|
Meet the Staff
Latest News
Whole Foods Day
Dan Kittredge, Executive Director of RTE, recently spent an afternoon at
the Whole Foods in Brighton, MA, educating consumers about RTE's
upcoming Real Food campaign. The event was done in coordination with
the Brighton and Framingham store coupon month campaign that raised
funds for the Real Food campaign.
RTE offered remineralized apples from Saratoga Apple in
Schuylerville, New York, and had them available for taste testing in
comparison to commercially available organic apples that Whole Foods
had for sale.
The almost universal response of consumers was to ask why the
remineralized apples tasted better! Dan discussed the importance of
minerals and trace elements in food, how the taste buds in the tongue
will tell the body what food has more nutrition/minerals by detecting
a more full flavor, and how minerals and trace elements are critical
for personal health. The outline of the campaign to educate consumers
about nutrient dense foods, organize farmers, retailers and
agronomists to increase the amount of nutrient dense crops in the food
supply was also discussed.
Dozens of people continued their shopping experience with an "aha" look
in their eyes and asking for nutrient dense remineralized foods :)
RTE Fundraiser to Launch Real Food Campaign
RTE is working together with two Whole Foods Market stores in Massachusetts in October to raise funds for its new Real Food campaign. (Press release)
Joanna Campe and Dan Kittredge of RTE will have a booth at the Acres USA Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, from December 6-8, 2007. The Real Food campaign will be seeking to increase the demand and facilitate the supply of nutrient dense foods. We are coordinating farmers, farm co-operatives, retailers, consumers, mineral suppliers, and agronomists. (Events) 
Hearst Castle Azomite Study, San Simeon, California
View results on Dr. Lee Klinger's website, suddenoaklife.org.
Case study results from treated and untreated coast live oaks from January 4, 2006 to September 25, 2007.
An article on Dr. Lee Klinger, Saving the California Oaks: Dr. Lee Klinger uses remineralization to restore life to dying trees, appeared in the July 2007 issue of Organic Connections, the magazine of Peter Gillham's Natural Vitality. It is available for download in PDF format here. |
Dr. Lee Klinger
NEWS FLASH! Scientist Lee Klinger has initiated Sudden Oak Life, a movement to put forth a more global, systems approach in understanding and solving the tree decline problem in California and elsewhere. His efforts to solve the problem focus on boosting the fertility of the soils with natural, mineral-rich fertilizers so that the trees are healthier and better able to survive attacks by diseases and pests. In the case of Sudden Oak Death, he is seeing most of the infected oaks respond very well to the soil mineral fertilizers and limewash.
|
RTE Website in Spanish
Thanks to our International Coordinator in Spain, Mika Devi Genaine, our website is being translated into Spanish and we have immediately begun to receive inquiries from Spanish speakers all over the world. Our gratitude to Mika for helping a long time dream come true.
Utilizing Lava-Basalt Dust in Belgium
See new article on water purification and lava/lava-basalt dust by Marc Daelemans.
Marc Daelemans, our international coordinator for Remineralize the Earth in Belgium, has been making great strides recently. At a recent symposium at the Hosteenbron in Zonhoven, he spoke to 70 people about his experiences using lava-basalt dust, which was followed by an article in the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg. He recently collaborated with Jeroen Watté on an article for the professional journal Wervelkrant called Agroforestry - Rock dust and remineralization: a forgotten link?, providing valuable data. He has also contacted producers of organic fertilizers, DCM, to promote their lava-basalt dust products in Belgium and Europe. To learn about Marc Daelemans and his PURE-Reed-Bed Technology, go to the International Coordinators page.
Dan Kittredge, Executive Director of Remineralize the Earth and field manager of the research project.
|
Remineralize the Earth Embarks on a Research Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
RTE has just embarked on a research project in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts to document the effect on nutrient density of crops with the application of rock dusts and biological amendments. Click here for magazine article.
RTE Initiates Research in Costa Rica
NEWS FLASH! September 2007 update and the article here.
Remineralize the Earth has initiated a research project with John Todd of Ocean Arks International in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The project will utilize rock powders of volcanic origin quarried near the area where it is taking place. We will demonstrate the potential of remineralization on native hardwoods of commercial value, various fruit trees and oil-producing trees. Jatropha is a small tree well-known for its oil production and soil building properties. Dr. John Todd will be the project's scientific coordinator. William Turley will be the on-site director of the project. He is an original member of the New Alchemy Institute and a long-time champion of renewable energy technologies.
