These UC Davis faculty members are presenting research on topics of environmental sustainability at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago on March 25-29, 2007. More information about conference presentations is available online at http://acswebcontent.acs.org/nationalmeeting/chicago2007/home.html.
FUELS FROM FOOD LEFTOVERS -- Food waste accounts for 16 percent of the materials going to landfills, causing serious environmental and public health problems. Yet its relatively high moisture content and biodegradability make food waste a highly desirable feedstock for biofuel production, according to Ruihong Zhang, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering. Zhang will report results of five years of research, including the first five months of waste conversion at the UC Davis Biogas Energy Project http://www-news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=7915. Contact: Ruihong Zhang, Biogas Energy Project, (530) 754-9530, rhzhang@ucdavis.edu.
SUSTAINABLE BIOFUEL PRODUCTION -- While the potential of biofuels as a renewable energy source has caught the imagination of the nation, it remains to be seen just how sustainable biofuel production is in its impact on agriculture and the environment, cautions plant scientist Steve Kaffka, director of UC Davis' Center for Integrated Farming. Most estimates imply that soils and farms can sustain current and, perhaps, even higher crop yields needed for biofuels, and that it will be possible to recycle the increasing amount of residues generated by biofuel production. Other estimates suggest that low-quality land can be brought into production to economically grow the grains, oilseed crops and perennial grasses that will be needed for biofuels. Kaffka notes that models for predicting outcomes are always less complex than the reality they represent and that the systems modeled are always subject to unanticipated changes. In the case of agriculture and the environment, such changes may involve the climate, soil quality, diseases, pests and adverse social or environmental impacts. Contact: Steve Kaffka, Center for Integrated Farming Systems, (530) 752-8108, srkaffka@ucdavis.edu.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE TROPICS -- Food system "sustainability" attains practical meaning in the context of specific places, and the problems and opportunities faced by real people. The tropical rainforest margins -- where farming and ranching are expanding and markets for timber, beef and tree crops drive many choices -- are a revealing setting for sustainability studies, according to Tom Tomich, director of UC Davis' Agricultural Sustainability Institute and the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). Tomich suggests that integrated natural resource management has proven to be a fruitful approach to the multiple dimensions of sustainability and can be used to identify general patterns and assess tradeoffs among human development, agronomic issues and environmental concerns. Contact: Tom Tomich, Agricultural Sustainability Institute and UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, (530) 752-2379, cell (530) 574-7234, tptomich@ucdavis.edu.
MANAGEMENT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FOOD INDUSTRY -- Today's competitive global environment requires that all facets of the food industry's supply chain and network be effectively optimized and coordinated, according to Glen Lewis, a food-industry management expert and an adviser to UC Davis' California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research (CIFAR). Lewis will discuss both fundamental and advanced "best practices" and technologies, many of which can be applied to the spectrum of sustainable food-processing operations. Contact: Glen Lewis, California Institute of Food and Agricultural Research, (530) 752-3561, galewis@ucdavis.edu.
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE -- What is new today that generates so much general interest in sustainability and particular interest in food systems? Evidence is mounting that human activities now rank among the most powerful forces shaping the planet, notes Tom Tomich, director of UC Davis' Agricultural Sustainability Institute and the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). Tomich will discuss the practical meaning of sustainability and which institutions and approaches are effective in addressing sustainability challenges. He also will discuss what capabilities individuals need to contribute to the search for sustainable solutions, and what the implications are for higher education. Contact: Tom Tomich, Agricultural Sustainability Institute and UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, (530) 752-2379, cell (530) 574-7234, tptomich@ucdavis.edu.