Produce Your Own Fertilizer... Literally

Nowadays, alternatives to chemical fertilizers are BIOSOLID FERTILIZERS. It is an organic material obtained from the recycling of sewage used in agriculture to help produce better crops. Biosolids, when used in agriculture have been proven to improve the crop growth significantly due to the many minerals found in biosolids like nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfur and zinc. These minerals are useful in the efficient growth and production of plants. But is the use of biosolids gross? Or can it be a good alternative to previous agricultural methods?
The pros of the use of biosolid minerals in agriculture is that it is cheap, is recycled and is helping reduce landfill waste, and has produced significantly good results in crop production. Typically, farmers could save $15,000 to $20,000 every 2 or 3 years! It is also a good way to recycle instead of adding wastes to landfills. Using the biosolid method can produce just as good results as chemical fertilizers, if not, even better. Biosolid fertilizers have the nutrients plants need in order to grow without the use of chemicals. Its all-natural content not only makes the plant healthier but it also helps defend soil errosion and helps the soil retain more water to be more resistant in the case of a drought.

Biosolid Fertilizers have negative effects too though. Since it is made from the sewage waste, it has an unpleasant odor. Since it is organic, the fertilizer contains its natural content to keep the minerals. Also, although biosolids are cost effective and could save farmers thousands per year, it also reduces their property value making their farm less valuable. Many people are also opposed to it simply because it is "Gross". Having been recycled human waste, its chemical containment and true composition is unknown. This method is basically the accumulated waste used to grow crops that will soon be consumed by us.

The potential stake holder in this issue are the farmers who have to decide if the Biosolid method is right for them. They are the ones that know whats best for their farms and how they would want to fertilize their plants. They should accumulate enough knowledge about if this method is right for them and if it would benefit them and produce results that would last in the longrun.

We are definately influenced of the Western culture as portraying human waste as disgusting. The thought of our own waste used to grow crops that would eventually be our food isnt a very appetizing thought. Even if biosolids were only used to grow crops to feed the livestock in farms, those animals will eventually also be consumed by us. We have to keep in mind though, that a long time ago, before fertilizers were being made, agriculture was the primary job. They didn't go to the closest Wal Mart or RONA to get fertilizers thats for sure! Guess what they used to fertilize their crops? This method has been around a long time and I think that what we see as unsanitary and disgusting has been growing our crops for years and we just need to suck it up.

SOURCES:
http://www.garveyresources.com/biosolids-benefits-to-farmers/
http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/tfer.html
http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf
http://www.biosolidsinstitute.com/faqs/page3.shtml

Battle Between Feeding a Growing Population & Conservation of Biodiversity

We know the basic things we eat like pork, beef, chicken, fish, fruits, and vegetables. We see them as "important", therefore we pay closer attention to their growth and continuance to breed and produce. They are one of the primary needs of our lives. But do you know where the food you eat comes from? Do you know where it comes from? Do you know how it affects our biological diversity? Which method is used to produce these products? What about the plants and animals that we dont see as "important"? What happens to them?
In this time we depend on the usual meats like livestock, poultry, fish and crop varieties but our dependence on these alone allows us to overlook the growing amount of less productive breeds of animals and crops that are becoming extinct. Much of the products we consume are from a form of farming called Industrialized Agriculture which allowed a large amount of products to be more efficiently produced. This method includes production using machinery, genetic technology and "achieves economies of scale in production". But this method of farming uses large amounts of chemicals and fossil fuels to run. It takes a huge toll on our environment. It does a huge damage on our biodiversity. It affects the natural habitats of species by using huge amounts of water, energy, and chemicals with no regard to the organisms affected. Huge amounts of toxic chemicals are being put into our environment. These large amounts of chemicals create large amounts of "dead zones" where organisms cannot survive, especially aquatic ones that are the victims of the amounts of nitrogen compounds traveling down coastal fisheries.
An alternative method used in farming is the Sustainable Agriculture method where the harvesting and producing of the animals and plants are done using the principles of ecology. This method is focused on being an agricultural method that is healthy and doesn't have a negative impact on the environment, natural diversity, and human health. Sustainable agriculture follows a set of values that is aware of the ecological and social realities that include conserving resources and minimizing the environmental damage. All these and this type of agriculture also produces nutritious, uncontaminated products. Their goal is to turn the damage that Industrial Agriculture has done to our environment while still having a consistent production.
Before this bioblog, I haven't payed much mind to the food I eat and where they come from. I am sure that most of the human population doesn't know if what they are eating are from an Industrial Farm or a Sustainable Farm. Who knew that just by knowing we could do so much for our environment. I think that producers are just trying to match the growth of the consumer population which led them to make such a method as INDUSTRIALIZED AGRICULTURE. It is sad, but despite the fact that we could switch to SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, the population will keep going up and the amount of the livestock and crops we eat would definately grow, meaning the amount of extinct less productive breeds will also grow. As we "take what we need" which would be the productive livestock and crops that we consume on a daily basis, the less productive breeds would be left behind and are seen as "less important" in some people's eyes. In reality, these plants and animals will vanish and we would most likely not even care or notice.

