My recent project growing a raised bed vegetable garden started me thinking about the role of artificial fertilizers in feeding the burgeoning global population.  This, in turn, led back to a question my wife and I debated a few weeks ago on the subject of vegan ethics.  Is it more “ethical” to be vegan, from the standpoint

Vegan Ethics And Artificial Fertilizers

Since I started my journey to get in shape and live a healthier lifestyle, I’ve gained a new appreciation for fruits and vegetables I once would have ignored (like asparagus), which have become an integral part of my diet.  But I’m still a meat eater, both because I like it, and because I see practical health benefits, for a variety of reasons.  But over the years, I have considered the question of going vegan.  I have also found myself in debates over the ethics of going vegan with friends and family.  One of the ethical arguments often made in favor of the vegan movement centers on the question of sustainability – the argument that vegan eating is a more “sustainable.”  There are others, but this is the one I’m interested in today.

Why?  I think this question bears investigating.  Although there have been many documentaries made on the subject of the global meat packing industry, yet far less attention has been paid to the impact of plant-based food production.

A brief review of the history of global food production provides some insight.  In the early 1900′s, the European scientific community had a growing concern about the global population.  With global population standing at about 2 billion people, there was a fear that mankind had reached a plateau for population growth, and the planet could not sustain more people.  There were warnings of mass starvation and famine, as arable cropland was being depleted.  The problem was nitrogen, and the nitrogen cycle.  There just wasn’t enough.

Nitrogen makes up 78% of the earth’s atmosphere, in an inert, unusable form, and the ability of plants to grow is limited by the amount of nitrogen available for growth.  At this point in human history, the need for fertilizers to improve crop yields had been recognized, and naturally occurring fertilizers were used regularly in crop production.  However, sources of nitrogen at the time were limited to “organic” materials.  Specifically, sources of nitrogen included manure, certain legumes, and to a lesser extent, lightning.  And farmers were rapidly approaching the limit to how quickly they could replace the nitrogen used by the crops they were growing.  We had reached the threshold of sustainability.

The Invention Of Artificial Fertilizers

Prior to 1913, by virtue having tons bird guano (read:  poo) on its shorelines, Chile was the world’s largest supplier of nitrogen.  Being the supplier of nearly 57% of the nitrogen to the globe made them a strategic target.  Not only because of the importance of nitrogen as a source of fertilizer, also for the production of gunpowder.  This strategic importance led to the first naval battle of World War I being fought off the coast of Chile, as Germany sought to secure their nitrogen supply.  Unfortunately for the Germans, the British Navy reigned supreme and effectively cut the Germans off from their supply of nitrogen.

With a single stroke, most experts believed Germany should have exhausted its supply of nitrogen by 1916, which should have effectively brought an end to the war.  Hampered by their ability to feed their population, and produce munitions, they should have been starved into submission.  However, there’s a reason most chemistry texts from the early 1900′s are written in German, as they were the leaders in the field of chemistry at the time.

Working together, two patriotic German chemists, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch successfully commercialized the production of artificial fertilizers, after finding a way to “fix” nitrogen from the atmosphere, and collect it in the form of ammonia.  Their process for producing ammonia went to full-scale production in Germany, thereby allowing the war effort to proceed, as officials could continue the production of munitions and supply food to the populace without the need for Chilean guano.

Artificial fertilizers had arrived.  By 1934, their process had swept the globe, and Chile’s exports of guano plunged.

Fritz Haber, a Jewish chemist, went on to further refine his process, and advance his understanding of ammonia and other toxic gases.  In 1915, he directed the first gas attack in history, and developed Zykon B, which the Germans used liberally in World War II.  He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1920 for his contribution to the process for producing artificial fertilizers.  Talk about ironic.

It has been said the process for fixing nitrogen, which allows for the production of artificial fertilizers, is the most important discovery of the 20th century.  This process is responsible for tremendous improvements in crop yields, which by some estimates is the entire reason 40% of the people currently alive on our planet were ever born.

As you can see, the history of nitrogen and artificial fertilizers is dark and tainted.  And even though our ability to produce artificial fertilizers has allowed our population to swell, it hasn’t come without cost.

Sources

Chemical Engineering

This post originally came from Greg Hayes who writes about fitness, health, and clean living from the perspective of a middle aged man.

The Dilema Between Vegan Ethics And Artificial Fertilizers

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It’s been 2 months now since we decided to try our hands at building a raised bed vegetable garden.  Now that we’ve had a chance to give the plants a little time to grow, I thought it about time to post an update on our progress.

How To Square Foot Garden – Updated

I’ve tried my hand at small scale gardening in the past, but never very seriously.  In the past, I’ve chucked in some mulch and tilled that into a small plot of soil.  Then we would add some plants and let them go.  Inevitably, after the first 4 – 6 weeks, we would get busy with other work around the house, and the garden, such as it was, was left to fend for itself.

