A Generation To Come

[taif dhia]

(01-26-2012 05:25 AM)Newgeninsubordinate Wrote:  I was thinking about a hydroponic system that recycles its own water while utilising green energy sources like solar power to power its pump and light. The problem is with the nutrients. What I am trying to figure out is if we can use old plants to fertilise new plants in this kind of system. If we can, we can produce plants in many more environments. Permaculture seems like a great idea btws it expands the horizon of what we are capable of doing to change the environment in significant ways.

i was reading about a project like that a while back, ive searched everywhere to post a link but i cant find it. dude had a greenhouse, heated by surrounding active compost piles and chickens ( who's exhaled co2 boosted the growth of the plants), w/ a hydroponic garden/ tilapia aquaculture system. in wisconsin or somewhere really cold. really inspiring. the water went through the system numerous times.... hydroponics can save water but the problem is after a few cycles there are issues with contamination. so industrial hydroponic systems are all about sterilization and pest control. better to recycle the water a few times then send it into the ground for filtration, and pump it out in the dry season.

regarding technology and gmos... there is a lot of interesting innovation happening. im not anti technology per se, but when it comes to application there is always pros/cons when it comes to tech. so what u say about gmos is what they were saying they would accomplish when they first came out, however, their main application today is for herbicide tolerance, bt crops, and terminator genes. in practice, they need more chemicals, not less ( can back this up w/ sources if u want). and bt crops have been linked with all kinds of health issues from sterilization to cancer to organ failure, in rats, in the studies out there that werent funded by the biotech companies. then there is the issue of genetic pollution... there is interesting genetic modification happening in the field of algae based biofuels, where they have created a algae that makes diesel, directly. sounds awesome, but u can imagine what would happen if it were released into the environment.... so, imo the cons far outweigh the pro's. its mostly 1980s science. besides, genetic research into ag solutions has moved into genome assisted plant breeding, which looks much more promising without the craziness of transgenic mutations. basically breeding crops by taking the heirloom varieties alreadym, adapted to local bioregions by centuries of farmer selection, then maping their genome to enhance certain traits ( like salty water resistance) through selective breeding... instead of imposing a bunch of clones that are very susceptive to disease due to their lack of genetic diversity. thats the kinda stuff that gives me hope for future generations, problem is, it wont make massive profits....