Business Breakfast 8am to 10am, Exhibition 10am to 4pm 

On Earth Day 2010, Thursday 22nd April, Deepdale Backpackers & Camping and Deepdale Farm will be hosting a whole range of eco friendly organisations for an Earth Day exhibition about the environment, including environmental technology installers, advisors, pressure groups and other related organisations.

Deepdale Backpackers and Camping at Deepdale Farm on the beautiful north Norfolk coast is an eco friendly backpackers hostel and campsite.

Whether you are looking for solar panels, wood chip boiler, LED lights, ground source heat pump, wind turbine, need some advice about how to green up your home or business, want to know more about organics or just fancy a look around Deepdale’s eco-friendly facilities, you are more than welcome. 

It doesn’t matter if you are already interested in the environment, want to become more eco friendly or you’re a sceptic. 

Who should visit this exhibition: 

- Businesses looking to green up their organisation
- Companies wanting to save money on services
- Architects and builders wanting to learn about more eco friendly building materials and techniques
- Farmers looking to diversify and needing some inspiration
and of course
- Individuals who would like to make their homes and lives more energy efficient

Plans are still being confirmed, so check back soon for more information.

Programme for the day:

8am to 10am – Shaping Norfolk’s Future Sustainability Breakfast Meeting
10am to 4pm – Exhibition and talks
9am to 4pm – Scrap heap art challenge

This programme will be added to and edited.

www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/earthday

Jan. 22nd is the B to B day for business buyers, CEOs, press, & procurement professionals.

Jan. 23-24th is for all business professionals & all consumers & their families.

Hundreds of exhibits will encompass a wide variety of green products & services ranging from solar panels, hybrid cars, organic personal care products, eco-pet supplies, greener gadgets, eco-fashion, and home and building supplies that will help us live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

Eco-Celebrity speakers, authors & thought leaders such as Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway, John Picard & Eric Corey Freed will lead informative discussions! Don’t miss Los Angeles’ ultimate eco-extravaganza! Limited booth space is still available. Contact Seth Berk at 212-655-4505 ext. 224 or sberk@gogreenexpo.com today.

Details: www.GoGreenExpo.com
Use promo code GREENPROFS for 50% off ticket price of only $10 for the entire weekend!

For small business owners (United Kingdom) looking to reduce their “Energy Use” contact Mr Go Green at www.theenergysavingco.co.uk. We have negotiated a very special package with British Gas where they will send in trained energy auditors to explain, highlight and offer solutions to (a) reducing your energy use (b) solutions to reducing your Carbon Emissions (c) how to save money.

Is it worth it? Saving £1:00 a day may not seem very exciting! Saving £365:00 a year most definately is!

This is a unique and very special offer in that British Gas only charge £100+vat with the proviso that if they cannot save your energy costs to a sum equal to this amount, not only will they complete your “Energy Audit” – They will refund 100% of the fee. As one client so deliciously put it! “This is a no-brainer for anyone looking to save money”. We are also recipients of a “Green Apple Award” for Environmental Awareness.

Our blog can be seen at www.theenergysavingco.co.uk/blog.

Regards! Mr Go Green.

The report was conducted on a non-exclusive basis and has been well received by municipalities; real estate developers and owners; institutions (i.e., universities); lighting designers, manufacturers, reps and distributors; and investors who are utilizing it in their sustainability efforts. We will also be sharing the report with utilities who are interested in energy efficient products for their customers and incentive programs. The report can be downloaded on our site at bit.ly/mlg1M.

In the next few months, we will be working on two additional reports on “smart grid/electricity monitoring and control solutions” and another on “distributed generation in urban environments.” We are currently looking to connect with municipalities, global development organizations, investors and companies who have an active interest in these sectors. Please feel free to share the link to our report and let us know if there is anyone that we should be connecting with in these sectors.

Romahlo Wilson
Founder
Cleantech Approach
romahlo@cleantechapproach.com

 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

                                                     Dr. Ashok Kumar Panigrahi & Dr. Nirakar Jena,

                 Department of Zoology, F.M.Autonomous College, Balasore, Orissa, India.

 

 

Sustainable development is defined as the process of development that meets the need of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their need.

            The idea of sustainable development emerged from the Brundtland report of            1987 titled “Our Common Future”, through which it was recognized that the natural resources are exhaustible. Consequently there was a global change in approach towards the developmental processes. The shift in the developmental paradigm led to a paradigm shift in ecological science. Human beings which thus far were not included in the ecosystem functioning were seen as an important constituent and the process of impact assessment was initiated. There was broad consensus for living in harmony with the nature because the traditional societies living close to nature and natural resources were found to be better integrated than the industrialized societies. The role of biodiversity as a natural resource was realised. This was more so in ecological point of view. The paradigm shift in ecological studies emphasizing the role of biodiversity led to the concept of sustainable development. Thus, ecology and development became synonymous and together they led to formulation of strategies for natural resource management whereby ecology was linked up with social processes.

