City of the future?

                                                      

Rising global temperatures could be putting all of us at risk of allergies, nutritional deficiencies and more. But don't worry, there's a silver lining! Some companies will make a pretty penny. Sure, many of these businesses, like hybrid automakers, will make money due to increased demand for products that actually help the environment, but some are profiting off climate change in more sinister ways:
They're engineering crops to grow in a post-climate change world.

                  
                                    

Some agribusinesses like Monsanto predict they'll likely make money off climate change. That's because they manufacture genetically modified organisms -- a controversial technology that creates crops which can grow in un-ideal conditions like draughts.

Some of them are creating solutions to mitigate the cost of climate change. Automakers producing hybrid cars like Ford, Honda and General Motors could be poised to cash in if a pinched oil supply pushes gas prices up. In addition, Toyota officials have noted on earnings calls that concerns over global warming help boost the company because it's known for its fuel efficient and hybrid models like the Prius.

                                            

Imagine waking up in a DIY flat where paint brightens and fades and the grass outside is embedded into the sidewalk. In fact, the United States still imports one-third of its tomatoes from Mexico and Canada today, It makes it really hard for the greenhouse industry to grow tomatoes well in the offseason.

                                      

Cary Mitchell,and Celina Gomez harvest tomatoes grown around red and blue LED lights, which use far less energy than traditional high-pressure sodium lamps in greenhouses. They got the same yield - size and number of fruit - with high-pressure sodium lamps and LED towers, but the LEDs used about 25 percent of the energy of traditional lamps. The scientists think that the method could have other advantages because the cooler LEDs can be placed much closer and along the sides of plants, lighting not only the top, but also the underside.

THE RISE OF PLANTSCRAPERS.

           
Crops could soon be grown in greenhouses the size of skyscrapers in city centres across the country. Birds Eye and other food producers are investigating building ‘plantscrapers’, which could accommodate hundreds of storeys worth of crops, in a bid to make farming more economical, sustainable and meet increasing demand. The ‘vertical farms’ would use an innovative feeding system which nourishes plants with enriched water, therefore cancelling out the need for soil – and the need for food to be grown  and harvested in the countryside.

Some supermarket foods such as tomatoes and strawberries are already grown on farms using a primitive form of the so-called hydroponic system. Now there are sophisticated plantscrapers planned or under construction in Sweden, Japan, China, Singapore and Chicago in the U.S.
By 2014, the structure will produce a range of leafy green vegetables, including salad leaves, spinach and mustard greens.

                Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net

Barack Obama: White House Kitchen Garden, From here to the table.

                                     

Barack Obama 2013/08/24

    Does the U.S. President- Barack Obama eat the safe and healthy food from white house kitchen garden? Not really, usually plants with different viruses are not as good as they look.

    Plants sometimes get sick. Vegetable plants usually are capable of fending off disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi. But if conditions favor the disease and your plants are weak, the disease sometimes gains the upper hand, often leading to early death of the plants. The tips below will help you minimize the effects of plant diseases on your garden by employing two basic strategies:

Choose resistant or tolerant varieties

This is the easiest and most important way to reduce diseases in your garden. Resistant varieties resist infection by a particular disease agent and show little or no disease.

Buy treated seed

Seed may come pretreated with a dusting of fungicide. This coating will help prevent the seed from rotting in the soil. Make sure seeds, transplants, and propagating material are disease-free.Start with healthy plant material to help plants get established quickly. Unhealthy plant material will never yield as much as healthy material. Worse, plants may die while they are still young.

Choose a sunny, well-drained location

Most vegetable crops thrive in full sun. Shady, poorly drained sites produce weak, spindly plants that are easy targets for disease organisms.

Improve the soil

A soil that is favorable to healthy root development supports the growth of healthy plants.

                                                  

Water plants carefully

For best growth, plants usually require about 1 inch of water per week. If you don't get enough rain, water your garden.

Don't over- or under-fertilize

Plants that are fertilized properly at planting and during the season will grow better and be healthier.

