permaculture

[Saor Stetler <saor@ycbtal.net>]

GREEN LIVING: EATING RIGHT
Beyond Organic
Discovering the Secrets of Biodynamic Foods
by Daniel Scollan

> From small family farms threatened by big agribusiness and suburban 
sprawl to environmental destruction from soil erosion and overuse of 
pesticides, agriculture today faces many challenges. Consumers and 
farmers alike are looking for more natural approaches. Bill Hill, owner 
of Warrups Farm in West Redding, Connecticut, has been searching for 
better ways to raise his tomatoes, garlic, peppers, Swiss chard, 
scallions and squash, and he might have found it with biodynamic 
agriculture.

Bill Hill sprays his crops at Warrups Farm in West Redding, 
Connecticut...with organic preparations that strictly adhere to 
biodynamic principles.
© Daniel Scollan

Biodynamics is not new; it predates the now-popular organic farming 
movement. It resembles organic agriculture in many ways, but adds a 
spiritual or mystical component. Hill describes biodynamics as "deep 
organic." However, the biodynamic movement is relatively unknown in the 
U.S., having only earned mainstream attention in the world of wine 
making. But just about anything can be, and is, grown and sold using 
biodynamic principles.

The Austrian philosopher, scientist and artist Rudolf Steiner 
(1861-1925) laid the foundations for biodynamics in a series of lectures 
he gave in 1924. Steiner founded a school of philosophy known as 
anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being," which he defined as 
"a way of knowledge--a cognitive path--that leads the spiritual in the 
human being to the spiritual in the universe."

Steiner applied this thinking to a diverse range of practical fields. He 
designed the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, a building considered a 
landmark of 20th century architecture. He also developed a method of 
teaching that centers on educating the whole child--head, heart and 
hands--that later became known as Waldorf education. Today, Waldorf 
schools can be found all over the world, including more than 150 in the 
U.S.

Philosophical Roots

Steiner's 1924 lectures, known as the "Spiritual Foundations for the 
Renewal of Agriculture," presented a critique of the contemporary 
agricultural practices of the day and set forth the key principles of 
biodynamics. Like organic farming, biodynamics rejects the use of 
synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, but for different 
reasons. Steiner believed such substances were spiritually dead, rather 
than chemically or biologically troublesome.

Steiner believed that everything in the material world has a spiritual 
counterpart. So, biodynamic farmers are called to view the farm as a 
unique organism with a spirit, with each part integrated into the whole. 
A more concrete manifestation of this idea is that each farm is seen as 
a self-contained unit, and farmers aspire to have all inputs such as 
fertilizers come from within the farm. Composting then becomes an 
essential tool.

Farmers are also called to pay close attention to their environments and 
tailor their practices to those that best suit their specific local 
conditions. Harold Brown, who has studied biodynamics as outreach 
coordinator at Farm Sanctuary, says, "Biodynamic farmers don't push the 
land beyond what it's capable of doing, as is the case with modern 
agribusiness."

A key difference between organic and biodynamic techniques is that 
animal husbandry is required for the latter. Animal manure is seen as 
especially important for its contributions to compost. Further, 
biodynamic farmers often work in connection with solar, lunar and 
astrological rhythms. For example, plantings are conducted on certain 
days of the year. Such practices, however, are not specifically required 
by the international biodynamic certification agency, Demeter.

Something unique to biodynamics is the use of eight specific homeopathic 
preparations, two of which are sprayed on crops and six of which are 
added to compost. The preparations are believed to increase the "life 
forces" in the soil and plants. Since they are difficult to produce, 
many farmers buy their preparations from the Josephine Porter Institute 
and other producers. The remedies are mostly herbs, usually stored in an 
animal organ, and are buried underground to ferment for a time period 
coordinating with cosmic cycles. The specific organs are thought to 
enhance the life forces of each material.

