live
OneWorld
sustainability special issue
Saint Louis University • Earth Day 2010
STAFF Managing Editor Lauren Hashiguchi
Senior Editor Johanna Hemminger
Graphic Designer Kelcey Towell
Design and Photography Director Neelaysh Vukkadala
International Section Manager Tyler Porth
Local Section Manager Libby Fischer
Research Editor Allison Reilly
Layout Design Team Stephanie Kunz
Online Development Stephanie Kunz Luke Gatta
Copy and Content Director Swathi Chidambaran
Outreach Coordinator Rachel Dratnol
Founder and Visionary Jesse Sullivan
Cover photo by Andrea Bricco/Getty Images
Our Mission Statement We are already one, but we imagine that we are not. OneWorld exists to rediscover that, while we are many in our cultures, religions, and struggles, we are one in our common humanity. We yearn to remove the barriers of ignorance and injustice, because the most basic and unchanging truth that unites us is the infinite value of the human person. OneWorld emphasizes this unity by raising awareness of social injustice, inspiring action, and transforming our hearts, minds, and society. Dear Readers: Liberation theologians state that the way to approach injustice is to “observe, judge, act.” This too is how Live OneWorld approaches social justice. In our pages we present information about the world so that readers can analyze it and form their own judgments. This is only part of the process. As students, business leaders, investors, teachers, policymakers, consumers, and citizens of the world, simply taking note of the damages that non-sustainable practices have on our planet and its population is not enough. It is our duty to integrate the practice of sustainability into the fabric of our work and actively confront non-sustainable practices. This issue is dedicated to sustainability in all aspects of our lives and work and is published in collaboration with the Center for Sustainability. The paper used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which means that the wood used for production was harvested in a manner that meets standards for managed forests. Live OneWorld supports the elimination of negative consequences of logging like habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples, and ecosystem destruction. Live OneWorld deeply values the care and guidance we receive from our mentors, advisors, and supporters. We extend Jason L. Young, OneWorld’s staff advisor, our deep and genuine gratitude. We would also like to thank Tim Keane of the Emerson Ethics Center and the Center for Sustainability for his support, guidance, and efforts to advocate for sustainability through education and advocacy. This magazine is printed with the support of the Center for Sustainability. Special thanks to Kelcey Towell for her innovation and incredible graphic design work. We thank Kent Porterfield and Student Development for their support. Michelle Lorenzini continues to be a source of guidance. We would also like to thank Campus Progress and our CP advisor David Spett, to whom OneWorld owes much of the improvements it has made in the past year and a half. OneWorld is able to touch our community because of the network of support we receive from our network of mentors, supporters, and the Saint Louis University community, who are committed to pursuing lives of service for others. Live OneWorld, Lauren and Johanna
Corniche Gloss is an FSC Certified Paper. Printed using Soy Based Inks.
table of
CONTENTS
FAQs about the Center
The Candidate’s Experience
Masters of Sustainability
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders
What is Sustainability?
A
B
C
St. Louis Earth Day
Peri-Urban Farming
Green Takes a Little 14 Going Green 16 First Comes Energy 18 The Cost of Paper Wreckage 4 6 8 10 11 12 13 20 From Regrowth 24 Refreshing a Community 28 Sustainability in Action Environmental Sustainability in 30 Developing Nations A. Citizens of Set Net, Nicaragua view the newly installed windmill in their town for the first time. Photo by blueEnergy Group. B. A happy customer of Urban Cafe. Photo by Claire Wolff. C. A child amputee sits up in her hospital bed in Jacmel, Haiti. UN Photo
Published with support from Campus Progress/Center for American Progress (online at CampusProgress.org).
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sustainability
what is
by Johanna Hemminger
The term “sustainability” is frequently mentioned today, somehow applying simultaneously to economic development, the environment, the functionality of common institutions, politics, other fields.examples We know and from various he term sustainability is Furthermore, it seems to be applicable on any sort of scale: one can refer that planning for the future has frequently mentioned to the sustainability of urban today, Beijing, for example, or the sustainability become a necessity. China’s masapplying on simulof a somehow student organization a college campus. This broad concept was industrial revolution in the lattaneously economic develop-in 1987sive packagedto into a single definition at the United Nations World ter part defining of the twentieth century ment, the environment, the funcCommission on Environment and Development, sustainability led to current problems of low as “meeting the needsinstitutions, of the present without compromising the ability tionality of common quality and that pollutionof future generations meetfields. their own air needs”; butlevels what does politics, business, andtoother mean in the world now, twenty-three years later? related deaths. Several organizaFurthermore, it seems to be ap-
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tions’ establishment of institutions plicable on any sort of scale: one like schools sub-Saharan Africa can thevarious sustainability ofthat planning Werefer knowtofrom examples for the in future crumbled due to a lack of thought urban Beijing,a for example, or the has become necessity. China's massive industrial revolution thinking of problems about the necessiin the latter part the twentieth centuryinled to current sustainability of aofstudent organities to keep Several the programs running. of lowon air aquality levels and pollution-related deaths. zation college campus. This organizations' establishment of institutions like schools inare faced with the Today, humans broad concept was packaged into sub-Saharan Africa crumbled due to a lack of thought of results of thesethe non-sustainable a single definition in 1987 at the necessities to keep the programs running. Today, humans are practices as well as the challenge United Nations World Commission faced with the results of these non-sustainable practices as well of incorporating sustainability onasEnvironment and Develop- sustainability the challenge of incorporating with innovative innovative and extensive ment, definingideas sustainability as humanwith and extensive and plans for progress. Will the ideasbring and plans for human prog“meeting the needs the present technologies that areof being introduced today adverse ress.used Willfor the technologies that without compromising effects in a few decades?the Willability the strategies economic are being introduced today bring infrastructural rebuilding a natural disaster, such as ofand future generations to meetafter their effects in a few decades? January's earthquake Haiti,that continue toadverse be beneficial even own needs”. But whatindoes in five years? Will the strategies used for ecomean in the world now, twentynomic and infrastructural rebuildthree years later? Choosing the easiest solution to the problem, or going after the fastest means of development, only works in a fixed slice of time and history. In reality, the choices that we make affect some other aspect of the world, whether it be of an unrelated subject or a different lifetime. Luckily, humans have realized that our decisions do not stand alone: based on this notion of interconnectedness and cause-and-effect, we can work to develop and innovate in a sustainable way that will minimize or eliminate possibilities of later problems, and that will ensure the continuous cycle of change and improvement necessary for the enhancement of humanity and
Choosing the easiest solution to the problem, or going after the fastest means of development, only works in a fixed slice of time and history. In reality, the choices that we make affect some other aspect of the world, whether it be of an unrelated subject or a different lifetime. Luckily, we humans have realized that our decisions do not stand alone; based on this notion of interconnectedness and cause-and-effect, we can work to develop and innovate in a sustainable way that will minimize or eliminate possibilities of later problems, and that will ensure the continuous cycle of change and improvement necessary for the enhancement of humanity and the world on in which we live.
