Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding
- ISBN13: 9780226437040
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Disheartened by the shrink-wrapped, Styrofoam-packed state of contemporary supermarket fruits and vegetables, many shoppers hark back to a more innocent time, to visions of succulent red tomatoes plucked straight from the vine, gleaming orange carrots pulled from loamy brown soil, swirling heads of green lettuce basking in the sun.
With Hybrid, Noel Kingsbury reveals that even those imaginary perfect foods are themselves far from anything that could properly be called natural; rather, they represent the end of a millennia-long history of selective breeding and hybridization. Starting his story at the birth of agriculture, Kingsbury traces the history of human attempts to make plants more reliable, productive, and nutritious—a story that owes as much to accident and error as to innovation and experiment. Drawing on historical and scientific accounts, as well as a rich trove of anecdotes, Kingsbury shows how scientists, amateur breeders, and countless anonymous farmers and gardeners slowly caused the evolutionary pressures of nature to be supplanted by those of human needs—and thus led us from sparse wild grasses to succulent corn cobs, and from mealy, white wild carrots to the juicy vegetables we enjoy today. At the same time, Kingsbury reminds us that contemporary controversies over the Green Revolution and genetically modified crops are not new; plant breeding has always had a political dimension.
A powerful reminder of the complicated and ever-evolving relationship between humans and the natural world, Hybrid will give readers a thoughtful new perspective on—and a renewed appreciation of—the cereal crops, vegetables, fruits, and flowers that are central to our way of life.
Water4Gas – HHO Gas — Run your car on Water
hydrofueler.com These plans can be used to run your car, truck, RV, motorcycle, airplane, etc, on tap water. Are you fed up with ga$oline price$ that everyday gets higher and higher and THE POLLUTION? Would you like to do something about it besides complain and wait? Are you still CHOKING on the whole idea of fossil fuel CONSUMPTION? WHY? Wouldn’t you like to free yourself from centrally-controlled or imported fuel? Do you have a 2nd vehicle you don’t use every day because of the high prices of gasoline?Now there is something we can actually do about it, as individuals willing to help clean the environment, and travel at a lower cost to both you and your environment. Do-it-yourself plans allow the individual (that’s you and me, folks) to make a difference. This is the easiest and lowest cost way to convert your car to run on (relatively) free energy. Now with existing technology, anyone can stand up and make a difference by reducing the local automotive pollution, eliminate ga$oline expen$e$, help restore our atmosphere, and breathe a little easier. You will be making use of your entire existing system, except the fuel tank and catalytic converter.No more throwing your hard earn cash into the tank ever again.
How is something Determined to be “Green” (In terms of Eco-Friendliness)?
With the term “Green” being used so much more often, and new Eco-Friendly methods being used for cars, buildings, waste management, etc… who is determining what is ‘Green’ and what isn’t? Are there certain levels of how Green something is? Is there some sort of position of government regulated (Ha, yeah, I know) system to determine if something is Green or not?
Basically, Im just wondering if something could be labeled Green and then have it turn out that it was barely any different… and who would be in charge of determining what’s Green.
Allow user to adjust size of comment box?
does anyone know the code (preferably php) to make it so users can drag the bottom of an input box to make the height bigger? Ive found sites that show how to input a number that will increase the size, but im looking for something that will allow the user to drag the bottom line down. Im assuming theirs some javascript involved. a good example is the comment box at the bottom of this page:
http://www.hybridcars.com/2010-hybrid-cars
Corvette Gets Better Gas Mileage than Prius? – Garage419
Matt Farah and Mike Spinelli pit a C5 Corvette against a new Toyota Prius in the ultimate gas mileage showdown. -Garage419
What’s the miles per gallon, Alan?
How green would a hydrogen car industry be in a world wide scale?
I have been reading a number of articles about changing to hydrogen cars and how it would result in a decrease in pollution. While it is true a hydrogen car would be a number of times cleaner than a regular gas car, I have a few doubts about how clean the hydrogen making process would be. If hydrogen obtained from water, wouldn’t it require a great deal of energy to get the hydrogen out of it? Wouldn’t the energy required to do this come from oil and the more traditional non-green energy sources? Overall, is the process for obtaining enormous amounts of hydrogen overall green at all?
Save Money on Gas by Improving Fuel Economy
Driving Strategies
The cheapest and easiest way to improve your fuel economy is to change how you drive your existing car.
Air conditioning. As a general rule, if you are driving under 40 miles per hour (MPH), it is more fuel efficient to turn off the air conditioner and roll down the windows. Above 40 MPH, however, the drag on your car created by the open windows causes you to use more gas, so turning on the air will actually improve your fuel economy.
