Em.'s In & Outs

When I go to Québec city I'm so happy to see my science friends! Be it for the annual Spring Break reunion or for taking lenghtly walks at night, they're so cool! Just one example : Doom Leclerc! Doom surprises me enough by letting me know about a homeless friend he has that once was a show case journalist on national TV, before showing me this huge aquarium he keeps in his room. This last innovation of his is an example of aqua-culture; on top of the water lays alleys of plants, which can be lettuce, carrots, whatever, and in the water, there are fish. From my understanding, the big fish feed from smaller fish, whereas the plants grow from the nutrient-rich ''fish manure'' which is produced. It is done in a large scale in certain parts of the world, and it is almost what one could call a close system.


Another example of Doom's passion for sustainable science is his project of reuniting some of Beauce's most polluting farmers and convince them to become more independent energy-wise. What inspired him on that one is the case of a German Village who is totally autarcic by using bio-gas. The process is simple : the manure of cattle is recuperated and it is placed in a big opening with an overlaying dôme. In the absence of oxygen, the manure ferments, producing methane, a fossil fuel that can then be gathered and used instead of petroleum to operate farm machinery. The idea would also be applicable to individual households, which would then recycle their sewage to drag down their electricity bill! How cool is that?

Even coolest is that Oxfam Hong Kong (one of the biggest NGO in Hong Kong) already uses bio-gas as a way of curing a disease named fluorosis in South-Western China. The disease is caused by a certain type of coal, which is the most widely form of energy used by people to cook and heat their houses. With biogas, the population can become more healthy, a first step for getting out of poverty...