Meet the solar briefcase that makes all your electronic, outdoor activities sexy… and sustainable.

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Lobbying efforts attempt to fool public into thinking residential solar panels will cost everyone more.

Many utility companies contend that net rate hikes are necessary to even out the playing field in return for the credits that are paid out to households with residential solar panels. Many contend that it’s just a veiled attempt to turn the public against solar. So the question becomes: How much does solar energy really hurt the utility company’s bottom line?

Grist looked at this issue in Wisconsin where the state utility is trying to raise fixed rates by as much as 75 percent in some places. Wisconsin gets 62 percent of its energy from coal and only 7 percent from renewable energy, most of which is biomass, hydroelectric, and wind. With solar contributing to such a minimal piece of the energy pie, it’s hard to believe that it’s really worth jacking up prices a whopping 75 percent.

But here’s where it gets even weirder. According to Grist:

A Texas-based utility trade lobby, the Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), attempted to intervene by claiming it found 2,500 Wisconsonites who support the rate hikes. CEA submitted the names to Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission during a public hearing earlier this month.

Eventually the list was tossed out because of numerous problems but it begs to question, why did CEA initially become involved?

Again, Grist:

The Alliance’s founder, DC lobbyist Michael Whatley, has been behind a number of large-scale PR campaigns designed to fight policies that would wean us off carbon-intensive fuel sources. His lobbying firm, HBW Resources, represents the interests of fossil fuel, utility, and tobacco industries.

So in a twisted turn of events, CEA wanted rates to be raised in an effort to turn the public against solar energy by making them think it’s WAY more costly than it is, but in order to succeed the rate hike would have to have support. But they would never have had the opportunity if not for the greedy utility company. Double dirty.

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The famous London phone booth is a symbol of the city but, as is the case with most phone booths, its role is increasingly passé as cell phones become a global mainstay. But now the phone booths may serve a new purpose: charging your dead cell phone (or any mobile tech gadget for that matter).

A standard London phone booth has been repainted green and equipped with solar panels. The new kiosk has been stripped of its former hardware and replaced with charging stations for mobile devices. It’s one of five to be madeover.

According to MNN:

The preservation and reuse of the beloved yet antiquated phone boxes has become a sensitive point of contention for Londoners and those living in other British cities and overseas territories. No one, in London in particular, wants to see the crown-emblazoned payphone kiosks go away for good.

While the service is free, users are subjected to a stream of advertisements as they charge. The boxes are maintained daily and locked overnight, according to the BBC.

The project was started by two young London School of Economics entrepreneurs, Harold Craston and Kirsty Kenny.

“I lived next to a phone box in my second year at uni and walked past it every day. I thought, ‘There are 8,000 of these lying unused in London and we must be able to find a use for them,'” explained Mr Craston.

The solar box can charge up to 100 phones a day with a 20 percent battery boost in 10 minutes and since its launch, about six people per hour have used it. People seem to dig the new booth.

“On launch day, my phone ran out of battery and I genuinely had to use the box,” said Mr Craston.

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As a South Carolinian I’m not afraid to admit that my state is behind the curve when it comes to solar power. In fact, The Interstate Renewable Energy Council rated South Carolina along with only four other states with D and F grades for progress on the use of renewable energy. But my state is about to open its eyes to solar power thanks to a new piece of legislation that just passed the South Carolina House of Representatives with a vote of 105-0. The final version will soon hit Gov. Nikki Haley’s desk for a signature.

“This is truly a big deal, a giant step in moving South Carolina forward in renewable energy,’’ state Rep. Robert Brown, D-Charleston, said.

The solar power bill has the support of both the utilities and conservation groups after two years of heated negotiations. South Carolina currently depends almost entirely on coal, nuclear power, and natural gas. This new legislation pushes utility companies to increase the use of solar power. By 2021, utilities must get 2 percent of power from the sun, which puts the state in line with other southern states.

Currently, there are only about 7 megawatts of solar power installed in the state, but this new law could increase that number to 300 megawatts. The bill also allows third party leasing, which lowers the cost of solar panel installation for both people and businesses.

Lawmakers are still deciding how utility companies will credit both people and businesses for installing solar panels without cutting into utility power profit.

According to The State, “The legislation also sharply raises one of the nation’s most restrictive caps on the use of solar power by businesses and universities. The cap would be 1 megawatt, instead of the current 100 kilowatt limit for nonresidential solar energy.”