 

            The Brundtland Report or the report of the world commission on Environment and Development emphasized the following three points, which according Kofi Annan, are pillars of sustainable development. They are-

 

i.                     Economic growth

ii.                   Social progress

iii.                  Protection of the Environment together with the natural resources.

 

The report was time appropriate in view of the global change which includes the following facts.

 

i.                     Climate change- arising out of material development and without impact assessment, climate change is directly responsible for enhanced global disasters like polar ice cap melting, magnitude of sea born disasters etc.

ii.                   Biological invasions- technologies directed at altering the basics of biodiversity and nullifying the species barriers through the transgenic which fail the desired results.

iii.                  Biodiversity loss- owing to lack of understanding the importance of biodiversity, from food through health and ecological consequences to biological inter-relationships are very often forgotten.

iv.                 Land use- owing to lack of proper vision and far sight there is nothing called land use plan consequent up on which the quantum of arable land is diminishing when the population and hunger is rising.

 

 

Consequent to the above facts the following impacts were recognized.-

i.                     Scarcity of water, fresh water and especially drinking water true to its definition.

ii.                   Land and soil- especially arable land at a time of increasing urbanization and decreasing agricultural land  owing to population explosion; over exploited soil due to green revolution practices.

iii.                  Energy- depleting energy resources like fossil fuels of petroleum crude and coal and limited availability from alternative sources like solar and wind etc.

iv.                 Pollutions- due to non sustainable industrialization, green revolution and implementation of non sustainable developmental practices, all habitats of life like air, water, land and food today stand highly polluted.

v.                   Population explosion- unchecked and unplanned population growth is taking place which by itself exerting tremendous pressure on planets life support systems.

vi.                 Poverty- more than 70% of the population in the developing countries today are living below the poverty line; a great majority of them do not own a house and a source of regular income, no land of their own to grow food and feed themselves.

 

Poverty is rampant in the slums of the cities and towns and far away villages in the country sides in all developing countries. These are the pockets where the population is growing at faster rates. In addition to this, high human activities which do not conform to the basic ecological necessities have been found to be the causes of various types of avoidable environmental pollutions. Besides, uncontrolled and unregulated human activities in search of employments to earn their daily breads, through the society in disarray and disorder. As a consequence, the original master plans drawn for all cities and towns in most developing countries like India are either undergoing frequent changes or are n ever really implemented.

 

The various types of human activities may be identified as-

 

      Land clearing, grazing, urbanization, agriculture, forestry, fishery, aquaculture, water diversion, fuel consumption, industrialization and recreation.

The intentions are, however, aimed at improving the quality of life such as-

      Shelter generation, food and fiber production, water supply and irrigation, consumer goods production, knowledge and enjoyment.

But the actual and unintended results together with the environmental costs thus achieved are enormous and they may be summed up as under-

      Deforestation and habitat destruction, soil degradation and desertification, acid prepitation, eutrophication, ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity and climate change.

      Thus, the current trends of development without assessing the consequential environmental impacts may be labeled as ‘non sustainable’. Consequential to such types of development the stocks of vital important and limiting resources like fresh water, fuel, timber, fodder, biodiversity and healthy food are fast depleting in most developing countries like India. It is, therefore of paramount necessity that these basic amenities of life must be sustainably harvested without further delay through sustainable development using indigenous technology where ever available.

 

The ways of sustainable development, some examples

 

            1. Water harvest and aquifer recharge.

 

There was a news flash in the ToI,. 6 March 2003 that India stood at the

bottom of the heap on water quality and availability. Taking excerpts from then just published world water development report of United Nations, the paper reported that India ranked a poor 120 in a list of 122 countries for its water quality and in terms of water availability India ranked 133 in a list of 180 countries where the survey was undertaken. As compared to India, its neighbours like Bangladesh, Srilanka, Nepal and Pakistan stood at 40, 64, 78 and 80 respectively in the same list. The top five water rich countries of world were identified to be Greenland, Alaska, French Guyana, Iceland and Guyana in that order. Similarly the top seven countries identified in terms of water quality were Finland, Canada, New Zealand, U.K., Japan, Norway and Russian Federation.

 

It is an established fact that global weather patterns and precipitation rates are highly influenced by ENSO ( EL Nino- La Nina Southern Oscillation) in the pacific besides other episodic events as forest fire and a few other independent factors such as microclimatic changes and mean temperatures etc. With references to India it is known that states like Tamilnadu received much less rainfall consequitively for last several years where as states like Kerala and Karnataka were identified to be the wettest regions

 

As regards to water precipitation, it is widely known that India receives much more rainfall than Europe. But compared to India, Europe never faces water scarcity. It may be because; the 80% of the total amount of rainfall that India receives annually comes in just about 100 hours. In such a situation, harvestation of rain water is of paramount importance in India. However, there are no organized governmental efforts to this aspect yet anywhere in India.