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Today, humans are faced with the results of these non-sustainable practices as well as the challenge of incorporating sustainability with innovative and extensive ideas and plans for human progress.
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ing after a natural disaster, such as January’s earthquake in Haiti, continue to be beneficial even in five years? Will today’s business practices ensure the sustainability of the natural and human world?
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by Elizabeth Fischer and Candace Potter
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arming is arguably the world’s oldest profession. But despite a multi-millennial legacy, it has taken only 100 years for farming to become a small percentage of the workforce. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), from 1900 to 2002, the number of farm workers in the United States fell by more than 90%. As technology, industry, and the service industry have grown exponentially in the past century, Americans have flocked from the farm to the city in search of a higher paycheck and “a better life.” Given that Americans still consume food in these bustling cities, this economic and lifestyle shift has major implications for our lives. What has the mass exodus of ordinary farm workers to cities meant for the food we consume? The growth of American cities has in part been caused by and has in part contributed to the massive expansion of factory farming in the U.S. Tomatoes, a summer crop, look the same when purchased in winter as in the regular months. According to a 2003 study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, “the average conventional produce item travels 1,500 miles, using, if shipped by tractor-trailer, one gallon of fossil fuel per hundred pounds,” making its production and dispersal nonsustainable. The Urban Farming movement has emerged as a response to the nonsustainability of factory farming. Urban Farming, a concept that has been around as far back as the time of the Persian Empire, uses land and resources in a city or metropolis to produce food for people living within that particular urban area. Although urban and peri-urban farming are not new concepts, the growing awareness of the short-
comings of factory farming in the U.S. has led to a renewed interest in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables in or near major metropolitan areas.
Beans, chilies, and turnips freshly harvested from a peri-urban farm in PN. Photos by The Bitten Word
Biver Farms, located just a few miles from St. Louis, is an example of a peri-urban farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture. The farm, started in 1996, works on a co-op system: customers pay in advance to have vegetables delivered throughout the season and this forward payment provides funds for the men to purchase resources in the beginning of the summer. The excess produce is sold at local farmer’s markets, such as Schlafly, Tower Grove, Clayton, and Edwardsville. The farm produces a calculated amount of food, just enough for sales and profit, but not so much that produce is wasted. Saint Louis University sophomore Anna Schuh worked at Biver Farms in the summer of 2009. Schuh’s work not confined to the farm itself; she soon saw that her daily toil directly affected her community. Visiting friends’ houses, she would find the produce she had planted and picked on kitchen counters, ready to be consumed by local people. Schuh’s vision of food itself changed as well. Sustainable farming made her realize “all the work that goes into one potato.” When Schuh looks at her dinner plate now, she imagines all the planting, weeding, grow time, digging, and cleaning that went into each vegetable. She realized, “somebody spent hours picking the food that’s on my plate.” The work she contributed to food production truly came full circle as she became a consumer more aware of her use the land’s products. In accordance with its organic mission, Biver Farms does not use chemical pesticides to control weeds and bugs, but rather employs the use of alternative farming methods. To prevent weeds, the farmers lay straw on the earth blocking excess sunlight.
Instead of using harmful pesticides, the urban farmers deposit deer urine around the perimeter of the farm. Additionally, the farm cycles the crops planted in each plot so as not to strip the soil of nutrients, allowing the land to naturally replenish instead of encourage growth using nitrate fertilizers. Therein lies the beauty of the sustainable farm: an absence of reliance on chemicals and land treatments. By using these natural methods, organic farming is sustainable in and of itself. The lands’ natural cycles and processes become the main focus and a true understanding of the land means money is not spent on chemical pesticides or soil revitalizers. Although the crop yields of these farms are smaller, the produce generated is not chemically plumped or waxed, providing a more fulfilling, more sustainable product for consumers.
