The current electric system in the United States is very inefficient due to congestion in the transmission lines. In turn, electricity is wasted and higher costs are passed onto consumers. A viable solution for this issue is creating a national electric grid. This new grid is known as a Smart Grid. Smart Grids allow for…
There is no doubt about it – fossil fuels still reign supreme. Industry and consumers are still slaves to this non-renewable resource despite the fact that it pollutes our environment and results in an inequitable distribution of wealth that is concentrated in the hands of a select group of people not necessarily concerned with the…
1. Direct Advertisement and the Expiration of Patents – The United States and New Zealand are the only countries in the world that allow direct marketing of pharmaceuticals. As a result, people often demand unnecessary treatment which drives up costs and reduces the overall quality of care. Additionally, the increased prevalence of pharmaceuticals has not…
PRE-19TH CENTURY Eli Whitney (December 1765 – January 1825) In 1794 US born inventor Whitney patented the cotton gin which revolutionized cotton production by dramatically increasing the speed of seed removal from the fiber. This was accomplished by running the cotton through a wooden drum fitted with a number of hooks that caught the fibers and…
Too much of anything is a good thing. Each concept and item has its own place and purpose. The same can be said about transportation systems. Currently, too much of the world’s transportation system is based upon cars and although they offer a great deal of mobility and independence – two qualities that many aspire…
“Business as usual is no longer a viable option. Food security will deteriorate further unless leading countries collectively mobilize to stabilize population, stabilize climate, stabilize aquifers, conserve soils, protect cropland, and restrict the use of grain to produce fuel for cars.” – Lester Brown The end of the world is not necessarily upon us. Our…
This article describes how urban farmers who chose to slaughter their own meat are facing new regulations and even bans on home butchering. This is coming after many residents filed complaints that home slaughtering is inhumane and that there are no animal welfare standards in effect. Officials have acknowledged that a growth in urban farming…
This article attempts to answer the questions, “Is environmental concern widely diffused throughout society or is it more strongly expressed by particular sub-populations? How has concern changed over time?” This was accomplished by studying the attitudes about agriculture and the environment in relation to an individual’s geographic and social distance from agriculture. They began by…
“I feel like I’m a co-creator in the world with my garden, helping bring forth life, nurturance. It nurtures me as much as I nurture it. And it gives me hope.” The objective of this article was to examine the relationship between the fruit and vegetable consumption by urban adults and several selected social and…
“The varied purposes and benefits of community gardening make it an ideal interventional strategy for community-based practitioners because myriad goals may be addressed through this approach.” Community gardening emerged in the United States in the 1890s as, “a means to address urban congestion caused by immigration, economic instability and environmental degradation”. Immigrants, children and the…