 

In Delhi, the capital city of India, the under ground water table has been in decline, going deeper and deeper with increase in population. In some regions of Delhi, the water table has crossed 200 feet. To meet the ever increasing water need of Delhi, dams like the one in Tehri has been constructed with a huge capital investment. But Tehri being in the seismic zone is unsafe. Therefore, the problem has to be solved locally. Few retired persons in different areas of Delhi went on a mission of water harvesting and aquifer recharge in the last couple of years and achieved encouraging results which as summed up in the survey report of th Centre for Science and Environment and published in the ToI sometime back employing simpler technology as shown below-

 

 

 

                        

 

 

 

 

 

RESULTS:

 

              Execution                                        Under ground water availability depth

                  Area                                               Before                                      After

1.         Panchsheel park                                   > 92 feet                                  87 feet 

2.         Jamia Hamdard University.                   >148 feet                                 132 feet

3.         Rajinder Nagar                         118 feet                                    73 feet

4.         Vasant Vihar                                        119 feet                                    115 feet

5.         Tughlaqabad defence colony             drawing                            drawing                                                                    10,000 liters                           20,000 liters

 

 

            Similar methods can be successfully employed in all water stress areas in India including Chennai taking examples from countries like Germany where by law it is mandatory for every household to harvest rain water. In Germany, the government levies a tax on those who do not harvest rain water in order to raise funds to build and maintain structures to harvest the same, especially storm water.

 

 

            Besides, rain water harvesting has achieved tremendous results in Rajasthan which led to Rajinder Singh being awarded with the prestigious Magasasay Awaards and revived native vegetation in Asola-Bhatti, a large patch of barren land near Delhi scarred with pits from which red sand had been dugout over a long period.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Sustainable agriculture and real green revolution:

 

            Scars left by the imported technology used during the so called green revolution in India in the late sixties are difficult to fill up. By the impact of that green revolution, the soil now stands degraded with reference to plant nutrition availability

 

and water retaining capacity. The food today contains excess of hazardous chemicals like nitrate, pesticides residues and lacks important constituents like carotene and vitamin C and is deficient in food mineral contents like copper and zinc. Besides, by volatilization, nitrogenous fertilizers contribute to acid precipitation and ozone depletion. Free use and applications of pesticides increased the resistance in the

desired species like the crop pests, eliminated beneficial insects like honey bees, an array birds like the scavenging vultures and pest feeding insectivorous birds and ended up in appearing in bottled waters and soft drinks in dangerous proportions.

 

            Pests are creations of the nature. Nature has its own methods to contain them. We have a huge biodiversity at our disposal to keep the pests in check, like the Azadirachtin of Neem and other such botanicals; the predators like the Spiders, Mantis, Dragon flies, the parasitoids like the Bracon and Trichogramma. In such a situation why apply the pesticides and put the human lives in danger? Pearson (1985) has opined that pesticides related deaths in developing countries account for about 10 thousand per year and many more suffer.

 

            Earthworms have been known to be friends of farmers even to school children but there has been no comprehensive effort to employ these creatures to agricultural advantage in a large way except for some NGOS like the Navdanya Trust of New Delhi which are doing exemplary work in that line to change non sustainable chemical agriculture to sustainable organic agriculture.

           

Awareness creation through facts and figures:

 

            Results obtained from the just concluded UGC funded Major Research Project on Organic farming conducted by the authors are glaring examples to show that only organic farming is sustainable. Growing HYV  paddy (Lalat) in Rabi with Azolla culture and Pongam oilcake for providing plant nutrition and using pheromone traps and Trichocards to keep the pests in check, yielded 1.5 quintals of paddy per acre over and above the quantity produced using agrochemicals and that too with less cost.

 

            As far as NPK parameters of the soil to provide nutrition to crop plants are concerned, the following data were obtained through organic applications which may seriously be viewed.   

                                  

 

 

 

 Soil fertility status in transplanted HYV kharif paddy

 

 

        N(in kg/ha)

Before        30days

                    after

  P2O5(in kg/ha)

Before 30days
                after

   K2O(in kg/ha)

Before 30days
                after

1.

Sesbania                    application

289.7       350.2

20.6       21.7

189.2     200.1

2.

Sesbania + Pongam oil cake (@ 375kg/ha)

 

283.7       458.2

 

42.6       45.8

 

188.3     273.6

3.

Vermi compost

in soil 

    –        250.88

   –        60.29

 –          151

4.

worm cast in lateritic soil 

   –          740              

  –         46.7

 –          251.36

5.

Worm cast in  saline    soil    

   –          498.62

  –         24.95

 –          123.64

6.

