Cohousing-L Mailing List: urban sprawl/anthroecotecture etc.

[Rob Sandelin (Exchange) (Robsan]

I find an error in the following logic:
"Urban sprawl presents the problem that the human population is
increasing and spreading outward across the landscape.  Thus, there is
increasing space taken up by people and thereby less space available for =
the
community that supports people."

WHile this statement is true, it is irrelevant. My understanding from =
reading a couple of articles (not much basis for an opinion I know) =
artificial growing of food (plants) in articifically lighted, =
hydroponics systems is vastly more efficient than growing food outdoors. =
Effiecient being defined as usable protein per unit of space.  So while =
urban sprawl creates less space for outdoor food production, technology =
makes it possible to grow food completely outside of natural conditions, =
therefore loss of farmland doesn't matter.  In an article I read, an =
80X40 foot building, using hydroponics systems, could produce more food =
value than an acre of farm land. In the article  it pointed out that =
natural growing systems waste large percentages of the plants biomass =
and are subject to huge loses to predators and soil conditions, not to =
mention limited growing season.  Extremely inefficient.  Hydroponics =
grow food 24 hours a day, every day.  No predators, controlled growing =
environment, minimal losses, maximum production.

So, build a grow room in your commonhouse basement and you can produce =
more usable protein in a year than a community garden twice the size.=20

Now of course, the real environmental costs of hydroponics vs. farming =
might not be very favorable, but once again, technology can create =
systems which allows humans to continue our ever expanding populations.

Rob Sandelin
"These are the days of miracles and wonders"
But not at Sharingwood - where dinners have real vegetables in them.