Surviving Climate Change

Chapter 1Part 1: Fresh Water Shortages and Climate Change Affecting our Food ProductionPart 2: Health in America over the next 25 years

Chapter 2 US Energy, Pollution, and Climate Change

Chapter 3 Top-Soil Erosion and Agricultural Runoff\Leaching

Chapter 4 Green Sustainable Economy

Chapter 5 Helping Farmers and the Top Companies Adapt to a New and Changing Economy

Chapter 6 Infrastructure

Chapter 7 Cleaning Up Our Pollution Problem

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Part 1 Problem: Fresh water shortages and climate change affecting our food and agriculture production.

The oceans of the Earth cover 70% of the surface but the question is how much water is

available for humans to use. The majority of the water on Earth is salt leaving only 2.5%

as fresh. The majority of that fresh water is frozen in the icecaps, in soil moisture, or

unreachable aquifers leaving those sources too difficult for us to reach them. Only 1% of

all the fresh water on Earth (precipitation, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs) is accessible for

are direct use but that is only because of the renewable snow and rain fall each year.

We have used water control for a long time starting about 7000 years ago we invented

irrigation because of water shortages. We have used drainage, damns, and

impoundment also to change landscapes and water flows. The primary motivating factor

for our alteration of freshwater supplies since antiquity has been for agricultural

purposes. Agriculture is responsible 87% of all fresh water use in the world. In the

present human uses include irrigation, household\municipal, and industrial uses. Over

the last 100 years there has been a dramatic increase in the mining of fossil water from

our un-renewable reservoirs.

World water use can be classified in two ways consumptive and non-consumptive.

Consumptive use refers to water that is not returned to streams after use such as

evaporation (irrigation in arid areas) and plant transpiration (thirsty plants like cotton) re-

entering the atmospheric pool. Non-consumptive water is water returned to the surface

from runoff via agriculture, domestic, and industrial uses. A great deal of non-

consumptive water is contaminated though and pollutes other fresh water sources

leading to outbreaks, unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation, and disease.

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Fresh water will be a critical limiting resource for many regions in the near future.

Almost 2.5 billion people live in places that are experiencing water stress. Part of the

problem is that population is growing (demand is increasing) and as we grow we use,

pollute, and contaminate more of our renewable supply (supply is decreasing). The

hydrological cycle means that we always have the same amount of water on Earth (non-

renewable resource).

Underground sources and runoff diverted from rivers and damns is where we get the

majority of our water, this withdrawal of this water is known as available runoff (AR).

Over a quarter of global runoff is renewable the rest is flood water and too difficult to

capture. The only option that is currently being used to increase (AR) is to build more

damns to catch more flood waters. New damns over the past century have been built at

about 900 per year, worldwide today we build 500 and in the future we will build only

350 per year. Today we use about 54% of are (AR) but because of the slowdown in

damn construction, population growth, and pollution we will use about 70% of that

supply by 2025. In the next few decades we will run out of our fresh water supply if we

do nothing.

We need large improvements in the efficiency of water use for example irrigation of

crops wastes as much as 60% of the water that was intended for agriculture. Using

modern technology we can manage our fresh water supply more efficiently for example

Israel supports its nation’s needs with as little as 500 cubic meters per person where the

USA uses 3000 cubic meters per person. Water is often wasted because it is

undervalued. Subsidies especially for agricultural use don’t give any incentive for

anyone to change but removing them would force us to use more efficient water

technologies. For water sustainability we need to act now.

Agriculture is very important to the world not only because of food but it contributes

hundreds of billions to the world economy. Our Agriculture and fisheries are highly

dependent on specific climatic conditions. The increase in temperatures and CO2 levels

will boost some plants growth but only if all the other needs of the plant have also been

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met (water\nutrients). The increase in floods, droughts, and early\late freezes pose a

huge threat to our production. The increase in world water temperatures will cause

mass migration disrupting ecosystems. It is clearly going to be more difficult to grow

crops, raise animals, and catch fish in the future.

Climate change including temperature, CO2, and extreme weather will reduce crop

yields for many different reasons. With warmer temperatures crops will grow and mature

faster reducing yield. With higher CO2 some crops will benefit but only with cool

temperature, good soil moisture, and proper nutrient levels or the benefits could be

reversed. More extreme weather such as floods, droughts, and freezes will cause

farmers to lose billions. More still with higher temperatures weeds, pest, and fungi will

migrate north causing problems for farmers unexposed crops resulting in the use of

more unhealthy and expensive (US 11 billion a year) petro based pesticides and

fungicides.

With 30% less rainfall projected fertile farmland is now becoming desert. Ice melting in

the polar region from the rise in CO2 is causing a runaway release of methane from the

deep cold water in the oceans in turn spiking global worming even further.

The changing climate will put stress on our livestock increased heat waves will make

animal vulnerability to disease, cause low birth rate, and reduce yields. Drought will kill

pasture and feed supplies, higher temps will make it easier for parasites and diseases

to survive, floods will spur pathogens, and more CO2 will result in less quality pasture

causing the animal to haft to eat more to get the same nutritional benefit.

With overfishing, pollution, higher ocean temps, and more CO2 the ecosystems of the

ocean are under stress. Many marine species have certain temperature ranges at which

they can survive higher temps can extinct species. Higher temps are changing the

range of many forms of aquatic life resulting in competition between species. Disease

will also spread easier in warmer water causing more declines. Changes in the seasons

will affect the timing of reproduction and migrations causing more declines. Finally the

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oceans are becoming more acidic because of increases in CO2 weakening shellfish and

threatening the structures of witch ecosystems rely on.

Chapter 1 Part 1 Solution: Aquaponic Geodesic Climate Controlled Domes.

Aquaponic Agriculture

Aquaponics is a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture

(raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with

hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal

aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water,

increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to

a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria

into nitrates and nitrites, which are utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then

recalculated back to the aquaculture system. As existing hydroponic and aquaculture

farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and

types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found

in either distinct farming discipline.

Geodesic Domes

Domes are very efficient structures enclosing the largest volume of interior space with

the least amount of surface area saving material, time, and money. When a domes

diameter is doubled it will quadruple its square footage and produce eight times the

volume. Geodesic domes get stronger the larger they get. Energy and air are allowed to

circulate without obstruction enabling heating and cooling to occur naturally. Exposure

to heat and cold is decreased because being spherical there is the least surface are per

unit of volume per structure. Concave interior creates natural airflows allowing hot or

cool air to circulate evenly throughout the structure. The greenhouse dome acts like a

giant reflector trapping heat preventing radiant heat loss. Domes save 30% or more

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energy than other structures helping to reduce our carbon footprint. Geodesic Domes

have been designed to withstand high winds and extreme temperatures as seen in the

Polar Regions.

Aquaponics is the world’s most productive food system in terms of water use efficiency.

Gallons of water per $100 of output:

Rice 117,500 gallons

Cotton 40,000 gallons

Milk 36,750 gallons

Sugar 30,975 gallons

Beef cattle 20,300 gallons

Field Crops 9,475 gallons

Wheat 6,125 gallons

Non-Organic Hydroponic crops 150 gallons

Aquaponics fish and lettuce 125 gallons

Aquaponics fish and basil 43 gallons

Aquaponics fish, barramundi, herb combination 4 gallons

Growing food in climate controlled greenhouses ensures no failed crops and fresh

quality food year round. Aquaponic greenhouses recirculate all the rain water collected

only using about 10% of the water that field crops require in a year. These greenhouses

produce about 40% more food per square foot, taking less space making them

adaptable for any use like rooftops in combo with rain collection.

In greenhouses you can control pest, mold, and disease so there is very little or no need

for petro-chemical pesticides or herbicides. There also is no need for natural gas

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derived fertilizer because the fish provide all the organic nutrients needed. This saves

the farmer money and from having to use unhealthy products on their crops. The

greenhouse only needs a small amount of power to run two pumps and fans using up to

90% less overall energy for farming i.e. (farm equipment, fright shipping, manufacturing,

storage, and individual energy use).

If we had local aquaponic farms in every town and city we could eliminate a lot of

wasted energy and pollution from the transport, manufacturing, and storage of our

industrialized food system. Growing food local eliminates the need to transport and

fresh food doesn’t need to be manufactured or stored its ready to eat right off the vine

where it contains the most nutrition. It would also cut the price of food almost in half

because transporting it 1000 miles from grower to retailer can make up to 40% of the

average cost.

More work must be done on this technology to help speed up its infrastructure but with

the need it will force us to do so. There are countries that are leading the way such as

United States, Canada, Australia, and now Israel is pioneering salt-water aquaponics.

This is needed for ultimate worldwide water and food security.

Chapter 1 Part 2 Problem: Health in America over the next 25 years.

Some facts on the world health report about global health situations and trends from

1955 to 2025. Population will grow at least 80 million (220,000 a day) people a year to

reach 8 billion by 2025. In 1955 almost 70% of people lived in rural areas, but today

people are migrating from rural areas to urban cities and by 2025 the rural population is

expected to be 40% less. The population of older people requiring support from adults

of working age will increase from 10.5% in 1955 to 17.2% in 2025. The old/young ratio

was 16/100 in 1955 and by 2025 it will be 31/100. By 2025, increases of up to 300% of

the older population are expected in many developing countries. Life expectancy in

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1955 was 48 years and by 2025 it will be 73 years, also by 2025 no country will have a

life expectancy of less than 50 years. Many thousands of people born this year will live

through the 21st century.

Leading causes of global deaths in 1997 were a total of 52.2 million deaths, 17.3 million

were due to infectious and parasitic diseases; 15.3 million were due to circulatory

diseases; 6.2 million were due to cancer; 2.9 million were due to respiratory diseases,

and 3.6 million were due to prenatal conditions. Leading causes of death from infectious

diseases were acute lower respiratory infections (3.7 million), tuberculosis (2.9 million),

diarrhea (2.5 million), HIV/AIDS (2.3 million) and malaria (1.5 - 2.7 million). Most deaths

from circulatory diseases were coronary heart disease (7.2 million), cerebrovascular

disease (4.6 million), and other heart diseases (3 million). Leading causes of death from

cancers were those of the lung (1.1 million), stomach (765,000), colon and rectum

(525,000), liver (505,000), and breast (385,000).

The infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 148 in 1955 and is projected to be 29

by 2025. The under-5 mortality rates per 1000 live births for the same years are 210,

and 37. By 2025 there will still be 5 million deaths among children under five annually -

97% of them in the developing world, and most of them due to infectious diseases such

as pneumonia and diarrhea, combined with malnutrition. There are still 24 million low-

birth weight babies born every year. They are more likely to die early, and those who

survive may suffer illness, stunted growth and problems into adult life. In 1995, almost

30% of all children under 5 worldwide were underweight. Mortality rates are 5 times

higher among underweight children than those of normal weight. About half of deaths

among children under 5 are associated with malnutrition. At least 2 million a year of the

under-five deaths could be prevented by existing vaccines and most of the rest are

preventable by other means.

Infectious diseases will dominate the developed and developing countries, as the

economies of these countries grow, non-communicable diseases will become more

prevalent. This will be due largely to risk factors including smoking, high-fat diet, obesity

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and lack of exercise. Heart disease and stroke have declined as causes of death in

recent decades, while death rates from cancers have risen. Almost 2 million adults died

of AIDS in 1997 and the annual death toll is likely to continue to rise. Diabetes cases in

adults will more than double globally from 143 million in 1997 to 300 million by 2025

largely because of dietary and other lifestyle factors. Cancer will remain one of the

leading causes of death worldwide. Only one-third of all cancers can be cured by earlier

detection combined with effective treatment. By 2025 the risk of cancer will continue to

increase in developing and industrialized countries. Cases and deaths of lung cancer

and colorectal cancer will increase, largely due to smoking, pollution, and unhealthy

diets. Lung cancer deaths will rise in virtually all industrialized countries. Breast cancer

on average deprives women of at least 10 years of their life expectancy, while prostate

cancer reduces male average life expectancy by only 1 year. Almost 15 million adults

aged 20-64 are being diagnosed and over 8 million are dying every year from cancer.

Most of these deaths are premature and preventable.

Chapter 1 Part 2 Solution: Healthy diet and physical activity.

A study on diet and physical activity patterns, and the major nutrition-related chronic

diseases was done to help prevent death and disability from major nutrition-related

chronic diseases. Nutrient intake and physical activity goals should contribute in the

development of regional strategies and national guidelines to reduce the burden of

disease (not to mention cost) related to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease,

several forms of cancer, osteoporosis and dental disease.

