sustlivingnew
TRANSCRIPT
Sustainable LivingSustainable Living
A global and personal perspectiveA global and personal perspective
Think globally – act neighborlyThink globally – act neighborly
Sustainability is….Sustainability is….
… providing for the NEEDS of ALL people alive today, without jeopardizing future generations.
and we know that….
… providing for the NEEDS of ALL people alive today, without jeopardizing future generations.
and we know that….
….we know that…….we know that…
…there is a difference between human wants and human needs.
• Gandhi said that the world could surely provide for the needs of the many but not the greed of the few.
Okay, but I’m a sinner…..Okay, but I’m a sinner…..
How do I know if something is sustainable?
The Sustainability Triangle The Sustainability Triangle
The quest for sustainability
Economic Environmental Vitality Integrity
Social Equity
Perspective Perspective Perspective Perspective
Sustainable Living…..Sustainable Living…..
So, what is the problem?So, what is the problem?
World PopulationWorld Population
16
15
14
13
12
11 Billio
ns
of p
eo
ple
?
?
?
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
02-5 million
years8000 6000 4000 2000 2000 2100
Hunting and gathering
Black Death–the Plague
Time
Industrialrevolution
Agricultural revolution
B.C. A.D.
Two problems….Two problems….
•Too many people•Impact per person•Too many people•Impact per person
Ecological Footprint: A measure of the “load” imposed by a given population on nature, or the land necessary to sustain resource consumption and waste discharge.
Our Ecological Footprint, by M. Wackernagel and W. Rees
Water Shortages Water Shortages
Major global problem areas
And the big one!And the big one!• Humankind expends in one year an amount
of fossil fuel that it took nature roughly a million years to produce.
What do we do with all the stuff?What do we do with all the stuff?
What do the scientists say?What do the scientists say?
• 1972 – Limits to Growth is published by
D. Meadows et al.
MIT systems modelers take a look at the future resulting in lots of debate
World3 – MIT Computer ModelWorld3 – MIT Computer Model
A computer model of the world including data on:• Population
• Food production
• Pollution
• Natural resource use
• Industrial growth
The “standard” run The “standard” run
• What happens (according to World 3) if we “just “keep on keeping on”….
well, then….
World 3 the “standard” runWorld 3 the “standard” run
World 3 the “standard” runWorld 3 the “standard” run
But what if “resources double”But what if “resources double”
We’ll find more oil!
The “doubled resources” runThe “doubled resources” run
Other “what ifs”…Other “what ifs”…
• Increasingly effective pollution controls
• Increasing agricultural production/acre
• Effective soil erosion controls
• More efficient resource use (technology)
All these help, by either “delaying or softening the pain somewhat.”
Results of other “what ifs…..”Results of other “what ifs…..”• Possible scenarios
?
What works?What works?
Three major changes make huge differences:
• Two children per family and,
• Reasonable industrial output (stuff) or, “enough is enough!”
• We invest in new sustainable technologies.
Well, then….Well, then….
Well, then….Well, then….
What do the scientists say now?What do the scientists say now?
• 1972 – Limits of Growth – lots of debate!
• 2004 – Limits to Growth – 30 Years later– The model is “mostly” correct, so far…. – And, we still have a choice!
So, what do we need to do?So, what do we need to do?
1. Two children per family
2. Enough is enough!
3. Appropriate and efficient new sustainable technologies
Is this possible?
What prevents us from making the shift?
… maybe selfishness
… maybe greed
… maybe ??????
… maybe selfishness
… maybe greed
… maybe ??????
Well…..Well…..
One of the problems is the way we think about the world!
Our “mental models”
One of the problems is the way we think about the world!
Our “mental models”
“The problems that we have created cannot be solved at the level of thinking that created them.”
-Albert Einstein
Why do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over?Why do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over?The “iceberg” model of systemic relationships
is a simple tool to understand root causes.
Lets look deeper…..
Events
Events
Patternsof Behavior
SystemicStructure
Mental Models
Systems thinking looks below events and patterns of behavior
Systems thinking looks below events and patterns of behavior
Events
Patternsof Behavior
SystemicStructure
Mental Models
We need to look deeper than events…. We need to look deeper than events….
Non-sustainableaction
Non-sustainablePattern
Non-sustainablestructures
____
Non-sustainableMental Models
Events
Patternsof Behavior
SystemicStructure
Mental Models
We need to look deeper than events…. We need to look deeper than events….