While my state is still miles behind when it comes to renewables, this is a slow but steady step in the right direction.

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The post Let the Sunshine In: Solar Power Availability Increases with New South Carolina Bill appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sexy solar energy fields from around the world.

The need for smart energy is high on the list of global priorities–up there with water and our waste issues. Pumping fossil fuel has gone on for far too long. Around the world, countries are addressing the need for alternative energy sources, and using smart renewable alternatives like our sun, which produces a ton of energy if you are in the right place. It is estimated that over a 12-hour time period, useable, solar energy can amount to 438,000 watt-hours per square foot per year in one location.

Regions around the world are taking the initiative to shift from fossil fuel energy sources to solar. For example, recently Los Angeles launched the largest solar energy rooftop program in the world. Many of these solar field projects are a fusion of impeccable design aesthetic and sharp scientific consideration. Here’s a round up of beautiful and impressive solar energy fields from around the world. Who every said energy wasn’t sexy?

1. Olmedilla de Alarcón, Spain

2. Ivanpah, Dry Lake, California

3. Ocean Vodka Farm, Hawaii

4. Baltimore Solar Array, on GM plant rooftop, Baltimore

5. Les Mees Solar Field, France

6. Waldpolenz Solar Park, Germany

7. Kaohsiung Stadium, China

8. Gotham Greens, Brooklyn, New York

See Also:

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3 Trendy Brands Embracing Clean Energy in a Big Way

5 Cool Gadgets that Help You Save Energy & Help You Create Your Own Electricity 

9 Clean Energy Infographics That Prove Solar & Wind are the Future

Image: brightsource, nobesol, Ivanpah, oceanvodka, General Motors, efinity, wikicommons, Gotham Greens

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 A new construction project is underway at the White House, and it’s not a new bedroom for dignitaries or improvements to the bowling alley. It’s a fresh new set of solar panels. It’s unclear how much power the new array will actually produce, but for many, the act delivers more than electricity.

Despite the fact that it took Obama three years to fulfill his promise to restore the array, the seemingly small move is a big step, and says a lot about where we’re headed as a nation.

Nothing New Under The Sun

I often feel bad for former President Jimmy Carter. He’s always the butt of jokes, especially from conservatives, and criticized for his passive demeanor. Yet more than 30 years ago, Carter was championing solar power, and encouraging Americans to abandon fossil fuels for the promise of renewable energy. He walked the talk, putting 32 solar panels on the roof of the White House way back in 1979. What a different America–no, world–we’d be living in now if we’d only taken the hint and put our weight behind the solar energy industry back then.

But we didn’t. Instead, the oil lobby put its weight into our politicians, and in 1986, then-President Reagan had the panels removed. George Charles Szego, the engineer who persuaded Carter to install the solar panels, reportedly claimed that Reagan Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan “felt that the equipment was just a joke, and he had it taken down.”

Well, it wasn’t a joke. And now solar energy (along with wind and geothermal) represents one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States. Too bad we had to force the planet way over the C02 threshold and into human-accelerated climate change before we were willing to give it a chance.

Turning Up The Heat On Fossil Fuels

In 2010, President Obama pledged to install solar panels on his official residence as a sign of his commitment to renewable energy, and environmentalists were thrilled. According to the Washington Post, “at the time of the 2010 announcement, then-Energy Secretary Steven Chu and White House Council on Environmental Quality chair Nancy Sutley said the administration would conduct a competitive bidding process to buy between 20 and 50 solar panels.” The upgrade, “which will help demonstrate that historic buildings can incorporate solar energy and energy efficiency upgrades, is estimated to pay for itself in energy savings over the next eight years,” Sutley continued.

Now, several years later, the promise is bearing fruit. The Obama’s may not be touting it as an official signal that fossil fuels are on their way out, but there’s no denying it’s one of solar power’s biggest endorsements to date.

“No one should ever have taken down the panels Jimmy Carter put on the roof,” 350.org founder Bill McKibben said in an emailed press statement. “But it’s very good to know that once again the country’s most powerful address will be drawing some of that power from the sun.”

