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Join Our List
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Vol.
II, Issue 3
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Feb. 4, 2008
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Welcome to our sixth "News Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow"
newsletter. We strive to bring you important, timely information about
urban agriculture, energy issues, sustainable practices, and more.
In this issue, you will find articles on topsoil disappearance,
loans for entrepreneurs in developing nations, liquid ammonia as fuel,
a recent Time
magazine article on the coming food crisis, saving rainwater one
barrel at a time, and more wisdom on oil depletion from Matt
Simmons.
The beauty of Troy Gardens, and our organization called Friends of Troy Gardens, is that we not only
provide an opportunity for people to grow their own food locally in our
community gardens or purchase locally produced food from our organic
farm, but we also educate children and adults about how to grow food
and eat nutritionally.
As always, please consider a membership or an individual or continuous monthly gift. Our programs only
exist, because of your generosity. So please give generously.
For Our Future,
Bob Gragson, Editor
Executive Director
Friends of Troy Gardens
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THE
LOWDOWN ON TOPSOIL
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 Dirt Loss
Rivals Global Warming
"While many worry about the potential consequences
of atmospheric warming, a few experts are trying to call attention to
another global crisis quietly taking place under our feet.
"Call it the thin brown line. Dirt. On average, the
planet is covered with little more than 3 feet of topsoil -- the
shallow skin of nutrient-rich matter that sustains most of our food and
appears to play a critical role in supporting life on Earth.
"'We're losing more and more of it every day,' said
David Montgomery, a geologist at the University of Washington. 'The
estimate is that we are now losing about 1 percent of our topsoil every
year to erosion, most of this caused by agriculture.' . . .
"'Globally, it's clear we are eroding soils at a
rate much faster than they can form,' said John Reganold, a soils
scientist at Washington State University. 'It's hard to get people to
pay much attention to this because, frankly, most of us take soil for
granted.'
"The National Academy of Sciences has determined
that cropland in the U.S. is being eroded at least 10 times faster than
the time it takes for lost soil to be replaced. . . .
"As such, true living topsoil cannot be made
overnight, Montgomery emphasized. Topsoil grows back at a rate of an
inch or two over hundreds of years. Very slowly.
"'Globally, it's pretty clear we're running out of
dirt,' Montgomery said. . . .
"No-till farming could do a lot to reduce topsoil
erosion, Reganold said, but it's not without its downsides. Switching
to no-till farming requires heavy upfront investment and learning new
techniques, he said. . . .
"Organic farming methods also can reduce soil loss,
Reganold said. He cited his own research, which has shown a marked
increase in soil health, water retention and regrowth when organic
methods are used rather than the traditional methods" (Paulson,
2008).
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TIME
MAGAZINE: FOOD CRISIS
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 After the
Oil Crisis, A Food Crisis?
"Is the world headed for a food crisis? India,
Mexico and Yemen [saw] food riots [last] year. Argentines boycotted
tomatoes during the country's recent presidential elections when the
vegetable became more expensive than meat; and in Italy, shoppers
organized a one-day boycott of pasta to protest rising prices. In late
October, the Russian government, hoping to ease tensions ahead of
parliamentary elections early [this] year, announced a price freeze for
milk, bread and other foods through the end of January.
"What's the cause for these shortages and price
hikes? Expensive oil, for the most part.
"The United Nations Food and Agricultural
Organization (FAO) reported [in November] that, at nearly $100 a
barrel, the price of oil has sent the cost of food imports
skyrocketing. . . . Add in escalating crop prices, the FAO warned, and
a direct consequence could soon be an increase in global hunger - and,
as a consequence, increased social unrest. Faced with internal
rumblings, 'politicians tend to act to protect their own nationals
rather than for the good of all,' says Ali Ghurkan, a Rome-based FAO
analyst who co-authored the report. Because of the lack of
international cooperation, he adds, 'Worldwide markets get tighter and
the pain only lasts longer.'
"What's more, worldwide food reserves are at their
lowest in 35 years, so prices are likely to stay high for the
foreseeable future. 'Past shocks have quickly dissipated, but that's
not likely to be the case this time,' says Ghurkan. 'Supply and demand
have become unbalanced, and... can't be fixed quickly.'
