What hope is there for the Future?

So, I watched the Lorax for the first time. I am sorry to say that this beloved Dr. Seuss children’s book did not grace my book collection as a child. Watching the movie now, seen to the left in 2 parts, as an adult, and part of the environmental industry makes me realize just how accurate Dr. Seuss was back in 1971.

It seems to be part of human nature to take and take and take with no regard for the natural environment or how our actions affect the native organisms. We forget that everything has intrinsic worth. All sentient beings, all life, or all of nature including in animate objects have intrinsic worth regardless of their usefulness. This statement would then indicate that every object that currently inhabits the rainforests of the world has worth. I fully agree with this statement. Regardless of whether or not the frogs in the rainforest are worth monetary value, they need to be save because they have intrinsic value; they are a vital part of the ecosystem.



http://www.topnews.in/new-satellite-images-
reveal-shrinking-amazon-rainforest-236729

We have become so consumed with worrying about how to benefit ourselves, and building our collection of “stuff” that we have become a society guilty of overconsumption. And on this path, to support our nasty habit of overconsumption, we have begun to destroy one of the worlds most biodiverse environments: the Rainforest. It has been deemed one of Earth’s greatest biological treasures, yet we do not treat it like this. It once covered 14% of the Earths land surface, and currently it only covers 6%, with estimates stating that it will be completely consumed in less than 40 years. Some more stats taken from Rainforest Facts:

·         1.5 acres of Rainforest are being lost every second

·         Destruction of the rainforest is occurring because only the trees are being valued by short sighted governments, multinational logging companies and land owners

http://whyamazonherb.com/page-2

·         It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every day due to rainforest destruction = 50, 000 species/year

·         Currently 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant derived sources, with 25 % of western pharmaceuticals being derived from rainforest ingredients and less than 1% of the vegetation in the rainforest has been tested by scientists.

·         It was estimated that there were 10 million Indians living in the Amazon rain forest 5 centuries ago. Now there is less than 200, 000.

For more information about the destruction in the Amazon checkout Amazon Watch.

These facts are rather frightening. And they all remind me of the Lorax. There are a few individuals and organizations willing to take a stand, but their efforts are not effective against the large corporations and governments. They will do as they please regardless of the amount of protesting. Only once all their resources have been used will they stop and realize the intrinsic value of what they have destroyed. Hindsight is 20/20.

At the rate that we are going, I worry for our future. The more I learn about Environmental Sustainability, the more I realize just how much this is on the minds of our society.

My mother called me the other week asking about solar panels, and energy efficiency products. Her office is looking to become more environmentally sustainable through the use of energy efficient lights, power bars and solar powered products. Yet she cannot convince the men in the office to recycle more than just printer paper.

I feel that we are going to need some big changes in the future, changes that include altering the way people think about the environment, and changing habits that have been engrained in us for years. Perhaps with should start with the children. They may be our best option for a change in the future...

How is sustainable development in practice?

http://www.kootenaygraincsa.ca/about/

An example of sustainable development is the Kootenay Grain CSA. It was initiated by Matt Lowe when he attempted to do the 100 mile diet. He found that one of the hardest aspects of the diet was access to grain. There was no locally grain grown in the region. For this reason, he decided to create a grain CSA in the Kootenay region.  He determined how much interest was in the region, and found a couple of farmers that were willing to grow the grain. The CSA began with 100 shareholders, and has progressed from there.

Shareholders can purchase a full share, 100 pounds of grain, or a half share consisting of 50 pounds of grain.  In consultation with the shareholders, a variety of grain was grown by local farmers who had pledged to grow the crops organically even though they are not certified organic. One farmer is looking into incorporating the use of horses into his farming practices. The money from the shares goes directly to the farmers, acting as a consistent salary and ensuring job security. It also ensures that all of the shareholders and farmers bear the burden of crop loss or damage.

http://www.kootenaygraincsa.ca/news-and-events/

Once the grain is harvested in Creston BC it is transported to north to Nelson BC. Several members of the local sailing club offered use of their sail boats to transport a portion of the grain up the Kootenay Lake to the final offloading. The remaining grain that did not fit on the boats was transported by truck.

