ESR102 - Lecture 8

http://web.pdx.edu/~rueterj/courses/esr102-201001/lecture8.html

Lecture 8: Sustainability and Sustainable Food Production February 25, 2010 Agriculture - review of impact Principles of sustainability Innovation Connecting people to their food - CSA Portland Food experiment
1. Agriculture - review on impact nexus of water, soil and energy major portion of water budget substanstial (but not majority) portion of global energy budget amount of land in production image from http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/extinctions-over-population-and-the-profit-paradigm/ of which 40% is seriously degraded (wiki reading on Agriculture) 1/3 of population works in food production (ibid) less than 5% of global aggregate GDPs (ibid)
2. Principles of Sustainability definitions - to be negotiated "sustainable development" sustainable resource - from Norton a. The systems view: a necessary condition b. The philosophy of sustainability active debate between different camps "Grand Simplification" "since we do not know what people in the future will need - and since resources are substitutable for each other - the only thing we can do is to meaures and compare welfare across time." - i.e. increase capital of any forms vs. Norton: intergenerational responsibility choice and freedom to choose the culture will instill meaning - "To project those meanings into the future requires a commitment and also countless day-today acts that express and perpetuated those meanings. It is in this profound sense that sustainable living cannot be relegated to a matter of economic accounting; it is inevitably a process by which community values are articulated through the choice of what stuff to save." c. The "machine" metaphor using words like "dashboards", "levers of change", 2D Venn diagrams Controlling complex systems large amount of energy in overhead d. The "organic" metaphor using words like "grow", "coevolve" notes - Norgaard e. The very difficult path What if sustainability is an emergent phenomenon? can't be taken apart - examples: ants, termites, socially constructed organizations individuals with simple rules that work together to form a larger structure It could be a very difficult path to being truly sustainable. need all the pieces and processes to be in place metaphor of trying to tie up three rafts in the rapids (have to grab it at just the right time) f. Visions for the future Books: Odum, H. T. a. E. C. O. (2001). A prosperous way down: Principles and Policies. Boulder, University Press of Colorado.- notes McKibben, B. (2003). Enough: Staying human in an engineered age. New York, Henry Holt and Company. Websites: Costanza - A Sustainable and Desirable Future Ecotrust - Reliable Prosperity
3. Innovation improvements in products or processes In normal times, copying successful approaches or slight modifications is often the best strategy. In difficult times, innovation is much more important. the rare solutionis more valuable need to promote diversity and risk taking diffusion of innovation - link traditionally word of mouth individual training more recently embed the information in the device or provide training with the process moves through the landscape Innovation requires: protection from being overwhelmed by the mainstream or normal methods including regulations such as BMP information rich environment
4. Community support for agriculture organic farm going out of business CSA solves a problem of labor and capital Real Dirt on Farmer John - at library 52:48 to 64:??
5. Some aspects of the Portland Experiment with Food Summary: many new trials are going on by small groups general public is also very active sets of regulations that are favorable economic situation seems favorable may have the pieces to form an emergent transition to sustainability
5a. List of activities Local food production CSA Farmers markets all through out Portland area using the commons to grow food Philadephia Orchard Project and the map of edibles Portland Urban Edibles and the discussion of ethics Seattle fruit tree harvest Chickens? Portland has highest per capita chicken population article urban chickens blog Tour de Coop - maybe get a job here? Urban Growth Boundary keeps farms nearby - map Walking sheds Walk There! 20 minute neighborhood (or less) Economics buying local food has the highest multiplier because all that money stays local powerpoint Local Multiplier local stores provide gathering places to build social capital
5b. Positive indirect interactions feedbacks and other activities that might help promote these actions biking - shorter trips with lower cargo (although see -->) parks and usable greenspaces that may be used for growing food air and water quality initiatives that make growing food locally safe
5c. Problems that might interfere potential toxics in the environment that gets transmitted to food air soil cost of local food may be higher local income tax base may suffer if people earn less but switch to the barter economy for food, etc. (but Oregon doesn't have sales tax)
5d. Environmental Thinking allowing urban people to get their food from the environment directly such as picking fruit or growing chickens rethink ideas about: public / private land wild / domesticated human (urban) / nature (out there somewhere)