"The world's food import bill [rose] in 2007 to
$745 billion, up 21% from [2006], the FAO estimated in its biannual
Food Outlook. In developing countries, costs will go up by a quarter to
nearly $233 billion. The FAO says the price increases are a result of
record oil prices, farmers switching out of cereals to grow biofuel
crops, extreme weather and growing demand from countries like India and
China. The year 2008 will likely offer no relief. 'The situation could
deteriorate further in the coming months,' the FAO report cautioned,
'leading to a reduction in imports and consumption in many low-income
food-deficit countries.' . . .
"On the demand side, one of the key issues is
biofuels. Biofuels, made from food crops such as corn, sugar cane, and
palm oil, are seen as easing the world's dependence on gasoline or
diesel. But when crude oil is expensive, as it is now, these
alternative energy sources can also be sold at market-competitive
prices, rising steeply in relation to petroleum.
"With one-quarter of the U.S. corn harvest in 2007
diverted towards biofuel production, the attendant rise in cereal
prices has already had an impact on the cost and availability of food.
Critics worry that the gold rush toward biofuels is taking away food
from the hungry. Jean Ziegler, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on The Right
to Food, recently described it as a 'crime against humanity' to convert
food crops to fuel, calling for a five-year moratorium on biofuel
production." (Kingsbury, 2007)
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SAVING
RAINWATER
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 One
Barrel at a Time
"Storing rainwater is nothing new, says Bethallyn
Black, who manages the Urban Horticulture program at UC-Davis' Contra
Costa County extension. It's called rain harvesting, and people have
done it throughout time.
"'We are now sort of rediscovering the tools our
grandparents were aware of,' Black says.
"Catching rain for future use is attractive because
rain is a free yet valuable resource that would otherwise go down storm
sewers and into the bay, Black says. Rain is also pH neutral and
plant-friendly, Black says, unlike the relatively high pH of water
provided by Bay Area public utility companies.
"'If you are a gardener and you want to take care
of your plants, using rainwater is a good thing," Black says.
"Your plants will like you.' . . .
"'It's a great alternative,' [Jacob] Feaselman [of
the Southern California-based company GREENCulture] says. 'You can
collect water that is going to waste anyway and use it on your garden.'
"Collecting rainwater has a few pitfalls. First of
all, water collected should never be used for drinking water. Black
warns that gardeners should use special care when choosing a barrel and
the one they acquire should be should be kept covered: Open containers
can pose dangers to children and wildlife, and can provide a breeding
ground for mosquitoes, which can breed in a matter of days. . . .
"Some water barrels are too small to do much good,
Black says, unless gardeners keep several in their yards. She prefers
barrels that carry hundreds of gallons of water and are tall, narrow
and rectangular and can be strapped to a fence. These barrels . . . run
into the hundreds of dollars, and usually take an expert to install.
"If you want to go the cheaper route and use
55-gallon drums, Black suggests using clean barrels that have never
held any sort of chemical. Minix uses barrels he got free from a local
grocery store. They used to hold olive oil" (Casey, 2008).
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 For Developing
World Entrepreneurs
At
Kiva's website, you can lend to someone in the developing
world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling
vegetables at market or making bricks. Many of these projects are
related to food and agriculture. Each loan has a picture of the
entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use
the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent. You can
loan as little as $25.
For example, in the picture to the right, "Mrs. Sou
Van Sin, age 37, works as a housewife. She helps her husband, who works
as a farmer growing rice, by grinding rice and raising pigs, making on
average around $3 each day of income. They have eight children, four
who are employed by a garment factory making around $2/day each, and
four who are students. She would like to request a loan of $1000 in
order to purchase more pigs to expand her livestock and buy more seeds
and fertilizer for her crops." (Kiva.org, 2008)
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MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
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 Your Support Is Important
It
is your generosity that makes Friends of Troy Gardens work for all of us. Your
gift will enable us to add more educational offerings, educate 600
school children at Troy Gardens and in public and private schools and
expand our children's education program, provide sponsorships to
low-income individuals and general support to our gardeners in our 330
community garden plots, continue restoration of five acres of prairie
and forest, further develop and increase production at our organic farm
and CSA with 110 household-members, and more.
- $50
provides a low-income gardener a garden plot for a season,
- $100
provides a service-learning opportunity for an at-risk youth,
- $150
provides a low-income child hands-on participation in our Kids
Gardening Program,
- $250
provides a free workshop for 25 community members in our Natural
Areas Restoration Program,
- $430
provides a low-income household a CSA share from our farm for a
season, and
- $1,000
provides a low-income teen participation in our eight-week Farm
and Field Program or a 150-hour educational training opportunity for
a college student.