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Building Our Next Generation of Leaders...… by Allison Reilly
The idea of sustainability will soon be centralized at Saint Louis University. A new Center of Sustainability has been established. “It’s time to change the way we do business,” said Tim Keane, professor of management and director of the Emerson Center of Ethics. “We’re serious about this.” Keane, the center’s founder, was instrumental in making this center a reality. The Center of Sustainability has three focus areas: education, research and outreach. Keane said that this center differs from others in that the other centers have largely been focused on operations. “[The center] has a practitioner’s standpoint,” he said. “It will be funding research on poverty and social justice, and have a social equity perspective.” The idea for the center and the new masters program got started back in 2008, when the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation several one mil-
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lion dollar grants to universities proposing to start a new master in development practice. Saint Louis University applied for the grant, but did not receive it. Even so, Keane felt that the masters program was something needed at SLU. “This is the direction of society right now,” Keane said. “There was really genuine earnest and a desire to collaborate.” Roobik Gharabagi, Ph.D., head of the computer and electrical engineering department in the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, was one of those willing to collaborate on the program. “The grant was a good motivator,” he said. “We can study what the needs are to create a sustainable society for St. Louis.” This new center is made possible with a grant from Alberici Foundation, a St. Louis-based not-forprofit organization. The foundation will provide five million dollars over the course of the
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next several years toward getting this new center up and running. “It was a real opportunity to give back,” said John Alberici, President of the Alberici Foundation and former member of the Saint Louis University Board of Trustees. “We try to sponsor things that will be good for the community.” Alberici is also the president of Alberici Group, a construction company that incorporates green elements into their projects. “We need [this center] in the world today,” Alberici said. “It’s part of what we’re going to do as a nation.” Along with the new center will be a new Master of Sustainability program, starting in the fall of 2010. The master’s degree is a two-year program where the first year is spent on foundational classes and the second year allows for emphasis on a particular aspect of sustainability. There is a field practicum/internship component as well.
“Sustainability means different things to different people,” said Roobik Gharabagi. “I’m excited about the uniqueness of the program.” Gharabagi also said that this program was originally scheduled to start in 2011. However, the university challenged those involved to bring this to fruition next fall. Keane, Gharabagi, and others set a 20/20 vision for the center and the new masters. One goal was to get 20 students to enroll in the masters program for the fall 2010 semester within the first 20 weeks. Even before this issue went to press, Keane said that over 20 students had already expressed interest in the new program. “We’re excited of the possibilities,” he said. The Center of Sustainability will tentatively be located in Des Peres Hall. Students do not need an undergraduate in any specific field in order to apply for the Master of Sustainability. For those interested in getting involved with either the center or the new masters program, contact Tim Keane at tkeane@slu. edu.
Students can narrow their studies to one of three different tracks: public policy, business and engineering.
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THE MASTERS PROGRAM Master of Sustainability: Building our next generation of leaders…
The Saint Louis University Masters of Sustainability degree program will train leaders to understand the cascading issues surrounding society’s increasing use of our decreasing resources. The cross-disciplinary degree integrates knowledge on sustainable business practices, effective public policy processes and innovative design and engineering approaches. Consistent with Saint Louis University’s mission, candidates learn applied ethical reasoning skills as the foundation for achieving sustainability. So what does “sustainability” mean? Sustainability can be interpreted in a variety of ways, often creating uncertainty when stakeholders discuss potential solutions to climate change, energy consumption and other issues related to protecting the earth’s resources. The definitions below offer clarity, moving from the EPA’s broadest, most commonly understood meaning, to a Dow Jones interpretation specific to a business valuation context. Environmental Protection Agency: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Dow Jones: A business approach 10 | live OneWorld
by Tim Keane, Assistant Professor Management and Director, Emerson Ethics Center by Tim Keane, Director of the of Center for Sustainability
that creates long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks deriving from economic, environmental and social developments. What does the masters program offer graduates?
before 2013. •Growth across industries related to the environment is expected to drive earnings higher for individuals with advanced sustainability competencies.
Saint Louis University in the only university in the Midwest that Graduates from traditional mas- offers the only masters program ters programs frequently end up focused entirely on sustainabilworking just to “make a living”. ity. Saint Louis University offers In challenging economic times, candidates a unique educational they might not find any work experience based in social jusat all. The Saint Louis University tice, stewardship, and service. Master of Sustainability degree Founded in 1818, Saint Louis helps graduates pursue work University is the oldest university that they are passionate about, west of the Mississippi. SLU is while building careers of comconsistently ranked among the passion. Multiple studies have top research institutions in the confirmed that workers with a nation. The University fosters the deep understanding of sustain- intellectual and character develability related challenges and opment of more than 13,000 stupotential solutions will be highly dents on campuses in St. Louis valued in the workplace for the and Madrid, Spain. foreseeable future. •The Bureau of Labor Statistics identified sustainability related skills as critically important across multiple industries. •The Council of Economic advisors reports that “green” jobs are expected to grow faster than any other occupation through 2016. •Industries connected to the built environment are expected to add 8 million sustainability related jobs to the U.S. economy
What can I except as a candidate in the masters program? What can I expect as a candidate in the masters program?
The rigorous course work and field training offered through the SLU Master of Sustainability will enable our graduates to lead the attack on sustainability related issues with an integrated, systems approach to solution development. Year One The unique methodology builds foundational knowledge through core courses that cover general sustainability topics across various disciplines. All candidates go through their first year of the program level core courses together.
Field Immersion Experience Each career track concludes with a field experience designed to immerse the candidate into a practitioner role inside an organization or group that connects to their respective discipline. Who should apply? The multi-disciplinary nature of the Saint Louis University Master of Sustainability degree program invites knowledge sharing, and values a cross-section of educational backgrounds and experiences.
Candidates interested in building foundational sustainability competencies through the degree program will come from: Year Two •Businesses with a focus on sustainability, including entrepreCandidates select a specific “career track” within each participat- neurial enterprises •Non-governmental and noning discipline, including Engiprofit organizations neering and Technology, Public Policy/Social Work and Business. •The public sector Candidates also have an option to build a custom curriculum that supports a broader sustainability practitioner career path.
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Saint Louis University offers candidates a unique educational experience based in social justice, stewardship, and service.
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Individuals with an existing, discipline specific masters degree are encouraged to apply. Exceptionally qualified, upper level undergraduates will be considered based on their demonstrated abilities. The Master of Sustainability degree program will begin accepting applications on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. For more information on the SLU Master of Sustainability degree program, contact: The Center for Sustainability 314.977.3608
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FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the focus of SLU’s new Center for Sustainability? In general, the Center for Sustainability will focus its efforts on research, education and collaboration. The orientation for most Center activities will be highly practical. An aggressive research agenda and innovative education programs will be developed with an expectation that output, i.e. sustainability related discoveries and individual skills, can be transferred to the market in a relatively short period of time. That sense of urgency reflects the belief that the window for fixing the problems we all face is closing. Because we are all impacted by that reality means we must collaborate to reduce the time required to find solutions. Who is involved in the Center? The center will cross traditional disciplinary boundaries to improve existing sustainability programs and create new initiatives. Multidisciplinary teams of researchers, professors, students and external stakeholders will collaborate in delivering solutions to the profound and pressing environmental, economic, and social challenges related to sustainability.
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Sustainability concerns have been voiced for decades. Why is SLU just now launching these initiatives? SLU has been a leader in sustainability for a long time. Our positive impact on redeveloping the St. Louis mid-town area alone has been recognized by civic groups for years. Additionally, individuals and departments have already taken specific actions to address sustainability related issues. Extensive course offerings exist today across campus. SLU researchers have created innovations that will have a profound impact on greenhouse gas emissions through alternative energy products. Our Facilities Services group recently executed a garage retrofit project that significantly reduced our environmental footprint, resulting in: •The equivalent of planting a 185 acre forest •Energy saving equivalent to over one million KWh/year •Saving 91,600 gallons of gas per year •Removing 764 tons of greenhouse gases per year
How does the new Center for Sustainability fit into SLU’s strategy going forward? The new Center for Sustainability can help build partnerships between individuals and groups committed to solving our collective sustainability related challenges. That effort will require coordinated, purposeful communications within SLU itself, as well as with external stakeholders. Additionally, the Center will enable new solution development and the transfer of critically important skills to the market. Through the Center for Sustainability, we have the opportunity to position SLU as a leader in sustainability in the United States, and perhaps even across the globe.
St. Louis Earth Day By Lauren Hashiguchi
and action to support a healthy and sustainable future.” Educational demonstrations and activities allow people to actively learn how to incorporate sustainability into their lives while a host of nonprofits and vendors provide information and innovative, green products for visitors. Also available is healthy, sustainable food for hungry participants. An important group of people also participates in St. Louis Earth Day: artists. Eco-artists attend the festivities to advocate for environmental sustainability through art. Saint Louis University junior, Kelcey Towell, created the winning design for the 2010 Earth Day Logo (pictured). Towell, a graphic design student, applied with over 40 other artists from St. Louis City and was selected as one of 6 semi-finalists. The general public had the final vote and elected Towell’s design for the 21st Annual Celebration of Earth Day. When asked why she chose to design for the Earth Day celebration, Towell responded, “I love designing for non-profits. It is important for artists to share their work with the public and not just a select group of art critics. This ‘green-ness’ is becoming one of the more progressive movements in the country and around the world. To be a part of that movement and to help people become aware of it in such a cool way is very satisfying.”
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or the past 20 years a very special day has been celebrated in St. Louis on the fourth Sunday of April: Earth Day. Earth Day is nationally celebrated on April 22nd. People from around the city flood the Muny Theatre grounds in Forest Park to participate in the annual Earth Day festival, which features activities, stewardship projects, and cultural institutions that help bring the community together with the mission of making “every day Earth Day, cultivating environmental stewardship and engaging individuals, governments, businesses, schools and the non-profit sector in celebration, education
This year the festival will feature exhibits themed on: Energy, Pet Care and Wildlife, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” Arts and Crafts, Wellness, and a Farmer’s Market, to name just a few. Even the transportation will be sustainable. The Earth Day Committee is providing visitors who use public transportation or bike to get to Forest Park and who bring a reusable bag or water bottle with them will receive an eco-friendly prize. Towell says “I want people to go the festival. Being “green” is not just about using special dish soap or ink; if you don’t go out and learn about it and try to live it, then it’s meaningless! It will be fun and will show people how to reduce their carbon footprint and make the world a little easier for everyone to exist in together.” The 21st Annual St. Louis Earth Day Festival will occur on Sunday, April 25th with details at http://stlouisearthday.org.
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Going
green by Allison Reilly
takes a little
The new Chaifetz Arena at Saint Louis University offers sustainable and environmentally friendly components to its structure and operations. According to the Antron Carpet Fiber & International Facility Management Association, a green building is a building “in which environmental considerations are given to design, construction and operation.” Chaifetz is a green building in all three aspects. Mackey Mitchell Associates was one of two architects that designed the arena and have helped to incorporate a few of these green components. “The white roof [of Chaifetz] reflects heat and light,” said John Guenther, principal and project designer with Mackey Mitchell Associates. “It’s better from an energy point of
view.” A white roof reduces energy consumption as it puts less strain on the heating and cooling facilities than a darker roof, Guenther said.
easy access for those who do not have a car.”
constructed building of more than 500,000 square feet.
Another green-design element of the arena is the dual-flush system in the men’s and women’s bathrooms. “We would approximate 250,000 gallons per year domestic water savings, below the Energy Policy Act of 1992 Water Use Limits established for plumbing fixtures, by using dual-flush valve water closets in the men’s and women’s restrooms throughout the facility,” said Paul Todd Merrill, director of sustainability with Clayco Construction Company Inc., via email.