The two spray preparations, manure and grounded quartz, are stored in 
the horns of a cow. Small amounts of the manure or quartz are then mixed 
in water. The compost preparations include chamomile and dandelion 
flowers and oak bark, and are stored in a variety of organs such as 
animal intestines, skulls and bladders, and then applied directly to 
compost. In Steiner's view, the preparations are both natural and 
spiritual.

Some people, especially vegans (who refuse to eat any animal-derived 
foods), may object to such use of animal parts in farming. Brown, of the 
farm animal rescue and protection group Farm Sanctuary, explains, "The 
whole point of veganism is to alleviate suffering, and using animal 
parts necessarily involves suffering." Brown, however, finds other 
aspects of biodynamics appealing, especially its view of the farm as a 
living organism. "Biodynamics works in harmony with nature and, with 
experimentation, it may be able to evolve to be more animal friendly," 
he says.

Jim Fullmer, president of Demeter USA, advises, "Animals on biodynamic 
farms are revered, and the goal of the movement is to mimic the wisdom 
put forth by nature. Vegetarians and vegans should look at the whole 
picture of biodynamics."

Success in Wine-Making

The biodynamics movement, although currently occupying a small niche, is 
growing. It has received the greatest attention and commercial success 
in the wine-making business, where it has gained a reputation for 
especially high-quality products. In the U.S., biodynamic wines, or, 
more accurately, wines made with biodynamic grapes, are produced by such 
major California vineyards as Fetzer, Benziger and Frey Vineyards.

"The success of biodynamics in wine can be attributed to the industry's 
focus on quality rather than quantity," says Fullmer. He also points to 
the intense media interest in wine ratings, which have often been very 
high for biodynamic offerings. In addition, biodynamics' focus on farm 
individuality is especially suitable to the popular vineyard concept of 
"terroir," referring to a quality in the wine that expresses the place 
where the grapes are grown.

Biodynamics is reaching beyond wine, however. Clean Foods of Santa 
Paula, California sells several blends of biodynamic coffees sold under 
the Café Altura brand. Owner Chris Shepherd says sales are increasing. 
"Consumers new to biodynamics are attracted to its holistic nature, and 
often become intrigued through their knowledge of Steiner's Waldorf 
schools," says Shepherd. "It just tastes better."

Biodynamic grower Seven Stars Farm in Pennsylvania has also seen success 
with its line of yogurts, which are sold in major natural food stores 
throughout the Northeast.

A Sustainable System?

John Reganold, a professor of soil science at Washington State 
University, has studied biodynamics for nearly 15 years. His research 
suggests that the special preparations do indeed have a positive effect 
on compost. However, he says, "the jury is still out" on how effective 
they ultimately are, or whether there truly is much difference between 
the health of biodynamic farms and typical organic farms.

"We just finished a study that looked at a number of soil properties 
over six years, and there were no significant differences between 
biodynamic and organic practices," says Reganold. However, he adds, 
"Biodynamic farms may be the most holistic farms that I've seen."

Jim Fullmer says many farmers are beginning to turn to biodynamics 
because they are dissatisfied with the current U.S. National Organic 
Program. "Many of the folks looking closely at biodynamics as an 
alternative are the good organic farmers who see that the National 
Organic Program is losing the basic foundations of organic farming--the 
emphasis on sustainability and reduction of inputs. The National Organic 
Program has basically boiled down to a list of materials you can or 
cannot use.

"Biodynamics means creating a living system," says Fullmer. "Biodynamic 
farmers are certainly not the only organic farmers who do this, but it 
is the only existing organized movement with such roots."

However holistic biodynamics may be, it's still difficult for some 
people to stomach the idea of those unusual preparations. According to 
Bill Hill, "It's not for everybody."

DANIEL SCOLLAN is a former E intern currently serving in AmeriCorps.


