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Life cycle assessment of edible insects for food protein: a review
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Compared to their vertebrate counterparts in traditional husbandry, insects are extremely efficient at converting organic matter into animal protein and dietary energy. For this reason, insects for food and feed show great potential as an environmentally friendly choice in future food systems. However, to obtain a true assessment of this, more information is needed about the production systems. Currently, only six studies applying the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to insect production systems have been published. The studies are heterogenous and thus difficult to compare. The aim of this paper was to establish a versatile reference framework that would allow for the selection of standardized settings for LCA applications in insect production systems, taking both the peculiarity of each system and the latest developments in food LCA into account. It is recommended that future LCAs of insect production systems take the following into account: (1) clear definition of the insect species and life stages included in the LCA, (2) use of at least two of the following types of functional units: nutritional, mass, or economic-based, (3) collection of empirical data in situ (e.g., on farms/production sites), (4) comparative analysis where production systems produce products that are realistic alternatives to the insect species under investigation, (5) inclusion of additional or previously unconsidered unit processes, such as processing and storage and waste management, and (6) use of a wide range of impact categories, especially climate change, resource consumption, nutrient enrichment potential, acidification potential, and impacts on land and water consumption in order to allow for comparison between studies.
KeywordsInsect production Life cycle assessment Environmental impacts Mini-livestock Insect farming
1. Introduction
2.1. LCA studies on insect production systems: general aspects
2.2 Goal and scope
2.3.1. Construction of facilities
2.3.2 Feed
2.3.3 Production
22.214.171.124 Temperature
188.8.131.52 Energy consumption
18.104.22.168 Feed conversion ratio
220.127.116.11 Water
184.108.40.206 Greenhouse gas emissions
220.127.116.11 Additional inputs
2.3.4 Transport
2.3.5 Processing and storage
2.3.7 Recommendations—modeling of the insect production systems
3. Conclusion
1 Introduction
Insects for human food consumption and animal feed are attracting increasing attention for their potential ability to address some of the most poignant issues threatening our environment. The main reason for this is the high feed conversion efficiency of insects and their ability to feed on various feed sources (van Huis et al. 2013; Halloran et al. 2014). Therefore, at first glance, insects appear almost as a proverbial "silver bullet", providing an environmentally sustainable alternative for greening the supply of animal-source protein. However, a closer look at possible insect production systems reveals several complications and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed before the environmental benefits associated with species of edible insects in use can be assessed more precisely and their respective production systems can be utilized.
Research about insects as both food and animal feed has developed rapidly over the past decade. A growing number of scholars from a variety of scientific fields such as entomology, livestock science, protein chemistry, human nutrition, and environmental science have become interested in this new interdisciplinary area. By now, the use of edible insects is rapidly outgrowing their novelty status and they are starting to be seriously considered as food on national, regional, and local levels (Halloran et al. 2015). One notable landmark was the 2013 publication Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security (van Huis et al. 2013). This book, representing one of the most complete and up-to-date compilations of research into this topic, captivated a multitude of stakeholders and successfully drew significant attention to this area. Other important publications include The Food Insects Newsletter (www.foodinsectsnewsletter.org), Ecology of Food and Nutrition special issue (Paoletti and Bukkens 1997), and Ecological implications of minilivestock (Paoletti 2005). New findings are being generated every month as scaled-up production has developed in many regions of the world. In most cases, however, these companies are not yet producing at capacity (Azagoh et al. 2015).
While insects for food and feed show great potential as an environmentally friendly choice, there is still very limited information to enable an assessment of the sustainability of the production systems to be undertaken. There are several handbooks with more specific guidelines for how to conduct LCAs (e.g. ILCD 2010) and also guidelines that are specific to food production systems (e.g., Notarnicola et al. 2015). However, just a few papers apply an environmental impact assessment method, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), to insect production systems. The LCA approach, the assumptions adopted, and the system model considered may significantly affect the results of the assessment of food production systems (Notarnicola et al. 2015).
Therefore, the main aim of this paper was to establish a versatile reference framework for choosing the best assumptions for LCA modeling of insect production systems considering both the characteristics of each system and the latest developments in food LCA. In order to achieve this aim, the objectives of the paper were (I) to describe current insect production systems highlighting critical aspects that should be considered when conducting LCA in insect production systems, (II) to review and discuss which assumptions are the most reasonable and are needed for modeling insect production systems for food and feed, and (III) to define best practices that can be adopted according to the case studies that have already published and actual critical environmental issues of insect production systems. It should be emphasized that the present paper considered studies on class Insecta (includes insects), which is the class considered by scientists in the relevant studies, and not other mainly terrestrial arthropod classes such as Arachnida (mites and spiders) and Diplopoda (including millipedes and others).
2 Considerations for modeling insect production systems
2.1 LCA studies on insect production systems: general aspects
LCA is a tool for evaluating the environmental impacts of goods and services, considering the full life cycle of the relevant product or system. In the case of food products, environmental impacts arise from the production of inputs to the agricultural process through to consumption in the home or restaurants and waste disposal. LCA is just one among several different environmental impact assessment methods; however, it is recognized as the most complete, it is used for the majority of food products and supply chains, and it has been adopted as the methodological base for environmental declaration schemes (Notarnicola et al. 2015).
2.2 Goal and scope
A list of all papers from journals that present applications of life cycle assessment (LCA) in insects for food and feed production systems up to July 2016
Insect species and order
Functional unit(s)
Foreground data source
Assessment method
Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio (Coleoptera)
Mass based (kg of fresh product and kg of edible protein)
Commercial insect producer
Ecoinvent 1.1; IPCC 2007 (GWP); characterization factors from the literature
(Oonincx and de Boer 2012)
Musca domestica (Diptera)
Mass based (ton of larvae meal on dry matter basis)
Experimental studies
Characterization factors from the literature; IPCC 2006 (GHG); Ecoinvent 2.0
(van Zanten et al. 2015)
Musca domestica (Diptera)
Slovakia, Spain
3, 4
Mass based (kg of manure dry matter)
Experimental trials
(Roffeis et al. 2015)
Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio (Coleoptera)
Mass based (kg of product ready for consumptionafter assembly,processing, delivering, and frying by consumer); calorific energy content; digestible bulk protein
ReCiPe V1.08; IMPACT 2002+
(Smetana et al. 2015)
Hermetia illucens (Diptera)
Mass based (ton of food waste treated through larvae biodigestion, kg of protein and kg of lipids)
Pilot plant
CML 2 baseline 2000; IPCC 2007 (GWP)
(Salomone et al. 2016)
Hermetia illucens (Diptera)
Mass based (kg of dried defatted insect powder and kg of ready-for-consumption fresh product at processing gate)
Industrial-scale insect producer, production trials
IMPACT 2002+; Eco-indicator 99; CML; IPCC 2007; ReCiPe V1.08
(Smetana et al. 2016)
In the goal and scope phase of an LCA, the goal of the study has to be defined as unambiguously as possible (ISO 14040: 2006 and ISO 14044:2006). This means defining the purpose of the study and usually the product or service alternatives to be compared. In order to be comparable, the products should have the same function, which is defined and quantified in the functional unit. For insect production systems, the functional unit could be the amount of edible parts (e.g., 1 kg of edible fraction) or animal protein (e.g., 1 kg of protein).
The first study on LCA applied to insect farming for human consumption was published in 2012 (Oonincx and de Boer 2012), while the first LCAs related to insects as animal feed were published in 2015 (Roffeis et al. 2015; van Zanten et al. 2015). The various goals of the studies conducted since 2012 are given in Table 1. Despite the production of insects for food and feed in countries such as Thailand, South Africa, China, Canada, and the USA, all of the six published LCA studies focus on case studies in Europe (Table 1). Oonincx et al. (2012) collected data from a commercial mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) producer in the Netherlands, and Smetana et al. (2016) collected data from an industrial-scale black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) producer in Germany (although foreground data was also collected from production trials). Four studies used data from experimental trials or studies (Roffeis et al. 2015; van Zanten et al. 2015; Salomone et al. 2016; Smetana et al. 2016). Smetana et al. (2015) used data from Oonincx and de Boer (2012) in their comparative study of meat alternatives and chicken. Despite the current Eurocentric research focus, growing interest and research funds (van Huis et al. 2013; Azagoh et al. 2015; Kelemu et al. 2015) dedicated to this subject should generate future LCA studies in the coming years featuring insect species used for commercially produced food and feed.
Of the known literature on the topic of insects as food and feed, each study had different objectives or goals, but of these papers, only one (Roffeis et al. 2015) had more than one objective. Three of the papers focused on the management of waste products (i.e., manure or food waste) (Roffeis et al. 2015; van Zanten et al. 2015; Salomone et al. 2016), while two papers aimed to understand the environmental impacts of insects when compared to other conventional livestock (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Smetana et al. 2015). Smetana et al. (2016) focused on Hermita illucens for both feed and food production. Thus, there is considerable variety in the goals of the studies that have been conducted so far.
Another important aspect, therefore, is the obvious yet seldom asked question: What does the edible insect product in question intend to substitute or compete with? In many cases, the motivation to produce insects is to provide an alternative source of animal protein. However, this may not necessarily mean that less meat overall is consumed. Most commercially produced insects, such as those in Thailand or western countries, are used as snacks or novelty products (Fellows 2014; Halloran et al. 2016) and therefore do not substitute animal-source foods.
