Major Food Corporation Composting

Name: Major Food Corporation Composting

Location: Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Durban, South Africa; Suffolk, Virginia

Years: 2005-present

Corporation: Unilever Foods

Unilever Foods is one of the biggest food companies in the world. Beginning in 2005, this company has started diverting food waste from its factories and instead sending it to municipal composting facilities. The first two factories to implement this composting system were located in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Durban, South Africa. They combine the food waste from their factories with spices and dry savoury powers from other factories, as well as typical compost ingredients like grass clippings and manure. In the first two years of this pilot project, they have managed to diver half their waste from landfills, and the resulting compost is then used in a variety of community initiatives, such as 56 local community gardens. These gardens are intended to fight poverty, provide food, and provide a source of income in poor communities.

In addition to its composting systems in South Africa, Unilever Foods has made great strides with its recycling and composting practices in its factories worldwide. In September of 2009, its plant in Suffolk, Virginia announced that it had become a “zero landfill facility”. Through their aggressive recycling and composting programs, the company has achieved the result of not sending any waste to landfills.This factory is also the largest tea-processing facility in the United States, so it’s nice to see such a major factory taking a stand on sustainability.

http://www.unilever.com/sustainability/casestudies/environment/southafricacompostingwastematerialforcommunitygardens.aspx

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/unilevers-lipton-tea-facility-in-suffolk-virginia-achieves-zero-landfill-goal-2009-09-22

The Humanure Hacienda

Name: The Humanure Hacienda

Location: Pennsylvania

Years: 2001-present

Founded by: Joe Jenkins & family

The Humanure Hacienda is a structure for composting human waste that was built by Joe Jenkins and his family for their personal use. It is located in the backyard of their Pennsylvania home. Known primarily as the author of The Humanure Handbook, Joe Jenkins is one of the leading advocates for the use of humanure in America. This book is a guide to implementing humanure systems, and it provides all the necessary information and procedures to get started, as well as ample reasons why one should use humanure in the first place. In Joe Jenkins’ backyard, he constructed a two-part humanure composting structure that he nicknamed the “Humanure Hacienda”. There are two twin composting bins that are filled with humanure; the family carries the waste out to the hacienda in buckets and dumps it in. However, only one bin is filled up at a time, and they are filled up in alternating years so that one side will always be aging so as to be soon ready for use in the garden, while the other side will be filling up on a daily basis. Jenkins has posted many pictures of the Humanure Hacienda as well as detailed descriptions of its functionality on his website so as to publicize this system and encourage people to implement a similar system in their own backyard.

In effect, Jenkins is practicing what he preaches, and I think that is refreshing to see. As a leading advocate of humanure, he should definitely be using it himself, so I am glad that he has found a successful way to do so and is widely publicizing it. This shows people that anyone can use humanure; it is a simple system that can be placed in your backyard, and the benefits are numerous.

http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/hacienda.html

Anti-Bottled Water Campaigns

Name: Anti-bottled Water Campaigns

Location: Throughout the US, mostly in major cities

Years: 2007-present

Funded by: City governments--mostly New York City and San Francisco

Starting in 2007, there has been a movement against bottled drinking water, and it has been gaining momentum ever since. One of the most effective parts of the campaign is a website called “Tappening”. This website provides a host of articles and information that support the theory that people should drink tap water. They provide statistics about how safe and good for you tap water is, and they also provide information about how wasteful bottles of water can be. In addition to Tappening, there is also a sister website called “Start A Lie” where people can email fake ads to their friends along the lines of “bottled water is the main source of restless leg syndrome” or “bottled water: 98% melted polar ice caps, 2% polar bear tears”. These funny and untruthful ads encourage people to think more carefully about their water drinking habits.

The anti-bottled water campaign has also had help from municipal governments across the United States. For example, in San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom passed legislation in 2007 that outlawed the purchase of any bottled water with city money. Similarly, in 2007, New York City launched an ad campaign called “Get Your Fill” that encouraged New Yorkers to drink tap water rather than water in plastic bottles. They bragged that New York tap water is like the champagne of all tap water—i.e. that it tastes wonderful and is perfectly safe. The overall campaign cost $700,000!

