Friday Five: August 24, 2012

Our life depends on an interwoven ecosystem, and as we disrupt one piece, we affect many others.
Feed 9 billion people? We can do that, but it’s not going to be pretty
"As agricultural production has skyrocketed, so has our population, from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 7 billion today and perhaps 9 billion by mid-century. But adding so much new nitrogen to the environment causes problems ranging from ocean dead zones to urban smog. Indeed, one could argue that all of our global environmental impacts, from climate change to mass extinction, are being driven by altering the nitrogen cycle, because it continues to fuel our unprecedented population growth."

With such a huge task ahead of us, why would we tolerate a society and a system that inherently wastes almost as much as it eats.
Wasted: How America is losing up to 40% of its food supply from farm to fork to landfill
"Nutrition is also lost in the mix -- food saved by reducing losses by just 15 percent could feed more than 25 million Americans every year at a time when one in six Americans lack a secure supply of food to their tables. Given all the resources demanded for food production, it is critical to make sure that the least amount possible is needlessly squandered on its journey to our plates."

I am sure that everyone can get behind using common sense to try to improve our relationship with food.Tackling food waste at home
"Cutting a little food waste goes a long way, because throwing away food wastes not only food itself, but the resources—land, fertilizer, water, paper, plastic, gas--that go into growing, packaging and transporting that food. Our food habits waste 25 percent of America's freshwater and 4 percent of our oil. We spend $90 billion each year to make food that never gets eaten."

In a similar fashion, we can make good use of technology to help us avoid other types of waste in our lives as well.
Living with the Nest #2 – the daily energy summary and why other appliances should act like the Nest
"What the Nest is, as I’m learning, is a modern way to control and manage your heating and cooling, which is responsible for a significant chunk of a home’s energy consumption. Having a product that helps you understand what’s actually going on in your house can help you make decisions that could save you money and energy. Whether or not that information turns in to savings is still, for the most part, up to you."

I am thrilled that I will be able to enjoy all that fruity Jamba goodness without contributing to the waste addiction we all enjoy.
Jamba Juice will go Styrofoam-Free by 2013
"In June, ten-year-old Mia Hansen bought a smoothie at Jamba Juice. And like thousands of drinks they sell every day, hers was served in a styrofoam cup.
Mia knows that styrofoam is bad for the planet. From production to disposal, it creates pollution, releases chemicals, and junks our landfills and landscapes. (And oceans!)
'That’s just ridiculous,' she wrote. 'It bothered me so much, my mom encouraged me to start a petition.'"

Happy Friday!
Enjoy the journey!