LiveGiveTryDie
Member
Firstly - if you are not sure what "peat moss" is, this link may be helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum
Ah, the debate of "eco-friendly" peat moss harvesting
I had to ask myself, today:
is any harvesting of peat "eco-friendly?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Abridged" version of this post:
(There once was a tall and lanky man, named Abraham Lincoln, who wrote a love note, explaining that the hardest part about writing the letter was keeping it short!)
1...Peat mining sites are essentially stripped of their natural flora &
......fauna, on an individual basis, which severely
......impacts the local ecosystem, and also impacts the global ecosystem.
2...Just because there's a lot of peat all over the world does not make it Ok
.......to strip individual sites, as explained above.
3....Many plants and animals (many of which are rare/endangered) depend on
.......specific peat bog sites and the landscape diversity they provide...
4....Individual peat bogs add to a landscape diversity that the ecosystem
.......depends on, in part, to thrive..
5....Mining peat liberates CO2 in two ways, releasing enormous
......amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere,
......which disrupts the global ecosystem and adds to increase global
......temperatures..
6.....Mining peat lowers water tables in the specific mining areas,
......which is another offense to our ecosystems
7.....You don't need to use peat! Peat is acidic, repels water when
......dry, and compost can be easily substituted for it. Compost is a better
......source of organic material, by far and offers a large range of nutrients
......as well as biological life and, perhaps most importantly, a large range of
......organic matter/complexes.
8.....Peat cannot and will not be mined with the ecosystem's well-being as a priority.
.......This is because the peat industry ferociously fights regulation and currently
.......mines (strips - relatively speaking) one location before it can regenerate (for
.......that is impossible, since it cannot grow as fast as we are mining it). Just
.......because we have a lot of peat on this planet does not excuse the stripping of
.......individual peat mining sites, because it affects the local or regional
.......ecosystems which then has a ripple affect on the rest of the world's
.......ecosystems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now: The long version.
So I asked myself: "Do you trust regulations to protect peat bogs, in a way
that is acceptable to you?"
Well, I have decided that I do not.
Given the facts, I don't think you should, either.
The great thing is this, however:
You do not need to use peat! There's an alternative!
It's called compost.
What are the disadvantages of peat?
.......It repels H2O when dry.
.......It is also acidic.
.......It is not a complete source of organic material
.......But, best of all, you can just use good compost instead, to
.......achieve what you are trying to achieve when using peat moss.
When we mine peat moss, bad things happen
.......Water tables drop.
.......Plants & animals are disrupted.
.......Landscape diversity is lowered.
.......CO2 is liberated from tampered peat bogs
.......It is for these reasons, in conjunction with the fact that we can use
compost derived from what would otherwise go into landfills, that makes
me vow to never in my entire life support the peat industry. I can only
hope that my fellow growers do the same.
See, I compare peat mining to fishing.
.......With fishing, we can work out a way to do it that is sustainable. Why?
Well, because fishermen know (or at least should), that sustainable fishing will
ensure the future of their business. Also, the survivability of the fish (a
concentrated resource, compared to peat) depends on the immediate effects
of harvesting a population within a certain location.
.......With peat mining, since there is such an abundant amount of it (peat
bogs cover 1% of all global land - which may not seem like a lot, but is a very
significant amount..) and the collective peat bogs' survivability (on a global
scale) does not depend (as much as fish) on the survival of one bog
does not depend on that of other peat bogs in differing locations.
.......Therefore, regulations will not stop the individual company from mining a
specific site to depletion - there simply is no incentive for them to do so.
The miner will basically strip a certain site, rather than skim from a multitude
of sites (without nearly depleting specific peat bogs). Long term: This is a
bad thing. Short term: This is a bad thing.
.......Ideally, they'd mine the peat bogs on this globe a whole - a collective of
individual peat bogs.. They do not though. Since there is such abundance
they will mine a specific site to depletion, which is very detrimental to the
ecosystem, yet is currently allowable by the industry's so-called "sustainable"
practices.
.......I do not trust these regulations from stopping such horrific acts on the
environment. And, when there's an easy and smart alternative (compost), I
especially disdain peat mining.
