Boston GreenScene

Cool Beans

by Daniel E. Walsh

As Confucius said, "It is such a delight to have friends coming from afar."
Dr. Huqu Zhai
President of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Chairman of the World Soybean Research Conference VIII Organizing Committee

An important event is taking place in Beijing, China this summer. The World Soybean Research Conference VIII is scheduled for August 8 through August 10. This meeting of multinational soybean producers and policy makers occurs every five years. The soybean a plant of the legume family that emanated from the host country has become an extremely important crop. There have been stunning developments with major global implications in just the last five years that this conference will address. Some of the issues on the agenda are controversial, but, in general, the emergence of this plant has been largely beneficial to mankind and the sustainability movement.

Scheduled to be discussed are biotechnology, the role of soy in animal feed and human health, and sustainable farming practices. The market web of this product makes it a truly global issue. There are presenters from the major players. China and India are the biggest importers. The United States, Brazil, and Argentina are the largest exporters and producers.

ENERGY: Create, Conserve, and Curve

by Dr. Dermot Jinks

In physics, energy is defined as the ability to do work.  As a work-oriented culture, we focus on the  creation, consumption and – more recently – the conservation of energy. Regarding the health of our planet, our ability to change patterns of consumption, create alternative and renewable sources of energy, and act responsibly in our energy efforts will determine our success in achieving sustainable work/living. Regarding the health of our body, we must consider biochemistry and biomechanics in how we create, consume, and conserve energy.

Energy & Biochemistry

Biochemistry in energy production is amazing. The oxidative processes found in breaking down glucose, the complexity of the Krebs Cycle, and the ‘renewable’ quality of changing adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and back within our internal power plant are incredible. To create this energy, we understand the value of  “clean fuel” – organic food sources, less preservatives/additives in our foods, and clean water.  In this, a correlation between our planet and our bodies are strikingly similar.

Mercury

by Daniel E. Walsh  Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series

Ah, those duck and cover days! The specters of atomic explosions and celluloid monsters hovered in the imagination of American youth. Anything was possible with chemicals. We went to schools with asbestos insulation. Lived in houses painted with lead paint. Ashtrays sat on every table. Every once and a while some kid would show up with a dollop of mercury. Great fun with chemistry!

Mercury really was fun and interesting. When kids poured the silvery substance from one hand to the other, they would marvel at its magical properties. This was a liquid metal that would bead and then reform. You almost had to chase the beads like a pack of puppies to get them back together.

The uses would be talked about. There was mercury in a host of electrical devices. Thermometers may have been the biggest source; kids would break them just to get the mercury inside. The metal was known to be in dental fillings. The fact that there was a planet with the same name and a Mercury dime heightened the general mystique for kids.

Happy Earth Day from Boston GreenScene!

EARTH: The Pale Blue Dot from Michael Marantz

Some additional interesting links about Earth Day:

NASA Celebrates Earth Day
Marketing Earth Day (and other stuff) to Children (Huffington Post)
About Earth Day (History.com)
History of Earth Day (EPA Time Line)