Comments on: Global Food http://www.groundswell.fi/sim/2007/08/27/global-food/ The bloggish website of Sami Mäkeläinen. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:02:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: sim http://www.groundswell.fi/sim/2007/08/27/global-food/comment-page-1/#comment-117090 sim Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:19:01 +0000 http://www.groundswell.fi/sim/2007/08/27/global-food/#comment-117090 Using the heat from nuclear power plants for growing stuff is what I've been wondering before, too. In fact, I once calculated how many hectares of greenhouses we could light & heat with the fifth nuclear power plant but I forgot how much it was - a lot anyway :) I'm thinking if we _must_ have a new plant, let's use it to grow healthy food domestically instead of subsidizing paper production. Shipping fruit by ship won't (doesn't) really work that well. Even now they're picked basically raw and artificially ripened on the way or in the warehouses, which isn't good for taste or nutritional value. But sure, globally there are many much more severe problems (like loss of farmland & water issues) than getting fresh fruit to us here in the arctic. Using the heat from nuclear power plants for growing stuff is what I’ve been wondering before, too. In fact, I once calculated how many hectares of greenhouses we could light & heat with the fifth nuclear power plant but I forgot how much it was – a lot anyway :) I’m thinking if we _must_ have a new plant, let’s use it to grow healthy food domestically instead of subsidizing paper production.

Shipping fruit by ship won’t (doesn’t) really work that well. Even now they’re picked basically raw and artificially ripened on the way or in the warehouses, which isn’t good for taste or nutritional value.

But sure, globally there are many much more severe problems (like loss of farmland & water issues) than getting fresh fruit to us here in the arctic.

]]> By: Matti Kinnunen http://www.groundswell.fi/sim/2007/08/27/global-food/comment-page-1/#comment-117085 Matti Kinnunen Mon, 27 Aug 2007 17:03:37 +0000 http://www.groundswell.fi/sim/2007/08/27/global-food/#comment-117085 It is possible to eat healthy even in Finland. We just have to start conserving the food for winter - as our grandmother did and as they still do in Estonia and Russia. We can also, easily, grow some fruits and vegetables in Finland, even in the middle of winter. We have 5 nuclear reactors, which only heat the Baltic Sea. The reason the heat is not used for greenhouses is political: it would give some farmers a great advantage. I am sure we can overcome this political problem. And when flying fruits become too expensive, they can still be shipped by ships. I think bigger threat, globally, is loss of farmland due to erosion and salination. And also apparent peak of phosphate - which may reduce the crops a lot. But your post is a very interesting and important one. It is possible to eat healthy even in Finland. We just have to start conserving the food for winter – as our grandmother did and as they still do in Estonia and Russia.

We can also, easily, grow some fruits and vegetables in Finland, even in the middle of winter. We have 5 nuclear reactors, which only heat the Baltic Sea. The reason the heat is not used for greenhouses is political: it would give some farmers a great advantage. I am sure we can overcome this political problem.

And when flying fruits become too expensive, they can still be shipped by ships.

I think bigger threat, globally, is loss of farmland due to erosion and salination. And also apparent peak of phosphate – which may reduce the crops a lot.

But your post is a very interesting and important one.

]]>