News & Views

New Studies Question Environmental Impact of Ethanol Fuels

Touted as a replacement for waning supplies of petroleum-based fuels, corn-based ethanol has been getting a lot of attention these days as a viable alternative. On June 10th, the Associated Press reported on research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that raises many red flags on the production of fuels from agricultural crops. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Maglev Research Center at Polytechnic University of New York, among others, cite numerous potential environmental and social problems associated with reliance on agricultural-based fuels. These include excessive nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide runoff from fields, loss of soil fertility from removal of crop residues, increased smog emissions, and loss of food production to feed an expanding global population. Some researchers even go as far as to claim that, when all inputs are considered, it takes more energy to convert corn to ethanol than the energy realized. Soybean-based biodiesel and nonfood-based cellulosic processes get a cleaner bill of health according to some researchers, but they still warn against overreliance on these fuels and potential long-term environmental effects.

Slow Food USA Places ARK of Taste List on Website

Slow Food USA has announced the creation of a comprehensive list of endangered foods in their ARK of Taste program complete with sources to find these gastronomic delights. The list, which can be found on their website, includes such rare delicacies as sweet Italian-style frying peppers, American Heirloom Pears, hand-crafted Root Beer, Pilgrim Goose, and other foods that are indigenous to the USA. The updated ARK website features information and photos on all U.S. ARK products and a list of producers around the country where you can get them. You'll also find a list of the U.S. Presidia projects, the "working arm" of the Ark of Taste that creates campaigns to get these endangered foods back on our tables

To read more, visit http://slowfoodusa.org/ark/ark_list.html

Permaculturists to Teach "First Responder" Course in California, August 18–27, completing October 13–15

Leading permaculturists, including Benjamin Fahrer, Kat Steele, Erik Ohlsen, Starhawk, Brock Dolman, and Trathen Heckman, as well as Wilderness Medical Institute instructors, will join forces to teach a course designed to provide tools for responding in times of natural disasters and technological shifts.

Emphasizing permaculture principles, ethics, and practices, this 96-hour course will certify participants in permaculture design, CPR, and first aid. Students will develop skills to respond as communities undergo stress and extremes due to changes in the environment. These include eco-base camp design, organic gardening, soil building, water catchment, natural building, eco-forestry, mycorestoration, group facilitation and conflict resolution, appropriate technologies, herbal remedies, wilderness awareness, emergency response, and more!

To learn more, check out the website www.urbanpermacultureguild.org/pfr/

Iowa Mennonite FFA Receives $1,000 Grant for Permaculture Project

According to the Kalona News, The Iowa Mennonite Future Farmers of America Chapter sent four members to attend the Farm Bureau meeting in Iowa City on Monday, June 26. The reason for the trip was to accept a $1,000 grant to conduct a permaculture landscape project to be completed in the fall of 2006. Using the ethics of permaculture, FFA members and agriculture students will design a landscape for humans, animals, and plants that works in harmony while conserving natural resources such as soil and water.

The local paper also reports that the FFA Environment First grant program, sponsored in cooperation with the Iowa FFA Association, provides FFA chapters across Iowa with resources to conduct, promote, and publicize activities that enhance environmental awareness and stewardship. A previous grant was received in the spring of 2004 and was used to install buffer strips and a food plot on the chapter's eighty-acre farm. Way to go kids!