Compost + Earthworm

1 month after worm inoculation

 

  –           573.8

 

–          70.65 

 

–          825.8  

7.

Compost + Earthworm with vegetable plants in fruiting state

 

–           689.92   

 

 –         90.36 

 

 –         161        

8.

Worm cast of a geophagous

Worm species

 

–           740    

 

 –         46.7           

 

–         251.36    

 

Contribution of Earthworms to Soil fertility in form of Worm casts (in kg./ ha.)                                              

 

Nitrogen (N) 

Phosphorus (P)

Potash (K) 

General soil sample

340.2 

40.8

380.7

Worm cast of Metaphire posthuma

(Giant tropical earth worms of Orissa)

 

610.2   

 

46.7

 

781.0

Initial soil sample 

269.7

52.2

561.25

Worm casts of mixed species of native worms

573.88                                 

70.65

825.8

-do- Perionyx excavatus  

558.2

61.9

611.52

-do-   Eisenia foetida 

698.92

90.36

861

Contributions of Biodiversity to soil fertility under 20 % soil incorporations (kg./ha)                                                                           

Soil nutrients

 (kg./ ha.) 

Initial state

(kg./ ha.)

Moringa leaf  

Eichornea leaf

Cassia leaf

Pongamia leaf 

Sesbania leaf

Nitrogen(N) 

269.7

310.46

299.48

294.48

303.36

265.97

Phosphorus (P)

52.2

62.5

62

62.7

63

31.37

Potash (K)

561.25

598.1

608.83

596.73

594.04

540.0

 

Biodiversity                            N %                            P2O5 %                        K2O%

Casuarinas leaf ash                  trace                             1.4%                            14.0% 

Pongam (dry leaves)                 3.7%                            2.41%                          2.42%

Bone and blood meal                10-12%                       3-3.5%                                    0.5-0.7%

Poultry litter (fresh)                   3%                               2-6%                           14%    

Cow urine (fresh)                      0.083 ppm                   9.73 ppm                     387.5ppm

Neem oil seed cake                  5.2 %                           1%                               1.4%

Til (sesamum) oil cake  6.25%                          2.05%                          1.25% 

Sesbania (whole plant) 3%                               1.2%                            2.2%

Eucalyptus leaf ash                  trace                             5.9%                            24.0%            

Major Nutrient Removal by different crops:

Unit – kg. per quintal of product

 

Crops               Crop parts                    Nitrogen            Phosphorus             Potash

Paddy              grain/straw                    1.34/0.61            0.54/0.37               0.27/3.70

Groundnut        Pod/calm                      3.02/0.4              074/0.14                0.52/0.7

Potato              Tuber                           0.74                    0.28                       1.4         

Gram                Grain                            5.25                    1.65                       4

           

3. Reclaiming waste arid land through biodiversity service:-

 

            Land degradation is a threat being faced World Wide. There are several factors responsible but open cast mining is the chief is the principle cause. Presently about 2 billion hectares of land world wide lie degraded. Of this about 3.5 consists of dead ecosystems that can not be revived and restored back to normally. Sustained efforts and planned executions can reactivate the rest 96.5 percent of degraded land.

 

            Asola Bhatti near Delhi was one such degraded land which bore the precious red sand that was exploited since the Moghul era and through the British period for constructions of monuments in and around Delhi. Centuries of exploitation left Asola Bhatti a dead ecosystem. There was not a single blade of grass growing any where in the vast expanse of Asola Bhatti until 1994. Delhi University scientists led by Professor CR Babu established the Centre of Management of Degraded Ecosystems and worked overtime using simple cost effective technology in an area of 1.5 hectares of Asola Bhatti. Encapsulated seeds of some local varieties of plants in microbial gel blocks were released in the dry and hot environment of Asola Bhatti. Microbe diversity used was direct and associated nitrogen fixers, phosphate solublisers (both bacterial and fungal) and plant growth promoters. The seeds used belonged to plant diversity such as Acacia (a leguminous plant) and various grass species in line with those found in the Aravalis in the first phase. Miraculously, these encapsulated seeds germinated with the scanty rainfall that the region received during the monsoon. Encouraged by this development, Delhi forest department constructed several check dams in the area for harvesting rain water. In the second phase, seeds of other plant diversities like the ‘dhak’ and ‘junglee jalebee’ were released. Over a period of six years, the topography of the degraded Asola Bhatti ecosystem changed dramatically with many native flora and flora reappearing of their own. Today there is a forest in the region of Asola Bhatti which once lay barren for centuries.

