace of technology change over the last decade, whilst there are many overlaps between British and European laws which could be removed and simplified. Such measures would improve efficiency, stimulate competition, and encourage investment in the UK's connected future."

Ofcom launched a review of digital communications in March this year, to ensure telecoms companies have the incentive to invest in their infrastructure and to innovate and flesh out future competition policy in the market. It will also look to identify whether there are opportunities for deregulation.

According to Ofcom, internet players such as Skype and WhatsApp currently deliver a broad range of voice, video and messaging services by broadband. Most of the UK's fixed network operators now have plans to emulate these companies, delivering services over their broadband networks and eventually switching off their traditional voice networks.

What could possibly go wrong? Well, almost everything imaginable.

A power outage in general used to make the ordinary telephone network almost immune as it was powered by its own current and the exchanges were working on backup generators. When, however, there is no power in the home then the broadband and VoIP phone is rather useless. When your router is down so it your broadband, unless you access all those service via a smartphone. But what guarantees that the service will work in a power outage? None!

The reason BT (and other fixed line telephone providers) wants to get rid off the regulation and fixed line phones is because of costs eating up some of the profits. It is all about that and shows, once again, the danger capitalism is to the people and privatization of essential services, be this post, telephone, or other utilities.

Time to bring all those utilities, including BT and other telecommunications, the Post Office (Royal Mail), the railroads, etc., back into public ownership and give them the brief that they are to perform and make the stick by it. Public utilities and services are not meant to be a for-profit operation but one for the people. What is so difficult to understand there?

© 2015

25 sneaky names for palm oil

Palm oil and its derivatives can appear under many names. For consumers concerned about the catastrophic ill effects of the palm industry, here’s what to look for.

Palm oil is the most popularly used vegetable oil in the world. It is remarkably versatile and is used in everything from snack food and shampoo to biofuel. It is so prevalent that it can be found in around half of packaged items in most supermarkets.

It comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) which is native to West Africa. It was once used for basic things like food and fiber, but with a yield greater than other vegetable oil crops, and with low labor costs, it has become the go-to oil. While trees were once planted in small-scale, sustainable systems, the high demand has created a need for large-scale plantations.

Read more here.

Working on an allotment is GOOD for your health...and this is why...

DO YOU want to know the secret to a long and happy life?

Vegetables.

Not so much the eating of vegetables (though that certainly helps) but the growing of them.

According to scientists from Essex and Westminster universities spending half an hour a week on an allotment results in an instant reduction in stress and fatigue, as well as boosting self-esteem, vigour and a general feeling of good health.

They also found that allotment holders are less likely to be overweight, have more energy and are not so prone to anger, depression and anxiety.

In a study published in the Journal Of Public Health the authors say: “We found that fewer than 30 minutes of allotment gardening produces a measurable and beneficial health effect.”

None of this is news to anyone who has an allotment.

Whether it’s a pristine, award-winning mini farm producing perfect vegetables all year round, or a scrubby bit of dirt by the railway tracks yielding a bagful of runner beans and a couple of dozen potatoes every other autumn, the simple pleasures to be found on the plot go far beyond the act of actually growing anything.

My wife Heidi and I have had our allotment for 10 years.

When we moved to Oxford from London almost the first thing we did was join the waiting list for a plot in our local area of Osney.

Read more here.

Changing the system

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The system cannot be improved, it must be changed. The problem is that the system is not broken, it was designed this way, that is to say to be benefiting but the wealthy few and leaving the poorer section of “society” out in the cold, literally.

When talking here about the system I am not referring just to the political system or the economic one separately but to both combined as one as, to more than one degree, they do go hand in hand.

Capitalism does not work and never will in bringing the working class and the poor in general to a better living standard and the “trickle down” approach is at best a fallacy, at worst a total lie that is known to be the lie by those who are its advocates.

And the political system of what is being referred to as “democracy” also does, cannot and will not and never, as the people do not really have a say in their own affairs. They are being governed, from above, which means they are nothing but slaves and our system is but a new version of feudalism.

The people, in the main, however, do believe that voting allows them a say in how they are governed – please note that being governed means that one is not a free person – and that the rulers are doing their bidding.

The fact is that if voting would change anything it would have been made illegal long ago. The “right” to vote, and so-called democracy, is being used to keep the people quiet, that is all, plain and simple.

When from the electorate, being 100%, only 35% turn out to vote because the rest has become disillusioned by the process, then a majority vote out of the 35%, of say 55%, which then would be less than 20% of the entire electorate cannot be seen as having been given a majority mandate to govern. The truth is that in such a case, and it is the case in the UK in most elections, that 80% of the electorate voted against any of the parties represented on the ballot by abstention. And I have not even mentioned spoiled ballot papers.

