Vetiver Grass PDF
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
"A Free University for the People"
Our Mission:
The purpose of the University of Orange is to empower the people of Orange by learning from each other and calling each other to action to teach others how to use resources they already have and others they might acquire to make Orange the urban village of the 21st Century, a just and beautiful city.
History:
The University is situated on an historic, yet ever-evolving 2.2 square mile campus, the City of Orange Township. The University of Orange was founded in 2007, growing out of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the fight for school desegregation in Orange. The University of Orange has a volunteer faculty from Orange and around the world.
Get Involved:
We believe that everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn. Therefore, everyone can be a student and everyone can be a teacher. Your diploma from the University of Orange will show that you care about making the world a better place. The University of Orange offers the Bachelors of Freedom (Be Free), which is annually awarded on Juneteenth (June 19th or thereabouts) to those students who have completed the requirements for graduation.
http://www.universityoforange.org/
Read more ...
The purpose of the University of Orange is to empower the people of Orange by learning from each other and calling each other to action to teach others how to use resources they already have and others they might acquire to make Orange the urban village of the 21st Century, a just and beautiful city.
History:
The University is situated on an historic, yet ever-evolving 2.2 square mile campus, the City of Orange Township. The University of Orange was founded in 2007, growing out of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the fight for school desegregation in Orange. The University of Orange has a volunteer faculty from Orange and around the world.
Get Involved:
We believe that everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn. Therefore, everyone can be a student and everyone can be a teacher. Your diploma from the University of Orange will show that you care about making the world a better place. The University of Orange offers the Bachelors of Freedom (Be Free), which is annually awarded on Juneteenth (June 19th or thereabouts) to those students who have completed the requirements for graduation.
http://www.universityoforange.org/
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
WHO ARE THE NEWARK GREEN RANGERS?
NEWARK GREEN RANGERS
WHO ARE THE NEWARK GREEN RANGERS?
Rutgers T.E.E.M. Gateway developed the Newark Green Rangers as a
Summer Youth Employment Program in partnership with the City of Newark.
Youth participants gain exposure to careers in agriculture and
landscaping, environmental arts, entrepreneurship and farmstand
operations, and other “green” fields, with the expertise of the
Rutgers University-New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and a
number of local partners behind them, all while maintaining an
innovative focus on the urban environment.
The Environmental Arts Team of the Newark Green Rangers created five
city murals during the summer of 2009 in Newark, the first of their
kind, designed and painted by youth with local artists as their guides.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Time line for March 22 Student Exchange
Time line for March 22 Student Exchange
- East Orange Students depart for Teaneck @ 7:30 ( Lloyd will coordinate Bus issues )
- Arriving @ Palisades International Park @ Ross Dock ( see attached Map ) 8:30 am -If you would like to see our students and students from around the state cleaning up the Park meet us @ Ross Dock around 9 AM ASK FOR THE LOCATION OF EAST OROANGE STUDENTS
- Student depart Park - for Lunch / awards / Lecture / If you would like to meet for the Lunch meet us at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenn Pointe, 100 Frank W. Burr , Teaneck, NJ at noon
The Fourth Annual Clean Communities Environmental Exchange Round table Discussion @ 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Glenn Pointe Marriot, Teaneck NJ
Moderated by
Harry Mansmann, Exec Dir. East Orange Water Commission
Michael Johnson, Dir. East Orange Public Works
Featuring the following schools
East Orange - Tyson Middle-and Elementary - Campus High - Stem Academy - Costley Middle - Gordon Parks
Old Bridge
Monroe Township
We are so excited to announce our first project with students from Puerto Rico with a video conference At the Roundtable and Lunch
If you need additional information please call Knadya O’Kelly @ 201-704-7587
EAST ORANGE A CITY ON THE MOVE "AND GOING GREEN"
SEE EVERYONE THURSDAY, MARCH 22
France Bans GM Corn Amid Mass US Protests against Monsanto
Rady Ananda
Global Research
Global Research
Amid mass US protests against Monsanto in mid-March, France imposed a temporary moratorium on the planting of Monsanto’s genetically modified corn, MON810.