I think it’s great that cities are taking a stand against bottled drinking water. Here in the United States, we are so fortunate that we actually do have tap water that is clean and safe to drink, yet sadly so many people choose not to take advantage of it. I think it’s a great idea to encourage people to consider the alternatives, like carrying a metal canteen around with them that they can continuously fill up with safe, healthy tap water.

http://www.tappening.com/

http://startalie.com/

http://pieandhammer.com/?p=10

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21214017/

Biofuel Plant

Name: Biofuel Plant

Location: Chacabuco, Argentina

Years: 2005-present

Founded by: Edmundo Defferrari

In 2005, 28-year-old entrepreneur Edmundo Defferrari built a $152,000 prototype of a biodiesel plant about 145 miles west of Buenos Aires. In order to build this prototype plant, Defferrari received funding from an Argentine seed company called Don Mario. This plant takes 12 tons of soybeans and converts it into 360 gallons of biodiesel in just one day. It also produces more than 10 tons of animal feed in a single day. Defferrari wants this idea to catch on throughout the world and imagines that 3-4 farmers could pool their money to build such a plant and turn a portion of their harvest into a profitable source of renewable energy. The biodiesel costs only about half as much as regular diesel, about 95 cents a gallon. The process is also automated, only requiring a human to load the soybeans and turn the machine on and off. This absence of human labor also contributes to the lower price of this biodiesel. Defferrari has also achieved a sustainable circle of use, because his customers who buy the biodiesel are the same people who grow the soybean feedstock that supplies the factory.

http://www.grist.org/article/hearn/

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2006/08/01/8382246/index.htm

Desertec Industrial Initiative

Name: Desertec Industrial Initiative

Location: Northern Africa, but intended to supply power to Europe

Year: Breaks ground in 2011-2012

Funded by: Consortium of large German companies

On July 13, 2009, a group of 12 different large German companies announced that they had formed a consortium called the Desertec Industrial Initiative. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding and established their objective as analyzing and developing the technical, economic, political, social, and framework for carbon-free power generation in the deserts of northern Africa. The consortium includes such large companies as Siemens, RWE, Deutsche Bank, and Abengoa Solar. Together, this consortium will fund the construction of a huge solar power plant in northern Africa. This project, nicknamed Desertec, is one of the biggest private projects involving renewable energy and is supposed to break ground within the next two years. Though it will take 10 years initially before the plant will actually be able to provide power, this plant supposedly will be able to eventually supply 15% of Europe’s power via the collected solar power which powers steam turbines. The plant also hopes to provide a substantial portion of the producing country’s power as well.

I think it is great to see companies forming together to take these steps on a larger scale. This consortium is clearly concerned about the current state of power supply, and hopes to eventually lead the entire world to a system of sustainable power.

http://www.desertec.org/

http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/solar/article180526.ece

Virtual Farmers' Market

Name: Virtual Farmers’ Market

Location: Frederick County, Maryland

Years: 2009-present

Sponsored by: The Frederick County Office of Economic Development

Earlier this year, the Frederick County Office of Economic Development sponsored the creation of a new website, called the Frederick County Virtual Farmers’ Market. This virtual farmers’ market is a website that serves the same purpose as a conventional farmers’ market: encouraging people to buy produce and other food products from local farmers. However, this online market is much more diverse than a conventional farmers’ market might be: it offers all of the usual produce, including fruits and vegetables; organic goods; cheese and dairy products; beef, poultry, and fish; jams and jellies; sauces and honeys; wine; and other baked goods. However, the virtual farmers’ market does not stop here. Since everything is listed online, it has the capacity to offer much more diverse and numerous products. Therefore, it also offers new things that relate to horses (both riding and boarding), compost, rabbits and sheep, wool products, trees, herbal beauty products, hay, and grain. It provides contact info for each farm that is offering products for sale, so you can arrange to go pick up the products that you see listed online or schedule a delivery.

In an age where online shopping has become the craze thanks to its convenience and ease, I think it is a wonderful idea for the farmers’ market to take advantage of this technology. People are very quick to access Google when they need to find or purchase something, so by making the products of a farmers’ market available online, the result is that a higher percentage of people will be exposed to these products. This increases the chances that people will buy from local farms, since an online market makes it extremely easy and convenient to shop and purchase products. The idea of a virtual farmers’ market is not limited to Frederick County alone; there are lots of different ones popping up throughout the country. However, the Frederick County market is a great example, as it provides both wonderful aesthetics with an abundance of farms and suppliers.

http://www.discoverfrederickmd.com/farmersmarket/

"Buy Fresh, Buy Local"

Name: “Buy Fresh, Buy Local”

Location: Throughout California

Years: 2002-present

Initiated by: The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) & the Food Routes Network

In 2002 the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) joined with the Food Routes network to start a program called “Buy Fresh, Buy Local”. The purpose of this movement is to make it much easier for California residents to find local places to purchase food, and it encourages them to take advantage of these local sellers and farmers’ markets. The Buy Fresh, Buy Local website has a search engine that allows you to find local farms and farmers’ markets within a certain mile radius of your home, and there are tons of options. To a lesser extent, the website also offers listings of restaurants, institutions, grocers, retailers, and food artisans who adhere to the same guidelines as the farmers.