Obesity is caused by the imbalance between an unhealthy diet and not enough physical

activity. Increasing physical activity and eating a healthy diet will reduce and prevent

unhealthy weight gain. Changes need to be made in our social understanding of health

and the way our bodies work so that people have the right information to make better

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choices. Diabetes risk goes up with excess weight gain, being overweight or obese and

physical inactivity. Diabetes leads to increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease,

stroke and infections. Increased physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight play

critical roles in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases, (the

major killers worldwide) are due to unbalanced diets and physical inactivity. Risk of their

main forms, heart disease and stroke, is reduced by eating less bad fats, and sufficient

amounts good fats from fruits and vegetables and less salt, as well as by physical

activity and controlling weight. Reduction of salt intake helps reduce blood pressure, a

major cause of cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco is the number one cause of cancer,

but dietary factors contribute significantly to some types of cancer. A healthy weight will

reduce the risk for cancers of the esophagus, colorectal, breast, endometrial and

kidney. Limiting alcohol intake will reduce risk for cancers of the mouth, throat,

esophagus, liver and breast. An adequate intake of fruit and vegetables should further

reduce risk and help the immune system survive treatment for oral cavity, esophagus,

stomach and colorectal cancer. Osteoporosis and bone fractures are a problem of older

people. Adequate intakes of calcium and of vitamin D in populations with high

osteoporosis rates helps to reduce fracture risk, so does sun exposure and physical

activity to strengthen bones and muscles. Dental disease is preventable by limiting the

frequency and amount of consumption of sugars and acidic food or drink and by

appropriate cleaning practices. Erosion of teeth by dietary acids in beverages or other

acidic foods and poor cleaning practices contribute to tooth and gum destruction.

Physical activity plays a key role in burning energy in the body which has many positive

benefits including muscle mass, promotes a healthy body, and weight control. Physical

inactivity is already a major global health risk and is prevalent in both industrialized and

developing countries. Healthy diets and physical activity are necessary for a long and

healthy life. Eating organic nutrient dense foods and balancing energy intake with the

necessary physical activity to maintain a healthy weight is essential at all stages of life.

Unbalanced consumption of foods high in energy (sugar, starch and/or fat) and low in

essential nutrients contributes to energy excess, overweight and obesity. The amount of

the energy consumed in relation to physical activity and the quality of food are the key

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determinants of nutrition related chronic disease.

Information can orient and guide consumers to eat less high-calorie foods, especially

foods high in saturated or trans fats and sugar, be physically active, use less salt; enjoy

fruits, vegetables and aquatic life. This consumption pattern is not only healthier but

more favorable to the environment and sustainable development.

To prevent nutrition-related chronic diseases, strategies and policies should fully

recognize the essential role of both diet and physical activity in determining good

nutrition and optimal health. Policies and programmers must address the need for

change at the individual level as well as the modifications in society and the

environment to make healthier choices accessible and preferable.

In communities, districts and nations in which widespread, integrated interventions have

taken place, dramatic decreases in NCD-related death and disability have occurred.

Successes have come about where people have acknowledged that the unnecessary

premature deaths that occur in their community are largely preventable and have

empowered themselves and their civic representatives to create health-supporting

environments.

This has been achieved most successfully by establishing a working relationship

between communities and governments; through enabling legislation and local

initiatives affecting schools and the workplace; involving food producers and processing

industry. Beyond the rhetoric, this epidemic can be halted – the demand for action must

come from those affected. The solution is in our hands.

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Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Problem: Energy, Pollution, and Climate Change.

Energy is the engine of our modern economic society but with comfort, convenience,

and prosperity brings pollution, impoverishment, and global warming. Keeping the same

benefits while minimizing the negative effects will be a challenge in the future.

Energy use increases with increasing population, land area, and industrial activity.

Oil, gas, and coal make up the majority of energy consumed in the U.S. about 90% of

all the energy used in the nation. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and

contribute to global warming. In the U.S. we use 25% of the world’s oil and import more

than half of that supply. The success of the U.S. economy is dependent on cheap

energy. Price fluctuations will be exaggerated because availably supply is decreasing.

Our political relationships with other oil producing nations (two thirds world oil is in the

Middle East) will be significant.

External costs (cost we pay indirectly) of the combustion of fossil fuels are air pollution,

taxes, health insurance, medical bills, and landfill fees. Coal is even less attractive if you

add the external health and pollution cost. Electric utilities consume 90% of all the coal

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in the U.S. witch contribute nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide pollution to the

atmosphere causing acid rain and other problems. World coal reserves will last at

current consumption rate for at least a hundred years but the increase in pollution and

global warming will not be sustainable for more than few decades.

Nuclear power has fallen out of favor mostly because of the Three Mile Island (1979),

Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011) accidents. Today it is only about 5% of total

World energy use. The pros are: no air pollution, no greenhouse effect, and a reduction

of foreign oil use. The cons are: 50 year old nuclear power plants are in need of

replacement, accidental meltdowns (earthquake etc.), and no safe place to store

nuclear waste.

Renewable energy (less than 10% U.S. energy consumption) is environmentally friendly

including biomass, hydropower, geothermal, solar, and wind. Hydropower and

geothermal have to be orientated to geography so will only work in some places. Solar

is not efficient (10% compared to 50% for coal) enough for present. Wind only accounts

for 0.5% of all U.S. energy but has the potential for up to 20% the problem is we would

need improved transmission lines to get the power from the wind farms (Great Plains)

hundreds of miles to population centers (New York). Nuclear power is less than 10% of

our power consumption and unlikely to undergo a resurgence any time soon because of

recent events. So out of the renewables bio-mass is the only real contender at present

moment in time to replace fossil fuels.

Air Pollution comes from the combustion of fossil fuels and industrial processes. In large

cites these activities are then concentrated causing air pollution \ acid rain and health

problems including (criteria pollutant) negative health effects (carbon monoxide)

reduces oxygen availability (nitrogen dioxide) respiratory illnesses (sulfur dioxide)

respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease (particulates) respiratory illnesses (ozone)

respiratory illnesses, lead anemia, kidney disease, and neurological problems. Mass

transit was developed to reduce the need for so many people to travel to work using

personal vehicles thus reducing pollution. In addition to health effects, air pollution can

also result in acid rain and decreased visibility. Acid rain is precipitated downwind from

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areas with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. Acid rain leaches nutrients from

soil, damages forests, causes the acidification of lakes and rivers, and kills tens of

thousands of people every year.

Chapter 2 Solution 1: Energy from biomass.

Biodiesel fuel from Seed Oil

Seed oil can be refined into fuel for diesel engines. This fuel can be made from any oil

or fat. The reaction requires the oil, methanol, and glycerol, which produces bio-diesel.

When co-fired with 15% methanol, bio-diesel fuel produces 75% less pollution than

petroleum diesel.

Pyrolysis (charcoaling) is a form of extracting energy and fuel from plant stalks. This

technology uses high heat and no air (artificial pressure) applied to biomass. This

process produces charcoal, gasoline, ethanol, non-condensable gasses, acetone,

acetic acid, methanol, and methane. This would reduce emissions from coal-fired power

plants and vehicles. Adjustments can be done to favor oil, gas, or methanol, with 95.5%

fuel-to-feed ratios. The conversion of raw biomass to charcoal or fuel contains about

70% of the original energy at the end of the process. We could set up pyrolysis

refineries to run year round. The refineries would be most cost effective to set up close

to the cash crop creating rural and local jobs spread across the U.S., not to mention

jobs in transportation.

We could use the same refineries used now to process fossil fuel and coal for pyrolysis

saving on infrastructure improvements. Fossil fuel is more efficient in terms of fuel-to-

feed ratio, but there are many advantages to conversion by pyrolysis. First biomass has

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a heating value of up to 8000BTU (about the same as coal) a pound with no sulfur or

ash by-products. Second gasoline, ethanol, methanol, and methane gas could be

produced at less cost than the current cost of oil, coal, or nuclear energy when the

environmental factors are added in. Some of the best producing biomass can yield 1000

gallons of methanol per acre. Third a growing energy crop absorbs CO2 from the air

and releases the same amount when burned for energy (cleaning the atmosphere of

carbon) verse fossil fuel which only adds CO2 to the atmosphere. Fourth the use of

biomass instead of fossil fuel will end acid rain, sulfur-based smog, and starting to

reverse the greenhouse effect instead of adding to it.

We have enough oil to last 100 years and coal the better part of 300 but this puts us all

at risk because of the pollution that causes climate change. In fact leading climatologists

at N.A.S.A. are telling us if we don’t stop using coal for energy worldwide in ten year or

less we won’t be able stop or reverse the greenhouse effect. Also the negative effects

from coals toxic sulfur by-product would prevent 50,000 deaths annually in the U.S.

alone and the destruction of forests, rivers, lakes, and animals.

Through pyrolysis biomass charcoal could be substituted for coal with the benefit of no

sulfur emissions. Up to half of the energy use in the U.S. is for heating and cooling our

structures this power comes from coal but if we used biomass charcoal we could reduce

our pollution emissions up to 50% because of the equal (CO2) balance of biomass

charcoal.

Ethanol is a water-free, high-octane alcohol which can be used as fuel to drive cars.

The use of ethanol-blended fuels such as E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) can

reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases by as much as 37.1%. Ethanol-powered gas

for vehicles was added to Brazilian gas stations in the 70’s because of oil shortages

today they grew ethanol fuel for their vehicles from sugar cane.

Georgia Tech University in conjunction with Mobil Oil Corporation developed a complex

gasifying system to produce ethanol and/or methanol from cubed biomass, or to make

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high-octane lead-free gasoline from the methanol using a catalytic process.

Another process with one of the by-products (cellulose) from extraction of ethanol from

biomass is used in hydrolysis where cellulose is converted to glucose. This could

produce 100 gallons of feedstock (bio-degradable material used in a wide array of

products) for every 2000 pounds of biomass used this way as a positive by-product. The

Fuel and Fiber Company are researching this technology. Their method extracts the

high-value bast fiber as first step. Then the remaining core material (mostly hurd) is

converted to alcohol (methanol, ethanol), and then to glucose.

One of the Cannabaceae’s family plants produces the most biomass of any plant on

Earth.

It is at least four times richer in biomass/cellulose potential than its nearest rivals:

cornstalks, sugarcane, kenaf, trees, etc. This cash crop produces the most biomass of

any crop, which is why it is the natural choice for an energy crop. It converts the sun's

energy into cellulose faster than any other plant, through photosynthesis. It can produce

10 tons of biomass per acre every four months. Enough energy could be produced on

6% (around 90 million acres) of the land in the U.S. to provide enough energy for our

entire country (cars, heat homes, electricity, industry) -- and we use 25% of the world's

energy. 500 million acres of marginal farmland lies fallow. This land could be used to

grow this energy crop.

Chapter 2 Solution 2: Using plants to produce our products pollution free.

All of the Cannabaceae’s family plant products are completely biodegradable,

recyclable, and are also a reusable resource in every aspect: pulp, fiber, protein,

cellulose, oil, or biomass.

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It can grow in any agronomic system, in any climate, and requires no herbicides,

pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides to grow well. This cash crop is its own fertilizer, its

own herbicide, and its own pesticide. These plants only need 10-13 inches of water,

(1/3 of the amount which cotton requires) growing 8-12 feet in 3-4 months.

Using these plants as biomass fuel would also reduce global warming because the

energy crop would pull carbon from the air and release an equal amount when burned,

instead of just releasing carbon as petroleum gasoline does now. Using these plants to

make charcoal, could eliminate the need to burn petroleum coal. Biomass burns with no

sulfur emissions and little ash, which minimize acid rain caused by the burning of coal.

Deforestation is a big problem. Keeping trees alive and standing is necessary to our

oxygen supply. Trees provide the infrastructure which keeps microbes, insects, plants,

fungi, etc. alive. The older and bigger the tree, the better for the environment it is. The

more trees there are, the more oxygen is in the air, which helps reduce global warming.

Growing this cash crop could completely eradicate the necessity to use wood at all

because anything made from wood can be made from this plant, especially paper. The

paper demand is suppose too double in next 25 years, and we simply cannot meet this

demand without clear-cutting all of our forest. Using this plant for paper could reduce

deforestation by half. An acre of this cash crop equals at least 4 acres of trees annually.

This plants paper can be recycled 7 to 8 times, compared with only 3 times for wood

pulp paper and the paper also does not need to be bleached with poisonous dioxins,

which poison waterways.

Carpets made from nylon, polyester, and polypropylene contaminate ground water. This

plants carpet is biodegradable and safe for the ground water when it is discarded. In

1993, carpet made up 1% of solid waste, and 2% of waste by volume.

Our garbage facilities are overfilling with plastics. This plant can make plastics which

are biodegradable.

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Petrochemicals lubricants, paints, sealants, etc., poison the ground when they are

discarded. This cash crop can replace all of these petroleum-based products with non-

toxic biodegradable organic oil-based products.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Problem: Top soil erosion and agricultural runoff\leaching.