 

4. Saline Land Reclamation through Agnihotra

            Dr. Ramashray Mishra, Professor of Plant Genetics at Chandrashekhar Azad Agriculture University in Kanpur has been experimenting with Agnihotra farming for the past 25 years, both under laboratory and field conditions. Among his many achievements the successful reclamation of saline waste land in Kanpur within 10 years through Agnihotra is a unique achievement. After reclamation of the said land, a residential colony that came up on a part of it was named Agnihotra Nagar. The rest of the reclaimed land is lush greenery and is covered by luxuriant vegetation. The topography of the area changed dramatically within a period of 10 years. Similarly the Homa Therapy Association of North America reclaimed a 17 acre patch waste land and turned it to its own farm in Alabama (USA) through Agnihotra in a short period of 2 years, whereas left to the mercy of nature, the said land would have taken about 100 years to rebuild its top soil. It is for this and other agriculturally advantageous reasons that many developed and developing countries like USA, Germany, Japan, Peru and Chile have officially accepted Agnihotra as the principal method of organic farming. The Latin America states like Peru and Chile have accepted Agnihotra as their State agricultural policies principally due to its cost effectiveness, superior crop yields and simultaneous conservation of top productivity soil and water resources.

 

5. Reclamation of Indian waste (usar) land

            India has landmass of approximately 329 millions hectares; out of which more than half i.e., 175 millions hectares is categorized as waste land. These lands are on the steep slopes, saline affected, alkaline affected and subjected to excessive erosion, soil toxicity and lack of soil fertility. These soils are often referred to as ‘problem soil’. Saline and alkaline soils cover nearly 7 millions hectares land in our country. These soils are inhospitable for crop production due to high pH, high concentration of soluble salts and exchangeable sodium. These are called usar land or degraded land. The soils are deficient in nitrogen and phosphorous and do not support any plant growth. There are vast tracts of usar land in and around the ancient historical townships like Ayodhya, Mathura, Varanasi and Delhi etc.The banks of river Yamuna has only degraded land.  In addition to the usar land, vast stretches of water logged land have added to the total degraded land in India and such land are in the increase in every passing year. Special planning strategies and systematic executions are essential in reclaiming such degraded land for agricultural purposes if we are to increase our food production.

 

Conclusion:

 

         The resources and the environment are getting depleted and degraded mainly due to human interference under the disguise of development. It is time appropriate to have a fresh look to the entire process of development globally without which life will not sustain for long in this planet. Approach to other resources like the wet lands, forests and above all, the biodiversity must be made globally and in a sustainable manner by which they become substantially productive and support the life system of the planet, Earth. This is of paramount importance now.

——————————————————————————————————-

P.S. The authors invite innovative ideas on this issue from the readers of this article.

           

    

 

 

Local authorities in popular tourist destinations are beginning to take matters of environmental protection into their own hands. Governments and nonprofit organizations are banding together in the fight against pollution. Efforts to sustain tourism to favourite destinations without harmful effects to the local environment, as well as culture and social interactions, are the main focus for the most recent campaigns.

Mallorca Promotes Environmental Protection and Tourism

In order to maintain sustainable tourism in the Balearic Islands, Mallorca – often known as Majorca – is promoting a campaign that promotes environmental protection. Environment friendly tourism in heavily visited areas is important for the overall atmosphere of tourist areas.

Island tourist locations tend to take more abuse from tourism than most other areas. The new campaign, developed by Palma’s Tourism Institute, IMTUR, is called ‘Palma, Responsible Tourism.’ The World Tourism Organization also supports the initiative. The primary goal is to encourage tourists to be more environmentally responsible in Palma.

A few of the programme’s objectives are:

* To educate tourists and residents on water consumption.

* Promote Palma and Mallorca as a prime tourism destination that places emphasis on protecting the environment and the Mediterranean.

* Encourage environmentally safe tourism once tourists arrive.

* Decrease carbon levels and air pollution from vehicles.

* Increase energy awareness and introduce energy conservation practices.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, only examples of what tourists can expect from the ‘Palma, Responsible Tourism’ campaign. The programme includes incentives, activities, competitions and a cycling event available to all interested tourists. Palma Town Hall will donate 1 euro to the campaign for every tourist that takes part in activities related to the campaign.

Other Environment Friendly Vacation Locations

Palma’s campaign is new to the Balearic Islands. The general idea, however, is not new to other tourist destinations around the world. Whether it is referred to as ‘environment friendly tourism’ or ‘ecotourism’ the end result is the same.

The general idea is to introduce tourists to recycling and other activities that will help sustain tourism in their favourite destinations. In protecting their favorite vacation spots, tourists also help to protect neighbouring rivers, streams, wildlife and communities from potential harm caused by pollution.

Similar campaigns exist in the Caribbean. One development firm was quoted as saying sustainability is ‘finding the right balance between the need for development and the need for environmental protection.’

Overdevelopment of a destination can lead to a drastic downfall of the quality of vacations available to tourists. Locally owned shops and fisheries on the Caribbean Islands have joined the efforts to help combat the negative effects of mass tourism.

