farm

Urban Farm Towers

- Adam Clare

farming

Urban farming is not a new idea, it’s such a great idea that it is often forgotten though. A solution to transporting food and improving urban air quality is literally under our feet, and can soon be over our heads. There is an ever growing need for using buildings in cities as farms and more companies are now behind the idea. Skyscrapers as farms just sounds cool!

Not to mention locally-grown produce for the residents of central London, Manhattan and Tokyo, eliminating the environmental costs of transport (with fresher lettuces to boot).
Skyscraper farms can operate year-round with artificial lighting, so, on average, one indoor acre is the equivalent to between four and six outdoors, and companies are vying to reap the financial rewards that come from this increased efficiency.

Via Tree Hugger

The Best Christmas Gift: Fight Climate Change

- Adam Clare

Over at the BBC’s Green Room, there is a recent article by Menghestab Haile in which he argues that the best thing people can do for one another is essentially change the way we live. Climate change is destroying the way many poor people survive and the best gift we can give them is to try to stop more damage from happening, if not undoing the damage done.

So you can make a difference by fighting climate change and thereby giving a gift to the entire world.

“Ask Mohamed Abey, a pastoralist leader in the dusty roadside community of Skanska in north-eastern Kenya. The 47-year-old says he owned 400 livestock before the 2005 drought; now he has just 20.

He admits pastoralism is no longer sustainable. While he is grateful for the monthly package of food aid, he urges the world to do more so the 2,000 people in Skanska can get back on their own feet.”

Farming With no Gas

- Adam Clare

A farmer in the states has successfully used an electric tractor for all his farming purposes. THe tractor was converted from a gas machine into an electric one that can run for 4 hours.

“If you are doing all electric, most people are very aware of the environment,” Wallace said. “Some just want to get off gas. There are so many different reasons for doing this. Some people are aware of the energy independence and don’t like buying foreign oil. Some like the clean air aspects. Some just want to be different.”

Greenpeace’s McVictory

- Adam Clare

mcvictory Greenpeace is reporting great success in their campaign to get McDonald’s to better respect the environment. This is really great for the rainforest!

“In recent years, the seemingly unstoppable expansion of soya farming in the Amazon had become one of the main threats to the world’s largest rainforest. The soya wasn’t being used to feed the world; instead it was used to feed farm animals destined for fast food and supermarket chains across Europe.”

The campaign to get McDonald’s to change their destructive was launched only in April of this year. The name of the campaign is rather witty – Eating up the Amazaon.

“The result is that McDonald’s and other big food retailers have worked with us to develop a zero deforestation plan. The plan will also help bring an end to the land-grabbing and social injustice that is rife in the Amazon.”

Organic Farming Degree Offered

- Adam Clare

Washington State University has started accepting students for their organic farming degree program. This is a first in the USA, sure two other universities offer courses in organic farming, Colorado State and Michigan State, but offering a degree is new.

“WSU has high hopes for its new organic-agriculture major, both to attract new students and meet a growing demand for experts in organic farming. In the new Organic Agriculture Systems major, students will study subjects like weed science and entomology, work on the organic farm and can specialize further in areas such as organic farm economics.

The major, announced last month, drew a handful of students immediately; a university study predicts the program eventually will have about 40 people enrolled at any one time.”

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