[Biofuel] Fw: CounterThink cartoon: The Pollution Point of No Return
[Many scientists think we are already past the point of no return as so much toxic waste has been discarded and is seeping into the groundwaters and then to the rivers and then to the oceans. Right now there is a big problem at the Hanford nuclear waste facility wrt liquid radioactive material seeping in the Columbia River. Just one example of thousands. Big Biz and the military are not forthcoming about the problems they've created. A lot of the problem is that everyone thought that the earth was so huge that it could sustain all the toxins of waste, until the early 70s, when it became apparent it could not. But there was no significant reaction and mindless dumping continued. Even today there still are huge amounts of toxic waste thrown into landfills. Nothing has really changed. See http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/Landfills.htm] Believe it or not, there are still global warming deniers in the world, and they have a plan to allow CO2 emissions to actually expand, hoping to keep pollution just slightly below the level of environmental disaster... Click here to vote on this cartoon or post your comments. To link to this comic from any website, use this web address: http://www.newstarget.com/021607.html See the entire collection of CounterThink comics at: http://www.newstarget.com/index-cartoons.html You are hereby granted permission to re-publish this CounterThink cartoon on any website or publication, royalty-free, through January 1, 2008. No written permission required. Hi-res versions available upon request. Contact us for details: http://www.newstarget.com/feedback.html Enjoy! - Mike Adams, creator of the CounterThink cartoon series, and editor of NewsTarget.com Own the CounterThink collection! Now available exclusively from Truth Publishing. CounterThink Vol. 1 features the first 50 CounterThink comics in a softcover format. Includes never-before-published cartoons that aren't available on the websites, plus all-new descriptions and detailed commentary from Mike Adams. Limited quantities! Click here for details. Disclaimer: Counterthink Cartoons are NewsTarget parodies or satirical commentary on various matters we believe to be of public concern and are offered as Free Speech within the protection of the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Any trademarks or servicemarks used in the cartoons are the property of their respective owners. Unsubscribe from CounterThink Not yet a subscriber? Sign up at: http://www.NewsTarget.com/ReaderRegistrationComics.asp Privacy policy: http://www.newstarget.com/privacypolicy.html --- This CounterThink cartoon update is published by Truth Publishing, which is solely responsible for all content. Truth Publishing International, Ltd. 12F-4, No.171, Sec. 4, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan District, Taipei 105, Taiwan ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
Hi Keith, There is a company in Vancouver, BC, I believe they are called, Dynamotive, who make a product they call Bio Oil. They make it from wood waste. Terry Dyck Yes Terry, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, there's been talk about it here for six years. See: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]q=Dynamotive Dynamotive Biofuel list 47 matches Did you buy some? Did anybody? (As I keep asking.) Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:28:36 +0900 Hi Terry Hi Keith, Using wood waste to create bio-fuel will kill 2 environmental birds with one stone. The air pollution from burning slash left over from logging operations is causing health problems from poor air quality. If we produce biofuel from the slash instead of burning it there will be 2 benefits to the environment. Terry Dyck No doubt, but right now it's pie in the sky. Unless you're going to use h2so4, which you're not going to do. No argument about the amount of feedstock available, but where's the technology? People seem to regard it as doable, as if ethanol from all this slash/whatever is something you can put in your tank and go. But... Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! They may well be just around the corner, but they've been just around the corner for a long time. As of now, they don't exist. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. There is no such ethanol production process that is actually producing ethanol for the market. Unless someone says they just bought some, in which case hooray. But I think not. More smoke and mirrors: White House: US Cuts Emissions Better than Europe http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40267/story.htm LOL! Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 01:58:07 +0900 Let them eat grass... Ooops, they're going to make ethanol out of all the grass too. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! -- http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40154/story.htm USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority US: February 5, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn., - US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns assured US cattle producers on Friday that the government will work hard to encourage other ways of making ethanol to give them relief from high corn prices. The price of corn, an important cattle feed, have sped higher as more of the grain goes to making the biofuel ethanol. That is why the Farm Bill proposes a very strong federal commitment to accelerating our research into cost-effective ways of producing cellulosic ethanol from biomass, Johanns said during his address at the convention here of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the largest US cattle group. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. The proposed 2007 Farm Bill released last week recommends US$1.6 billion in new funding over the next 10 years targeted at the development of cellulosic ethanol. It also proposes US$2.1 billion in guaranteed loans for cellulosic projects and construction of plants in rural areas. This constitutes a strong commitment to nailing down the knowledge and building the infrastructure we must have to meet a much larger share of our energy needs, said Johanns. A US$500 million portion of that US$1.6 billion will be used for grants to develop new energy sources, possibly methane gas from livestock waste, he said. All of that could be a part of this initiative, he said. In a press conference following his speech, Johanns said he supported exploring the use of sugar cane and sugar beets to make ethanol. SOUTH KOREA FRUSTRATING Reopening export markets for US beef has been a priority for the NCBA. Overseas markets closed in December 2003 after the United States reported its first case of mad cow disease. Many markets have reopened, with some restricting the type of beef they will accept. South Korea, once the third largest overseas buyer of US beef, is one that remains closed. Last year, South Korea lifted its ban on US beef, but tight restrictions on bone chips and other material has prevented imports from reaching consumers. The United States has been in talks to restart beef sales to South Korea, and more talks are scheduled next