Please support our work and our vast array of programs
with a one-time or monthly donation, a gift to our endowment fund, or by becoming a member. You will be helping educate thousands of
people each year with the skills necessary to make a sustainable future
a reality. Thank you for your support.
- Make
your contribution online,
or mail to: Friends of Troy Gardens, 3601 Memorial Dr., Bldg.
14, Rm. 171, Madison, WI 53704.
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THE
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
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 Texas
Monthly Article on Matt Simmons
"Simmons [who is Founder and Chairman of the Board
of Simmons and Company International] is an unlikely Cassandra in
[Houston], the energy capital of the world. He is a consummate
insider-a friend of Mayor Bill White's and of innumerable nabobs in the
local as well as global energy business, a graduate with distinction
from Harvard Business School, a Republican who advised presidential
candidate George W. Bush on energy policy, and an extremely wealthy
man. In 2006 his investment firm . . . closed 35 transactions worth
$8.7 billion and co-managed 19 offerings worth $6.7 billion. He lives
with his wife, Ellen, in one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods
and also owns a vacation house in Maine.
"Yet at 64, Simmons opts to spend his days
traveling the globe at his own expense, speaking at universities and
business forums and to tiny alumni groups and just about anyone else,
trying to convince an uninformed, uninterested populace that the end is
very, very near. Like a lot of prophets, he has little patience for
those who disagree with his message. He is an intense man, smallish and
ruddy-complexioned, with a high, wide forehead and marble-blue eyes.
Old ways of thinking-that the market will correct for skyrocketing
prices, that the Saudis will always provide-drive him buggy. 'Price has
no impact on slowing demand,' he insists, as an anxious waiter hovers.
'We've seen a stealth growth of eighteen million barrels a day, while
the demand between the end of 1995 and last week went up tenfold.' What
about when everyone said that Saudi Arabia was hiding vast reserves,
ready to flood the world market and cause a price collapse? 'That was
the dumbest thing I ever heard,' he snaps. 'What giant new oil finds
have they reported in the last decade or so?' . . .
"Simmons believes that the worldwide peak was
reached in 2005. He estimates the rate of decline for all oil
production at somewhere north of 5 percent a year. At the same time,
the global need for oil is expanding exponentially, particularly as
China and India claim their places on the world stage. In India energy
needs are expected to grow 72 percent by 2025; China's are expected to
roughly double during the same time frame. In seventeen years the
world's demand for oil may well be more than 50 percent greater than it
is today, while production capacity may well sink to 1985 levels. . . .
"Simmons's Web site, simmonsco-intl.com, which had just shy of 10
million visitors in 2006 alone, is designed to spread the word with a
helpful if somewhat daunting compendium of gloomy speeches, papers, and
PowerPoint presentations . . . . There is an ever-growing list of
Web sites devoted to peak oil: theoildrum.com, oilcrash.com, and peakoilblues.com, a site dedicated solely to the
emotional fallout of declining oil production. All hail Simmons as a
hero and pose the kinds of questions no one much wants to think about
answering. For instance: 'If your family were permitted to purchase
only five gallons of gasoline per week, how would this change your
lifestyle?' Or the somewhat perkier query: 'Given the likelihood of oil
shortages in the future, what might be good careers for young people
making choices today?' . . .
"The optimism espoused by critics of peak oil is
'faith based,' he tells the crowd [in Miami at the International
Regulators Offshore Safety Conference], dependent on questionable
reserve reports, the unproven ability of technology to come to the
rescue, and the highly theoretical availability of vast Canadian tar
sands to replace the light, sweet crude of today. To counter those who
say that market corrections will bring oil prices down, he projects a
slide showing that demand for oil is currently 'insatiable' at a time
when many oil basins have already peaked. Need is so great here in the
U.S. and in developing countries that improved technology only speeds
the depletion of what's left in the ground. Oil demand, Simmons says,
could exceed 115 million barrels a day by 2020, an amount that will
still leave China and India 'energy paupers'" (Swartz, 2008).
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FUEL OF
THE FUTURE?