The definition of the functional unit is crucial in food LCA. Several studies have shown that the impact of the results may change significantly according to the functional unit adopted in the study (Cerutti et al. 2013). All of the studies above used mass-based functional units (Table 1). However, not all of the functional units pertained to an insect-based product intended for animal or human consumption. In line with their respective objectives, Roffeis et al. (2015) considered the mass of 1 kg of manure dry matter as their functional unit. This infers that the insect product system is considered as a waste treatment system and the insects produced are considered by-products within this study. Van Zanten et al. (2015) considered the dry weight of fly larvae, while Oonincx and de Boer (2012) and Smetana et al. (2015) considered the fresh weight of mealworms as their functional unit. Smetana et al. (2015) also employed two alternative functional units: calorific energy content and digestible bulk protein. Smetana et al. (2016) considered dried defatted insect powder and fresh product at processing gate as the functional units. Finally, Salomone et al. (2016) considered the amount of treated waste as the functional unit. It is evident that the functional unit closely reflects the purpose of the production system, for example if it is a waste treatment system or a production system.
Cradle-to-plate (consumer use) was applied as a system boundary in two of the studies (Smetana et al. 2015; Salomone et al. 2016), while the remaining four studies used the cradle-to-farm gate system boundary (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Roffeis et al. 2015; van Zanten et al. 2015; Smetana et al. 2016). None of the studies considered a recycling process within system boundaries. Relatively limited system boundaries were used due to a lack of data (Roffeis et al. 2015).
Only three different insect species have been the subject of LCAs on insects as food or feed (Table 1). According to the European Food Safety Agency, approximately 16 very different types of insect species from the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera are currently farmed on a commercial basis both inside and outside Europe (EFSA Scientific Committee 2015).
2.2.1 Recommendations—choice of functional unit
Owing to the diversity of the scopes of the studies, it is not possible to define a specific functional unit to be applied. Clearly, it depends case by case on what the insects are being compared to. Nevertheless, it is important that the chosen functional unit is linked to one or more of the characteristics held in common between insect-based foods and competing product(s). For example, if the study focuses on the substitution of animal protein from livestock with other sources, a simple mass-based functional unit should not be used. Instead, a nutrient-based unit, such as the protein content fraction that is available to humans (or animal), should be used. Other variations of mass-based functional units that have also been used for other livestock products include per kilogram or tonne of product or per kilogram of carcass weight (de Vries and de Boer 2010; de Vries et al. 2015). On the other hand, products based on livestock proteins, vegetable protein, or edible insects may have very different prices; therefore, one way to take this into consideration is to apply an economic-based functional unit (van der Werf and Salou 2015), such as one dollar of flour used for final product preparation. When conducting studies related to insect production as a means of addressing direct malnutrition, it is relevant to employ a functional unit that considers the amount of protein or micronutrients in the product. As a general recommendation, it is suggested that different functional units be used together, in particular at least two of the three functional units, i.e., mass, nutrient, or economic-based.
2.3 Inventory analysis
In the inventory phase of an LCA, a system model is constructed that models the emissions and resource consumption in each of the stages of the life cycle of the analyzed product (ISO 14040: 2006 and ISO 14044:2006). In the subsections below the different stages of insect production systems are presented and the aspects that should be considered in insect production systems are discussed.
2.3.1 Construction of facilities
According to Sainz (2003), "intensification of animal production systems has required external inputs to achieve the high yields expected from the investment in facilities, equipment and breeding stock". Of the six LCA studies conducted on insect production (Table 1), only one considered the materials used in the constructions of buildings (Roffeis et al. 2015). However, a sensitivity analysis found that the construction of production facilities did not substantially influence the results.
Requirements for housing and other facilities, as well as the scale and intensity of the production, vary dramatically between regions. Small-scale production found in warmer climates may be protected by simple structures. For example, the majority of Acheta domesticus and Gryllus bimaculatus production systems in Thailand are created from pens made of AAC concrete, with open sides and tin roofs, and represent a potentially low impact system (Halloran 2014). On the other hand, more advanced systems—such as those found in the Netherlands or Canada—could resemble modern facilities similar to those for domesticated livestock. Therefore, materials used for construction are often much more dependent on local conditions (i.e., climate and availability of materials) than on the type of farmed animal in question.
Here, an important question remains: are there any advantages concerning the housing or construction of other facilities for insect production when compared to other types of animal protein production? Modern industrial chicken production, for instance, is highly optimized with temperature-controlled facilities. Such units are contained within walls and have some degree of insulation. In comparison with existing A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus production systems in Thailand, this is expensive and associated with larger impacts. While the future development of insect production systems is difficult to predict, one determining factor may be whether or not it is economically advantageous to control the temperature so that insects can be produced continuously all year round. In the case of small-scale insect farming, up-scaled production will need to be treated on a case-by-case basis.
2.3.2 Feed
As seen from the livestock sector, the environmental impacts associated with feed production contribute a major part of total environmental impacts. Approximately 33 % (470 million hectares) of the total global arable land is dedicated to animal feed production (Steinfeld et al. 2006).
The increased conversion efficiency of insects compared with other kinds of livestock holds the potential for decreasing the impacts associated with feed production. However, feed production is still likely to be responsible for a large part of the impacts. Vollrath et al. (2013) conclude that 49 % of the energy used in silk production is attributed to the manufacture of fertilizers and energy for the irrigation of mulberry trees, whose leaves are consumed by the monophagous B ombyx mori. In another LCA, the main environmental impacts of Tenebrio molitor production—including global warming potential and energy and land use—are associated with mixed-grain feed in all cases (Oonincx and de Boer 2012).
The latter issue may be addressed by finding alternative feed sources. For example, Lundy and Parrella (2015) note that "identifying regionally scalable waste substrates of sufficient quality to produce crickets that have no direct competition from existing protein production systems might be the most promising path for producing crickets economically, with minimal ecological impact, and at a scale of relevance to the global food supply." Overall, their study concludes that the feed that the crickets are fed and the livestock systems to which they are compared will ultimately determine the environmental sustainability of crickets as a human food supply.
There may be cases where the high metabolism of insects would allow them to feed on waste or other products that could not be used for livestock. Efforts are being made to develop such systems that are efficient and not hampered by problems which may threaten hygiene and consequentially food safety (van Huis et al. 2013). Waste can be spent grains or other by-products from the food industry. However, Shockley and Dossey (2014) argue that while organic biomass such as agricultural and food by-products or low-value or no-value biomass can be used, this does not always mean that it is the option that has the lowest potential environmental impact. As such, Garnett et al. (2015) note that the by-product is a societal construct and cultural, economic, technological, and other practical factors play an important role in the consideration of what is called a by-product.
While the poikilothermic nature of insect species improves their ability to efficiently convert food into body mass, this alone cannot be the sole characteristic by which to denote edible insects as an environmentally sustainable food option. As such, scaled-up global production will ultimately mean that livestock (and even humans) and some insect species such as crickets will require and compete for the same resources. This fundamental issue, shared across other forms of livestock production, has led to the exploration of organic side streams or waste streams. Whether or not some edible insect species intended for human consumption will be permitted to be reared on such streams will ultimately be a matter of regional or national food safety regulations (EFSA Scientific Committee 2015). Lundy and Parrella (2015, p.2–3) note that "determining the feed and protein conversion efficiencies of scalable, organic side-streams is a necessary step to determining the potential for crickets to be used as a protein recovery/recycling pathway..." Furthermore, they also note that crickets fed a similar diet to other conventional livestock will ultimately be added to the competition for feed under the trend of increasing global feed prices. It should also be considered that not all insects require a similar diet to conventional livestock. The class Insecta comprises at least one million described species and potentially several million undescribed species (Grimaldi and Engel 2005). Their natural diets differ significantly: there are foliage feeders such as crickets and many lepidopteran larvae, and there are species that naturally feed on wood or roots (Ayayee et al. 2015). Yet, other species such as aphids and mosquitoes pierce and suck from plants or animals. Predators and detrivorous species are also to be found among insects. In other words, whether or not produced insects can be compared with conventional livestock with respect to feeding must be a case-by-case evaluation.
In production systems where productivity and high turnover are core functions, insects also require feed that is formulated for rapid growth. As such, some farmed insect species may be fed high-quality, high-protein feeds (e.g., chicken feed) in order to decrease the time required to harvest. In Thailand, for example, chicken feed is preferred by farmers because its high protein content (14–21 %) enables faster growth. In their study, Nakagaki and DeFoliart (1991) fed their crickets on chicken, cricket and rabbit feed with a protein content of 22.3, 17, and 14 %, respectively.
Feed optimization in the livestock sector has been an important aspect of economic efficiency. Highly formulated feeds have been designed to provide animals with the right nutrition to grow quicker and larger. There is little doubt that further demand for edible insect species will generate the interest of feed producers to formulate similar feeds for insects. This has already been observed in Thailand (Halloran et al. 2016).