The Buy Fresh, Buy Local website has very high standards for any farmers who wish to have their farms listed online. For example, all of the farmers that are a part of this program are required to use biodiversity, reduce the use of pesticides and their effect on the land, compensate human workers fairly, treat animals humanely, protect water and wildlife, and reduce carbon emissions by only transporting food locally. The goal of the Buy Fresh, Buy Local movement is to fix many of the problems that face small family-owned farms today. For example, the movement hopes to strengthen regional economies, support small farmers, protect the local landscape and environment, encourage a sense of community, and provide deliciously fresh food for consumers.

I think that this movement is a great idea. Many people complain that it is too hard to find local food, and they use that as an excuse for why they buy so many processed products or products that are grown very far away. However, just by taking a quick look at this website, people will see how much easier it is than they thought. The website provides a comprehensive list of farmers close by, and it offers a practical way to eat locally.

http://guide.buylocalca.org/index.html

http://www.caff.org/

http://www.foodroutes.org/bfbl-chapters.jsp

"Food as a Right" Policies

Name: “Food as a Right” Policies

Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Years: 1993-present

Initiated by: Mayor Patrus Ananias

In 1993, the mayor of Belo Horizonte, Patrus Ananias, announced a new political policy centering around the concept that food was a right of all citizens. In effect, the government basically said that “If you are too poor to buy food in the market—you are no less a citizen. I am still accountable to you.” Ananias’ plan was to help the 20% of children going hungry and the 11% of the city’s population who were in extreme poverty, and he did this in several ways. First of all, the city offered local family farmers free public spaces in which to sell their produce. This kept prices low for consumers by eliminating the retailer’s markup, and it also was more profitable for the farmers since they didn’t have to give the retailer a cut of the profit. The city also established “ABC markets” for entrepreneurs at certain choice public spots, where the city sets a specific low price for 20 healthy food items at these markets. The set prices are usually about 2/3 of the market price, which is a significant discount. The rest of the food items can be sold at market price, but these specific set prices ensure that healthy food will be available at very low prices so that everyone can afford to eat well.

Another part of the mayor’s plan involved three places called the “People’s Restaurants”. These venues are large open-air restaurants that serve at least 12,000 people a day, providing healthy meals made of local produce for less than $0.50/meal. It is not a requirement to be poor to eat at these restaurants, but about 85% of the diners are. The other diners are usually people who are looking to save money while still getting a healthy meal that is better quality than many other more expensive restaurants. These initiatives together have helped more than 40% of the city’s 2.5 million people, as well as reducing infant malnutrition and mortality.

I think that these policies are very significant and influential, since Belo Horizonte is Brazil’s fourth largest city. Ananias is now the leader of the federal anti-hunger movement, which is a good sign--it shows that Brazil recognized how important and effective his work was, and decided to apply it on a larger scale. The “food as a right” policies also included community and school gardens and nutrition education classes. The government also helps support school lunches, and the food for these lunches now comes from local farmers instead of processed corporations.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/food-for-everyone/the-city-that-ended-hunger

http://www.unesco.org/most/southa10.htm

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/brazilian-city-makes-food-a-basic-right-and-ends-hunger.php

Urban Beekeeping

Name: Urban Bee-keeping

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Years: 2004-present

Founded by: Chicago Honey Co-op

The Chicago Honey Co-op is an urban apiary that was established on a deserted Sears parking lot in downtown Chicago. This co-op has between 80-100 beehives that produce honey each year; the 35 co-op members harvest the honey and then take it to sell at local shops and farmers’ markets. The co-op members also provide job training and education to local community members. In addition to honey, the co-op also creates a number of honey-related products, such as beeswax candles and beauty products. Next to the apiary, there is also a garden that members can grow any type of food in, as long as it does not harm the bees in any way. In an attempt to be more efficient, the co-op is also raising its own honeybee queens, which prevents them from having to purchase hives from the south when some of their own are inevitably lost each year.

I think that this co-op is a great example of sustainable agriculture practices. Their beehives are completely chemical-free, and they attempt to be self-sufficient and sustainable by raising their own queen honeybees to replace those that are lost. They also support local farmers’ markets and small businesses which I think is admirable. Their website provides comprehensive information about their mission, and they also have an accompanying blog which gives a nice view into the daily grind of an apiary. You can also purchase all of their products online and arrange to pick them up.

http://www.chicagohoneycoop.com/

http://www.chicagohoneycoop.com/blog/

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=129749

http://www.dailycandy.com/chicago/article/31981/Bees+Knees

Alternative Fertilizer Plant Created by Coffee Farmers' Co-op

Name: Alternative Fertilizer Plant Created by Coffee Farmers’ Co-op

Location: Cajamarca, Peru

Years: August 2009-present

Funded by: the Green Mountain Coffee

Founded by: Coffee Co-op, “La Prosperidad de Chirinos”

