Sustainable Agriculture Archives - Page 3 of 7

Lynn and Judy Osburn, where are you?

April 7, 2010 by David Mark Brown

If, like me, you have perused the source material available on-line in regards to hemp usage and economic potential, then you have no doubt come across articles by Lynn Osburn. Lynn Osburn, writing in the early nineties, appears to be the source for around 75% of what current bloggers are saying about hemp and its magical powers and awesome potential. If I don’t find Lynn’s name, then I find sentences that are direct quotes (plagiarized apparently. Oh hempies, where is the shame?)

I don’t know about you, but I would like to know more about the genius behind the modern hemp movement. Besides I have questions like, “Why is noone currently following through with or continuing to build on Osburn’s work from 17 years ago?” And more importantly, “What the frick happened to this guy?” (He is apparently a guy.) Well, this is what I have found so far.

Hemp History Week, 2010: Bring Back Industrial Hemp

March 7, 2010 by David Mark Brown

It is probably not a new revelation to most of you that hemp once grew tall and proud throughout many regions of the United States. Before bored advocated of Prohibition teamed up with politicians and others seeking to push mostly Mexican immigrants back South of the Border during the rise toward the Great Depression and eventually leading to the “Reefer Madness” era, hemp was widely grown and used for dozens of applications in the U.S. including paints, cosmetics, fabrics and foods.

It seems, after many years of difficult struggle, groups such as the Hemp Industries Association and Vote Hemp might finally be gathering the momentum to bring hemp back into the mainstream of American society. These two organizations are teaming up this Spring to bring us Hemp History Week, May 17th-23rd. This is not the same thing as, “Smoke a Doobie, Attention Deficit Day,” or “Bake a Ganja Brownie for your Favorite Earth Sprite Day.”

Big Box Agriculture: Can Stores Become Farms?

September 29, 2009 by David Mark Brown

forrest_fulton_reburbia_ext-670x270 America’s farmland has long been under siege by suburban development. This is nothing new. What is new is that a cease-fire has been called in most parts of the nation. And a conversation is developing about how to move into this new window of opportunity in a manner that not only restores the balance between urban demand and farm supply, but also helps to reenergize our failing economy heavily dependent on the construction industry.

This summer, Reburbia, a suburban design competition, was held by Inhabitat and Dwell Magazine. The competition set out to gather creative and imaginative ideas on how to go about re-visioning the American suburban sprawl that will almost certainly become our suburban wasteland without intervention. Several of the ideas were great, but one in particular caught my eye.