Following some similar lines to the discussion raging in the Bad Idea post, this brings up some interesting issues surrounding the future of agriculture in the U.S. As the article mentions, the Energy Department wants to convert 25 percent of chemical manufacturing to an agricultural base by 2030. So if a lot of our farmland begins producing crops for manufacturing (and biofuels) instead of consumable food, what will that do to the produce market? What will it mean for soil and water quality, biodiversity, and community health, since these crops would almost certainly not be produced organically, or have pesticide and herbicide standards anywhere near those required for consumable food?
I would like to say that I see a lot of benefit to making plastic out of corn rather than petroleum products. Especially in light of all the recent noise about health hazards associated with using plastic bottles, it seems like it could remedy a lot of public health concerns while reducing the demand for petroleum.
As long as we're not screwing up the environment in other ways in the process ...
Update [2005-7-14 9:34:41 by Corey McKrill]:
Rose Miller's article, One Word: Corn, over on Utne Web Watch, has lots of details regarding various efforts utilize corn and other agricultural products to produce plastic, including Motorola's plan to make a biodegradeable cell-phone case that will grow a flower when planted in the ground (just one example of how to mitigate the effects of millions of used cell-phones). She also links to this post (thanks Rose)!
Ask Umbra’s video advice on composting
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Ana Unruh Cohen Posted 11:42 am
28 Jun 2005
Two crucial paragraphs from their press release:
"Soaring oil prices, growing security concerns, and farmers' search for new markets have combined to create a super-charged market for biofuels, boosting consumption by 70 percent over the past three years," said Worldwatch Institute president Christopher Flavin. "With country after country adopting tax breaks and regulations designed to boost the use of biofuels, it is urgent that governments assess strategies for maximizing the economic, social, and environmental benefits of biofuels development."
The biofuels project will also assess the broader impacts of large-scale development of biofuels, focusing on the implications for the size of farms, the health of rural communities, the energy and chemical requirements of agriculture, impacts on rural landscapes and biodiversity, air and water quality, climate change, and international trade balances.
"The book of nature is always open." - Louis Agassiz
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theghostis Posted 6:40 am
30 Jun 2005
An issue that Corey touched upon in his post, that I want to re-emphasize is the harmful effects of petroleum-based plastics on the health. Grist's Umbra Fisk gives a good outline of some of the negative effects of plastic in Bottle Racket. Plastic particles can be found in many bodies of water, including the oceans and have been linked to reproductive deficiencies in aquatic life. Maybe most people do not think about those poor hermaphrodite frogs out in the local pond that have been genetically confused by the overload of estrogen-mimicing plastics in the water, but you most certainly will worry when your intersexed child is birthed into this world that refuses to accept something in between male and female (I am not necessarily implying that drinking from a nalgene (#7 plastics) will cause hermaphrodism in your children as I have no evidence of this fact. I am just attempting to make a point. Reproductive problems in women have been linked to the substance.).
This is an issue worth watching. Who else is reporting on this topic aside from the LA Times (the initial article Corey linked to)? Has any other alternative media outlet picked up on the issue?
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