Archive for the 'Environment' Category

Competition Needed Among “Climate Ready” Crops [Guest Post]

Published
by
a Guest
on May 13, 2008
in Agriculture, Business, Environment and Science
. 6 Comments

It’s a pleasure for us to publish this thoughtful guest post written by “Marriott” — good friend, good neighbor, and good ol’ fashioned lover of Freedom.

What if I said that you could plant corn any time of year, in any climate condition, and still harvest the same succulent vegetable that many of us grew up eating every summer? What if you could do this for any vegetable? During my morning commute I read an article in the Washington Post that discussed how this may be a possibility for the future of farming. (I urge you to read the Post article)

Although there are many issues to discuss with this idea, my focus will deal with the corporate side of things and the future of this potentially lucrative industry. Feel free to debate the usage of these seeds, their methods, or anything else that hits a nerve with this issue.

Geneticists and scientists working for major bio-tech and agricultural development firms have been working on developing “Climate Ready” crops. The basic idea is that through genetically altered seeds, these scientists can create crops that are drought, heat, flooding resistant. They are basically “Global-Warming Proofing” our crops. And with the recent sticker shock at grocery stores throughout the country, this appears as a welcome opportunity to help the impending food crisis.

The problem with this recent technology is patent monopolization. From the article:

Three companies – BASF of Germany, Syngenta of Switzerland and Monsanto of St. Louis – have filed applications to control nearly two-thirds of the climate-related gene families submitted to patent offices worldwide.

The nature of these patents is even more troubling as corporations are able to eliminate competition. In one such case a corporation is applying for a patent to use one gene, and in the language of the patent the corporation effectively bans other corporations from using the same gene in any other “Climate Ready” seed.

Continue reading ‘Competition Needed Among “Climate Ready” Crops [Guest Post]‘

Monday Links: May 12, 2008

Published
by
Taylor
on May 11, 2008
in Apple, Energy, Environment, Facebook, Monday Links, Politics, Social Networks and Sustainability
. 0 Comments

Since I was so focused on philanthropy blogging last week, I have a backlog of environmental and web 2.0 news to share. This could be a long list of links, but it should keep you busy for a while.

Social networking? Despite all of the attention paid to it in (occasionally breathless) media coverage . . . Facebook, MySpace, et al have not proven to be terribly effective tools for campaigns. Does anyone really think that the fact that Obama has five times as many Facebook friends as Hillary Clinton has turned out to be significant? Demographically interesting and revealing, sure, but actually relevant to how the Democratic primary process has gone so far?

  • Treehugger highlights a really simple, useful, accurate biofuels comparison chart from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. I don’t mean to be a constant cheerleader for algae but…geewillikers, Batman, switch grass and algae look like the best possibilities in that graphic.

[Obama's] response to Clinton’s gas tax proposal was to reject it as a Washington gimmick that would . . . do nothing to address long-term energy issues. That rejection was coupled with a principled energy platform that would address those issues.

Why not try the same thing in WV and KY? Start by telling the truth: as president, he would stop the expansion of dirty coal. [...]

Of course, it’s crucial to couple this with a positive message . . . that means “green jobs,” but more than just that. It means stimulating the development of other industries and revenue sources by spending on infrastructure, education, public works programs, and a decent social safety net. An Obama administration will try to pay these areas back for the sacrifices they’ve made in the name of providing the country with cheap electricity.

It probably wouldn’t help him win WV or KY . . . [but] [m]aybe he could defy conventional wisdom by treating rural white voters like adults, helping them plan a real path to economic health and sustainability rather than telling them fairy tales about the continuing viability of earth’s dirtiest fuel.

  • The Library of Congress has a Flickr account. From what I can tell, there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the photos (relatively modest in number) that they post. Case in point, “Auto Polo.” Like polo only using early automobiles in place of horses…Jesus.

    • auto polo

After the auto polo photo, I don’t really have anything else to say. Happy Monday.

Monday Links: May 5th, 2008

Published
by
Taylor
on May 5, 2008
in Environment, Monday Links and Philanthropy
. 0 Comments

As Jarred mentioned in the previous post, I’m in DC this week at a conference. While I’ll be directing you to my guest posts all week, you can read coverage of the conference from a 19-member (including Sean, the site’s founder and blogger) blog crew on Tactical Philanthropy.