Space plants to allow air circulation

High humidity and moisture favor the development of plant diseases. Allowing enough room for plants to grow and for air to circulate and encourages rapid drying of plants after rain.

Clean up debris

Always remove and destroy or discard (in the trash) plant material that shows signs of disease. Work in the garden when plants are dry because moisture on plants aids the spread of diseases.
 

Plant a fall cover crop

After cleaning up the garden, sow a cover crop such as winter rye that will grow that fall and protect the topsoil during winter.

Rotate crops

Rotate plants to different areas of the garden to help reduce losses caused by soil-borne disease agents.
                                

Garden Hydroponics

Hydroponic growing methods can provide high yields of vegetables while avoiding soil diseases, nematodes and weeds. It is the most efficient, scientific way to avoid toxic plants. Hydroponics generally refers to growing plants using nutrient solution (fertilizer + water)in situations where a growing medium is employed instead of soil as a substrate for roots. Water and fertilizer consumption is minimized in closed hydroponic systems.
                                           

                   Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net







What does hot lemon water do for you? Can you grow lemon hydroponically?

                                                       

                                         How to Grow Lemons Hydroponically
                                                    

    Hydroponic lemon trees can produce an abundance of high-quality fruit.
    The lemon is among the few trees that you can successfully grow using hydroponic methods. Dwarf lemon trees are the best type to grow using this method, due to their smaller size. They also take less time to bear fruit. Among the various types of hydroponic systems available, drip irrigation systems are the best for watering and nourishing your lemon tree. These allow the roots to dry out between watering but still provide the tree with a continual source of nutrition and moisture. If you do not live in a tropical area, then your hydroponic lemons will benefit from a greenhouse and grow lights.

                                          Things You'll Need

• Chicfarm LED grower, origin: Taiwan
• Dwarf lemon tree
• Pebbles or gravel
• Full spectrum grow lights
• Chicfarm 4 Total Hydro NutrientsInstructions
                                                          

1.Fill the bottom of the container with pebbles or gravel to a depth of 1 to 2 inches. This will facilitate better drainage so the roots can dry out between watering.

2. Add several additional inches of the peat and vermiculite mixture. Make sure that several inches of depth remain in the container for when you add the remainder of the mixture.

3. Rinse the roots of the young lemon tree, removing all the soil. Be careful not to damage the roots. Place the tree in the pot on top of the peat and vermiculite and spread out the roots.

4. Cover the roots with the remainder of the vermiculite and peat to a depth of several inches (depending on the size of your tree). Make sure that the material keeps the tree stable.

5. Install three drip emitters from your hydroponic system in the container. Set up the system to initially deliver a half-strength Hoagland solution. This solution is a standard formula with specific ratios of nutrients and is available for purchase in many hydroponic supply sources. As the tree begins to grow, gradually increase the solution's concentration to full strength.
                               
6. Install the grow lights above the tree. Lemons are tropical plants and expect a lot of light, so set the lights up to provide 12 to 16 hours of illumination daily.

7. Keep the tree's growth area between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Although lemon trees are tropical, they do not need or benefit from excessive heat.

8. Allow the tree to grow for a few years before expecting fruit. Dwarf lemon trees take anywhere from three to five years from germination to produce fruit, so if you purchase an older tree, you will get fruit sooner. When the plant has reached three years of age and starts flowering, pollinate the tree by gently rubbing pollen from the stamens into the flowers themselves. This will encourage fruit production.

9.Harvest the fruits as they ripen.

                  WHAT DOES HOT LEMON WATER DO FOR YOUR BODY?
 
    Hot water improves your blood circulation, digestive system, nervous system and mental status. And lemons are rich in vitamins B and C, riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, proteins and carbohydrates. When these two items are mixed together the benefits to your body are incredible.

                                               

Weight Loss
Lemon water speeds up the weight loss process. In fact, drinking hot lemon water before breakfast allows you to burn calories and remove unwanted chemicals in your body. This is because the closer the water is to your body temperature, the easier it is to absorb.
Improve Brain FunctionImprove Memory and Attention with Scientific Brain Training Games.

