Abducted
Sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their own needs”. Sustainable development comes down to three core features of environmental protection, economic development and social progress. To improve sustainability around the world people have been encouraged to reduce their ‘footprint’ on the planet. There are key strategies to reduce the human ‘footprint’ on the globe, some of these are recycling, reduced consumerism, growth of own fruit and vegetables, reducing water consumption and energy usage and demonstrating sustainable practice in agriculture. In this task, students will be focusing on a small area of sustainability; this is the reduction of energy usage by growing the students required food on site, rather than farms, where it is packaged and transported (EEI Task Sheet, 2013). A small garden has been started to grow herbs, this is to investigate the most successful way of growing common backyard herbs to produce quality plants suitable for consumption. Plants are a lot like the human body and also require environmental, nutritional factors, and numerous other conditions for their growth and general well-being (Pidwirny M, 2010).
Water is one of the most essential factors for plant growth. The role which water plays in photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration and the transportation of nutrients and minerals throughout a plant is one which is of upmost importance (State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities and Charles Sturt University, 2013). Water plays many vital roles within a plant, one of these in particular is the function of the stomatal opening of leaves, and the source of pressure required for the directed growth of roots through the soil (Buzzle, 2012). Another essential factor for plant growth is light. The rate of growth and the length of time which a plant remains active are dependent on the amount and intensity
Bibliography: Cornell University Cooperative Extension., 2005. Cornell University Cooperative Extension. [online] Nitrogen Basics - The Nitrogen Cycle. Available at: [Assessed 8 July 2013].
Downey, L., 2013. Home Guides. [online] How much water do seedlings need a day? Available at: [Assessed 18 July 2013].
House & Garden., 2013. House & Garden. [online] The role of nutrients in plants. Available at: [Assessed 12 August 2013].
Lenntech., 2012. Lenntech. [online] Nitrogen Cycle. Available at: