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This week’s reading for the sustainable choices discussion group were centered around the theme of basic ecological principles. Key concepts covered included our ecological footprint as individuals and nations, the measurement of the earth’s carrying capacity, how as humans we typically make decisions in a linear fashion, and how we can choose to look to natural systems for guidance on how we create artificial systems that ideally may then be more cyclical in their manner.
One of the exercises we were encouraged to do was to measure our individual ecological footprint. This can be done at www.myfootprint.org. I have assumed for a long time that I am a fairly environmentally conscientious person, but after having taken this brief survey I am no longer so sure. It is quite shocking just how much of the earth’s resources are required for me alone to live the life that I have thus far. In fact, according to the calculated results of the survey, in order for every person living on earth to live the same way I do (same amount of driving, same type of food consumption, same amount of waste, same amount of living space, etc.) would require there to be 4 more planets! I imagine that there are quite a few generalities made by this survey and so I am mildly skeptical on the results. However, even if it was only half right, it is still a mighty fine piece of humble pie!
I came out of the Choices for Sustainable Living meeting in Salida last Wednesday with a whole new array of thoughts attempting to organize themselves in my head. As I had anticipated, everyone sitting at the table all pretty much agreed with the idea that we must as a society work toward better sustainability. What struck me though were some of the responses to the very first and only question of the evening:
When it comes to sustainability, are you a pessimist or an optimist?
I was recently waiting for a flight at an airport where CNN was being broadcast on a television in the seating area for all to see. I am usually pretty annoyed at perpetual involuntary exposure to audial and visual stimuli but after watching for a couple of minutes I instead nearly felt compelled to stand up on one of the benches and shout out to the concourse world that everyone needed to partake of the news report at hand.
I’ve really enjoyed spending the past couple of years discovering the variety of foods that are grown and raised locally to the Buena Vista area. The higher the percentage of a meal that incorporates local foods seems to add tremendously to the level of satisfaction both in creating and consuming it. In addition to that, actually having met or even befriending the farmer who raised the food makes it that much more real.
Yesterday, my husband and I cooked a meal where almost all of the ingredients came from within a 90 mile range of Buena Vista. Here is what we had:
- Hashbrowns made from potatoes which came from White Mountain Farm in Mosca – San Luis Valley (available at the Mosca Pit Stop gas station on the west side of Highway 17. They are also one of the only organic Quinoa growers in North America)
- Eggs from Weathervane Farm in Buena Vista (available at Guidestone Farm co-op)
- Pork sausage, also from Weathervane Farm
- Biscuits made from home ground white spring wheat berries from Gosar Ranch in the San Luis Valley (look for their organic flour in grocery stores in the San Luis Valley)
A community member recently forwarded this Pop!Cast video clip to me. In it, Thomas Friedman, op-ed writer for The New York Times, speaks about the correlation of the price of oil with the amount of freedom throughout the world. In his remarks he states that we are in essence funding terrorism with our energy purchases. He makes a call for us to redefine green as, “geopolitical, geostrategic, capitalistic, patriotic… green is the new red, white, and blue.”
Regardless on where you stand in the opinion spectrum of this topic, it is well worth the 20 minutes of viewing time to get some additional perspective on issues that will most certainly define our generation.
View the clip here.