To conclude:
Many rare species thrive and depend on peat bogs.
Peat bogs are CO2 sinks, and disturbing them releases this CO2
Peat can be replaced with compost (or other organic matter), instead, when
gardening.
Peat bogs help maintain unique biodiversity in our ecosystem
Peat mining forever alters the location of mining, no matter how much the
industry itself tells you about their precaution and "sustainability"
I do not trust the peat industry, and do not support it, for there is no need,
and it is detrimental to our environment.
Any input is certainly welcome, and I hope you all grow on well, whatever your choice may be!
Peace!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum
Ah, the debate of "eco-friendly" peat moss harvesting
I had to ask myself, today:
is any harvesting of peat "eco-friendly?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Abridged" version of this post:
(There once was a tall and lanky man, named Abraham Lincoln, who wrote a love note, explaining that the hardest part about writing the letter was keeping it short!)
1...Peat mining sites are essentially stripped of their natural flora &
......fauna, on an individual basis, which severely
......impacts the local ecosystem, and also impacts the global ecosystem.
2...Just because there's a lot of peat all over the world does not make it Ok
.......to strip individual sites, as explained above.
3....Many plants and animals (many of which are rare/endangered) depend on
.......specific peat bog sites and the landscape diversity they provide...
4....Individual peat bogs add to a landscape diversity that the ecosystem
.......depends on, in part, to thrive..
5....Mining peat liberates CO2 in two ways, releasing enormous
......amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere,
......which disrupts the global ecosystem and adds to increase global
......temperatures..
i....The peat you purchase decomposes over time, releasing CO2.
ii....The peat bog itself is lead to exponential rates of CO2 liberation due
......to the industry stripping it. CO2 is usually bound in these bogs, in the form of
......highly undecomposable sphagnum peat moss, staying there for thousands, if
......not millions of years. When peat mining is done, it causes peat to be exposed
......to oxygen. It also lowers the water table. These things mean that the peat
......bogs that once were untouched and not decomposing, now decompose, and
......liberate enormous amounts of CO2 into the air (peat moss is chiefly composed
......of carbon)
......to the industry stripping it. CO2 is usually bound in these bogs, in the form of
......highly undecomposable sphagnum peat moss, staying there for thousands, if
......not millions of years. When peat mining is done, it causes peat to be exposed
......to oxygen. It also lowers the water table. These things mean that the peat
......bogs that once were untouched and not decomposing, now decompose, and
......liberate enormous amounts of CO2 into the air (peat moss is chiefly composed
......of carbon)
6.....Mining peat lowers water tables in the specific mining areas,
......which is another offense to our ecosystems
7.....You don't need to use peat! Peat is acidic, repels water when
......dry, and compost can be easily substituted for it. Compost is a better
......source of organic material, by far and offers a large range of nutrients
......as well as biological life and, perhaps most importantly, a large range of
......organic matter/complexes.
8.....Peat cannot and will not be mined with the ecosystem's well-being as a priority.
.......This is because the peat industry ferociously fights regulation and currently
.......mines (strips - relatively speaking) one location before it can regenerate (for
.......that is impossible, since it cannot grow as fast as we are mining it). Just
.......because we have a lot of peat on this planet does not excuse the stripping of
.......individual peat mining sites, because it affects the local or regional
.......ecosystems which then has a ripple affect on the rest of the world's
.......ecosystems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now: The long version.
So I asked myself: "Do you trust regulations to protect peat bogs, in a way
that is acceptable to you?"
Well, I have decided that I do not.
Given the facts, I don't think you should, either.
The great thing is this, however:
You do not need to use peat! There's an alternative!
It's called compost.
What are the disadvantages of peat?
.......It repels H2O when dry.
.......It is also acidic.
.......It is not a complete source of organic material
.......But, best of all, you can just use good compost instead, to
.......achieve what you are trying to achieve when using peat moss.
When we mine peat moss, bad things happen
.......Water tables drop.