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
Just put mothballs in your tank all you'll get 100 mpg. We've been doing in the states forever. Keith Addison wrote: Hi Keith, There is a company in Vancouver, BC, I believe they are called, Dynamotive, who make a product they call Bio Oil. They make it from wood waste. Terry Dyck Yes Terry, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, there's been talk about it here for six years. See: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]q=Dynamotive Dynamotive Biofuel list 47 matches Did you buy some? Did anybody? (As I keep asking.) Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:28:36 +0900 Hi Terry Hi Keith, Using wood waste to create bio-fuel will kill 2 environmental birds with one stone. The air pollution from burning slash left over from logging operations is causing health problems from poor air quality. If we produce biofuel from the slash instead of burning it there will be 2 benefits to the environment. Terry Dyck No doubt, but right now it's pie in the sky. Unless you're going to use h2so4, which you're not going to do. No argument about the amount of feedstock available, but where's the technology? People seem to regard it as doable, as if ethanol from all this slash/whatever is something you can put in your tank and go. But... Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! They may well be just around the corner, but they've been just around the corner for a long time. As of now, they don't exist. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. There is no such ethanol production process that is actually producing ethanol for the market. Unless someone says they just bought some, in which case hooray. But I think not. More smoke and mirrors: White House: US Cuts Emissions Better than Europe http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40267/story.htm LOL! Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 01:58:07 +0900 Let them eat grass... Ooops, they're going to make ethanol out of all the grass too. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! -- http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40154/story.htm USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority US: February 5, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn., - US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns assured US cattle producers on Friday that the government will work hard to encourage other ways of making ethanol to give them relief from high corn prices. The price of corn, an important cattle feed, have sped higher as more of the grain goes to making the biofuel ethanol. That is why the Farm Bill proposes a very strong federal commitment to accelerating our research into cost-effective ways of producing cellulosic ethanol from biomass, Johanns said during his address at the convention here of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the largest US cattle group. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. The proposed 2007 Farm Bill released last week recommends US$1.6 billion in new funding over the next 10 years targeted at the development of cellulosic ethanol. It also proposes US$2.1 billion in guaranteed loans for cellulosic projects and construction of plants in rural areas. This constitutes a strong commitment to nailing down the knowledge and building the infrastructure we must have to meet a much larger share of our energy needs, said Johanns. A US$500 million portion of that US$1.6 billion will be used for grants to develop new energy sources, possibly methane gas from livestock waste, he said. All of that could be a part of this initiative, he said. In a press conference following his speech, Johanns said he supported exploring the use of sugar cane and sugar beets to make ethanol. SOUTH KOREA FRUSTRATING Reopening export markets for US beef has been a priority for the NCBA. Overseas markets closed in December 2003 after the United States reported its first case of mad cow disease. Many markets have reopened, with some restricting the type of beef they will accept. South Korea, once the third largest overseas buyer of US beef, is one that remains closed. Last year, South Korea lifted its ban on US beef, but tight restrictions on bone chips and other material has prevented imports from reaching consumers. The United States has been in talks to restart beef sales to South Korea, and more
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
Just put mothballs in your tank all you'll get 100 mpg. We've been doing in the states forever. ... doing in the states forever?? Well I guess you'll just have to keep on doing it in until you get it right. :-) K Keith Addison wrote: Hi Keith, There is a company in Vancouver, BC, I believe they are called, Dynamotive, who make a product they call Bio Oil. They make it from wood waste. Terry Dyck Yes Terry, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere, there's been talk about it here for six years. See: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]q =Dynamotive Dynamotive Biofuel list 47 matches Did you buy some? Did anybody? (As I keep asking.) Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:28:36 +0900 Hi Terry Hi Keith, Using wood waste to create bio-fuel will kill 2 environmental birds with one stone. The air pollution from burning slash left over from logging operations is causing health problems from poor air quality. If we produce biofuel from the slash instead of burning it there will be 2 benefits to the environment. Terry Dyck No doubt, but right now it's pie in the sky. Unless you're going to use h2so4, which you're not going to do. No argument about the amount of feedstock available, but where's the technology? People seem to regard it as doable, as if ethanol from all this slash/whatever is something you can put in your tank and go. But... Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! They may well be just around the corner, but they've been just around the corner for a long time. As of now, they don't exist. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. There is no such ethanol production process that is actually producing ethanol for the market. Unless someone says they just bought some, in which case hooray. But I think not. More smoke and mirrors: White House: US Cuts Emissions Better than Europe http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40267/story.htm LOL! Best Keith From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Subject: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 01:58:07 +0900 Let them eat grass... Ooops, they're going to make ethanol out of all the grass too. The ethanol production process can use grasses, woody plants, and wood waste, he said. Anyone know where you can actually buy some cellulosic ethanol? Or biodiesel from algae? LOL! -- http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/40154/story.htm USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority US: February 5, 2007 NASHVILLE, Tenn., - US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns assured US cattle producers on Friday that the government will work hard to encourage other ways of making ethanol to give them relief from high corn prices. snip ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
