Contents of RauwLetter February 2010
- We’re Moving
- Energy Efficiency Goals are Heating Up
- Rethinking Nuclear Power and then Rethinking It Again
- Indoor Air Pollution Solutions
- My Take: The Sustainability Question
My Take: The Sustainability Question
Recently arrived in the mail is the latest publication by the World Watch Institute, 2010 State of the World, Transforming Cultures From Consumerism to Sustainability. Much to my husband's disbelief, I'm anxious to dig in. Transforming cultures from consumerism to sustainability is, to me, an intriguing topic.
Sustainability is the buzz word these days among environmentalists, government officials, teachers, students and homeowners, in fact, anyone who has read a newspaper lately or watched television has heard this word. But what does sustainability actually mean and could it mean different things to different people or groups? Those in the economics world tend to rely on the definition that sustainability “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Brundtland Commission, 1983.
In my humble opinion, however, the answer to the question of what is sustainability is neither simple to define nor understand. It's trying to figure out, taking into consideration a ballooning population, the actions we must undertake in order to live on this planet without using up its natural resources and polluting it to a point where it is uninhabitable, at least for humans.
Achieving sustainability can take many routes depending on the context of the situation. For instance, in the world of transportation, sustainability may mean hybrid vehicles that pollute less, high speed rail lines and other means of reliable mass transit, new bike paths, etc. In the world of agriculture, sustainable practices may include using no chemicals or at least switching to organic chemicals, not practicing mono-culture farming, limiting the number of livestock on a farm, or switching from animal farming to vegetable farming. Sustainable could mean producing hemp.
To homeowners, sustainability involves a whole host of change in habits that would include taking a hard look at what we consume, how we consume it and how it affects the world around us. By reducing our consumerism we reduce our carbon footprints and isn't that what sustainability is all about?
Can a definition of sustainability marry with our current definitions of prosperity, lifestyle, quality of life and the American way? I would guess that many of us were surprised to find over the last year that, although stressful at times as we watched and felt the economic downturn, our lives in fact became better when we slowed our consumerism, spent more time at home with family and started to think about what we were doing instead of just reacting mechanically to our wants.
In a time of renewed awareness, how we as individuals and businesses impact one another in the human and eco-system sense, sustainability may just be as simple as slowing down, smelling the roses, taking responsibility for our actions, and not allowing large corporations to dictate what it is we need to make us happy, healthy and fulfilled. Maybe sustainability is as simple as embracing a way of life that focuses on people, ecosystems and our relationship with the world in which we live.
The Fuel Economizer is a step in the direction towards sustainability. By having the Fuel Economizer installed on your existing boiler, your fuel savings and resulting reduced carbon emissions will help the world achieve its sustainability needs. Not only is the Fuel Economizer a cost-effective tool to residential and commercial building owners (it pays for itself in two years or less), it's a measure we can't afford to put off to tomorrow when it's simply available today.