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Soil Erosion is the movement of soil by water, wind or gravity. This happens naturally

but industrial farming practices have increased this erosion at a rate of 7 tons per acre

cropland per year. Erosion is worst when soil is not covered by a layer of plants or

decaying matter. Industrial farming is susceptible to this due to intensive plowing which

destroys plant cover and breaks up roots that hold the soil together. Soil formation takes

a very long time, soil erosion is a significant problem; erosion will cause the soil to

become void of nutrients leaving it unsuitable for agriculture. Erosion can lead to

desertification (arid soil to become barren and incapable of sustaining plants for many

years). In just the last 4 decades 30% of the world’s crop land has become unproductive

because of soil erosion. Even small amounts of soil erosion can damage crop land

reducing its water holding capacity and it striping the land of organic matter. Eroded soil

has 3 times less nutrients and 5 times less organic matter left in it. Erosion is the

greatest threat to soil productivity, the loss of soil and water from US cropland

decreases productivity by about $37.6 billion per year. After removing good soil from the

land erosion deposits large amount into waterways polluting it by reducing stream depth

and making cloudier water declining aquatic life. Sediment is the top (NPS) pollutant in

the U.S. due to it disrupting drainage systems, increasing the cost of water treatment,

filling up reservoirs and obstructing waterways. Wind and soil erosion damages

buildings and covers roads, railways, and other structures with soil. The resulting

damages and increased maintenance costs amount to approximately $8 billion per year.

Wind erosion can transport soil particles thousands of miles; soil particles from Africa

have been found as far away as Brazil and Florida. Since wind erosion releases fine

dust particles into the air, it poses a potential threat to human health.

We can prevent and reduce erosion by using sustainable agricultural practices. The

best way to accomplish this is by protecting the soil from wind and rain using cover-

plants or decaying organic matter. With industrial farms loosing tons of soil because of

over plowing, small farmers have used conservative tillage techniques to reduce

erosion. There are three types of efficient plowing are mulch-till, ridge-till, and no-till

techniques. These techniques minimize soil disturbance and leave behind plant parts to

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cover the soil, returning nutrients back to the soil, and covering the soil from the

elements. This can disturb soil up to 90% less than the industrialized method. In

addition to reducing erosion conservative tillage allows soil to retain more moisture thus

reducing soil crusting. This technique saves US farmers over 300 million gallons of fuel

each year reducing carbon from the atmosphere by a billion pounds. Sustainable

farming techniques also use buffer strips around fields to reduce wind erosion and

shrubs along irrigation ditches preventing water erosion. Crop rotation is also a

sustainable agricultural practice it allows farmers too periodically leave fields unplanted

allowing organic matter to accumulate and decompose, thus restoring nutrients to the

soil.

In order to grow plants need sunlight, CO2, water, and nutrients. In nature plants get

there nutrients from the soil. When leaves fall to the ground they decompose releasing

nutrients for future plants. These cycles are different on the industrialized farms

because with continually harvested or grazed land there is very little decaying matter to

return nutrients back to the soil. Farmers used to use cow manure to replenish nutrients

to the soil but today they use cheap non-organic petro-chemicals (about 20 million tons)

to support high-intensity mono-crop systems. These chemicals are massively over

applied only about half of them are absorbed by the crops the rest is washed into our

atmosphere, soils, and waterways (nutrient pollution).

Another problem with large-scale industrial farms is that livestock and crops are grown

on different farms. It is too expensive for industrial livestock operations to ship waste

(manure) to croplands for fertilizer so it is disposed of on the land surrounding the

livestock operation. This then leeches into waterways causing more nutrient pollution.

These nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) end up in rivers, lakes, and

eventually in the oceans causing damage to aquatic ecosystems. The leeched nutrients

cause algae to bloom at rapid speeds reducing the value of waterways and harming

living organisms. The algae then decomposes using dissolved oxygen within the water

in the process witch suffocates aquatic organisms.

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The EPA surveyed water quality in 2004 finding that 44% of streams and rivers, 64% of

lakes, and 30% of estuaries are impaired with agricultural activities (crop production and

animal feeding operations). This nutrient pollution of fresh waterways costs the US at

least 2.2 billion per year. These nutrients damage more than 60% US coastal rivers and

bays killing coral reefs, sea grass, and tremendously reducing aquatic biodiversity.

Nutrient pollution has created a 7700 square mile oxygen-depleted “dead-zone” in the

Gulf of Mexico now devoid of all life. This contaminated water also reaches our local

water supplies leaching into the groundwater we drink. The effects from the pollution

can harm many including babies, children, mothers, and the elderly. In the US,

approximately 40% of all synthetic fertilizers applied to fields eventually change into

ammonia and are released into the atmosphere. Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution is

the primary source of damage to coastal waters in the US. Also 37% of all nitrogen and

65% of all phosphorus inputs to watersheds in the central US were derived from

manure.

Soil is damaged further because synthetic fertilizer fails to restore organic matter to the

soil reducing productivity. This causes soil compaction and the soil to leach its minerals

(calcium, magnesium, and potassium) degrading soil quality. Manure from industrial

livestock operations can also degrade soil. Heavy metals (arsenic, copper, selenium

and zinc) are added to livestock feed to improve growth. The manure lagoons then

leach the heavy metals into the surrounding soil poisoning animals and polluting

groundwater. This manure also contains harmful pathogens, hormones and antibiotics

witch can leach into our water-systems.

Farmers have developed sustainable nutrient management techniques allowing them to

maintain productive soil without degrading the environment. Sustainable farms are able

to use livestock manure (grass grazed manure produced on the farm) to fertilize the

crops. Sustainable farms only have enough livestock to produce the manure needed for

the crops therefore reducing nutrient pollution. This enables farmers to stop using

synthetic fertilizers witch are at least 60% more destructive than organic fertilizers. To

be certified organic USDA requires no use of synthetic fertilizer on produce and organic

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meat must come from animals that were fed crops grown without synthetic fertilizers.

Cover crops can be used by Sustainable farmers to increase nutrient levels in the soil.

When planted after harvests and chopped into no-till mulch cover crops will add organic

matter and nutrients to the soil. This will then reduce the amount of fertilizer needed for

the next year’s crop. In addition to reducing erosion no-till systems will also increase soil

fertility by helping the soil retain moisture, retain more oxygen, decrease water runoff,

prevent crusting and increase long term accumulation of organic matter. No-till planting

systems were used on more than 55 million acres of land in the US that’s almost 20 %

of total planted land.

Chapter 3 Solution: One of the Cannabaceae’s family plants.

Throughout the growing season this cash crops leaves fall to the ground replenishing

the soil with nutrients (70% of nutrients from the plant is retuned to soil) and oxygen.

The CO2 that was absorbed by the plant is stored in the roots and crop residues in the

field. The CO2 is broken down by photosynthesis into carbon and oxygen, with oxygen

being aspirated back into the atmosphere. With each season more CO2 is reduced from

the air and added to the soil. This cash crop roots absorb and dissipate the energy of

rain and runoff which protects fertilizer from leaching. These plants grow tall and give

lots of shade giving the ability to moderate extreme temperature variations, conserving

soil moisture. They also block the wind helping to reduce topsoil erosion. It also loosens

the earth for next season’s crop.

These plants are a great cover or rotational crop. It stabilizes and enriches the soil,

provides weed-free fields with no pesticide or herbicide cost, needs very little water or

nutrients, and every part of the plant is valuable. Rotating with this cash crop and soy

reduces cyst nematodes, a soy-decimating soil parasite, without any chemical input. It

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could be grown as a rotation crop and not compete with any other food crops for the

most productive farmland. Marginal lands make fine soil for this cash crop, or it can be

grown in between growing seasons.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Problem: A Sustainable Economy.

Every major occupational group except farming, fishing, and forestry occupations is

projected to gain jobs between 2012 and 2022. Labor force and the aggregate economy

Projections of the labor force and the aggregate economy serve as the basis for

employment projections. Slower projected growth in the civilian non-institutional

population and declining labor force participation rates limit growth in the labor force,

which in turn limits economic growth. The labor force is projected to grow 0.5% per year

from 2012 to 2022, compared with an annual growth rate of 0.7% during the 2002-12

decade. Due to the aging baby-boom generation, workers ages 55 and older are

expected to make up over 25% of the labor force in 2022. Projected declines in the

labor force participation rates for both men and women are expected to slow labor force

growth. The overall labor force participation rate is projected to decline from 63.7% in

2012 to 61.6% in 2022, continuing the trend from the past decade. Slower labor force

growth is expected to limit potential economic growth. Gross domestic product (GDP) is

projected to increase by 2.6% annually from 2012 to 2022, slower than the 3% or higher

rate often posted from the mid-1990s through mid-2000s.

Chapter 4 Solution: Green Renewable Sustainable Economy.

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Creating a new cash crop market would increase market shares on international basis,

increase profit margins, reduce production cost, increased economies, increased

product development, and the opening of new markets for current and newly developed

products. We would create a new and highly profitable agricultural industry, increased

trade opportunities, an increase in the GNP, improved environmental conditions, new

tax resources, and reduced enforcement cost.

The ability to add additional, profitable, product lines, personal economic savings

resulting from reduced costs of goods resulting from such changes, and the social

benefits inherent in use of more environmentally beneficial products.

Modern law prohibits agricultural production of this cash crop in the US and regulates

the importation and production of products. In the past colonists were required by law to

grow this cash crop (puritans grew it for the Virginia Company 1607). It played a key

role in international trade and the development of a significant agricultural industry

within the emerging USA. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were just a few

political figures growing the industrial crop. Economically, the industry was so vital to the

prosperity of the colonies that the Massachusetts House of Representatives

commissioned a study of the subject in 1765, in which the author, Edmund Quincy,

clearly stated: The two most important materials which the inhabitants of these colonies

should be principally encouraged in the growth of, are Flax and one of the

Cannabaceae’s family plants of any which can be so easily and generally produced in

North America. The first two drafts of the Declaration of Independence were printed on

Cannabaceae’s paper. All the way up through the late 19 th century it exceled as a

domestic agricultural crop and the uses ranged from rope, sail, clothing, medicines, and

paper.

It was a vital war material used in all wars through WW2. As the industrial revolution

started new means of production which incorporated Cannabaceae’s products as

integral parts of the processes were introduced. Even Henry Ford, one of automations

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greatest innovators, envisioned a future where plastics from plant polymers were the

building blocks of almost all products and where fuel was provided by biomass. Ford

even went so far as to develop an all organic car constructed from a combination of the

Cannabaceae’s family and other products and ran on Cannabaceae’s fuel. In 1938,

Mechanical Engineering magazine called it the most profitable and desirable crop that

can be grown.

Other countries such as Canada, (World’s biggest producer sells to World’s biggest

consumer USA) European\Asian countries, and Australia are producing this industrial

crop and are ahead of US markets. US licenses haven’t been granted since the 1950’s

as a result America requires the importation of raw materials, resulting in higher

production costs and decreased competitiveness in both domestic and international

markets.

Agricultural production is divided into areas of specialization because of climate and

geography this is known as regional specialization under each are assorted mixes of

products that are produced. Agricultures location is determined by soil and weather

conditions therefore those products which are adaptable to the widest range of climatic

and geographical conditions provide the greatest potential for agricultural production.

We have 10 farm production regions in the US each one being distinctly different from

the product mixes appropriate to any other region. This Industrial crop unlike nearly all

other common agriculturally valuable products, is unique in its ability to thrive in an

extremely wide range of climates and geographical conditions. As a result of this

property, it can profitably be grown in all 10 regions of the US.

This plant is also very efficient with nutrient requirements allowing it to grow in poor or

good soil conditions. This quality makes this industrial crop ideal for regions where most

cash crops either require extensive (and expensive) fertilization and irrigation, or cannot

be grown efficiently at all. Combined with low labor cost, very high yield per acre

planted, and lack of need for costly insect or weed chemicals, the result is low

production cost, which means lower prices for comparable products. This is a very

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attractive investment catching the eye of the American Farm Bureau Federation where

in 1996 they passed a resolution recommending research into the viability and

economic potential of this industrial plant.

Farmers use cropping sequences to mix profitable products therefore boosting

production. The resulting enterprises are determined by the principle of equal marginal

returns. This cash crop due its low nutrient and water needs, high nutrient return (70%),

and short growing cycle, is an ideal rotational alternative for use with short season high-

demand crops. This then allows farmers to use less resources and a very low average

cost figure on a secondary crop to replace expensive and ecologically damaging

fertilizers there by creating a far more attractive cost curve than is the case for other

agricultural products. This Industrial crop also has many by-products (one being

livestock feed) making it a plant with a range of efficient product mixes outcompeting

other cash crops profit margins.

Agricultural firms being competitive by nature have a need for the most efficient and

cost effective means of production. Producing profitable goods is essential to survive in

our competitive market, thus producing a product with many different uses for a lower

cost will give firms an advantage. The farm market is based largely on speculation of

future estimated harvests (commodities market) and the wide range of uses for its

outputs. This industrial crop can give the investor the edge because of the diverse

applications possible (anything from paper, fuel, food, clothing, and many more)

maximizing production and market possibilities, increasing profits, while minimizing any

substitution effects (resulting price drops for other competitive products). Another

advantage is the industrial crop has so many uses that the likelihood of another

substitute product adversely affecting its product pricing is very low which means long

term stable prices in the marketplace.