Less feed per body mass gained equates to less water required to water crops (van Huis et al. 2013). However, only one study focusing specifically on the water footprint of edible insect species has been carried out. In a cradle-to-farm gate approach, Miglietta et al. (2015)1 conclude that commercially produced T. molitor and Z. morio intended for human consumption have a lower water footprint (0.003 m3/year/mealworm) than other traditionally farmed animals, including cattle, pigs, and broilers (631, 521, and 26 m3/year/animal, respectively). However, they found that the water footprint of these species was largest when considering feed production. Therefore, three additional aspects must also be considered when evaluating the virtual water footprint associated with edible insect production: (1) how much they consume, (2) feed composition, and (3) the origin of the feed itself (Miglietta et al. 2015).
2.3.3 Production
Some studies have addressed the effect of temperature on the growth of crickets. According to Hoffmann (1973), the preferred temperature range for larvae of G. bimaculatus is between 34 and 36 °C. This temperature range may be considered as optimal in terms of developmental speed; however, when physiological parameters such as weight gain and mortality are taken into consideration, 34–36 °C is not at all optimal.
Insects have a fluctuating metabolism reflecting fluctuating temperature. According to Ayieko et al. (2015), production times for A. domesticus are highly dependent on temperature. A. domesticus that grow at an optimal temperature of 30 °C can finish a cycle in approximately 8 weeks, while A. domesticus that grow at 18 °C can take up to 8 months to develop. Longer life cycles may possibly equate to a greater demand for inputs such as water and feed.
Energy consumption
Insects are poikilothermic; therefore, their core temperature varies with environmental conditions, and thus, they have a limited ability to metabolically maintain core temperature when compared to birds and mammals (NRC 2011). As such, Clifford and Woodring (1990) recommend the use of incubators, temperature cabinets, or rooms with heat blowers to keep the ambient temperature above 25 °C when rearing A. domesticus; temperatures below 25 °C have been found to be detrimental to growth and even threatening to survival.
Metabolic heat generation should also be considered: Larger larvae in mealworm production systems in the Netherlands were found to produce a surplus of metabolic heat and suggesting that this heat could be used to generate heat for smaller, more heat-demanding larvae (Oonincx and de Boer 2012).
At this point, insect-rearing systems have not been mechanically optimized and depend greatly on manual labor (Rumpold and Schlüter 2013). Technically sophisticated systems will, in turn, require higher energy inputs for mechanical operation and temperature control. Thus, larger, climate-controlled facilities also bare their own environmental burdens, often through the use of fossil fuels. Oonincx et al. (2012) found high energy use on a T. molitor farm in the Netherlands. While this may certainly be the case in Europe and North America, tropical climates are better suited to providing relatively high temperatures for rearing insect species such as A. domesticus. Therefore, geographical location plays a particular role in influencing the amount of energy required to regulate temperature. According to Oonincx et al. (2012), low ambient temperatures will require higher energy inputs in insect production. In an LCA comparing mealworm, pork, milk, beef, and chicken production, mealworm production required more energy than chicken and milk production. Therefore, energy use may contribute significantly to total GHG emissions and energy use from a given production system.
Feed conversion ratio
Select examples of feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the production of edible insects for human consumption
Metamorphic state
Average temperature
Tenebrio molitor
Mixed grains (wheat bran, oats, soy, rye, and corn supplemented with beer yeast) and carrots
Unknown (a temperature-controlled environment)
(Oonincx and de Boer 2012)
3.8 ± 0.63
High protein, high fat diet (60 % spent grains, 20 % beer yeast, 20 % cookie remains)
116 days ± 5.2
(Oonincx et al. 2015)
5.3 ± 0.81
Low-protein, high-fat diet (50 % cookie remains and 50 % bread)
191 ± 21.9
(Oonincx et al. 2015)
Acheta domesticus
Poultry feed (primarily of maize and soy grain products)
33 days
(Lundy and Parrella 2015)
Grocery store food waste enzymatically converted into 90 % liquid fertilizer and 10 % solids
44 days
(Lundy and Parrella 2015)
Purina Rabbit Chow
Eighth instar
(Nakagaki and Defoliart 1991)
Selph's cricket feed (ingredients not disclosed)
Eighth instar
(Nakagaki and Defoliart 1991)
Human refuse diet (fruits and vegetables 34 %, rice and pasta 27 %, pork and beef meat 11 %, bread 11 %, cheese skins 11 %, yolk 6 %)
45 days
(Collavo et al. 2005)
4.5 ± 2.84
High protein, high fat (60 % spent grains, 20 % beer yeast, 20 % cookie remains)
55 ± 7.3
(Oonincx et al. 2015)
In another explanation of the differences in FCRs for insects, Oonincx et al. (2015) note that protein density and composition are the most important determinants of growth rates and efficiencies. This is because insects do not use energy to maintain body temperature. On the other hand, the energy content of feed plays a much more important role in the growth rates and efficiency of conventional livestock.
FCR is also linked to temperature (see 18.104.22.168). For example, Nakagaki and DeFoliart (1991) found that crickets have a lower reported FCR than broiler chicks and pigs at a temperature of 30 °C or higher. At the same temperature, crickets have an even lower FCR when compared to sheep and cattle.
Another example of the differences in FCR is that of B. mori. Ingesting the same amount of mulberry leaves under different environmental, feeding, and nutritional conditions affects its ability to digest, absorb, and convert the ingested leaves to body matter (Rahmathulla and Suresh 2012). Additional factors influencing FCR include the dressing percentage (the body of an animal after the hide, head, tail, extremities, and viscera have been removed) and the carcass refuse. The edible fraction of an insect is generally much higher than that of vertebrate livestock (Nakagaki and Defoliart 1991). In contrast, often the entire insect (except appendages and wings for adults) is eaten. Current vocabulary for comparing edible parts with vertebrate "meat" and other parts such as "liver" is simply missing (Evans et al. 2015), which hampers comparisons of the efficacy of insects versus vertebrates.
However, using FCR to evaluate the environmental impacts of some insect species compared to livestock species is questionable. The reason for this has to do with the fact that FCR considers fresh weight. This means that a high FCR can be achieved if the final product has a high water content. FCR does not consider the digestibility of the product. For example, for insect species where the exoskeleton is eaten, a low FCR is achieved; however, the exoskeleton is not digestible and does not provide nutritional value. However, it should be noted that chitinases (enzymes which breakdown chitin) have been found in the intestines of human populations with a higher rate of entomophagy (Paoletti et al. 2007).
As Garnett et al. (2015) ask: "But what is efficiency? What are we being efficient with and efficient for?" Rather than being a scientific means for calculating efficiency and environmentally sustainable optimization of feed resources, FCR appears to be a unit employed to calculate economic efficiency rather than resource efficiency.
The high feed conversion rates of insects, therefore, correspond to their water use efficiency (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Shockley and Dossey 2014). However, there has been limited research on the topic of water consumption by production insects.
Greenhouse gas emissions
GHG emissions play an important role in the impacts generated during livestock production, and one of the potential benefits of instigating insect production systems may be the reduction of these emissions. It is well known that some insects produce large amounts of methane. However, in general, very little information is available about emissions of greenhouse gases from insects used in production systems. In 2010, Oonincx et al. conducted a study of the greenhouse gas and ammonium emissions associated with T. molitor, A. domesticus, and Locusta migratoria. They note that CO2 production is highly dependent on species, metamorphic stage, temperature, feeding status, and level of activity. A follow-up LCA study on T. molitor production demonstrates that the land use and GHG emissions are less than for pigs, chickens, and cattle per kilogram of animal protein (Oonincx and de Boer 2012).
Termites are consumed in many countries, most commonly in sub-Saharan Africa (van Huis et al. 2013). While termites are reportedly very difficult to farm intensively (Kinyuru et al. 2015), methanogenic bacteria that inhabit their guts can generate a significant amount of methane (between <5 and 19 % of global CH4 emissions) (Jamali et al. 2011). Methanogenic bacteria have also been found to occur in the hindguts of nearly all tropical representatives of cockroaches (Blattaria), termites (Isoptera), and scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae) (Hackstein and Stumm 1994). However, environmental conditions, such as light, humidity, temperature, and CO2 and O2 concentrations, have been found to play a role in determining the amount of methane that is produced (Velu et al. 2011). Therefore, there is potential for optimizing the systems not only for the highest efficiency in terms of production but also to lower GHG emissions.
Additional inputs
In other industrial farming operations, some additional inputs include antibiotics, vitamins, and vaccines. These affect freshwater ecosystems and increase the probability of the development of resistant pathogens that can be transferred to humans. The use of antibiotics in the industry is most likely very low. Whether or not the use of antibiotics or vitamins will be seen on insect farms will be determined by the future development of the industry. It is not unlikely, however, as they are used in very diverse production systems including shrimp (also an arthropod group) farms (Holmstrom et al. 2003).
2.3.4 Transport
Whether insects will require more or less energy and resources for transportation compared with other livestock products is difficult to answer. Currently, production is much more localized than livestock production, which is a global industry with large transport distances. However, of the commercially produced insects in Europe, some companies produce freeze-dried products.
In the agri-food industry, transportation stages are often reported to be one of the most significant impact categories (Roy et al. 2009). Freeze drying could potentially lower the environmental impacts associated with transport by lowering the density of the insect product.
2.3.5 Processing and storage
The perishability of livestock products ranks high compared with other food products. Thus, chilling and processing are significant processes that are needed to mitigate any negative effects on quality and human health (Steinfeld et al. 2006). When considering the environmental impacts associated with processing and storing livestock, it may be relevant to take these steps in the production chain into account. In fact, CO2 emissions from livestock processing total several tens of million tonnes per year (Steinfeld et al. 2006). If processing and storage techniques for insects are similar to those for livestock, this process may contribute significantly to the environmental impacts associated with edible insect production. On the other hand, it may also be possible to devise alternative storage methods for insects, including preservation using salt and freeze drying. However, these may not always be the desired means of storing these products and freeze drying may lead to higher energy use.
