Sustainability A way of life!

Illustration by Kelsey King June 4, 2014 — Editor’s note: The following is excerpted from What Has Nature Ever Done For Us? How Money Really Does Grow on Trees   (2013) by Tony Juniper. In the book the author explores the economic value of nature, pointing to examples of natural services that are (or were) provided for free by nature, and which are being removed at our cost.  Juniper argues that in light of this realization we should stop treating natural systems in a destructive manner. Published here with permission from Synergetic Press.   One bright clear morning in April 1993 I was aboard a British Airways 747 that was preparing to land at New Delhi Airport in India. As the aircraft started its final descent from about 1,000 meters, I noticed vultures. Their broad wings, with flight feathers spread out like a span of long fingers, had taken them to the height of the plane. From this vantage point their incredibly sharp vision would enable them to scan t...

The sun sets behind an oil well sited in the middle of a soybean field in 2008 near New Haven, Illinois, USA. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images For many years, the most compelling issue driving sustainability efforts among businesses, consumers, governments and activists has been climate change. We are all becoming increasingly concerned with the impacts of rising temperatures and extreme weather events on our supply chains, cities, transportation networks, agricultural industries, and lives. We have become increasingly alarmed about the results of burning too much coal, oil and gas; the consequences of excessive emissions resulting from some of the most useful substances humanity has ever harnessed. We have identified our most important struggle – to maintain economic growth while reducing carbon emissions. Because our concern has been first and foremost the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, we have designed and sporadically implemented economic i...

April 26, 2013 — The challenges humanity faces today are perhaps our greatest in history. Over the next 50 years, fortunes will be gained and lost, companies will rise and fall, leaders will come and go. With so much at stake and so much to change, a properly motivated and equipped individual can have a profound impact. No matter where you come from, where you work or what your career path, sustainability gives each of us a unique opportunity to leave our mark. With that in mind, here are six things you must know to prepare yourself for successful sustainability efforts in business. These six “know thys” can help you focus on the right areas, contribute to useful dialogue, convene the relevant players, collaborate for visionary change and deploy resources for lasting outcomes. Know Thy Planet Our planet is an extremely complex system of elements that interact according to the intractable laws of science. But humankind’s heavy footprint has put the planet’s natural sy...

In the wisdom traditions of North America's First Nations people there are many teachings that relate directly to leadership. Two of these are the Twin Trail and the Children's Fire. The Twin Trail reflects a deep understanding of our human psychology, speaking to the primary difference between humans and our animal relatives: the capacity to make moral choices. It was described to me in a challenging encounter I had with my First Nations mentors in 1998. "We would not trust any leader who is not committed to the Twin Trail – the inner trail of self-understanding, self-unfolding, and deepening; the outer trail of having powerful effect in the world. The Twin Trail of leadership is built upon the knowledge that very few humans can survive the accumulation of power without being corrupted by it. Hubris is the greatest challenge of all successful leaders and it grows most powerfully where there is no valuing of the inner trail. The outer trail of having effe...

Cities and Sustainability The world urban population is likely to surge by 72% by 2050; from 3.6 billion in 2011 to 6.3 billion in 2050. It is expected that all of the future population growth will be concentrated around urban areas of less developed regions. Urbanisation is connected to industrialisation, modernisation and sociological practices. Since last hundred years or so people have moved from rural areas to urban to seek quality of life and economic opportunities. People believe that cities offer great opportunity for human life while minimising risks and challenges. Urbanisation has become great challenge of today; it occupies around 2 percent of world’s surface but consumes majority of the resources, it creates environmental, economic and social challenges that are difficult to address and quite complex. In 21 st century, cities have become heart of the planet. Many populated cities are at risks due to climate change. Modern cities are connected through large network o...

Climate Change Policy Response – A Case of China Introduction Global climate change and its adverse effects are a common concern of mankind. Ever since the industrial revolution, human activities, especially the massive consumption of energy and resource by developed countries in the process of industrialisation, have increased the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases, produced conspicuous impacts on the natural ecosystems of the earth, and posed severe challenges to the survival and development of human society (National Development and Reform Commission, 2008) . The ultimate goal of the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change is “stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.” Such a level should be achieved within a “time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, a...

Sustainable World -- Sustainability at Harvard University Supporting and Empowering the Community Having Strong Leadership and Goals Innovating Through Collaboration Fostering Change With Tools and Resources Taking Time to Reward and Recognize

Offshore Membrane Enclosures for Growing Algae (OMEGA) is an innovative method to grow algae, clean waste water, capture carbon dioxide and to ultimately produce biofuel without competing with agriculture for water, fertilizer or land. NASA's OMEGA system consists of large flexible plastic tubes, called photobioreactors. Floating in seawater, the photobioreactors contain freshwater algae growing in waste water. These algae are among the fastest growing plants on Earth.  The algae use energy from the sun, carbon dioxide and nutrients from the waste water to produce biomass that can be converted into biofuels as well as other useful products such as fertilizer and animal food. The algae clean the waste water by removing nutrients that otherwise would contribute to marine deadzone formation. NASA's project goals are to investigate the technical feasibility of a unique floating algae cultivation system and prepare the way for commercial application. R...

Continuing on my previous posts on biofuels, It is great to see that  European Commission announced policy on 17th sepetember to support second generation biofuels such as those based on algae, garbage and agricultural waste after citing concerns of increasing food prices and deforestation   Clean energy sectors face a murky future with solar and wind industries embroiled in recent trade disputes and the European Union moving to restrict crop-based biofuels in its transport fuel mix. But despite these challenges, chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore Edwin Khew says the outlook for renewable energy industries remains positive. Speaking to Eco-Business in a recent interview, Mr Khew said: “If you look deeper, they are all positive happenings for the market and for technology.”   For example, stiff competition and a glut in the solar parts market – which US and Europe solar manufacturers say is due to Chinese f...

Follow on from my previous blog on Is Biofuels our future - This story provides some in-depth in to Algae based biofuel production.... Scientists have, for the first time, identified a number of WA sites capable of producing large quantities of commercial biofuel from microalgae. They say the best sites for big-scale algal biofuel plants include stretches of land south of Geraldton, south-east of Exmouth and large areas near Karratha and Port Hedland. Professor Michael Borowitzka from  Murdoch University ’s  Algae Research and Development Centre  and Assistant Professor Bryan Boruff from the  School of Earth and Environment  at  The University of Western Australia  used geographical information systems (GIS) technology to study more than 2250 km of WA coastline from Lancelin to Broome and 170 km inland. Their report, ‘Identification of the Optimum Sites for Industrial-scale Microalgae Biofuel Production in WA using a GIS Model’, was prepared...

                                                                                                           source: NSW office of biofuels Today there has been much hype on the topic of biofuels. For some it’s an opportunity for new business, creating new innovation or more income through increased agricultural activity. Many governments recognise biofuel as “sustainable energy source” versus some as a way to move away from                                                 dependency on oil reach countries. Fossil fuel creates so much of carbon dioxide and pollutes our air and affects human’s livelihood....