“Due to the proximity of the planting season,” said Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire along with Francois Fillon, Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development, in a press release on Friday, authorities “decided to take a precautionary measure to temporarily prohibit the cultivation of maize MON810 on the national territory to protect the environment.”
All prior plantings of MON810, trade name YieldGard, become illegal on March 20.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Monsanto announced in January that it would not sell genetically modified corn in France due to public opposition.
A growing list of human health and environmental hazards from GM crops has raised concern over bioengineered food and feed, including a literally explosive growth of a “new” microbe on pig manure.
Likely linked to GM feed served to most livestock in the US, methane-filled “foam” growing on pig manure has resulted in several pig farm explosions since 2001, killing thousands of animals.
“And there’s no stopping it,” reports the Daily Mail, “the foam has now started growing on one in four farms across the Midwest.” Scientists believe a new type of bacteria may have developed.
This comports with plant pathologist Don Huber’s discovery last year of a new pathogen associated with spontaneous abortions in livestock, which has been linked to the use of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide.
Modified with a Bt protein to kill insects, MON810 is losing its efficacy in the US. The Western rootworm beetle – one of the most serious threats to corn – has developed resistance to the bacterial toxin in eleven states.
In early March, a group of pro-biotech corn entomologists sent a letter to the US Environmental Protection Agency warning that insect resistance to genetically modified corn can be halted by planting non-GMO seed. The warning will likely go unheeded as the US Dept. of Agriculture announced plans to speed up the process of GM approval by 18 months.
Over the past eight months, the European Commission has approved 11 new transgenic crops. However, EU nations can independently restrict or prohibit the sales of products under certain conditions.
Also on Friday in the US, GM opponents held a nationwide protest against Monsanto. Dressed in hazmat suits, they targeted Congress for its complicity in allowing the dangerous adulterant in the food and feed supply:
Protests continue today across the US, and include an action against WalMart for planning to sell Monsanto’s GM corn this year.
The move to label GMO foods in the US grew stronger last week when 55 Members of Congress sent a letter to the US Food and Drug Admin demanding the label.
In California, a statewide petition drive is underway to put the labeling initiative on the ballot this November. With six weeks remaining to collect one million registered voter signatures, the Label GMOs group got a welcome boost when Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds designed a special seed packet to be used for the campaign.
Rady Ananda is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Rady Ananda
Posted on March 18, 2012 by Beyond The Curtain
http://beyondthecurtain.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/france-bans-gm-corn-amid-mass-us-protests-against-monsanto/
Let’s Start A Prairie Fire
Let’s Start A Prairie Fire
A benefit to support the Prairiefyre Time Exchange
A community movement in honor of Leigh Davis
Friday, March 30th 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Reformed Church Highland Park
Join us for Dinner & Music and learn more about Time Exchange
Suggested Donation $15 per person, families $30 Childcare available
Learn about this new economy, and exchanging services like Tutoring, Music Lessons, Entertainment, Crafts, Home Repair, Computers and Technology, Health, Transportation, Food, Housing, Childcare and a whole lot more...great opportunity to join!
The Prairie Fire is Mother Earth’s answer to addressing overgrown forests and brush. As the fire spreads, it destroys the old and makes way for new growth and regeneration.
Time exchange brings people together to share their time and talents to build a new, more equitable economy and stronger community.
For more information about the Prairiefyre Time Exchange visit www.hourworld.org/bank/?hw=1014 or email brunooriti@gmail.com
Read more ...
