Food & agriculture – May 4
“Ripe for Change” about Calif. agriculture – on PBS May 4 / Fuel, fertilizer prices expected to keep climbing /
Michael Pollan’s new book on the U.S. food chain provides much to chew on / New “100-Mile Diet” website
Food
Principles for the post-peak oil job market
When I speak before college audiences about peak oil, I often ask if there are any engineers present. I suggest that they concentrate on jobs that will produce rather than consume energy, particularly energy that is renewable and doesn’t create greenhouse gas emissions.
Solutions & sustainability – Apr 27
Shanghai – racing to the future, but preserving its culinary heritage /
What is the value of a tree? /
Evangelical Virginia farmer says a revolution against industrial agriculture is coming (Salatin) /
New “100-Mile Diet” website /
Jane Jacobs, urban activist, is dead at 89 /
New Urbanism’s ten solutions
FAO sees major shift to bioenergy
“The gradual move away from oil has begun. Over the next 15 to 20 years we may see biofuels providing a full 25 percent of the world’s energy needs.”
Solutions & sustainability – Apr 26
McKibben talk on PO, global warming, strategies /
Small is still beautiful /
A greener way to cut the grass runs afoul of a powerful lobby /
Extending the garden (developing world) /
Green.tv in the pink after promising launch
Preparing for peak oil in NYC: The cow from one end to the udder
The NYC Peak Oil Meetup forged ahead with its campaign to educate the public in basic farming skills, undeterred by the fact that the meeting was held in the belly of that most unnatural beast, Midtown Manhattan.
Solutions & sustainability – Apr 23
Edible forests /
Environmentalism can help economy /
On Earth Day (beyond small solutions) /
Deep-fried America (hope on global warming)
Environment – Apr 22
Global warming threatening Bangladesh’s coast /
Nova on “Dimming the Sun” /
Dust storms and pollution force Beijing to go greener /
Soil scientist: The ground we walk on – it’s part of global warming /
Science magazine: Stand by for a warmer, but not scorching, world
Other energy – Apr 20
More uranium: when and from where? /
Going nuclear: a green makes the case /
Anything into oil (turkey guts, junked car parts, even raw sewage…true!) /
Growing demand for non-food crops /
UK coal producer pushes for price increases of 40% /
Russia to control Armenia’s gas /
Transmaterial, transtudio and seeing the big picture – links
Pollan’s new book on the U.S. food chain – the “oil diet”
The American corn diet is really an oil diet. Corn, as Pollan puts it, “is the SUV of plants. Growing it the way we do requires it to guzzle fuel in the form of fertilizer, about a quarter to a third of a gallon of petroleum for each bushel.” Processing the corn requires even more energy, as does moving those corn-derived products around the country.
Environment – Apr 18
Global warming skeptic also led tobacco industry campaign /
Krugman on Raymond and Exxon /
Japan hot and cold on warming /
America’s report card on the environment /
Dust Bowl uncertainty grows in Iraq
Solutions & sustainability – Apr 17
Talking Grub: Anna Lappe & Bryant Terry – good food & social justice /
Sustaining Ourselves Locally (SOL) – grassroots video /
Wheels of justice often roll over cyclists /
Reading smart growth: guide to the literature of sprawl /
Interview with Michael Pollan (new book “Omnivore”) /
Pedal power at UC Berkeley
