Comments on: Plastic http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/farms/fourfrog/2009/05/plastic/ Peaceful Valley gets organic farms to set their roots and provide local food. Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:53:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Beth Tobi http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/farms/fourfrog/2009/05/plastic/comment-page-1/#comment-218 Beth Tobi Tue, 05 May 2009 17:23:19 +0000 http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/?p=932#comment-218 Hi Andrew, Other issues re GMO's - How about trespass, both that the GMO weed seeds are ending up in my garden, and my other mutations are ending up in my gut. I don't want to be a test tube for Monsanto. But regarding plastic in the garden I have very mixed feelings; short term practicality but what are the long term consequences? What is leaching out? Thanks for your posts. Hi Andrew,
Other issues re GMO’s – How about trespass, both that the GMO weed seeds are ending up in my garden, and my other mutations are ending up in my gut. I don’t want to be a test tube for Monsanto.
But regarding plastic in the garden I have very mixed feelings; short term practicality but what are the long term consequences? What is leaching out?
Thanks for your posts.

]]> By: Adam http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/farms/fourfrog/2009/05/plastic/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Adam Sat, 02 May 2009 18:44:15 +0000 http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/?p=932#comment-208 This may not be a popular comment but here goes. A big problem with the argument that we have to do whatever it takes to feed our growing world population is that it assumes we need to feed a growing population. While I think there is more then enough resources to provide our current population with a decent standard of living, our current system reinforces many unequalities which will only be made worse by adding more people. Until the talking monkeys can cooperate a bit better, we deserve to starve, basically. This may not be a popular comment but here goes. A big problem with the argument that we have to do whatever it takes to feed our growing world population is that it assumes we need to feed a growing population. While I think there is more then enough resources to provide our current population with a decent standard of living, our current system reinforces many unequalities which will only be made worse by adding more people.

Until the talking monkeys can cooperate a bit better, we deserve to starve, basically.

]]> By: Drew http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/farms/fourfrog/2009/05/plastic/comment-page-1/#comment-207 Drew Sat, 02 May 2009 05:30:02 +0000 http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/?p=932#comment-207 Part of it is our need to meet the demand for corn and other grains. Not for human consumption, but for animal feed. As the world's demand for meat increases, so does the demand for feed grain. (Soy and high fructose corn syrup are discussions for another day.) We know that it takes 8 to 10 pounds of grain to make a pound of beef. The manure is also stored in toxic concentrations instead of being returned to the earth at a rate that can be absorbed. What we have here is a reverse protein factory with a serious emissions problem. And for all that, we are feeding fewer people at the end of the process than we could at the beginning. The benefit is not happening here, unless you happen to move corn or meat animals. Dan and I are vegetarians. It was stuff like this and a bunch of other things that did it for us. People occasionally ask me what it's like to become a vegetarian. I tell them it's like quitting smoking. The first two weeks really suck, then you start feeling a lot better. Great topic, Andrew. Part of it is our need to meet the demand for corn and other grains. Not for human consumption, but for animal feed. As the world’s demand for meat increases, so does the demand for feed grain. (Soy and high fructose corn syrup are discussions for another day.)

We know that it takes 8 to 10 pounds of grain to make a pound of beef. The manure is also stored in toxic concentrations instead of being returned to the earth at a rate that can be absorbed. What we have here is a reverse protein factory with a serious emissions problem. And for all that, we are feeding fewer people at the end of the process than we could at the beginning. The benefit is not happening here, unless you happen to move corn or meat animals.

Dan and I are vegetarians. It was stuff like this and a bunch of other things that did it for us. People occasionally ask me what it’s like to become a vegetarian. I tell them it’s like quitting smoking. The first two weeks really suck, then you start feeling a lot better.

Great topic, Andrew.

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