<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Obama garden drama, and other choice morsels from around the Web]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by sillama http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-06-obama-garden-drama/ Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:05:10 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-06-obama-garden-drama/1 In South Korea (latitude roughly that of Virginia), approximately 48 million people eat fresh veggies year-round that are grown locally in greenhouses.  One of the delightful  perks of living here is being able to eat fresh strawberries in the winter.

]]> In South Korea (latitude roughly that of Virginia), approximately 48 million people eat fresh veggies year-round that are grown locally in greenhouses.  One of the delightful  perks of living here is being able to eat fresh strawberries in the winter.

]]> Comment #2 by sassafrasgreen http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-06-obama-garden-drama/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:52:21 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/2009-07-06-obama-garden-drama/2 the sludge industry

Which "industry" would THAT be?

Grow up, and go visit your POTW.

There you will discover that Class A biosolids are well-composted diatoms and algae that finished eating the nutrients in your poop so it wouldn't go into a river.  And biosolids are treated to kill pathogens, which animal manure is NOT.  They are also prohibited from being applied to land on which human food is grown for one year.  There is this regulatory program called "Pretreatment" that has been in place for 25 years to prevent industrial wastewaters from contaminating publicly owned treatment works.  Look it up.  There are grades of biosolids, too.  Farms where less-processed "sludge" that is Class B or worse is applied are regulated much more stringently than farms that use Class A biosolids fertilizer.

Class A biosolids used as fertilizer are purely RECYCLED NUTRIENTS that otherwise would go into a landfill, and it is a slow-release organic soil conditioning product.  It has lower levels of metals (known as MICRONUTRIENTS in plant science class) than chemical fertilizers have.  Earthworms love the stuff, and so do plant roots.

Is the system always perfect? no. Life is a b__ch sometimes.  But daily monitoring of the raw material (raw sewage influent) and the products (treated water discharged to the receiving stream AND the biosolids) help prevent passthrough of pollutants into the products.  I'd much rather trust a process that uses aerobic biological treatment followed by anearobic digestion followed by drying at 1200 degrees Farenheit than I would a "composting toilet" to kill pathogenic microbes, but to each his own.

As soon as everybody stops peeing and pooping at the same time the "industry" will cease to exist. Until then, we might as well REUSE the nutrients in our food that pass through us. 

]]> the sludge industry

Which "industry" would THAT be?

Grow up, and go visit your POTW.

There you will discover that Class A biosolids are well-composted diatoms and algae that finished eating the nutrients in your poop so it wouldn't go into a river.  And biosolids are treated to kill pathogens, which animal manure is NOT.  They are also prohibited from being applied to land on which human food is grown for one year.  There is this regulatory program called "Pretreatment" that has been in place for 25 years to prevent industrial wastewaters from contaminating publicly owned treatment works.  Look it up.  There are grades of biosolids, too.  Farms where less-processed "sludge" that is Class B or worse is applied are regulated much more stringently than farms that use Class A biosolids fertilizer.

Class A biosolids used as fertilizer are purely RECYCLED NUTRIENTS that otherwise would go into a landfill, and it is a slow-release organic soil conditioning product.  It has lower levels of metals (known as MICRONUTRIENTS in plant science class) than chemical fertilizers have.  Earthworms love the stuff, and so do plant roots.

Is the system always perfect? no. Life is a b__ch sometimes.  But daily monitoring of the raw material (raw sewage influent) and the products (treated water discharged to the receiving stream AND the biosolids) help prevent passthrough of pollutants into the products.  I'd much rather trust a process that uses aerobic biological treatment followed by anearobic digestion followed by drying at 1200 degrees Farenheit than I would a "composting toilet" to kill pathogenic microbes, but to each his own.

As soon as everybody stops peeing and pooping at the same time the "industry" will cease to exist. Until then, we might as well REUSE the nutrients in our food that pass through us. 

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