Green Options » commodity

The High Price of Rubber & the Devastation of Southeast Asia

Lisa Wojnovich — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:00:02 +0000

Slash-and-burn agriculture may be bad for the environment, but in southeast Asia, the cure may be worse than the disease. Endorsed by multiple governments, at both the local and national levels, as well as numerous business interests, everyone from individual farmers to massive corporations has been replacing the traditional slash-and-burn, more technically known as swidden, method of farming with rubber plantations managed with European techniques. In the last 20 years, over 1.2 million acres of land in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar have been cleared and replanted with nothing but rubber trees. By 2050, this number is expected to double — possibly even triple.

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North Dakota Ethanol Producers are at Risk as Fund Dries Up

Sasha Friedman — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:33:56 +0000

Editor’s Note: Sasha is one of the newest additions to the Gas 2.0 writing team. Welcome Sasha!

North Dakota’s fund for helping ethanol producers hedge against fluctuating corn prices is about to run out, and the producers are getting worried.

The fund, paid for in part by farm vehicle registrations, was drained by high corn prices earlier this year, according to the Bismark Tribune. Ethanol facilities operate on very slim margins, amplifying the effect of market turbulence. The goal of the fund, run by the North Dakota Commerce Department, was to create a safety net — $1.6 million per year to be exact — for existing ethanol production facilities and to draw new facilities in as well. Now the fund only has $2.4 million left.

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With New Ethanol Price Volatility, Farmers are at a Loss

Nick Chambers — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:13:05 +0000

When the only factor that determined if farms lived or died was the price of food, farm income was rather boringly steady. Now that biofuels have given agriculture a value greater than staple food crops, farmers have seen some huge rewards. But with those rewards have come greatly increased risks — risks that farmers are finding out the hard way right now.

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Tip’d: Your One Stop Destination For Business and Finance News

Reenita Malhotra — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:26:03 +0000

If you do not want to waste precious moments searching the internet for the top stories in business and finance, or if you have found an ideal economics news story that you would highly recommend to other readers, then Tip’d might quickly become your business social destination everyday.

Much like Digg, Tip’d is a site that has the advantage of showing up at the right time. The stock market has recently been on a roller coaster ride and the world’s economy has been on the brink of depression for over a month. As you know most speculative behavior is driven by human emotion which tends to spread news like wildfire. In this scenario, Tip’d has found the perfect fit by offering an ideal platform for readers to share their favorite business stories.

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Tip’d: A Social News Site For Business and Financial News

Reenita Malhotra — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:32:40 +0000

Given the release of updated financial news from around the world every hour, readers are increasingly scouring the web to find the most current stories out there. Tip’d is here to answer your needs by delivering the best business stories recommended by other readers. Tip’d (tipd.com) is a community for financial news, ideas, and tips. Given the important political decisions ahead and the evolving state of the economy, this social news site is perhaps more of a necessity rather than a convenient online news asset.

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