Freeze-dried insects have also been found for sale mainly in Europe and North America. Freeze drying is recognized as the most expensive dehydration technique (Ratti 2001) and is reported to consume significant amounts of energy (Huang et al. 2009).
In some countries, B. mori pupae (found inside the cocoon and also known as chrysalis) are consumed as edible co-products of silk production (FAO 2010). In a preliminary study, Vollrath et al. (2013) found that cooking the cocoons to extract the silk is responsible for 51 % of the primary energy consumption. In this sector, Vollrath et al. (2013) consider economies of scale to be an important factor in reducing total energy consumption. However, this may not be desirable, or even possible, for all farmers.
In a study analyzing microbiological hygiene parameters during storage, fresh and heat-treated crickets were placed in the refrigerator at 4–6 °C and at room temperature (28–30 °C in Lao PDR) (Klunder et al. 2012). The boiled A. domesticus were found to spoil quickly, whereas the refrigerated crickets could be stored for up to 2 weeks. Whole insects, like other animal-source products, contain gut microflora that provide a medium for the growth of unwanted microorganisms under certain conditions (Klunder et al. 2012). Therefore, refrigeration is an important aspect for consideration in future cradle-to-market analysis.
However, little else is known about the impacts of processing other kinds of insects. Oonincx et al. (2012) note that there are no standardized processing and storing methods for T. molitor, making it difficult to generalize. In reviewing numerous studies conducted to quantify the energy costs of processing animals for meat and other products, Sainz (2003) also notes that it is very difficult to make a general assumption.
2.3.6 Waste management and nutrient recycling
Management of animal waste in livestock production is known to be associated with large environmental impacts, including emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, ammonia volatilization, and leaching of nitrate (Steinfeld et al. 2006).
There is no available information about emissions from storage facilities or after land application of waste produced in insect production systems. The management of waste from insect production is likely to be associated with the same impacts. One way in which it may differ from the situation in many livestock production systems is the fact that the waste is often quite dry. This means that emissions of nitrous oxide and methane during storage may be lower than from many waste types from livestock production systems. However, it may also mean that ammonia is volatilized relatively quickly already during rearing or storage.
In agroecosystems, insect frass plays an important role. Kagata and Ohgushi (2012) found that the decomposition of frass in the soil is an important pathway by which herbivorous insects impact decomposition and soil nutrient availability. In Thailand, A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus farmers report that the frass is beneficial to their rice fields (Halloran 2014, unpublished data). Another study in the USA suggested that H. illucens larvae solid residues from food scrap processing applied to corn plants (Zea mays) stunted plant growth (Alattar et al. 2016). Several companies in the Netherlands, China, and the USA are already selling fertilizers made from H. illucens or T. molitor frass.
2.3.7 Recommendations—modeling of the insect production systems
The first important step is to define whether insects are grown for human consumption or as a waste treatment process and to construct the model in accordance with the system. In the event that some insects have both functions, a coherent LCA study of such systems should consider, through the application of an industrial ecology approach, other production systems that use outputs from other systems as inputs (e.g., Chiusano et al. 2015). In an LCA setting, this means that by-products will need to be handled by either allocation or system expansion for a combined functional unit, entailing the definition of both waste treatment and insect production.
The modeling of waste management and nutrient cycling in scaled-up scenarios is crucial because little is understood about the introduction of large amounts of insect frass (i.e., manure) to agricultural systems and the impact this may have on ecosystems.
Scaled-up scenarios that model large-scale production reflecting future scenarios or more realistic conditions than the ones under small-scale production in Europe are also recommended. An increase in case studies featuring production systems outside Europe is strongly recommended in order to understand the differences between geographical location, preferred species, and other local factors.
When calculating resource efficiency, digestible dry matter, crude protein, or other factors should be considered. Above all, future studies should aim to include more unit processes such as processing and storage as well as waste management and nutrient cycling.
2.4 Impact assessment
Impact categories used in the assessment of environmental impacts associated with the five papers in this literature review
Impact categories
(Oonincx and de Boer 2012)1
(van Zanten et al. 2015)
(Roffeis et al. 2015)
(Smetana et al. 2015)
(Salomone et al. 2016)
(Smetana et al. 2016)
Climate change (expressed in GWP)
Climate change—ecosystems
Climate change—human health
Ozone depletion
Human toxicity
Photochemical oxidant formation
Particulate matter formation
Ionizing radiation
Terrestrial acidification
Freshwater eutrophication
Terrestrial ecotoxicity
Freshwater ecotoxicity
Marine ecotoxicity
Agricultural land occupation
Urban land occupation
Natural land transformation
Metal depletion
Fossil depletion
Abiotic depletion
Energy use
Land use
Water depletion potential
The most important impact categories to consider are probably the ones relevant for other livestock production systems, such as climate change, eutrophication, land use, and, in many situations, water consumption and fossil fuel depletion.
Mealworm production requires 43 % of the amount of land used for milk and 10 % of the land required for beef production (Oonincx et al. 2010).
For the studies that considered climate change as an impact category, the largest contributor to this impact category is the feed (also referred to as substratum) (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Smetana et al. 2015; van Zanten et al. 2015; Salomone et al. 2016; Smetana et al. 2016). However, it must be noted that as feed compositions vary so do their impacts in terms of climate change. When compared to conventional livestock in an assessment of impact categories with regard to climate change, insects perform better (Oonincx and de Boer 2012; Smetana et al. 2015).
2.4.1 Recommendations—life cycle impact assessment
If the overall environmental sustainability of insect production is to be taken into account, then all potential impact categories must be considered. Nevertheless, the more impact categories that are considered the less straightforward their interpretation might be. The choice of which impact category to consider is an open question in LCA research and general recommendations can be found in Hauschild and Huijbregts (2015). According to the hypothesis that edible insects will mostly be compared to food production systems, it is suggested that the most used impact categories in the agricultural sector are used (Notarnicola et al. 2015), in particular climate change, resource consumption, nutrient enrichment potential, and acidification potential, together with an indicator of potential impacts on land use and water consumption, owing to the specificities of insect production systems. Furthermore, it is important to consider that as edible insects spread in the market, new environmental hotspots can emerge, forcing the inclusion of new impact categories.
More data on greenhouse gas emissions of farmed insect species are required to further understanding about the GWP of insects. This aspect would also be important for guiding the market, as the insect species that are most acceptable or preferred to farm should take the highest priority.
3 Conclusion
- 1.
Clear definition of the insect species and life stages included in the LCA
- 2.
Use of at least two of the following types of functional units: nutritional, mass, or economic-based
- 3.Collection of empirical data in situ (e.g., on farms/production sites)
- (a)
Life cycle inventories that reflect the complexity of and realistic conditions for the production in question and future, scaled-up scenarios
- (b)
Empirical data on greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from the specific insect species and developmental stage in question
- (a)
- 4.Comparative analysis where production systems are producing products that are realistic alternatives to the insect species under investigation, or production systems located in different locations or different kinds or scale of production systems
- (a)
Consideration of the comparability of insects and conventional livestock or other products must be performed on a case-by-case evaluation
- (b)
Definition of production systems in a way that makes a comparison with other studies of livestock production systems (insects and other livestock) possible across countries and livestock species
- (a)
- 5.
Inclusion of more unit processes outside direct production, such as processing and storage and waste management
- 6.Use of a wide range of impact categories, especially climate change, resource consumption, nutrient enrichment potential, acidification potential, and impacts on land and water consumption; however, it is always better to select some impact categories that can be measured with methods that can assure high-quality data, rather than providing a broad overview based on less valid data
- (a)
Attention should also be paid to the emergence of the importance of impact categories that have not proven significant in other LCAs of feed production systems.
- (a)
Thank you to the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Research Grants (752-2015-0271) and the Consultative Research Committee for Development Research of the Danish International Development Agency (13-06KU - GREEiNSECT), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the University of Copenhagen.
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|mountain of couscous
I didn't cook today, but on the way to one of my favorite old Parisian libraries (Bibliotheque Historique de la Ville de Paris in the Marais), I stopped off at the Marche des Enfants Rouges, which is best known for being the oldest market in Paris, and its Moroccan stall. I have to confess that the food was not the best Moroccan food I have ever tasted, but I enjoyed the wait along the window exposing all the gorgeous dishes and desserts, the mosaic tile tables nearby under a translucent tarp, and the tasty pastry I had for dessert (kadaifi with nuts and honey inside).
The dish I tasted was the couscous Berbere, super fine couscous (my favorite) with a Moroccan spiced chicken dish with green olives. I intended to go for couscous merguez (which was, incidentally what I was eating in the Palais Royal Moroccan restaurant when the possibility of this current Paris opportunity was raised), but when I saw the berbere in the window, I had to try it. Photos from this culinary adventure:
|my favorite kind of Moroccan pastry
|mountain of tagine du poulet
|a view of some delectable desserts
|couscous Berbere
|kadaifi... hoping to find some of this shredded
pastry in a Paris grocery
|the view looking up into the tarp
|another stall in the Marche des Enfants Rouges
|the line waiting for couscous!

