What is Sustainability?
Everyone has a different idea of what sustainability is or is not. It looks like Keith is well on his way to realizing the dream. Formal definitions don’t give a full understanding of all the facets. Very few people or groups can live completely sustainable lives. In its simplest definition sustainability is a balance between production and consumption. For a process or activity to be totally sustainable it needs to consume resources at exactly the same rate that they are being produced by some other process or activity. People everywhere study the interaction of all the laws of nature that regulate this process.
In everyday life the sustainability model can be described by the diagram below. Here a balance between social, environmental, and econimic influences contribute to a sustainable world.
To truly evaluate how sustainable an activity is you need to look at it from start to finish. At first glance the new E-85 ethanol based gas seems like a good idea. You make fuel out of something that you can replenish quickly. However, when you include all of the fossil fuels that are consumed in the production of it, it is not so good. I have read that it costs $2 for every $1 of corn based Ethanol produced, not to mention all the CO2 produced by the farm machinery used to harvest the corn. A better approach might be the way Brazil makes their ethanol. First they start with a plant that can be used in its entirety like sugar cane. Because you don’t use just the fruit like with corn or soy beans you get a lot more gallons per acre. Also because sugar cane distils into more ethanol per pound of input stock it is a better deal all the way around. Next they harvest by hand and make the ethanol right there at the field in small distilleries. No trucking the supplies here and there, only the end product is shipped. This is kind of the way moonshine was made back in prohibition times. You are probably thinking, well that would be great Chuck, if we could grow sugar cane. Well good news, we can and currently do in Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, and parts of Texas. But almost none of that is used for making ethanol, instead we refine it to extreme purity…and eat it. I guess we have things backward. We make ethanol out of what we should be eating and we eat what we should be turning into fuel.
Well, that’s my “soapbox” subject for this time but seriously why are we waiting to switch? Here are some additional pages to read:
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=6817
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/06/news/economy/sugarcane_ethanol/index.htm
The last article emphasizes some of the problems with producing ethanol from sugar. Some of these are valid but some are just people unwilling to change. All of the problems have solutions once you put them up against good old American ingenuity. And finally, at least one company already has half the solution, available right now to make your own ethanol. Just find a supply of cheap (and sustainably produced) sugar and your fuel problem is over.
http://www.efuel100.com/t-technology.aspx
Enjoy…
Chuck
Chuck Warner said,
December 28, 2008 @ 7:45 pm
Did you meet your sustainability goals for 2008? I hope so, but more important do you have a plan to be “greener” for 2009? You have an almost unlimited list of things you can do to slow down, or in some cases stop, your part in the selfish battering of our planet. The recent slowdown of the economy spurred by the Oct. crash of the stock market has been compared to the great depression. During the great depression of the 1930s most people conserved not because they thought it was a good idea, they did it to survive. Most people today are not to that point, yet, but if you ask someone who lived through the great depression (like my parents), they will tell you they had to make huge sacrifices. In the end most will tell you that they really didn’t miss the luxury items because they just learned to do without. In modern times we have become so adjusted to a lavish lifestyle that we loose track of what is need, and what is just want.
As you put together your “green plan” for 2009 keep in mind that doing without is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. If you need fewer resources, it will be easier for you to survive if the economy doesn’t recover quickly. Most of the things you can do to conserve resources also have a direct economic benefit not to mention the environmental benefit. Here are just a few of the things that I will be doing in the coming year and beyond to make my lifestyle “greener”.
• Drive a lot less. Walk, bike, consolidate trips, rideshare, or any number of ways to cut down on the miles I drive my 1.3 pound of CO2 per mile car (not to mention the 12 or more cents per mile cost). If you live far from work and you like your job then think about a house closer to work. If you hate your job but love your house then get a job closer to where you live. If you would have adopted this strategy before the latest downturn in the housing and job markets it would be a lot more appealing but still it is a direction that is worth considering.
• Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. You have heard the 3Rs before but I plan on making them an integrated part of my lifestyle.
• Start a compost pile. Everybody has a place they can do this, and like Keith Morey said in an earlier post, you will reduce the amount of trash you send to the landfill.
• Close off rooms I don’t need to heat to heat or cool. Don’t forget to close off the registers to those rooms not just close the doors. Also consider that pipes can freeze in unheated spaces so bathrooms and kitchens are not good candidates for this strategy in the winter in the Midwest.
• Turn off and unplug anything electrical that will not be used for awhile. This includes all computer equipment at work and home. You will need to determine for yourself the definition of “awhile”, but for me it is a couple of hours.
• I could go on and on with things I do or plan on doing soon to reduce my impact on the environment. Notice that none of the items listed above cost anything to implement, a key factor in making them “no-brainers”.
I wish everyone a green new year
Chuck
Stephanie Hays-Mussoni said,
December 28, 2008 @ 8:47 pm
Happy Green Year to Everyone!
Thank you for a great start to the new year Chuck!
We are also working hard to continue greening our lives. We do a great job at work – we are fortunate enough to work for Cope Environmental Center and so it becomes second nature. Unfortunately, at home – sometimes we slack a bit
Just recently my husband went around with a Kill-a-watt gadget that reads how much electricity anything with a plug is using. We thought we had found all the phantom loads, but he reduced even more that showed a LARGE savings in our electrical bill. If you are not using it at the current time – UNPLUG IT! Make sure things are easy to unplug or remove from current. TVs etc. for instance. Most of the times, these areas of our homes are a cluster of wires that we never touch, let alone unplug. By taking the time (one time) to sort through them all, plug them into a power strip and mount the power strip in an accessible spot, you will be more likely to flip the switch and eliminate the phantom load when you are not using these appliances. These are BIG energy wasters!
We are now using cold water only in the washer (except for a few loads here and there that require HOT. We do not use chlorine bleach either – the production and the waste products from bleach are hazardous to our water supplies and within our homes. The fumes alone are bad enough.
I go through spurts remembering my bags at the grocery and any store- I will get better this year!
We are working to USE less – Reducing what you use is the first R and the one that deserves as much effort as possible.
Again, start small, but start somewhere. To me it is all about common sense – the less you use, the more there will be later on down the road for everyone else. The less you use – the less you spend. The less you use – the more you enjoy!
Thanks for the motivation Chuck!!! Keep it coming –
Stephanie