Seeking “Practical” Sustainability

One of the toughest challenges I think our society faces is how we are going to integrate the philosophy of sustainability into our existing economic and social structures. I recognize that the definition of sustainability is tricky to pin down – it is like trying to bite into a tomato seed. When talking about human society, sustainability has so many different facets, you just don’t know where to draw boundaries – it could include environmental sustainability, cultural sustainability, economic sustainability, political sustainability…the list could go on, depending on one’s priorities and values.

To make “sustainability” something businesses could wrap their fingers around, sustainability was narrowed down to the triple bottom line, meaning that businesses would focus on being economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. Actually, it may not be fair to say that they are actually trying to be socially or environmentally sustainable, but they usually something a little better for the environment than they were doing before and they donate to charities or give their employees better benefits.

Why don’t they do more? Why can’t they actually try to live out truly sustainable principles? I think the first challenge is that no one really knows what is truly sustainable (think: trying to bite into the tomato seed). I think another challenge is that the current economic-social system is just not set up to reward actions that are more environmentally and “socially” sustainable in the long term. For example, it would be much more sustainable for all paper to come from recycled paper and well-managed forests, but it costs consumers more to buy that type of paper so the less sustainable paper from virgin forests is commonly used.

As described by the Steady Staters, many people believe that one of the key ways to incorporate sustainability into society is to start economically accounting for those things that are not sustainable (e.g., ensure that the recycled paper cost less). With many people starting to think about this conundrum, there are myriad approaches proposed, including environmental economics, carbon trading, and lifecycle analysis, and one of my newest finds, Sustainable Value. None of these approaches seems to be perfect; I don’t know if a perfect approach exists. Making a philosophical concept like “sustainability” into a practical tool is as impossible as creating markets that embody the pure definition of the free market. But as our population continues to grow, our consumption of natural resources grows, wealth disparity persists, and increasing waste threatens the resources we depend on, our society is approaching a time when it is critical that we make a change to our system and do our best to incorporate the principles of sustainability.

Senegal kicks off 2009 African Countries Blog

African country blogging is back by popular demand (and to commemorate our good friend’s journey to Liberia this year)!!!

Last weekend we saw a Senegalese film called “Touki Bouki” and hailed as “one of the best African films, ever”.  It was certainly one of the most intense films I’ve ever seen, taking viewers through graphic scenes and intense agony, frustrations, and discomfort reminescent of teenage years.

The film took place in Dakar, the coastal city and capital of Senegal.  Since separating from Gambia (as Senegambia), Senegal has had 3 peaceful tranisitions of power, the last transitioning across polical parties.  In a country with more than 80 political parties, you could say this is quite commendable.

While the official language is French, many regional languages are spoken. Over 95% of people are Muslim. If you ever get a chance, check out some Mbalax, the popular music of Senegal, which is a fusion of jazz, soul, latin, rock, and  sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal.

If you have any other interesting notes on Senegal, please share them!

Update on fighting toxins

A few months ago, in our article “Who will keep the cancer away“, we reported the bad politics that led to the FDA dismissing a toxicologist expert opposed to the use of bisphenol A (BPA), and then choosing not to regulate it as a toxin.

BPA is a chemical found in most plastic bottles and many other types of plastic. BPA mimics the hormone estrogen and may disrupt the endocrine system, especially in fetuses and infants who are still developing. It is also linked to higher rates of heart disease, liver problems, and diabetes.

Well, sometimes where the federal government fails, the states pick up the slack. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal took the initiative to contact manufacturers of baby bottles and request that they voluntarily stop using the chemical. His efforts seem to be fruitful, as 6 of the largest baby bottle manufacturers will no longer sell bottles made with BPA to customers in the United States. Read more of the Washington Post article that reported this on March 6.

There are still plenty of other products made from BPA, and there are still customers and manufacturers in other parts of the world who have not phased out the use of BPA (despite the existence of alternatives.) But this is a step in the right direction – towards green chemistry being adopted by our largest manufactures.

If you want to know more about green chemistry, check out Paul Anastas and John Warner‘s book, “Green Chemistry, Theory and Practice”, and ACS’s Green Chemistry Institute.

Existentialists’ Guide to Happiness

Yesterday I held a workshop and had the high school participants describe what was essential for a good quality of life.   They were incredibly insightful and cited the importance of family, friends, opportunities to grow and succeed, as well as having basic necessities of food, shelter and water, and even having trees and natural areas.  They then participated in an activity where they had to balance the challenge of growing out of poverty but also protecting the world’s environment and resources.  I was surprised to find that they (at least in the game) were very willing to sacrifice extravagance (like large houses and high incomes) so they could help other groups have better living conditions and so they could protect the environment. I think some of their insights into quality of life, or general happiness, are right on target.