just a simple FYI from a list lurker... http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/14/news/wyoming/3429ac0418e8ce2887257280007ab193.prt Ethanol from wood chips By BRANDON BENNETT Black Hills Pioneer UPTON -- They're betting on the chips. Wood chips, that is. Scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology have designed a plant aimed at producing ethanol from wood chips. According to George Douglas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the planned facility in Upton would be the first of its kind in the nation. A second plant is planned in Georgia, he said. The plant, near completion in the Black Hills, could bring closer to fruition a goal set for the country by President Bush: to make more fuel from renewable sources. This is certainly the wave of the future, said Dr. David Dixon of SDSMT's Chemical and Bio-Engineering Department. Ethanol is widely produced today from corn and other food crops and used as an additive to gas and diesel fuel. Making fuel from wood chips and other nonfood crops is more difficult but has the potential to significantly alter our dependence oil. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol, Bush said in his State of the Union address last month, including, using everything from wood chips to grasses to agricultural waste. Dixon teamed with Western Biomass Energy, a Rapid City, S.D.-based company, to help develop a plan to convert Black Hills forest waste into ethanol. The company is now building a plant in Upton on just under 5 acres and hopes to open its doors in March. The pilot plant is designed to produce 1 million gallons of fuel a year and could lead to a plant that would eventually produce as much as 20 million gallons of the fuel each year, using wood chips and wood residue as base material, according to President Randy Kramer. According to its Web site, Western Biomass works closely with KL Process Design Group, a company that operates three other ethanol plants in Greybull; Sutherland, Neb.; and Buffalo, N.Y. Those other plants use corn as the primary source for ethanol. The ethanol industry is growing by leaps and bounds, with 120 plants nationwide and 72 under construction. South Dakota boasts 12 plants with three more under construction. While the majority of ethanol plants use corn and other grains to make the fuel, a growing number worldwide are turning to wood, grasses and other plants for their needs. Countries such China, Canada and Spain have joined the United States in the pursuit of this new form of energy. Turning wood chips into ethanol is a little harder than with corn, so the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been developing new ways to do that, under the direction of Dixon. We just founded a biomass research center, and partnered with (South Dakota State University). Ethanol is going to be the primary focus of our efforts, Dixon said. The Center for Bioprocessing Research and Development was created after Gov. Mike Rounds said the state needed to be a leader in research and development of biofuels. The center was funded for five years at $500,000 per year. A group of 10 instructors makes up the team of researchers, and they have experience in agricultural engineering, chemical and biological engineering, as well as biology and microbiology. The center joins four other research centers around South Dakota. With our dependence on oil, we found that this is a resource that is harder to get, Dixon said. And so we're looking at renewable resources like ethanol, or biodiesel, made from feedstocks that can be added to fuels like gas or diesel. While starch-based ethanol uses sugars as a starting point, cellulosic ethanol uses cellulose as a base. Cellulose is harder to break down than starch or sugar, so the School of Mines conducted research into making glucose out of cellulose, and then using microorganisms to ferment the mixture. Using cellulosic materials means being able to use the whole plant, making it potentially cheaper to procure. Cellulose is the primary part of the plant walls, lignin is the secondary part. Hemicellulose is the weaker part of the plant and can be easily dissolved, Dixon said. Once that is done, it can be turned into glucose, a natural plastic. It's this that is turned into ethanol. He said while this process is more expensive, the research being done may make it more efficient. He added the benefits outweigh the cost of producing this type of ethanol. This different process in distilling ethanol will help lessen the need to use corn to make ethanol, which some contend is affecting the price of a food source for many people. Dixon -- and Western Biomass -- hope short grasses, the remnants of corn stalks and wood chips will replace grains in the process. In addition, the use of
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
They're betting on it yes, so are a lot of people in the US it seems, but they're not selling it yet, and that's been the case for a long time. There doesn't seem to be much actual ground-level advance on this good but not very new overview: Wood-Ethanol Report http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/WoodEthanolReport.html See also: Ethanol from cellulose http://journeytoforever.org/ethanol_link.html#cellulose Always nice to hear from a list lurker (but you're welcome either way). Best Keith just a simple FYI from a list lurker... http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/14/news/wyoming/342 9ac0418e8ce2887257280007ab193.prt Ethanol from wood chips By BRANDON BENNETT Black Hills Pioneer UPTON -- They're betting on the chips. Wood chips, that is. Scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology have designed a plant aimed at producing ethanol from wood chips. According to George Douglas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the planned facility in Upton would be the first of its kind in the nation. A second plant is planned in Georgia, he said. The plant, near completion in the Black Hills, could bring closer to fruition a goal set for the country by President Bush: to make more fuel from renewable sources. This is certainly the wave of the future, said Dr. David Dixon of SDSMT's Chemical and Bio-Engineering Department. Ethanol is widely produced today from corn and other food crops and used as an additive to gas and diesel fuel. Making fuel from wood chips and other nonfood crops is more difficult but has the potential to significantly alter our dependence oil. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol, Bush said in his State of the Union address last month, including, using everything from wood chips to grasses to agricultural waste. Dixon teamed with Western Biomass Energy, a Rapid City, S.D.