Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Greg and April" <gregandapril@earthlink.net>]

Perhaps it's because I see ethanol as more sustainable than fossil fuels and 
fossil fuel use as the greater threat to the environment.

Greg H.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Conine" <dconine@dotnet.com>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 10:46
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] op-ed piece on ethanol


> I agree with Mark here. There are a lot of factors which are ignored in
> the ethanol debate which I think shouldn't be. The problem which is
> manifest is overconsumption and eventual collapse of a species. We need
> to look at the Net Creativity of the human species, and what usefulness
> we create vs. what we consume in resources. The idea that we have to
> feed the desires for liquid fuel at all costs is the first that should
> go. The second is the idea that we cannot reduce population pressure on
> politicians. The third is that everyone gets to enjoy the slovenly life
> of America's Dream with white picket fences and pesticide laden lawns.
> The construction of an ethanol plant alone isn't worth the lost cropland
> in it's footprint. The problem with feeding corn to cattle isn't
> necessarily that people could eat the corn, but that the cows aren't
> healthy. There is a fundamental flaw in feeding high energy foods to
> cattle. They evolved to eat low energy foods, and they create a net gain
> for the ecosystem when they do so.
> Not only do I agree with Mark's statement "Just because we can do
> something, doesn't mean we should.", I also think that we need to think
> about doing the things we should do, and that they need to be done
> RIGHT. The ethanol that will be produced by all that corn could easily
> be replaced by a small reduction in fossil fuel use. The only farmers
> who will benefit from growing large quantities of corn are the ones who
> do it 'efficiently', which means without fences, cattle, or people on
> their land. To be good stewards of the land, we have to be ON it.
>
> Dan Conine
> Belgium, WI,