‘Safe’ Nuclear Energy?

I've never been a fan of nuclear. I've always felt we can go a long way by reducing our energy wastage and increasing our use of renewable energy technology. Most of Muddy Carrot  HQ's energy usage is derived from the sun, either passively through the solar energy that streams through the south facing windows, or through renewables - the solar panels heating the water and PVs generating electricity. There is no central heating, but loads of insulation. This is not complicated, or expensive technology, just clever thinking in the construction. I also know a couple of farmers that have turned to farming the sun with fields full of solar panels their sheep can happily graze and shelter beneath.  

One country that has made huge CO2 savings by being very forward thinking when it comes to sustainability is Germany and, though they are very effective, they still can not gain all their energy from renewables.

The recent nuclear popularity in turning to uranium fission power stations as a way to generate more electricity whilst keeping CO2 levels low has come to an end, with the Fukushima melt down that spread dangerous radioactive waves throughout the surrounding area. It could have been even worse if it was not for a team of heroic firemen that put their own health at risk in a determined effort to cool the reactor. What happened that day is likely to have a long term effect on Japan.

However, theoretically there is a far more stable and plentiful means of generating nuclear energy. Thorium.

There are numerous benefits of thorium over uranium, the key ones being:

Distribution of Thorium reserves across the globe

• There is a plentiful supply of thorium and it is far more easily extracted than uranium.
• Thorium is also much less radioactive than uranium, allowing far more stable reactors. 
• It is also considerably more energy dense; you could hold a lifetime supply of energy in thorium in the palm of your hand.
• It does not have the by-product of plutonium used in nuclear weapons.

Further research into thorium reactors is supported by some key environmental protection groups who are anti traditional nuclear power stations, including the influential Friends of The Earth who believe that this could indeed be the way forward.  

Thorium is not a new idea. The idea was first successfully tested in the 1950's, but the military saw the advantage of Uranium with the generation of Plutonium for their war heads and governments invested in the development of Uranium power stations over Thorium Power Stations.  

Theoretically thorium reactors would be based on the very early molten salt reactors which would not explode if overheated due to the fact that the salt contracts rather than expanding causing the reactor to remain sub-critical. The Thorium reactors would also be far more efficient at being cleaned than traditional uranium stations, with the waste being less harmful than uranium waste and able to be re-cycled.

It all sounds very good, but it has so far only been tested at an experimental level. Although this may seem amazing on paper it may take considerable time to develop it to a commercial level, and with nuclear energy having a messy past of horrific failures it has a lot of powerful opposition who don’t want any more nuclear disasters - thorium reactors may never catch on. 

Tomorrow World...

Ever since the Industrial revolution technology has moved forward at an incredible pace as we seek more labour-saving ways of doing things.  Often the pace and types of changes have been unsettling to many.  

When I went to University over 20 years ago there was no internet to turn to for information and my University main computer took the whole ground floor of one building.  What's more, much of what I learnt then is of no practical value now!!  At a similar age my Mother saw the old faithful carthorse, Dinah replaced with a modern tractor and this sparked the start of a huge revolution on the farm.

But what of the future of our modern day farms?

There is no getting away from the fact that in the future the world is going to need to be less resource hungry than it has been in recent times.  This Earth has limited resources and we've been a bit like stroppy teenagers trampling heavily on Mother Earth.  It is time for us to now knuckle down and become more responsible.  Also the public's faith has been tested through the poor traceability of food sold through some national supermarkets.  

There is presently a branching of opinions on the way forward.

There are many who are looking to science to guide them.  Focussing on the need to increase productivity by embracing modern technology such as "precision farming".  This involves the complete analysis of the farm's requirements, feeding it all into a computer and allowing the computer to guide the farming.  This can even go right down to GPS guided tractors driving themselves and fertilising the fields to mm precision.   This can have the advantage of a reduction in wastage caused by human error, together with increased yields.  However the weight of enormous modern tractors compacts the ground and the sustainability of primarily relying on artificial fertilisers in agriculture is questionable and it can be a polluter of our drinking water.

Scientists are also looking into developing  Robotic bees in response to the decline in the bee population.  The technical side of me would love to see one, but not to replace the real thing!