Hale said that SLU is in a perfect location because going east/west we have the Metro link, and going north/south we have the Grand bus lines. For those who choose to drive, another green-construction feature is the use of pre-existing parking facilities on and around campus. “Constructed parking areas were limited, to take advantage of existing parking facilities on campus,” said Reiter. Eight parking lots are designated for the arena. Two of them are the Laclede and OliveCompton parking garages on SLU’s campus and were here before the arena.
Reiter said that some of the buildings in the region that have or are attempting a LEED rating include Cortex, Novus, Corporate Solae Global Headquarters, Washington University- Danforth Student Center, and SLU’s own Doisy Research Center.
The Water Use Limits of the Energy
As for current day-to-day opera-
Policy Act of 1992 set the waterefficiency standard for a dual-flush toilet is 0.8/1.1 gallons per flush.
tions, some green installments include the recycling of all cardboard and light bulbs. Also energy efficient is the HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system. Certification demonstrates that the building is environmentally responsible, but because a building hasn’t been LEED certified does not necessarily mean the building isn’t LEED certifiable.
Clayco Construction was the contractor for Chaifetz as well as the Edward A. Doisy Research Center. Matt Reiter, senior project engineer with Clayco, said in an email interview that SLU and Clayco “have worked together in the past and have developed a tried-and-true working relationship and a great deal of trust”. A green element that’s both a design and a construction feature is its on-campus location. “People can walk and don’t need to drive,” Guenther said. It takes approximately seven minutes to walk from Griesedieck Hall to the arena, incidentally. “SLU is right in the central corridor of St. Louis,” said Sarah Hale, cofounder of SLU Students for Alternative Transport. “There’s relatively
SLU chose not to pursue LEED certification for the Chaifetz Arena. “It does happen from time to time that clients focus on getting the building erected instead of going through the cost-implications with certification,” Guenther said. The U.S Green Building Council’s website on project certification outlines the fees of certification. Fees range from $500 for a construction review of a newly constructed building less than 50,000 square feet, to $22,500 for a combined construction and design review of a newly
The $81 million complex consists of
10,600-seat arena, a practice-play facility and a three-story athletic office building with approximately 100,000 cubic yards of earth cut and filled, 24,000 cubic yards of concrete poured and1150 tons of rebar placed. Guenther said that Chaifetz is a building that is of high-performance and will serve the SLU and St. Louis communities for many years to come. “The green movement is definitely getting stronger, comparing freshman year to now” said Oza. “There’s more awareness and concern.”
First comes energy
Citizens of Set Net, Nicaragua view the newly installed windmill in their town for the first time. Photo by blueEnergy Group. 16 | live OneWorld
then comes the modern world by Michael Cisar
On the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, energy and electricity is inaccessible to more than 75% of the population. As the world modernizes and more efforts are placed into technological development, access to an inexpensive, clean, and sustainable source of energy becomes a necessity; without energy, after all, technology cannot exist. In response to this issue, blueEnergy was started as a non-profit organization by brothers Mathias and Guillaume Craig in 2003. Mathias, an MIT graduate, combined his passion for the Nicaraguan people fueled by his childhood visits to various developing countries with his engineering degree to found an organization that has paved the way for sustainability in these nations. His point of entry: wind turbines. blueEnergy is responsible for low-cost energy innovation that requires an entirely different approach from start to finish. Mathias and his engineers have set their gaze on providing their energy technology (by combining solar and wind power) in remote communities. Rather than manufacturing the turbines in one centralized location, blueEnergy sets up the infrastructure and capacity necessary to produce a turbine, and allows local workers to supply the labor. The community gets power and newly created jobs. Furthermore, the fees collected from private energy use are invested into a community energy fund
to cover operation and costs. The reason this holistic approach to energy is being so successfully implemented is due to the fact that top-down energy development does not work in impoverished nations. The central governments do not have the necessary resources to expand energy services to all areas of the country. Furthermore, the local people do not have the technical skills and background to maintain a high-tech, foreign energy system. Sustainability in this practice has a long way to go, but learning from errors and unexpected events have encouraged its growth and possibility. Developers cannot expect to introduce a project in a developing nation and have it work automatically; they have to teach them to maintain it and invest the energy into positive community projects. If the technology is introduced improperly or incompletely, it would not function properly, at least according to standards of emission, and would harm other aspects of the community in which it is introduced. “Lessons in Bringing Technology to the Developing World,� a podcast aired on November 6, 2009 on Public Radio International, dives into the sustainability of energy projects in developing countries. sustainability | 17
by Megan McCray Talk of hybrid cars, reusable shopping bags, and solar panels dominate public discussion while not enough is said in response to the non-sustainable, destructive industry practices that consumers benefit from. In Teluk Kabung, a small town on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, fierce debates over environmental destruction caused by an uncontrolled paper milling company, Asia Pulp and Paper Company (APP), are quickly moving to the forefront of the political stage. Indonesia, a country of 17,508 islands, hosts the world’s second largest level of biodiversity, and tropical forests cover approximately 60% of the landmass. However, its rich forests are quickly dwindling, and with it the livelihood of the populations who depend on its resources. APP’s reckless clear-cutting has taken both an environmental and human impact. In 2009 Public Radio International released a podcast detailing the damage this company had inflected on about 500 families who live in a village
of Teluk Kabung. For generations, the people of Teluk Kabung have lived and prospered by harvesting coconuts, which they make coconut oil from to sell. Their livelihood depends on the health of the forest and the health of their coconut trees. Since the mid-1980s, APP has used controversial negotiating processes with the Indonesian government to control and clear cut Indonesia’s forests. They control approximately one-fourth of Indonesia’s remaining forests and express plans to create more wood pulp plantations within the next few years. Romain Pirard and Rofikoh Rokhim examined the destructive business practices of APP in a 2006 report, APP in Indonesia: the business rationale that led to forest degradation and financial collapse. Among the dangerous attributes of APP highlighted by Pirard and Rokhim are non-sustainable expansion, neglect to invest in plantation estates in favor of forest conversion, and deplorable negotiating practices with the Indonesian government.
When the Indonesian government grants land to companies, it often includes villages whose population is left with no choice but to leave their homes. A central issue concerning foresting companies is the deforestation of a valuable environmental resource. When part of a forest is destroyed, the insects swarm to adjacent forests and then overcrowd and consume the plants. By 2007 insects had destroyed most of the coconut trees of Teluk Kabung, stripping away what little income the villagers have left. It takes about seven years for a coconut tree to produce coconuts after sustaining damage. Although some trees have been replanted, it will be at least 2014 before the villagers can harvest and sell coconuts again. Furthermore, families have one-tenth of the rice they had before APP clear-cut nearby forests. Irresponsible business and industry decisions have taken a devastating toll on the Indonesian forests and its many dependents. The United Nations initiated a program called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) which offers incentives to developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. Indonesia is of particular interest to REDD not only because of its biodiversity, but also because much of its forest is made of carbon-rich peat. The disruption of peat-filled land releases high amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. In Indonesia, REDD hopes to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases and reduce deforestation. However, many government
Stumps scatter what once was lush forest in Corridor, Riau, Indonesia. Photo by Romain Pirard.
officials are skeptical of this plan.
companies.
Logging and wood pulp plantations are profitable businesses for Indonesia and the financial impact of curbing these industries is a deterrent for reform. Although the need to control irresponsible clear-cutting practices is clear, the government is concerned for Indonesia’s economy, which profits from the logging industry. While REDD attempts to aid countries who make efforts to control harmful logging industries, such actions would not provide as much revenue as the logging industry offers immediately. Currently policy makers are more concerned with the immediate present, not the future.
Environmental destruction for profit is occurring in South America in the Amazon, in Africa in the Congo, in India in the Western Ghats. Our actions today have an impact on the world tomorrow. Will it matter in fifty years if we have beautiful houses but nowhere to put them? Investors and leaders in business must temper market forces with moral considerations when considering investments with companies who practice without regard to negative human or environmental impact. Correspondingly, consumers have a responsibility to actively learn about and respond to harmful business practices. As stewards of the Earth, we need to change our ways if we want to continue living on it. Indonesia’s motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” or “Unity in Diversity,” is something the entire world can adopt and come together under to solve this global problem.
Meanwhile, villagers affected by logging practices call for compensation for damage to the land and their economic viability. They are concerned about the loss of land for future generations. They need food now and they want legal titles to their land to prevent further domination by logging
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By Lauren Hashiguchi
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In addition to this well-managed international fund, partial or complete forgiveness of debt is necessary. The quake radically shifted assumptions about Haiti’s economic growth that were the basis for loans given in the
As international dollars are applied to redevelopment, the flattened cities offer the opportunity to create a city that can support economic and social growth that approaches the benchmarks of a more developed nation. Prior to the quake, Port-au-Prince hosted a slew of haphazardly placed concrete buildings, crumbling streets, and only a handful of traffic signals. Now there is the chance to implement improved building practices and careful urban planning. The new Port-au-Prince may support industry, education and health care centers, sound living quarters, and the return of city life. What is needed further than the replacement of homes will be the development of a well-planned, well-built city.
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A sustainable financial relationship with the international community is a cornerstone of development. Over the next five to ten years, Haiti will require a projected 3 billion dollars.
past. In the weeks following the earthquake Venezuela forgave part of Haiti’s debt; hopefully more nations will follow suit. Haiti cannot repay its current debt as it rebuilds its infrastructure, economy, and societal institutions. Debt forgiveness is a step towards sustainable international relationships and financial partnership.
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Many donors are wary of giving funds directly to the Haitian government, who are notorious for corrupt, mismanaged spending of international aid dollars and who have already accumulated 1 billion dollars in debt prior to the quake. Better coordination among donors and stronger alignment with Haiti’s development plans will expedite and improve the rebuilding efforts. Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University and author of The End of Poverty, calls for a “single, transparent, multidonor recovery fund for Haiti and the world to see,” funded through the Inter-American Development Bank and overseen by a board including appointees by Haitian President René Préval and the U.N. secretary general and donors. This financial board could enforce sustainable, transparent allocation of funds agreed upon by the Haitian government to go towards development. Sach’s proposal complements Hillary Clinton’s assertion that large donors like the US must be partners, not patrons.
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n the months following the quake that rocked Port-au-Prince, aid workers scrambled to treat the wounded, bodies were cleared from the streets, and Haiti’s suffering slowly faded out of the news circuits. As Haiti struggles to meet the immediate needs of over three million displaced people, the work is far from over. Over the next decade, the international community and the people of Haiti will mount a massive effort to rebuild. The destruction is crippling, but from it emerges an opportunity for sustainable redevelopment of a hub city, the economy, and of the already degraded environment. Haiti was already in a precarious state prior to the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, with complete dependence on imports, overwhelming international debt, the centralization of government and industry in Portau-Prince, massive deforestation, and a population of which over half live in abject poverty. The earthquake has created a window of opportunity for sustainable redevelopment.