subset: commoncrawl


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MOUNT PLEASANT - Students from area high schools have artwork on display at the 2013 Southeast Iowa Super Conference Art Show at Iowa Wesleyan College.
Works by student artists from Columbus, Highland, Iowa Mennonite, Lone Tree, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis, Pekin, WACO, Wapello and Winfield-Mount Union high schools are on display through Friday.
From Monday to March 29, the gallery will feature the work of students from Burlington Notre Dame, Cardinal, Central Lee, Danville, Harmony, Holy Trinity, Maharshi, New London, Van Buren and West Burlington high schools.
The Iowa Wesleyan College Art Gallery is located on the main level of the PEO Administration Building on North Main Street in Mount Pleasant. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be closed for Good Friday on March 29.
Admission is free.
Awards are given in each show for Best of Show, as well as first, second, third and honorable mention in 13 categories.
There will be an Art Workshop hosted by Iowa Wesleyan College on Tuesday.


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News Releases
Wellness program
wellness_ARCHIVE_2013-2014.jpg (1580 kB)
Wellness program
A student organization at Cedarville University is launching a wellness initiative to motivate students, faculty and staff to practice total body health.
CU Pharm Fit, an initiative launched from within the graduate pharmacy program, comprised of students, faculty, and staff from Cedarville's School of Pharmacy, focuses on five core areas associated with complete wellness: nutrition/hydration, exercise, sleep, relaxation and spiritual growth.
Publication Date
Cedarville, Cedarville University, wellness program, pharmacy, body health
Recommended Citation
Weinstein, Mark D., "Wellness Program Motivates Students Toward Good Health" (2016). News Releases. 275.


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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! If you were a 80s or 90s kid and didn't know about these 4 dudes, then you had a very sad childhood. As a kid, I super loved this show. And why wouldn't anyone? It's about turtles who can actually do stuff instead of the traditional slowpokes.
I remember always being excited on a Friday night around 730pm after Ghostbusters. I had to finish studying early (we had Saturday classes) so I could watch.
So fast forward to 2014, Michael Bay is here to try and breathe new life into the TMNT and bring them into the big screen once again (not that there was anything wrong with the original TMNT live action movie… go ninja go ninja go). I saw the trailers and ok fine, it's a reimagining so I'll go watch it with a very cautious optimism. Although I have been watching TMNT in animated form for the past months, I still want to consume all TMNT things related.
In this adventure, they will stray away from the city where they have always stayed with the comfort of the sewers to go to scenic places like some snowy mountains. The Shredder also looks like his arsenal has been buffed with like boomerang blades and a gazillion knives. There's also a scene where Splinter scampers around. April o'Neil is also Megan Fox in this movie.
So here's the deal, there have been bad reviews going around saying that this movie is going to be bad. But I'm still going to watch it anyway for these reasons, and you should probably too.
- You just NEED to consume everything TMNT
- William Fichtner (col. Sharp from Armageddon) is in it doing Col. Sharp expressions and things
- There will be a lot of explosions in slow motion
- There's probably going to be a sequel so might as well go watch this first one
- Nothing better in theaters now
I'll be watching this movie soon, please don't disappoint me.