This industrial crop requires very little fertilizer and water has no need for insecticides or

herbicides giving it a lower production cost than all other domestic agricultural products.

Not only does this reduce our use of fuel, pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers

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(improving the environment) but the products made from this plant are all bio-

degradable and can be recycled. For example its paper requires far less chemicals than

wood pulp and can be recycled many more times saving the environment and costs. It

produces four times more cellulose per acre than trees do and can have multiple

harvests per year (trees take about 30 years before harvest). Using this industrial plant

for paper, building materials, and other products commonly associated with the lumber

industry would result in a reduction many of the negative effects of logging, including

loss of wildlife habitats, erosion of topsoil due to logging, less oxygen production \ CO2

absorption, and pollution of lakes, rivers, and streams.

This cash crop requires less work, time, and cost and produces many times the yield of

usable products than is the case of any other agricultural product. We could produce

more products at a lower cost for example this crop produces ten times more clothing

per acre than cotton, the clothing is ten times stronger than cotton, it requires 70% less

water than cotton, it requires no pesticides cottons requires exceptionally high

applications, it can grow in all 50 states and cotton only in 10 states, and it is able to

survive variations in the climate and natural disasters offering the clothing industry a

stably priced product for the long run.

In addition this industrial crop’s products include non-polluting fuels and highly nutritious

high-protein oils which exceed the nutritional and industrial values of soybean oils with a

lower cost associated with their extraction. The production of this industrial plant in the

US would significantly influence the balance of trade in a positive direction, as well as

providing a source of additional export revenues instead of import costs on production

as it is now. The most efficient use of land resources clearly favors the production of this

crop as a viable alternative to less efficient uses.

Today in the US it is illegal to produce industrial crop and there is currently no policy by

congress to change this while many other major nations get a head start on this new

green economy. Just by judging how other countries are using this industrial crop we

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can see that there is no need for government subsidies in order to be profitable or

competitive in the farm market. In fact it would reduce the cost of agricultural supports

by the government in that it would offer a highly attractive alternative crop to agricultural

interests who currently rely on subsidized or price supported products as their primary

crops.

All agricultural products are subject to seasonality and natural hazards. Prices follow the

seasons being at a low point after harvest and a high just before resulting in a cyclic

variation which influences both marginal revenues and profits. While this pattern is

necessary single season limited region products like oranges which can only produce

once a year in specific areas where other crops can grow well in a wider range of

climates, or which are adaptable to multi-season, multi-harvest production. This

industrial crop can produce in all geographies and many times a year having far less

negative impacts in the marketplace because it can be grown over a wide region giving

stability and accurate revenue forecasting, with the resultant increases in benefits to the

producer. With natural disasters (late or early droughts, frosts, floods or similar

conditions) the results are failed crops. This crop has a far higher threshold for these

conditions and can survive frost damage and a wide range of geography with respect to

water use. This will allow the cash crop to avoid the dangers of localization adding to

the ease of production and the economic benefits.

Commercial uses for these plants products offer a very wide range of production

possibilities, and thus is particularly appealing to the agricultural firm seeking new

markets. Some of the products which may be, and are being, profitably produced from

this plant include: Animal bedding, auto/boat covers, backpacks, bags (both paper and

canvas), balms, bandages, baseball caps, baskets, bed linens, belts, bio-plastics,

birdseed, books, boots, bread, butter, candlewick, candy, canvas, cardboard, carpeting,

caulking, cellophane, cement, chairs, cheese, cloth and paper napkins, cloth and paper

towels, coffee filters, compost, cosmetics, curtains, cushions, denim, desks, detergents,

diapers, dolls, draperies, duffel bags, dynamite, erosion control, fabrics, fire hoses,

fiberboard, fishnets, flags, floor mats, flooring, flour, fuels, furniture, futons, gloves,

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glues, hammocks, harnesses, hats, ice cream, inks, industrial coatings, industrial oils,

insulation, jackets, jeans, linen, livestock feed, lubricants, luggage, magazines,

medicines, moisturizers, mulches, natural pesticides, nets, newsprint, note pads, oil-spill

absorbents, packaging, paints, paneling, pants, parachutes, particle board, pasta, pet

foods, pharmaceuticals, pillows, plaster, plywood, polymers, protein, purses, quilts,

roofing materials, rope, sails, salad oils, salves, sandals, scarves, shampoos, shirts,

shoes, skirts, slippers, soaps, socks, sofas, stationary, tablecloths, tables, tea, tents,

thread, tissue paper, toilet paper, twine, varnishes, wallets, and wallpaper. With respect

to production, no tree or plant species on earth has the commercial, economic, and

environmental potential of this plant. Over 30,000 known products can be produced

from this industrial crop.

Despite legal obstacles this cash crop is produced in many nations one of which is

Canada they export about $300 million a year worth of these products to the USA. Even

with the legal stipulations this cash crop is competing with other vegetable fiber crops.

In Canada where its production is still limited in scope, and thus the overall production

possibilities are not, as yet, fully realized, the gross revenue generated by chopped stalk

is $750 per hectare, comparable to Ontario corn. Given the far greater production

potential of this cash crop with respect to other fiber crops, and given the increased

agricultural regions in which it can be profitably grown, there is no reason to doubt that

once established it will be a viable worldwide competitor for cotton and wood products.

It is clear to see that this industrial crop would be an enormous economic benefit to the

farm market. Not only would it help the agriculture sector but its extensive economic,

environmental, and social values would provide substantial benefits to the nation itself.

By saving costs from importing this cash crop manufactures would halve incentive to

develop new product lines or incorporate this crop into their current products thus

enhancing domestic production improving the balance of trade and allowing us to

become an export economy (instead of a import one) . In addition, by providing a more

dependable, heartier, and less seasonally affected crop for agricultural interests it would

reduce dependence on government farm subsidies and price supports, thus enhancing

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the economic structure of U.S. agriculture even further.

We as a culture haft to take steps to unlock the potential of this product. First, needed is

more research done on its cultivation using our modern agricultural techniques. Second,

the people, legislators, and other government officials need to be educated on the

economic\environmental benefits for society related to legalizing its cultivation. The last

step would be to allow capitalism to work naturally developing new markets in the US,

and then rest of the world, for the new products that will be brought to market insuring

farmers a way to sell high volumes of this cash crop. Such change is right around the

corner because not only are other major nations producing this valuable cash crop

gaining a key head start in the marketplace, which will eventually force the US to join

the rest of the world and with world resources rapidly depleting we as a species will be

forced to use this very efficient plant as we run out of other options.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Problem: Helping farmers and the top companies adapt to a new and changing economy.

Business must adapt to climate change because as world resources decline so will the

products we produce, driving up costs and driving down profits. Many companies and

corporations today fail to integrate the risks and benefits of climate change in their

business models because of uncertainty or pushing the cart down the road leaving the

problem to our children. A good company prepares for, reacts to and takes advantage

of change. There is change occurring, worldwide in 2004 investments in clean energy

were over $50 billion today it’s five times that annually, but changes in the climate are

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already underway giving us less time to adapt to these new technologies.

This doesn’t mean we should stick our heads in the sand and pretend for something

better, new investments need to be made, policies need to be passed, and programs for

cleaner energy need to be implemented. It is true some don’t want change there is after

all 4 anti-climate lobbyists for every member of the U.S. Senate and House of

Representatives. Still, the climate will change weather people believe in it or not, (the

only constant is change) and there's plenty of money to be made in adapting to those

changes, too—and plenty to be lost by ignoring it. The World Resources Institute

published a report stating that 83% of top companies worldwide thought that climate

change impacts posed a risk to their products or service and 86% said that investing in

adaption would pose a business opportunity but only a small percentage have

integrated adaptation risks and potential rewards into their business models.

The economic cost of climate policy for the market to absorb is estimated to amount to

as much as approximately $8 trillion cumulatively, by 2030. Businesses also have a

major role to play in helping some of the planet's most vulnerable communities weather

the worst of it, from rising seas to scorched crops and diminished fresh water supplies,

among other potential effects. Community risks are business risks, with a massive flood

in Pakistan, for instance, some of those communities are a Global Companies labor

force and the lost crops in the region would also disrupt the marketplace. Companies

are not immune to the risks of climate change so it is in their best interest to help those

communities with resilient infrastructure to ensure access to fresh water and power to

support its work force or investment. The healthier and more resilient these

communities are, the more likely they will become prosperous markets themselves

being then able to support their own infrastructure and other government functions.

The majority of growth in the world market is in the developing countries if we don’t help

them adapt we will lose the areas of future growth. Few integrate climate change into

corporate cultures Coca-Cola, for example, has invested in a partnership linking over

50,000 small farmers in Uganda and Kenya, creating a network of local suppliers for

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their fruit juices. This grants communities access to market opportunities and diversified

incomes, while at the same time creating a more robust and productive local supply

chain for Coca-Cola. CEMEX, the Mexican building materials and cement supplier is

actively working to develop more resilient and affordable housing for low-income

communities, which are often the most vulnerable to climate change. These companies

remain isolated though from the larger business models under which most companies

operate. We need to invest for our future now, just in the Gulf Coast region climate

change damage will amount to $350 billion over the next 2 decades alone. Evidence of

shifting and more violent weather will increase but many companies remain fixated on

the status quo.

Chapter 5 Solution: Adapting Private/government co-operation and tax incentives making the biggest losers the largest investors and intern the beneficiaries making it possible for a transition.

Adapting a business to a green economy requires three key questions: One why does

climate adaption matter to a company? Two how will the company position itself to

navigate the risks of a warming world? Three how will the company engage partners to

minimize risks and seize opportunities? To do this, companies must connect climate

adaptation to the company and corporate culture, integrate climate adaptation into core

strategic business planning processes, aligning business objectives with adaptation

priorities, building a portfolio of climate-resilient goods and services, building mutually

beneficial strategies with stakeholders; building communication channels, and

partnering with internal and external decision-makers.

Governments and policymakers have a large part to play in this adaption, playing a

central role in catalyzing private sector provision of goods and services that support

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climate change adaptation and encouraging climate-resilient business practices. To

create a facilitating environment for private sector investment in climate change

adaptation policymakers can demonstrate policy and finance commitment to adaptation,

engage businesses as stakeholders in planning and implementation, stimulate the

market for adaptation through financial and risk-reduction incentives, develop policy and

regulatory frameworks to guide corporate practices, provide businesses with the

information and tools they need to make investments that support climate adaption in

vulnerable communities, and consider new forms of public-private partnerships to tackle

the most complex challenges to sustainable development and climate resilience.

The World Bank estimates that developing countries will need $70-$100 billion annually

through 2050 to adapt to climate change, governments (public sector) cannot reach

these financial goals alone. We need the human, technical, and financial resources of

people and companies from the private sector in combination with National

governments. Governments haft to be able to support and stimulate the private sector

allowing climate adaption to be possible.

First, we need to design climate resilient products, protect our supply chains from

extreme weather, and incorporate climate change into community outreach endeavors.

Governments can do this by raising awareness about climate change and providing

technical assistance to help companies in specific sectors adapt to its effects.

Government can also create concessional loans, match funding, tax credits for strategic

adaptation investments, grants or subsidies, or extension of credit lines to the financial

industry. For example if there was a drought in a country, that countries government

could investigate whether there are businesses in the agricultural sector that are already

investing in making climate-resilient products and processes. If a business created a

solar well pump that has a timer built in so water is turned on only as needed

conserving water the government could support this product giving vouchers to small-

holder farmers to purchase this solar well pump. Governments can also make

actionable information on climate change available such as providing farmers with

access to reliable precipitation forecasts, giving them the ability to take greater

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precautions by collecting and storing rainwater for dry spells. Governments can also

provide technical assistance in drip irrigation and other interventions that can safeguard

crops from drought.

Second, some companies aren’t adapting for climate change because of cost or a

higher risk. In many cases, this investment is necessary for the sustainability of the firm

or the benefit of the community. Governments can help correct market failures by

creating policies that have indirect effects on building resilience such as introducing

tiered water-pricing schemes as a way to stimulate investments in water conservation. A

better managed water system could help provide a stable supply in drought-prone

regions. Governments can create incentive for small business to stimulate

developments in local climate change solutions. They can also set standards and

regulate for instance governments can set standards for climate smart buildings insuring

that investment is made in more resilient structures and they can regulate zoning

keeping structures away from areas prone to hurricane, flood, tornado or other disaster

events. Government actions in this category will depend on the private sector helping to

facilitate in this change.

Third, public-private partnerships in the past have been unlikely because the private

sector has seen pubic investment as unprofitable such as water infrastructure, flood

protection, and disaster management have been traditionally a Pubic investment.