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Left : A child amputee sits up in her hospital bed in Jacmel, Haiti. UN Photo by Marco Domino. Right: An estimated 50,000 Haitians displaced by the earthquake have pitched makeshift tents on the grounds of the Petionville Club, a golf and tennis resort in Port-au-Prince. UN Photo by Sophia Paris.
A proposed initiative called Business Rebuild, led by Tim Keane of Saint Louis University’s Emerson Ethics Center, lays out an approach that integrates the
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have stripped the land of its forest cover. The result has been increased landslides and flash floods, as well as soil erosion that impedes food production by farmers. Haiti needs massive reforestation efforts to restore the topology of the land. In addition, the introduction of renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy must be introduced in parallel with efforts to reduce the widespread practice of using of charcoal-burning stoves.
near term priorities focused on solidifying partnerships and funding to launch the first project.
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The devastation of the earthquake toppled many building and claimed many lives, but it also leaves an opportunity for sustainable redevelopment that the country has never had the opportunity for. From the ashes of burned grasslands comes new, more vibrant growth. In the wreckage of this natural disaster, Haiti has the chance for substantial growth of its economy and its infrastructure.
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Another consideration it rebuilding a sustainable economy is to introduce factories and industries to Haiti. A US embargo in the early 1990s that aimed to catalyze the democratization of Haiti instead destroyed the meager manufacturing industry. The introduction of factories will provide long-term jobs for Haitians and contribute to the economy. If the Haitian government can remain stable enough, the possibly of introducing factories to Haiti after the initial rebuilding efforts promises to strengthen the weak economy.
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Another aspect of development is the establishment of sustainable environmental practices and the restoration of the depleted environment. A 1997 study by the Inventory of Conflict and Environment of the Mandela Project found that Haiti has only 2 percent forest cover, the result of decades of political instability. Decades of unsupervised land policies and the use of charcoal as a primary source of heating energy for cooking
Finally, the farming economy needs an infusion of aid money for farmers to obtain seeds and other materials needed to begin growing food again. As the environment is restored, alternate energy is introduced, and the reliance on international food donations diminishes, Haiti will come closer to stand on its own two feet.
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Beyond sustainable building practices, it is important to look ten years ahead to the sustainability of the workforce and the economy. Haiti cannot forever remain dependent on the developed world to construct their buildings and streets. Haiti must develop a workforce of skilled builders, which did not previously exist. Prior to the earthquake, Reuters reports that 2/3 of the buildings were unsound; structures that toppled were constructed from stacked concrete cinderblocks and sparse metal reams. Builders who are trained in the practice of constructing sound structures will support the small country in sustained development by leaving Haiti with a workforce capable of sustainable building that will remain after the international aid has been reduced.
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diverse skills and knowledge necessary for sustainable redevelopment in Haiti. The effort requires teams of architects, engineers, building trades unions and academics to collaborate with the Haitian workforce and public sector in the sustainable reconstruction of critical infrastructure and buildings. Beyond the obvious benefits of the reconstruction projects, the most important deliverable for Business Rebuild is a trained Haitian workforce. “In the past, short term profit dominated the business enterprise in developing countries. That inevitably led to exploitive, non-sustainable economic development. Through this collaborative, integrated approach, SLU is hoping for nothing less than redefining the way business is done,� says Keane, a leader who works at the intersection of business and social justice. In partnership with Haitians, Business Rebuild teams from the US would construct high impact, green buildings like schools and health centers. Haitians would be trained in the skills necessary to evolve a middle class. For example, Haitians workers who were only able to secure low-income, assembly line type work in the past, would be trained by Business Rebuild teams to become skilled craft construction workers, engineers, contractors and entrepreneurs in the sustainable building supply chain. Even public officials would learn how to develop and implement sustainable building codes. The Business Rebuild initiative is in its formative stages, with
An elderly woman is seen on the grounds of the Petionville Club, a golf and tennis resort where an estimated 50,000 Haitians displaced by the earthquake have pitched makeshift tents for shelter. UN Photo by Sophia Paris.
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A view of the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo helicopter waiting in a feild. UN Photo by Myriam Asmani.
solution
1. Akka (a) Israel (b) Saudi Arabia (c) Turkey 2. Zaragoza (a) Italy (b) Poland (c) Spain 3. Chemnitz (a) Switzerland (b) Germany (c) Belgium 4. Troon (a) Australia (b) Holland (c) Scotland 5. Husavik (a) Iceland (b) Russia (c) Norway 6. Triesen (a) France (b) Liechtenstein (c) Austria 7. Kisumu (a) Kenya (b) Japan (c) Indonesia 8. Mandalay (a) Myanmar (b) Tobago (c) Macau 9. Zeltweg (a) Germany (b) Austria (c) Sweden 10. Iquique (a) Brazil (b) Chile (c) Venezuela 11. Ystad (a) Finland (b) Portugal (c) Sweden 12. Zagazig (a) Egypt (b) New Zealand (c) Luxembourg
1. (a) 7. (a) 2. (c) 8. (a) 3. (b) 9. (b) 4. (c) 10. (b) 5. (a) 11. (c) 6. (b) 12. (a)
The Doerr Center for Social Justice Education and Research supports the good work of “live OneWorld.” The Doerr Center at Saint Louis University: • encourages dialogue through education • increases knowledge about social justice through research • promotes just social change locally and globally
School of Social Work
3550 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63103 314-977-2734
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REfreshing a Community by Maria Sennet
St. Louis is a city with many hidden treasures. With a total of 92 distinctive neighborhoods, each area contributes its own character to the greater whole of the city, offering jarring contrasts from one to the next. There is history seeping out from every corner, but it is not always easy to find. Oftentimes the deprivation seems to overshadow the beauty that exists. Sometimes it takes some digging through or stepping out of one’s typical routine to find. St. Louis is a unique city and has a lot going for it, but there is no doubt it needs plenty of work. Like in many urban cities, “white flight” and zoning laws have caused large amounts of tax money and legislative influence to move from the city into the county, leading to a declining domino effect. Being an industrial city, the loss of an affluent population within the city limits has played a major role in the deterioration of neighborhoods and school districts, a fact no more obvious than in the Old North neighborhood of St. Louis.