Resorts and hotels on Malta promote environment friendly tourism by setting a high standard for their guests and employees. Water and energy conservation are very high on the list, as are reuse and recycling.

Employees and guests are urged to turn off lights in rooms that aren’t being used and to ensure water has been used conservatively and turned off when not in use. Recycling bins are placed in hotel rooms, and guests are encouraged to use only environment friendly, recyclable containers.

Environment Friendly Hotels and Resorts

Each passing year sees more hotels and resorts join the fight against pollution. Environmental agencies have begun offering initiatives and awards to hotels and resorts that go the extra mile to protect the environment. The very environment they seek to protect is the one that draws more tourists to their location year after year.

Several U.S. ski resorts have earned awards from environmental protection agencies recognizing the work they put into protecting the environment and local forests. Their efforts include using environment friendly cleaning products and recyclable take-out boxes, cups and flatware, as well as encouraging reuse of linens and towels and composting kitchen scraps with wood chips for use in landscaping. In all, eight U.S. ski resorts were recognized by Clif Bar & Company for environmental excellence.

Over 28,000 species of fish swim in the world’s oceans and many more undiscovered species exist. Not all 28,000 species are safe eats due to contaminants, yet many still wind up on our dinner plate. Further complicating the problem, many fish stocks face rapid depletion. The result: eating fish is not as healthy as it once was for both you and the fish populations. However, you do not need to give up this delicious dish yet. By learning to choose your seafood wisely, you can make healthy choices for yourself and the ocean.

Contaminants such as PCBs and metals end up in our fish populations, the most notable being mercury. Mercury is released into the air by both human and natural processes. Nearly two-thirds of all mercury released into the environment comes from human sources such as chlor-alkali production. It falls back down to the land and water and turns into the more toxic methylmercury, which bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains and contaminates the fish we eat. Consequently, fish higher up on the food chain like swordfish and shark, and yes, even tuna, contain among the highest concentrations of mercury in their bodies.

Mercury targets important organs, in particular the heart and brain. The effects of mercury are broad as it can cause many health problems. These complications can include impaired coordination, tremors, irritability, memory loss, depression, blurred vision and a tingling sensation in the skin. Mercury’s potential impacts on early fetus and child development pose the greatest concern. An EPA scientist has estimated that hundreds of thousands of newborns each year may have increased risk of learning disabilities associated with their mothers eating high mercury fish during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Consequently, in 2004, the FDA and EPA issued advisories about mercury contamination in commonly-sold fish. The advisory is directed towards women of child-bearing age, including those who are pregnant, and young children. Unfortunately, this important advice is difficult to find and not available where you need it the most: at your supermarket.

The lack of easily-accessible information is especially startling considering how many people enjoy seafood. From smoked salmon to creamy mussel chowder to fried fish sticks, more than 85% of adults eat seafood at least once a month. Americans consume an estimated 5 billion pounds of seafood a year. However, our adoration for seafood comes with a high price tag that not only includes mercury contamination, but also the disappearance of the world’s fish stocks.

A shocking study published in the Science November 2006 edition stated that one-third of all fishing stocks have already collapsed. The researchers also made a distressing prediction: if current fishing practices continue in only fifty years time, all major fishing stocks will collapse.

Fish are being removed at an alarmingly high rate that prevents populations from replenishing. Additionally, many fisheries are poorly managed, due to the use of fishing methods that are detrimental to the environment. For example, bottom trawls that catch wild shrimp not only harm the marine habitat, they also kill unwanted invertebrates, fish, and sea turtles. The popular farmed salmon comes with extensive environmental costs that include water pollution and the spread of disease to wild fish populations. Other unsustainably harvested seafood includes Atlantic bluefin tuna, groupers, Atlantic cod, sharks, and more.

An ideal fishery has a catch limit, determined by scientists and fully enforced. “Bycatch,” the unintentional killing of other fish and ocean life, is controlled. Finally, a well managed fishery protects the marine habitat by reducing its impacts on the environment. Examples of fisheries with effective management include wild Alaskan salmon, U.S. farmed tilapia, and farmed clams, mussels, and oysters. In addition, many types of sustainable seafood are relatively low in mercury, and are high in omega-3s, the “good” fats associated with eating fish.

To promote eco-friendly eating patterns many chefs and restaurants have taken the initiative to adjust their menus and serve their patrons sustainable seafood dishes. Some laudable chefs have even written recipe books on ocean-friendly seafood. One popular recipe book, Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood by Paul Johnson, includes 96 of these dishes.

Consumers possess the power to play an important role in the fish market.

By becoming a smarter seafood shopper and eating ocean-friendly and low mercury seafood you can help promote sustainable fishing practices while also keeping yourself healthy. So, next time you visit a grocery store or order a seafood dish ask specific questions. Is this wild or farmed salmon? What type of tuna? Where is this shrimp coming from? The Blue Ocean Institute Guide is very useful. The guide clearly outlines the sustainability levels of many commonly-consumed fish and highlight which have elevated mercury levels.