But what do the academics and scientists have to say about happiness?  The idea of a scientific study on happiness might make some hard-scientists squirm, but I’ve read a few of these studies, and I think these are actually pretty useful. Today I came across this article that summarizes some of the latest findings, and I thought it was pretty insightful (since I have come to the same conclusions in my life, it must be right…right!?)

So apparently, the keys to happiness include: celebrating and appreciating your circumstances, progress, and personal victories (small and large), spending time with people (even while doing something that is not typically enjoyable like commuting or chores), helping other people out, and feeling a sense of control in your life.

The last one I list (#3 in the article) is probably one of the most challenging.  We often do not feel in control, especially if we have a controlling boss, parent, etc.  I happen to have one poignant experience where I realized the importance of this one.  It was when I was still in college and had had an exhausting week and had no motivation to go to a class that was really demanding and unstructured.  But I took about 5 minutes to sort of “meditate” and think about the fact that I had the power to decide my next course of action.  By taking time to consider my course of action, I felt more in control of my decision.  While I couldn’t control the consequences of whatever decision I made, I could control the decision I made and I could then be proud of making that decision.  By simply recognizing that I was making a conscious decision, I felt empowered and motivated…and dare I say “happy”.

But I can’t leave you without a criticism/disagreement…this is a soapbox, after-all. So I do have some beef with the author’s first point.

At first, this point reminds me of something I read in The Tao of Pooh (great book!) that encourages us to not compare ourselves to others, but rather to compare ourselves to our own abilities and goals. For example: “did I do my best?” rather than “did I do better than someone else?”

But then, the recommendation takes a wrong turn and encourages people to compare themselves with people who are less well-off so they remember to appreciate what they do have.  Sure this is a good first step (I admittedly do it too), but I wouldn’t recommend it as a long-term strategy because it gives us satisfaction when others fail. Instead, I prefer to think that we are all on the same team, trying to achieve success (happiness) together.

Bright Side of the Bail-out

Maybe you’re pretty down about the bail-out bill.  You’re thinking that it will use US money (that we don’t have) to make sure that high-level people in sketchy companies don’t suffer too much, while plenty of Americans continue to lose their houses…and their retirement savings.

Well, if the humor in this skit about the financial crisis didn’t make you feel better, I have something that might do the trick.

Recall that many of us were worried because the tax credits for renewable energy were set to expire this year.  If congress didn’t pass a bill to renew them, many solar and wind projects would be doomed and many renewable energy companies would suffer.  But then the financial crisis hit the floor of the senate and house, and we worried that it would over-shadow the critical and urgent need to renew those wind and solar tax credits.

Well, it seems that a spark of wisdom struck our legislators! What if we kill two birds with one stone?  What if we bolster renewable energy to stimulate the economy???  It’s true, my friends! The bail-out bill includes an extension of the tax credits for renewable energy! The Solar Electric Power Association summarizes the tax extensions for solar:

By a vote of 263-171, the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic legislation that extends the 30-percent federal investment tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations for 8 years.

This legislation will:

• Extend for 8 years the 30-percent tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations;
• Eliminate the $2,000 monetary cap for residential solar electric installations, creating a true 30-percent credit;
• Eliminate the prohibition on utilities from benefiting from the credit;
• Allow Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers, both businesses and families, to take the credit; and
• Authorize $800 million for clean energy bonds for renewable energy generating facilities, including solar.

Hope this cheers your day!

Contest to Save the World

When I was growing up, I had this idea: I would create a website where people could submit their ideas of solutions to problems they encountered in life.  So one day, you are taking a shower one day and you are thinking about how terrible traffic jams are, but then suddenly you have a brilliant idea of how your city could reduce traffic congestion!  But you don’t have the money or the power to implement your idea, so it just fizzles away. BUT… with this website, you could write your idea down and submit it to this website for others to see. Donors, policy makers, volunteers, and people with an excess of money or time would come to the website and search through the ideas and pick the ones they want to work to bring to life.

Well, my idea did not completely just fizzle, because Google must have read my mind a little! They did not create my dream website, but they are hosting a contest for world-changing ideas!  Their contest is called “Project 10 to the the 100th” because they are giving “10 to the 100″ (10 million) dollars to the best idea that will help the most people (in their opinion).  With the slogan “May those who help the most win”, they are asking people to submit project ideas that will help people across the world live a better life.  One example of a winning idea is giving barrels to communities where women must carry water for miles to get water to their families.  The barell allows the women to carry much greater quantities of water, and they can roll the barrel instead of carrying it.

Let your creative ideas flow, but hurry…the deadline is October 20, 2008!

the land of fire and ice

After a rainy night (don’t worry – our tent kept us dry and warm) we left our beautiful campsite, drove through Santa Fe one last time, and headed to the big city (in NM)…Albe-que-que (known to most as “Albequerque”)! As we exited the highway, we met a fortuitous distraction: Taco Cabana!!! I hadn’t seen a TC since I lived in San Antonio, and Iron’s eyes started swimming with visions of cheap, delicious bean tacos in soft flour tortillas.