Complexion
Lemons are natural antiseptics and can help cure skin problems. The Vitamin C in lemons rejuvenates the skin. Drinking hot lemon water daily can remove wrinkles and blackheads, fade scars and reduce burning sensations to your skin.

Digestive System
Drinking hot lemon water can relieve many digestive problems, including nausea, heartburn and parasites. This is because lemon juice helps your liver to produce more bile, which aids in the digestion process. Hot lemon water also relieves bloating, gas and cures constipation.

Oral hygiene
Lemon has an antibacterial property in it that, when mixed with warm water, can relieve sore throat pain, throat infections and tonsillitis. Fresh lemon water helps diminish toothaches, can stop gum bleeding and relieve bad breath.

Physical DisordersThe high potassium in lemons can aid with heart problems. By drinking lemon water you can control high blood pressure, dizziness, nausea and relax your mind and body. Lemon water also helps to break fevers. And, since it is a diuretic, lemon water can treat rheumatism and arthritis by flushing out bacteria and toxins from the body.

                     Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net

                                         

The technology of hydroponics system has transforming gardening

    Hydroponics and aeroponics - a type of hydroponics, but rather than growing in nutrient-rich water, grows in the air and the plants get sprayed with nutrients - technology is increasingly being utilized by businesses themselves.

    John Mooney is the founder and chef at the Bell Book & Candle restaurant in Manhattan. The restaurant, located in Greenwich Village, has little outdoor space so Chef Mooney decided to make use of the dead space it had - the roof - in order to grow his own vegetables.He uses a system called, Tower Garden, a vertical, aeroponic growing system. John Mooney says the technology allows him to utilize the roof, which would otherwise be dead space, and could not hold the weight of soil needed for a conventional garden.
                                              

    The concept of vertical farming is not new - the phrase was first coined by Gilbert Ellis Bailey in 1915 as pressure increased on already limited farmland - and involves growing produce either in a skyscraper greenhouse, a grow shelf, or in this case, a tower.

    Mr Mooney's rooftop is full of these white towers, where seeds are planted up along each tower's spine. Each tower has its own reservoir at the base, which is on a timer and has a pump that sprinkles the roots of the plants every 12 minutes.He says it was important to be as close to the source as possible: "When you pick something with the roots attached, that's still living, that's probably the best benefit." The roof garden grows everything from aubergines, tomatoes and chilli peppers to herbs and watermelons.

Grow Shelf to plant your own food

   However, with a soilless system you obviously cannot grow anything that would be subterranean - so no onions or carrots, for instance. And roof gardens are not immune to the weather either, regardless of the technology used. The garden was wiped out during Hurricane Sandy and needed reconstructing.
                                           
   While growing his own vegetables obviously makes economic sense, Chef Mooney says the benefits are much broader than that. "There's two ways to look at it. It does pay for itself. I know how much I would spend on vegetables if I'm purchasing everything in, which is about $6,000 a month, a little more probably. "But the quality that we produce, having it on location - growing for consumption not for transport - and then having the staff involved in the process brings much more to the table than the actual monetary value."
Design challenges

    "In a world we live in where farmers feel like their future's threatened, the great news is the technology is there to help them”
                                               
                                                        

Modern Vertical Farm

Hobby vs. business
On a commercial level, hydroponics is the most-used technology in greenhouse vegetable production in the US. But for any individuals looking to make money from using hydroponics technology in their own greenhouse, try it first as a hobby rather than as an enterprise.

Community sharing
"Hydroponics is really great for urban environments where you don't have a lot of space. You can do it indoors."

"But also it's great for anyone because usually the yield is a lot higher, you get more plants in a shorter period of time so you don't have to wait a full season."

Control of your food
Although one tower and the kit that comes with it will set you back $499 (£330), one grow shelf $338.99 (£223), Mr Blank still believes it will pay for itself in "less than a few years".And he believes the market for home-growing technologies will, pardon the pun, only grow."People are concerned about food safety. They want to be in control of their own food. We've created technology that allows them to grow in their backyard.