Pushing Americans to become more energy efficient has been a major focus of Obama’s Department of Energy, and there’s comfort to be found in an Administration that practices it what it preaches. But putting solar panels on the White House is the easy part. Changing deep-rooted policies that have favored fossil fuels for decades, that’s where the real work–and reward–is waiting.

Image: Francisco Diez

The post The White House Gets Solar Panels (Again): Will America Follow Suit? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Feel like you’re falling behind the curve when it comes to clean energy technologies? Not to worry, we’ve gathered up some of the web’s best infographics to get you up to speed.

Oil and coal have had a monopoly on energy production for centuries, but their glory days are just about over. The clean energy industry is growing by leaps and bounds, and quickly approaching grid parity (which means soon solar and wind power will be just as cheap as fossil fuels).

With all the political debate surrounding renewable energy technologies, it’s easy to lose sight of the really important news: that clean energy is creating safe jobs while helping people to reduce their carbon footprint and save money. All without giving up access to the electricity that powers all the gadgets we can’t live without.

To help cut through all the spin, we’ve rounded up nine of our favorite clean energy infographics. If you’re a visual learner (or just don’t have time to read a 10 page article on the growth of solar) they’ll help you digest the facts in record time. Click on the images to enlarge, or on the credit link to see the original.

1. How Do Solar Panels Work, Exactly?

Do you find yourself smiling and nodding when people mention photovoltaics or grid connectivity, but aren’t really sure how it all works? This infographic from Solar Energy Systems explains it all.

2. Top 10 Countries For Solar Power

The U.S. could be a global leader in solar energy, but thanks to political delays and misinformation about solar’s potential, other countries are out in front…for now. This infographic from 1 Block of the Grid shows the top 10 countries in terms of megawatt production.

3. Top 5 Solar Energy Myths

Wondering what kind of misinformation we’re talking about? Check out this infographic from Bright Energy. It shows a few of the myths that solar critics like to spread about this amazing energy source. How many did you believe?

4. Solar Jobs In America

Opponents of solar power often claim that weaning ourselves off coal and oil would be disastrous for our economy because it would eliminate jobs. What they fail to mention is how many jobs it could create! This infographic from 1 Block of the Grid proves that embracing clean energy could be the best thing that ever happened to the American workforce.

5. How Is Wind Power Harvested?

Not sure how a gust of wind is transformed into juice for your phone? No worries, this neat infographic from Daily Infographic explains how wind turbines turn sweet breezes into clean energy, as well as other fascinating facts about this quickly growing industry.

6. Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wind Power

Did you know that a wind turbine has as many as 8,000 different components? Or that as much as 20 percent of our nation’s electricity could come from wind energy by 2030? These and more mind-blowing facts about wind can be found in this 6 part infographic from the Department of Energy.

7. How Loud Is A Wind Turbine?

Just like solar, wind energy comes with its own set of myths and misconceptions. Some people say they’re unsightly, dangerous for animals, and too loud to be set up near urban areas (where they’re needed the most). This interesting infographic from GE shows that you can’t believe everything you hear.

8. Harnessing The Power Of Geothermal Energy

Solar and wind might be the most popular forms of clean energy, but they’re not the only ones you should know about. Geothermal energy systems tap into the thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth for energy efficient heating and cooling. Never heard of it? Check out this infographic from Wellhome.

9. Energy: Our Past & Future

By now your head is probably swimming with facts and figures about all different types of clean energy. But what does it really mean? How long has it taken us to get this far, and how long will we continue to squeeze the last bits of fossil fuels from the ground? This award-winning inforgraphic from Linda Nakanishi puts it all in perspective.

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Lead Image: Jurgen

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Want to save the world? Stop arguing.

I’d been in the job for two months when the first one arrived. An email from a stranger. He had read my column in the local paper about local environmental issues and he was angry. I was on a gravy-train, he said (clearly he hadn’t looked at my payslips). I was intent on bringing this country to its knees, he said. Look outside, he said. It’s raining! In June! It’s cold!

Naively, I wrote back. Hadn’t anyone told him I was going to save the world? And anyway, I had science and logic at my disposal. That would soon show him! Except of course it didn’t. He wrote back, this time more rude and aggressive than before, and I defended my corner, and so it continued.

Over the next few years, he emailed me every month or so, or left messages under my online articles. Sometimes he was abusive, sometimes good humored, always they were patronizing. I was young, I was female; how could I possibly know anything of the world or science? We argued a lot and I spent many furious hours replying to him. I was convinced that if I was going to save the world, it mattered what every single person thought. It really did. Besides, a good, well-constructed argument with someone who knows how to argue back is a glorious thing.

