Essays

Interested in sharing your views on Central Coast Sustainability? Please send your essay to jennifer@sustainabilityacademy.org.

Just What Exactly is "Sustainability"? Has anybody seen it?

By now we all know a "green" house is not one just painted that color. Sustainable agriculture is not the same as conventional agriculture. And hybrid cars probably have something to do with it all. Some of us are more sophisticated, and we realize that the best eco-friendly products are certified by some third party, or that you can save energy by switching to smaller florescent bulbs with electronic ballasts. But what is sustainability really?

Students of the topic learn about the triple bottom line: people, planet, and prosperity. So yes, sustainability is the integration of three goals in anything we do, whether it's a business, a social venture, or a government project: sustainability needs economic success, ecological health, and community benefit all together. Or perhaps you've heard the famous 1987 United Nations' Brundtland Commission's definition: "Sustainability (sustainable development) meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." But what is sustainability really?

People complain that sustainability is a political animal of a concept, one that can change depending upon who is using it in what situation. Like a chameleon. It is a philosophy captured by the life-style police who would deny humans their earthly pleasures. Like a guilty conscience. It can be expensive and exclusive, affordable only by the wealthy. Like a 5-star hotel. Yet it is also the key to our survival as a species, a global community, a nation, a neighborhood.

Sustainability is not rocket science, it is common sense. It is not new, many among us have been practicing this stuff a very long time. Sustainability is a balanced diet, more savings and less borrowing, craving less and sharing more. It is the small business owner who always treated his employees like family. It is valuing experiences, art and music, hiking and sporting, gardens, friendships and time to oneself. Sustainability is eco-efficiency, and eco-effectiveness, innovation that leads us away from fossil fuels while at the same time strengthening economic viability. It is the green jobs Van Jones talks about, the modern medical record-keeping Obama talks about, the solar power initiatives Schwartzenegger talks about.

We need to reach back to old-style ways of doing things, like eating together or being thrifty, at the same time as we invent and use highly modern technologies, like programmable energy management systems or bio-lubricants. Our engineers need to mimic the magic designs of nature (biomimicry), our financial experts need to make room for patient capital (returns with longer time horizons), our architects need to design beautiful yet cost effective structures (U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum buildings).

Sustainability can truly become simply our mainstream way of life, full of happiness, opportunity, and choices. Sustainability just means healthy communities: economically, ecologically, socially. Couldn't be that hard to see it around here somewhere soon. Really. - L. A. Strohm

Why do businesses bother "going green"? Is it just greenwashing?

A term like "greenwashing" always confuses folks from other countries, even if their English is really good. "Like white-washing" we say, "only about green stuff." Blank looks prompt us to explain further, "It's just a surface coat of milky runny paint that won't last, just to make things look good for a little while, like the green claims from corporations that don't go very deep or make much real difference." Ah, they recognize this now, it happens in their home countries too.

So is all the green business talk just hooey? Superficial changes meant to convince a gullible public that Exxon doesn't spill oil or Monsanto doesn't deal in toxic chemicals, or that soda pop is good for your health? There is a lot of greenwashing out there. Half-measures, half-truths, flimsy claims and bogus measurements are common in today's eco-advertisements. How is a person to know what's really what?

Nothing is black and white in this green business world. Companies actually have many good reasons to make progress with sustainability. It can save them money when they pursue energy efficiency, water savings, and good waste management. Top quality environmental performance is positively correlated with the best management practices, which often lead to the best financial results for investors. Solid sustainability records can help companies attract and retain the best and the brightest employees. Sustainability opens up strategic new markets, attracts new customers, and drives innovation. And yes, it is good for public relations.

How green does a company have to be in order to be considered a green business? There are no state, national or global standards as yet. But there are many clues and indicators to watch for if you want to support genuine efforts by businesses to practice sustainability. Look for a sustainability report on a company's website, and read it. After you read a few, you begin to be able to tell which ones are serious, and which ones are just beginning the journey. Look for those locally certified green businesses, if there is a program in your area. These standards vary greatly from region to region, but they are a serious start. Is the company a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in Geneva? That's a good thing. Is the business locally owned? If so, go ask the owner what they have been working on in the sustainability realm.

Green businesses keep track of and try to minimize their energy and resource use and waste generation. They examine their products for toxic ingredients and seek safer substitutes. They evaluate their normal operations for efficiencies, wanting to eliminate waste and difficult working situations. They are aware of any offsite impacts they cause, community concerns, and trends they need to keep up with. They make philanthropic contributions when they can, treat their employees fairly, and participate in industry discussions about sustainability.

Be delighted by any progress in the right direction, or even experimentation that hasn't gone exactly right. There is no perfection, and one never quite fully arrives at a permanent state of sustainability. Just keep asking for more of that triple bottom line: people, planet, and prosperity. - L. A. Strohm

Sustainable Cities - The Role of Local Governments

Local governments are a little challenged these days, worried about their budgets, or gangs, or fundamental infrastructure. So who has time to worry about sustainability? It's a concept out of the comfort zone, cities don't even know what department ought to be paying attention to sustainability. Does it fit in environmental health or public works or the building department? What the heck is a climate action plan anyway, and who is going to train "green building" inspectors? Whatever sustainability requires, if it takes money. it'll have to wait.

But those who have been pestered by citizens or prodded by enlightened leaders have pursued progress in the sustainability direction anyway. Some cities have signed the Urban Environmental Accords and the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement initiated in Seattle. These lay out progressive steps for cities, making the path clearer. Some cities are working with the international non-profit called "Local Governments for Sustainability" (www.iclei.org), which offers a good toolbox to help cities figure out how to do this. Others hire consultants experienced with measuring local carbon impacts and constructing Climate Action Plans.

So what things can cities and counties do to advance a sustainability agenda? Here's a start: Local governments can set the example when they

1. Conduct energy audits of the buildings they own and take steps to make them more energy efficient. These include switching out old fashion florescent lights for smaller modern ones (this alone saves a lot of money in utility bills); older exit signs and exterior lighting for LED versions; weather-striping; and installing programmable thermostats and room lighting sensors.
2. Reduce their own water use and waste generation by installing simple water-saving devices and appliances inside and out, reviewing standard procedures for possible improvements, and auditing their waste stream practices, by for example, setting all copy machines to print double-sided.
3. Develop green procurement policies and practices. Buy recycled content paper, non-toxic carpets and paints, hybrid vehicle fleets when replacement is due, gardening tools & materials that replace pesticides and artificial fertilizers, green electricity or solar cells.
4. Make a local Climate Action Plan for the whole jurisdiction, finding those big sources of carbon dioxide emissions, and all the small non-point sources, and laying out ideas and steps to take to reduce those emissions city-wide.
5. Develop voluntary green building guidelines, experimental programs developed collaboratively with the whole community, including builders and designers, get this ball rolling. Participate in the local U.S. Green Building Council Chapter (this is a national non-profit which sets voluntary standards).

If every city did all this, we would be very far along the way to local sustainability. Notice that not one of these actions is regulatory in nature. And there are as many savings as costs in that list. It just takes a little passion to pursue sustainability! - L. A. Strohm