Cooking classes were offered by local women in the community to teach shareholders how to use the different types of grain that were being produced. During the cooking classes, baby sitting was offered by local teens.

The grain is not milled prior to distribution to the shareholders. To facilitate milling of the grain, there have been several small mills set up locally, and shareholders can get grain milled as required.

The grain CSA can be considered sustainable development as it demonstrates the joining of communities to move towards a common good. A need for local grain was identified, and members of the community joined together to fill that need.

The grain CSA is able to reduce the carbon footprint of the grain. As it is grow and harvested local to where it is consumed, rather than shipped from across the country, fewer fossil fuels are burnt. The CSA also improves the diversity of the foods present within the region.

The Kootenay grain CSA has the potential to be scaled up, but its success is hinged on its small scale. There is a greater likelihood of it continuing to succeed if it kept at the same scale, however the model may have potential to work in other areas with similar characteristics.

The communities of Nelson and Creston BC have broken their dependence on commercially grown grains. The grain CSA provides a more wholesome grain source to the communities.

My stuff and other sources and consumption

George Carlin talks about Stuff. He has a great perspective, which I feel is so true. Everyone is focused on having stuff. And getting more stuff.

My stuff currently resides between three places: Victoria, my parents house and my grandfathers house. The stuff I need to move out to Victoria fit in my car: books, clothes bedding, pillows, printers. Just the stuff necessary for survival for one year in a fully furnished house.  Then there’s the stuff I need while living at my parents: bed, dresser, night table, hope chest, clothes I didn’t want to bring to Victoria that all live in a room that just holds my stuff. Plus stuff from my childhood: drawings, books, blankets, stuffed animals that we just can’t throw away. They’re all in boxes, but I NEED to keep that stuff. And then there is all my house stuff and other random shit: kitchen supplies, books, notes and textbooks from college that I NEEDED to hang on to because “you never know when I might need to refer to them (I haven’t touched them in 3 years), and old baby clothes that lives in the basement at my grandpas, in what we refer to as the “Hole”.

The hole is a wonderous area in my grandparents house. There were times when we were kids that we would go snooping through all the boxes of stuff looking for cool things. I used to dig out old bridesmaids dresses that grandma wore in the ‘50’s and play dress up. I loved that she held onto that kind of stuff. She also used to hang on old kitchen dishes and utensils when she would get new stuff. The old kitchen stuff would get dregraded and relocated to the hole. And since you never know when you might run out of the 16 of each knife, spoon, and fork that are present in the kitchen and might need to run downstairs and use the old ones that you kept just for that occasion, she even held on to old utensils. And then there is some of my parents stuff, and my uncles stuff in my grandparents basement. The hole in the storage locker that everyone uses, but doesn’t pay rent for.

Then comes Christmas. Everyone wants to know what you want for Christmas. I have gotten to an age now, where if there is something that I need or want, I buy it. I don’t wait until Christmas and birthdays to ask for it. And anything that I do want or need is probably to expensive, which is why I haven’t purchased it yet. So the past few years I have been telling people I don’t need more stuff, I just want to spend time with family, and if they really want to get me something, then lets put the money towards a trip as a family. Especially this year. More stuff, means that I have more stuff that needs to be packed into my poor little 2-door cavalier to make the trek back home to Alberta. And the poor thing was packed to the brim on the way out here.

As a society we have become so obsessed with stuff that we have our stuff spread everywhere, because we don’t have the room for it all. But it’s a comfort to know that we have stuff. I like knowing that when I finally move back home, and into my own place, I have the stuff I need to furnish it. And if I ever need extra pots, or pans, kitchen plates, or cutlery, I can just going into the hole and use some of the old stuff, because grandma kept it.