The advantages of square foot gardening, particularly with a raised bed, have started to become apparent.  With this garden, we’ve given more attention to the project, and at this point, the garden has remained essentially weed-free.   I can honestly say that the Mel’s mix recipe that we used has probably helped with that.  Aside from pulling up a few weeds by hand, we’ve spent virtually no time weeding, and haven’t used a hoe at all.  I also bought a longer garden hose, and during weeks that rain has been sparse, I’ve pulled the hose out and soaked the garden well, watering at the root level of the plants.  So, the advantages in terms of care have been apparent.

In terms of plant growth and yield, our original raised bed garden plan started plants from seeds in a tabletop greenhouse.  The plants were transplanted to the garden after 3 weeks.  That didn’t work out so well for us.  Essentially, everything died after 3 weeks.  So much for my green thumb.

After another week, we bought some starter plants.  These came in the form of a variety of peppers.  We also tried putting out cucumber seeds, corn, lettuce, and canteloupe.  A large number of these seeds have sprouted and started coming up nicely.  Yesterday, I picked the first Anaheim pepper and used it in a salad.  So, we’re starting to see some small fruits of our labor.

Just this week, my wife made the kind observation that although the plants are living, they’re not really thriving.  Unfortunately, I have to agree.  Although I have applied fertilizer, it was 10-10-10, with about two weeks between applications.  Although this spurred some growth, the plants just put on some quick growth and then it ended.

So yesterday, I purchased a box of Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food.  I mixed it with water, adding 5 tablespoons of mix to a 5-gallon bucket, and applied the fertilizer at the base of the plants in our little garden.  We’ll see how this affects their growth.  Hopefully, the next time I report in, things are looking a little better.

One little addition you may have noticed in the upper right quadrant is a pair of strawberry plants.  Hopefully, next year our gardening project may expand a bit and we’ll end up turning this garden into a strawberry patch.  That would be pretty neat, as my youngest goes through strawberries like I drink water!

To read more about this project, check out the full project at my 2010 Raised Vegetable Garden Project page.

This post originally came from Greg Hayes who writes about fitness, health, and clean living from the perspective of a middle aged man.

How To Square Foot Garden — A 2 Month Update

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An estimated 16% of American have a tattoo, with about one-third of people between the age of 25-29 bearing some kind of body art.  But one has to wonder if they truly knew all the risks of getting a tattoo before going under the needle.  Some recent reports would suggest tattoo remorse is nearly as prevalent as tattoos themselves.  Read below to find out more.

What Are The Risks Of Getting A Tattoo?

Some time ago, my wife wrote a post for me about why getting old sucks, and how it changes your perspective on life.  Since that time, I’ve watched at least three people go through a tattoo stage.  Now I’m watching a fourth, and it makes me wonder if its really a good idea.

Tattoo Risks

When most people think about the risks of getting a tattoo, they’re concerned with the potential of blood-borne pathogens.  It’s a valid concern, but its not the whole story.

Getting a tattoo requires the injection of inks into the skin.  Tattoo applicators use a needle attached to a device that operates much like a sewing machine, so that the needle vibrates rapidly, making multiple tiny injections.  Just like any cut, this is a wound, and carries all the risks from wound formation.  Concerns about blood-borne pathogens are very real, and most experts recommend inspecting any potential tattoo parlor closely for cleanliness.  Things to look for include:

• Is the parlor clean and organized.
• Do they have an autoclave for sterilizing equipment?
• Are all the needles single-use and wrapped in sterile packaging?
• Do the artists wear disposable latex gloves?

But the concerns about tattoos don’t really stop at the application stage.  It turns out the FDA has never approved the use of inks for injection into the skin, and there have been very few studies on the safety of inks.  It has been shown that some people develop allergies to the inks, with an allergic reaction to red pigments being the most common.  These kinds of allergies may occur even years after the initial injection, and can lead to painful swelling, hives, or itching.  In a worse case scenario, some inks have even been found to contain heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and nickel, which can cause cancer or birth defects.  There has been at least one such lawsuit over heavy metals in tattoo inks, which was filed in California.

What is known is that the body may metabolize some of the inks slowly over time, and no studies have been done to understand the impact of those metabolites.  From a cosmetic perspective, when coupled with sun exposure, this metabolism may lead to fading, which explains why some tattoos require refreshing over time.

Tattoo Regret

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, of the 24% of people between the age of 18-50, about 1 out of 6 of those (17%) have said they would like to have it removed.  According to the report, the removal process usually includes lasers, tuned to the frequency at which the pigments absorb.  The destroyed pigments can then be absorbed by the lymphatic system, and excreted by normal means.  Dermatologists charge by the square inch for removal, so the process is both expensive, not to mention time consuming.  By most reports, the process of removing the tattoo is far more painful than receiving one.

I know several people who are at various phases of getting a tattoo.  For me, the risks of getting a tattoo far outweigh any perceived benefit.  After all, we were made in an image that needs no embellishment.

Photo Credit

This post originally came from Greg Hayes who writes about fitness, health, and clean living from the perspective of a middle aged man.

Do You Know All The Risks Of Getting A Tattoo?

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