But the more I argued, the more I saw a pattern. An incandescent-bulb of tedious discourse, winding round and round and burning huge amounts of energy for such little reward. It wasn’t a playful back-and-forth brain exercise. It was war and it was stalemate. No one was moving anywhere and the growing animosity on both sides was starting to wear. Who were those stupid deniers and their casual disregard for life on Earth? Who are those do-gooding greenies and their pious asceticism?

The rhetoric on “belief” and “converting” made me uncomfortable. This wasn’t about faith, it was about facts. And suddenly lines were being drawn. AGWers on the left, anti-AGWers on the right. During one public debate, a local politician spat venomously that my views on climate change made me a filthy socialist to be spurned and ignored, yet his party expounded policies for the rigid protection for the countryside. People wrote to the local paper complaining about the refuse problem in our city, and then wrote to me to say that forcing people to recycle was a breach of their human rights.

Around the dinner table people would tell me that wind turbines were an affront and solar a con because of the subsidies, but that the government should pour money into nuclear.
I was exhausted and confused. If everyone wanted the same outcome – protected wildlife, a clean world, energy security – then what were we arguing about? Why did climate change even matter?

Six years after I started that job there was the small but growing possibility that I wasn’t going to save the world. Plus there were other things I wanted to do: study for a masters degree, start a family, move to the country, maybe move to another country, maybe do a PhD. But I was stuck arguing over the finer points of how best to recycle the little cardboard tube inside a toilet roll and trying to explain that a wind turbine was not the same as communism. I had changed but the arguments hadn’t. The world had barely moved on but everyone still wanted the same conclusion.

I caught a radio program about a man who stopped talking for 15 years. When asked why, he said one day he had a cold and lost his voice so couldn’t speak. He was surprised at how much he learned just by listening and decided that he was going to keep listening until he knew everything he needed to know. Just listen. A revolutionary idea.

Then I was idly flicking through a book that someone had given me about conflict. One page caught my eye, about how we habitually deny other peoples’ feelings.

“I’m hungry,”says person A.

“But you’ve just eaten,” says the person B.

“I’m cold,” says person A.

“But it’s warm in here,” says person B.

Person A is still cold or still hungry. There’s no resolution to that, it’s a cycle that’s leading nowhere. Just listen, the book suggested. A revolutionary idea.

The angry emailer emailed again. I suggested a phone call and we chatted. He was intelligent and pleasant and we agreed that something would have to replace oil, although we both thought that for different reasons and we disagreed about a lot of other things. We even laughed, and recently he emailed to ask after my well-being and whether there was any pitter-patter of tiny green feet yet.
Then last week a friend tried, for the millionth time, to pick an argument with me about climate change. I found myself saying “Do you know what? I don’t have to argue about climate change anymore. It’s decided. The people who know, know, the people who don’t, don’t. That’s the end of the story. Believe what you like, it’s of no interest to me. There’s nothing to gain in me having this conversation with you.”

My friend considered this for a moment and nodded. Then she started talking. She told me how overfishing makes her furious, how the destruction of the forests leaves her in a rage. We left the conversation in agreement: action needed to be taken.
All of a sudden I didn’t feel like I needed an eco-psychologist any more, but like this.

Now I can start saving the world.

Image: Geisha Boy

The post How I Learned To Stop Arguing About The Environment And Enjoy Life appeared first on EcoSalon.

Spielberg’s Terra Nova is a look at 22nd century earth in the midst of environmental collapse.

It’s the year 2149, and the Earth is like a brown dust ball rising in space. On land, things aren’t much better. The Chicago skyline crumbles into a Blade Runner-style landscape. Sallow citizens breathe through dark mouth filters. Teenagers greet a single orange with an enthusiasm currently reserved for Justin Bieber tickets. “At the dawn of the 22nd century, the world is on the verge of an environmental collapse,” reads the ominous opening credits. “Mankind’s only hope for survival lies 85 million years in the past.”

This, my fellow TV watchers, is the first reason why FOX’s latest drama Terra Nova is awesome. Welcome to one big “I told you this would happen” smug fest for environmentalists. The Steven Spielberg-produced drama takes us back 85 million years into the past, where humans are colonizing pre-historic Earth because we have royally screwed up the environment.

