2nd Green Revolution » Op-Ed

Are Cities Really More Sustainable?

Eric Wilson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:49:41 +0000

In the most recent Five Friday Facts, Justin provided information on the growth in cities outside the developed world. He points out that increasing populations pose challenges for sustainability. How can we support a global population in denser cities? The argument tends to go that cities are more sustainable since they use less land to provide habitation for people. Unfortunately, these people still consume (in developed countries at least) an inordinate amount of materials. The rise of collaborative consumption may help, but it only delays the inevitable.

I, sitting at my desktop, am not immune. While living in a 30-unit apartment building and “only” owning one car, my family does use fewer resources than if we were in a single family home (suburban, urban, or otherwise). However, there are now 30 families (probably 50 people) living in the space of what was former about three single family homes. That’s roughly 40 more people in a confined space. By building up (the structure is three stories) more people can fit in a smaller space.

The density achieved by apartments, condos, and townhomes means that people tend to use less energy (think heating and commuting) than they would if they lived further apart. However, the increase in population allows for ever greater numbers of people to inhabit a small space and import resources. I cannot, for one, grow my own food in my apartment. I do have a few plants, some of which are edible.

I think what it comes down to, other than behavior, is carrying capacity. How many people can the earth support? Also, what is the cultural carrying capacity (the number of people the earth can support given consumption patterns)? “Cultural capacity is inversely related to the (material) quality of life presumed.” In other words, the greater the consumption – or lifestyle – the fewer people can be supported. Makes sense. If we all consume like Americans, it doesn’t really matter where we live.

[Image source]

Today’s Moment of Zen

Justin Manger — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:46:55 +0000

No, not that moment of zen. This one is closer to the real meaning inherent in that phrase, which has to do with the notion that wisdom (along with compassion) is expressed in the everyday through yourself, people, and nature, if you can reach a certain state of perception. I’m not a practioner let alone an expert, but zen can lead to “holistic perspective in cognition” that allows the person practicing zen to recognize and celebrate “with a stillness of mind, a life of tending toward the concrete thing-events of everyday life and nature.” That’s getting a little over my head, but more can be read here if you’re interested.

Anyway, last week we had snow in Tokyo. The next morning, as I was walking to the train station, the sun had just risen and its rays were warm enough to start melting the light dusting that had fallen on the treetops. Throw in a little wind and the result was a flurry of light snow falling all around the woods while the sun shone in a blue sky on a crisp day. The video below doesn’t do full justice, but does pick up a bit of the atmosphere. Crows can be heard in the background and the whole scene was one of serene calm amid the sprawling suburbs of Tokyo. This is why I walk through the park everyday on my way to work.

While we may have insulated ourselves somewhat from the chaotic and harsh whims of nature and the elements, we have become almost too far removed from it at times. For all it’s destructive and awesome force, the natural world is gorgeous, whether it be at the tiny scale of a lady bug on a leaf or at the hard-to-take-in vast scale of the Grand Canyon. If we are to truly become sustainable, we cannot forgot our dependence on and inseparability from nature. In the precious 3 minutes of calm and quiet I walk everyday through a small park in the largest metropolitan area on earth, that fact perhaps hits home more than ever.

[Image and video from author]

Growing Up in LA

Eric Wilson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:05:12 +0000

A few weeks ago I was talking with another transplant from Los Angeles who also became interested in environmental sustainability. She asked what it was that got me interested in the topic. I told her that I never was big on going outside – not like I am now at least. I’ve hypothesized before on what led me down my current path. More than anything I’ve seen it as an intellectual issue. There is a finite amount of matter (“stuff”) on earth. Her question made me reconsider the role growing up in LA played. Having also lived here in Denver and ending up in the field of environmental education, I wondered whether the decision to work on environmental issues stems from living in LA during my (our) formative years.

To me, LA is an odd juxtaposition of the environmentally conscious and the image conscious. Sometimes these overlap, usually in the instance where being “green” is fashionable. As I stepped into the parking garage at LAX on a recent visit to my parents’, I was momentarily taken back in time. The prime parking spaces were all charging spots, much like the mid-1990s. There in the first two rows I saw about a half dozen Nissan Leafs plugged in (or in some cases just parked in the spots, which are located closest to the passenger pick-up). Next to the line of Leafs was a Tesla Roadster. After I turned the corner, I saw another Tesla. Perhaps it was the second Tesla, which was not parked at a plug that made me think there was chance that electric transport could really take off.