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 Liquid Ammonia
"Ammonia
was used during World War II fuel shortages to power buses in Belgium
and used in engine and solar energy applications prior to 1900. Liquid
ammonia was used as the fuel of the rocket airplane, the X-15. Although
not as powerful as other fuels, it left no soot in the reusable rocket
engine and its density approximately matches that for the oxidizer,
liquid oxygen, which simplified the aircraft's design. Ammonia is
proposed as a practical, clean (CO2-free), alternative to fossil fuel
for internal combustion engines In 1981 a Canadian company [Hydrofuel
Inc.] converted a 1981 Chevrolet Impala to operate using ammonia as
fuel. Ammonia is marketed as a low-emission fuel" (Wikipedia,
2008).
On October 16,
2007, Hydrofuel Inc. announced a new V2G Vehicle
technology at the 4th Annual Ammonia Fuel Conference in San Francisco.
The Annual Ammonia Fuel Conference "is the only event in the world
that brings together industry, government and academic experts for
collaboration on Green Ammonia production and developing NH3 as a fuel
and energy currency. The conference's corporate attendees include
Lockheed Martin, Toyota, Nissan and Delphi" (Hydrofuel, 2007).
The company
claims that its "after market hardware will allow vehicles running
on virtually any fuel to be modified to generate electricity when
parked. The company will provide the direct drive Hydrofuel® VTG
generator and hardware necessary to be easily attached to vehicles with
PTO (power take off) access panels on the transmission. . . . Each
generator will produce from 15 to 25 KW (Kilowatts) of
electricity. This is the first multi-platform V2G application for
automotive, industrial and agricultural vehicle conversions and is
expected to be widely available throughout North America in 2008"
(Hydrofuel, 2007).
The company asserts that the "technology and marketing strategy
will allow anyone to participate in Hydrofuel Inc.'s roll out of world
leading energy and environmental technology. Through this
distributed electrical power application, purchasers of the technology
will be able to make low cost electrical power for their own use . . .
and sell excess power for a profit where grid connections are
available" (Hydrofuel, 2007).
The company
maintains that "customers who combine [their] V2G technology with
[their] recently announced Hydrofuel ® branded NH3 vehicle fuel
conversion system will have carbon free automotive fuel and electrical
power generation capabilities. NOx emissions are estimated to be about
25% of those of hydrocarbon fuels. The adaptation of this technology
will drastically reduce the need for large scale hydrocarbon and
nuclear power plants, the need for transmission
lines, transmission losses and global warming" (Hydrofuel,
2007).
"Hydrofuel Inc. and its affiliate, C.A.E.C.-Canadian
Alternative Energy Corp., have more than 27 years experience in NH3
(Ammonia) fuel conversion systems and related technologies for
automotive and power generation applications. They have filed 20
US Provisional Patent Applications on ammonia fuel, V2G (vehicle to
grid), electrical power generation technologies, ammonia synthesis and
carbon capture, municipal, human, agricultural waste and global warming
reduction technologies. Hydrofuel Inc. is the world's leading developer
of NH3 (ammonia) fuel and energy technologies. Hydrofuel Inc. is
a privately owned Canadian company with subsidiaries in the USA and
Australia" (Hydrofuel, 2007).
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OUR
INTERNET STORE
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 Books,
DVDs, & CDs - Memberships
& Gifts
- Buy
from Us
- Support
Our Programs
Our Internet store makes it easier for you to support
our programs. Whether you are near or far, buying from our Internet store
makes sense. With your purchases and donations, you help support a
nationally-recognized model for local multi-use sustainable land
development.
For more information about our program, be sure to read the end of this
newsletter. Also, be sure to visit our informational website that describes our
programs in detail and our Internet store which boasts an extensive
list of resources for local community food production and food
security.
Thanks for your interest, and thanks for your support!
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NEW TROY
GARDENS CD
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 Be
Inspired, Support Our Programs
Troy Gardens
inspires us. If we are writers, the gardens become our muse. If we are
musicians, the land brings us new songs. The newly released CD, Troy Gardens Journal,
contains spoken excerpts from our board member Marge Pitts' collection
of essays by the same name, enhanced by six original songs written and
performed by Maury Smith, who also produced the project.
The CD's 12 tracks mark the passage of the seasons at Troy Gardens, and
cast a glance back to the project's organizational beginning. These
stories and songs offer a nourishing taste of hope. In these times when
"the big garden" that is our world seems to be bleak and
getting bleaker, we celebrate the solace and strength found in
relationships, in community, and in our "little gardens" at
Troy.
The Troy Gardens Journal CD is available now.
Proceeds will help support the work of Friends of Troy Gardens.