-based company, to help develop a plan to convert Black Hills forest waste into ethanol. The company is now building a plant in Upton on just under 5 acres and hopes to open its doors in March. The pilot plant is designed to produce 1 million gallons of fuel a year and could lead to a plant that would eventually produce as much as 20 million gallons of the fuel each year, using wood chips and wood residue as base material, according to President Randy Kramer. According to its Web site, Western Biomass works closely with KL Process Design Group, a company that operates three other ethanol plants in Greybull; Sutherland, Neb.; and Buffalo, N.Y. Those other plants use corn as the primary source for ethanol. The ethanol industry is growing by leaps and bounds, with 120 plants nationwide and 72 under construction. South Dakota boasts 12 plants with three more under construction. While the majority of ethanol plants use corn and other grains to make the fuel, a growing number worldwide are turning to wood, grasses and other plants for their needs. Countries such China, Canada and Spain have joined the United States in the pursuit of this new form of energy. Turning wood chips into ethanol is a little harder than with corn, so the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been developing new ways to do that, under the direction of Dixon. We just founded a biomass research center, and partnered with (South Dakota State University). Ethanol is going to be the primary focus of our efforts, Dixon said. The Center for Bioprocessing Research and Development was created after Gov. Mike Rounds said the state needed to be a leader in research and development of biofuels. The center was funded for five years at $500,000 per year. A group of 10 instructors makes up the team of researchers, and they have experience in agricultural engineering, chemical and biological engineering, as well as biology and microbiology. The center joins four other research centers around South Dakota. With our dependence on oil, we found that this is a resource that is harder to get, Dixon said. And so we're looking at renewable resources like ethanol, or biodiesel, made from feedstocks that can be added to fuels like gas or diesel. While starch-based ethanol uses sugars as a starting point, cellulosic ethanol uses cellulose as a base. Cellulose is harder to break down than starch or sugar, so the School of Mines conducted research into making glucose out of cellulose, and then using microorganisms to ferment the mixture. Using cellulosic materials means being able to use the whole plant, making it potentially cheaper to procure. Cellulose is the primary part of the plant walls, lignin is the secondary part. Hemicellulose is the weaker part of the plant and can be easily dissolved, Dixon said. Once that is done, it can be turned into glucose, a natural plastic. It's this that is turned into ethanol. He said while this process is more expensive, the research being done may make it more efficient.
[Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed
New from GRAIN February 2007 http://www.grain.org/?nfg=470 SEED COMPANIES WANT TO BAN FARM-SAVED SEED A new report from GRAIN reveals the new lobbying offensive from the global seed industry to make it a crime for farmers to save seeds for the next year's planting. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent. BACKGROUND Seed companies already have strong legal support from governments. In many countries, seed laws require farmers to use only certified seed of government-approved varieties. That seed is often available only from commercial seed companies. A rapidly increasing number of governments also grant legal monopoly rights for commercial seed, by means of industrial patents and so-called plant variety protection (PVP). Until recently, both seed patents and PVP existed only in developed countries. But since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was created in 1994, all member governments must provide some form of monopoly rights on seeds. There is now enormous pressure on developing countries to adopt the developed country models. Many have been persuaded to join the international PVP system, managed by UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). In the past ten years, UPOV has more than doubled its membership. Most new members are developing countries. The UPOV system was originally set up in 1961, in response to many years of lobbying by the seed industry. What the companies really wanted was to have industrial patents on seeds. Patents give absolute rights to control all uses of the seed, both for planting and for further breeding. But at the time many governments felt that patents would give industry too much power over farmers. The UPOV PVP was created as a compromise. From the beginning, it gave seed companies a monopoly on only the commercial multiplication and the marketing of seeds. Farmers remained free to save seed from their own harvest to plant in the following year, and other breeders could freely use any variety, protected or not, to develop a new one. During the 1980s, the development of genetic engineering attracted large transnational companies from the pharmaceuticals and chemical sectors into plant breeding. With their much greater lobbying power, they began a new offensive to strengthen monopoly rights on plant breeding in developed countries. First, they got industrial patents on plants bred with genetic engineering (GE) and related techniques. This meant, in practice, that they got the absolute monopoly that conventional breeders had been refused two decades earlier. Second, the UPOV PVP rights were radically expanded for all plant varieties, GE or conventional. Since 1991, the PVP monopoly has applied not only to seed multiplication but also to the harvest and sometimes the final product as well. The previously unlimited right for farmers to save seed for the following year's planting has been changed into an optional exception. Only if the national government allows it can farm-saved seed still be used, and a royalty has to be paid to the seed company even for seeds grown on-farm. Third, these much stronger monopoly rights are required for membership in the WTO, as already described. This is the starting point for the new lobby offensive now being prepared by the global seed industry. The goal this time is to remove the few remaining differences between the PVP system and patents, so that companies will have an absolute monopoly over seeds all over the world, regardless of which legal system is used, for all crops and all countries. THE REAL TARGET - FARM-SAVED SEED Farm-saved seed will be a primary target of this offensive. At least two-thirds of the global crop area is currently planted with farm-saved seed every year. In many developing countries, it represents 80--90 per cent of all seed used, but even in developed countries it commonly accounts for a large share (30--60 per cent). If farmers were legally forced to plant all of this area with commercial seed, it could easily mean a doubling of seed industry turnover, that is, an extra US$20 billion annually -- all taken out of farmers' pockets and delivered to transnational giants such as DuPont, Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Another key industry demand will be to restrict or eliminate the freedom to use PVP-protected varieties for breeding -- the other major difference between the UPOV system and patents. The purpose is simply to block competition. If nobody else is allowed to improve on a variety until after the term of protection -- 20 years or so -- a seed company will be able to sell the unimproved variety for a much longer period, and postpone the cost of new research. The net effect: increased profits for the PVP owner, higher seed prices and fewer new varieties for farmers. The