Plastic water bottle that is used once
Convenience, non-responsibility
Systems that make plastic bottles “cheap”
____The world is organized as a linear throughput of material!
Here’s a mental model...Here’s a mental model...
NaturalResources
Goods andServices
Pollution, Waste and Environmental
Disturbances
The world is organized as a linear “throughput” of materialThe world is organized as a linear “throughput” of material
Water bottles that we use onceand will last for a thousand yearsWater bottles that we use onceand will last for a thousand years
Non-sustainable
action
Non-sustainable
action
Non-sustainable “action”Non-sustainable “action”
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
S
Like lots of water bottles!Like lots of water bottles!
Non-sustainablepatterns
Non-sustainablepatterns
Create NS StructuresCreate NS Structures
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
S
Non-sustainable
Structures S
Non-sustainable structuresNon-sustainable structures
Create NS Mental ModelsCreate NS Mental Models
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
S
Non-sustainable
Structures S
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
S
Which creates a Reinforcing Feedback LoopWhich creates a Reinforcing Feedback Loop
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
S
Non-sustainable
Structures S
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
S
S
R
Feedback loops are powerfulFeedback loops are powerful
• We know about “vicious” cycles– You hit me…. I hit you harder…. You hit me harder…. I
hit you……
– Hate breeds hurt - hurt breeds hate…hate breeds hurt….
– I feel bad so I “take something” – I feel better for a while, but then….. I feel bad, so….
Reinforcing feedback loops are powerfulReinforcing feedback loops are powerful
But, with these loops, eventually…
Something always happens…..
Lets call it “something to learn”Lets call it “something to learn”
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
Something to
Learn
It is often painful!It is often painful!
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
Something to
Learn
Pain and
Confusion
We can get stuck here!We can get stuck here!
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
Something to
Learn
Pain and
Confusion
Defensive
behavior
The way out is through acceptance followed by wonder and awe….
The way out is through acceptance followed by wonder and awe….
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
Something to
Learn
Pain and
Confusion
Wonder and
Awe
Wonder and awe allows us to try something new
Wonder and awe allows us to try something new
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
Something to
Learn
Pain and
Confusion
Wonder and
Awe
Change
A new reinforcing feedback loop A new reinforcing feedback loop
Sustainable
Action
Sustainable
Pattern
Sustainable
Structures
Sustainable
Mental Models
R
Wonder and
Awe
We have a choice!We have a choice!
We can find our way out of these loops through pain and confusion - and eventually we will!
or….
We can choose to create sustainable reinforcing feedback loops through…
1. voluntary small actions …and
2. changes in mental models….
Non-sustainable
Action
Non-sustainable
Pattern
Non-sustainable
Structures
Non-sustainable
Mental Models
R
We can begin either with action or mental modelsWe can begin either with action or mental models
Change
this
Or
This
Because thoughts create actions create thoughts create…..
Because thoughts create actions create thoughts create…..
actions thoughts
Here’s the good news!Here’s the good news!
We can choose to create a new world through sustainable reinforcing feedback loops...
But how?
Virtuous feedback loops can be just as powerful as the vicious onesVirtuous feedback loops can be just as powerful as the vicious ones
Through small actions, like…
– Adding worms to your compost– Smiling– Holding the door open for someone– Changing a light bulb– Making salt (April 6, 1930)
Spirals of change begin with small actsSpirals of change begin with small acts
Change a light, save the world!Change a light, save the world!
…SMALL acts can begin a journey toward….…SMALL acts can begin a journey toward….
…..big shifts in consciousness..…..big shifts in consciousness..
Can small ideas or actions cause big effects?Can small ideas or actions cause big effects?
Well, how about a single word, like….
YawnYawn
Spirals of changeSpirals of change
Cycles of hope
What’s this got to do with me?What’s this got to do with me?
• Well the truth is, you and I choose to live in a way that will eventually result in collapse.
We are the problem….We are the problem….
• I belong to the 20 percent of the world’s population … that uses 67 % of the planet’s resources and generates 75 percent of its pollution and waste.
Barbara Kingsolver
Small Wonder
But what can I do?But what can I do?
Choose your own actionChoose your own action
Lets start with food….
- Eat local foods- Take kitchen wastes to a compost- Make a worm compost in your kitchen
(or dorm room)- Recycle and reuse what you can- Join a CSA (a what?)
Lets start with food….
- Eat local foods- Take kitchen wastes to a compost- Make a worm compost in your kitchen
(or dorm room)- Recycle and reuse what you can- Join a CSA (a what?)
Community Supported Ag
Somewhere near you, I’m sure is a farmer who desperately needs your support…..
