[APWG] NEWS: A New Leaf: Making Paper From Weeds

[Gena Fleming]

Philip, I want to make sure I understand you correctly.  Your statement,

"One problem with this approach is that once you create an industry that
depends on a reliable supply of something like this, there are usually huge
pressures to keep it 'sustainable'--which defeats the purpose."

What purpose would sustainability be defeating?

In the mesquite email, you also objected that , "Also, it's likely not
economically efficient to gather it piecemeal (vs. plantation-based on a
flat field so automated/mechanical harvest is feasible)."

This sounds like you support unsustainable monocultures on the virtue of
their economic efficiencies. (?)

 This is the rationale being used for genetically modifying forest trees
(reduced lignin, faster growth, herbicide resistance, etc) to be planted in
monoculture plantations.    The genetic modifications genetically alter the
forest trees to better meet the economic and profit imperatives of the paper
and pulp industry.  These genetically modified trees will pose a much
greater risk to native ecosystems than Arundo, and sustainable cultivation
of arundo would undercut the biotech argument that designing GM trees is
somehow necessary  or good for the environment.

With regard to genetically modified plants, Hawaii has more field test
releases (a whopping 2,265) of genetically modified plants than any other
state.  In 2004, testing revealed a full 50% of the papaya trees on the Big
Island  had GMO contamination.
http://www.grain.org/research/contamination.cfm?id=165


Supporting alternative resources for paper making may well save our
forests.  Otherwise we may find our forest trees contaminated with genes for
reduced lignin (rendering trees structurally weak and less resistant to
disease),  genes to produce Bt toxin in every part of the plant (including
pollen, killing pollinators,  including their roots, destroying beneficial
soil microbes,) the forest understory wiped out from aerial spraying of
roundup (that's why they're engineered to be roundup resistant), the soil
dried up (because they're engineered for faster growth), and finally if the
sterility genes escape, massive reproductive problems in contaminated native
trees, greatly increasing their chances of extinction.

I'm far less afraid of arundo.

best regards,
Gena


2008/10/7 Philip Thomas (www.HEAR.org <http://www.hear.org/>) <pt at hear.org>

> Yes, I DID read the article, but still I contend (see my recent post on a
> similar topic):
>
> "One problem with this approach is that once you create an industry that
> depends on a reliable supply of something like this, there are usually huge
> pressures to keep it 'sustainable'--which defeats the purpose."
>
> I have some trepidation about "The Nile Group" in particular, because I
> have been personally contacted by them when they were interested in starting
> arundo plantations in Hawaii (as they still may be; I don't know).  Is this
> environmentally responsible?  (I'll let you answer that for yourself.)
>
> ...and one final note:  "The current commercial use of arundo has been in
> the production of reeds for wind instruments. It is a small, limited market
> but shows that arundo can be cultivated without posing problems as an
> invasive plant."  Really?  I'm somehow unable to follow this "logic"...
>
> Aloha,
> pt
>
>
> Olivia Kwong wrote:
>
>>  http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/729
>>
>> A New Leaf: Making Paper From Weeds
>> An invasive ecological bad guy may be able to paper over his evil ways and
>> absorb some carbon as well.
>> By: Lisa Conti  |  October 07, 2008  |  09:00 AM (PDT)
>>
>> The giant reed (Arundo donax) is mostly green. It's a weed that looks a
>> lot
>> like bamboo.
>>
>> Native from the Mediterranean to India, the enormous grass colonizes
>> stream
>> beds of the coastal United States. Growing in wetlands, it chokes out
>> native plants, threatens animal life, is a fire hazard and poses problems
>> to existing infrastructure such as bridges. The Plant Conservation
>> Alliance
>> has named it to its "Least Wanted" list.
>>
>> See the link above for the full article text.
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
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>
> --
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>
> Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) - http://www.hear.org
> P.O. Box 1272
> Puunene (Maui), Hawaii  96784  USA
>
> Philip A. Thomas - pt at hear.org
>
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