Soil
Soil is the essential structure on which most plant life depends, but excess tilling, monoculture crops, and use of artificial chemicals in agriculture all cause a loss of soil. For example, scientists estimate that current farming practices in the corn belt cause the loss of two bushels of soil for every bushel of corn they grow.
Testing Mother Nature’s Limits at Our Expense
by Martin Boksenbaum — Is it just me or does it seem to you too that those in control—of industry, food production, energy systems, land development, planet and animal genetic patents, and us too—are testing Mother Nature’s limits? What can … more
Precautionary Principle for Marcellus Shale
Health and Environmental Experts: Follow the Precautionary Principle on Natural Gas from the Marcellus Shale Since 2007, Pennsylvania has witnessed a dramatic increase in unconventional development of natural gas from the Marcellus shale formation using high-volume hydraulic fracturing, also called … more
Sustainability in Wartime?
By Joe DeRaymond — The numbers can be numbing. For example, according to an article in the Los Angelos Times published on January 14, the war in Iraq will surpass the Vietnam War spending next year. This means that sometime … more
The Importance of Herding Animals
Allan Savory’s Holistic Management raises a number of important points about brittle environments and grazing animals: To decide what we should or shouldn’t do in managing our lands, we need to consider its brittleness: “…environments may be classified on a … more