Acceleration. When accelerating, do so gradually. Stomping the gas pedal at every traffic light or stop sign causes your engine to suck fuel to meet the heavy load you are putting on it. A more gradual approach can significantly improve fuel economy.
Deceleration. Let off the gas well before a stop sign or traffic light and allow yourself to coast to a stop while gently applying the brake. Accelerating all the way to the stop and then slamming on the brakes not only wastes gas, it uses up your brake pads more quickly.
Speed. For every ten miles per hour you decelerate, you can save up to 5 miles per gallon (MPG). So if the speed limit is 65 MPH and you drive 55, you can increase your MPG by 5 miles.
Car Maintenance
In addition to improving your driving strategies, use the following car maintenance tips to maximize your fuel economy:
Tire inflation. Make sure you keep your tires properly inflated at all times. This not only lengthens the life of the tire, it will help your fuel economy. By and large, the standard inflation for most car tires is 35 pounds per square inch (PSI). Some mechanics may recommend inflating your tires to 30 PSI to improve riding comfort, which is true, but with gas prices the way they are the best thing to do is maintain proper inflation. Please make sure you check with either your tire dealer or the tire owner’s manual for proper inflation instructions.
Fuel grade. Mountain West states (New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, etc.) offer 85 octane fuel, whereas most other states offer only 87 octane and up. Check your owner’s manual, since some models have a minimum octane requirement. Using a lower octane fuel than what your vehicle has been designed for drastically reduces fuel economy. Also, it does not improve your gas mileage to use a higher octane fuel than the minimum requirement for your car.
Alignment. Most cars need an alignment every three to five years, although your mechanic will recommend you do it more often than that. A simple test of your alignment is to briefly release the steering wheel while cruising at least 55 MPH on a straight stretch of highway. Please make sure there is no oncoming traffic and that it is a calm day! If your car veers immediately to the left or right, have your mechanic check the alignment. Alignment problems affect your fuel economy and wear your tires down more quickly.
Tire rotation and balance. Have your tires rotated every 5,000 miles. This not only improves their life span but also causes them to wear evenly, meaning improved fuel economy for you since they ride more smoothly. Your tires should be balanced when they are first installed, and in general they should not need another balancing. Regularly check for the wheel weights mounted on the rim of each tire on your vehicle. These will be oblong metal pieces clipped to the rim, one per tire. If you don’t see one on your tire, ask your mechanic to balance the tires when he rotates them. Most tire dealers that sell you your new tires will rotate and balance those tires for free.
Tune ups. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended life span of your vehicle’s spark plugs, plug wires, and coils. In general, spark plugs should be changed every 55,000 – 75,000 miles and plug wires every 100,000 – 120,000 miles. If your engine idles very rough, or cuts out easily, have your mechanic check the coils. Also make sure to change out your vehicle’s air and fuel filters regularly. All of these parts affect your vehicle’s fuel economy.
Buying A New Car
When considering purchasing a new car, remember that the miles per gallon estimates posted on new cars are always very optimistic. Those estimates are generated by operating the car in perfect driving conditions, as in 55 MPH on a windless day at sea level on flat ground with the windows rolled up and the air conditioner and radio off. Typically your actual miles per gallon will be two to five gallons less than the estimate.
Go smaller! Technology has improved to the point where many smaller vehicles have high safety ratings and perform very well in adverse driving conditions. Remember that if you spend a little more on a smaller car with posi-traction as opposed to a bigger lunk with four-wheel drive, savings will be realized in improved fuel economy down the road. And you don’t have to put the thing in four-wheel drive, it will do so itself!
Go hybrid if you can. Some very important factors to remember: hybrid and electric car technology is skyrocketing right now, so the vehicles that come out in five to ten years will show enormous improvements over the ones available today. If you have a lot of disposable income and buy a new car every three to five years anyway, go buy a hybrid today. If you are not that lucky, follow the tips above to maintain your current vehicle and tough it out until the car companies can bring to market all the technology in development right now.
Greg is a freelance content website writer. Read more of his articles at the Energy Efficiency Advisor website.
Babysoy Puff-Sleeve Bodysuit , Eggplant 3-6 Months
- Eco-friendly soy fiber
- Snap button for easy dressing
- Machine wash, tumble dry
- Soft, comfy and great-fitting
- Pre-washed
Recycle Or Die Sweatshirt, Green Environmental Humor, XXX, Censored, Funny Hoodies , Medium, Navy
Product Description
Our Sweatshirts are made of a 100% fully machine washable cotton/poly blend for a warm and comfortable fit every time. They feature insanely funny phrases and pictures. Shocking and bold, stand out at the bar, school or just lounge around the house.