London: 2,012 vegetable gardens by 2012

London of the UK will be the focus of the world’s attention between July and September 2012, when the city will host the 30th of the International Olympic Games. The city has placed sustainability at the heart of its bid for the event and The London 2012 Sustainability Plan has been produced to illustrate how such a bid will be carried out on time. It is structured according to five priorities:
 climate change
, waste
, biodiversity
, inclusion
 and healthy living – all of which will be addressed throughout the Olympic construction period, during the Games, and in the future legacy the event will leave behind.

http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/london-2012-vegetable-gardens-by-2012

Climate change affects agri products-- Philippines

By Herbert P. Mapiles

Friday, February 24, 2012

CANDABA – Small-scale vegetable planters here said the present hot weather, attributed to climate change, has reduced the volume of agricultural produce compared to the previous year.

According to them, despite the use of modern approaches in planting vegetables, the changing climate condition has severely damaged the standing crops.

He explained that they already used fertilizers to increase production during harvest season. However, with the current agricultural problem associated with the weather condition, they are afraid they could not even get back their capital.

Intense sunlight exposure of vegetable plants causes yellow spots on the leaves and fruits. Likewise, it affects the normal development of plant that leads to poor crop productivity.

How vegetable gardens can adapt to changing temperatures and unpredictable weather

Being in tune with your local climate is one of most important success factors for gardening. Climate change has complicated the picture for vegetable gardeners, but there is a silver lining. With the right knowledge at the right time, food gardeners can actually grow more because of climate change.

Changing climate has in general brought greater extremes of temperatures with warmer and longer summers and often more extreme cold in winter, but on average, higher temperatures throughout the year. Food gardeners are finding that choosing vegetable crops with the methods they have always used is giving them results they don’t expect.

…….Vegetables are very sensitive to temperatures at planting and over their growing period. Frost is a killer for many vegetables. If you plant too early or too late in the season you may be hit with frost. If it is hotter earlier in the season, there are many crops you could get underway which you would not normally grow at that time and because of extended warm periods you could be staging your crops for much greater production. There may be crops that you thought would not grow at all, but are actually now very suitable for your climate.

http://www.myclimatechangegarden.com/blog/how-to-benefit-from-climate-change-in-your-veg-garden

2012年糧食價格上漲 窮人陷困

世界銀行25日表示，全球糧食價格再度上漲，使數百萬貧窮人口處境更艱難，面臨沒有足夠食物可吃的困境。

世界銀行發表最新的「食品價格監測」（Food Price Watch）報告指出，2011年12月至2012年3月，全球糧食價格上漲了8％，主要歸因於油價攀升、氣候變化以及亞洲糧食進口增加等。

負責扶貧及經濟管理的世界銀行副總裁卡努托（Otaviano Canuto）表示，世界糧食價格在連續4個月下跌後，目前又出現上漲的走勢，威脅到數百萬貧窮人口的糧食安全。

卡努托表示，保障足夠食物仍然是國際社會以及世界銀行在開發中國家工作的首要任務。

鸡蛋是素吗?

今天中午拜访一个佛学会之后，与佛学会的两位代表共用午餐。
其中一人问：鸡蛋是素吗？
我还没有回答，另一位师兄就说：他嗅到鸡蛋的味道，就会感到“荤”。
我没有回答第一人的问题，只赞叹这位师兄的境界到位了。
素食的人，要不要吃鸡蛋，无须科学的以鸡和鸡蛋的生理辩解，因为
这位师兄的答案是很直接的：他嗅到鸡蛋就难受，不要再说吃了！

合艾百嘉寺（Wat Pakla）籌建朱拉蓬功佛教大學

戈隆法師（Archan Klom）的心願，是在百嘉寺（Wat Pakla）建設一所包含華語系大乘佛教，以及泰國本土佛教的“佛教大學”，分別以中文、泰文和英文傳授大小乘佛教思想。

由於建設佛教大學的土地還不足夠，戈隆法師目前還在努力奔走於新加坡和馬來西亞，希望盡快完成建造大學的心願。

戈隆法師早年雲走馬來西亞，已經通過信徒接引，誦念觀世音菩薩的“千手千眼大悲咒”，與大乘佛教結下因緣，而且有信徒贈送一尊觀世音菩薩木像，供奉在舊佛殿。戈隆法師誦念大悲咒的感應是，吃肉時會生起厭膩心。

他希望在信徒和世界各地佛教徒的支持與捐獻下，能夠加快建設大學的旅程，為信眾和熱愛佛教的年輕人，提供學習和升學的機會。朱拉蓬功佛教大學，是世界最著名的佛教大學。