Forest edge in Costa Rica where project is taking place
|
John recently wrote us: "First off, I believe that remineralization is the basis of restoring soil fertility. Secondly, that Costa Rica's volcanic rock ground up have enormous potential. Thirdly that we have to increase organic matter in the soils and add clay-based humic materials to finish off the mix." We hope that this will be the beginning of a model carbon sequestration program utilizing remineralization that will also sustain local communities with food, fuel and wood products for local use. The increase in biomass will also augment habitat biodiversity.
The most recent issue of Annals of Earth has an article by John Todd, Creating World Class Soils, on remineralization and terra preta. This publication has been a tremendous inspiration through the years for Joanna Campe at Remineralize the Earth. To subscribe, go to www.oceanarks.org/annals/
|
Join a Competition
for Remineralized Carrots
The June issue of Acres, USA, The Voice of Eco-Agriculture, is focused on minerals. In the article The Quest for Nutrient Density, by John C. Frank at International Ag-Labs, a competition has been created for all interested growers to grow the most nutrient dense carrots possible. We would like to invite remineralizers to submit their carrots for the competition. They will be analyzing a number of samples from various commercial growers, including Bob Cannard, who grows carrots for Alice Water's Chez Panisse Restaurant. The results of the carrot competition, with some statistical analysis, will be made available to the public. Those producing carrots in the top ten brix level will be asked to submit their carrots for a free nutritional analysis. More information is available at the International Ag-Labs website, www.aglabs.com. You can also contact Acres, USA for more information.
Dan Kittredge & Andrew Harley Present to the Biomass Coordinating Committee of ACORE
(From Left) Dan Kittredge, Executive Director of Remineralize the Earth; Bill Holmberg, Chairman of the BCC at ACORE; and Andrew Harley, Remineralization Research Scientist
|
On March 5th, Executive Director Dan Kittredge and Scientific Consultant Andrew Harley attended the annual meeting of the Biomass Coordinating Committee (BCC) of ACORE, the American Council on Renewable Energy. They were speakers presenting as part of a project in Nevada run by the department of prisons that will test tree growth for biomass production. The project is experimenting with a patented process of seedling starting called RPM and soil amendments including remineralization and Bio-char. The remineralization presentation was well received and many contacts were made for RTE with ACORE and other members of the BCC. Long time remineralization ally Bill Holmberg, chairman of the BCC is seen here with Andrew and Dan.
The major purpose of the BCC meeting was to bring together stakeholders from industry, research, small companies and the non-profit world to assess the state of biomass as an alternative energy source, outline points where organization research and further development are needed and to self organize to meet these outlined needs. Dan agreed to take on direction of the fertility subcommittee with Janet Hawkes of the RPM Ecosystems. Watch here for further updates on the development of this Subcommittee!
Remineralize the Earth Under Sponsorship!
Remineralize the Earth is being generously sponsored by Peter Gillham's Natural Vitality under the company's Natural Revitalization program. As part of the program's aim to address global warming, RTE will be receiving a percentage of Natural Vitality's profits in 2007. The company will also play an integral role in helping us expand our membership base and has designed the new logo for Remineralize the Earth seen here. Click here to read the press release!
 
Rockdust Is the New Organic!
Two of the leading Organic Certification bodies, namely OF&G (Organic Farmers and Growers) and SOPA (Scottish Organic Producers Association) have approved SEER Rockdust for use by their members. This means that such benefits as increased yield, pest and drought resistance, improved flavor and higher nutritional benefit can now be realised on a professional basis by the organic movement.
Scotland based Angus Horticulture Ltd, who promote the products on behalf of Rockdust Ltd, has now established a basic framework of distributors around the UK, as shown on their website. "We know we have hardly scratched the surface of the potential market", states Alistair Ballantyne, Director of Angus Horticulture Ltd. "Whilst testimonials are coming in from around the UK, this Organic Approval is our ticket to attracting the main body of the farming and gardening community into realising the amazing soil remineralization and carbon sequestration benefits of these products. We believe that SEER Rockdust products to have a highly significant role to play in both the organic and non-organic markets in the future."