Often people like to say that government is a necessary evil. That, by the same token, then also would equate that evil is necessary. But I don't think anyone would agree with the latter, that is to say that evil is necessary.

The system that there exists at the present, political and economic, is geared to create a ruling class, a ruling elite, that will lord it over the masses like feudal lords and masters and treat the people as serfs and it does not matter whether it is in Britain, other countries of Europe or the USA. It is the same everywhere even though many Americans claim that, according to the Constitution they, as individuals, are sovereigns in their own right. Try to assert that “right” and see where that gets you.

In all truth the system is one and not two, as the two components really cannot be separated from each other and thus it is capitalism that, in itself, is the problem. It is geared to suppress and oppress the people to keep them “down” in order for the lords to have a pliable labor force, and to have such a pliable labor force full employment, for instance, is an anathema. Without a large pool of unemployed workers capitalism simply cannot exist and function.

Capitalism requires, for it to function, that a certain number of the population is unemployed as otherwise they could not scare the workers that they have into accepting bad condition, low pay, and all the rest. As long as unemployment exists the capitalists can wave the sword of loss of job over any worker who kicks back at low wages, bad conditions, etc. and who joins a trade union.

For that very reason there will never be enough jobs created by those capitalists for each and every member of the labor force in a country or an area. It simple would not be profitable for them to do so even if they have the order books full to overflowing and it is not ever going to happen. And that is why we have to change the system to one where everyone can have work in which he or she is happy.

© 2015

ECOVILLAGES | DESIGN AT THE EDGE

“Some day, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love.”

-Teilhard de Chardin

Ecovillages are laboratories of human relations, in which we test the power of new systemic thinking to bring about necessary changes in the local and global economic, social and ecological environments. Ecovillages provide conditions for cutting-edge sustainability experiments. In these living and learning laboratories, we quickly learn from mistakes and advances. Both are held in a complex framework of dream and vision, earth and cosmos, technology and spirit, intention and love, dance and chant, cycle and balance, death and renewal.

What is sustained in an ecovillage is not economic growth or development, but the entire web of life on which our long term survival depends.  A sustainable community is designed in such a way that its ways of life, businesses, economy, social activities, physical structures and technologies do not interfere with Nature’s inherent ability to sustain life.

As laboratories of sustainable living, ecovillages offer widely applicable insights for the planning and reorganization of our societies. Ecovillages combine a supportive social-cultural environment with a low-impact/high-quality lifestyle. When we look at the ecovillage model developed on five continents, it is clear that ecovillages are creating a sustainable middle ground between rich and poor, while designing interdependent and life-enhancing bio-physical and psycho-social processes. In these experiments we find no sign of the deprivation that the popular media depicts as the necessary price to be paid for reducing resource consumption.

Read more here.

From ‘Sustainable’ to ‘Regenerative’—The Future of Food

Earlier this week, the paywalled site PoliticoPro reported that the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture wants "farmers and agricultural interests to come up with a single definition of sustainability in order to avoid confusing the public with various meanings of the term in food and production methods."

We agree with Secretary Tom Vilsack that the word "sustainability" is meaningless to consumers and the public. It’s overused, misused and it has been shamelessly co-opted by corporations for the purpose of greenwashing.

But rather than come up with one definition for the word "sustainable" as it refers to food and food production methods, we suggest doing away with the word entirely. In its place, as a way of helping food consumers make conscious, informed decisions, we suggest dividing global food and farming into two categories: regenerative and degenerative.

In this new paradigm, consumers could choose food produced by degenerative, toxic chemical-intensive, monoculture-based industrial agriculture systems that destabilize the climate, and degrade soil, water, biodiversity, health and local economies. Or they could choose food produced using organic regenerative practices based on sound ecological principles that rejuvenate the soil, grasslands and forests; replenish water; promote food sovereignty; and restore public health and prosperity—all while cooling the planet by drawing down billions of tons of excess carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil where it belongs.

Read more here.

The End of Plenty – Book Review

Review by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

The End of Plenty
The Race to Feed a Crowded World
by Joel K. Bourne, Jr
Published by Scribe UK September 2015
400 pages Paperback
Price: £16.99
ISBN: 9781925228120

An award-winning environmental journalist introduces a new generation of farmers and scientists on the frontlines of the next green revolution.

