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Renewable Richmond

Everyone is aware of the green movement. You've read about it in the news and seen it on TV. You can't get away from hearing about the environment, energy efficiency and consumption choices.

To better understand why people are choosing a green lifestyle, it might help to step back and define the term 'sustainability'. Understanding this expression may help you understand green choices and your own role as a consumer.

Sustainability means that we are meeting our present needs without jeopardizing the potential of future generations to meet their needs.

Earth Overshoot Day was on September 23, 2008. In each year, the earth produces a measurable amount of new resources. Overshoot Day is the day when we humans have consumed the new resources produced that year.

Go to Global Footprint Network   to see the calculations. For the rest of 2008, we will be in the ecological equivalent of deficit spending, drawing down our resource stocks, in essence, borrowing from the future.

Earth Overshoot Day began in the mid-1980s. Sadly, it arrives earlier and earlier every year. This year it took less than 10 months for humans to consume what it takes the planet 12 months to produce.

In economic terms this means that the growth of the global economy may be outpacing the earth's capacity to sustain us. We are consuming more natural resources (water, forests, fossil fuels, etc.) than the earth can regenerate. This is a clear sign that population, globalization, the global economy and the resource extractions are taking place at unsustainable levels.

"One problem with the definition [of sustainability] is it's mostly focused on human aspirations and well being, with the natural environment providing the means by which these goals could be achieved," according to Virginia Tech professor Dr. David Trauger .

Some important goals of sustainability are long-term human health and well-being, as well as biological diversity and a stable climate. Human consumption has environmental consequences for the future. In other words, our children's children's children might not be as safe and comfortable because of the choices we make today.

Mounting scientific evidence indicates that global climate change, the energy crisis, land use and securing our water needs are all issues that contribute to the sustainability of ecosystems.

Both population growth and economic growth will put stress on ecosystems in the coming decades.

From these conclusions comes the idea of sustainable development, which is one way to provide for future generations.

I want to be clear that "development" is not "growth." Economists Herman Daly and Kenneth Townsend have stated that the earth ecosystem develops (evolves), but does not grow: "The earth is finite, non-growing and materially closed … its subsystem, the economy, must eventually stop growing, but can continue to develop." There are limits to growth, something we need to be cognizant of.

What does this mean for the consumer? It means that we need to change consumer behavior and learn to be a bit more minimalistic. What should we do? We should try to live as sustainably as possible.

The Global Footprint Network has an ecological footprint calculator that shows how many planets it would take to support your personal lifestyle. I calculated my own footprint on their website and found that if all 6.7 billion people on the planet lived like me, it would take four earths to support the food, fuel and materials that I consumed this year.

This is way too many earths and I feel somewhat ashamed for taking up so much space. Though I am a vegetarian and ride my bike to work, which reduces my footprint greatly, my footprint is still high from the amount of airplane miles I flew this year. That, combined with the low amount of local food and materials I consume translates to a whopping 18 acres of the earth's productive area I take up and 20 tons of carbon I emit.

In 2009, I will attempt to lower my environmental footprint. While the ideal footprint would be taking one earth to support my lifestyle, I'll take anything below four as a step in the right direction.

What are you doing to live more sustainably?

I am requesting that readers calculate their own ecological footprint. Please post your numbers on this website as a comment (you can do it anonymously). I want to see what kind of numbers Richmonders are generating and find ways to improve.

Also, include information about the choices you are making to be more environmentally friendly. Are you eating less meat, driving or flying less, recycling, using less energy in the home or bringing home groceries in a canvas bag? What are some interesting changes that you have made that nobody else may have heard of?

The very wise Mahatma Gandhi said "live simply so that others might simply live."

Let's each do our part in the quest to keep the planet healthy for future generations. With your comments I hope to devote future Renewable Richmond columns to exploring the issues of consumption and sustainability. Going green is gaining serious momentum. Let's continue this trend in 2009!

David Martin is taking the month of January 2009 off from Renewable Richmond to study sustaining human societies and the natural environment in New Zealand. He will return in February ready to explore your comments and opinions and continue to facilitate the environmental issues and actions of Richmond and beyond.