Principles and Practices

Week 01: The Ethical Future for Biotechnology in Plants

Concept: There is a particular interest in the studies of genetically modified plants whether this is for the product consumption or for the ability to produce engineered products that can potentially replace energy sources. The Glowing Plant Project is an example of a biotech start up whose goals were to produce experiments in genetically modified plants that could glow. This was done in an effort to eventually use a biological system that could save energy by limiting the amount of electricity and carbon emissions used in lighting. If this were to be the case, this replacement technology could essentially minimized the production of high energy tools and methods of creating different light sources. Unfortunately, the communication between Glowing Plants projects and its supporters were minimal and there wasn’t enough regulated to identify what should and couldn’t be done with final products.

Change: The federal creation of community garden research centers could potentially promote for the continuation of such research since it could have major effects on the way we use energy, light, as well as food resources in the future. The creation of a “safe” growing space that would be regulated by a third party could create a better communication system between the groups, individuals, and companies who are curious in exploring biotechnological skills with plant growth in relation to organizations that monitor the safety of the environment affected by such experiments as well as to the communities in which this technology could eventually affect.