Chemical Based Farming Systems Robbing Us of Nutrients
Health & Disease, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
 Full Report (5mb PDF) Executive Summary (PDF) 2-Page Consumer Summary (PDF) Press Release (PDF) |
Nutrient levels in food supply eroded by pursuit of high yields
When we sit down to a meal of supermarket-bought produce, we like to think we’re getting a reasonable cross-section of the body’s nutrient requirements, but studies are showing that our chemical intensive monocrop farming systems are not delivering the vital ’secondary nutrients’ that our ancestors enjoyed. Plants ‘flourishing’ on fast, soluble chemical fertilisers get ‘lazy’ and do not develop the deep, healthy root systems that pull additional elements out of the soil. In addition, the soil micro-organisms that break down organic matter and minerals to feed to plant roots are being slaughtered through chemical bombardment and violent mechanised manipulation of their environment.
Essentially, we’re getting robbed, and having to pay for it in reduced health/vitality/longevity and increased medical bills.
Comments (0)Posted on: November 12, 2008
Can Permaculture Save the World???
Alternatives to Political Systems, Bio-regional Organizations, Biodiversity, Consumerism, Eco-Villages, Economics, Financial Management, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Peak Oil, People Systems, Population, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Village Development, Water Contamination — by Ted Trainer
Editor’s Note: Point one - this article is circa 1998, from the now ceased-publication Permaculture International Journal. Point two - it is now more relevant than ever, so please read and ponder. The article goes a long way towards explaining why I mix articles the way I do - some about Permaculture, some about current events, the global situation, and the desperate need for systemic social, political and economic change.
Ted Trainer argues that although the planet cannot be saved without Permaculture, not enough people in the movement realise where Permaculture fits into the solution.
We are fast approaching a period of enormous and probably chaotic change. Western industrial-affluent-consumer society is unsustainable and is rapidly running into serious difficulties.
Permaculture is a crucial component of the solution to the global predicament. However I want to argue that Permaculture is far from sufficient, and indeed that it can be counter-productive if it is not put in the right context. That is unless we are careful, promoting Permaculture can actually help to reinforce our existing unsustainable society. We must do much more than just contribute to the spread of Permaculture. We must locate Permaculture within a wider campaign of radical social change. Before I try to explain this, I need to outline how I see the global predicament we are in. Whether or not you will agree with my conclusions about what needs to be done and where Permaculture fits in will depend greatly on whether you share my view of the situation we are in.
Comments (0)Posted on: October 1, 2008
Synthetic Sea
Consumerism, Health & Disease, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
We are turning our oceans into a chemical soup - the result being misery and death for billions of organisms, and serious health implications for ourselves.
When we throw things away, we must ask ourselves “where is away?” The clip below, one of the most frightening I have ever seen, will give you an idea of where at least one of these ‘away’ locations is. Much of our oil-based plastic products end up in our oceans, where they slowly break down into smaller and smaller pieces. Although this may sound like a good thing, in reality all it means is that they are more readily taken up by fish, dolphins, whales, turtles, birds and a myriad other organisms. The plastic molecules never actually disappear. Plastic diminishes in size until in appearance it almost perfectly imitates plankton - resulting in a situation where creatures actually compete with each other to eat it. And, worse, in some parts of the ocean the ratio of plastic to plankton is 6:1, and rising.
The following clip, put together by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, projects a vision of human stupidity that defies comprehension.
Comments (0)Posted on: September 28, 2008
Humanure Handbook - Free Download
Community Projects, Compost, Conservation, DVDs/Books, Fungi, Insects, News, Potable Water, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Waste Water, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
With chapters like ‘Crap Happens’, ‘Deep Shit’ and ‘A Day in the Life of a Turd’, this is sure to be an interesting book, albeit possibly not one to read over lunch?
With this wonderful substance piling up in all the wrong places (after all, we’re running out of clean water, and yet we’re crapping in it…), this taboo topic deserves a lot more attention than it gets. Enjoy the book - and special thanks to the author Joseph Jenkins for making this freely available (warning: 22mb PDF - if you want to download chapter by chapter, scroll down on this page, or just read online here).