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The names of many of Hollywood's brightest stars are lighting up Broadway marquees this season: Kathleen Turner and Alicia Silverstone in The Graduate, Kevin Bacon in An Almost Holy Picture, Bill Pullman in Edward Albee's latest, The Goat or Who is Sylvia and John Lithgow in the new musical version of Sweet Smell of Success. But behind those stars are scores of less well-known actors, whose performances are just as important to the production's success.
When producer David Richenthal was casting the current revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, his first priority was lining up the stars. Then, with Liam Neeson and Laura Linney signed on, he turned his attention to the supporting players. "As soon as I was confident that we had the elements, the essential elements to plan the production, Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, the very first question was who could play Deputy Governor Danforth, the character who drives the third and fourth act, the entire second half of the production," Mr. Richenthal recalls.
The first name that came to his mind was Brian Murray. "We didn't ask him to audition," he says. "We all knew his work and if we hadn't found the right Danforth, we could not have done this production. He said yes immediately and has done a job that I hope and think should win a Tony award and every other award. He's brilliant in the part."
'Brilliant' is an adjective that is often paired with Brian Murray's name he's proven again and again to be one of the most reliable and respected supporting actors on the New York stage. He says he never sought the spotlight.
"At one time I thought I was only ever going to do Shakespeare," Mr. Murray explains. "And that's not happened at all. When I was younger I always thought of myself as a juvenile character actor. I was never a juvenile lead. And then for a while I was a leading man and now a character actor and very happy to be it."
His characters have won him acclaim from critics like the New York Post's Clive Barnes. "Murray is a wonderful showbiz paradigm or showbiz exemplar of so many showbiz clichés," says Mr. Barnes, "one is that there are no small roles, only small actors and gives that cliché a certain amount of life because he doesn't play very small roles although one feels even if he were just a standby he would probably do some little piece of business... not exactly scene stealing but shall we say scene borrowing... like so many great actors, he has that quality."
Character actors like Brian Murray and Marian Seldes, who appeared with him last year in the Off Broadway production of The Play About Baby, are not well-known names outside New York's theater community. But Ms. Seldes says that doesn't matter.
"The acclaim you get is from the audience," she says. "If they remember what you did or what your character did, that's it. I never had a discussion with Brian about stardom or fame. I don't think either of us feel that's part of the journey of actor. We are the servants to the play. And the responsibility of having your name in bright lights over the title is so enormous and so frightening and in the case of people who have done a lot of film and television, I can't imagine the strain it adds to the work. Brian and I just come in and do our work."
And work they do. While he was in rehearsal for The Crucible during the day, Brian Murray was performing nightly in Hobson's Choice. Theater critic Clive Barnes says this isn't unusual. "His career has been rather like that... running like a billiard ball from one excellent portrayal to the other. I think he has not done much in the way of film or television. He has become sort of Broadway's resident Englishman," says Mr. Barnes.
And that's the way Brian Murray likes it. "I think an actor in the theater is sort of, by definition, a workaholic. He has to be. And I'm never so happy as when I'm working," he exclaims.
And it's the work of actors like Brian Murray and Marion Seldes who have chosen a life in the theater, that sets the stage for the biggest stars on Broadway to shine so brightly.


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I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in the Strategy area. I study how firms and individuals evaluate one another in the context of labor and cultural goods markets. I use quasi-experimental design and a broad range of theoretical perspectives including information and labor economics, economic sociology, strategy, and organizational theory to explore these areas.
Before joining academia, I worked as a Manager in Ernst & Young's (EY's) Advisory Services. At EY, I audited, advised, and performed data analytics for firms including Wal-Mart, Tyson Foods, and Hewlett Packard (HP). Before that, I was a programmer and database administrator for Telogical Systems, a startup company that specializes in competitive intelligence. These experiences influence both my research and teaching.


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Actor Christopher Reeve could have been expected to live to about age 65. But bedsore infections can undermine even the strongest spinal cord patients and cause an early death as it did for Reeve at age 52.
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Reeve was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995.
"He should have had about 20 years," said Dr. David Apple, past president of the American Spinal Injury Association and medical director of the Shepherd Center, a specialty hospital in Atlanta that treats spinal cord and brain injury patients.
But people confined to wheelchairs are prone to getting bedsores that can become infected, and quadriplegics have the added danger of infections from tubes to breathing machines, Apple said.
To really heal a persistent bedsore, patients often must be hospitalized, have surgery to cut away the damaged skin, and have a new skin flap put in its place. It's six to 12 weeks before they can gradually return to sitting in a wheelchair again and resume activities.
"We have patients who just don't want to do that," Apple said.
The alternative is treatment with antibiotics, but spinal cord patients often have had repeated courses of such drugs.
"It's not hard to get a resistant strain of bacteria that even newer drugs can't cure," Apple said.
And once an infection spreads to the bloodstream — a dangerous condition called sepsis — "it can be difficult" to treat with any drugs, he said.
© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Here's the thing: When you are single and of a certain age...you gotta make things happen if you want them to happen. And, sometimes, that means planning your own birthday party.
For my 33rd birthday (there's no anniversary of a 29th year -- I love my 30s and wouldn't want to go back to 29!), all I wanted to do was dance. My ankle is finally recovering after last year's surgery and the previous three years of constant pain, and I now that I can fit into skin tight dresses again, it's on, Save the Last Dance style (in my head of course).
|Full disclosure: 900 was not my score, but I did get 260!
Now, you might be thinking I was consuming a lot of alcohol during all this, but you would be quite mistaken. My entire life people have assumed I'm wasted when I'm dancing, but the truth is, if you drink while you dance you won't be able to dance
DJ Sheeno played all my requests: "3", "Dark Horse" and "Regulate", as well as a bunch of old school favorites like "Ignition (Remix)" and "Fresh Prince of Bel Air", not to mention "Sandstorm" and "Better Off Alone" from my college days. (I couldn't pass for 21 any longer when only my friends and I could find the beat in those last two.) While I wasn't offered a new career option, I did learn a a new dance move from a girl that randomly joined our group. And I broke my bracelet. And my feet still hurt. It was a great night and a very happy birthday!


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My new toilet seat
So Marked of an area 4cm from the rim to allow the lid to rest when raised. The rest of the lid rubbed down with sand paper. Next tubes of artist acrylic paint, purple for the top, orange for the middle and a mix of black and white for the foreground. Wet paint pushed and pulled around to mingle and some red added. Acrylics dry quickly enabling the 2 Stampendous stamps to be added with Stayzon. The centre panel of hessian, a bit of natural fabric shower lily and the plaster skull were added with Powertex that wonderful fabric harder. The skull filled in with Titanium Buff.
This morning I decided to add the TH bird stamped in black stayzon and then like all the stamped images touched up with black ProMarker. Some dry brushing added green and purple to the stiff fabric, the same colours used on both the stamped skull and the skeletons dress, finally a little imagination craft silver shimmer touched in places. Finally a layer of Viva crackle paste to seal and give an extra effect to the overall project, this lifted some of the paint at the edge where the lid starts to curve giving an added layer of distressing.
Now all I have to do is fit it! Oh yeah it is going onto the toilet.
I'm also sharing this with a couple of Mixed Media Challenges
Creative artiste - Anything Mixed Media Goes
Things to Alter - Always anything goes
Altered Eclectics - Always anything goes
More Mixed Media - Anything goes (option bright colours)