[Biofuel] Fwd: [greenconstruction] Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo
crosspost we just laid bamboo flooring and I am favorably impressed. Kirk Bryan C [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: GC YG [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Bryan C [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:35:40 -0800 (PST) Subject: [greenconstruction] Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo i own Building with Bamboo: A Handbook by Jules J.A. Janssen and i think it is the best practical guide i have found so far. notice how Amazon does not have any b/c it is such a great resource that they can not keep many in stock. here http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781853392030-1 is where i bought the book, while visiting friends in Portland OR. i could not beleive i found it in a store, but then i found-out that Powel is that kind of kewl bookstore, go figure (West coast USA). problem with most books is that they treat Building with Bamboo as a hobby activity and not something serious. You might want to try to contact Jules J.A. Janssen and see if you can go to Columbia to learn about building with bamboo. Bamboo Cultivation and Construction Apr 13-15, 2007 http://www.thefarm.org/etc/courses.html course. i visited and know that they have bamboo growing there. March 11-23, Mastatal, Costa Rica. Natural Building in Costa Rica. http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses.htm 888-496-5541. found at www.thelaststraw.org/calendarNB.html http://naturalhomes.org/learning-other.htm this is the most comprehensive list and includes the above two courses. === Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo Posted by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] I don't know 'bout classes/courses on the subject, but there are a few good books available. Here's an Amazon.com list on the subject: http://tinyurl. com/3ys2t9 Brina === peace be with you regards, brYan Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. ~ Marie Beyon Ray member of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greenconstruction/ http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeenergysolutions/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GardeningOrganically/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organic_architecture/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainwater/ http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SolarHeat/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/12VDC_Power/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SustainableCommunity/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RUL/ - __,_._,___ - Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by Green Rating at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] free books
http://www.truthpublishing.com/Articles.asp?ID=131 - Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games.___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] The Anti-Empire Report
Aztec, Inca, Maya, I believe two of those flourished, and met their demise sometime before, the European discovery of the new world. I just don't remember by world history as well as I should. I was in High School, when I figured out those indigenous to the American Continents, where no less civilized, and no more barbaric than the Europeans who discovered them. However that was not the conditioning expected of me. Doug, N0LKK Kansas USA inc. Jason Katie wrote: i thought the South American empires were wiped out by the europeans before they had the chance to kill themselves off? ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] The Anti-Empire Report
might I recommend "Stolen Continents" by Ronald Wright? From:Doug Younker [EMAIL PROTECTED]Reply-To:biofuel@sustainablelists.orgTo:biofuel@sustainablelists.orgSubject:Re: [Biofuel] The Anti-Empire ReportDate:Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:41:53 -0600Aztec, Inca, Maya, I believe two of those flourished, and met theirdemise sometime before, the European discovery of the "new world". Ijust don't remember by world history as well as I should. I was in HighSchool, when I figured out those indigenous to the American Continents,where no less civilized, and no more barbaric than the Europeans who"discovered" them.However that was not the conditioning expected of me.Doug, N0LKKKansas USA inc.Jason Katie wrote: i thought the South American empires were wiped out by the europeans before they had the chance to kill themselves off?___Biofuel mailing listBiofuel@sustainablelists.orghttp://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.orgBiofuel at Journey to Forever:http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.htmlSearch the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages):http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] The Anti-Empire Report
I'm sure that's what the bible thumpers want us to believe, but I'm not sure that is the case. Ever notice how those who seek to use the bible to say America is doomed always use words from the bible that don't require them to change. Always the other persons fault. Doug, N0LKK Kansas USA inc. Joe Street wrote: And witness how our entertainment media is obsessed with violent and scandalous subject matter, our sports become increasingly violent and individual members of our society tend toward increasing levels of egocentricity and self indulgence. Didn' similar things happen in the times leading up to the collapse of previous empires? Joe ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Oil sands hit major 'hurdle' in California - Globe and Mail - 2007.01.11
I don't see this as a major hurdle. The oil market demand is so strong and diverse that if California stops buying oil from tar sands, someone else will buy more. That is why all these hairbrained schemes you see on the internet to boycot oil from Venezuela or BP or other some other bad guy of the week make no sense. Someone else with lots of green will step up and buy more. Ken - Original Message From: Darryl McMahon [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 9:16:07 PM Subject: [Biofuel] Oil sands hit major 'hurdle' in California - Globe and Mail - 2007.01.11 Oil sands hit major 'hurdle' in California Alberta's energy resources at disadvantage under state rule limiting greenhouse gases Byline: Martin Mittelstaedt The tar sands are one of the most prolific sources of energy in North America, but the fabled petroleum resource may have trouble finding a market in California under a new state policy requiring all vehicle fuels sold there to produce lower emissions of greenhouse gases. While most new laws on cleaner-burning fuel look only at tailpipe emissions, the new California policy, announced this week by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has an unusual twist. It will count gases discharged during the full