Forum for sustainable alternatives?

I wonder if there is enough interest to have a Forum dedicated to alternative building materials, sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, plus all many of the other ways/things we are doing world-wide to increase our safe food supply and marshall our current waste materials into something useable, affordable and effective?

We touch on those subjects all over DG but not in one cohesive forum.

Some threads could be a stickey with links to other good sites.

I think that would be one of the most useful and informative Forums we could have. I rarely visit the Soil & Composting forum, yesterday I did and read some of the online book called The Humanure Handbook which joepyeweed linked to.

An awareness of poor and unsustainable practise is already with many of us, but sometimes the facts and figures give us a much more indepth insight. Being aware in a vague and half hearted sense is OK, many of us try to do some of the right things, but wouldn't it be great to learn so much more and foster the desire to carry it forward to better ways.

I like the idea--my only concern is the existing building/construction forums don't get a ton of traffic, and neither does the organic gardening forum which is the closest thing right now to the sustainability idea, so I wonder if a forum like this would get enough traffic? I definitely like the idea though and would participate in it if we get it.

ecrane, even though being a long-timer here, I didn't realize there were SO many forums now... like construction. I'm thinking we could put appropriate links in our regular posts when a thought or idea arises? Send folks to a place for in-depth discussions...

This thought of mine started with a link somewhere to a site about cheap Third World gardening in slum areas and using diluted urine to rapidly compost leaves, etc.

I was just thinking last week that I couldn't believe that we didn't have a "green" forum....

Along with ecrane's thoughts about not getting much traffic, my other concern would be the political nature of such a forum. It seems like it is rather difficult for many to talk about "green-ness" without somehow going into politics.

Trish, I see it as more of a place to share ideas rather than bemoan all the politics of Why Not... and of course any forum is subject to the potential inclusion of politics if even just 2 people gather there.

Could a "green" forum incorporate subsections such as organics, composting, construction and any other existing appropriate forums ?

Robert, I would hope so!

I would like to see a green forum as well.

I think a green forum is a wonderful idea.

Perhaps this sort of forum could include a discussion of terra preta (Amazonian black earth). Some relatively obscure research is being done to resurrect this technology from ancient Amazonia. It's a way of creating incredibly fertile soil which also happens to be very effective at sequestering carbon. It seems like just the sort of thing DGers would try, being the experimental folks we are. And I see it's been mentioned a few times on other forums.

I'm all for it!! I love reading about that kind of stuff and would like to incorporate it into my yard somehow. I will be able to if we get a forum for it.

And a few stern words from Dave, in a 'sticky' at the top, with a reminder about avoiding controversial opinions, might be advisable.

Picante... I just did a short scan of articles on terra preta. VERY interesting!

The forum is launched!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/f/gogreen/all/

I called it "Sustainable Alternatives", but I can rename it to something else if that's what ya'll want.

Dave

Sounds good to me! Thanks.

Thanks a bunch Dave!!

Thanks tons Darius for suggesting it and Dave/Terry for making it. Ovver to hav a look. Hope it is a closed forum, just for subscribers.


PS. Darius, how are the iris growing?
inanda

Edited to add.
Bother. Why are new forums open to the whole world - and to google.

This message was edited Feb 24, 2007 1:01 PM