food & energy: sustainable & renewable
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Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable. Social. Bearable. Equitable. Sustainable. Economic. Ecological. Viable. Renewable. A resource is renewable if: It can be replenished by natural processes at a rate equal to, or faster than, its rate of consumption One must consider if: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable
Social
Ecological EconomicSustainable
Bearable
Viable
Equitable
Renewable
A resource is renewable if: It can be replenished by natural
processes at a rate equal to, or faster than, its rate of consumption
One must consider if: Energy resources are renewable? Agricultural resources are renewable? Water resources are renewable?
Sustainability
Sustainability is a much more difficult term to define and has many connotations
1987 Brundtland Commission* defined sustainability…“to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
*United Nations. 1987."Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development." General Assembly Resolution 42/187, 11 December 1987.
Sustainability
The 1987 Brundtland definition is often adapted for a variety of purposes
Sustainable development Sustainable agriculture Sustainable communities Sustainable energy
Three Pillars of Sustainability
Social
Ecological EconomicSustainable
Bearable
Viable
Equitable
The three pillars of sustainability are social, Ecological and economic.
Ecological Pillar
Management of human consumption Energy Water Food Materials and waste
Environmental management Air/atmosphere Water (freshwater & oceans) Land use
Economic Pillar
Address decoupling of environmental degradation and economic growth(avoid growth that depletes ecosystem services)
Account for value of ecosystem services
Recognize economic opportunity while integrating with ecological and social concerns
Social Pillar
Enable peace, security and social justice to decrease poverty, to allow for equitable resource allocation and to promote human rights and gender equality
Support human settlements to create self-reliant communities
Three Pillars of Sustainability
Earth
Life
Environment
Sustainability requires a holistic approach
Social
Ecological EconomicSustainable
SustainabilityQ: Must something be renewable to be considered “sustainable?” A: YES, if a resource is renewable, if it can be replenished at a rate equal to or greater than it is being used, then it is sustainable!Q: Must something be sustainable to be considered “renewable?” A: NO, renewable resources can be exploited, resulting in environmental degradationQ: Are all renewable resources sustainable? A: NO, for example: A large hydro dam may provide renewable power, but it might drastically alter the environment and displace human populations
Renewable and Sustainable Resources
Photos by B. Ballard
Renewable and Often Sustainable
Photos by P. Hofmeyer
Renewable and Rarely Sustainable
Large Hydro: Hoover Dam [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Irrigated & fertilized corn field [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Non-renewable and Not Sustainable
Coal extraction [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Slash-and-burn [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Sustainability
Are humans living sustainably?
In order to be sustainable, the Earth’s resources must first replenish themselves equal to our consumption rate
Sustainability Continuum
WindSolarWaste biofuels
Crop rotationNo tillNo fertilization
Micro hydroLow enthalpy geothermalDedicated bioenergy crops
Crop rotationSparing use of Fertilizers/pesticides
Large geothermalLarge HydroDedicated bioenergy crops
Monoculture farmingIntensive pesticidesIntensive herbicides
Natural GasNuclearCoal and Oil
Slash and burn agriculture
Most sustainable Least sustainable
Sustainability: What can you do?Two areas in which to improve the sustainability of your lifestyle:
Transportation: Reduce/eliminate fossil fuel use
Diet: Eat food produced locally
Sustainable Food ConsumptionThe mean distance for fruits and vegetables to get onto my dinner plate is 1,494 milesThis is not including imported fruits and vegetables like pineapples, artichokes, kiwis, mangoes, and so on.
Source: Leopold Center report “Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions”, June 2001.
Buy local, eat local, plant a garden and support a local
farmer
Photos by B. Ballard