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The Hague, 8 December 2015
Actually, you might even wonder if there is one international system. Borders are redrawn, terror spreads, and international norms are bent or broken. So, can we discuss about common global rules? That is the first question to ask ourselves. And let me answer very directly: not only we can but we must. This is not just an academic discussion, I believe; it is about our own future, our values and our interests, our place and our strength in the world.
But there is one mistake we cannot afford. We cannot be led by fear. We cannot act impulsively. Of course, we must react to crises, and sometimes we have the feeling of not doing anything else, but running from crisis to crisis. Of course, we have to react to crises, manage, in the best case scenario prevent, and manage the post-conflict. We have to be ready collectively for action here and now. But we must always be always driven by a vision of what we want to achieve, in the medium- and long-term, and how we want to get there. Emotional reactions can be very powerful but can only lead us so far. Un-strategic engagement can easily backfire. We need a strategy, a common one, to orientate our external action beyond the latest crisis, or the current one, and to prevent the next one.
I believe that in an age of power shifts, as we are living in, Europe can be a global power and a force for good. I believe that faced with increasing disorder, Europe must be the driving force pushing for a new global order: a global order based on rules, on cooperation, and on multilateral diplomacy.
Europe's commitment to a rules-based multilateral order stems from our beliefs and from our principles, it stems from our identity. This is what we are and this is who we are. But it is also based on experience and realism. Our values and our interests converge upon the same goal. In a cooperative world order, Europe is safer and is stronger.
More recently, the temptation of a new Cold War has resurfaced as if the world was still the same - but it is not. I believe it is first of all our responsibility as Europeans and our interest to pass this message, to explain that now the world is not anymore like that. I believe no one in Europe can regret the end of an era of iron curtains and armed peace. But there is more than that. A new confrontation between world powers will not bring stability to the world, it would only let our common enemies prevail. It would soon give way to global chaos. For this is the alternative for our generation: a cooperative world order, or chaos. Terrorist groups like Da'esh are a threat to all nations, with no exceptions. Their goals are, in a way, very traditional: money, natural resources, power. At the same time, chaos is their breeding ground and their political goal; this is new. Against agents of chaos, we need cooperation among all nations: a global alliance against global disorder. Multilateralism is not the forgotten dream of the Nineties – it is the clarion call of our age.
2015 has been an exceptional year for multilateralism. It has also been an exceptional year for crisis but also have to see the positive trends. Cooperation among world powers – the EU, the US, Russia and China – has led to a historic deal on Iran's nuclear programme. The UN General Assembly and the Security Council in New York saw a growing consensus on the fight against Da'esh and other terrorist groups, and we had a global agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals.
We need cooperation on a global scale. But we also need to strengthen regional and sub-regional architectures. Our European Union has provided our continent with unprecedented peace. We were reminded of that very wisely. We had peace, stability and economic prosperity, even sometimes we tend to forget, how fortunate and lucky we are today. This is the result of courageous, wise choices that our founding fathers did many decades ago. And of the end of the day it was the choice of cooperation rather than confrontation after the most terrible war that the world had experienced. The same can happen with other regional organisations.
And on a smaller scale, addressing or preventing a crisis might require that we engage with regional and local players. We need to enlist all who have a concrete impact on the ground, with local authorities, with the communities, with the civil society and with religious leaders. We need to pioneer a new form of engagement in conflicts, by sharing responsibilities with other powers, with other forms of power. We have to think mega-regional and mini-lateral at the same time.
We cannot split the world in new spheres of influence: in an age of fast power shifts, it would only lead to perennial conflict. Think of the Middle East: drawing borders on sectarian lines would only produce more instability, more sectarianism and more hatred. In this world, walls are made to be torn down: they can only hide reality, but they do not make it better. We do not need new fences; we need to build up new spaces of coexistence and of cooperation. This is true in the Middle East as much as inside Europe.
I believe we are seeing - sometimes taking part in - the wrong debate, as if integration, further integration on the European side is opposed somehow to sovereignty and national sovereignty, as if the European project and the coming together as a Union is a way of renouncing sovereignty. I believe the contrary is true. The European Union is the only way to regain sovereignty in this complicated world.


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By Jessica Bernheim
UMBC Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
UMBC head men's lacrosse coach Don Zimmerman watched Scott Jones play a pickup basketball game during the 2010 offseason and was impressed with his attackman's ability to get up and down the court and understand team defense, qualities that could be useful on the Retriever midfield in the upcoming season.
Zimmerman approached the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Jones with the idea, and Jones accepted the challenge.
After a superb opening game of 2011 in which he scored four goals and added an assist against Presbyterian, Jones struggled to score in the next three contests, tallying just one goal and two helpers.
So Zimmerman again met with Jones and asked which position the sophomore would rather play, and Jones chose attack.
"I'm the most comfortable playing attack," Jones said. "I just didn't think I could contribute to the team as much on midfield. I'm more comfortable, personally, popping off the crease within seven feet of the goal."
The move paid off immediately, as Jones scored three goals against sixth-ranked Maryland in his first game back at his natural position, and he added two more in a win over Quinnipiac.
"I think it was a good move for us," Zimmerman said. "I thought he did a good job (at midfield), but he really is a guy who is more comfortable and productive right in front of the goal and the crease. We do a lot more dodging with our middies than off-ball play, and Scott really is an off-ball player, and a very good one, especially inside. I just felt like it was time to move him back to his natural position, and he came through with a real nice performance against Maryland."
A native of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, about a half hour outside Vancouver, Jones' comfort level in front of the goal stems from his indoor lacrosse background. Indoor lacrosse is played in a hockey arena, and the hard-surfaced court – usually made of concrete, wood or artificial turf – is much shorter than in outdoor lacrosse. In addition, there is a 30-second shot clock, so the game is much faster-paced than outdoor. Therefore, offensive players must make decisions immediately when they catch the ball or risk being hit.
"So naturally, most Canadians that come to the NCAA play crease attack," Jones explained.
"I think the Canadians bring a unique style to the game," Zimmerman said. "They're crafty, they have great sticks and they know how to put the ball in the goal. I think that's why you're seeing so many be successful playing the game here in the United States."
While he did have a little experience with the outdoor game – in Canada, outdoor lacrosse is a winter sport, so he quit playing hockey when he was 15 or 16 in order to play lacrosse year-round – Jones said it took him a little while to adjust to the outdoor game when he arrived at UMBC. He played in 12 games in 2010, but he scored just two goals. This year, however, with a year of experience under his belt, he has started eight games and is the team's leading goal scorer with 12 tallies through nine contests.
"I felt like last year was kind of a learning experience for me," he said. "But I'm definitely used to it now."
"I thought Scott had an OK year last year," Zimmerman said. "It was a year of transition not only from high school to college, but from the Canadian-style game to the U.S.-style game. I think (the adjustment) is true for any new player, whether it be a freshman or a transfer, because they're coming into a new system. But in Scott's case, he's playing a different game on a different field with different rules. But I see it coming, and now he's in his natural position, and he and (junior) Rob Grimm are working well together, and I think our attack unit is starting to take shape."
Jones says his on-field chemistry with Grimm began in practice last season and has carried into 2011.
"He's real easy to play with," he said. "If I move off-ball, he's going to find me most of the time."
Jones was a baseball player when he was younger, but his older brother – former UMBC letterwinner Jeff Ratcliffe – made fun of him and put a lacrosse stick in his hand.
"I always looked up to him when I was younger," Jones said. "We played in the backyard a lot when he came home from school."
Ratcliffe, who now lives in Philadelphia, played a major role in Jones traveling 3,000 miles to attend UMBC, as he alerted his former coach of his younger brother's progress. Zimmerman, who first met Jones as a 10-year-old in 1999 – "I saw potential in the kid back then," he says – saw a lot of similarities between Jones and Ratcliffe, who graduated in 2000 and currently ranks 10th all-time at UMBC in goals scored. Jones and Ratcliffe make up one of 28 brother combinations to play for the Retrievers in 44 years of intercollegiate lacrosse.
"I think they have similar personalities – they're good guys, they're well-liked," the coach said. "They can keep a team loose when the team needs to be loose, but when it's time to play, they put on their pads and they're eager to get out there and perform. Jeff really started off as a middie here, and then we moved him to crease attack, and that's when he flourished, and we're doing the same thing with Scott. It's great to have Scott here following in his brother's footsteps."
Jones notes the similarities, as well – "He's a bigger guy too, not really a dodger but more of an inside finisher" – and he hopes to continue in his brother's footsteps beyond college and into the professional ranks of the indoor National Lacrosse League, where Ratcliffe scored 240 goals in eight seasons with the Philadelphia Wings and New York Titans.
Having Ratcliffe so close by has eased Jones' transition to the East Coast. Jones says Ratcliffe attends most of UMBC's games, and he spends Thanksgiving with his older brother and his family.
"I thought it would be a lot tougher, but having my brother here has helped," Jones said. "I have a lot of good friends here, and I get to go home for winter and three months in the summer, so I find it enough."
Jones took a couple years off after high school before attending UMBC to work and travel in Thailand, so though he is just a sophomore, at 22, he is already the second-oldest player on the team behind fifth-year senior J.D. Harkey. Because of his advanced age, he has taken on a leadership role in the locker room, despite being just a second-year player.
"I guess for a sophomore I'm a pretty vocal guy in the dressing room," he said. "I've played a leadership role in the past with my teams at home, and I'm very comfortable with it. I just try and lead by example and hopefully everyone respects that."
"I've told Scott from day one that I felt like he could be a real strong leader on this team," Zimmerman said. "When we recruit, certainly we go after lacrosse ability, but we go after players who we feel will add a lot to our program both on and off the field. As a sophomore, he still has some years and experience behind him. He just has the personality where guys look up to him, and that serves an important role on this team. We expect everybody to step up and be leaders, and Scott does it not only by his play on the field, but you can sense around the locker room that Scott has the respect of his teammates."
Jones said he has told his teammates to keep their heads up during the Retrievers' tough four-game losing streak that ended with a 9-7 win over Quinnipiac on March 26. "It's all coming down to conference play now," he said. "We can't go into conference with our heads down, we've just got to keep rolling and hopefully pick up some wins."