SOURCES:
wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_agriculture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_agriculture
Ecological Agriculture Projects
Union of Concerned Scientists

Design your own baby!

Nowadays, parents could pick the sex of their future baby. But as soon as research and technology improves within a decade or two, attributes like height, body type, hair and eye color, IQ and personality type could be configured as well! Parents could now pick which traits they would want their child to have and even take out attributes that they dont want in their child.
I do not like this concept of child configuration. To be able to adjust a human's traits before they are means that you will not accept them as they were supposed to be naturally- not like the parents would ever know. Its something like cosmetic surgery but with designing a baby even their personality is altered. I think that people are unique in the way that they are supposed to be naturally from the traits passed down from their parents. Designer babies may cause these children to look different from their parents. For example, when you look at two sisters, it may be possible to tell that they are indeed siblings; but with designer babies one sister may have brown eyes and blonde hair, while the other may have hazel eyes with black hair depending on what their parents chose for them. I believe that people should be as they were meant to be naturally.

People may think that Designer Babies are ethical because the parents have the legal right to their unborn child. They want to genetically change their child to give them a healthier happier life. But many people have issues with designer babies. They believe that a fetus should not be genetically modified. By changing the biological traits of the baby, it is for forever and cannot be reversed afterwards. It is also said that new deseases may arise from the genetic mutilations that we may not be able to find a cure for which makes this experiment risky.

Although I dont agree with the idea of designing babies, I think that to have such a breakthrough in science is a huge accomplishment for us. This could lead us to so much more scientific breakthroughs in the future that could benefit us so much!

Commented on:
Mix and Match to make the Perfect Baby !
Designer Babies

Sources:
TIME
WIKIPEDIA

Zambian Biodiversity Project

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums is an organization for the world zoos and aquariums. They are not only one of the primary partners for zoos and aquariums around the world but they are also active in animal care, conservation of biodiversity, environmental education and global conservation. Members of the WAZA include leading zoos and aquariums, and regional and national Associations of Zoos and Aquariums as well as some organizations, like zoo veterinarians or zoo educators from around the world. More than 200 zoos and aquariums are members of WAZA as well as 25 regional associations. About 1300 zoos and aquaria are linked to WAZA. Together, WAZA and it's members are "United for Conservation".

One project that the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums is the Zambian Biodiversity Project where they are studying the biodiversity to establish a long-term management plan in Zambia, Africa. On the northeast of Zambia is the Luangwa River. It's one of the largest rivers of the country and is one of the most significant wetlands in Africa. It is a refuge for an enormously rich variety of animals and plants. It's richness of elephants and rhinoceroses in particular attracted the poachers which the government was powerless against. Several adult elephants are toothless and the African wild dog population have almost been completely driven out poaching activities.
In the heart of the valley was the Luambe National Park which was used as a conservatory but it wasnt until 2002 when it was taken over by the non-profit organization "Luangwa Wilderness e.V." who declared aim of protecting the wild animal populations and their environment in the park. Although the status of species, their ecology and distribution are needed for the establishment of the management plan. To gain this knowledge the Zambian Biodiversity Project was established.
The project is going to explore, document, and explain animal biodiversity in Zambia. It's going to emphasise on the Luangwa Valley and the Luambe National Park to help with this management plan. Some of the studies being done is the study of a species' ecology and natural history and other things that are vital to managing and protecting their population.

Resources:
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Wikipedia