Eating fish is a luxury that our children and children’s children should be able to safely enjoy. Our natural resources need to be used in a sustainable way to ensure the continued health of our communities, economy, and environment. There are plenty of ways to still indulge in your love of seafood while eating fish that is safe for both you and the oceans. By educating yourself and others, you can help to ensure that there will always be plenty of fish in the sea.

To learn more:
Oceana’s Mercury Campaign

The Blue Ocean Institute Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood
Order a Sustainable Seafood Cookbook

Leyland cypresses, XCupressocyparis leylandii, are not fairing well in many landscapes. It is a fast growing tree used in boarders and screens that had relatively few pest problems. Now is has been suffering from branch die-back. Sadly, it can cause the death of the tree. Seiridium canker is the cause. This disease is not to the point of wiping out this tree, but I would recommend not planting this tree as it likely will in the future be a major concern. Why plant a tree that is not going to be healthy or is suspect?
Thus landscape designers should seek a replacement for the Leyland Cypress. One great choice is the Green Giant Arborvitae.
Green Giant arborvitae is becoming a superstar in the plant world. It is the most popular arborvitae next to the Emerald Green Arbor vita. The reason for its success is that it fills landscape needs that are important. It will help block large unsightly neighbors quickly and is basically pest free. It is also a plant that is in the public domain and not protected by a patent. Thus anyone can propagate this plant.
The original Green Giant got its name not from ancient lore, but from unusually extra large, hence “giant,” green peas. These “Green Giant Peas” were a new “strain,” a new species, introduced by the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1925. You see, these were huge peas when compared to the previously marketed baby peas early-picked in June (that’s sure early in co-o-o-old Minnesota). LeSueur baby peas are still sold today in their classic silver can as a gourmet vegetable.
Founded back in 1903, Minnesota Valley Canning was a pea company located along the Minnesota River, which was the Dakota Sioux name for “cloudy water,” just southwest of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the state capital. This is where there’s a bottom land “confluence” with the even cloudier, soil-rich, muddier Mississippi River. The whole area, including surrounding towns like LeSueur, got the title, the “Minnesota Valley.” Ohhh. And where did THAT name, LeSeur, come from you may be wondering? Lesueur is the name of the original explorer of the area, a Frenchmen of the early 1700′s.
Minnesota is amidst the land of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe, tall tales about them a part of he culture. Maybe the stories gave rise to ideas for how to advertise Green Giant Peas.
The “Jolly Green Giant” became incredibly popular as the way to advertise those Green Giant Peas and by 1950 he was an “icon” as we say today. There was a cartoon character created, ubiquitous TV commercials and print advertising, even “giant-sized” highway billboards, so the company changed its name to his.
So that is where the “Green Giant” comes from, 20th century modern marketing, not ancient lore. The Green Giant Thuja Plicata is in the same Juniper family as the original “tree of life” Arborvitae, but with growth rates as fast as three feet per year (gee, bamboo’s the fastest grower at five feet per, but it’s just grass). Thuja Plicata trees grow to heights beyond 200 feet in the Pacific Northwest, this Western Red Cedar is indeed worthy of also taking the Green Giant name.

http://www.seedlingsrus.com , www.zone5trees.com , and www.highlandhillfarm.com
The Green Giant Arborvitae is more properly named by tree scientists the “Thuja Plicata,” with the other common historic names being, “giant cedar,” also “western cedar,” and “red cedar.” There’s only one other Arborvitae specie in all of North America, the “eastern cedar,” or “white cedar,” with “Thuja Occidentalis,” as the tree scientist’s Latin name, the botanist’s name. This short tree is actually what we usually think of when the “genus” juniper is mentioned.

Funny that the eastern cedar was given the Latin name for “west” which is “occidental.” You see? As I have observed before, what’s in a name? Highland Hill Farm is not located in a town called Highland Hills, or, on Highland Hill Road, etc. Scottish Highland Hills cows that we grazed on our first property provided our company with a distinctive name when we sold our first trees in 1978.

Green Giant Arborvitae ranges naturally all across the United States from Massachusetts, southwesterly to Texas and New Mexico, through northern Arizona, up the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the state of Washington, and British Columbia beyond.