life cycle of the petroleum, a move that puts Alberta's oil sands at a disadvantage because gasoline derived from this source requires huge quantities of energy to extract and mine the sticky bitumen. The oil sands have long been controversial in Canada because of their large greenhouse-gas emissions, but the action in California is the first sign that crude from this source might not find a welcome market in the United States on environmental grounds. This is such a groundbreaking plan, said Hal Harvey, environment program director for the California-based Hewlett Foundation, which helped pay for the research that led to the new directive. Under the state's so-called low-carbon fuel standard, all transportation fuel sold will have to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during its production and final use by at least 10 per cent by 2020. Mr. Harvey says Alberta's oil sands are such a relatively high- emission source of energy -- he puts it at about 20-per-cent higher than gasoline from conventional crude -- that he believes refiners will be reluctant to buy the product when the new policy, to be issued as a directive by Mr. Schwarzenegger, goes into effect. I don't think it would be purchased, Mr. Harvey said. It creates a very large hurdle. He said Canadian tar sands producers will have to develop ways of substantially lowering greenhouse-gas emissions or risk being shut out of the California market. What it really suggests is that it will behoove the Canadian oil industry to think about a carbon mitigation strategy, Mr. Harvey said. Very little synthetic crude from Alberta is currently sold in California, the largest U.S. fuel market. The bulk of U.S. exports go to the Rocky Mountain and Midwest regions, according to officials with Suncor Energy Inc. and Syncrude Canada Ltd., the two big producers in the Alberta oil sands. Syncrude spokesman Alain Moore declined to comment on the impact the directive will have on the company, but said it has been able to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by about 1.7 per cent a year for each barrel of oil produced through efficiency measures. Brad Bellows, a spokesman for Suncor, said the Canadian industry estimates the amount of extra greenhouse-gas production from synthetic oil may be as little as 7.6 per cent, compared with conventional crude, far lower than Mr. Harvey's estimate. Mr. Bellows said the company will be able to cope with the new regulation if the lower Canadian figure is accepted. I don't think that we're actually at any serious disadvantage with synthetic crude, he said. Mr. Bellows said that because of the paucity of U.S. pipeline connections, the quantity of oil from the tar sands that enters California is limited. But Mr. Harvey predicted that the California measure will spread to the U.S. markets that are more important for Alberta's oil sands. California has generally led U.S. states in the field of air-pollution initiatives, and he expects the idea of regulating the full life cycle emissions from gasoline and diesel fuel to be adopted by other U.S. jurisdictions. I think it will [spread]. It's a very appealing measure, he said. The California standard is expected to be in place formally by late 2008, according to state timelines. According to the state, refiners will be able to meet the new directive through measures such as blending low-carbon ethanol into their fuel, or purchasing credits to offset emissions from other companies that have reduced their discharges. Late last year, the Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental think tank, estimated that the oil sands will contribute nearly half of the country's growth of greenhouse-gas emissions between 2003 and 2010 unless
Re: [Biofuel] Fwd: [greenconstruction] Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo
where do we get local grown bamboo in the U$? - Original Message - From: Kirk McLoren To: biofuel Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 1:18 PM Subject: [Biofuel] Fwd: [greenconstruction] Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo crosspost we just laid bamboo flooring and I am favorably impressed. Kirk Bryan C [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CC: GC YG [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Bryan C [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 06:35:40 -0800 (PST) Subject: [greenconstruction] Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo i own Building with Bamboo: A Handbook by Jules J.A. Janssen and i think it is the best practical guide i have found so far. notice how Amazon does not have any b/c it is such a great resource that they can not keep many in stock. here http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781853392030-1 is where i bought the book, while visiting friends in Portland OR. i could not beleive i found it in a store, but then i found-out that Powel is that kind of kewl bookstore, go figure (West coast USA). problem with most books is that they treat Building with Bamboo as a hobby activity and not something serious. You might want to try to contact Jules J.A. Janssen and see if you can go to Columbia to learn about building with bamboo. Bamboo Cultivation and Construction Apr 13-15, 2007 http://www.thefarm.org/etc/courses.html course. i visited and know that they have bamboo growing there. March 11-23, Mastatal, Costa Rica. Natural Building in Costa Rica. http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses.htm 888-496-5541. found at www.thelaststraw.org/calendarNB.html http://naturalhomes.org/learning-other.htm this is the most comprehensive list and includes the above two courses. === Re: where do you go to learn how to build a house with bamboo Posted by: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] I don't know 'bout classes/courses on the subject, but there are a few good books available. Here's an Amazon.com list on the subject: http://tinyurl. com/3ys2t9 Brina === peace be with you regards, brYan Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand, and melting like a snowflake. ~ Marie Beyon Ray member of: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greenconstruction/ http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeenergysolutions/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GardeningOrganically/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LittleHouses/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/organic_architecture/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainwater/ http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SolarHeat/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/12VDC_Power/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SustainableCommunity/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RUL/ __,_._,___ -- Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by Green Rating at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. -- ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.431 / Virus Database: 268.17.39/687 - Release Date: 2/14/2007 4:17 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.431 / Virus Database: 268.17.39/687 - Release Date: 2/14/2007 4:17 PM ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed
