Cheers!

Me (Max): “Brenna, how effective is your solution for a place like Africa?? Also, how does it compare to using hemp for biofuel?”
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Breanna: “…The short answer to your question: The angle I come at with bioenergy from forest resources is a cautionary one – my job is to come up with criteria and indicators for sustainable development (ecological, social and economic) of the resource and educate people on the potential issues to look out for. That being said, there are some sustainable opportunities, and one that I’m particularly interested in is community-run jatropha plantations in Africa. Jatropha’s a hardy, oil-bearing shrub (I guess it’s a shrub…) that can actually be used to reclaim wastelands/reverse desertification. So these shrubs, which are great for bioenergy, can be planted on lands where nothing else can be planted in and around communities in Africa that suffer from shortages of fuelwood. The plant is very oily, as well, and can be converted to bio oil. So while some plantations, like palm oil in Indonesia are ecological and social nightmares, small-scale jatropha plantations used to reclaim degraded land around communities who lack fuel sources in Africa could be an ecological and social blessing. If small bio-oil conversion plants could be developed, that would also be great because it would provide a fuel source for healhier cookstoves. It would also offer more employment. I’d like to see more development of technology to be used in the home to improve air quality, because in so many homes straight wood-burning without proper ventilation is causing huge problems, particularly to women who spend much of their time indoors cooking. Basically, I’m very optimistic about possibilities for Africa, and I’d love to see more effort into the expansion of projects with communities, where communities are in control and opportunities are maximized for community members…

…For most regions in Africa, particularly those experiencing soil degradation and threats of desertification, I think jatropha’s a better option than hemp because it revitalizes soil, it grows well under those conditions, and it’s better for biodiversity than hemp. I think hemp requires more intensive management as well, although it’s one of the more hardy herbaceous crops that can be used for energy. I’m not sure if there would be benefits of intercropping hemp and jatropha in Africa (and whether or not they’d complement eachother) but it might be worth looking into…”
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Stay tuned as I plan to put up some more insightful info on Jatropha in a separate post.

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Title:
Rise of The Neo-Greens
By: Wired Magazine (Issue 14.05 – May 2006)
In February 2005, during the hoopla of Fashion Week in New York, a phalanx of models strolled down a catwalk wearing hemp/silk gowns, organic-wool dresses, and bustiers made from recycled polyester. FutureFashion, as the show was called, was something of a coming-out party for the green aesthetic movement.

Eco-chic is now sprawling across the cultural terrain. Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, recently teamed with of-the-moment denim designer Rogan Gregory to create a clothing line called Edun (that’s nude spelled backward). Edun produces fair-trade T-shirts, jeans, and organic-cotton sweatshirts sold at high-end department stores like Nordstrom and Saks. Gregory’s been busy; he also colaunched Loomstate, which makes organic-cotton jeans that sell at Barney’s for about $165. Meantime, clothing and accessories made out of obviously recycled materials – everything from newspapers and phone books to old inner tubes – are showing up on the runway and on the street. Upscale greentailers from Brooklyn’s 3R Living to Green Loop outside Portland, Oregon, have sprouted like organic mushrooms after a sun shower to sell fashion and furniture to people with thick wallets and guilty consciences.

The surging popularity of organic material – fibers grown without pesticides or herbicides – demonstrates that the neo-greens want to know the source of what they buy. They associate organics with not just healthy eating but low-impact, earth-friendly, sustainable farming. For a generation of shoppers, the certified-organic label has become a Garanimals tag for grown-ups. According to the Organic Trade Association, sales of organic clothing were projected to reach $88 million in 2004 – up 30 percent in two years. [Read more...]
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- Thomas H.