A benefit to support the Prairiefyre Time Exchange
A community movement in honor of Leigh Davis
Friday, March 30th 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the Reformed Church Highland Park
Join us for Dinner & Music and learn more about Time Exchange
Suggested Donation $15 per person, families $30 Childcare available
Learn about this new economy, and exchanging services like Tutoring, Music Lessons, Entertainment, Crafts, Home Repair, Computers and Technology, Health, Transportation, Food, Housing, Childcare and a whole lot more...great opportunity to join!
The Prairie Fire is Mother Earth’s answer to addressing overgrown forests and brush. As the fire spreads, it destroys the old and makes way for new growth and regeneration.
Time exchange brings people together to share their time and talents to build a new, more equitable economy and stronger community.
For more information about the Prairiefyre Time Exchange visit www.hourworld.org/bank/?hw=1014 or email brunooriti@gmail.com
Occupy the Food System with Dr. Vandana Shiva
Thursday, March 22
The biggest corporate hijack on the planet is the hijack of the food system. And the costs of the corporate takeover of food has huge irreversible consequences for the Earth and people everywhere.
Read more ...
12 Noon
Liberty Sq (aka Zuccotti Park)
Brought to you by OWS Environmental Solidarity and the Sustainability Working Group
Create Food Democracy: Occupy The Food System
From the seed to the table, corporations are seeking total control over biodiversity, land,water. They are seeking control over how food is grown, processed and distributed. And in seeking this total control, they are destroying the earth’s ecological processes,our farmers, our health and our freedoms.
Monsanto with 5 gene giants are trying to control and own the seed through genetic engineering and patents. Monsanto wrote the World trade Organisation treaty on Intellectual property which forces countries to patent seeds. As a Monsanto reprentative said, they were the patient, diagnostician and physician all in one. They defined a problem, and for them the problem was that farmers save seed, They offered a solution, and the solution was that seed saving and seed sharing should be defined as intellectual property theft and criminalized.I believe that saving seeds and protecting biodiversity is our ecological and ethical duty. That is why I started Navdanya 25 years ago. Navdanya is a movement to occupy the seed. We have created 66 community seed banks, saved 3000 rice varieties , stopped laws that would prevent us from seed saving, faught against Biopiracy. Monsanto has created a Seed Emergency on a global scale. And by destroying the seed , they have established Seed monopoly. India has lost its cotton diversity since Monsanto took over the cotton seed supply . (5 % cotton seed sold on India today is Monsanto’s Bt cotton. The price of seed
jumped 800%, farmers got trapped in debt, and 250000 indebted farmers have commited suicide in India since Monsanto’s entry in the seed market. Saving Seeds and defending our seed freedom has become a survival issue. Control over the seed is control over food and control over life. Corporations like Monsanto
have created a seed emergency This is the reason I am starting a Global citizen’s campaign on Seed Sovereignty. I hope you will all join. The case 84 organisations including Navdanya have filed against Monsanto in New York through Pubpat is an important step in reclaiming seed sovereignty.
Contrary to the claim of corporations, the chemical based Green revolution and genetic engineering do not produce more food. Navdanya’s report on GMOs shows that The GMO Emperor has no Clothes. Our report Health per Acre shows that Biodiverse Organic farming protects nature while increasing nutrition per
Acre. We have the solutions to hunger.
Cargill the world’s biggest Grain giant wrote the Agriculture agrrement of WTO. It has destroyed local production and local markets everywhere, uprooted small farmers, devastated the Amazon, and speculated on food commodities pushing millions to hunger. A global corporate controlled food system robs farmers of their incomes by pushing down farm prices, and robs the poor of their right to food by pushing up food prices. If a billion people are hungry today, it is because of the greed driven, capital intensive, nonsustainable corporate controlled globalised industrialized agriculture. While creating hunger, agribusiness collects our tax money as subsidies in the name of removing hunger.
And this system has pushed another 2 billion to food related diseases like obesity and diabetes. Replacing healthy local food culture with junk and processed food is achieved through Food safety laws, which I call pseudo hygiene laws. At the glbal level these include the Sanitary and Phyto sanitary agreement of WTO. At
the national level they include new corporate written Food Safety laws in Europe and India, and the Food safety modernization Act in the US.
