Finding a fishy solution

Microbiologist devises a model for sustainable urban farming Posted by Greg Rienzi on the JHU Gazette August 1, 2011 There’s something fishy going on at Baltimore’s Cylburn Arboretum, and the results could be delicious—and sustainable. Earlier this summer, David Love, a microbiologist and project director with the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns […]

Simple and Easy Clay Oven Design

I  built several of these ovens in Panama… they are simple, cheap, and cook a great pizza or loaf of bread! – Jeremy Build Your Own Earth Oven The following is an excerpt from Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century by Dick and James Strawbridge (DK Publishing, 2010).   Few tastes compare to the stone-baked flavor you get […]

California’s Food System. Where Is It Headed?

Roots of Change (ROC) president, Michael Dimock, had the pleasure to interview one of the leading figures in the food movement, Michael Pollan. Pollan is the author of several well-known books such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. He has changed the way Americans view […]

How to Brew Compost Tea (Videos)

By:  Sami Grover Whether it’s discussing how worm compost suppresses plant disease, or getting a sneak peak at industrial-scale composting, I’ve talked a lot about both methods and usage of compost here on TreeHugger. But when I posted on a video about making compost extraction, I realized we’ve barely covered the opportunities for producing liquid plant feeds like […]

80% Of All US’ Antibiotics Given To Farm Animals

Even for someone who follows sustainable agriculture and animal welfare issues, this is pretty astounding: New analysis by the Center for a Livable Future shows that 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States go to farm animals (Wired). The last time that stat was calculated, a decade ago by the Union of Concerned Scientists, […]

Earthworms Could Be Used to Clean Up Hazardous Toxins in Soil

Cleaning up disused industrial sites can be a hazardous line of work, however researchers in South America have found an ally in one of the most unlikely creatures on the planet: the earthworm. According to the last issue of International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, researchers believe that earthworms may be able to process “hazardous material containing […]

Biochar or Compost – What’s Best for Soil Quality?

Despite claims that biochar could offset 12% of human carbon emissions, and boost agricultural production in the process, others are not so sure. Whether it’s the author of the biochar solution saying it’s not a solution (OK, not a complete solution), or George Monbiot’s warnings on the large-scale production of biochar, there is no doubt […]

Worm Composting Becomes Big Business

A few weeks ago we caught a behind-the-scenes glimpse at an industrial composting operation. But it’s not just regular composting that’s going mainstream. Vermicomposting, or worm composting—which I tend to think of as the crunchier, DIY end of composting—is also being practiced on some pretty large scales. And these folks seem to be making money […]