'The Roots of Health'
Ellen Landauer's blog entry discusses the importance of organically grown vegetables and remineralization as a step towards healthier foods. Her writing focuses on fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome and other health related issues.
Geologists from Brazil Produce Natural Fertilizer
RockAll is the first and only company in Brazil to produce natural fertilizers made of minerals found in rocks. Established by Prudêncio Rodrigues de Castro Júnior and José Carlos Alves Ferreira, the company is based in the the mid-western Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and the fertilizer is now ready for the international market.
Organic Farming in Kathmandu
Winrock International's recent work in Kathmandu is helping farmers go organic and expand their market. The organization, which encourages environmentally sustainable economic development around the world, encourages local farmers to enrich their soil with rock dust.
|
Soil Remineralization Research Forum in Scotland Sponsored by Scottish EPA is Now Online!
Dr. Robin Szmidt of Active Compost Ltd is coordinator for the new Soil Remineralization Research Forum in Scotland. Sponsored by the Scottish Environment Agency (SEPA) the forum: promotes and develops membership by industry bodies, communities, and the public sector; assists the development and delivery of robust remineralization research; supports advisory activities in the sector; facilitates further funding for the generic development of remineralization; liaises with like-minded groups to develop Scottish, UK and international programs. You can read Co-Utilization of Rockdust, Mineral Fines and Compost: Working Towards Integrated Resource Recycling and Use by Robin A.K. Szmidt & John Ferguson, 2004, of Active Compost Limited and SEPA here. Contact the new forum by email at enquiry@reminforum.org.uk.
|
Patrick/Murray Transition Team Alerted to the Benefits of Soil Remineralization
A paper was submitted by RTE to the Energy and Environment Working Group of Governor Elect Deval Patrick's Transition Team for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. An excerpt:
"Remineralization is a key strategy from a peak oil and energy perspective. At the recent Schumacher lectures in Great Barrington, Richard Heinberg stated that 37% of the energy budget of the US is for agriculture. We can move from an economics of scarcity (based on petrochemical fertilizers) to an economics of abundance, utilizing the millions of tons of aggregate by-products as an alternative to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. From a food security perspective, much of the food sold in Massachusetts comes from California with high transportation costs. We need to produce more nutritious food locally, ecologically and economically.
Soil remineralization can be a key strategy for the Commonwealth of Masschusetts to become carbon neutral. Carbon emissions can be offset by remineralizing forests in the commonwealth. Along with carbon sequestration, this will greatly improve the health of forests that are suffering from the effects of pollution and acid rain."
We are excited by the possiblities that are opening up through the policymaking process of this new Green Administration.
The Carbon Credit/Carbon Sequestration Movement
Remineralization for forests as a part of carbon sequestration projects offers a tremendous opportunity to remineralize through large scale projects worldwide and to begin to stabilize the climate (in combination with other worthwhile strategies, of course). A study in the Research section of our website shows 4 times the timber volume of a spruce forest over a 24 year period. One application lasted for 60 years.Case Study
If you are a frequent flyer, commuter, or would simply like to offset your personal carbon emissions, you can donate carbon credits for tree planting that represent the result of your carbon emissions. If you are interested in becoming carbon neutral and would like to join a program, contact John Todd at jtodd@cape.com.
To find out more about carbon credits, go to:
Post Carbon Institute and the
Chicago Climate Exchange
Researcher Andrew Harley Joins Our Staff
We are excited to have Andrew Harley from the University of Western Australia join our staff. He has moved from Perth to Denver, Colorado with his family. Andrew comes to us with a background in geoscience and a PhD in the area of Remineralization. As he describes in the Meet the Staff section, "[We will be working closely] to identify and pursue funding opportunities that merge growers, suppliers and scientists to further demonstrate the importance of remineralization in organic agriculture, nutrient cycling, soil remediation and CO2 cycling and sequestration."
|
Large Market for Remineralization in China
Biotech Bodisen, a large organic agricultural fertilizer company in China, was recently named the 16th fastest growing company in China by Forbes Magazine. Located in the country with the largest fertilizer market in the world (US $17 billion per year), Biotech Bodisen markets bio-based, fully degradable fertilizer products absent of manure and waste. They have recently acquired a large quantity of fossilized mineral deposits, which has been integrated into their product line. Bodisen recognizes the importance of marketing products to encourage sustainable soil treatment including the use of rock dust. All of their products are classified as "organic" by the Chinese government, meaning they do not produce crops containing harmful chemicals (however, they are not a USA organic certified fertilizer company). Biotech Bodisen has made incredible strides in making sustainable, ecologically friendly fertilization a profitable industry. They currently hold one of the world's largest agricultural product distribution networks, reaching over 60% of China's agricultural markets, up to 900 million farmers.
