Sometimes a nation such as ours is humbled and truly inspired by the green initiatives of other nations. For example, in non-educated and rural parts of China, fish farmers utilize sustainable ingenuities, not because they grab headlines, or because they are the new chic thing to do, rather because it is good business practice, and more importantly turns seemingly invaluable waste into more output of fish.
The process begins with silk worms who are fed mulberry leaves. Feasting on the leaves, the worms grow to over 10,000 times their original body size in just four weeks. The waste that is left over from the process, which contains a generous amount of fiber, is then used as food for the carp who are being farmed. In addition, the waste is used as fertilizer to grow the mulberry trees themselves. This sustainable practice by rural farmers allows the people to be efficient in their processes, while also producing a healthy amount of fish, and raw silk to be refined and sold into the marketplace. The carp fish themselves also personify the green movement as their diet consists mostly of plant matter that others do not even touch, and create fertilizer for other plants as well, resulting in an almost harmless effect on the environment. The result of such a process is that China produces over 10,000,000 tons of carp, which exceeds the total of fish produced by any other country. The coined phrase “low footprint farming” helps to describe the resourcefulness of these farmers and is something we can model ourselves around.
The story detailed above is one taken from National Geographic youtube video. The rest of the video details how the work environment and allure of city jobs are influencing youths to move there in favor of higher paying jobs, while the fishing industry is attempting to adapt to the depletion of young fishermen. Attached below is the link to the video. Please take some time out to watch the video and learn how we can all live green, and be green.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18xyR8KWrgE&feature=player_embedded#!