Nevertheless, governments can still urge the private sector to play a role by

implementing government-funded projects. For example, (looking at the agricultural

sector) when a drought destroys food crops the public sector will step in pay for and

supply the affected population but because the government does not have the

transportation infrastructure to deliver the supplies they can enlist the private sector to

transport the food and water supplies to the afflicted people. This could be adapted to

tackle any problem such as building large-scale water tanks or constructing canals that

bring water to areas that are water-scarce. These types of relationships benefit the

private sector, public sector, and vulnerable communities. With sea levels rising, floods

intensifying, and drought periods extending in many countries, it’s time for governments

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to consider the tools and processes at their disposal for ensuring their private sectors

are helping build a climate-resilient society.

An example:

Oregon’s Incentives

Tax Incentives

Oregon offers globally competitive tax incentives to encourage businesses to locate in

Oregon, as well as existing Oregon businesses to grow and prosper.

Enterprise Zones—In exchange for locating or expanding in an enterprise zone,

businesses receive exemption from local property taxes on new plant and equipment for

at least three years (but up to five years) in the standard program. In addition, many

zones can offer special incentives for investments in long-term rural facilities or

electronic commerce operations.

Strategic Investment Program—The Strategic Investment Program exempts a portion of

very large capital investments from property taxes for 15 years. The program is

available statewide.

Construction-in-Process—With timely filing for each of up to two years, unfinished

facility improvements may be exempt from local property taxes. In an enterprise zone,

most authorized businesses enjoy a somewhat broader tax abatement using another

form.

The Oregon Investment Advantage—This program helps businesses start or locate in a

number of Oregon counties by providing a multi-year, income tax (on new business

operations) deduction potentially eliminating state business tax liability during an eight-

or nine-year period after operations begin.

Employer-provided Dependent Care Tax Credit—A 50% income tax credit for the

annual cost of assisting employees with childcare and similar needs.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit—a federal tax credit incentive that Congress provides to

private-sector businesses for hiring individuals from target groups who have consistently

faced significant employment barriers.

Research Tax Credits—Corporate income tax credit for qualified research and basic

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research conducted each year in Oregon, as a state-level extension to the federal R&D

tax credits.

Renewable Energy and Related Incentives

Rural Renewable Energy Development Zones—A three- to five- year exemption from

property taxes on new investments in wind energy farms, biofuel production facilities

and other eligible projects in a designated county.

State Energy Loan Program (SELP)—for renewable energy, including manufacturing

facilities. Loans range from 5 to 20 years and $20,000 to $20 million, depending on the

borrower's need and financial situation. The Oregon Department of Energy finances

these low-interest loans through the issuance of state general obligation bonds.

Renewable Energy Development Grants—Competitive for energy production systems

that produce energy from renewable sources.

Biomass Producer or Collector Tax Credits—Income tax credit available to agricultural

producers and biomass collectors for the production or collection of biomass that is to

be used in Oregon as biofuel or to produce biofuel. The credit is based on the amount of

biomass transferred to a biofuel producer during the tax year. This credit may be

transferred to an Oregon taxpayer.

Energy Conservation Tax Credit—Transferable income tax credit based on 35% of the

business investment to achieve substantial energy efficiencies. Two programs: Small

Premium Projects (under $20,000) and Competitively Selected Projects (more than

$20,000).

Alternative Energy Systems (ORS 307.175)—This abatement exempts the additional

taxable value of equipping a property with net metering and with alternative systems for

onsite electricity or climate control as compared to a conventional system.

Renewable Energy Policies—Creating Demand

Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)—Oregon has one of the most aggressive

renewable energy policies in the nation. This standard requires that electric utilities must

meet at least 25% of their Oregon load with renewable energy by the year 2025.

Virtually all of Oregon's electric load growth must come from new renewable energy.

The standard also provides a goal that at least 1/3 of these targets be met by resources

smaller than 25 megawatts in size. Solar energy counts double towards meeting the

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targets.

Feed-in Tariff—In 2009 Oregon enacted one of the first Feed-in Tariffs in the U.S. for

photovoltaic systems. The law establishes a pilot feed-in tariff for each investor-owned

utility in the state. Under this pilot program, each qualifying system may be up to half a

megawatt in size, with a maximum of 25 megawatts in total statewide capacity.

By 2020, these utilities must have at least 20 megawatts in total capacity for solar

photovoltaics from projects between half a megawatt and 5 megawatts, in size.

Energy Trust of Oregon—A non-profit organization, funded through fees paid by utility

ratepayers, the Energy Trust of Oregon offers services, cash incentives and solutions to

customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade

Natural Gas for saving energy and tapping renewable resources.

Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC)—This income tax credit for homeowners and

renters is for premium-efficiency appliances and equipment, and renewable energy

systems, installed in Oregon residences.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Problem: Infrastructure improvements.

Infrastructure is the combination of fundamental systems that support a community,

region, or country. It includes everything from water and sewer systems to road and rail

networks to the national power and natural gas grids. Perhaps there will be a hydrogen

grid in the future as well.

The current state of our (US) infrastructure is a classified as D+, it isn’t a secret many

other countries share the same fate, our aging and failing infrastructure lacks the proper

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funds for repair or replacement. Engineers of the 21st century face the formidable

challenge of modernizing the fundamental structures that support civilization.

This problem is worst in urban areas where growing populations stress society’s support

systems, and natural disasters, accidents, and terrorist attacks threaten infrastructure

safety and security. Solutions to these problems must be designed for sustainability,

giving proper attention to environmental and energy-use considerations.

Maintaining infrastructure is not a new problem. Engineers have had to design systems

for providing clean water and disposing of sewage for thousands of years. In recent

centuries, systems for transmitting information and providing energy have expanded

and complicated the infrastructure network, beginning with telegraph and telephone

lines and now encompassing all sorts of telecommunications systems. Cable and

satellite TV, cell phones, and Internet access all depend on elaborate infrastructure

installations. Development of remote wind, solar energy resources, and other

technologies will add more.

Much of the existing infrastructure is buried, posing several problems for maintaining

and upgrading it. In many cases, records of the locations of all the underground pipes

and cables are unavailable or incomplete. One major challenge will be to devise

methods for mapping and labeling buried infrastructure, both to assist in improving it

and to help avoid damaging it.

Transportation is another issue concerning our infrastructure, streets and highways will

remain critical transportation conduits and maintenance and improvement will remain an

important challenge. Engineering integrated transportation systems such as making

individual vehicle travel, mass transit, bicycling, and walking all as easy and efficient as

possible will be another challenge Also, is the need to provide better access to

transportation for the elderly and disabled.

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By establishing transportation hubs, where various transportation elements — rail, bus,

taxi, walking and bicycle paths, parking lots — all conveniently meet we can make our

transportation system more efficient. Also we could combine on sight energy

generation, well water, and wastes disposal (liquid and solid) into “neighborhood”

systems could be considered in certain urban areas. This approach would increase

sustainability while also relieving pressure to meet all citizens’ needs through city-scaled

infrastructures. It would be best to introduce such systems in new development areas

(e.g. urban revitalization areas) and new cities and sub-divisions.

While such services can help support growing urban populations, they must be

accompanied by affordable and pleasant places for people to live. Engineers must be

engaged in the architectural issues involved in providing environmentally friendly,

energy-efficient buildings both for housing and for business.

Using landscape design to help manage the flow of runoff water, sometimes referred to

as “green infrastructure,” can add to a city’s appeal in addition to helping remove

pollution. The vast paved area of a city needs to be rethought, perhaps by designing

pavements that reduce overhead temperatures and that are permeable to allow

rainwater to reach the ground table beneath. Proper engineering approaches can

achieve multiple goals, such as better storm drainage and cleaner water, while also

enhancing the appearance of the landscape, improving the habitat for wildlife, and

offering recreational spaces for people.

Chapter 6 Solution: Geopolymer concrete (made from one of the Cannabaceae’s family plants) for Airports, Roads, Bridges, Canals, Critical infrastructure, Dams, Hazardous waste sites, Hospitals, Levees, Lighthouses, Parks, Ports, Mass transit, Public housing, State schools, Public spaces, Rail Road’s, Sewage, Solid waste, Utilities, Water, and Wastewater projects with a byproduct of absorbing massive amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere and lasting for centuries.

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Geo-polymer concrete-an innovative material that is characterized by long chains or

networks of inorganic molecules-is a potential alternative to conventional cement

concrete for use in transportation infrastructure construction. It relies on minimally

processed natural materials (plant stalks and lime) to significantly reduce its carbon

footprint, while also being very resistant to many of the durability issues that can plague

conventional concrete..

Since cement is responsible for upward of 85% of the energy and 90% of the carbon

dioxide attributed to a typical ready-mixed bag of concrete, the potential energy and

carbon dioxide savings through the use of geo-polymers can be considerable.

Consequently, there is growing interest in geo-polymer applications in transportation

infrastructure.

This technology has ancient roots and has been postulated as the building material

used in the construction of the pyramids at Giza as well as in other ancient construction.

Moreover, alkali-activated slag cement is a type of geo-polymer that has been in use

since the mid-20th century.

Geo-polymers are comprised of aluminosilicate materials that may be used to

completely replace cement in concrete construction. These geo-polymers rely on

thermally activated natural materials (plant shiv) and industrial products (lime) to provide

a source of silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al), which is dissolved in an alkaline activating

solution and subsequently polymerizes into molecular chains and networks to create the

hardened binder. Such systems are often referred to as alkali-activated cements or

organic polymer cements.

Geo-polymer concrete is more resistant to heat, water ingress, alkali-aggregate

reactivity, and other types of chemical attack. There is potential for geo-polymer

applications for bridges, such as precast structural elements and decks as well as

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structural retrofits using geo-polymer-fiber composites. Geo-polymer technology is most

advanced in precast applications due to the relative ease in handling and for the

controlled ambient-temperature curing required.

This concrete provides insulation, thermal mass for temperature regulation, acoustic

insulation and excellent control of humidity, flattening out peaks and troughs. It is very

easy to work with. It is light-weight to work with. It lasts for centuries. The plants used in

geo-polymers consume CO2 during their life cycle and once incorporated in a build they

continues to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for up to 100 years. The

concrete can also be broken down and recycled if the need arises. Geo-polymer

concrete is made from the woody material (shiv) of the central stem of the plant. Shiv is

a waste product in the growing of Cannabaceae’s for fibers and seeds for paper and oil,

the core has been used mainly as high quality horse bedding. Broken into uniform

pieces, the shiv can be added to a lime binder in much the same way aggregate and

cement are combined to create concrete. The proportions of the shiv to the lime binder

are varied to create the best material for walls, ceiling areas and floors. The wall

composition mix is not designed for load-bearing. The frame of the building, normally

wood, provides the compressive strength. A wooden frame can be located inside the

wall. Or it can become part of the internal structure of the hempcrete. The lime alkalinity

provides good pest control. This, along with the moisture vapor-permeability of the

material, does not support mold growth. This concrete is also fire proof protecting the

building from fire hazards. Just 12 inches of this concrete has an R 25 insulation value

(about the same as standard insulation).

Interestingly people who have been involved in constructing geo-polymer houses or

commercial buildings have noticed an even greater feeling of comfort inside the building

than would be expected from quoted insulation U-values. This appears to be due to the

water permeability properties of the concrete. As the humidity rises, it absorbs more

water vapor. As it falls, moisture is released back into the air. More stable humidity

levels give the impression of greater temperature stability.

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This concrete can be poured and tamped into formwork for the walls or ceilings. Or it

can be sprayed. Either way it produces a very air-tight structure. Surfaces can be

finished with lime renders incorporating finer hemp particles. Lime washes and finishes,

rather than paints allow for continued breathing of the structure. As the hemp and lime

composite can be used in floors, walls and ceilings it is possible to achieve a structure

without thermal bridging - so important in meeting stringent passive requirements. Geo-

polymer floors also absorb and release heat providing for passive solar heating. With

the solid wall construction of a hemp house, building trades involved can be simplified in

comparison to repeated visits necessary in layered conventional builds. Geo-polymers

can also be used in green construction.

Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to a

structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient

throughout a building's life-cycle: from sitting to design, construction, operation,

maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the design

team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green

Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of

economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Although new technologies are constantly

being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the

common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of

the built environment on human health and the natural environment by: Efficiently using

energy, water, and other resources, protecting occupant health, improving employee

productivity, reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

Green building brings together a vast array of practices, techniques, and skills to reduce

and ultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health.

It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight

through passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaic equipment, and using plants and

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trees through green roofs, rain gardens, and reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other

techniques are used, such as using low-impact building materials or using packed

gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance

replenishment of ground water.

While the practices or technologies employed in green building are constantly evolving

and may differ from region to region, fundamental principles persist from which the

method is derived: Sitting and Structure Design Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, Water

Efficiency, Materials Efficiency, Indoor Environmental Quality Enhancement, Operations

and Maintenance Optimization, and Waste and Toxics Reduction

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Problem: Cleaning Up Our Pollution.

Over time evolution has generated a great number of different organisms which all play

different roles in the ecosystem. This is called biodiversity increased biodiversity

increases the stability of the ecosystem. A large biodiversity will ensure a large

availability of genetic material that may lead to future discoveries with significant value

to humans. As diversity is lost, potential sources of these materials for these discoveries

may be lost with it. A large diversity of species provides for variations which increase

the chance that at least some living things will survive in the face of changes in the

environment and climate.