So, when the farmers stop farming becauser they can't buy the seed, are the big *head honchos* going to go hungry too?? Seems the only route left open is to grow yer own - they can't toss everyone in the cooler for having seeds... remember - we are the many - they are the few - Original Message - From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 9:06 AM Subject: [Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed New from GRAIN February 2007 http://www.grain.org/?nfg=470 SEED COMPANIES WANT TO BAN FARM-SAVED SEED A new report from GRAIN reveals the new lobbying offensive from the global seed industry to make it a crime for farmers to save seeds for the next year's planting. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent. BACKGROUND Seed companies already have strong legal support from governments. In many countries, seed laws require farmers to use only certified seed of government-approved varieties. That seed is often available only from commercial seed companies. A rapidly increasing number of governments also grant legal monopoly rights for commercial seed, by means of industrial patents and so-called plant variety protection (PVP). Until recently, both seed patents and PVP existed only in developed countries. But since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was created in 1994, all member governments must provide some form of monopoly rights on seeds. There is now enormous pressure on developing countries to adopt the developed country models. Many have been persuaded to join the international PVP system, managed by UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). In the past ten years, UPOV has more than doubled its membership. Most new members are developing countries. The UPOV system was originally set up in 1961, in response to many years of lobbying by the seed industry. What the companies really wanted was to have industrial patents on seeds. Patents give absolute rights to control all uses of the seed, both for planting and for further breeding. But at the time many governments felt that patents would give industry too much power over farmers. The UPOV PVP was created as a compromise. From the beginning, it gave seed companies a monopoly on only the commercial multiplication and the marketing of seeds. Farmers remained free to save seed from their own harvest to plant in the following year, and other breeders could freely use any variety, protected or not, to develop a new one. During the 1980s, the development of genetic engineering attracted large transnational companies from the pharmaceuticals and chemical sectors into plant breeding. With their much greater lobbying power, they began a new offensive to strengthen monopoly rights on plant breeding in developed countries. First, they got industrial patents on plants bred with genetic engineering (GE) and related techniques. This meant, in practice, that they got the absolute monopoly that conventional breeders had been refused two decades earlier. Second, the UPOV PVP rights were radically expanded for all plant varieties, GE or conventional. Since 1991, the PVP monopoly has applied not only to seed multiplication but also to the harvest and sometimes the final product as well. The previously unlimited right for farmers to save seed for the following year's planting has been changed into an optional exception. Only if the national government allows it can farm-saved seed still be used, and a royalty has to be paid to the seed company even for seeds grown on-farm. Third, these much stronger monopoly rights are required for membership in the WTO, as already described. This is the starting point for the new lobby offensive now being prepared by the global seed industry. The goal this time is to remove the few remaining differences between the PVP system and patents, so that companies will have an absolute monopoly over seeds all over the world, regardless of which legal system is used, for all crops and all countries. THE REAL TARGET - FARM-SAVED SEED Farm-saved seed will be a primary target of this offensive. At least two-thirds of the global crop area is currently planted with farm-saved seed every year. In many developing countries, it represents 80--90 per cent of all seed used, but even in developed countries it commonly accounts for a large share (30--60 per cent). If farmers were legally forced to plant all of this area with commercial seed, it could easily mean a doubling of seed industry turnover, that is, an extra US$20 billion annually -- all taken out of farmers' pockets and delivered to transnational giants such as DuPont, Bayer, Syngenta, and Monsanto. Another key industry demand will be to restrict or eliminate the freedom to
Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority
I hope they don't put any ethanol in my biodiesel...or anyone else's for that matter, but otherwise sounds good... - Original Message - From: coastal view To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 8:19 AM Subject: Re: [Biofuel] USDA Tells Ranchers Non-Corn Ethanol a Priority just a simple FYI from a list lurker... http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/02/14/news/wyoming/3429ac0418e8ce2887257280007ab193.prt Ethanol from wood chips By BRANDON BENNETT Black Hills Pioneer UPTON -- They're betting on the chips. Wood chips, that is. Scientists from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology have designed a plant aimed at producing ethanol from wood chips. According to George Douglas of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the planned facility in Upton would be the first of its kind in the nation. A second plant is planned in Georgia, he said. The plant, near completion in the Black Hills, could bring closer to fruition a goal set for the country by President Bush: to make more fuel from renewable sources. This is certainly the wave of the future, said Dr. David Dixon of SDSMT's Chemical and Bio-Engineering Department. Ethanol is widely produced today from corn and other food crops and used as an additive to gas and diesel fuel. Making fuel from wood chips and other nonfood crops is more difficult but has the potential to significantly alter our dependence oil. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol, Bush said in his State of the Union address last month, including, using everything from wood chips to grasses to agricultural waste. Dixon teamed with Western Biomass Energy, a Rapid City, S.D.