Leader of the Co-op: Lenin Tocto

Other collaborators: Edgar Blandon

A co-op of coffee farmers joined together to create a central fertilizing plant in Cajamarca, Peru. The co-op is called “La Prosperidad de Chirinos,” and the leader is a man named Lenin Tocto. Lenin was highly influenced by another man named Edgar Blandon, who manages the Corpoagro Co-op in Tolima, Columbia. Blandon’s cooperative had already created a very similar fertilizing plant, called the Gaicashi Plant, also located in Tolima, Columbia. These two men met at a Let’s Talk Coffee event in 2008, and discussed the idea of a cooperative fertilizing plant. After this discussion, Lenin decided to create a fertilizing plant for his own cooperative, based on Blandon’s model. He asked for and received funding from the Green Mountain Coffee company, and he asked a group called Sustainable Harvest as well as Blandon himself to help implement the project. This plant collects waste products from local coffee, rice, and cattle farms in the area. Then, the fertilizing plant uses select microorganisms to break down the waste, making the process much faster and more efficient than the worm-composting practiced by individual farmers. Therefore, this natural fertilizer is cheaper than conventional chemical products, and more farmers are able to afford it. Plus, once the co-op members have gotten all of the fertilizer they need for their own farms, they can sell the rest to a wider local audience and earn a bit of extra profit.

http://blog.sustainableharvest.com/?cat=40

Forbes Residential College Organic Garden

Name: Forbes Residential College Organic Garden, aka “The Garden Project”

Location: Princeton, New Jersey (Princeton University)

Years: September 2006-present

Funded by: The Office of Sustainability and the High Meadows Foundation

Researcher: First student manager was Ruthie Schwab ‘09

The Office of Sustainability and the High Meadows foundation funded a 1.5-acre organic garden that is run by students. The garden is located near Forbes College, off of Alexander Street and next to the Springdale golf course. The garden provides produce for the Forbes Dining Hall, the Graduate College Dining Hall, and local businesses like a pizza place and artisan ice cream shop. There is also a composting area and an area for washing produce on the site. One of the main goals of this garden is to educate Princeton students as well as the local community about organic gardening. Though this garden is mainly overseen by the Office of Sustainability, it also has connections to many other campus groups, including Greening Princeton, Slow Food Princeton, Forbes College, the Princeton Environmental Network, the Farmers’ Market that takes place every Tuesday on campus, and other academic departments.

As far as future plans go, the Garden Project is hoping to expand its harvest by extending the growing season into the winter using “coldframes”, which are essentially mini-greenhouses. They would also like to build one larger greenhouse and a tool shed.

I think this project is successful at demonstrating to Princeton students just how much can be done by students like us, our peers--not professional gardeners with extensive training and education. For instance, this garden grows 20 different types of lettuce! Indeed, this garden is meant to be just that: a demonstration garden. There are several lectures a year and special dinners that are hosted at the garden site in an attempt to raise awareness and encourage involvement. I think this project is successful on a small scale, though it would be nice to see it expand in the future.

http://www.princeton.edu/sustainability/student-initiatives/pen/garden/

http://blogs.princeton.edu/paw/2008/10/bio_brilliance.html

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S21/99/37A63/index.xml?section=featured

Use of Female Insect Pheromones as an Alternative Pesticide

Name: Use of female insect pheromones as an alternative pesticide

Location: Ithaca, New York (New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University)

Years: 1989-present, with a major new breakthrough in 2005

Researcher: Wendell Roelofs

Wendell Roelofs is a lead researcher and professor of insect biochemistry at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University, and he has been nicknamed “the father of pheromone chemistry”. For the past several decades, he has been working with insect pheromones as an alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. In 1989, he had his first breakthrough while working with the grape moth. In an attempt to prevent damage done to crops by the grape moth, researchers placed ties laced with female grape moth pheromones around the vineyard. Without harming the moths, these pheromones confused the male moth’s reproductive cycle enough so they couldn’t lay the larvae that caused most of the crop damage.

In 2005, Roelofs and his colleagues had another breakthrough, this time with the German cockroach, which is the most common type of cockroach in North America and is responsible for substantial food damage, both in the fields as well as in storage in factories. The German cockroach also carries bacteria that can contribute to many diseases. Roelofs learned how to isolate the pheromones of the female German cockroach and create a synthetic version. The new isolated female pheromone technology & synthetic version has drawn interest from several major corporations who wish to use this as an insecticide or a trap; the technology has been patented and is licensed to several manufacturers of cockroach bait.

The use of insect pheromones as an alternative to chemical pesticides is still in the earlier phases of research, but it is a promising idea that has a lot of potential for future use in crop fields on a larger scale. It is much less harmful to our environment than chemical pesticides are.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Feb05/RoachPheromones.lmc.html

http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb06/Innovations.patents.ws.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/13/opinion/l-nonchemical-pesticides-need-encouragement-153189.html