B io ph ile Issu e 18 - Biophile Magazine

Article Title Goes HerePlastic, notaxes, threatenscork forestsIf you buy a bottle of wine witha metal screw-top or a plasticcork, you won't just be thumbingyour nose at tradition.You may also be dooming theworld's cork forests.That is the view of environmentalistsand cork producers whohave joined forces to protectcork oaks -- and the unique habitatthey provide -- from competitionin the wine trade.Alternative 'corks' are evermore common, as synthetic andaluminium wine closures havegrabbed a 20 percent share ofthe market, up from just 2 percentin 2000, according to wineindustry consultant StephaneRein of Rein Consulting. He saysthat could increase to 35 percentby the end of the decade."Silicone corks are not a problemfor quality wines, they'llalways use cork," said BattistaGiannottu, an agronomistwho works with a consortiumrepresenting Sardinia's corkproducers."But the mass market, which is80 percent of the total, might(use synthetic corks). That's notjust an economic problem butan environmental one."The Quercus suber, or corkoak, which grows on both theEuropean and African sides ofthe Mediterranean, provides theraw material for practically allthe 20 billion wine corks usedevery year.The way cork is harvested-- shaved off the sides of treeslike the way a sheep is shorn --means forests continue to thriveas they give up their valuablebark.In Sardinia, the only region inItaly that produces cork, theforests are a haven for wild boar,a species of hawk native to theisland and Sardinian deer.The highly endangered Iberianlynx roams the cork forests ofSpain and Portugal, the globalleader in cork production; inNorth Africa the forests providea habitat for Barbary deer.Mammoth dung may speed warmingSergei Zimov bends down, picks up a handfulof treacly mud and holds it up to his nose. Itsmells like a cow pat, but he knows better."It smells like mammoth dung," he says.This is more than just another symptom ofglobal warming. For millennia, layers of animalwaste and other organic matter left behindby the creatures that used to roam the Arctictundra have been sealed inside the frozenpermafrost. Now climate change is thawingthe permafrost and lifting this prehistoric oozefrom suspended animation.But Zimov, a scientist who for almost 30 yearshas studied climate change in Russia's Arctic,believes that as this organic matter becomes exposedto the air it will accelerate global warmingfaster than even some of the most pessimisticforecasts."This will lead to a type of global warmingwhich will be impossible to stop," he said.When the organic matter left behind bymammoths and other wildlife is exposed to theCombiningchickens, crops &sustainable, off-gridlivingIn the heart of Seattle, architectsinvision a farm rising vertically intothe sky. The Center for Urban Agriculture(CUA) won “Best of Show” inthe Cascadia Region Green BuildingCouncil’s Living Building Challenge.Vertically constructed on a 3000m 2site, the off-grid building is designedto be completely energy and water sufficientand will include 318 affordableapartments. And on top of that, therewill be greenhouses, rooftop gardens,a chicken farm, and fields for growingvegetables and grains.CUA's sustainable features include3000m 2 of photovoltaic cells combinedwith hydrogen gas undergroundstorage tanks to help match energyproduction and demand, 3000m 2 rooftoprainwater collection area, 45 extrastorage tanks, and filtering/purifyingto supply the building's greywater anddrinking water;Commenting on the concept, BertGregory, Mithun President, said:"Concepts like the CUA are extremelyimportant for architecture as a science.Constantly developing creative andchallenging ideas is the best way touncover innovative solutions to today’sproblems."air by the thawing permafrost, his theory runs,microbes that have been dormant for thousandsof years spring back into action.As a by-product they emit carbon dioxide and-- even more damaging in terms of its impact onthe climate -- methane gas.According to Zimov, the microbes are goingto start emitting these gases in enormousquantities.Here in Yakutia, a region in the north-easterncorner of Siberia, the belt of permafrost containingthe mammoth-era soil covers an area roughlythe size of France and Germany combined.There is even more of it elsewhere in Siberia."The deposits of organic matter in thesesoils are so gigantic that they dwarf global oilreserves," Zimov said.U.S. government statistics show mankindemits about 7 billion tonnes of carbon a year."Permafrost areas hold 500 billion tonnes ofcarbon, which can fast turn into greenhousegases," Zimov said. [Yahoo! News]Biophile Issue 1813