In 2149, the Earth’s air is so toxic that everyone is forced to walk around wearing a portable air filter attached to their face. Families are only allowed two children because “Overpopulation equals extinction.” Trash litters the streets and people live as the homeless, despite impeccably beautiful skin and muscle tone.

Our delight in environmentalist finger wagging is cut short when our heroes, the Swiss Family Shannon, make a break for a new life 85 million years into the past. They arrive at Terra Nova, which looks something like an eco-resort plucked into the middle of the Jurassic Park ride at Universal Studios. Still, the show continues to deadpan a utopian – or is it a dystopian? – view of the future. Or the past. Past future. And here’s why it’s awesome.

First, there’s Stephen Lang. You might remember him as the commander from Avatar, a steely-eyed, muscle-bound stalwart in a foreign, bucolic world. Here, Stephen Lang plays Nathaniel Taylor, a steely-eyed, muscle-bound stalwart in a foreign, bucolic world. “Greed, war and ignorance destroyed our home,” he tells the latest recruits. “This is our chance to get it right.” Lang’s Taylor is an eco-pilgrim staring down dinosaurs and saucy teenagers. And he is glorious.

Second, there’s renewable energy. Apparently, someone got the memo to continue developing solar and wind energy technologies into the 22nd century, because the Terra Nova colony is filled with them. Except they somehow haven’t figured out a way for solar to heat up water for a shower. Oh, those wacky solar panels.

Third, Terra Nova knows no distracting subtly. From the actor’s emotions to set pieces to props, everything is extremely on the nose. Hero Jim Shannon (Jason O’Mara) emotes out of every pore of his sensitive, chiseled frame. A lush farmer’s market overflows the town square with peace, fruits and hippie beads. Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) actually sits behind a T-Rex skull desk. All they are missing is a group of rebellious teenagers drinking moonshine in the jungle while splashing about in bikinis. Oh wait, they have that too.

And finally, nature kicks our ass. Sure enough, as soon as the oldest Shannon child Josh (Landon Linborin) makes a break outside the town walls, he’s being chased all over the landscape by “slashers,” the velociraptors of 85 million years ago. (Did we mention the dinosaurs? There are dinosaurs. Lots of them.) But in the end, don’t we deserve it after what we did to the planet?

You can catch Terra Nova Mondays on FOX.

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Desperate times in Asia call for desperate green measures to achieve clean air (pollution is proving a major killer), pure water (so long, mountain glaciers) and enough food to meet the crushing demand.

Witness frantic and frenetic China where a massive industrial build up has come at the expense of the environment and human health. They knew they were forgetting something during that crazed development of resources. But now, with predictions of energy consumption doubling by 2030, something has to give.

Spurring immediate change was the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Literally offering a breath of fresh air, the government played catch-up, erecting buildings using strict green guidelines, shutting down polluting factories and restricting traffic. This pop-up example of  sustainable community development triggered action by eco activists to maintain the blue skies and cleaner air. Money is the strongest talking point.

Games or no games, Asia can now see a dramatic cost cutting incentive to lowering the impact of development, and change is coming at a faster pace. For this reason, progress is a mixed bag as environmentalists there work to pressure those most responsible for poisoning the air for personal gain.

Playing Catch Up on Improved Shipping Methods

A whopping 80 percent of global trade is done on the sea. Improved methods are crucial to improving air quality since seaborne trade is expected to double by 2025. Carbon emissions from shipping amounts to four percent of all emissions, globally, and the U.S and Europe have and pushed for more responsible methods, introducing green initiatives such as more efficient operating systems and reworking ship design for more effective trafficking.

News Asia reports that adoption for green initiatives by shipping companies has been slow in Singapore and Southeast Asia despite the fact implementing measures can save some 30 percent on fuel and energy costs. Plus, those who have invested in measures such as scrubber systems to remove pollutant particles have reported a one to three year return on that investment. While all of this is convincing, what might allow Asia to catch up is the threat its ships won’t be able to enter international waters without adhering to tighter regulations.

China Advancing Cleaner Energy out of Necessity

China is now reportedly ready to let wind energy soar as it makes a commitment to a renewable energy revolution. According to the Telegraph, that commitment is most apparent in Beijing, where edicts are being issued weekly including a pledge to generate 100 gigawatts of power from wind by 2020, tripling the original target of the national energy strategy.