He adds: "The primary challenges in agriculture are the carbon footprint and water usage. With vertical aeroponics, we are using up to 95% less water and up to 90% less land than traditional agriculture. "In a world we live in where farmers feel like their future's threatened, the great news is the technology is there to help them."

               Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net
                      
                  

The Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity

                                                          

                                                 The Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity

    2013 has proved to be a big year for power couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard. Not only did they welcome their first child in March, daughter Lincoln Shepard, now the stunning Kristen has also been named the Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2013!

                                                         
    "I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with—dogs and cats, for example—from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat. I always loved my Brussels sprouts!" says Kristen, who, after being vegetarian for many years, eventually went vegan.

   She's not the only new mother to make the list and show the world that a vegan diet is as easy on the body as it is on the eyes. Vegan moms Jenna Dewan Tatum and Tia Mowry were also nominees in this year's contest. Politicians scored big, too, with former President Bill Clinton and Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker both racking up votes. And today it seems as if you can't see a top film or TV show that doesn't star one of our sexy vegetarian nominees—Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Edie Falco, and Peter Dinklage (and too many others to mention!) scored big with voters, too.


      HAPPY VEGAN EATING!

1. WHAT TO BUY
Overhaul your shopping list by adding a few mock meats and nondairy delights. Here are some of the products that make our mouths water the most! Best of all, many of these can be found at grocery stores in your neighborhood. A few of our favorites are Daiya vegan cheeses, Gardein vegan meats, Earth Balance vegan butters, and Silk soy milks!
                                             

2. WHERE TO FIND ’EM
Many grocery stores have a natural- or health-food section, where many vegan items can be found. Some products are located in other areas, though. For example, veggie meat slices and tofu are often kept near the produce and some frozen products are kept near breakfast foods. Vegan margarine and soy milk are frequently kept right next to the dairy varieties. Be sure to ask a store clerk for help if you can't find what you are looking for.
                                             

3. WHERE TO EAT
There are usually vegan options no matter where you are—a restaurant, a friend's house, or on the road. You just have to know what to look (and ask!) for. Here are some pointers to help you eat vegan when you're away from home:

                                             
• AT A RESTAURANT:
There are vegan and vegetarian restaurants around the country, but you can also find plenty of vegan options at restaurants that serve meat. Check out our list of chain restaurants that are serving up meat-free meals. Don't worry if your favorite spot is not on the list. Just ask the waiter what vegan options are offered, and most restaurants will accommodate you—even a steakhouse!
                                        

• AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE:
Get involved! Call ahead of time and ask your friend what is on the menu. Offer to help make it vegan or bring a tantalizing vegan dish to share.

                                        
ON THE ROAD:
When traveling, arm yourself with an app that will help you find the closest vegan or vegetarian restaurant. One of our favorites is the Happy Cow app.

                                           
TIPS FOR EATING OUT
Denny’s, Red Robin, and Johnny Rockets all offer mouthwatering vegan burgers. When dining at the retro diner Johnny Rockets, try the delicious Streamliner—a vegan burger topped with grilled onions, shredded lettuce, fresh tomato, pickles, and mustard (pictured here).

                         Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net
                                          

Prince William's Passion: New Father, New Hope. But what after?

                                               

 

     

    Lots of you don't know that the Menu for the Royal Wedding in May is entirely vegan following the Queen of England's review of the multi-cultural / celebrity guest list. The role that meat and dairy play in the increased risks to health and the environment.The Queen has decided that because there are so many guests from different cultures with different religious and ethical dietary requirements that the most sensible solution is to go totally plant based to avoid diplomatic embarrassment with a Hindu dignitary eating beef or a Muslim Sultan eating pork . The Queen's head chef Mark Flanagan was working on a 100% vegan royal wedding menu but still with a 'best of British' theme. Celebrity Vegan cook Sarah Kramer was being brought over from Canada to advise on ingredients for the reworked Royal Wedding cake. But what did they eat? Did those vegetables tested before serving? Sad news is actually vegetables in the UK ruined by manure contaminated with toxic fertilizer already.
                                                  

  The Guardian UK is reporting on gardeners who have unknowingly poisoned their own vegetables by using manure contaminated with a powerful herbicide, causing plants and vegetables to grow "deformed and withered" in gardens and allotments across the UK.The pesticide appears to have entered the food chain via grass treated twelve months ago: "Experts say the grass was probably made into silage, then fed to cattle during the winter months. The herbicide remained present in the silage, passed through the animal and into manure that was later sold."

