Terra Central

Bioregionalism, Local Food

Author Ann Vileisis: "Food Has Stories"

Published by

John Freeland

on

March 28, 2009

Ann’ book, Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to Get It Back is available at Amazon. What intrigues me is the idea that “food has stories.” That means food is not just about plants and animals raised for consumption, but also…
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carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), Local Food, Nutrient Management, Soil Fertility, Soil’s Role in the Environment

Put Livestock Back Out to Pasture

Published by

John Freeland

on

March 26, 2009

Grazing livestock would enhance soil fertility, raise healthier animals, and improve public health. “…an estimated 70 percent of all U.S. antibiotics and related drugs are given to animals that are not sick. This overuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria, with the result that antibiotics we…
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carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), Climate Change

Carbon Sequestration by Mineral Carbonation

Published by

John Freeland

on

January 25, 2009

Given the evidence supporting the view that burning fossil fuels is contributing to global warming and a potential dangerous climate perturbation, there’s considerable interest in carbon storage. So-called Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) could be done many ways such as increasing soil organic matter and planting more trees, ocean storage, burial in…
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Soil’s Role in the Environment

Ocean Phytoplankton and Climate Interactions

Published by

John Freeland

on

January 14, 2008

“Give me a half a tanker of iron, and I’ll give you the next ice age.” – John Martin, Oceanographer For over a decade, fertilizing the oceans with iron, an important plant nutrient, to create algal blooms has been proposed and demonstrated as a way to capture atmospheric carbon and mitigate…
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Soil’s Role in the Environment

A Song in Praise of Bums and Mountains

Published by

John Freeland

on

December 1, 2007

Big Rock Candy Mountain Music by Harry McClintock, short film by Miss Chelsea Mae, from Tennessee.
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Soil’s Role in the Environment

Happy (Dirt) Trails…

Published by

John Freeland

on

November 29, 2007

And now this: “Scientists found that exposure to dirt enhances one’s mood and boosts the immune system.” From Harper’s July 2007, p. 104.
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Pedology

"Stripes:" A Type of Patterned Ground in Gelisols

Published by

John Freeland

on

November 27, 2007

Photo credit: Thibaut Cheytion (Tibo) Update: 12-14-2007 Received an email from Tibo, who thinks the stripes might be wind-generated. My first impression of the picture had me thinking dune ripples, as well. The odd thing, seems to me, is the thin mantle of vegetative cover on what looks like smooth…
Continue reading →: "Stripes:" A Type of Patterned Ground in Gelisols
Bioregionalism, Local Food, Soil’s Role in the Environment

Globalized Agriculture and Third-World Farmers

Published by

John Freeland

on

June 24, 2007

Photo by Nicksail No need to feel guilty about growing your own food. On the contrary, you may help peasant farmers keep their sustaining piece of land. The Environmental News Network picked up this article called Food Miles May Be Green, but Are They Fair? from Reuters. The thrust of…
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Climate Change, Soil function and values, Soil’s Role in the Environment

Soil: The foundation of the economy

Published by

John Freeland

on

March 10, 2007

Craig Mackintosh, who writes at Celsias has a good article called Soil: Our Financial Institution that identifies the soil as the foundation of our physical and even financial well-being. Without stealing his “thunder,” Craig does a good job of introducing biogeochemical processes in the soil and the potential soil has…
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Pedology, Soil’s Role in the Environment

Soil at the Center of the Environment: Part 1

Published by

John Freeland

on

January 28, 2007

Photo Credit: High Agriculture by Thibaut (Tibo) Cheytion Soil is an open and dynamic system and supports all terrestrial life, and to a large extent, by providing nutrients in solution, supports aquatic and marine life, as well. This is evident in the high biological productivity found in estuaries, places where…
Continue reading →: Soil at the Center of the Environment: Part 1