Humans influence biodiversity by altering ecosystems removing specific organisms,

leading to serious consequences. Humans are part of the Earth’s ecosystems are

activities can, deliberately or accidentally, change the equilibrium in ecosystems.

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Humans are destroying other species as a result of population growth, consumption,

and technology. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution,

atmospheric changes, and other factors is especially threatening current global

biodiversity. An example of this is monoculture where planting one variety of a species

over a huge area making the area more vulnerable to predation or disease and the loss

of many or all species.

The Earth has very limited resources to support the organisms that live on it. Increasing

human population numbers are putting great pressure on many of these limited

resources by depleting those resources which cannot be renewed.  Many different

natural processes occur within those ecosystems influencing humans. Some of these

processes include atmospheric quality, soil generation and conservation, energy flow,

the water cycle, waste removal and recycling. Human activities are altering the

equilibrium involved in these natural processes and cycles. If these changes due to

human activities are not addressed, the stability of the world's ecosystems will

irreversibly be affected.

Human activities which have harmed ecosystems have resulted in a loss of diversity in

both living things and the nonliving environment. Examples of these changes include

land use, the cutting of vast areas of forest, and pollution of the soil, air, and water, and

many other activities. Another way humans have changed ecosystems in a harmful way

is by adding or removing specific organisms to these ecosystems. Our ever increasing

demand for energy has impacted ecosystems negatively as well. Many environmental

risks are associated with our use of fossil and nuclear fuels.

Some examples of how humans influence ecosystem processes. Agricultural practices

have exposed soil to the weather resulting in great loss of topsoil. The cutting of forests

and other human activities have allowed increased uncontrolled runoff leading to

increased erosion and flooding. Untreated sewage wastes and runoff from farms and

feedlots have led to increased water pollution. Some industries and nuclear plants have

added thermal pollution to the environment. The release of some gases from the

burning of fossil fuels may be slowly increasing the Earth's temperature. The use of

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packaging material which does not break down and placing that material in landfills

prevents the return of some useful materials to the environment.

Some ways humans adversely influence ecosystems. Our increasing numbers are

using excessive amounts of the Earth's limited resources. Industrialized societies are

using more resources per person from our planet than people from poor nations. Often

we introduce technology without knowing how it will influence the environment. This has

resulted in a large loss of rainforest and the many products associated with its

biodiversity. Land, air, water, and nuclear pollution have had many adverse influences

on ecosystems. These include the addition of Greenhouse gases mostly due to the

burning of fossil fuels and depletion of our stratospheric ozone layer. Other pollutants

also have negative effects on living things.

Human technologies which degrade the environment result in a loss of diversity in the

living and nonliving environment. Many of our technologies and resource use practices

have resulted in an irreversible loss of biodiversity. Some examples of human activities

which have negatively influenced other organisms include our land use practices and

pollution. Excessive land use decreases the space and resources available to other

species on the planet. Air, soil, and water pollution changes the composition of these

environmental resources, making them harmful and unusable for other species and

sometimes ourselves.

Endangered species are those species which are threatened with destruction due to

habitat destruction or other factors. The future of many endangered species remains in

doubt and the list of endangered species will grow. The importation of some organisms

has caused problems for native organisms. Organisms which are imported into an area

from another region are called exotic species. Many examples of this are found world-

wide. Some common examples of exotic species having negative effects would include

the rabbits and deer which were imported into Australia. These exotic species won the

competition with many native herbivorous marsupials and became nuisance species.

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The starling was brought into the United States from Europe. The starling has out

competed many of our native songbirds. We also have alien invasive species which

have caused problems in New York State. These include the plants such as the Water

Chestnut, Eurasian Water milfoil, and Purple Loosestrife and animals such as the Asian

Carpe, Alewife and Zebra Mussel.

Fossil fuels are becoming rapidly depleted. Using these fuels is adding to our air

pollution problems. The search and demand for additional fossil fuel resources also

impact ecosystems in a negative way. Industrialization has brought an increased

demand for and use of energy. One of the ways the increased burning of fossil fuels has

had a harmful influence of the environment is by causing an increased incidence of acid

precipitation (acid rain).  Most acid rain influencing New York State is caused by sulfur

dioxide and nitrogen dioxide pollution from the burning of fossil fuels in the Western and

Midwestern United States. These gases combine with water vapor in the atmosphere

and fall back to the earth over New York and the Eastern United States as acid

precipitation. Some problems associated with acid precipitation, the destruction of

limestone and marble monuments due to increased chemical weathering, acidification

of aquatic ecosystems destroying the life in them, damage to forests and other plants in

a variety of ways, and harming human beings.

Our increased burning of fossil fuels and the release of excess carbon dioxide to the

atmosphere associated with their combustion is also contributing to the Greenhouse

Effect or global warming. It is believed the increase in level of carbon dioxide and some

other gases is not allowing much infrared or heat radiation to escape the planet into

outer space. This is causing our planet to slowly warm. Consequences of global

warming are a rising sea level and coastal flooding, changes in precipitation patterns

which may result in droughts in some regions and increased levels of crop failure, and

an increase in insect borne diseases and pests in temperate regions

Ozone depletion is caused by very active chemicals associated with certain human

manufacturing processes and products. This pollution from refrigerants and plastics is

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destroying our thin ozone shield high up in our atmosphere or in the stratosphere. This

layer of ozone normally shields us from excessive incoming ultraviolet radiation. Some

consequences of this ever increasing ozone depletion appear to be an increased

incidence of skin cancers and cataracts in the human population.

While nuclear energy avoids many of the pollution drawbacks associated with the

increased burning of fossil fuels, there are many risks associated with the use of nuclear

fuels for energy. Environmental dangers exist in reference to obtaining, using, and

storing the wastes from these fuels. Many of the waste products of used nuclear fuel

stay in the environment for thousands of years and release radiation which is harmful to

humans or other living things. Additionally, the water used to cool many nuclear reactors

must be released eventually to the environment. The thermal pollution associated with

this released heat into the water is potentially dangerous to the aquatic life in the area

where this hot water is released.

Many different factors besides industry and resource use have influences on

environmental quality. Some factors include population growth and distribution,

resource use, the capacity of technology to solve environmental problems, as well as

economic, cultural, political, and ethical views.  Some examples of political or cultural

views influencing environmental quality, wealthy people in the developed world tend to

have fewer children, some countries like China have laws concerning the number of

children a couple may have without penalty, some countries such as many in Latin

America, families tend to be larger as birth control violates religious and societal norms,

and in some poor cultures in third world countries, having many children is seen as a

means of having economic security in old age.

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Chapter 7 Solution: Plants can clean the biosphere of pollution.

Air Purification

Common indoor plants may provide a natural way of removing toxic agents from the air,

helping neutralize the effects of sick building syndrome. Air-filtering plants absorbing

carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as all plants do, these plants also eliminate

significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. NASA researchers

suggest efficient air cleaning is accomplished with at least one plant per 100 square feet

of home or office space.

Estimates for the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from "anthropogenic sources"

mainly from fossil fuel burning are around 22 billion tons per year.

The amount of carbon dioxide taken up and held by forest in biomass of the trees is

about 120 tons of carbon per hectare. A mature forest can soak up the equivalent of

440 tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide per hectare in the 50-100 years it takes to reach

maturity. In order to deal with currently generated carbon dioxide, an area of forest

equivalent to: 22 billion tons divided by 440 tons per hectare is needed. 50 million acres

per year is needed to offset the carbon we create. We use over 900 million acres for

agriculture in the U.S. if we only used an 18th that amount of land for Cannabaceae’s

and used it for energy and the building of our new roads and bridges we could offset all

of our pollution as a nation.

Water purification

Organisms used in water purification are plants, bacteria, and fish, improving efficiency

and/or ecosystem support. Purification implies removal of impurities from the water.

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Different organisms have different removal mechanisms. Impurities such as pathogens

including parasites, bacteria and viruses may be injurious to the health of persons or

livestock ingesting the water. These pathogens may have originated from sewage or

from the excrement of domestic or wild animals or birds. Pathogens may be killed by

ultraviolet sunlight unless that sunlight is blocked by plants or suspended solids.

Suspended solids are particles of organic material or mineral soil may be suspended in

the water. Such materials may give the water a cloudy appearance. Organic materials

may dissolve or decay causing the water to generate offensive odors.

Nutrient compounds containing nitrogen or phosphorus may encourage growth of

aquatic plants and animals causing increased concentrations of suspended organic

material. Other dissolved minerals may be required nutrients at low concentrations or

toxic at higher concentrations.

Organisms such as bacteria convert dissolved organic impurities into living cell mass,

carbon dioxide and water. These saprophytic bacteria may then be eaten by flagellates

and ciliates which also consume suspended organic particles including viruses and

pathogenic bacteria. Clarity of the water may begin to improve as the protozoa are

subsequently consumed by rotifers and cladocera. Purifying bacteria, protozoa, and

rotifers must either be mixed throughout the water or have the water circulated past

them to be effective. Sewage treatment plants mix these organisms as activated sludge

or circulate water past organisms living on trickling filters or rotating biological

contactors.

Aquatic vegetation may provide similar surface habitat for purifying bacteria, protozoa,

and rotifers in a pond or marsh setting; although water circulation is often less effective.

Plants and algae have the additional advantage of removing nutrients from the water;

but those nutrients will be returned to the water when the plants die unless the plants

are removed from the water. Plants also provide shade, a refuge for fish, and oxygen for

aerobic bacteria. In addition, fish can limit pests such as mosquitoes. Plants purify water

by consuming excess nutrients and by de-acidifying it by removing carbon dioxide.

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Soil Purification

On the morning of April 26, 1986, a small town in the former Soviet Union was the site

of a nuclear explosion that literally shook the earth. The historic accident at Chernobyl

Nuclear Plant Reactor 4 in the Ukraine caused severe radioactive contamination.

Families within a 30-km zone of the power plant were evacuated, and in the months that

followed, extensive contamination was discovered in areas up to 100 km from the site.

Scientists are hopeful that plants may play a key role in cleaning up some of the

contamination.

In 1989, three years after the explosion, the Soviet government asked the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to assess the radiological and health situation in the area

surrounding the power plant. Among the most significant findings were radioactive

emissions and toxic metals--including iodine, cesium-137, strontium, and plutonium--

concentrated in the soil, plants, and animals. Such substances are potentially harmful to

human health. For example, although iodine tends to disappear within a few weeks of

exposure, it can be inhaled or ingested and then accumulated in the thyroid gland,

where it delivers high doses of radiation as it decays. Since 1991, the Canadian Nuclear

Association has noted a marked increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer in the area

surrounding the nuclear accident. Cesium-137, radioactive cesium with a mass number

of 137, can enter the food chain and deliver an internal dose of radiation before it is

eliminated metabolically.

Apparently these toxic substances entered the food chain via grazers, such as cows

and other livestock that fed on plants grown in contaminated soils. The toxins then

accumulated and concentrated in the meat and milk products eventually consumed by

humans. Additionally, wild foods, such as berries and mushrooms, are expected to

continue showing elevated cesium levels over the next few decades.

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To prevent further spread of these toxins, it was determined that livestock should be

allowed to feed only on uncontaminated plants and on plants not tending to accumulate

toxic metals within their tissues. Then a soil cleanup method was employed using green

plants to remove toxins from the soil. This technique is phytoremediation, a term coined

by Dr. Ilya Raskin of Rutgers University's Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the

Environment, who was a member of the original task force sent by the IAEA to examine

food safety at the Chernobyl site.

Phytoremediation is a process that takes advantage of the fact that green plants can

extract and concentrate certain elements within their ecosystem. For example, some

plants can grow in metal-laden soils, extract certain metals through their root systems,

and accumulate them in their tissues without being damaged. In this way, pollutants are

either removed from the soil and groundwater or rendered harmless.

Today, many researchers, institutes, and companies are funding scientific efforts to test

different plants' effectiveness at removing a wide range of contaminants. Raskin favors

Brassica juncea and Brassica carinata, two members of the mustard family, for

phytoremediation. In laboratory tests with metals loaded onto artificial soil (a mix of sand

and vermiculite), these plants appeared to be the best at removing large quantities of

chromium, lead, copper, and nickel. Several members of this family are edible and yield

additional products such as birdseed, mustard oil, and erucic acid, which is used in

margarine and cooking oil. Researchers at the DuPont Company have found that corn,

Zea mays, can take up incredibly high levels of lead. Z. mays, a monocot in the

Poaceae or grass family, is the most important cultivated cereal next to wheat and rice,

yielding such products as corn meal, corn flour, cornflakes, cooking oil, beer, and

animal feed. Phytokinetics, a company in Logan, Utah, is testing plants for their ability to

remove organic contaminants such as gasoline from soil and water. Applied Natural

Sciences in Hamilton, Ohio, is taking a slightly different route by using trees to clean up

deeper soils, a process they call "treemediation." University researchers from the UK

reported in the May 1999 issue of Nature Biotechnology that transgenic tobacco plants

can play a role in cleaning up explosives.

