Candle Making Soy Wax, Is It Better Than Paraffin

What ' s all the fuss about candles untrue from soy wax?

With brandnames like Nature Wax, Eco - Soya, and Golden Wax, and when marketed using the terms all natural, clean burning, and renewable, you might get the impression that vegetable based waxes - in particular, soy - based waxes - are far superior and much more environmentally friendly than paraffin based waxes.

Companies monogram their products to wrest a certain image. Wax and candle manufacturers are no diverse. Who could resist Form Romantique, Aroma Naturals, Candle - licious, Perfumed Escapes, or Soy Lucious? ( I think I have floated to pristine beach on a tropical island even now! )

In the United States, annually, more than one billion pounds of wax are used to make candles. By far, paraffin, extracted from petroleum, is the most common type of wax used. Since wax is basically a type of lipid - a fat - there are many sources from which it could be extracted. Prior to the 20th century, animal - derived wax, called tallow, was primarily used. Since the 1990 ' s, there has been an increase in the marketing of vegetable - based waxes.

Are they that much better?

Candles made from soybean wax typically burn longer than candles of the same size made from paraffin.

Soybean wax is more opaque than paraffin wax and so colors tend to appear more vivid.

All candles emit soot, and the emission is mostly a function of the wick. The soot produced by soy candles is whitish, as compared to the dark - colored soot that emanates from paraffin candles.

Are soybeans used to make soybean wax GMO - free ( GMO = Genetically - modified organism )? Probably not. According to the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service ( USDA - NASS ), 91 % of the soybeans planted in 2009 and 93 % of the soybeans planted in 2010 were resistant to herbicides or insects or both through biotechnology. ( Reference: Acreage 6 - 30 - 2010, from http: / / www. nass. usda. gov )

Are soybean waxes GMO - free? Soybean waxes are made from natural oils. There are no genetically modified markers present in the natural oils comprising or used to manufacture soy wax products.

Who owns Michael Richards ' patent? It is well known that the method for the manufacturing of soy wax was patented by Michael Richardson. The intellectual rights of this patent were purchased by Cargill, and that company manufactures soybean wax through the company Elevance. Elevance produces a variety of soywaxes; the main ones are C - 1 and C - 3.

Can I buy pure soy wax? Most soy wax products are actually wax blends made from soybeans and other vegetable sources, such as palm. When intended to be used for container candles, the wax is formulated to cause it to adhere well to the sides of the containers. Other soywax blends are made shrink so that they can be removed from molds

Which wax is natural? Soybean oil is extracted from a plant. 18 - 19 % by weight of a soybean is oil. Soybeans are renewable because new plants can be grown in the same fields. Paraffin comes from crude oil. It is a fossil fuel - naturally occurring in the earth. It is renewable, it just takes millions of years to create.

Does " natural " mean " organic? " No. In fact, soybean pesticide use ( nearly all of which are herbicides ) ranks second only to corn. Pesticides, however, are not usually detected in the oil extracted from the soybean. Reference: Economic Research Service of USDA http: / / www. ers. usda. gov / Briefing / SoybeansOilcrops / background. htm

In conclusion then, soybeans are a viable source of oil that can be made into wax for use in candles. As to whether they are as superior to paraffin candles in all the ways that the marketing implies is debatable. Whether you choose to make or purchase candles made from soybean wax is your decision.

Making Organic Farming Practices Accessible to Filipino Farmers

For an agricultural country that was among the first in South East Asia to explore organic farming, most people would assume that by now the Philippines would be a ruler in organic farming. But sadly, this is not the case.

The Philippine agriculture is highly dependent on collectible and ecologically unsound chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Hard by excitement the effects of climate change with increasing intensity during the last six to seven years and most especially during the 2009 Typhoon Ondoy when substantial chunks of the Philippine archipelago was devastated by floods, the Philippine government stepped up the implementation of climate change adaptation measures.

Within the catalogue of climate change adaptation measures, the Philippine government presently zeroed in on organic farming as a vital step.

It was unparalleled last year that the Philippines passed the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, RA 10068, gentle its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and welcome a budget, allocating 2 percent of the Philippine Department of Agriculture ' s funds for organic farming.

Ultimately, despite these most steps towards propagating organic farming practices, indications of not unlike practices supplanting or supine complementing chemical dependent agricultural practices are slow in coming.

On the fresh produce shelves of one of the largest manacles of supermarkets, you will find unbiased two or three brands labeled with claims of being " organically grown " produce. Beyond and frontage of the supermarket, organic produce can only be found in weekend bazaars or in specialty shops scattered around Metro Manila. Few restaurants offer items with organically grown ingredients.