In describing the new wind farms in western China, the Telegraph found they have even emerged as a tourist attraction where fascinated couples pose in front of the giant white propellers for photos. “Today, the same winds that struck fear into traders of the Silk Road, swallowing whole caravans in blinding storms of dust, are being used to power plans for a new, green revolution for China’s energy-hungry economy,” wrote the Telegraph.

Meanwhile in the city, the government has installed solar panels to power street lights in Beijing as well as solar water heaters in some of the remaining houses. In fact, the Telegraph tells us China will now spend more than six times America’s green stimulus spending to reduce emissions and create alternative energy by revamping nuclear, solar and hydroelectricity.

In terms of working together, a consortium of U.S and Chinese companies are investing $1.5 billion in a 600-megawatt wind farm in West Texas using turbines made in China. The power should meet the electricity demands of between 135,000 and 180,000 U.S. homes for a year. Chinese banks have largely paid for the farm with loan guarantees and cash grants from the U.S. government.

Japan Joins Call for Reduced Emissions

As the Japanese people also grow more environmentally aware (they were even in the dark about the dolphin slaughter) the government has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent compared to 1990 levels, while upping environmental-related employment. Subsidies also are being flaunted for home solar electric generators and friendly appliances and hybrid vehicles.

In 2010, a new incentive initiative was created for the purchase of eco-friendly houses, and in 2011, the government will expand the Feed-in-Tariff range and set an emissions rights market. Other incentives encourage research and development. Investment Week suggests Japan’s primary focus is energy-saving technology. It is considered the most energy-efficient country in Asia. China’s share of greenhouse emissions is 19 percent – five times larger than Japan’s – and the country is expected to widen its ecology and tech markets for solar and hybrid cars, nuclear energy, water conservation and purification and waste disposal. Other growth areas include LED lighting, fuel batteries, smart grids, carbon dioxide capture and storage.

Forging  Green Dwellings for Emerging Middle Class

Asia is also advancing in the uphill battle of energy-efficient housing, taking its lead from the West. Japan might be slightly ahead of the yuppie housing game but all that newly acquired income from making all of our stuff has seen a rapidly emerging middle-class in China. That populace now seeks the same green standards for cleaner materials, energy and water efficiency in residential dwellings as the educated and informed in Europe and the U.S.

China Daily tells us a number of real estate developers are answering that call by adopting green industry systems for residential buildings. Shenzhen Fountain Corporation, for example, is slated to develop LEED-registered residential buildings in Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Changsha in Hunan province. Apparently, this will bring world-class environmental standards to China.

Officials see they can save 20 to 60 percent on energy consumption, and better yet, LEED-certified buildings, though more costly to build, see good returns on investments in the long run. Developers see it can give them a competitive edge while meeting increasing demand.

Hybrid Rice to Replace Disappearing Fields

Hybrid seed growers want the government in the Philippines to act now and urge local farmers to adopt the use of hybrid rice technology which has proven effective in doubling or tripling their farm yield as high as 17 tons per hectares. This is comparison to the output of four to five tons per hectare for certified inbred seeds.

Expanding land and using old technology is no longer a viable option. Still, the Aquino administration has said it would continue using inbred seeds. Advocates of a hybrid rice program argue without it, China would not have busted out to become the second-largest world economy able to feed more than 1.3 billion people.

China embraced the technology in the 1960s when a famine threatened starvation, and has since led the world in the research of hybrid rice and development. In describing the technology, Commodity explains that in conventional rice plants, inbreeding take place since each flower has both male and female organs, allowing the plant to self-pollinate  to produce. But Hybrid rice seeds come from two genetically distinct parents requiring three breeding lines (male-sterile line, the maintainer line, and the restorer line).

Complicated, no? China’s ability to master it has given the country an edge in not only feeding its own population, but providing ways to cultivate sticky rice in other parts of Asia where it is popular. Farmers must buy new hybrid seeds every season and China is now developing super hybrids from parent lines that are genetically more distinct than typical hybrids and contain a greater degree of heterosis, and therefore, higher yields.

Images: Ivan Walsh; Kiwi Mikex; Dmytrok; FHKE; Muji; Bionicfarmer

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