permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Democrat, excellent potential presidential candidate (possible Kerry running mate) mentioned 
tonight on the Tavis Smiley talk show on PBS that Iowa is 2nd in the nation in ethanol production and near that in 
biodiesel fuel. Considering the cost of production of either, in-the-field costs, storage, processing and distribution 
and all other costs associated with production, and following energy, environmental and economic audit trails out to the 
limits I wonder how much hard won net gain there is. If you're going to lower demand for oil, decrease pollution and 
contribute less to global warming and get serious about it I would think there needs to be a re-think about waste 
management and make it part of the energy equation, i.e. stop the waste of waste. CNN has a video newsclip on recycling 
cow manure as vehicle fuel. If the public could be pursuaded to stop dumping things they shouldn't into the waste stream
(npi) then municipal sewage could be processed in natural systems within which vast biofuel and ethanol crops could be 
grown. How can this be so difficult? Agricultural livestock waste would be even easier to convert into many useful 
products: biogas, livestock protein source (sawfly maggots), compost and worm castings for sustainable farms, paper,
wood, the growing of ornamental plants, reforestation, erosion control and windbreak plant material, landscape nursery 
stock and again, biofuel and ethanol production, to name just a few. This use of such a valuable source of nutrients and 
humus could make it possible to have vast permaculture plant nurseries providing material for road and highway 
plantings, parkland, farm and range land and to help stabilize wild areas and reduce the impact of or outcompete and 
replace unwanted invasives. Should politicians make programs built on these goals part of their agendas, included along 
with agriculture, the environment, reduction in energy use, especially from fossil fuels, and pollution and global 
warming abatement?