Organic produce, at this stage, is only available to Filipinos with higher than average incomes. This is largely because of the higher price of organically produced foods are sold at but also because of it is not widely available in wet markets.

The Philippine Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary Proceso Alcala has sought to provide solutions to the price and availability of organic produce to a wider market. First by spurring the adoption of organic farming practices with the help of NGOs. Second by funding a the construction of 2, 600 organic fertilizer production plants all over the country.

The second step seems to be the more crucial one.

Without good quality organic fertilizer to enhance the productivity of their farms, organic farming may be a losing proposition for most farmers.

To solve this problem, Alcala recently announced that the Department of Agriculture would be spending P2. 6 Billion pesos in converting 2, 600 existing composting facilities into Japanese - modeled organic fertilizer production plants.

The proposed conversion of existing compost facilities comes with a price tag of P1 million per facility. The proposed organic fertilizer production plants will be equipped drying equipment, carbonizing machine, shredding and mixing machine, grinders and millers, and enhanced transport system through conveyor belts.

Now, just given the characteristics of the proposed organic fertilizer production plant, it is already apparent that the plants are highly - capital intensive and perhaps unnecessarily backward integrated.

Compared to a similar but lower costing and locally available model for organic fertilizer production, the P1 Million per organic fertilizer production will seem like a gargantuan expense.

The Agricultural Inoculant Corporation has been in the business of converting organic waste into fertilizer for a number of years. The efficacy of its microbial rapid composting agent has already undergone pilot testing in 18 sites all over the country and was supervised by the Philippine Department of Agriculture ' s Bureau of Agricultural Research.

In a project study which intends to promote the adoption of organic fertilizer production among Filipino farmers, the AIC presented a system to produce low cost organic fertilizer.

The project study assumes that the main implementor of the organic waste to organic fertilizer conversion would be farmer - entrepreneurs who have limited financial capital to invest in organic fertilizer production.

The total cost of the project is estimated at P40, 000 pesos or about $1, 000. Other equipment needed for drying, chopping, composting, and storage can be sourced from what is already available in the farm. Additional inputs such as carbonized rice hulls and chicken manure can also be sourced at a lower cost. If done within the farm premises, the cost of transporting materials will be negligible.

In comparison to the Department of Agriculture ' s organic fertilizer production plants, the AIC system for producing organic fertilizer also has the advantage of a direct transfer of technology and emphasizes self - sufficiency among Filipino farmers. As far as ingraining the organic farming practices is concerned, the AIC system provides the farmer, not only a way to reduce the cost of his inputs but also provides him with an additional source of income.

With a total cost of just P40, 000 or about $1, 000 dollars, the AIC system can enable a Filipino farmer to produce as much as 2, 250 bags of organic fertilizer within an 8 month period - - typically the length of the planting season cycles of most Filipino farms. AIC estimates the cost of production per bag at P100. 00 and projects that each back can be sold at a retail price of P250. 00 per bag. At 2, 250 bags, the farmer can realize a gross revenue of P562, 500 and a profit of P337, 500.

Compared to the Department of Agriculture ' s model which basically just ensures that farmers will continue to be buyers of farm inputs, the AIC system allows them to supplement their own fertilizer needs as well as realize income off - season from the sale of organic fertilizer.

No - till Farming - Making Agriculture A Profitable Business

Tilling is an ancient farming practice. Few decades before, scientists initiate that no - till farming can deliver better yields if done properly. The findings were astonishing to all as tilling farming was the tradition in most of the countries and widespread tilling was considered essential for better crop. Brand-new research studies have confirmed that no - tilling method certainly has extra edge over habitual farming method. It is confessed as zip - till farming also.

The proven benefits of this new farming style are: Less efforts, erosion control, better return, environment friendliness, reduction in green gases, improvement in living style and less input in terms fertilizers and water etc. Reports confirm that in between 1987 to 2008, zero - till method witnessed 74 times increase in social acceptance in only Latin America. This assessment was sufficient to judge the increasing trend of this method worldwide. The experience of 105 Million hectare farming land owners cant be wrong. According to a survey report, more than 49. 6 million hectare land was under zero - tilling farming.

As the popularity of this new farming method is increasing worldwide, we are getting the proof of more benefits. Improved water level; Reduced usage of heavy machinery; Time savings; Fuel savings; Reduction in labor cost; Reduction in air pollution; Better wildlife; Better soil filth and Reduced soil compaction etc are other significant benefits that come directly or indirectly in the pocket of farm owners. Soil loses much of its carbon content during tilling. It releases carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. Increased level of CO2 in atmosphere is associated with global warming.