A few days later, while traveling on the highway (the 101 if you must know), I was sandwiched between a Prius and a Ferrari. This epitomizes Los Angeles in my mind. Glitz and green. Here is where the Tesla Roadster really can find its niche, but I digress. It was the conversation with the LA transplant that got me wondering why we went in the direction we did (in terms of our career paths). Currently I’m of the mind that it’s a reaction. A reaction to the sprawl, the smog, and the car. Maybe more so than Detroit, the car is king in LA. Getting around without one is difficult, to put it mildly. The congestion – traffic and pollution – can also be stifling. While the smog is better now than when I was growing up, with the topography as it is, smog just settles in the valleys. I don’t much recall seeing the mountains as a kid. Living in the foothills of the Rockies, there are occasional hazy days, but I never forget that the mountains are there; that wasn’t the case growing up.

All in all, growing up in LA, where we collected cans for the 5 cent deposit to recycle them, led me down this path. I suppose I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s my McDonald’s moment.

[Image source]

Efficiency is not the Key to Sustainability

Eric Wilson — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:20:46 +0000

Justin has written a few posts about the importance of getting outside; one titled “Encroachment” and the other “The Set Aside“. This post follows up, but takes the idea in a slightly different direction.

I realize the title of this post may be heresy, but hear me out. The other day I was in a building that houses several people I needed to talk to for a few seconds each. “Aha!” one might say, “Use email, it’s a great tool for that.” Those people would be right, but in adhering to my “Appropriate Use Policy” I used a different technology, the stairs.

I walked up one flight and dropped in on someone to update them. Since they were on the phone, I left a post-it note with my message. While not ideal, it shows I took the time to drop by. Though admittedly not the most efficient way to contact someone, it builds social capital, something that we’ve failed to cultivate.

Next I walked up 5 flights to follow up on an email chain that had languished for some time. Breathing more heavily than I care to admit (hey, it’s a mile high) I entered another office. In less than two minutes I got an answer to my question, put a face with a name (or more accurately an email address) and got some exercise.

My answer to the efficiency issue is “It’s People!” I’ve used this line before, but not in the way originally intended. Just because it is less efficient (in terms of time) to walk up and down a few flights of stairs and wait for someone who is on the phone, does not mean it is a waste of energy. On the contrary, making the human connection is essential to furthering the goals of sustainability. Ultimately, if we do not realize that we are beholden to one another, then there is little to no incentive to live sustainably.

[Image source]

My Issue with Keurig Coffee Cups

Megan Stilley — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:40:00 +0000

The new rage is K-cups, also known as Keurig individual cups of coffee. Not only do these individual coffee cups have individual packaging that is not recyclable, it also has its own coffee maker that you have to purchase in order to use the K-cups. The idea of these coffee cups bothers me, deep down to my hippie core. Is it really that complicated to make an individual cup of coffee, especially when there are small 4 cup coffee makers and individual french presses?I decided to take a look into the Keurig company and see what they have to say about their glaring sustainability issue. They claim on their website that, “all companies have sustainability issues.” This may be true but not all companies have products that are so unsustainable. They also claim they are diligently working on making recyclable K-cups in order to be more sustainable. Even if they do make recyclable cups, they have to make their consumers recycle the cups, which is an issue in itself.

They also claim, “it’s a challenge to create a K-Cup® portion pack that is recyclable and delivers an extraordinary cup of coffee.” Sustainability is always the last priority, but this is why we have so many environmental, economic, and social issues currently. By not thinking of sustainability with initial development we end up paying the price in the end, or the environment (or our children) pays the price.

Keurig also states, “We are very sensitive about the waste created by the K-Cup® portion packs and are investigating alternative materials. Finding a solution for this is a priority for us, and one we hope to have before long.” I find this hard to believe since their entire product is based off of wasting individual cups every time you make a cup of coffee. If they were really concerned, they would have not made the product in the first place.

Another thing that needs to be noted is if the coffee in the K-cups is even sustainable. Also, all these plastic cups first originate from oil – the most unsustainable product we use today. So please, if you care about sustainability, do not buy into one of these unsustainable contraptions and stick to making individual cups of coffee.

[Image]