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In February 1996, Phytotech, Inc., a Princeton, NJ-based company, reported that it had

developed transgenic strains of sunflowers, Helianthus sp., that could remove as much

as 95% of toxic contaminants in as little as 24 hours. Subsequently, Helianthus was

planted on a styrofoam raft at one end of a contaminated pond near Chernobyl, and in

twelve days the cesium concentrations within its roots were reportedly 8,000 times that

of the water, while the strontium concentrations were 2,000 times that of the water.

Helianthus is in the composite, or Asteraceae, family and has edible seeds. It also

produces oil that is used for cooking, in margarine, and as a paint additive. H. tuberosus

was used by Native Americans as a carbohydrate source for diabetics.

In 1998, Phytotech, along with Consolidated Growers and Processors (CGP) and the

Ukraine's Institute of Bast Crops, planted industrial hemp, Cannabis sp., for the purpose

of removing contaminants near the Chernobyl site. Cannabis is in the Cannabaceae’s

family and is valuable for its fiber, which is used in ropes and other products.

Overall, phytoremediation has great potential for cleaning up toxic metals, pesticides,

solvents, gasoline, and explosives. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

estimates that more than 30,000 sites in the United States alone require hazardous

waste treatment. Restoring these areas and their soil, as well as disposing of the

wastes, are costly projects, but the costs are expected to be reduced drastically if plants

provide the phytoremediation results everyone is hoping for.

Meanwhile, of the original four reactors at Chernobyl, Reactors 1 and 3 are still

operating today, providing 6,000 jobs and about 6% of the Ukraine's electricity. Reactor

2 was closed after a fire in 1991; the construction of Reactors 5 and 6 came to a

grinding halt after the explosion.

References

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Fresh Water Crisis

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/freshwater_supply/freshwater.html

Agriculture

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/agriculture.html

Geodesic Domes http://bfi.org/about-fuller/big-ideas/geodesic-domes

Duckweed http://duckweedgardening.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemnoideae

Chicken Manure

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_manure

Aquaponics

http://www.pc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/15359/sub046.pdf

Health http://www.who.int/whr/1998/media_centre/50facts/en/ http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/trs916/summary/en/

Energy and Pollution

http://www.kean.edu/~csmart/Observing/18.%20Energy%20and%20air%20pollution.pdf

Gasification with Pine Needles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasification http://www.avani-kumaon.org/our-work/renewable-energy/pine-needle-gasifier/

Clean Sustainable Energy and Pollution Control

http://www.hemphasis.net/Fuel-Energy/fuel.htmAgriculture Pollution

http://www.sustainabletable.org/207/soil-quality

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Economy Forecast

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.nr0.htm

Green Economy

http://rediscoverhemp.com/inform/the-us-hemp-market/

Adapting Business to Climate Change

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/DocumentToolsPortletWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&jsid=ef7bdc30a6a58942d291973051bc67ec&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010847210&u=gotitans&zid=a316538569bc81a16da766d8818798dd

http://www.wri.org/publication/adapting-green-economy http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/12/3-ways-governments-can-involve-private-sector-

climate-change-adaptation http://www.oregon4biz.com/The-Oregon-Advantage/Incentives/

Infrastructure and Geo-Polymers http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9136.aspx http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/concrete/pubs/hif10014/index.cfm#s4 http://www.alternative-energy-action-now.com/hempcrete.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

Cleaning Pollution from the Bio-Sphere http://regentsprep.org/Regents/biology/2011%20Web%20Pages/Ecology-

%20Human%20Biosphere-%20Influence%20page.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisms_used_in_water_purification http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/botany/botany_map/articles/article_10.html

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EDEN’S RETURN INC.

A Venture in Aquaponics

The Business Plan

David Von Achen

5/5/2015

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary / page 2

Background / page 2-4

Products / page 5

Market Description

& Analysis / page 6-7

Industry & Competitors / page 7

Market Capture Strategy &

General Operations / page 8-9

Risks & Assumptions / page 10

Pilot Phase Operations

& Management / page 10-11

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Conclusions / page 11

Financial Analysis / page 12

Appendix / page 13-17

Executive Summary

Michigan is second in the nation next to California for agriculture diversity and is 3rd in the nation for farmers markets. With climate change looming Michigan’s large fresh water deposits and reliable rainfall will provide sustainability and growth for our food markets. Eden’s Return Inc. strives to make efficiency our #1 goal by, reducing fresh water usage, creating our own clean power, providing organic nutrition for our livestock and customers giving them good health in return, and growing the economy for our community and country. Eden’s Return Inc. will grow food in a year round climate controlled greenhouse using clean heat and power from harvesting and burning pine needles, growing organic duckweed to feed the livestock, and providing organic fish manure to feed the aquaponic vegetables creating a symbiotic relationship saving the business on the largest expenses and giving us sustainability.

Eden’s Return Inc. has contacts with Sysco (a major food distributer) which gives us the ability to sell all our organic food in many local restaurants and with the Michigan Farmers Markets Association which allows us to set up stands and sell our remaining produce at retail prices. There are also bigger contracts available with Kroger and Meijer when we are able to expand.

Background

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Power and Heat

An acre of pine trees can absorb about 144,000 pounds of co2 from the air per year. An acre of pine trees shed their needles every year equivalent to 425 bails or 8,500 pounds. These can be collected bailed and burned in a wood furnace for heat or a gasification generator for electricity. Pine straw can burn up to 9000 BTU per pound so an acre could produce 76,500,000 BTU or 22,420 KWH’s of power per year, that’s enough to power over two homes per year. When an acre of pine straw is burned it releases the same amount of co2 that the trees absorbed during that year creating a carbon neutral system and as a byproduct there is no sulfur (unlike coal) and you don’t haft to harvest the trees, but $40 worth of organic fertilizer per acre is required (to replace the pine straw nutrients) for proper tree health.

The greenhouse will run about 2000 watts per hour or 17,520 KWHs a year. This will require about 2/3 of an acre of pine trees to be collected by leaf blowers and a vacuum chipper. Then using a gasification machine (converting organic material into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide for burning in a combustion engine) in conjunction with a generator will supply all our clean power and heat.

Organic Livestock Food

Duckweed is a quickly growing aquatic plant that grows on the surface of ponds of nutrient rich water. With the exception of an occasional flower duckweed has no specialized structures such as leaves, stems or roots. The entire plant consists of an ovoid fond.

Duckweed produces 32 tons of biomass per year per acre. Duckweed can have as much protein as soy beans. Duckweed makes an excellent feed for poultry, and fish, including yellow perch. They have as little as 5% fibers with the rest of the plant consisting of nutrients.

Our 4,000 square foot greenhouse will have 8 stages of pools generating a harvest every week requiring 46,720 pounds of duckweed per year (organic fish feed) or about 2/3 of an acre. Building a 2 foot deep artificial pond 2/3 of an acre in size (requiring 100 pounds organic nutrients a year) would give us all the organic fish feed needed and setting up a chicken coop would give us all the nutrients required for the duckweed and as byproduct we will produce grass fed organic poultry and eggs.

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Fish and Vegetable Production

Aquaponics is a food production system that combines conventional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In normal aquaculture, excretions from the animals being raised can accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity. In an aquaponic system, water from an aquaculture system is fed to a hydroponic system where the by-products are broken down by nitrogen-fixing bacteria into nitrates and nitrites, which are utilized by the plants as nutrients. The water is then recalculated back to the aquaculture system. As existing hydroponic and aquaculture farming techniques form the basis for all aquaponics systems, the size, complexity, and types of foods grown in an aquaponics system can vary as much as any system found in either distinct farming discipline.

Fresh Water Savings

Gallons of water per $100 of output:

Rice 117,500 gallons Cotton 40,000 gallons Milk 36,750 gallons Sugar 30,975 gallons Beef cattle 20,300 gallons Vegetables and fruit Field Crops 9,475 gallons Wheat 6,125 gallons Non-Organic Hydroponic crops 150 gallons Aquaponics fish and lettuce 125 gallons Aquaponics fish and basil 43 gallons Aquaponics fish, barramundi, herb combination 4 gallons

Growing food in climate controlled greenhouses ensures no failed crops and fresh quality food year round. Aquaponic greenhouses recirculate all the rain water collected only using about 10% of the water that field crops require in a year. Aquaponic greenhouses produce 40% more food per square foot when compared to traditional farming and are adaptable for any use like rooftops in combo with rain collection.

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In greenhouses you can control pest, mold, and disease so there is no need for petro-chemical pesticides or herbicides. There also is no need for natural gas derived fertilizer because the fish provide all the organic nutrients needed. This saves the farmer money and from having to use unhealthy products on their crops. Aquaponics only needs a small amount of power to run two pumps and a few fans, using up to 90% less overall energy for farming i.e. (farm equipment, fright shipping, manufacturing, storage, and retail energy use).

If we had local aquaponic farms in every town and city we could eliminate a lot of wasted energy and pollution from the transport, manufacturing, and storage of our industrialized food system, not to mention the health benefits.

Growing food local eliminates the need to transport and fresh food doesn’t need to be manufactured or stored its ready to eat right off the vine where it contains the most nutrition. This would also cut the price of food almost in half because transporting it 1000 miles from grower to retailer can make up to 40% of the average cost.

Products

Eden’s Return Inc. will produce yellow lake perch (Perca flavescens), an ideal aquaponics system species. Yellow perch prefer cooler water (saves on heating costs), have a moderately quick growth rate (9 months to market), and are a regional species (consumers seek them out and know how to cook them). Compared to the aquaponics industry standard of tilapia, yellow perch are a premium fish. Tilapia is seen as a bottom rung fish and many premium restaurants won’t purchase it. Perch, on the other hand, has many more uses and a better flavor and therefore fetches a higher price.

Eden’s Return Inc. will produce three types of greens for market; lettuces, herbs, and specialty greens.

Lettuces have a quick growth rate and ubiquitous appeal that make them a great product selection. Restaurants serve lettuce three times a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For individual customers lettuce is an easy, healthy staple in their diets. Examples: bibb, leaf, romaine.

Herbs are another quick growing plant that is commonly used in cooking. Off-season, local, fresh herbs demand a high price from chefs and others who value flavor. Chefs are particular. They don’t want to use ground, dried herbs, they want the vibrant flavors of fresh herbs. Home-cooks also value the incredible taste of fresh herbs.

Examples: basil, thyme, cilantro.

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Specialty greens fetch a high price due to their rarity and offer a diversity of services in an aquaponics operation including filtering out toxins. Chefs like to experiment with new ingredients all the time. We will grow special order greens for individual restaurant buyers, earning extra for this service and product. The general local food consumer is curious about different greens; flavor and potential health benefits of new green varieties drives their consumption patterns. Examples: watercress, sprouts, kale.

Market Description & Analysis

Eden’s Return Inc. will produce a premium product; competing at a premium level. Eden’s Return Inc. competes against other high-quality, nutritionally-dense products, some of which are also locally grown.

Eden’s Return Inc. targets two market segments, local, chef-driven restaurants and high-income individuals interested in high-quality produce.

With nearly 30,000 restaurants in Michigan and Sysco providing food for the majority of them we are able to sell 900lbs of yellow perch and over 1200 pounds of fresh vegetables each week to one distributer, Jessica Decker who is director of sales for Sysco Grand Rapids and has agreed to purchase our products for local restaurants.

A good measure of individual consumer’s demand for local food is the growth of farmers markets. Michigan’s number of farmers markets has grown from 90 markets in 2001 to 300 in 2015. Eden Inc. is a member of the Michigan Farmers Market Association and can use that resource to market our products.

A huge market is not a promise of sales. Eden’s Return Inc. holds three advantages over the current aquaponics industry; better marketing, superior customer service, and connections with local restaurants and food distributors from owning a restaurant for 7 years that will drive sales to restaurant and individual market segments.

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There is substantial room for improvement in marketing in the Michigan’s aquaponics industry. During our market research we were consistently amazed by the lack of presence, social media, web based, or otherwise, of competitors. Prominent local fish distributor, Superior Seafood Company, was unaware that any aquaponics producers existed in the Michigan market. By developing a business with a personality active on the internet and local publications Eden’s Return Inc. can become the first word in aquaponics in Michigan.

Another insight gained through market research was the lack of satisfaction on the part of restaurant buyers with the customer service of many local producers. Many producers do not treat their customers to the degree they expect and Eden’s Return Inc. will capitalize on this error. Customer service means, communication. Eden’s Return Inc. will develop and implement a regular product listing for restaurant customers and research opportunities to implement an online ordering system. These simple communication tools, in addition to social media activity to connect to individual buyers, will establish relationships with our customer segments generating sales and loyalty.