The peat bogs are harvested (dug - resulting in low lying areas, or ditches,
or holes), which results in increased water loss from the entire area, which
results in lowered water tables where the harvesting is done. This isn't just
low water tables in the area where they dig the massive crater to excavate
moss. This is the entire outlying area of this massive hole, we're talking
about.
or holes), which results in increased water loss from the entire area, which
results in lowered water tables where the harvesting is done. This isn't just
low water tables in the area where they dig the massive crater to excavate
moss. This is the entire outlying area of this massive hole, we're talking
about.
.......Plants & animals are disrupted.
The peat is robbed from the site, meaning that that the mining site's
ecosystem is chopped away in many aspects. Flora and fauna can no
longer survive (as well, if at all) in a mining location, and animals that use
peat sites (for example, migratory avians depend on peat bogs as a source
of food while traveling, as well as many other species of organisms)
ecosystem is chopped away in many aspects. Flora and fauna can no
longer survive (as well, if at all) in a mining location, and animals that use
peat sites (for example, migratory avians depend on peat bogs as a source
of food while traveling, as well as many other species of organisms)
.......Landscape diversity is lowered.
Long term, we notice that as each of these sites are cleared, the
result is less landscape diversity in that specific locale. Ecosystems, including
our global one, often thrive on the fundamental concept of high landscape
diversity (well, at least as high as it was before man tinkered with it).
result is less landscape diversity in that specific locale. Ecosystems, including
our global one, often thrive on the fundamental concept of high landscape
diversity (well, at least as high as it was before man tinkered with it).
.......CO2 is liberated from tampered peat bogs
Finally, we see that the peat mining liberates CO2 at exponential rates
compared to what liberation there would be, and global warming is increased
as the CO2 from you you use is liberated (as your personal peat supply
decomposes over time). Also, the actual peat site where the mining is
done is now in a low water zone (which once helped to inhibit decomposition
of the peat at this site), creating exponential CO2 liberation from the actual
site itself.
compared to what liberation there would be, and global warming is increased
as the CO2 from you you use is liberated (as your personal peat supply
decomposes over time). Also, the actual peat site where the mining is
done is now in a low water zone (which once helped to inhibit decomposition
of the peat at this site), creating exponential CO2 liberation from the actual
site itself.
.......It is for these reasons, in conjunction with the fact that we can use
compost derived from what would otherwise go into landfills, that makes
me vow to never in my entire life support the peat industry. I can only
hope that my fellow growers do the same.
See, I compare peat mining to fishing.
.......With fishing, we can work out a way to do it that is sustainable. Why?
Well, because fishermen know (or at least should), that sustainable fishing will
ensure the future of their business. Also, the survivability of the fish (a
concentrated resource, compared to peat) depends on the immediate effects
of harvesting a population within a certain location.
.......With peat mining, since there is such an abundant amount of it (peat
bogs cover 1% of all global land - which may not seem like a lot, but is a very
significant amount..) and the collective peat bogs' survivability (on a global
scale) does not depend (as much as fish) on the survival of one bog
does not depend on that of other peat bogs in differing locations.
.......Therefore, regulations will not stop the individual company from mining a
specific site to depletion - there simply is no incentive for them to do so.
The miner will basically strip a certain site, rather than skim from a multitude
of sites (without nearly depleting specific peat bogs). Long term: This is a
bad thing. Short term: This is a bad thing.
.......Ideally, they'd mine the peat bogs on this globe a whole - a collective of
individual peat bogs.. They do not though. Since there is such abundance
they will mine a specific site to depletion, which is very detrimental to the
ecosystem, yet is currently allowable by the industry's so-called "sustainable"
practices.
.......I do not trust these regulations from stopping such horrific acts on the
environment. And, when there's an easy and smart alternative (compost), I
especially disdain peat mining.
To conclude:
Many rare species thrive and depend on peat bogs.
Peat bogs are CO2 sinks, and disturbing them releases this CO2
Peat can be replaced with compost (or other organic matter), instead, when
gardening.
Peat bogs help maintain unique biodiversity in our ecosystem
Peat mining forever alters the location of mining, no matter how much the
industry itself tells you about their precaution and "sustainability"
I do not trust the peat industry, and do not support it, for there is no need,
and it is detrimental to our environment.
Any input is certainly welcome, and I hope you all grow on well, whatever your choice may be!
Peace!
Last edited:
free and theres more than enough for everyone.