To read more, visit their website at www.bodisen.com, or visit the forum and post your opinions on this.
An Interview With Bob Cain
Bob Cain, of SeaAgri, Inc. was recently featured in the November, 2006 issue of ACRES USA, the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. He is part of the minerals-from-the-ocean fertilizer movement and the article is called "Fulfilling Maynard Murray's Dream; Remineralizing Soils & Food via Sea Minerals".
Aggregates to Agriculture
In an exciting new development, the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) is taking great interest in the use of production fines for soil remineralization. Mark S. Kuhar, in an editorial of the April issue of Pit and Quarry magazine, a trade magazine for the aggregate industry, announces the current forming of a National Task Force for Soil Remineralization that will strategize on how to get stone producers together with farmers and nursery operators, "in other words, how to move aggregates to agriculture." Read editorial
To revisit the 1994 Symposium on Soil Remineralization and other articles, click here.
Remineralization Seminar in Norway
The seminar took place in the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Aas, Norway on March 13th, 2006. The gathering included people from many different institutions and industries to discuss different aspects of rock powder application in agriculture. A report on this conference by Michael Heim can be found in the Forum. Many questions were explored and issues addressed that are relevant to practical application of rock dust worldwide. The Norwegian University of Life Sciences is a leading international centre of knowledge, focused on higher education and research within environmental- and biosciences. UMB focuses specifically on biology, food, environment, land use and natural resource management.
From humble beginnings in Tanzania in 1984 to the establishment of a course at the University of Guelph, to the official opening of an Agrogeology Centre in Indonesia, the field of agrogeology is gaining wider global interest and exposure. The first Rocks for Crops International Conference took place in Brasilia, Brazil on November 7-14, 2004. Visit their website, Rocks for Crops, for abstracts of papers from the conference. Remineralize the Earth is working on the development of a large research database that will include agrogeology research from all over the world. Abstracts from the International Workshop in Brazil available here. Peter van Straaten, agrogeologist and author of Rocks for Crops, will be coming out with another book soon. The Rocks for Crops book is no longer in print, but can be found online here.
Agrogeology- A new field of geology in which geologists are carrying out projects for agriculture worldwide utilizing rock dust for soil remineralization as well as other natural byproducts. Please read an excerpt from Some Thoughts from Rocks for Crops Conference by William S. Fyfe, Professor Emeritus (Geology) at the University of Western Ontario.
We Want Real Food
Published 23rd February 2006
We Want Real Food is a book that calls for the remineralisation of soil and advocates the use of Rock Dust. It is currently receiving publicity in the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph.
In the past 50 years vegetables on sale in the UK have lost 24% of their magnesium, 27% of their iron and 46% of their calcium. It is time to stop the rot!
The campaign for real food begins with us, whether we shop at farmers markets, organic suppliers or at the supermarkets. We Want Real Food by Graham Harvey sets out what we can do to win the fight back for 'nutrient-rich' food that will stop us from damaging our health - in fact, a fight for real food.
Join the campaign and read more at WeWantRealFood.co.uk.To order We Want Real Food by Graham Harvey from Amazon and by phone with the Book Service at 01208-2505800.
To contact We Want Real Food Headquarters click here.
We Want Real Food published by Constable on 23rd February 2006.
Remineralization on a roll:
a new generation of toilet tissue
Joy Kogias of New South Wales, Australia, has come up with an ingenious product to combat global warming, the greenhouse effect, loss of marine biodiversity and mass extinction. Enviro-Roll Sea Tissue is for use on all ocean going vessels, offshore oil platforms, etc...When used and disposed of in fresh or saltwater environments, the toilet paper, which is impregnated with glacial moraine, nourishes the burgeoning phytoplankton which are a key to stabilizing the climate. Enviro-Roll Land Tissue promotes the growth of land vegetation once used and discarded. She has developed regional specific seed mixes combined with rock dust for use in each country. See her website for more.