David Von Achen’s history and contacts from operating a restaurant for 7 years and working in horticulture for 8 years brings valuable insights and expertise to Eden’s Return Inc.’s first market segment, restaurant buyers. Aquaponic growing is a good model for restaurants for two reasons, chefs can pick fresh produce right off the vine each week throughout the year and the reduced cost of operating a aquaponic farm reduces the cost to the restaurant (the largest overhead of running a restaurant) .This model generates positive cash flow for both businesses and offers flexibility.

Industry & Competitors

The aquaponics market in Michigan is in its infancy and few producers exist in the state. Direct competitors include other aquaponics producers; Aqua Growers and Great Lakes Aquaponoics. Additionally, during the Michigan growing season, we must compete with local “ground-growers”. Indirect competitors include conventional produce distributors, including GFS, and Cooperative or high-end grocers such as Meijer.

Eden’s Return Inc. has competitive advantages in marketing and customer service over other aquaponics producers who have failed to effectively brand their products and consistently meet customers’ expectations. During the growing season a flood of producers enter the local market, however, aquaponics systems operate in a controlled environment, not at the mercy of nature like ground-growers, and so outcompete these producers on reliability and quality.

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Indirect competitors, such as produce distributors, cannot offer special order services to restaurants like Eden’s Return Inc. Cooperative and high-end grocers are indirect competitors to our individual buyer market segment. However, the farmer’s market model offers a more convenient experience than large groceries the customer simply picks up produce once a week. Our market segment places a high value on connection to the producer, something even cooperative grocery stores cannot provide.

Market Capture Strategy & General Operations

We recognize partnerships as imperative to our success in a technical field like aquaponics. We have to this point worked with or have aims to work with these organizations:

Great Lakes Aquaponics(Royal Oak, MI)—toured farm and spoke with owners who were both forthcoming and supportive

Aquaponics researchers at the Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)—have been in contact and plan set up a meeting to explore opportunities for collaboration

Management of Eden’s Return Inc. business will occur as following:

Business management/marketing and sales will be handled by Thomas Von Achen whose credentials include owning\managing a restaurant for 15 years and has farming experience.

Farm operations, maintenance, product preparation, and plant management will be directed by David Von Achen who has owned a restaurant for 7 years, and has 8 years horticulture experience.

Water Quality/Fish Expert will be coordinated by Stan Von Achen who grew up on a million acre potato farm, has raised fish for 20 years, and he has expertise in construction.

Though aquaponics is a technical field of cultivating fish and vegetables, we recognize several potential problems with supply. We understand that there exists variability in fingerling availability and quality and that their transportation to our location is a significant cost and potentially tied to regulations enforced by the Michigan Department

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of Natural Resources. To offset this challenge we will be breading and sorting our own fingerlings right in the greenhouse.

Eden Return Inc. plans on selling their product to Sysco’s food distribution network. This model is common with other local farms and also saves Sysco money from having to ship fresh produce from Texas to Michigan during winter. We dually aim to sell fish and greens to local farmers markets, and due to their custom of having product delivered to them, we will continue this practice and deliver orders via greens packaged in simple plastic bags and freshly killed fish on ice in coolers.

General operations for Eden’s Return Inc. are categorized by system component:

Fish. 1x/weeks we will harvest fish, weekly we will clean fish tanks, and daily we must feed fish, monitor water quality for dissolved oxygen levels, nitrites, pH, and temperature, and perform miscellaneous maintenance.

Plants. Plant work is all daily and includes harvesting, developing and transferring seedlings, amending water, and miscellaneous maintenance.

Business. Weekly business work to be done will include researching and writing research grants and perhaps giving tours to

Interested parties. Daily tasks will be sales and securing new customers, solidifying orders, and working with clients, and standard bookkeeping

Our market capture strategy is premised on the huge market that is year-round local and nutritious fish and greens, as indicated by our own market research. In terms of publicity and client securing, we have identified at least eight avenues for getting the word out about our premium product, all of which have exuded potential for securing clients.

Website: create/modify existing Eden’s Return Inc. website Facebook, Twitter, Blog: create and keep updated Michigan State University Magazine Miscellaneous other magazines, papers Personal networks Other University networks Restaurant networks Local food network and industry

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Eden’s Return Inc. has a competitive advantage in a few different ways. Our market research indicates that few farms put considerable effort into marketing their products. By dedicating resources to marketing we will secure more clients than our competitors. Also, we are committed to making aquaponics a profitable business venture unlike many of our competitors who focus on the social and environmental benefits. We will focus on perfecting the process of aquaponics, increasing in the scale, and delivering a premium product. Finally, we aim to sell a premium product at a premium price in terms of both ethics and nutrition. Using only sustainably sourced inputs we will sell the highest quality plants and fish (i.e. by feeding fish duckweed rather than cornmeal). Terms of Sale will depend on which customer we are working with. With a Sysco contract the risk is built into the model by spreading it among Sysco’s members. In working with farmers markets we will most often deal with impromptu and short term sales until our production is of a large enough scale to have a consistent delivery contract. All of our sales programming will be designated to a sales director who will earn an hourly wage.

Risks & Assumptions

Given the strength of the market demanding Eden’s Return Inc.’s premium products, the biggest risk lies in the operational side. More specifically, the biggest risk is not identifying flaws in our system or operational procedure during our pilot phase that would subsequently reduce profits when scaling up our system to its full size. Our pilot phase will allow us to test our biggest assumption, which is that we can successfully install and operate an aquaponics system. Our individual talents and commitment to this venture, matched with an exhaustive research of precedents and current aquaponics ventures, will lead our team to create and operate a successful system. Through the pilot phase we will learn best practices for operations and areas to improve the system as to make an economically viable and scalable system that will achieve financial success.

Pilot Phase Operations & Management

Pilot Study (Phase I)

The pilot study will be 3-4 months long from May-August 2016. The first month will be designing and installing a small scale aquaponics system on family property. We plan to purchase supplies such as fish tanks, pumps, tubing, fingerlings, plant seeds, fish food, lights, bio filters, etc. prior to beginning the pilot study. We expect these items to cost $5000. We plan to build a very simple style of aquaponics farm called a raft system.

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This is a soil less system in which plants float on a “raft” on top of the water that is taken from the fish tank. There will be one tank of fish several beds of plants. The fish tank will be a 275 gallon food grade plastic tank. The plants will also sit in smaller food grade plastic tanks, which can be cut in half so that one take equals two plant beds. We will grow different lettuces in the tank. The fluorescent lights will be placed above the plants. There will be a filter system set up outside of the tanks to take solids out of the fish water before it enters the plant tanks. One pump will be necessary to pump the water throughout the system.

Throughout the summer we will operate this system and build our knowledge on how to raise fish and plants. We will sell food produced in a small scale model, to friends and family. The primary purpose of this pilot study will be to gain hands on experience raising fish and plants in an aquaponics system so we are able to make experience based decisions when designing an larger scale system. We plan to increase the scale of the farm incrementally as aquaponic farming can truly be done at almost any scale, small or large.

Although our end goal is to design a vertical system, we want to start with this simple raft system as it will be most suitable to our time constraints. We want to be able to spend at least 2.5 months working with fish and plants rather than using our time to set up the system.

Goals for the pilot study are as follow:

Obtain supplies such as fish, plant seeds, fish tanks, piping, etc., necessary to operate an aquaponic farm

Successfully operate a small scale aquaponic farm Gain hands on experience working with fish and plants Sell food to family and friends only

Operations of this pilot study have been explained in a previous but will need to occur at a smaller scale, in line with a pilot. Such activities will include tank cleaning, feeding fish, panting and tending to plants, water chemistry analysis.

Conclusions

The Michigan food scene is strong, healthy, and growing. It is pushing the envelope of sourcing food sustainably and locally as customers and chefs alike are paying premium prices for premium products. Given the Midwest’s seasonal constraint on farming and geographical constraint on sourcing commercially grown fish, there is a high demand for

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what Eden’s Return Inc. has to offer. We at Eden’s Return Inc. have the talent and commitment to make aquaponics work in Michigan but we are still lacking the resources. With your help we will be able to test our assumptions and successfully operate a small-scale aquaponics system. From the knowledge we learn through our pilot phase, we will go on to build a full size aquaponics system, giving Michigan the sustainable food sourcing it wants, right in its backyard.

Financial Analysis, Full-Scale System

Below is a simple financial analysis for a full-fledged system, utilizing a 4000 sq. ft. geodesic dome.

This system is much larger than our pilot study, and is the best system that is financially viable. The business can be expanded by increasing the number or size of these systems.

4000 sq. ft. geodesic climate controlled greenhouse

Geodesic Domes were invented by R. Buckminster Fuller in the 1960, and are a revolutionary building structure with many advantages over conventional rectangular designs:

20% less materials to enclose a given space Short, manageable, lightweight, members allow for easy construction and great

portability. The curved shape naturally deflects wind and sheds snow accumulation Aluminum Geodesic Domes have been designed for snow loads up to 300 lb. per

square foot and wind loads of more than 175 mph

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The spherical design results in highly efficient and effective air circulation in both summer and winter. Less surface area makes these buildings less susceptible to temperature changes, and thus, inexpensive to heat and cool as compared to rectangular homes. The aerodynamic exterior means cold and warm air flows around the structure instead of forcing its way into the interior.

Eight pools take up 2,816 sq. ft. leaving 1,184 sq. ft. for 270 ten foot tall vertical grow tubes with 8,640 grow sites. Eight perpetual cycles of pools produce 900lbs a week of aquatic life (yellow perch) 46,800 pounds of fresh organic fish a year enough for 128 pounds a day of fish manure to feed 7 perpetual cycles of 1,234 pounds of vegetable harvests once a week or 64,168lbs pounds a year of organic fresh vegetables (lettuce and herbs).

Capital expenses

Power and Heat

L.E.A.F. Generator biomass gasifier$4,500

7500 watts generac generator $1,000

6000 sq. ft. wood furnace $6,700

50 cc leaf blower $200

Compact tractor mower, front end loader, and excavator $22,000

Chip-V-Vacuum Mower$1700

Aquaponic Equipment

8 fifteen foot diameter or 4,500 gallon pools $2,000

320 feet in 6” PVC pipe $1,000

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108 90 degree 6” PVC elbows $1,080

Pex fittings 270 tee’s and misc. parts $800

Pex hose 1,200 ft. $320

270 Brass Agricultural Spray Nozzles$810

Pump 1 hip 7,000 gph pond pump 1000 watt $500

Air pump 40,000 gallon pond 100 watts $500

Geodesic Greenhouse

Aluminum Pipe Schedule 40$6,902

Plywood 124 $620

496 2X4 $1,364

11 gallons floor paint $660

Poly 6 mil UV seven 16 x 75 rolls$1,330

104 80lb. bags concrete $520

3' x 6'\8" storm door $100

Tools $600

Fridge $200

Freezer $100

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Delivery coolers $100

Unforeseen / Misc. $2,000

Total capital expenses $57,606

Annual expenses

Rent (mortgage is paid in full, tax on property is $600 a year) $600

Energy (biomass gasification filters and parts) $500

Water (well provides free water but R/O filter is needed) $500

Labor (first year my 2 brothers and I will work the farm for free) $0

Seeds $400

Insurance, Inspections, and Permits $3,000

Unforeseen / Misc. $2,000

Total annual expenses $7,000

Revenues

We split our product with the majority going to Sysco’s restaurant sales and the rest going to farmer’s market shares.

Estimate for product value comes from calls to Sysco, local chefs, and organic supermarkets.

Product Harvests per year Pounds per year Yearly revenue

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Wholesale

Price per pound

Fish 52 46,800 $187,200 $4.00

Lettuce 52 32,084 $32,084 $1.00

Herbs 52 32,084 $128,336 $4.00

Total potential revenue $347,620

Revenue through Sysco sales

Product Pounds Price Per Pound Yearly Revenue

Fish 46,000 $4.00 $184,000

Lettuce 30,000 $1.00 $30,000

Herbs 30,000 $4.00 $120,000

Total restaurant revenue $334,000

Revenue through farmers market shares

Produce Price Pounds Revenue

Fish $8 LB 800 $6,400

Produce $5 LB 4,168 $20,840

Total farmers market revenue $27,240

Total Annual Gross Revenue $361,240

Total Annual Expenses $7000

Total Annual Income Tax (30%) $106,272

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Total Annual Profit $247,968

Financial analysis, pilot

To test our ability to run a full-fledged system, we will first build a smaller pilot system. The costs here are mostly in startup capital and material costs.

Parts and Supplies:

Four 275 gallon plastic food grade tote $500

Three 55 gal food grade plastic barrel $240

Three 20 L buckets $15

1 lb. lettuce seeds $20

Breeder colony $350

Mesh netting (for bio filter) $20

Fish net (large) $15

Fish net (small) $5

Fish Food $150

Three Fans $60

Twelve Fluorescent Lights $240

Fifteen feet Tubing $45

Biodegradable foam board (4' X12')-10 pack $200

PVC piping $100

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Bubbler $80

Small pump $200

Fish stock $1,000

Misc. $260

TOTAL $5,000

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