The final link in the corporate hijack of food are retail giants like Walmart.We have been resisting the entry of Walmart in India because big retail means big ag, and together the corporate giants destroy small shops and small farms which provide livelihoods to millions.
We must occupy our food because corporations are destroying our seed and soil, our water and land, our climate and biodiversity. 40% Greenhouse gases that are destabilizing the climate come from corporate industrial agriculture. 70% water is wasted for industrial agriculture . 75% biodiversity has been lost due to
industrial monocultures.
We have alternatives which protect the earth, protect our farmers, and protect our health and nutrition. To occupy the food system means simultaneously resisting corporate control and building sustainable and just alternatives, from the seed to the table. One seed at a time, one farm at a time, one meal at a time we must break out of corporate food dictatorship and create a vibrant and robust food democracy.
--Dr Vandana Shiva
Sunday, March 18, 2012
World breakthrough on salt-tolerant wheat
From: owsfoodjustice@googlegroups.com
Using 'non-GM' crop breeding techniques, scientists from CSIRO Plant Industry have introduced a salt-tolerant gene into a commercial durum wheat, with spectacular results shown in field tests. Researchers at the University of Adelaide's Waite Research Institute have led the effort to understand how the gene delivers salinity tolerance to the plants.
The research is the first of its kind in the world to fully describe the improvement in salt tolerance of an agricultural crop - from understanding the function of the salt-tolerant genes in the lab, to demonstrating increased grain yields in the field.
The results are published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology. The paper's senior author is Dr Matthew Gilliham from the University's Waite Research Institute and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. Lead authors are CSIRO Plant Industry scientists Dr Rana Munns and Dr Richard James and University of Adelaide student Bo Xu.
"This work is significant as salinity already affects over 20% of the world's agricultural soils, and salinity poses an increasing threat to food production due to climate change," Dr Munns says.
Dr Gilliham says: "Salinity is a particular issue in the prime wheat-growing areas of Australia, the world's second-largest wheat exporter after the United States. With global population estimated to reach nine billion by 2050, and the demand for food expected to rise by 100% in this time, salt-tolerant crops will be an important tool to ensure future food security."
Domestication and breeding has narrowed the gene pool of modern wheat, leaving it susceptible to environmental stress. Durum wheat, used for making such food products as pasta and couscous, is particularly susceptible to soil salinity.
However, the authors of this study realised that wild relatives of modern-day wheat remain a significant source of genes for a range of traits, including salinity tolerance. They discovered the new salt-tolerant gene in an ancestral cousin of modern-day wheat, Triticum monococcum.
"Salty soils are a major problem because if sodium starts to build up in the leaves it will affect important processes such as photosynthesis, which is critical to the plant's success," Dr Gilliham says.
"The salt-tolerant gene (known as TmHKT1;5-A) works by excluding sodium from the leaves. It produces a protein that removes the sodium from the cells lining the xylem, which are the 'pipes' plants use to move water from their roots to their leaves," he says.
Dr James, who led the field trials, says: "While most studies only look at performance under controlled conditions in a laboratory or greenhouse, this is the first study to confirm that the salt-tolerant gene increases yields on a farm with saline soils.
Field trials were conducted at a variety of sites across Australia, including a commercial farm in northern New South Wales.
"Importantly, there was no yield penalty with this gene," Dr James says.
"Under standard conditions, the wheat containing the salt-tolerance gene performed the same in the field as durum that did not have the gene. But under salty conditions, it outperformed its durum wheat parent, with increased yields of up to 25%.
"This is very important for farmers, because it means they would only need to plant one type of seed in a paddock that may have some salty sections," Dr James says.
"The salt-tolerant wheat will now be used by the Australian Durum Wheat Improvement Program (ADWIP) to assess its impact by incorporating this into recently developed varieties as a breeding line."
