Courtesy of A&M University Tamu Times Algae, tobacco, the food scraps from a discarded cafeteria tray — they may seem like an unlikely club, but all of these items are playing major roles in the world’s hunt for suitable alternative fuels. The earth’s supply of fossil fuel continues to diminish and oil prices are skyrocketing. [...]

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Water scarcity impacts at least 2.7 billion people in 201 river basins for at least one month each year, according to a new report published in the online journal PLoS ONE from the Public Library of Science. “Global Monthly Water Scarcity: Blue Water Footprints versus Blue Water Availability”,  analyzed 405 river basins around the world, [...]

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The Rodale Institute, founded by organic agriculture pioneer J.I. Rodale, is a non-profit organization dedicated to regenerative organic agriculture research and outreach to farmers, policymakers, and the general public. QUALIFICATIONS: Have, or are currently working towards, a bachelor’s degree preferably in biology, environmental science, agronomy or a related field  (Preference to those who have completed [...]

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Haathi Chaap means “prints of the elephant”.  In this case the trail left behind was covered with elephant dung which has now been converted to paper. Ecologically safe to make and use… Colours may come from vegetable and natural dyes…or the natural diet of the elephant. No bleach is needed and waste water can be [...]

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New York City resident, Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food, despite living in a tiny apartment. She and a few industrious friends, using trial and error and social networking, developed a system for an indoor window garden growing plants in discarded plastic bottles. Through their social media site, they shared their research and [...]

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The International Agricultural Internship Program (IAIP) applications for Summer 2012 internships are due by January 12th.  This is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture. The FAS (Foreign Agricultural Service ) International Internship Program is a great opportunity for U.S. graduate students and soon-to-be grad students or U.S. students who have recently comleted a [...]

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A short unhappy life – The baby calf starts in a free range grazing environment until it is about 6 months old. It is then transported to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) where it will live the rest of its life – probably another 7 months. Here the steer will be fed a grain [...]

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By Candace Schermerhorn Just back from the 21st Annual Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, CA  and still marveling and the things I saw.  From a wealth of keynote talks, workshops, panels, media and intensives it was difficult to choose where to start. The very first speaker knocked it out of the park – Karen Brown, [...]

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Typhoon no. 6 is passing, as I am writing this reflection. It is the rainy season and the central region of Vietnam is the most strongly affected by such disasters.  With climate change, these storms are becoming stronger and more unpredictable each year. The Thua Thien Hue province is known for its variety of flavorful [...]

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I have recently developed a burning desire to get more in touch with the California terrestrial landscape and learn how to work with soil – in particular to grow organically and clean up food systems. To fulfill that desire, I spent time at the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) in the beginning of September [...]

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