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Home » Community Life » Outdoor Concerts
Outdoor Concerts at Innsbrook
The Summer Breeze concert series presents some of the best music St. Louis has to offer in a way the whole family will enjoy.
Most weekends in the summer we host a different band for 2 ½ hours of music, camaraderie, and fun for our property owners and their guests.
Kick back on your blankets or in your lawn chairs, reach into your cooler for snacks and refreshments, and enjoy some of the best bands the St. Louis area has to offer. We strive to find musicians who enjoy playing for audiences of ALL ages, so you can bring the entire crew and spend more quality time together after a day on the water or hiking the trails. There's something magical about being surrounded by loved ones and neighbors as you listen live to your favorite tunes under the stars.
All of the concerts are held at the outdoor amphitheater at Charrette Creek Commons at 7:30 p.m.
2019 Schedule
Saturday, May 25
Pure Nectar
Sunday, May 26
Big Rain
Saturday, June 1
Trixie Delight
Saturday, June 15
Saturday, June 22
Saturday, June 29
Garden Party Band
'70s and '80s
Friday, July 5
The LustreLights
Saturday, July 13
The Big Rigs
Saturday, July 20
The Breakfast Club
70's and 80's
Saturday, July 27
Motown Revue
Saturday, August 3
Bottoms Up Blues
Saturday, August 10
Dave Glover Band
Saturday, August 17
Seventh Planet Band
Saturday, August 24
Midnight Piano Band
Classic Piano Hits
Saturday, August 31
Butch Wax and the Hollywoods
(Please note: Innsbrook's Summer Breeze concert series is only for Innsbrook property owners, their registered guests and vacationers staying on property at Innsbrook. Concerts are not open to the general public.)
Cancellation policy for outdoor concerts and movies:
If the weather is deemed to be too wet or severe to hold the event, the event will be canceled. You can check Facebook, the front desk, and the security gates for updates on cancellations. The decision to cancel an event will not be made until 5 p.m. on the day of the event.
For More Information
For more information, please call 636.928.3366 x9180 or email email@example.com.


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Movement and Mind-Body Therapies majors learn the skills to teach relaxation classes, yoga, provide hypnotherapy, and other services that improve the overall well-being of others.
With classes in anatomy, physiology, psychology, herbalism, and other alternative medical techniques, students are able to help patients reduce pain and increase health. Professionals have the skills to work closely with others and increase therapeutic communication and balance between the mind and body.
Popular concentrations within this major are Movement Therapy and Movement Education, Yoga Teacher Training, and Hypnotherapy.
Required Skills
Students who major in Movement and Mind-Body Therapies have strong interpersonal and communication skills. They work closely with patients and must facilitate open and honest therapeutic communication so they can resolve tension and increase positivity. Students should also have good customer service skills and trustworthiness so patients are comfortable and are able to relax.
A degree in this field can lead to either a full time or part time job in a variety of locations. Some professionals work in medical offices while others find jobs at health clinics, spas, or gyms teaching movement classes or providing relaxation services.
While some areas of Movement and Mind-body Therapies require a bachelor's degree, others, such as yoga, only require an associate's degree or certification. If you are interested in this career field, you should research the position and ensure you are obtaining the ideal education.
Movement and Mind-Body graduates work in gyms, health clinics, spas, alternative medical offices, and other locations that require the services of yoga instructors, hypnotherapists, and other professional mind-body therapists. This field is growing at an average rate, providing job opportunities to students after graduation.
Here is a small sample of the careers that a degree in Movement & Mind-Body Therapies might open up.


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Casual Runner Mailbag: April 2017
Mail call! Wait, what? If we are opening up the Casual Runner Mailbag, that must mean that we are at the end of another month, but, how? How is April over already? Man, April just flew by!
We transitioned from the long slog that is winter and jumped head on into spring running and racing season so fast that we did not even notice that another month is in the books (along with all of those fun training miles and adventures!). So, without further adieu, lets go ahead and hear what our readers have to say in the latest edition of the Casual Runner Mailbag!
Check out past editions of the Casual Runner Mailbag.
Star Wars is still champ
Decades after its release, Star Wars is still a dominant force in popular culture, and in April, it was a dominant force in the running universe. runDisney brought back its Star Wars Dark Side Challenge Weekend in Walt Disney World, featuring a 5k event plus the Darkside Challenge consisting of the Dark Side 10k and the Star Wars Dark Side Half Marathon.
Star Wars fans and Casual Runners alike rejoiced in this fun weekend event.
Christopher Scott reached out to us via Facebook:
I passed y'all when you were in line for Kylo (I think that was the photo op)… if you saw a stormtrooper in a tutu, that was me.
Thanks Christopher and congrats on a great race! We always love meeting fellow Casual Runners at race events, on and off the course!
Coming to America to…runDisney
Melody reached out to us from across the pond to ask us a question about runDisney race registration for the Princess Half Marathon:
Hey! I have a runDisney question that I haven't been able to find an answer to, and I'm hoping you guys can help. I'm planning to register for the 2018 Princess Half, but I'll be out of the country of registration day. Will I run into any snags because of that, or will I be fine?
Hi Melody! Tons of international runners participate in every runDisney weekend, so you should have no trouble logging into the registration website from overseas, provided that country allows access to the page. If you are at all concerned you can ask a running buddy to register for you, just give them all of your pertinent details before you leave. If we can help out in any other way, let us know. And don't forget to check out Jennifer's tips for runDisney race registration. Have a great trip and we hope to see you at Princess Weekend!
Coming to Epcot…or not!
April always kicks off with April Fool's Day, which seems to have caught many of our readers by surprise. We could not resist having a little bit of fun by sharing
some "breaking news" about the addition of the addition of a new pavilion to Epcot's World Showcase.
Many of you picked up on the Joke, others took a little longer.
Kelley had this to say:
"Tons of pear wine during wine and dine 🍷,"
Meghan added:
"1st April Fools joke I almost fell for…lol."
We hope you all enjoyed having a little bit of fun, but for those who are still eagerly anticipating a long-awaited new country in Epcot, we are sorry to add to your ongoing disappointment.
Well, sadly that is going to do it for this installment of the Casual Runner Mailbag. If your message did not make it this month, we are sorry, but we will be back next month so be sure to keep your notes and messages coming in! If you want to have your questions answered or see your comments included in a future CR Mailbag, or just want to let us know how we are doing, drop us a note today! See you out on the running trails!
Check out past editions of the Casual Runner Mailbag.
Enjoy the freedom of going wherever your feet, imagination, & determination take you!
The Casual Runner Team wants to hear from you. If you have any questions about anything we cover here on Casual Runner, if you have any questions regarding running gear or training for your own Casual Running needs, or if there is anything that you would like us to cover on Casual Runner, please leave a comment or email us using the links below.
You can also follow us on Twitter (Casual Runner & Casual Adventurer), Pinterest, and Instagram (Casual Runner & Casual Adventurer).
To ensure that you do not miss all of the great content from Casual Runner, please be sure to like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, & add us to your circle on Google+.
Enjoy the freedom of going wherever your feet, imagination, & determination take you!


text: The proposed Union Pacific Red Rock Classification Yard will not obstruct sightseeing locations for Picacho Peak. In the map below you will notice that the Classification Yard and industrial park area is outside the line-of-view between tourist parking and the Peak. In fact, I-10 traffic poses a greater obstacle to tourists in the area than the yard, located southeast, will pose. Other issues: Wildlife impact at the classification yard location


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Argentina's women have not been beaten on abortion – change will come
The 'senadores percha' who voted against legalisation have won a hollow victory but cannot stand in the way of progress
Claudia Piñeiro
Fri 10 Aug 2018
Argentina's senators could not understand what was being debated: legal abortion or clandestine abortion? Or they did not want to understand? Thirty-eight senators voted for the absolute rejection of a bill to allow legal termination, without showing any willingness to introduce changes or improve the proposals. They simply said "no" – as if they were judges instead of legislators. They showed an arrogant attitude, absolutely detached from a reality in Argentina where there are women who die every year from complications arising after clandestine abortions.
To reject the bill, they pronounced all kind of barbarities from their seats: proclaiming that they were saving embryos, without explaining how, and even suggesting that intrafamily rape does not imply violence.
Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/10/argentina-women-abortion-hollow-senate-victory