   The extent of this problem is not known, but gardeners are being warned not to eat any home-grown vegetables that bear signs of damage by the herbicide, and are being advised not to replant in the same soil for at least a year.

   The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been inundated with calls from concerned gardeners who have seen potatoes, beans, peas, carrots and salad vegetables wither or become grossly deformed. The society admitted that it had no idea of the extent of the problem, but said it appeared 'significant'. The affected gardens and allotments have been contaminated by manure originating from farms where the hormone-based herbicide aminopyralid has been sprayed on field. Aminopyralid, which is found in several Dow products, the most popular being Forefront, a herbicide, is not licensed to be used on food crops and carries a label warning farmers using it not to sell manure that might contain residue to gardeners.

                                            

    The only way to avoid this poison vegetable is by planting soilless hydroponics vegetables. Simply setting up an LED grower of less than 200 GBP, then you will get fresh, poison free vegetables to add to your table. What are you still waiting for?

                     Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net

                                                    

Prince Charles vs. The Veg Shed

                                                            

 

The royal couple William and Kate just appeared happy and relaxed as they waved at the crowds of journalists and onlookers gathered outside London’s St. Mary’s Hospital, while their father Prince Charles just forced to shut down his own store.

Britain's weak economy has taken its toll on the nation's poshest greengrocer with Prince Charles forced to close his organic vegetable store, citing falling trade and rising prices.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne and a champion of the environment, opened a store near to his country home Highgrove in Gloucestershire, south-west England, about eight years ago after converting his estate to organic farming in 1986.

The store, The Veg Shed, sold organic vegetables and fruit freshly grown on the estate's Duchy Home Farm and became known for selling edible but oddly shaped organic produce that would normally be rejected by supermarkets.

                                      
But a spokeswoman for the prince said the store had closed after it failed to make a profit as it was no longer financially viable. The produce was invariably more expensive than at local supermarkets.
"The Veg Shed has closed, basically in response to consumer trends, a preference for shopping remotely," a spokeswoman from Clarence House, the prince's official London residence, told Reuters on Tuesday.

She said consumers wanting a taste of the royal organic produce can still order boxes online.

Actually, people don't have to pay that surpassing price for clean and healthy vegetables. They only need to buy an LED vegetable grower at home to add fresh food at their table. By our Chicfarm LED vegetable grower, it is not a rock science at all. Fill it and forget it. Is it hard or not?!



                     Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net

                                               

                      

To Pay Our Grief to the Norway polar bear who died of climate change

                                           

Can we send some food to the polar bears?
Do our children can only see museum taxidermy than a living polar bear?
Watching its skinny body starving to death by walking 250 kilometers in search of food and nothing found, it is so sad to red my eyes…
         

Walking 250 kilometers for food

Died of Starving

 The Dead Skinny Polar Bear

Ice loss due to climate change is "absolutely, categorically and without question" the cause of falling polar bear populations, said Richardson, who cares for the UK's only publicly kept polar bears. He said 16 years was not particularly old for a wild male polar bear, which usually live into their early 20s. "There may have been some underlying disease, but I would be surprised if this was anything other than starvation," he said.

Jeff  Flocken, at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said:"While it is difficult to ascribe a single death or act to climate change it couldn't be clearer that drastic and long-term changes in their Arctic habitat threaten the survival of the polar bear. The threat of habitat loss from climate change, exacerbated by unsustainable killing for commercial trade in Canada, could lead to the demise of one of the world's most iconic animals, and this would be a true tragedy."

