Wisdom Trust Environment News 22-09-2009
Environment News.
Tomatoes Thrive On Urine Diet.
Using human urine as a fertilizer produces bumper crops of tomatoes that are safe to eat, scientists have found.
The research team in Finland gave potted tomato plants one of three treatments: mineral fertilizer, urine and wood ash, urine only, and no fertilizer. Urine is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Yields for plants fertilized with urine quadrupled and matched those of mineral-fertilized plants. The urine-fertilized tomatoes also contained more protein and were safe for human consumption.
“This is a very simple technology. Urine can be collected in a urine-diverting toilet or it can be collected in a separate jerry can from an ordinary, pre-existing toilet. If wood ash is available, this can be use as a supplement of phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients,” a spokesman for the research team said.
He says that the method is a free alternative to expensive mineral fertilizer, which is also not easily available in remote or hilly areas. He also believes that the idea could improve sanitation by incentivising toilet-building.
A pilot program based on the research will be launched in Nepal in November.
But another expert commented: “The amount of urine that can be collected from a person or a family is fairly small (equivalent to about two bags of fertilizer per year for a west African family. The technique is of great value to a subsistence farmer but does not suffice for even a medium-scale cash-crop farm."
He adds that to fertilize larger areas, many urine-diverting toilets would have to be linked up to a good transportation system.
There are also cultural issues. In most cultures, feces are considered impure and urine is viewed in a similar way, even though the hygiene risk associated with it is minimal.
Further studies will be done to assess how acceptable the idea is in different cultures. The research team will also investigate ways of decontaminating any fecal matter in urine collected from a toilet using a jerry can.
One of the research team added: “For large-scale implementation of this idea, we are trying to find different methods to reduce the volume of the urine in economic way, without losing the nutrients”.
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A Footnote On Education...
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1. A Fact From Our Library
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About 2 million people in the UK suffer from angina - the most common form of coronary heart disease.
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2. An Ecotip From Our Library
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Planning A Green Wedding. Go For Eco-Friendly Flowers And Decorations.
Every engaged couple wants their wedding day to be a special celebration that reflects who they are and what they care about. Going green is a great way to make the festivities unique and meaningful - and show friends and family just how fun, beautiful, and delicious a sustainable lifestyle can be.
Add beauty and style to your wedding décor, naturally. For example, opt for organic flowers, or find a florist who's diligent about recycling packaging and will source locally raised flowers.
Consider having thebridesmaids carry matching purses or silk bouquets instead of cut flowers. You could arrange to have decorations moved from the ceremony to the reception (if you opt for separate sites), and use leaves or other natural objects as place cards.
Ask your guests to throw biodegradable confetti or organic rose petals instead of releasing butterflies. Finally, donate the flowers to a hospital or rest home at the end of the day.
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