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GOODSEARCH
& GOODSHOP
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 1 Cent to Us for Each Browse
Did you know
you can make a donation to Friends of Troy Gardens every time you
browse or buy products online?
You may already be using the exciting new Internet search engine called
GoodSearch. If you do, every time you search the
Internet, Friends of Troy Gardens or other non-profit, school or
charity of your choice earns a penny. Friends of Troy Gardens is
already earning money through this innovative cost-free method of
fundraising. If you are not already using GoodSearch, just go to www.GoodSearch.com to find out how.
And now you can also use GoodShop.com, a new online shopping mall which
donates a percentage of each purchase to your favorite cause. Although
here at Friends of Troy Gardens we don't recommend shopping as therapy
or entertainment, we all need things from time to time, and often
online shopping is more ecological than a trip to the store. So the
next time you need something online, look for it first through the
GoodShop.com mall.
More than 100 great stores offer travel, clothing, electronics and more
through GoodShop, so that every time you place an order, you'll be
supporting us. Target, Macy's, Travelocity, Best Buy, Nordstrom,
Staples and over one hundred other retailers will donate a percentage
of each purchase you make to Friends of Troy Gardens!
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter Friends
of Troy Gardens as the charity you want to
support.
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PIERCE'S
MARKET CARD
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 Shop
& Money Comes to Us
Friends of Troy Gardens is now listed as a
charitable organization with the Pierce's Community Foundation.
If you live in an area where there is a Pierce's Market, please
sign up for a Pierce's Market Card selecting Friends of Troy Gardens as
your "charity of choice." Use your card each time you visit a
Pierce's Market and a portion of your purchase will come our way at no
extra cost to you. In the third quarter of this year, an organization
in Baraboo, Wisconsin, received about $2,000 from the foundation as a
result of its supporters signing up and using the Pierce's Market Club
card.
You can sign up by going to Pierce's Market Club Card Application page,
completing the form, and selecting Friends of Troy Gardens (Charity
Group Code #1275) in the "Choose a Charitable Group"
section.
Pierce's Markets have been a long-time supporter of Friends of Troy
Gardens. In 2005, they donated a large truck to us that is often used
in support of our farm, community gardening, and education programs.
So if you live in or near Madison, Baraboo, Muscoda, or Portage,
Wisconsin, please sign up for your Pierce's Market Club Card and designate
Friends of Troy Gardens (Charity Group Code #1275) today!
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GREEN
JOBS
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 Job
Search Sites for You
For
environmental positions throughout the world, the following are some
good websites for your review:
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Friends of Troy Gardens, is a 501(c)(3)
charitable nonprofit organization, in Madison, Wisconsin. On 26-acres
of urban property, we integrate community gardens, an organic farm, and
restored prairie and woodlands. (On an adjacent five acres is
mixed-income green-built co-housing developed by the Madison Area
Community Land Trust.) Altogether, Troy Gardens is a unique,
nationally-recognized model for sustainable multi-purpose land use.
Friends of Troy Gardens' environmental
education programs include a nationally recognized leadership program
for teenagers and an award-winning children's garden. Local residents
care for 330 family garden plots in our Community Gardens. Volunteer
stewards restore and maintain native tall grass prairie and maple
woodlands in the natural areas. Each growing season, 110 households
pick up weekly bags of fresh organic vegetables from our Community Farm
(CSA).
Be sure to visit the Friends of Troy Gardens Web Store.
References:
Casey, L. (2008). Saving rainwater one barrel at a time: Natural source
is better for plants. San
Jose Mercury News (January 26, 2008). Retrieved February 3,
2008, from http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_8085344.
Hydrofuel Inc. (2007). Hydrofuel Inc. announces revolutionary
vehicle-to-grid technology: World's first aftermarket system to allow
vehicles running on virtually any green fuel to be modified to generate
electricity. Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://www.hydrofuelnh3.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=1.
Kingsbury, K. (2007). After the oil crisis, a food crisis? Time (November
16, 2007). Retrieved February 3, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1684910,00.html.
Kiva.org. (2008). Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.kiva.org.
Paulson, T. (2008). The lowdown on topsoil: It's disappearing. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
(January 22, 2008). Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/348200_dirt22.html.
Swartz, M. (2008). The gospel according to Matthew. Texas Monthly
(February 1, 2008). Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://www.texasmonthly.com/2008-02-01/feature2-1.php.
Wikipedia. (2008). Liquid Ammonia: Fuel. Retrieved February 3, 2008,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia#Fuel.
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