Though the benefits have been realized and proved scientifically worldwide but even than many farm owners hitch in making a switch over to this new technique. Still, only 5 percent of world ' s cultivated cropland is under no - till farming. In African and Asian countries no - till farming is at the lowest level. The major reason for this drawback is the absence of adequate financial support to farmers. It is natural to doubt a relatively new method that apparently doesnt support traditional beliefs. As the governments too are concerned to increase agricultural yields, they encourage the farm owners to accept this new way of farming. Agriculture research centers offer complete help at all the fronts almost free of cost. Many farmers feel slight drop in very first crop after adopting no - till farming practice but soon difference comes back into the pockets in the form of multidimensional benefits.

Making Your First Investment in the Forex Market

The foreign exchange market ( Forex ) offers many advantages to investors but you need to know where to enter on. Forex is not effortless, though, so you ' ll need some knowledge to make thoughtful investment decisions and although it is relatively easily done to start trading on the Forex, there are risks involved. The welfare of today ' s modern age is information available at your finger tips in the mode of ebooks, blogs, trading systems and online brokers. Your first move as a beginner should be to find out as much as possible about the market before risking any money.

When you are ready to proceed, you should first look for a reputable broker. Forex traders usually require a broker to handle transactions. A reputable broker will be registered as a Futures Commission Merchant ( FCM ) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ( CFTC ) as protection against fraud and abusive trade practices.

Next, open a Forex account. You will need to fill out a simple form and providing the necessary identification. The form includes a margin agreement which states that the broker may interfere with any trade deemed to be too risky. This is to protect the interests of the broker, since most trades are done using the broker ' s money.

Once your account has been established, you can fund it and begin trading. Many brokers offer a variety of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Mini accounts allow you to get involved in Forex trading if your access to large amounts of capital is limited. Trades are technically commission - free, meaning that you can make many trades in one day without worrying about incurring high brokerage fees. However, its important to keep in mind that Forex involves paying a spread which could make the cost of high volume trading pricey. Brokers make their money on the spread or the difference between bids and ask prices.

Almost every broker operates on the Internet. Once your account is set up, you can access it from any computer just by entering your account name and password. Each broker has its own set of software tools. Real - time quotes, news feeds, technical analyses and charts, and profit - and - loss analyses are some of the features you can expect to see on most online brokers ' websites.

Forex investing is one of the most potentially rewarding types of investments available. Even small changes in the market can result in substantial profits because of the large amount of money involved in each transaction, commonly referred to as leverage. Individual investors should understand that leverage acts as a double edge sword meaning it can work both for and against you. There are a number of software tools available to help investors minimize losses that occur in any type of investment rather its Forex or Stocks. While there is no guarantee that you will actually make money trading Forex, its extremely important to learn about these tools as they can act as a vital component to your trading account and overall success.

Review - eaarth Making A Life On A Tough New Planet

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, Bill McKibben, ISWBN 9780805090567

Mortals has irreparably contrary the Earths climate and weather conditions. This book gives the details, and tells how to stick to on this new world.

The Earth that kinsmen knew, and grew up on, is gone. A new planet needs a new prenomen; forasmuch as Eaarth. It is a whistle stop of poles where the ice caps are exceedingly bad off, or gone. It is a distance where the oceans are becoming more acid, because of excess carbon absorbed into the water, not to mention the toxic chemicals and other pollutants being dumped into it. It is a place of more extreme weather patterns.

The average person might not care if an entire glacier completely melts away, like the Chacaltaya Glacier in Bolivia. Those living downstream, dependent on that glacier for their water supply, will certainly care. Since 1980, the tropics have expanded worldwide by 2 degrees north and south. Over 8 million more square miles of land are now tropical, with dry subtropics pushing ahead of them. The chances of Lake Mead, which is behind Hoover Dam, running dry in the next 10 years, have reached 50 percent. The residents of an oceanside town in North Carolina are spending up to $30, 000 each to place large sandbags in front of their homes to keep the ocean at bay.

The times when America, or the world, can simply grow its way out of its financial problems are gone forever. Building enough nuclear power plants to get rid of even a tenth of the climate change problem will cost at least $8 trillion. According to one estimate, America needs to spend over $200 billion a year for decades, just on infrastructure, to avoid the kind of gridlock that will collapse the economy. A small village in Alaska is being evacuated, because of rising sea levels, at a cost of $400, 000 per person. There is not enough money on Earth to evacuate everyone threatened by rising sea levels.

What to do? Some people are taking another look at small - scale agriculture, getting away from a dependence on artificial chemicals and fertilizer. Eliminate the middlemen, like advertising and transport, and put more money in the farmers pocket. Along with local agriculture, consider local power generation.

This is a really eye - opening book. The first half is pretty bleak, showing just how bad things have gotten. But, there is plenty of hope in the second half of the book. It is very much recommended.