Sense and Nonsense on Biogas

We need to keep informed about agriculture oriented towards energy production. In the case of maize in Britain, there’s also a terrible association with soil runoff during excessive rain events that contributes to flooding, as in this piece by George Monbiot with it’s quite shocking video component.  A responsible climate change policy would take into account both the importance of good land management (as nudged or not by subsidies) and actual carbon figures, which Miles King, in the post shared below, discusses so clearly.

a new nature blog

Biogas Maize is now grown widely in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty © Miles King

Maize grown specifically for Anaerobic Digesters to produce “biogas” is an increasingly common crop in England, especially in the South West. The area under Biogas Maize increased by 55% in 2016 compared to 2015, to 52000ha. The National Farmers Union set a target of 200,000ha of land under biogas Maize back in 2011, so they are 25% of the way to their target.

Maize is a very environmentally damaging crop, probably the most environmentally damaging crop grown in the UK. Why then is so much of it being grown? Because the Government pays not one, but two subsidies for it to be grown – the generous single payment (now over £200 per hectare annually) for anyone who owns farmland; and on top of this there are a range of payments including the Renewable…

View original post 474 more words

Savoring Syria: A Fantastic Website

Everyday, day in and day out, people land on this blog having searched the phrase “What do Syrian Refugees Eat?” This is a bit puzzling to me, because I’ve barely posted on this topic at all, only occasionally to fundraise for Calais Kitchens and Refugee Community Kitchen.

But I’ve long felt I should lead seekers somewhere good, and at last I’ve learned of “Savoring Syria”

a project dedicated to telling the stories of Syrians and Syria through the lens of food. The conflict in Syria has led to the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. From the yearning for a taste of home to the efforts to preserve intangible yet crucial cultural heritage, these stories access the Syrian diaspora through the universal language of food.

Have a look! It’s full of great stories and recipes and might answer some of the questions you are seeking.  There are still many other kinds of stories that need to be told, but I’m looking forward to watching this project grow.

Crowdfunding: Pueblo Food Drive to Standing Rock Water Protectors

I’ve been following  @lizhoover on Instagram; she posts amazing photographs and stories from the Water Protectors. It’s her blog I’ve reblogged below.  If you’d like to contribute some money to this amazing effort of bodies and spirits, Liz recommends this Pueblo Food Drive:

“Help us take a Load of Pueblo Food for the Water Protectors in Standing Rock, ND. Many of our water protectors have been there for many weeks, some months, and a little taste from home can do wonders for our spirit. We will be collecting traditional Pueblo Food Items to take to the Pueblo Camp and to share with our relatives at Oceti Sakwowin in the ALL RELATIONS Kitchen!”

Though the site as of this posting doesn’t seem completely updated at the moment, I’m reassured me it’s still active so give give give if you can, and share too.  Cheers!

Pueblo Food Drive to Standing Rock on CrowdRise

Feeding a Movement: The Kitchens of the Standing Rock Camps

Chills of love and respect kept going down my spine reading this account of the kitchens at Standing Rock, from activist-anthropologist-writer Liz Hoover, on an ever interesting and insightful blog.

From Garden Warriors to Good Seeds: Indigenizing the Local Food Movement

Meal line up outside the mess hall of the Main Kitchen. Photo by Elizabeth Hoover

Since April, thousands of Indigenous people and their allies have converged on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and treaty lands, to support the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), slated to cross under the Missouri River directly upstream from the reservation. People have come from around the world to pray; to stand in opposition to Energy Transfer Partners and the Morton County Sheriff’s Department as well as 71 other law enforcement agencies; and to form community. Some people come for the weekend, others have quit their jobs and made resisting this pipeline their full time work. They spend their days building infrastructure at the camp, chopping wood, sorting donations, praying and singing at the main fire, and putting their bodies on the line between the land and an…

View original post 3,078 more words