27 Comments
⭠ Return to thread

Diane, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford once saw a different kind of "gold" in goldenrod. Eager for an alternative to foreign rubber, Edison latched onto goldenrod. (This 1929 piece describes what he was after: https://time.com/archive/6819165/science-goldenrod-rubber/) He made it work, but the process was unprofitable.

Gotta say that I'm glad. We humans are in the exploiting habit. It's so good to see something we can love just for its own lovely self. Thank you, thank you for the memorable photos!

Expand full comment

I had not heard of rubber from goldenrod. Apparently it does work. Thanks for this interesting tidbit!

Expand full comment

Hi Susan, may I suggest to be careful how you use "we humans". How about "Some humans are in the exploiting habit." I say this because some humans are not exploiters and have an inner voice that pipes up and knows this is wrong to do.

Expand full comment
Error