Resilient Cities; Day 1

My brain hurts, but in a good way. I think. Today's conference on Resilient Cities was inspiring, sometimes mind-bending, and almost always interesting. Except for the part where I had to listen to Portland's competitive advantages in clean technology - manufacturing hub and young workforce, in case you're interested - but that was quick and over within minutes. What became apparent throughout the day is that the entire West Coast is alive with 'The Greenest this' and 'The Most Sustainable that'. As more than one presenter noted, it is a healthy competition that will hopefully raise the bar ever higher. All of us have the opportunity to leverage each others' knowledge and resources, which is in fact required if we are to execute large change rather than small incremental steps. No need to reinvent the wheel folks.

The highlight of the day, and I think I speak for everyone, was Paul Hawken's talk on all things city-ish and sustainable. This man is brilliant, in case you hadn't heard. He takes a few minutes to warm up but once he does you can only stare and hope not to miss a single word. He spoke on the complexities of cities (food and water in, waste out), and on the relationship that cities have with the Earth; cities need the Earth, but the Earth doesn't need cities. What does need cities though, is civilization itself. It really puts the 'who needs who' relationship into perspective and begs some obvious, and rhetorical, questions. He also spoke about the role that cities play in population and birth rates, a link that I had not considered before. As people migrate from rural to urban settings, birth rates fall as access to health care improves, education improves (particularly for women), and the costs to raise a child increase. In dense urban areas birth rates are actually falling below replacement, and according to Hawken the world population will level off at 9 billion, and then start to decline, as more and more people leave rural for urban life. This isn't exactly bad news, but its not good news either. All it means is that population will take care of itself after all. Phew.

That still leaves us with the immense issue of energy consumption, and the picture isn't as rosy. Everything takes more energy to do than it used to. Where oil was once literally spilling out of the ground, it now takes tons of energy and water to extract (read tar sands). Resources that were once easily accessible and plentiful are now becoming more difficult to access, and it's only going to get worse. Did you know that it takes 2 barrels of oil to get 3 barrels of oil from the tar sands? The ratio used to be 1:50.

The pivotal moment for me in his speech was when he referred to the fact that those of us who 'get it' - who see the world as an interconnected web - can't go back. We can't go back to living the way we used to once it happens. We can't go back to ignoring the signs, and we can't go back to viewing the world as unconnected. That moment, when it happens, is different for everyone, but its when you realize that what you eat affects you, your neighbour, and the family living in South America. That how you live affects your physical and mental health, and those of the people you meet on the street. And finally, that what you consume affects the Earth and us all.

My Fav. Loser Cruiser Moment is...

...when I need to go somewhere new on the bus, somewhere I have never tried to get to before, and an internet search reveals there is a bus that stops out front of my house and drops me off where I need to be. No transfers, no waiting, just door to door service. Pure ecstasy I tell you! It is like Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. Actually, Thanksg

Taking the bus kind of rocks. Every trip I take, I feel incrementally more sustainable. It's really quite good for your soul. It's also less stressful, and nothing beats having a chauffeur drive you around. Better yet, he doesn't require a tip.

Meatless

I read somewhere a while back that a meat eater riding a bicycle is more harmful to the environment than a vegetation driving a hummer. While I can't confirm the validity of that statistic, it does illustrate the significant impact of consuming meat products. The UN reports that 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from meat production, which is more than global transportation. I know. Crazy. To be a friend of the planet, eat less meat. Who knew.

So, um, starting now, I'm a vegetarian. Except on special occasions. Thanksgiving being one of them. I have been dreaming of (organic) turkey for weeks now; a big juicy warm bird, stuffed with stuffing and baked (organic) squash. Yum. That, and my mom would kill me for making family gatherings so damn difficult. Oh, and I have serious reservations about the taste of tofurkey.

For a fun little article, see here: http://www.dothegreenthing.com/actions/easy_on_the_meat/why

For a more serious article, see here: http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0612sp1.htm

Hello World

For years I have wanted to start my own blog, but always thought it was a bit cheeky and a slight waste of time. That, and I didn't know what to write about. But now, through sheer brilliance (and a bit of boredom) I have found my topic. It's going to be about me (no surprise there) and sustainability (again, you could have guessed that). More specifically, it's going to be about my quirky stories on how to be, or at least try to be, green and sustainable. If this helps even just one person, excluding me, I'll be grateful.

The inspiration has come from a couple of sources. I picked up a book recently called 'Mom, will this chicken give me man boobs?' by Robyn Harding and rejoiced to see that according to her subtitle, she too was confused, guilt-ridden, and stressed out trying to raise a green family. I could have sworn it was a book written by my other self about the difficulties of being green; though I should note that she has two kids and a husband, and I do not. I do have two dogs though, but I don't think my green choices have much impact on them. They didn't jump for joy when I brought home the organic dog beds, nor the organic dog toys, though I do sense a bit of excitement over the non-medicated raw dog food (I assume it tastes better). You should know that going green for your doggie(s) will break the bank, so undertake at your own peril.

The second source of inspiration is due to my excitement at having finally found a face cream that is good for me and the environment. The skin care uses a process called biodynamics http://www.organicmakeupandskincare.com/blog/2008/05/what-is-biodynamic/, and the two lines I have found that use it are Tautropfen and Dr. Haushka. Whole Foods gave me a sample pack of the Tautropfen to take home, and as that tree as my witness, I watched the wrinkles disappear and my skin sigh in happiness. It is nothing short of a miracle. I suspect it might also break the bank, but my moto has always been: 'I've only got one body to last me the next 70 years, so I had better treat it like a shrine'. Okay, 70 years is a tad optimistic, but truthfully, what is the one asset that you are going to own your entire life? Your body.