When the demographer Robert Malthus (1766-1834) famously outlined the brutal relationship between food and population, he never imagined the success of modern scientific agriculture. In the mid-twentieth century, an unprecedented agricultural advancement known as the Green Revolution brought hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, and improved irrigation that drove the greatest population boom in history – but left ecological devastation in its wake.

In The End of Plenty, award-winning environmental journalist Joel K. Bourne Jr. puts our race to feed the world in dramatic perspective. With a skyrocketing world population and tightening global grain supplies spurring riots and revolutions, humanity must produce as much food in the next four decades as it has since the beginning of civilization to avoid a Malthusian catastrophe. Yet climate change could render half our farmland useless by century's end.

Writing with an agronomist's eye for practical solutions and a journalist's keen sense of character, detail, and the natural world, Bourne takes readers from his family farm to international agricultural hotspots to introduce the new generation of farmers and scientists engaged in the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. He discovers young, corporate cowboys trying to revive Ukraine as Europe's breadbasket, a Canadian aquaculturist channeling ancient Chinese traditions, the visionary behind the world's largest organic sugar-cane plantation, and many other extraordinary individuals struggling to increase food supplies – quickly and sustainably – as droughts, floods, and heat waves hammer crops around the globe.

Part history, part reportage and advocacy, The End of Plenty is a panoramic account of the future of food, and a clarion call for anyone concerned about our planet and its people.

Right, so much for the press release from the publishers now to my take of this book.

I do not really care how many positive endorsements a book receives I always will give my own take on a book the way I see it.

The first comment I will have to make, as regards to the Paperback version of this book for the British market and that is that the binding of the cover is very poor and came almost undone within a few times opening it. But that is a physical one and not necessarily brings the book into disrepute.

Now to the books itself, other than the physical attributes. While it all started out in an interesting way it became soon evident (which was this was headed) that, aside from the fact that the author appears to believe that the world's population must be reduced and also seems to see the forces of the capitalist market to be the be all and end all.

When the author arrived, after initially giving the so-called “Green Revolution” a thumbs down, where I agreed with him entirely, at advocating genetically-modified and genetically-engineered seeds with the claim that that genetic engineering of seeds has been done by farmers and seed breeders for thousands of years I was about too hit him. He either on purpose or through lack of knowledge confuses genetic-modification and -engineering with selective breeding. The latter is not genetic modification or -engineering, as no genes from other organisms are being “injected”, as is the case with genetic-modification and -engineering. At this point an otherwise relatively good book turned into trash.

This was then followed by his almost promotion of glyphosate (Roundup), now regarded by many agencies as carcinogenic, and even toxic, the author's credibility hit rock bottom on page 231 in the UK paperback version of this book and it was at that page that I closed the review of this book and added it to my collection of trash books. It must be obvious even to the most blind that a product that is, basically, a diluted form of the nefarious warfare agent “Agent Orange” cannot be considered safe in any way, shape or form. Not that Monsanto would admit that that is what their product Roundup, aka glyphosate, is.

Various agencies around the globe, including in the US, have marked Roundup and thus glyphosate, as a dangerous to people and the environment and we best took note of that, especially in light of the fact that many of the same agencies, for years, refused to do so.

On the other hand, when it comes to feeding the growing population of this Planet the UN and others have stated very clearly that we must get away from industrial agriculture and large farms that damage soil and environment and return too small farms and organic farming. The Russian dachas – the, what some call weekend homes, which most of them actually are not – with their small acreages, often less than a hectare, are what is supplying 80% of all fruit and vegetables to the Russian market and population. Imagine what could be done if more of those small farms and market gardens would be in existence.

It is for that reason that the Russian President and parliament are drafting a law that will give every Russian the right to between one and six hectare of land to work, with financial help or even outright grants to build a home there on that land also, to grow food for themselves and their families and for sale on the markets.

We can feed the world, especially if we all would change to a more plant based diet than consuming meat at the rate that most countries are doing, and those fruit and vegetables could be grown on smallholdings rather than large scale industrial farms that pollute the Planet in an organic way. But it would mean a complete change of system, including political system, and as long as capitalism is permitted to rule the market in foods it is hardly going to happen, for it would also require a real land reform.

© 2015

A Low-Energy Way To Keep Root Veggies Fresh

You don't need to invest in chest freezers—all you need is straw and a little bit of outdoor space.

If you're looking for a way to store your garden yield, but don't have a root cellar, try building a storage clamp. A clamp gives gardeners an inexpensive means to store fall-harvested root vegetables through the winter. The technique of insulating heaps of potatoes, turnips, carrots, and other vegetables with layers of straw and soil has been used for centuries in Europe. Here’s how it works:

Read more here.