Clinton speaks on global warming leading to onset of ice age
A recent Associated Press article, 28 January 2006, quoted the speech of Former President Clinton given at the Davos Economic Summit:
"First, I worry about climate change," Clinton said in an onstage conversation with the founder of the World Economic Forum. "It's the only thing that I believe has the power to fundamentally end the march of civilization as we know it, and make a lot of the other efforts that we're making irrelevant and impossible."
Clinton called for "a serious global effort to develop a clean energy future" to avoid the onset of another ice age.
Remineralization vital for future of food
14/02/2006 - Pioneering research into the demineralisation of the earth could have significant consequences of food quality - and even the future of the planet. The SEER (Sustainable Ecological Earth Regeneration) Centre, which undertook the first scientifically controlled field trials of soil remineralisation in Scotland, says that unless vital nutrients and elements are placed back into the soil, then the quality of food - and the well-being of the planet - will deteriorate...(See full article)
Volcanic rock dust therapy for soil
400% increase in rice yields in Malaysia with rock dust plus soil micro-organisms
"Volcanic rock dust therapy for soil", an article in the business section of The Star Online, reports that volcanic rock dust combined with a bacterial based soil conditioner may soon become indispensable in the Malaysian agricultural sector. Robert W. Taylor, chairman of MRD Inc. (M) Sdn Bhd, is doing trials with the Agriculture Department and they have tried it out with rice fields, pineapple farms, and banana orchards with good results.
"Volcanic rock dust is already being used in other countries such as the (western) United States, Australia and South Korea and the results have been good," Taylor says. "There has been no downside to using the volcanic rock dust, and it is 50% cheaper than phosphate, which is dependent on oil prices...the results speak for themselves. The yield (for rice) that was produced in Kedah was four times more in the first season than previously."
Bob Cannard, keynote speaker
at the Acres USA Conference
Acres U.S.A. is North America's oldest, largest magazine covering eco-agriculture. The annual Acres U.S.A. conference brings together farmers and consultants from every side of eco-farming to share their experience and expertise. The 2005 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Food as Medicine, Farm as Healer: Producing Crops of Superior Nutritional Density, Innovating and Adding Value on the Farm, Effectively Selling to Quality-Conscious Markets, took place in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 8-10, 2005. (AcresUSA.com)
Bob Cannard, Cannard farms grower for Alice Waters' Chez Panisse, was a keynote speaker. Bob Cannard cultivates 30 acres of his 170 acre farm in Sonoma County, California. With its unruly hedgerows of rosemary, processions of peach trees, and a musical creek meandering down the mountain, Cannard Farms in Sonoma is, by any standards, a rustic Eden. From this hard-worked land, grower Bob Cannard harvests some of the most celebrated designer vegetables in California - those adorning the world-reknowned menu of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California. Alice Waters changed the way chefs think about vegetables and fresh foods. It's a tall order to grow vegetables of high enough quality to influence the top chefs of the world - but this is exactly what Bob Cannard does, and he does so by trusting in nature and the natural process. In his keynote address Bob shared his wisdom and experience with soil remineralization along with his perception that rocks are alive, and showed how to determine what plants want and how to help them get it. (See article in online magazine).
|
Andy Lopez, Invisible Gardener
Visit the website of Andy Lopez at InvisibleGardener.com. Andy has a weekly radio show on Saturday mornings at 10 AM PST. Call in to ask questions about remineralization. Don Weaver and Joanna Campe are guests on his "rock dust parties" on his show from time to time.
Articles in the online magazine
Carlos Cristan is having great success in Brazil remineralizing citrus trees and ornamentals.
Stephan Reeve, a dedicated horticulturist and tree planter in Maui is creating "Heaven on Earth".
Join The Forum
Seeking International Coordinators
Out of the forum an international list of coordinators from various countries is emerging. If you would like to consider becoming a coordinator, please contact us. More news on that soon!
The forum is growing more lively every day. Don Weaver and Joanna Campe have launched into a discussion about future directions for remineralization and climate issues; researchers and others from Scotland and the UK, Greece, Denmark, India, Costa Rica and more recently from Finland, Spain, Egypt, and Holland are sharing research, trials and experiences with rock dust. You can discuss the health implications of remineralizing soils and remineralizing sub-sahara soils in Africa, among other hot topics.
|
|