Comments (0)Posted on: September 18, 2008
Water Worries
Biological Cleaning, Conservation, Consumerism, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Potable Water, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Structure, Waste Water, Water Contamination, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink. - Samuel Coleridge (1772-1834). The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, II
If you look down on our earth from space, the predominant colour is blue. The surface of our earth is approximately 70% water. In that respect, perhaps our planet would have been better called the Ocean, than the Earth. Yet, excepting expensive, energy intensive and environmentally problematic desalinisation techniques (PDF), we cannot use it for our daily personal water intake requirements.
Comments (0)Posted on: September 12, 2008
Convergence of Issues Leads to Southern California Permaculture Convergence, August 29-31, 2008
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, General, Insects, News, Peak Oil, Presentations/Demonstrations, Social Gatherings, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
Cooling off after the first day of the Southern California Permaculture Convergence,
hosted by the Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm
Yesterday the Southern California Permaculture Convergence got underway. The word ‘convergence’ is the operative word here, and, ironically, to me at least, has a double meaning. Over the last couple of weeks, being here at Quail Springs just reminds me of the convergence of issues we face as a race, just as we ‘converge’ to network, share instruction and ideas, and find new ways to work together to face those same issues.
Let me explain, using an example very close to where we are today.
Comments (2)Posted on: August 31, 2008
Pesticides, and You
Health & Disease, Insects, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
I promised to follow up on our recent Which Came First - Pests, or Pesticides? story with some info on how these nasties can affect your environment, and you. We’ll do so, specifically, by looking at the meaning of the term bio-magnification.
How many have heard the term? Hmm…, a few raised hands. How many of you can explain its meaning to others in the class? Okay, not so many.
It’s actually a pretty simple concept to understand, and it’s a little frightening to realise the implications once you have.
Clear Lake, California
A classic story of bio-magnification was observed at Clear Lake in California, and well illustrates the deadly process.
In 1949 they sprayed DDD, a form of DDT, to kill a non-biting gnat. They met with success, initially…. Two years later the gnat was back, so they repeated the treatment (readers of our previous pesticide story will understand the term ‘pesticide treadmill’ in this context). Sprays continued at more frequent intervals until 1954. Over the course of these seasons, however, the carcasses of increasingly large numbers of grebes began to accumulate in the lake - hundreds of them….
Comments (1)Posted on: August 13, 2008
Which Came First - Pests, or Pesticides?
Insects, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
The Pest or Pesticide question is a lot more interesting and relevant than the whole chicken and egg argument - and one that’s easier to prove too! Whether you’re a farmer, gardener, or merely a consumer that’s not so keen on ingesting poisons, you might find the following of interest.
I know what you’re going to say - “pests must have come first, or they wouldn’t have created pesticides”. Well, as you’ll soon discover, it depends somewhat on your definition of ‘pest’, and your perspective on the world around you.
Comments (0)Posted on: August 12, 2008
Orchestrating Famine - a Must-Read Backgrounder on the Food Crisis
Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Peak Oil, Population, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
The era of cheap food is over — this means disaster for millions, and mega-profits for a few. How did we get into this mess?
Most objective observers of the current food crisis are understandably concerned. Around 45% of the world’s population live on two dollars per day or less. Skyrocketing food prices are now bringing stress to two billion people, and despair to millions — around one hundred million, actually. The situation is only expected to further deteriorate as: the price of oil continues to soar; climate change-related disasters increase in frequency and intensity, and as policy decisions such as mandated biofuel quotas in our fuel supply further strengthens the already strong price connection between fuel and food. It is a humanitarian disaster that’s well underway, and one which seriously threatens to destabilize international security. As I’m sure you can appreciate, a hungry man is an angry man.
Posted on: August 9, 2008
Soil - Our Financial Institution
Biological Cleaning, Compost, Conservation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Composition, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Structure, Water Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
by Craig Mackintosh - originally published on Celsias
Soil - the substance you walk on, build on, and live from - provides your food, clothing, and even the air you breathe. It gives warmth, shelter, and the goods you possess. Soil is, I believe, a substance that is under-acknowledged, and also under attack, and its misuse is contributing greatly to the excessive release of CO2 into our atmosphere - making it a large contributor to global warming. Therefore, I felt it high time we came to its defense. Here goes.
