Sustainable Development > Making the World In Our Image?

This in from JustMeans:

"Teaching the hungry how to more efficiently farm, can actually create new unexpected inefficiencies. The Green Revolution in India, in which farmers in the Indian state of Punjab switched from traditional methods to American-style farming - with chemicals, high-yield seeds and irrigation- was once thought to be a rousing success. However, under scrutiny the shiny label of success has lost some of its sheen: India's Green Revolution has depleted ground water, destroyed soil through salinization, locked farmers into cycles of debt and turned what was once a localized hunger problem into a structural one. It also hasn't actually solved India's hunger problem: 1/4th of the world's hungry call India home. A whopping 230 million people or 18% of India's 1.25 billion population is hungry" 

http://www.justmeans.com/Playing-God-Are-We-Trying-Make-Developing-Countries-into-Our-Own-Image/5093.html

Water in California

Water is the theme of the week in California.   A state-sponsored workshop today highlighted that all municipalities in CA are required to have a landscape watering efficiency ordinance by January 1, 2010, and the state Dept. of Water Resources will have to report on the status of compliance by January 1, 2011.  If no action is taken, CA has a Model Water Efficiency Landscaping Ordinance that will automatically go into effect.  Meeting highlights and technical notes include:

- "It is illegal to waste water" according to staff member of the Department's Water Use and Efficiency Branch, and California Constitution Section 2, Article X. 

- Certain landscapes are exempt from the ordinance.  

- The state has an Evapotransporation database (ETO) as guidance for regional watering needs.  ETAF of 0.7 is required for projects installed after Jan 1.  ETAF of 1.0 is permitted for edible landscapes (good -- we clearly have greater water needs when growing our own food), parks, golf courses (but let's xeriscape golf courses instead), and other landscape types.   

Tips we like for irrigation efficiency:

- use native, place-adapted plants! 

- install an irrigation controller, read the manual and learn how to adjust the settings. 

- use drip irrigation rather than spray irrigation, and deliver the water to where it is really needed (primarily edibles)

- observe for signs of irrigation problems (i.e. dry spots, ponding, and erosion).  

- if you see water running onto pavement, you're over-irrigating

- install a rain shutoff device

- check for leaks, sprinkler head misalignments, broken pipes, and blown-out irrigation devices twice per month.  Pressure regulation is key -- the pressure in water systems can often blow out irrigation fixtures (and you see this where water is bubbling out, rather than a fine spray)

- regularly clean filters in sprinkler heads and drip systems

Also, the California Tribal Water Summit takes place Wednesday, November 4, and Thursday, November 5, 2009, and is designed to get tribal water issues feedback to the state.  One concern is that it is not clear how the tribal process is integrated into other Dept. of Water Resources decision-making process (2030 Water Plan, Integrated Water Management processes, etc.).  DWR will have to be really coordinated to pull this off in a way that helps tribes.  

Net Zero Energy

A promising new movement is zero net energy (or net zero energy) buildings. Earlier this week in our area, PG&E, the electric utility, hosted a zero net energy (ZNE) building workshop with ASHRAE, an organization that has worked for decades on heating, cooling, and building ventilation standards. NREL has a group that's gathered ZNE case studies, and PG&E is currently conducting a ZNE pilot program (with details and offerings still TBD).

California has already made its recommendations: Zero Net Energy for new residential construction by 2020 and commercial by 2030. And Massachusetts is similar:

You might say this is the triumph of common sense. Clearly if we have an immense climate change challenge with our existing building stock, we cannot continue to build as we have and create additional load on the system. Get your state on the 2020 bus now!

Greywater Waves, Traditional Natives Online

Longtime partner Traditional Native American Farmers Association is now online.  Congratulations!  This helps us all keep up with their work in helping us remember our connection with the land.

In California, we've been on a greywater roller coaster lately, with the state legalizing systems

with subsequent conservative San Francisco action (oxymoron?).  In our fire-prone state, disallowing us to release water back into the landscape borders on madness.  We do understand the concern for health and we hope the City takes a broader view.

This past weekend the Bioneers returned to several sites around Turtle Island. We appreciate the voice that they provide to native peoples and hope they continue to seek paths to greater involvement of people of all colors.

Traditional and New Livestock Practices

Thanks to Indian Country Today, we have this "Indian group uses modern tools to raise animals" article

"Members of the Sedillo Cattle Association at Laguna Pueblo have for decades used ancient traditions and modern practices to successfully raise livestock on 100,000 acres of wind-swept tribal land in central New Mexico.

Working as a group with delegated duties, they work to preserve pastures and scarce water resources using the traditional knowledge of elders and up to the minute range technologies that now include solar power, Global Positioning Systems and video marketing. Read More"

Women and food sovereignty

LEISA's Farm, a blog on a range of agricultural issues, is a good resource.  A recent article on Women and Food Sovereignty outlined how women take the "main responsibility for food production, processing, storage and cooking" and  "are often experts in seed selection".  How do women fit into industrial agriculture?  Read the article and find out!

Building Community Resilience

Honor the Earth is Building Resilience in 2009 with Kalliopeia Foundation and Frances Fund, working to re-localize sustainable energy and food economies as a means to mitigate climate change and nurture cultural and spiritual restoration.

And Bay Localize has developed a Community Resilience Toolkit to help communities to weather tough times, provide resources to evaluate a community's relative strengths and vulnerabilities for economic and climate stability, and take action to build resilience in several areas

    * Food

    * Water

    * Energy

    * Transportation and Housing

    * Jobs and Economy

    * Civic Preparedness and Social Services"