Earth Day 2014

Happy Earth Day Everyone! 

The Blue Marble as seen from Apollo 17

Here are 10 Environmental Victories to encourage Earth Day celebrations the world over. And speaking of Earth Day, I'm currently taking an independent study course which focuses on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability as it pertains to Business. Sustainability, after all, is the path which led me to pursue an MBA. 

From my perspective this is not a paradox but a natural progression. As exemplified in an article I read for class, Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World by Stuart L. Hart, the most effective strategy to bring about sustainable solutions is rooted in business. My summary of the article is as follows:

Summary of Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World by Stuart L. Hart

The great challenge and opportunity of our time is to create a ‘Sustainable Global Economy,’ i.e. an economy which supports the planet indefinitely. As it stands now, we are meeting our needs by destroying the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Hart calls corporations “the only organizations with the resources, the technology, the global reach, and, ultimately, the motivation to achieve sustainability.”

‘Worlds in Collision’ is the summary view that Hart explains as the interdependence and soon to be colliding forces which create the major social and environmental problems we are now facing; the Market Economy, the Survival Economy, and Nature’s Economy. The resulting challenges include climate change, pollution, resource depletion, poverty, and inequality. 

The Market Economy consists of commerce in developing nations and emerging economies alike. Some 17% (1 billion) of the world’s population falls within this affluent group and accounts for more than 75% of the world’s resources, leaving large ecological footprints. The Survival Economy includes the traditional, subsistence way of life in rural areas of developing countries. The approximately 3 billion people in this group meet their basic needs directly from nature. 90% of future population growth is expected to come from the Survival Economy. Nature’s Economy consists of the natural systems and resources that support the Market and Survival Economies, including renewable and nonrenewable resources. 

Environmental burden is a function of population, affluence (consumption), and technology. But while population and consumption are societal issues, “technology is the business of business.” Further asserting Business’s role, Hart states “the responsibility for ensuring a sustainable world falls largely on the shoulders of the world’s enterprises, the economic engines of the future.”

Three stages of environmental strategy for a sustainable world include: Pollution Prevention (minimizing or eliminating waste before it is created); Product Stewardship (minimizing not only pollution from manufacturing but all environmental impacts associated with the full life cycle of a product); and Clean Technology (replacing existing product and process technologies with new, cleaner ones).

A sustainability vision is a plan for those companies striving to carry out the three stages of environmental strategy, directing how products, services, and processes will evolve while illuminating new competencies that will be required. Corporations can lead the way by helping to shape public policy and driving change in consumer’s behavior. Hart concludes that it makes good business sense for corporations to pursue strategies for a sustainable world.

{carbon nation}

In the process of surveying future career shifts and educational goals, I've spent the last several months searching out books and films about environmental issues and their solutions. Carbon Nation is a documentary film by Peter Byck about the growing worldwide carbon footprint. Instead of getting bogged down in the discussion about what is causing the problem, this film discusses solutions to meet our worldwide energy needs through lower carbon, carbon neutral, and renewable means.

Carbon Nation feels like an unbiased, all-encompassing look at sustainable energy practices. For instance, included in the discussion is the Evangelical Climate Initiative as well as interviews with renewable energy advocates who do not believe in climate change. The point the movie makes is that in the end, how we got here does not matter. We all need to work together to protect our environment and way of life.

One thing about wind power I didn’t realize before watching the film is that the land used for wind turbines can still be utilized for farming and ranching, which seems like a good business strategy for struggling farmers in the nation’s bread basket. Also, the Department of Energy has estimated that the wind potential in Texas, the Dakotas, Montana, and Kansas exceeds current energy needs in the US.

Another surprise for me was that deforestation accounts for 20% of the world’s carbon emissions, which is larger than the portion attributed to all transportation sectors. In addition to loss of biomass, soil erosion leads to other environmental impacts. If farmers and landowners of developing countries could be persuaded to harvest their forests in a sustainable way, and set aside land for grazing and Eco tourism, new sources of income could be tapped while protecting the environment.

Carbon Nation is full of ideas to meet the world’s energy needs in a renewable and environmentally friendly way. The film is upbeat and approachable, no matter your political or ideological views, which serves as a stark contrast to other environmental films such as An Inconvenient Truth. I highly recommend Carbon Nation if you have an interest in the environment, energy, or if you like Bill Kurtis’ voice (he’s the narrator).

using the 3-R's in the garden

As any good environmentalist or native Californian will tell you, it's always best to reduce, reuse, and recycle. In the garden, that means composting! Compost is a dark soil-like substance derived from decaying plant, animal, and other organic materials. This matter is broken down chemically, through aerobic decomposition, as well as mechanically, by various organisms and micro-organisms (think worms and fungi). Through these processes, waste matter becomes a highly valuable landscape commodity.

My composter, ‘The Earth Machine’, is an 80-gallon bin made from recycled materials and sold by the local government for $45 to encourage backyard composting. Not only do composters provide a valuable resource, they save space in our landfills! For a little over a year now, I’ve been putting weeds, plant clippings, coffee grinds, fruit and vegetable rinds, paper, and soil into mine. The main thing to avoid is anything that contains animal fat and pet waste.

I keep my compost bin next to my trash cans. Ideally, a compost bin/ pile should get at least 5 hours of sun each day. Mine probably does not, which is why it has taken a little longer to yield worthwhile compost. But the whole process takes little effort and there are a variety of compost bins available to fit every space and budget. A lot of people are concerned that the compost pile will smell bad and/ or attract unwanted visitors (i.e. raccoons, opossums). Rest assured, if you put the correct items into your compost bin, you will not have a problem with either nuisance.

I’m looking forward to ‘harvesting’ my compost this season and working it into my planting beds. But it’s important to keep in mind that compost is not a fertilizer. Rather, it improves the soil’s texture and tilth by providing organic matter and humus when incorporated into planting beds. This allows the plant’s roots to more easily take up nutrients and moisture from the soil. Here's to using the 3-R's in the garden, Happy Composting!