Once we had fulfilled our TexMex desires, we were back on course, headed towards the National Atomic Museum, which houses an exhibit on the Manhattan Project and a few other exhibits on nuclear technology. After driving through big city traffic for 20 minutes, we reached the air force base on which the museum was stationed (according to our maps and the website we found via Google.) At the gates of the AFB, we met a fine young jerk who scoffingly told us the museum had been closed “like, 6 years ago” and that we could turn right around and leave immediately.

We are not easily deterred, so we finally found that the museum had been relocated to the other side of town so we stopped by to learn about nuclear physics, WWII, and the development of the Manhattan project. Deep holes in our history knowledge were filled (and a few more opened), but we didn’t have time to dilly dally because it was time to head to the land of fire and ice!

After exiting the beloved I-40, we drove off-course for about an hour before reaching middle-of-nowhere New Mexico, marked by a lonely sign advertising Ice caves and volcanoes. It turned out that this detour off the highway was one of the best detours ever. As we hiked up the side of the volcano, we enjoyed a beautiful landscape of juniper bushes, douglas firs, and ponderosa pines. A short 20 minutes later, we were standing at the top of the cone, looking into the nearly barren crater to see where lava once spewed into the air and flowed across the landscape, creating lava tubes and basalt rock that covers the area today.

Basalt rocks crunching beneath our feet, we hiked back down the volcano to lava tubes that were created when streams of lava cooled and solidified on the outside while lava on the inside continued to flow. Once the lava was gone, huge basalt caves remained, including the ICE CAVE! This particular cave was situated perfectly so that it always stayed below freezing temperatures. Over time, as water collects in the cave, it freezes and adds to the pool of ice at the bottom of the cave. As we descended toward the cave, we could feel the temperature drop with each step we took. By the time we reached the level 5 feet above the ice, it was frigid! Nature is cool. (In the words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

I Heart Asheville

I would love to live in a world where every town/city has a culture built on principles of sustainability. Infrastructure like buildings, transportation, and electricity would help improve our health and our environment. We wouldn’t feel guilty because our commute would not be polluting the air and contributing to climate destabilization. Stores would only carry products that meet the highest standards, being produced and distributed in safe and environmentally friendly ways by well-paid workers. We wouldn’t be overwhelmed by so much junk, and we would still have quality products to meet our needs.

I have yet to see this happen and I don’t know the best way to get there, but Tuesday we saw one community that might be a glimpse of what the beginnings of change could look like. As I stepped out of the car in Asheville, NC a truck drove by with a sticker on the back saying “I run on biodiesel”. I thought it was an appropriate first sight in Asheville, given the town’s reputation of “hippie town”. As we meandered down the streets and ducked into shops, we found that the majority of businesses and products were locally owned, organic, and generally environmentally and socially conscious. We ate a delicious vegan meal at Rossetta’s Kitchen, which uses locally grown food, composts its food scraps, and makes delicious veg food! We shopped at a co-op grocery store and stores that sold clothes from organic cotton. We even found a store soley dedicated to green building-they sold non-voc paint, bamboo floors, insulation made from old blue jeans, and even solar panels! We didn’t see public transportation, but the town seemed to be small enough that you could walk or bike wherever you needed to go.
Needless to say, Asheville captured our hearts and gave us a glimpse of what a culture built on sustainabilty might look like.

Leaving the Beltway…

I’m leaving the beltway for the sunny Arizona skies. I decided it was time for a new and deeper perspective on science policy from academia instead of the DC nonprofit world. So Carbon and I hit the road a few days ago on a journey across the country, which we’ll blog about for our friends and family, which may be more journal than soapbox, unfortunately (or fortunately).

We started our journey in Shenandoah National Park. We’ve been fortunate to have awesome camping weather so far; it was refreshingly cool, with an awesome view of the Milky Way. We got there too late to buy firewood, but the Park Service recently implemented a new program to distribute firewood to tardy campers like us, so we were able to enjoy vegan marshmellows with our stellar view. Three cheers for the Park Service. Their campgrounds are well maintained and quiet, and we noticed enhanced recycling efforts.

The next day we set out for Asheville, NC, but not before seeing a beautiful bear cross the parkway as we were leaving the park. We had a long drive down to NC, but were lucky enough to stumble upon a campsite right next to the French Broad River and sleep to the sound of water.

Quote of the Day

To follow up on the last post, I wanted to share this quote from Sen. James Webb.  (I’ve not always been Sen. Webb’s greatest fan, but I really like this quote and it was germane to the last post.)

“Elections shouldn’t be media circuses, nor should they be auctions where a candidate sells himself to the highest bidder. They should be moral contracts between those who wish to lead and those who are consenting to be led.”