IN an article from “Time” magazine, 25th January 2010, journalist Lisa Abend investigates the issues surrounding grass versus grain fed animals. Cattleman Ridge Shinn of Massachusetts, USA explains “conventional cattle raising is like mining, it is unsustainable, because you’re just taking without putting anything back. But when you rotate cattle on grass, you change the equation. You put back more than you take”. See chart on grain fed versus pasture fed from the Time article and full article here “How cows (Grass fed only) could save the planet”

THE establishment of Sommerville Eco Village in Chidlow Western Australia after being thrown off balance by the global economic crisis is now back on track. Global Eco Villages are living models of sustainability and address all major issues such as cultural, community and ecology. They grow as much food as possible, support organic food production, create homes out of locally adapted materials, protect biodiversity, preserve clean soil, water and air through proper energy and waste management, protect nature and safeguard the surrounding natural habitat. Anyone interested in knowing more about the Sommerville Eco Village project can write to Dave Moore at SomerVille Ecovillage [info@sev.net.au]

MANY writers such as Raj Patel, the Navdanya organisation and the Institute of Science in Society write about the controversy of the planting of the genetically modified BT Brinjal in India. Brinjal is an easy growing plant and has grown in India for 4000 years, also known in the West as aubergine, melanzane or eggplant.

BESIDES being the vice president of Slow Food International, Vandana Shiva is the founder of Navdanya. Originally started as a research organisation, it is now also a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India. The organisation has help set up 54 community seed banks and trained over half a million farmers in seed sovereignty and sustainable agriculture. It has also setup up the largest direct marketing, fair trade organic network in the country. A new initiative is informative “Navdanya Blog” There are also Slow Food convivia in India

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FRIDAY 5th February at Scotch College at 5.30pm a Sustainability Fair is being held. Many environmental groups will be present, a free film by Yann Arthus Betrand, music, information and lots more. Any gold coin donation will be put towards an environmental cause.