Although it was pretty dull and square, the advice Dustin Hoffmann got in the Graduate was probably not too far off the mark. Plastics are a ubiquitous part of our lives, both in good ways, and in bad. Even places as down to earth and natural as organic farms can use a surprising amount of plastic. This informative film talks about the use of plastics in farming and about what becomes of that plastic. It was produced by a student team here at OSU that participated in the EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) student design competition for sustainability. They were selected last April at the national competition for Phase II funding for a project designing a biodegradable natural fiber based mulch that will serve as an alternative to plastic (polyethylene) mulch film.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Material World
Although it was pretty dull and square, the advice Dustin Hoffmann got in the Graduate was probably not too far off the mark. Plastics are a ubiquitous part of our lives, both in good ways, and in bad. Even places as down to earth and natural as organic farms can use a surprising amount of plastic. This informative film talks about the use of plastics in farming and about what becomes of that plastic. It was produced by a student team here at OSU that participated in the EPA People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) student design competition for sustainability. They were selected last April at the national competition for Phase II funding for a project designing a biodegradable natural fiber based mulch that will serve as an alternative to plastic (polyethylene) mulch film.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Raucous Spring
Rachel Carson is one of the people that you can choose to profile for this week's homework assignment. Timely enough, there was a very nice profile of her in last Weekend's New York Times Magazine. In an age when problems like global warming or the challenge of feeding an ever growing and seemingly insatiable human population can seem hopelessly insurmountable, I think Rachel Carson's legacy is a powerful beacon of hope. A number of environmental....or really human....success stories such as the return of Bald Eagles and other birds of prey from the brink of extinction are a direct result of the awareness that Carson raised. It is a reminder that we can wisely manage our interaction with the planet if we put our mind to it.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
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