Dr Munns says new varieties of salt-tolerant durum wheat could be a commercial reality in the near future.
"Although we have used molecular techniques to characterise and understand the salt-tolerant gene, the gene was introduced into the durum wheat through 'non-GM' breeding processes. This means we have produced a novel durum wheat that is not classified as transgenic, or 'GM', and can therefore be planted without restriction," she says.
The researchers are taking their work a step further and have now crossed the salt-tolerance gene into bread wheat. This is currently being assessed under field conditions.
This research is a collaborative project between CSIRO, NSW Department of Primary Industries, University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. It is supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Australian Research Council (ARC).
Read more ...
World breakthrough on salt-tolerant wheat |
Salt-tolerant durum wheatgrown in northern New South Wales as part of a field trial.
Photo by CSIRO. Full Image (213.65K) |
Monday, 12 March 2012
A team of Australian scientists involving the University of Adelaide has bred salt tolerance into a variety of durum wheat that shows improved grain yield by 25% on salty soils.Using 'non-GM' crop breeding techniques, scientists from CSIRO Plant Industry have introduced a salt-tolerant gene into a commercial durum wheat, with spectacular results shown in field tests. Researchers at the University of Adelaide's Waite Research Institute have led the effort to understand how the gene delivers salinity tolerance to the plants.
The research is the first of its kind in the world to fully describe the improvement in salt tolerance of an agricultural crop - from understanding the function of the salt-tolerant genes in the lab, to demonstrating increased grain yields in the field.
The results are published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology. The paper's senior author is Dr Matthew Gilliham from the University's Waite Research Institute and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. Lead authors are CSIRO Plant Industry scientists Dr Rana Munns and Dr Richard James and University of Adelaide student Bo Xu.
"This work is significant as salinity already affects over 20% of the world's agricultural soils, and salinity poses an increasing threat to food production due to climate change," Dr Munns says.
Dr Gilliham says: "Salinity is a particular issue in the prime wheat-growing areas of Australia, the world's second-largest wheat exporter after the United States. With global population estimated to reach nine billion by 2050, and the demand for food expected to rise by 100% in this time, salt-tolerant crops will be an important tool to ensure future food security."
Domestication and breeding has narrowed the gene pool of modern wheat, leaving it susceptible to environmental stress. Durum wheat, used for making such food products as pasta and couscous, is particularly susceptible to soil salinity.
However, the authors of this study realised that wild relatives of modern-day wheat remain a significant source of genes for a range of traits, including salinity tolerance. They discovered the new salt-tolerant gene in an ancestral cousin of modern-day wheat, Triticum monococcum.
"Salty soils are a major problem because if sodium starts to build up in the leaves it will affect important processes such as photosynthesis, which is critical to the plant's success," Dr Gilliham says.
"The salt-tolerant gene (known as TmHKT1;5-A) works by excluding sodium from the leaves. It produces a protein that removes the sodium from the cells lining the xylem, which are the 'pipes' plants use to move water from their roots to their leaves," he says.
Dr James, who led the field trials, says: "While most studies only look at performance under controlled conditions in a laboratory or greenhouse, this is the first study to confirm that the salt-tolerant gene increases yields on a farm with saline soils.
Field trials were conducted at a variety of sites across Australia, including a commercial farm in northern New South Wales.
"Importantly, there was no yield penalty with this gene," Dr James says.
"Under standard conditions, the wheat containing the salt-tolerance gene performed the same in the field as durum that did not have the gene. But under salty conditions, it outperformed its durum wheat parent, with increased yields of up to 25%.
"This is very important for farmers, because it means they would only need to plant one type of seed in a paddock that may have some salty sections," Dr James says.
"The salt-tolerant wheat will now be used by the Australian Durum Wheat Improvement Program (ADWIP) to assess its impact by incorporating this into recently developed varieties as a breeding line."
