History Of Organic Farming ... Consciously organic agriculture (as opposed to traditional agricultural methods from before the inorganic options existed, which always employed only organic means) began more or less simultaneously in Central Europe and India... The British botanist Sir Albert Howard is often referred to as the father of modern organic agriculture... In Germany, Rudolf Steiner's development, biodynamic agriculture, was probably the first comprehensive organic farming system...
Organic Farming ... Organic agricultural methods are internationally regulated and legally enforced by many nations, based in large part on the standards set by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), an international umbrella organization for organic farming organizations established in 1972... IFOAM defines the overarching goal of organic farming as: "Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people... Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved." —International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown from nothing, reaching $55 billion in 2009 according to Organic Monitor (www.organicmonitor.com)...
Organic Movement ... Organic food was initially seen as a fad observed by the eccentric few, however today it has become more widespread...
Organic Food ... The weight of the available scientific evidence has not shown a significant difference between organic and more conventionally grown food in terms of safety, nutritional value, or taste... The organic farming movement arose in the 1940s in response to the industrialization of agriculture known as the Green Revolution...
Soil Retrogression And Degradation ... At the beginning of soil formation, the bare rock out crops is gradually colonized by pioneer species (lichens and mosses). They are succeeded by herbaceous vegetation, shrubs and finally forest...
Organic Farming And Biodiversity ... Theory suggests that organic farming practices, which exclude the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, would be beneficial for biodiversity, and this has proven true... Spanning all associated species, there is an average of 30% more on organic farms versus conventional farming methods... Modern organic farm practices such as the removal of pesticides and the inclusion of animal manure, crop rotation, and multi-cultural crops provides the chance for biodiversity to thrive...
Hydrogen Storage ... Most research into hydrogen storage is focused on storing hydrogen as a lightweight, compact energy carrier for mobile applications. Liquid hydrogen or slush hydrogen may be used, as in the Space Shuttle...
Solar Cell ... Assemblies of solar cells are used to make solar modules which are used to capture energy from sunlight. When multiple modules are assembled together (such as prior to installation on a pole-mounted tracker system), the resulting integrated group of modules all oriented in one plane is referred to in the solar industry as a solar panel...
Climate Change And Agriculture ... At the same time, agriculture has been shown to produce significant effects on climate change, primarily through the production and release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, but also by altering the Earth's land cover, which can change its ability to absorb or reflect heat and light, thus contributing to radiative forcing. Land use change such as deforestation and desertification, together with use of fossil fuels, are the major anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide; agriculture itself is the major contributor to increasing methane and nitrous oxide concentrations in Earth's atmosphere...
Organic Farming Methods ... Organic farming uses a variety of methods to improve soil fertility, including crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and application of compost... By reducing tillage, soil is not inverted and exposed to air; less carbon is lost to the atmosphere resulting in more soil organic carbon... In contrast, organic farming tends to tolerate some pest populations while taking a longer-term approach...
Genetically Modified Organism ... In 1986, field tests of bacteria genetically engineered to protect plants from frost damage (ice-minus bacteria) at a small biotechnology company called Advanced Genetic Sciences of Oakland, California, were repeatedly delayed by opponents of biotechnology. In the same year, a proposed field test of a microbe genetically engineered for a pest resistance protein by Monsanto Company was dropped...
Electric Double-layer Capacitor ... A typical D-cell-sized electrolytic capacitor may have capacitance of up to tens of millifarads. The same size EDLC might reach several farads, an improvement of two orders of magnitude...
Sustainable Energy ... Green Energy is energy that can be extracted, generated, and/or consumed without any significant negative impact to the environment. The planet has a natural capability to recover which means pollution that does not go beyond that capability can still be termed green...
Organic Clothing ... Retailers charge more for organic clothing because such the material used are free from chemicals or genetically modified seeds... Benefits Authentic organic fabrics and clothing can help the environment in a number of ways, such as: Manufacture of chemicals is not required Chemical residues are not entered accidentally into the environment Humans and animals are not exposed to chemicals When the fabric is finished with chemicals are not returned to the earth in landfill, or enter into recycling process... Criticism Many highstreet retailers market organic clothing ranges that contain chemicals from the dyeing to bleaching process, which is inconsistent with the idea of Organic Clothing...
Hydrogen Economy ... Hydrogen advocates promote hydrogen as a potential fuel for motive power (including cars and boats), the energy needs of buildings and portable electronics. Free hydrogen does not occur naturally in quantity, and thus must be generated from some other energy source by steam reformation of natural gas or another method...