CONTACTS

Demeter USA <http://www.demeter-usa.org>
Phone: (541)998-5691

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association <http://www.biodynamics.com>
Phone: (888)516-7797



IN BRIEF
The Hydrogen House: Fueling a Dream
by Janice Arenofsky

In the northernmost reaches of Scottsdale, Arizona, Bryan Beaulieu, an 
engineer and inventor with 20 patents in structural systems, recently 
built a $2 million solar-and-hydrogen-powered "dream" house. Though not 
the most expensive residence in this affluent community, the 
6,000-square-foot luxury home is, by far, the most environmentally 
sustainable.

Bryan Beaulieu's home in the Arizona desert is powered by 
hydrogen-generated electricity.
© Janice Arenofsky

It has "total integral design," says Bob Ingersoll, executive director 
of the Hydrogen Energy Center in Portland, Maine. "Beaulieu's house uses 
less energy, which means less need to collect it. Nothing is wasted. 
Each function is taken care of either by design or natural law."

This is the opposite of a fossil-fuel-dependent lifestyle, says Roy 
McAlister, president of the American Hydrogen Association in Mesa, 
Arizona. "And that lifestyle jeopardizes billions of people and creates 
inflation, pollution and conflict."

The design of the Beaulieu house is based on a Navajo hogan. It is one 
of the only hydrogen houses in the world (there's also one in Malaysia!) 
and complements the so-called "Angel's Nest," Robert Plarr's solar- and 
wind-powered home in Taos, New Mexico. The Nest has its own hydrogen 
filling station, using the high-pressure gas to run his vehicle fleet 
and provide nighttime power.

Beaulieu's house is an "educational destination" for homeowners, 
architects and appliance developers, says McAlister. It demonstrates how 
hydrogen can be generated using a renewable resource such as solar, says 
Tai Robinson, president of Intergalactic Hydrogen, a company that 
modifies vehicles to run on alternative fuels.

"[One reason] hydrogen is valuable is it's easier to store than 
batteries or water," Robinson says. Despite the house's "mansion"-like 
appearance and its expensive price tag, Robinson believes the Beaulieu 
home is a good eco-model of how hydrogen can be used to cook, heat water 
and fuel a vehicle.

"When it is burned," Ingersoll says, "it does not leave behind any 
chemical waste other than clean water."

Beaulieu's solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, which runs 
the electrolyzer--a washing-machine-sized appliance that separates 
hydrogen from water. The hydrogen is then stored in high-pressure tanks, 
and a generator turns it into electricity for daily needs.

"The missing link for renewable energy and worldwide prosperity is a 
consumer-affordable technology," says McAlister, who has driven a 
hydrogen-powered automobile since 1974. Most homeowners cannot spend 
$50,000 on an electrolyzing machine as Beaulieu did. But as demand 
increases, says Ingersoll, mass-production will decrease the cost. In 
fact, companies such as Panasonic and Plug Power are hoping, in the next 
few years, to market a low-cost home fuel-cell generator for converting 
hydrogen into electricity.

And burning hydrogen for fuel cleans the air of pollens and gases better 
than forced air systems, says Beaulieu. That environmental plus as well 
as his wife's sensitivity to chemicals and dust convinced him to go 
green. Only low-toxic, solvent-free adhesives and sealants, water-based 
floor finishes and stained concrete are used in the house.

The architectural design (such as window and wall placements), 
insulation and vegetation help regulate temperature. A shaded courtyard 
with waterfalls (which cool the water through evaporation) are 
surrounded by five hexagonal living pods. Within each pod, ceiling pipes 
circulate cool water. So do an earth-sheltered roof system and roof 
ventilators. "The house is really under two-to-three feet of dirt, 
grapevines and other native succulents," adds Beaulieu. The plants are 
irrigated with rain and gray water from the house's showers.

According to McAlister, Beaulieu's constantly evolving sustainable 
solutions should transfer to other communities. "Unlike the ill-fated 
Biosphere project," McAlister says, "Beaulieu's pro-active experiment 
demonstrates self-sufficiency."


CONTACTS

Hydrogen Energy Center <http://www.hydrogenenergycenter.org>
Phone: (303)275-4050

American Hydrogen Association <http://www.clean-air.org>
Phone: (480)461-4135