A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience
People around the world are eating more fish from farms than from the open sea for the first time ever. This has spurred billions of dollars of takeovers as one of the largest food companies seeks to capitalize on rising demand.
Continue reading… “Fish farms have become a bigger business than the open sea”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently released their data on consumer expenditures for 2012. For the poor, food, clothes, and housing account for more than 60 percent of all spending. The rich have more left over for leisure, insurance, and savings.
Continue reading… “How Americans spent their money in 2012”
Share everything
At Union Kitchen in Northeast Washington, D.C., the “equipment library” contains some of the more mundane artifacts of the modern “sharing economy”: an oversized whisk, a set of spatulas, ladles, chopping knives, sheet pans and tongs. It is also know as “collaborative consumption,” and is more often associated with the big-ticket items that have given the concept such bemusing cachet. Suddenly, it seems, people are casually lending and borrowing cars, bikes, even brownstones. But this basic kitchenware, hanging in a 7,300 square-foot warehouse, reveals the reaches to which all this sharing could ultimately expand, as well as the reasons why it will have to.
Continue reading… “The sharing economy – the way we consume has changed forever”
We could double our food supply just by making farming, shipping, and cooking more efficiently.
By 2075 the global population is set to hit 9.5 billion. It is widely assumed the world will eventually run out of food. According to one UN study, we will need to increase agricultural production 70% by the middle of the century, if we’re to cater to all the expected bellies.
Continue reading… “Ending the global food crisis – we just need to make use of what we have”
China announced its latest growth figures on Thursday. The speed of growth attracted most of the attention, but the source of growth is perhaps more striking. At a press conference, the National Bureau of Statistics pointed out that in the first three quarters of this year consumption* contributed over half (55%) of China’s growth, exceeding the contribution from investment. If that pattern holds, China’s growth this year will not be investment-led (let alone export-led), but consumption-led.**
Continue reading… “Consumer-led growth in China”
For every additional pound of passenger weight, the United States uses up another 39 million gallons of fuel each year.
Obesity raises health costs as we all know with more frequent visits to the hospital, more prescription drugs, and a greater risk for developing diseases like diabetes. What is less known are the economic costs of obesity. What are increased costs obesity puts on the public infrastructure, the GDP or on the federal deficit?
Continue reading… “Americans waste more than a billion gallons of gas every year because of obesity”
In the eight-year study, people with the lowest salt intake had the highest rate of death from heart disease.
Eating a diet high in salt may not be as bad for you as first thought and could even reduce chances of heart disease. The controversial findings question the push by authorities to get people to cut consumption.
Continue reading… “Eating More Salt Could Lower Chances of Heart Disease: Study”
The New York Times has created a chart that illustrates changing meat eating habits among Americans over the past century. Chicken, as you can see, is steadily on the rise, whereas lamb (black) eating has dropped to almost nothing…
Continue reading… “A Century of Meat Consumption”
Pop quiz: Worldwide, what’s the fastest growing primary fuel on a per capita basis? It should come as no surprise to hear the answer is coal. Cheap and scalable, the ubiquitous black stuff is the first menu choice of nearly all industrializing economies with a growing energy appetite. That was easy; how about the second fastest growing fuel?
Continue reading… “Natural Gas Is Second Fastest Growing Fuel”
For the first time, researchers have proved the rapid changes that drinking alcohol causes in human brain cells.
Previous tests on how alcohol affects the brain have only been done on animals. Scientists set out to test the well-known saying that just one drink can quickly go to your head.
Continue reading… “Alcohol Goes To Your Head In Six Minutes”
Ever miss your daily cup of coffee and subsequently get a pounding headache? According to reports from consumers of coffee and other caffeinated products, caffeine withdrawal is often characterized by a headache, fatigue, feeling less alert, less energetic and experiencing difficulty concentrating.
Continue reading… “Your Brain And Caffeine Withdrawal”
Most people who buy bottled water have access to clean drinking water virtually for free (in the US, tap water costs less than a penny per gallon, on average). Nevertheless, the consumption of bottled water continues to grow, far surpassing the US sales of milk and beer, and second only to soft drinks.
Continue reading… “How Much Energy Is Required To Make Bottled Water?”
