Sustainability
A working definition of sustainability
Sustainability has its roots in man's relationship with the ecology of the earth. Our current system of consumption and waste is the basis for our economy. (Please see http://www.storyofstuff.com) At our present rate of consumption we have surpassed the earth's carrying capacity for the
7 billion people alive on the earth today. The proof of that is we are destroying the very resources of the earth that man needs to survive, deforestation, climate change, pollution of air, soil and water and over fished oceans. Sustainability means that we must develop an economy that is not destructive to the environment. We need to produce clean energy locally, we need clean (non polluting) transportation. Sustainability also means workers earn a living wage and live in affordable, low energy consuming housing. Our schools must be energy efficient and our teachers must be of high quality and teach children the skills they will need to be successful in this 21st century. see Sir Ken Robinson on creativity in schools
The Case for Sustainability
American prosperity has been built on our nation's leadership in invention and technology. Now, as the world must move to develop the technologies that allow for sustainable growth in a global economy, the US is lagging behind its competitors in the critical green markets of the future. At the same time that the United States is watching literally millions of jobs go abroad, we are losing our technological and competitive edge and our market share to foreign companies. Japan alone now controls 43% of the solar power market, an industry invented in America. European countries control 90% of wind turbine production, these are markets that could be filled by US companies and jobs that could be filled by US workers.
Investments like high speed rail and mass transit have also been delayed too long. Modernizing infrastructure, creates good jobs in American communities, new export products, stronger local economies, and improved consumer choice. If we do not invest in this new generation of technology in this new generation of jobs- we risk losing the technological leadership that has been the foundation of our prosperity.
The whole U.S. economy pays a real price, for inefficient energy use. It is a price born by working families and their household budgets. Our aging, inadequate electrical grid, and deferred infrastructure investments in energy, water, roads, and transit, hurt the development of our cities and increase our energy inefficiency.
We cannot have a sustainable economy when only 20 percent of the people can afford to pay for hybrids, solar panels and organic foods while the other 80% are still driving pollution-based vehicles to the same pollution-based jobs and struggling to purchase pollution-based products.
What is a workable plan?
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This link leads you to a good statement of our fundamental problem
The Story of Stuff is something you can show to anyone and view online. It's persuasive but not a sermon. It's sophisticated but not esoteric. Its tone is light but its content is
serious. It's narrated by the irrepressible Annie Leonard with passion
but no pretense .
www.storyofstuff.com
What is a workable plan?
____________________________________________________
This link leads you to a good statement of our fundamental problem
The Story of Stuff is something you can show to anyone and view online. It's persuasive but not a sermon. It's sophisticated but not esoteric. Its tone is light but its content is
serious. It's narrated by the irrepressible Annie Leonard with passion
but no pretense .
www.storyofstuff.com