On the other side is a focus on our present wastefulness, and the need to act more sustainably.  The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released figures in 2011 showing  approximately one third of the world's total food production is lost each year.  With our present weather you can see how some of this can happen, however a large amount of this could be reduced.  The desire to do things sustainably is also seeing the revival of many old practices.  In certain niche roles the working horse is proving very cost effective.  Their high manoeuvrability has made them ideal to work in woodlands, logging trees.  They do far less damage than any machinery could and are quick and efficient, making them perfect especially in ecologically sensitive areas. 

All Muddy Carrot's producers tread very lightly on the soil, including Chris from Heavenly Hedgerows who forages for her key ingredients.

I'm old enough to remember the TV programme Tomorrow's World and the many incredible ideas that we were expected soon to be using, though I believe that Star Trek has been a better predictor of the future with sliding doors, and mobile phones! Time will tell the way we go, but I feel that the primary tester should be sustainability and this could mean embracing the best of both worlds and caring about the roots of all our food.

What do you think?

We Guarantee to be 100% free of horse meat!!

I'm sure you've seen the latest news, The meat in some Findus beef lasagnes have been found to contain 100% horse meat.  This has come fast on the heels of the news that DNA tests have discovered horse meat in beef burgers found in some supermarkets.  

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but smile listening to the general comments when it was announced.  There is this debate going on between the outrage of those who've now discovered they've inadvertently been eating horse meat and the apathy of others that point to it being harmless to our health.  But I think there is a far more fundamental question here.

How has food become so impersonal?  

It's not hard for Muddy Carrot to confidently claim that all its meat is 100% free of horse meat, it all comes down to the Muddy Carrot ethos.

The meat producers on Muddy Carrot know their meat is not horse because they've reared the livestock that produced it.  They've had no need for a DNA test because they've looked into the field and know from the evidence in front of them they are not rearing horses.  

This is how it should be.  Meat should not have to be transported half way round the world, or produced in a large factory.  It should be raised and finished with care locally.  Produced in small batches, with thought.

Don't get me wrong, I do embrace change.  But change has to be change for the better.  Yes, we want convenience in our busy lives, but I feel you can get a great deal of convenience buying from superb small producers, at reasonable prices, and be confident that what you're buying is genuinely what you thought it was.

Muddy Carrot is here to Make it Easy to Buy Green!

Do we want to create deserts or forests?

"Sadly, it's much easier to create a desert than a forest"

James Lovelock CBE

Stats on the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest are everywhere, and they make sobering reading.  We're all aware of how important the Rainforest is to us.  From its positive effect on the climate to the untapped potential being lost in terms of medical cures. 

Presently around 50,000 species of plants, animals and insects are being lost every year in the destruction of the Rainforest and less than 1% of tropical plants have been tested by scientists, and yet plants can be a rich source for life-saving drugs.  The Rainforest has already provided a quarter of the medicines we use today and many  Rainforest plants have been found to have anti-cancer properties.

Amazon deforestation started in the 1970's and in the last 40 years nearly 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed.   That is 745,289km2, which is more than 3 times the size of the UK.  When the Amazon is described as the lungs of the world this is very worrying.

As well as the immense importance of Rainforests,  ancient woodlands are also important.    In the UK we have been destroying our own woodland for even longer.  Since the 1930's nearly 50% of our ancient woodland has been damaged or destroyed.  This leaves only 13% of the UK covered in woodland whilst Europe as a whole has 44% of its area covered in woodland.   This is important for similar reasons to that of the Rainforest.  Not only does it absorb so much CO2 but it is a rich habitat for biodiversity and home to many threatened species.  In the last 120 years 46 species of broad leaf trees have become extinct and 1 in 6 of our native woodland flowers are under threat.

Not only is it important for us to stem the destruction, but for the health of the planet there is a need to re-establish.  The Woodland Trust do much to encourage the replanting of woodlands in the UK.  They point out that a native woodland can be established  in just 12 years.  This is great news, however to develop into the rich biodiversity and maturity of an ancient woodland it takes 300 to 400 years.  Re-establishment of a Rainforest can be achieved in 65 years, but to develop the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest it is estimated to have taken more like 4,000 years.

If you’d like to support artisans sourcing their wood from local sustainable woodlands and so helping towards their future, Muddy Carrot has a range of lovely crafts.