Apologies for the abbreviated links, but I need to get some sleep. So here goes:

  • I have to say, I used to roll my eyes at Tom Friedman columns. Jarred is a recovering Friedman fanboy, but I was always a skeptic. Now that Tom’s moved away from predicting the pace of success in Iraq, and is focused on green industry, I find his writing much more inspired. His column on energy policy last week is a must read. Here’s an excerpt from his latest column:

[M]illions of Americans are dying to be enlisted — enlisted to fix education, enlisted to research renewable energy, enlisted to repair our infrastructure, enlisted to help others. Look at the kids lining up to join Teach for America. They want our country to matter again. They want it to be about building wealth and dignity — big profits and big purposes. When we just do one, we are less than the sum of our parts. When we do both, said [Special Olympics chairman Tim] Shriver, “no one can touch us.

  • I’m very intrigued by product designations/certifications like “organic” or Energy Star and LEED. TreeHugeer writes about the newly-developed “Natural Standard” put forth by the Natural Products Association. The criteria for “Natural” products focus on materials from natural sources and manufacturing processes that avoid harsh chemicals.

For the first time in history, anybody can publish information to a worldwide audience; in the past, only those with access to mainstream media could do so. The students currently in high school and college — what I call Generation Google — will have to live with a series of information fragments about their personal lives.

In college, students often experiment as they strive to develop their own identities; they often do silly things. [...] The gossip that pervades college campuses, high schools, and many other settings doesn’t fade into obscurity — it lives on. Gone are the days of innocent experimentation, of being foolhardy without having to suffer permanent regret.

  • Finally, do yourself a favor and get to the farmers market. Here’s a perfect, simple recipe to take advantage of the spring bounty.

Happy Monday.

Pay As You Drive

Published
by
Taylor
on May 2, 2008
in Consumer Behavior, Environment and Sustainability
. 7 Comments

[Note: sorry for my recent posting hiatus (thanks to Jarred for keeping things humming).  Welcome to new readers! -T]commute

I’m pretty happy with my auto insurance rates through [insert large insurance provider with articulate reptilian spokesman here]. But with my driving patterns (less than a 3 mile commute to work; occasional road trips and errands around town), I’m definitely paying more than necessary and subsidizing the insurance of riskier drivers.  From the authors of Freakonomics, writing in the NY Times Magazine:

Imagine that Arthur and Zelda live in the same city and occupy the same insurance risk pool but that Arthur drives 30,000 miles a year while Zelda drives just 3,000. Under the current system, Zelda probably pays the same amount for insurance as Arthur.

While some insurance companies do offer a small discount for driving less — usually based on self-reporting, which has an obvious shortcoming — U.S. auto insurance is generally an all-you-can-eat affair. Which means that the 27,000 more miles than Zelda that Arthur drives don’t cost him a penny, even as each mile produces externalities for everyone. It also means that low-mileage drivers like Zelda subsidize high-mileage drivers like Arthur.

First of all, you’re correct in assuming that I’ve quoted this example because the person representing my predicament is named Zelda.  But far more importantly, the idea of “Pay As You Drive” (PAYD) insurance is gaining traction.  The article references Progressive Insurance’s willingness to test a PAYD system in a few states.  PAYD involves GPS locators that track a car’s movement; privacy advocates will no doubt bristle at the thought of an insurance company maintaining those types of records.  Yet the cautious momentum behind PAYD is a far more sensible response to high gas prices and the environmental consequences of our national car obsession than an utterly moronic “gas tax holiday” (Tom Friedman takes down that idea nicely here).

Congestion pricing–another attempt, albeit imperfect, to incentive good behavior like carpooling and public transit–is stalled politically in New York City.  Nevertheless, I’m heartened by the buzz surrounding ideas (like PAYD and Congestion Pricing) driven by a simple, effective equation: place a true cost on behavior that stresses infrastructure and the environment alike while rewarding individuals with incentives to improve their impact.  Think there’s any chance that this trend will gain real traction?

Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr user Peter Kaminski.

Happy Earth Day, Everyone

Published
by
Taylor
on April 22, 2008
in Environment
. 0 Comments

I had a post on web politics all fired up and ready to go (ahem), but I’d be remiss if I didn’t use this space, today, to direct your attention elsewhere.

On this Earth Day, why not pledge to plant a tree…or a billion?

Why not take in a baseball game on hallowed ground…Fenway Park.

Or listen to a podcast with one of today’s most inspiring environmental leaders.

Or, in the very least, read Grist’s Earth Day Superlatives.

I hope you have sunshine on Earth Day 2008…I’m stuck in rain and fog, but I’m counting on Spring arriving soon. Happy Earth Day.

UPDATE: Is anyone else a little disappointed in the Google Earth Day logo [no longer the logo, but will be posted here soon]? Doesn’t seem as cool as their past efforts.

Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr user inel.