What does arborvitae mean anyway? Now that we know about the derivation of “Green Giant,” here’s how the Latin name Arborvitae, or “tree of life,” came about. As the first explorers of Canada were mapping the St. Lawrence River in 1536, the tree was used for medicine which saved their leader and most of the men too. Jacques Cartier explored the islands off eastern Canada, and then sailed westward where he entered the St. Lawrence River and found Quebec and a Royal Mountain (Mont Real, which is now called “Montreal”). Cartier was searching for the passage to China so many other explorers would also fail to find. Cartier and his men had to spend a long winter inside a little fort, away from the any sun, where they subsisted on meat, fish, and bread, eating no fruits or vegetables. As scurvy was killing most all of them, a friendly Huron Indian gave Cartier’s crew tea made from the needles and bark of a tree which looked like the white cedars of Europe. So Cartier took some trees back to France with him, these Thuja Occidentalis Eastern White Cedars, naming them “Arborvitae,” the tree of life. How about that?

Arborvitae are native to the pacific northwest where they grow to 200 feet tall, usually 50 to 70 feet is the common height, even including here in Bucks county. Arborvitae do best in wet forests and swamps. The Green Giant appearance is due to this specie’s wide 15-25 foot wide base, the slightly tapering conical shape, and the dense branches and leaves casting great dark shadows. The Arborvitae grows in zones 6 to 8, environments with temperatures that get as low as 10 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit, such as in Missouri or Pennsylvania, to environments where winter temperatures get only as low as 20 degrees above 0 Fahrenheit, such as mid-Texas and northern Florida.

Green Giant Arborvitae have pretty, yet surprisingly tiny yellow flowers. The “pine cones,” the fruit actually, of the tree, follow the budding of the flowers and are also surprisingly small compared to the size of a mature tree, being no more than a half-inch in size. There are no problems with tree litter understandably, and so few animals are attracted to the Green Giant Arborvitae, perhaps because of this description.

The Green Giant Arborvitae is recommended for growing as a hedge or privacy buffer along a property line, or driveway. Thuja Plicata, Western Red Cedars are ideal “windrow” trees. In a row, they’ll truly diminish the wind. The Green Giant Arborvitae is justifiably considered wind resistant considering the windswept mountains of the Pacific northwest. The wood itself is weak, but it is very light. Green Giant Arborvitae do have better deer resistance than most arborvitae. These trees have been planted in high deer population areas. On our farm in Doylestown we have lots of deer and do have damage the Emerald Green Arborvitae. The Green Giants are eaten a nibble here and there but not very hard. Based on our own observations over the years we feel that the Green Giants will only be eaten by deer if there is no other feed available.

Now that you know all about ‘em, Highland Hill Farm has at least 50 or more Green Giant Arborvitae in our nursery ready for pickup at any time. They will range from 1.5′ to 12′ and be balled and burlapped or potted. We also have field liners and seedling Green Giant available. There are many more varieties of arborvitae available which we have in stock. If we don’t stock the variety you want we will find it for you if possible.
See Bills other web sites at www.seedlingsrus.com and http:www.zone5trees.com

Sustainable products do not necessarily need to break the bank. Although, in many cases, there will be a slight premium for FSC certified products, consumers should take comfort in the chain of custody that comes with the rubber stamp. Responsible wood floor suppliers should be able to offer a range of proven sustainable products to their clients and should discard products that come from a dubious source. They should also be in a position to offer alternatives to some of the endangered wood types. Oak is a good example of an abundant raw material that can be “worked” to achieve stunning results. Smoking (Fuming), Thermo-Treating (Baking), Ageing and Distressing can all produce diverse finishes. In addition stains and coloured oils available can achieve the desired effect.

Engineered flooring can also provide a solution as the manufacturing process usually uses as little as one-fifth of the amount of hardwood as a solid floor. The process used to produce the veneer layer on an engineered board yields massively more square metres of material per cubic metre of lumber than solid production, therefore helping reduce forest footprint. It is however worth considering the wood used for the base of any engineered board and ensuring that this also is sourced correctly.

At Ecora we are working hard to bring sustainable materials to the consumer at competitive prices. Our range includes both FSC certified and non certified products, in both solid and engineered format. Although difficult to guarantee the full chain of custody without certification, we endeavour to work with manufacturers and suppliers of non FSC products to offer environmentally sound solutions. With this in mind we are able to introduce a new range of Forest Friendly, 15mm multilayer (4mm Top Layer) Engineered flooring with the following benefits:

1.    The Peeling/Slicing process used in production yields up to 1500m2 of veneer per m3 of lumber, higher than any other process.

2.    The Poplar wood used to manufacture the base of the wood floor is a fast growing species (8-12 years per generation) and is a “farmed” not a “forested” wood.

3.    The floors have a 30 Year Guarantee which means that nearly 4 generations of re-growth can occur during this time.

We also complement our flooring range with Eco-Friendly Wood Oils as well as our own Zero VOC Emulsion Paint range which is suitable for walls, joinery, concrete and more. Our Eco Paint are certified to BS EN71 Part 2 & 3.

If you would like to know more about this article or if you require additional information about any of the flooring or paint we supply please give us a call us on 020 7148 5265 or email us at info@ecora.co.uk

www.ecora.co.uk