As human beings, we need to do something to save our earth neighbors (polar bears) for our next generation and for polar bears themselves, instead of just watching them dying in front of us. The whole human society is responsible for its death, and we should gather the rich to spend money and the poor to contribute power for real action. One day, it would happen to us if nothing has been done.

                      Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net

                         

Lessons You Can Learn from Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos

                                           

  

Lessons You Can Learn from Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos
                                   
* Get Started Now to Avoid Regret Later

What would your customers/friends say to you?
Where are you putting your energy?Is it something that your family will still care about in 10 years?
If not, start working on things that will matter 10 years from now. You’ll have Jeff Bezos to thank.
Do you know that the 10 poisonous foods around us to harm our families? What if we can grow fresh, safe foods to them instead? Will it be something that our families still care about in 10 years?

10 Poisonous Foods We Eat Every Day

10. Lima Beans Also known as butter beans contain a compound known as linamarin, which essentially becomes cyanide after an enzymatic process . Make sure they are fully cooked (at least 10 minutes!) and should never be served raw.

9. Cassava/Manioc Root A South American native (also known as Yuca), cassava root is a starchy tuber and the third most-consumed food in the world. Soaking the root in water can help kick start an enzymatic process that will liberate the cyanide, but the subsequent liquid becomes toxic as a result. Unprocessed, a pound of bitter yuca can kill a cow - and certainly a person.

8. Nutmeg From the tree Myristica fragrans, the only tree to produce two spices (nutmeg and also, mace). While the chemical in nutmeg is not poisonous, it is a psychoactive neurotoxin which can cause vomiting, dizziness and hallucinations.

7. Kidney Beans kidney beans also contain a potentially lethal toxin - phytohaemagglutinin. Ingesting only a few beans can land you in the hospital and a whole handful will send you straight to the morgue. The toxin is easily neutralized when the bean is boiled for at least 10 minutes - but the toxin can become up to 5x more toxic at 175 F (just off boiling) than if eaten raw.

6. Almonds Another natural source of cyanide! This time, all of the ingredients are present but not
activated until the seed (the almond we know and love) is injured - i.e. crushed by teeth. But again,
nothing to worry about - domesticated almonds do not contain this natural defense mechanics.

                                       

5. Tomatoes While tomatoes (the fruit) are non-toxic, atropine is present in the stems and leaves.
While only one death seems to have been attributed to atropine poisoning, ingestion can cause dizziness, headaches and indigestion. Advice? Avoid tomato-leaf tea.

4. Stone Fruits: Cherries, Apricots, Peaches & Plums Swallowing a whole pit or two won't do a lot of damage, but much like almonds, the toxin becomes exposed when the seed is crushed or damaged - or chewed upon, making children and pets particularly vulnerable. Every year, a handful of deaths (in children and adults) are attributed to an over-indulgence in fruit pits!

3. Rhubarb Have no fear - your grandmother's strawberry rhubarb pie is still safe! The red stalks are
perfectly fine, it's the dark leafy greens that are not so innocent. While the compound (oxalic acid)
won't kill you, it can cause dizziness and kidney failure, coma and seizures.

2. Potatoes Ordinarily, this staple crop is harmless. However, potatoes and other members of the
Nightshade family naturally contain solanine. Solanine has natural fungicidal and pesticidal properties (an obvious natural defense) and, in potatoes, develops when exposed to light - another reason to store your spuds in a cool, dark place. Once they begin sprouting or green patches appear, you may want to think twice before eating.

1. Apples Like stone fruits, apple seeds contain that pesky compound - cyanogenic glycosides - which, through an enzymatic process, turns into cyanide. While the seeds of an apple or two won't cause you any harm, there have been known deaths as a result of over-eating.

* What’s the worst thing you can live with?

Regrets, guilt, sorrow?
When Bezos was thinking about building Amazon, he had to decide whether to start the company or keep his good job on Wall Street. He created a framework to use for making the decision that he calls a Regret Minimization Framework. It helped him realize he didn’t want to not do it and regret it later.This fear of regret is one of the key reasons why he decided to go ahead and start Amazon. How about you?



                         Hydroponics System from Chicfarm LED grower, http://www.chicfarm.net