Dr Munns says new varieties of salt-tolerant durum wheat could be a commercial reality in the near future.
"Although we have used molecular techniques to characterise and understand the salt-tolerant gene, the gene was introduced into the durum wheat through 'non-GM' breeding processes. This means we have produced a novel durum wheat that is not classified as transgenic, or 'GM', and can therefore be planted without restriction," she says.
The researchers are taking their work a step further and have now crossed the salt-tolerance gene into bread wheat. This is currently being assessed under field conditions.
This research is a collaborative project between CSIRO, NSW Department of Primary Industries, University of Adelaide, the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology. It is supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Australian Research Council (ARC).
ESSEX TIME BANK
2/28/2012 PRELIMINARY DRAFT
ESSEX TIME BANK
Time Bank Description
The Essex Time Bank will provide a reciprocal service exchange. Examples of services are
mentoring children, helping neighbors with house improvements, or caring for an ill neighbor.
(See more examples in Table 1.) The "time" one spends providing these types of services earns
"time credit" that one can spend to receive services from fellow Time Bank members.
One hour of one person's time is equal to one hour of another's. Credit hours are earned for
providing services and spent by receiving services. Upon earning a credit hour, a person does not
need to spend it right away: they can save it indefinitely. Credit hours can be deducted from each
account for Time Bank overhead, in order to reimburse those providing service to run and
maintain the Time Bank, or donated to community efforts.
Read more ...
ESSEX TIME BANK
Time Bank Description
The Essex Time Bank will provide a reciprocal service exchange. Examples of services are
mentoring children, helping neighbors with house improvements, or caring for an ill neighbor.
(See more examples in Table 1.) The "time" one spends providing these types of services earns
"time credit" that one can spend to receive services from fellow Time Bank members.
One hour of one person's time is equal to one hour of another's. Credit hours are earned for
providing services and spent by receiving services. Upon earning a credit hour, a person does not
need to spend it right away: they can save it indefinitely. Credit hours can be deducted from each
account for Time Bank overhead, in order to reimburse those providing service to run and
maintain the Time Bank, or donated to community efforts.
Download the pdf in the link below for the rest of the document.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Urban Farming Guys
The Urban Farming Guys
This is just one of many reasons why we should become more conscious about what we eat.
Transgenic Foods
An animationfilm to illustrate the set of problems with genetically manipulated foods. Created by Simon Jochum.
Many people are having the opinion that they do not have any contact to genetically modified food. But nearly everybody has contact to those goods without knowing. The animation “Transgenic Foods” is focussed on that point. The consumer’s awareness should be raised by that spot. It will highlight the current situation and potential future problems. The consumer is asked to obtain information and to form his own opinion and to act accordingly.
For more information about GMO visit e.g. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering
Download this video in better quality:
http://transgenicfoods.notlong.com
... and spread it under Creative Commons License:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de/deed.en_GB
Credits
Concept, Design, Animation:
Simon Jochum | http://simonjochum.de
Voiceover:
Daniel Geal | http://www.dglingua.com
Sounddesign:
Christoph Német | http://www.christophnemet.de
Casting & Voicerecording:
rain productions | http://www.rain-productions.de
**There is no connection between Greenpeace and this spot!**
WWOOF USA
Our Mission:
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, USA (WWOOF-USA™) is part of a world-wide effort to link volunteers with organic farmers, promote an educational exchange, and build a global community conscious of ecological farming practices.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Brilliant Newfoundlander Invents the Solution!
The panel in the video is designed for any building with an existing heating system with a thermostat.
Read more ...
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Movement Resource Group
Here's a link to funding possibilities. If we get a proposal together, it should be worth a shot. Apparently it comes from Ben and Jerry's and other liberal-left corporations, but I don't see how we would be accountable to them. Check it out and let me know what you think:
view link- http://movementresourcegroup.org/?page_id=32
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