From… Small Wonder
Community Supported Ag
Somewhere near you, I’m sure is a farmer who desperately needs your support…..
From… Small Wonder
It takes a village…. It takes a village….
Community Supported Agriculture (www.buylocalfood.com)
Food….
The average food item set before a U.S. consumer traveled 1300 miles to get there.
Transporting 5 calories’ worth of strawberry from California to New York costs 435 calories of fossil fuel.
So, what do I do?
Food….
The average food item set before a U.S. consumer traveled 1300 miles to get there.
Transporting 5 calories’ worth of strawberry from California to New York costs 435 calories of fossil fuel.
So, what do I do?
Grow a garden!Grow a garden!
… using ecological principles… using ecological principles
PLNTSOIL 398 P – Permaculture Class - Summer
Chickens in my backyard?Chickens in my backyard?
Start small….Start small….
The unheated hoop houseThe unheated hoop house
Bees are very busyBees are very busy
And while you are a student ?
- Demand local foods in the dining halls- Don’t take more than you can eat- Avoid fast foods
and….
- Join a student garden….
And while you are a student ?
- Demand local foods in the dining halls- Don’t take more than you can eat- Avoid fast foods
and….
- Join a student garden….
What else could I do?• Change a light bulb• Turn off the water when you brush your teeth• Return the packaging to the store• Turn off the lights when you leave the room• Ride a bike or walk• Learn to listen• Join the Great Turning!
Okay, so what else?Okay, so what else?
• Well, why not do one simple thing?
– Like….
Compact Fluorescents save energyCompact Fluorescents save energy
Turn off the computer!Turn off the computer!
Fair Trade CoffeeFair Trade Coffee
What about hemp?What about hemp?
Plastic Bag DrierPlastic Bag Drier
Waste = FoodWaste = Food
Worms in the basementWorms in the basement
The worms love it hereThe worms love it here
And even here….And even here….
….the dorm room model ….the dorm room model
The new worm condoThe new worm condo
And outdoor compost tooAnd outdoor compost too
Compost collection in my officeCompost collection in my office
And wood heatAnd wood heat
Energy Efficient AppliancesEnergy Efficient Appliances
Use the sun to dry your clothesUse the sun to dry your clothes
Returning the milk bottlesReturning the milk bottles
The big decision!The big decision!
Spirals of change begin with small actsSpirals of change begin with small acts
Sustainable LivingSustainable Living
Joanna Macy invites us all to join in “the great turning”.
Do I really care?Do I really care?
The surveys say we care!
We say we care about family, people, nature, and good food – but…
…we eat fast food and toss out the wrapper.
The surveys say we care!
We say we care about family, people, nature, and good food – but…
…we eat fast food and toss out the wrapper.
Lack of sanity is…
Saying one thing and doing another…
When our core values are inconsistent with our daily actions – we are no longer sane.
- I know…..
Lack of sanity is…
Saying one thing and doing another…
When our core values are inconsistent with our daily actions – we are no longer sane.
- I know…..
Who will lead the way?Who will lead the way?
•Politicians?
•Corporate leaders?
•People!
Who thinks and acts in “sustainable time
frames?
Who thinks and acts in “sustainable time
frames?
Who will lead the way?Who will lead the way?
Time horizon for thinking and planning
Time horizon for thinking and planning
•Corporate Leaders
= 3 months
•Politicians
= 2 - 4 years
•Child born in 1980
= 75 years
But, I’m only one person…. But, I’m only one person….
What can one person do?…
And …….. And ……..
I am awesome……
Perhaps….
it is not necessary
to do great things….
…..just small things
with great love.
Mother Teresa
Barbara Kingsolver wrote in Small WonderBarbara Kingsolver wrote in Small Wonder
Our revolution will have dancing and excellent food!
To learn more…..
join us!
To learn more…..
join us! HONORS 397I – Leadership for Social Change - WinterPLSOILIN 265 – Sustainable Ag – FallPLSOILIN 285 – Sustainable Living – SpringPLSOILIN 298G – GardenShare – year roundPLSOILIN 397S – Dialogue on Ag IssuesPLSOILIN 389P – Permaculture - SummerPLSOILIN 597S – Ag Systems Thinking – Spring
www.livingroutes.orgwww.livingroutes.org
AustraliaBrazilIndiaMexicoScotlandSenegalShutesbury, MA
AustraliaBrazilIndiaMexicoScotlandSenegalShutesbury, MA
Please call me to chat….
Please call me to chat….
http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/