-based company, to help develop a plan to convert Black Hills forest waste into ethanol. The company is now building a plant in Upton on just under 5 acres and hopes to open its doors in March. The pilot plant is designed to produce 1 million gallons of fuel a year and could lead to a plant that would eventually produce as much as 20 million gallons of the fuel each year, using wood chips and wood residue as base material, according to President Randy Kramer. According to its Web site, Western Biomass works closely with KL Process Design Group, a company that operates three other ethanol plants in Greybull; Sutherland, Neb.; and Buffalo, N.Y. Those other plants use corn as the primary source for ethanol. The ethanol industry is growing by leaps and bounds, with 120 plants nationwide and 72 under construction. South Dakota boasts 12 plants with three more under construction. While the majority of ethanol plants use corn and other grains to make the fuel, a growing number worldwide are turning to wood, grasses and other plants for their needs. Countries such China, Canada and Spain have joined the United States in the pursuit of this new form of energy. Turning wood chips into ethanol is a little harder than with corn, so the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has been developing new ways to do that, under the direction of Dixon. We just founded a biomass research center, and partnered with (South Dakota State University). Ethanol is going to be the primary focus of our efforts, Dixon said. The Center for Bioprocessing Research and Development was created after Gov. Mike Rounds said the state needed to be a leader in research and development of biofuels. The center was funded for five years at $500,000 per year. A group of 10 instructors makes up the team of researchers, and they have experience in agricultural engineering, chemical and biological engineering, as well as biology and microbiology. The center joins four other research centers around South Dakota. With our dependence on oil, we found that this is a resource that is harder to get, Dixon said. And so we're looking at renewable resources like ethanol, or biodiesel, made from feedstocks that can be added to fuels like gas or diesel. While starch-based ethanol uses sugars as a starting point, cellulosic ethanol uses cellulose as a base. Cellulose is harder to break down than starch or sugar, so the School of Mines conducted research into making glucose out of cellulose, and then using microorganisms to ferment the mixture. Using cellulosic materials means being able to use the whole plant, making it potentially cheaper to procure. Cellulose is the primary part of the plant walls, lignin is the secondary part. Hemicellulose is the weaker part of the plant and can be easily dissolved, Dixon said. Once that is done, it can be turned into glucose, a natural plastic. It's this that is turned into ethanol. He said while this process is more expensive, the research being done may make it more efficient. He added the benefits outweigh the cost of producing this type of ethanol. This different process in distilling ethanol will help lessen the need
Re: [Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed
Does anyone know of a good source of seeds, especially near Charlotte, NC? --Randall - Original Message - From: A. Lawrence [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 6:49 PM Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed So, when the farmers stop farming becauser they can't buy the seed, are the big *head honchos* going to go hungry too?? Seems the only route left open is to grow yer own - they can't toss everyone in the cooler for having seeds... remember - we are the many - they are the few - Original Message - From: Keith Addison [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org Sent: Friday, February 16, 2007 9:06 AM Subject: [Biofuel] Seed Companies Want To Ban Farm-saved Seed New from GRAIN February 2007 http://www.grain.org/?nfg=470 SEED COMPANIES WANT TO BAN FARM-SAVED SEED A new report from GRAIN reveals the new lobbying offensive from the global seed industry to make it a crime for farmers to save seeds for the next year's planting. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent. BACKGROUND Seed companies already have strong legal support from governments. In many countries, seed laws require farmers to use only certified seed of government-approved varieties. That seed is often available only from commercial seed companies. A rapidly increasing number of governments also grant legal monopoly rights for commercial seed, by means of industrial patents and so-called plant variety protection (PVP). Until recently, both seed patents and PVP existed only in developed countries. But since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was created in 1994, all member governments must provide some form of monopoly rights on seeds. There is now enormous pressure on developing countries to adopt the developed country models. Many have been persuaded to join the international PVP system, managed by UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants). In the past ten years, UPOV has more than doubled its membership. Most new members are developing countries. The UPOV system was originally set up in 1961, in response to many years of lobbying by the seed industry. What the companies really wanted was to have industrial patents on seeds. Patents give absolute rights to control all uses of the seed, both for planting and for further breeding. But at the time many governments felt that patents would give industry too much power over farmers. The UPOV PVP was created as a compromise. From the beginning, it gave seed companies a monopoly on only the commercial multiplication and the marketing of seeds. Farmers remained free to save seed from their own harvest to plant in the following year, and other breeders could freely use any variety, protected or not, to develop a new one. During the 1980s, the development of genetic engineering attracted large transnational companies from the pharmaceuticals and chemical sectors into plant breeding. With their much greater lobbying power, they began a new offensive to strengthen monopoly rights on plant breeding in developed countries. First, they got industrial patents on plants bred with genetic engineering (GE) and related techniques. This meant, in practice, that they got the absolute monopoly that conventional breeders had been refused two decades earlier. Second, the UPOV PVP rights were radically expanded for all plant varieties, GE or conventional. Since 1991, the PVP monopoly has applied not only to seed multiplication but also to the harvest and sometimes the final product as well. The previously unlimited right for farmers to save seed for the following year's planting has been changed into an optional exception. Only if the national government allows it can farm-saved seed still be used, and a royalty has to be paid to the seed company even for seeds grown on-farm. Third, these much stronger monopoly rights are required for membership in the WTO, as already described. This is the starting point for the new lobby offensive now being prepared by the global seed industry. The goal this time is to remove the few remaining differences between the PVP system and patents, so that companies will have an absolute monopoly over seeds all over the world, regardless of which legal system is used, for all crops and all countries. THE REAL TARGET - FARM-SAVED SEED Farm-saved seed will be a primary target of this offensive. At least two-thirds of the global crop area is currently planted with farm-saved seed every year. In many developing countries, it represents 80--90 per cent of all seed used, but even in developed countries it commonly accounts for a large share (30--60 per cent). If farmers were legally forced to plant all of this area with commercial seed,
