OUR Ecological Footprint - 12 1. 12. iCompost: Meals, Peels, and Fields Campus Compost Forum Come enjoy locally produced food and discuss issues surrounding.

OUR Ecological Footprint - 121.

12

iCompost: Meals, Peels, and Fields

Campus Compost ForumCampus Compost Forum

Come enjoy locally produced food and discuss issues surrounding our food sustainable campus.

Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 PMWednesday, November 19, 7:00 PMYMCA building, Latzer Hall (main level)YMCA building, Latzer Hall (main level)

Sponsored by Students for Environmental Concerns

Objectives• I. Human Use of Sun’s Energy for Fuel• Relevant Ecological Concepts• Past formation of Fossil Fuels• Present-day Use of Non-renewable Fossil • Fuels• Present-day Need for Renewable Fuels• II. Human Use of Sun’s Energy for Food • Relevant Ecological Concepts• Challenges + Approaches to Feed 7-10 billion• Consequences of Moving Down Food Chain• Comparison of Diets across Earth

I. Human Use of Energy for Fuel:relevant ecolgoical concepts:

• Sun: origin of (almost) all energy that humans use• Ecosystem = energy-transforming machine• Photosynthesis: sun energy transferred to chemical bond energy• Respiration: release (and transfer) of chemical bond energy; generation of heat• Aerobic• Anaerobic: less release as heat• Incomplete decomposition: accumulate biomass

PAST SCENARIO: Accumulation of chemical bond energy from past photosynthesis

• A. Production > Decomposition• B. Death, then into decomposer food web• C. Bury by sediments; anaerobic --> deconposition slowed and incomplete• D. Organic matter (biomass) transformed to fossil fuels

Chemical Fossil Fuels from Geologic Composting!

Physical Transformation of Organic Matter

• When? Carboniferous - 3-400,000,000 yrs ago• Where?• Ocean:• Algae (diatoms)• Sedimentation• Pressure/heat• (Crude) oil + natural gas

Where? Land

• Woody plants in swamps• Biogas via anaerobic respiration by bacteria• Incomplete decomposition; much energy remains• Peat (a fuel)• Sedimentation; weight squeezed out water• Pressure + heat transformed• wood fragments --> thermogenic natural gas• leaves + wood --> oil + coal• If anaerobic -- S in coal• Trapped by overlying sediments• Retrieval by drilling/strip mining

coal

Major coal deposits in USA -

red = high in S

Chemical transformation of organicmatter

• Lipids, proteins, carbos, lignin, cellulose• Kerogens (complex heavy hydrocarbons)• Heat -->• Lighter hydrocarbons by breaking bonds of

kerogens

PRESENT: break fossilized chemical bonds • Uses:• Drive ‘machines’• Heat• Electricity• Which fuels used for which use?• Relation of oil to gasoline• Relation to electricity• Sources• Relative cleanliness

What’s in a barrel of oil?

How is electricity made and used?

Speed of Depletion of Non-renewable Energy Sources

• How old are the sources?

• When were they discovered + put to use?

• What % have we used?

• What is projected time of depletion?

• "There are currently 98 oil producing countries in the world, of which 64 are thought to have passed their geologically-imposed production peak, and of those 60 are in terminal production decline."

Renewable alternative fuels - relate to sun’s energy

•Solar•Wind•Biofuels (see PPT on 203 website)• Seed (e.g. corn) -> ethanol• Vegetable oil (from seed) -> biodiesel• Crop residues (e.g corn stalks) +• Non-crop cellulose

(e.g. switch grass + Miscanthus) -> ethanol

EBI: Energy Biosciences Institute UI + U Cal-Berkeley

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Humans + Food Energy - Relates to:

• A. Population size +

“ need (‘demand’ for animal food• B. Primary and secondary productivity• C. Trophic level of consumption• D. Ecological efficiency• E. Land use + landscape/conservation ecology

Global variation in estimated NPP - Humans consume 40% of global NPP!!

What was the ‘Green Revolution’?

• A. Begun in 1945 to improve wheat production • in Mexico• B. Spread to all major continents• C. Used genetics and new technologies• D. Removed 2 major limiting factors:• Water + Nutrients• E. Funded by Rockefellow + Ford Foundations

Challenges for future:• Less water for irrigation• Increasing temperatures -> drought• Loss of land to non-farm uses• Increased fuel costs• Increased fertilizer costs• Fewer new technologies on horizon

• Plan B Lester D. Brown Earth Policy Institutue

How to feed 7-10 billion well!1. Improve land (plant) productivity

• A. Increase multi-cropping• B. Improve water-use efficiency +

plant less water-demanding crops• C. Move down food chain - less water to

produce animal feed• D. Raise cost of water• E. Put local people in charge to manage resources

2. Produce animal protein more efficiently.

• A. 38% of grain used as animal feed in world• B. variation in efficiency in convert grain to protein

beef = low aquaculture herb. fish = high• C. variation among countries in type of meat eaten

China = # 1 = pork; 2nd in world = chickens;

fish on rise, too• D. most soybeans used as grain for animal food;

has improved efficiency greatly

3.New animal protein production systems

• A. Milk in India: feed animals with roughage• B. Use crop residues (straw/corn stalk) for cows• C. China aquaculture: 4 fish at different trophic

levels

Why does human population size depend on our trophic level?

Figure 2

4. Move down food chain

• A. How many people can earth support - depends at our trophic level Country kg grain/person /yr billions supported• USA • Italy • India (almost all to humans)

• B. Of our 800 kg grain, • ? eaten as grain; ? to feed animals• C. Complete table below:

Cultural Evolution of Diet

• A. Diets include carbos + protein• B. Must have amino acid complementarity -> can get all required AAs from plants• e.g. L.A.: Beans + rice (corn)• Asia: Soybeans + rice• Middle East: Chickpeas + wheat/millet What do all three have in common to get a lot of N?

Government Policies Under Debate

• A. Plant corn for food or fuel?

• B. Farm bill with farm subsidies

The Hungry Planet Peter Menzel

• Item Range • $ spent on food• Calories in diet• Sugar used• Obsesity level• Meat consumption

•Calculate your daily required calories• A. Height (in)• B. Activity level• C. BMI (body mass index) 18.5 (small boned) 24.99 (large boned) 25-29.99 = overweight >30 = obese (60% of US = overweight or obese)• D. Weight (lb)• E. Calories if 30 yr (add 7 female or 10 male for each year below 30)• F. Calories for my age __________