Rapeseed: The Emblem of Subsistence

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/jQEb5jCYO6F/Rapeseed+Crops+Start+To+Bloom

Call it an apocalypse or tree hugging: but something about expending fossil fuel seems off. Our depleting fuel supply will lead our society into a revelation, which will give our tree-huggers a chance to cross their arms and say “we told you so.” Then begins a quest for subsistent fuel and, accordingly, subsistent urbanity.

http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/41/91641-004-842864B7.jpg

A search for alternative fuels is, by its nature, a search for subsistent fuels; since, these are minimal fuels that can supplant the luxurious fossil fuel. Since fuel, or energy, is the driving backbone of production and economy, the notion of minimal fuel ultimately leads to the idea of minimal urbanity: hence, our invaluable

member of the urban survival kit.

The story of the corn fuel is a short lived one. It was revealed that it takes more energy to produce the fuel than how much energy that fuel can release. Also, many were uncomfortable with the fact that there are many who would rather eat the corn than to burn it.

http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/rapeseed%20oil.jpg

The issue of rapeseed is revolutionary. Rape is a weed-like projection with four petit, yellow petals. Its seeds yield an oil, which was originally only used as lubricant due to its high acidity. After successive cross-breeding, the rapeseed oil was redesigned to be used for cooking, soap, margarine, and lamp fuel. Although edible, the oil does not provide essential nutrients; therefore, even from an ethical standpoint, it is permissible to use to it for other ends.

Use of rapeseed to produce biodiesel has been the hotbed of discussion. Its characteristics include clean-burning, biodegradable, and non-toxic: all of which sound very pleasing to the modern ear. The resulting biodiesel has versatile application ranging from mundane vehicular use to Czech aircraft use.

In addition, uses of rape extends much further than alternative fuel: edible oil, bedding for farmland, high-protein animal feed, and honey. Therefore, an investment to grow rape is highly economical and can never go wrong. This implication is exemplified by an increase in its world-wide production of 27.9 million tons in 1991 to 50.6 million tons in 2007. The booming trend bespeaks the feasibility of its use as biodiesel. As of 2007, Canada is the second largest producer of rapeseed, spearheading the revolution.

http://faostat.fao.org/site/339/default.aspx

There are many factors that sustain and develop urbanity: such as economy, food, and energy. The basic interplay of the factors is this: biodiesel is the most economic substitute for fossil fuel; rapeseed yields the most efficient supply of biodiesel; urbanism is sustained by fuel energy along with food and economy in the macroscopic scale. Thus, subsistent fuel source will generate subsistent urbanity.

This is the story of how the yellow seeds found their way into my urban survival kit.

http://www.b100fuel.com/images/beetle%20tdi%20biodiesel%20emblem.JPG

Bibliography:

"Faostat," Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2009. http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancor (accessed November 1, 2009).

"Biodiesel," ATTRA, 2009. http://attra.ncat.org/farm_energy/biodiesel.html (accessed November 1, 2009).

"Rapeseed," Nation Master, 2005. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Rapeseed (accessed November 1, 2009).

-Iggy So