Located just northwest of downtown St. Louis, Old North is one of the many neighborhoods in the city still reeling from this phenomenon. Driving through the neighborhood is an experience in itself, as everything you could imagine in a city that is
@ urbanstudiocafe
suffering is visible along Old North’s barren streets. Amid a row of brown lawns and boarded up windows sits what one can only assume was once a thriving home. There is just one wall, the middle wall, standing alone with slightly burnt floral wallpaper; on either side sits rubble. Almost beautiful in its desolation, this house isn’t even a rarity. In every direction broken windows, caved roofs, and “No Trespassing” signs mark the carcasses of oncenoble homes, many of these structures baring the ironic graffiti tag: “Legacy.” Yet despite the deterioration, symbols of hope still manage to exist. The architecture of these tall, skinny, red-bricked Victorian houses is beautiful. The small details carved into the woodwork of these narrow buildings are awe-inspiring, recalling the neighborhood’s past splendor. While many existing homes are slowly being renovated, new condominiums are also being constructed. Beyond its physical appearance, the neighborhood itself inspires confidence. In Old North it is all about bettering the community. There is Right: A sign hanging outside the cafe welcomes neighborhood patrons. Bottom: Patrons enjoy coffee while supporting the Old North community. Photos by Claire Wolff, Urban Studio Cafe.
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REfreshing a Community a community garden, a Saturday morning farmer’s market providing by Maria healthy freshSennet locally grown foods, and a grocery co-op to open this year. The Old North St. Louis Restoration Group (ONSLRG), a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by neighborhood residents, has organized tours and clean-up days to raise awareness for the plight of the neighborhood all the while working as a community to rebuild itself from within. Currently, the group is working on a $35 million revitalization of a mall strip on 14th Street called Crown Square. It is a project that has gained the neighborhood both national and international reputation as a model for effective community-based revitalization. Since 2007 when the construction began, the area has undergone a dramatic transformation; the buildings are now at the point that businesses have begun leasing and ONSLRG is anticipating that having them there will spark interest and draw more people into the neighborhood. All of this points to one simple truth, the community of Old North cares about its neighborhood.
Across the street from the revitalization project sits Crown Candy Kitchen, a traditional 1920s ice cream parlor with delectable malts—a must-go-to in St. Louis. Further down the street, but still an ice-cream throw away, lays the newest asset to the neighborhood, Urban Studio Café. Having just opened in September 2009, the Café is still looking for more resources and funding. Started by Claire Wolff, a graduate of Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work, the Café is not ones typical coffeehouse, but rather a community-gathering place that hopes to be a catalyst for youth development and community improvement along with a source of strength not only in the neighborhood, but also as a model social venture for other emerging community cafes. Wolff’s initial interest in the Old North area began when she started a summer photography program for St. Louis teens in 2007. When recruiting teens to partake in it, she had a hard time finding any who wanted to get involved. Many asked if they would be paid
for participation, and it was at this point that Claire realized that the community lacked opportunities, both commercial and academic, for teens. Not only did Old North have limited positive outlets for teens, but it also lacked community gathering spaces, local businesses, and job opportunities. Wolff wanted to be a part of Old North’s revitalization, and thus in 2008 the idea for Urban Studio Café was launched.
@ urbanstudiocafe
The planning and development for Urban Studio Café began then, but realistically, the café could not open until sufficient funds were raised. The $30,000 award, received in April 2009 from the competitive Skandalaris Center’s Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, allowed for the realization of this vision. Like any small enterprise in its first year of business, Urban Studio Café is still seeking more financial support; unlike many, it is already bringing in a growing stream of business. As a non-profit and a project of Grace Hill Settlement House, Urban Studio Café is a bit different from typical small businesses in that the profit generated provides for social services including funding for The Urban Studio art programs for youth in the area. The café offers events and programs for the community promoting an atmosphere of creativity and sustainability. Whether interested or not in the coffeehouse experience, Urban Studio Café is a place to check out. With its homey feel, hard wood floors, eclectic furniture and comfortable window seating complete with pillows, you cannot go wrong. The coffee is great, the music is good, and the menu, created specifically with the neighborhood in mind, has a variety of delicious foods that are “accessible” to the adventurous and the not-so-adven-
Urban Studio Cafe provides spport for the Old North community in its charismatic cafe through a wide variety of means. Photo by Claire Wolff, Urban Studio Cafe.
turous eater alike. A wide array of games and books ensures that no patron will ever get bored, and with only four employees, if you stop in more than once or twice, they will probably know your name. If you are a regular, there is even a spot for your mug on a shelf. Urban Studio Café is different from other places. It cares about the neighborhood, and its business plan was specifically crafted to promote a sustainable Old North community. It aims to involve the community in every aspect of its work, whether through employment, the display of artwork or photography on its walls, or as a customer or through the display of artwork or photography on its walls. There is no doubt that the compassion and energy floating around the café is contagious. In the six months it has been open, the Café has hosted
a plethora of events, including art shows, live music, job-skills training, parties, and arts and crafts days, in an attempt to engage the community at as many levels as possible. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed; the neighborhood has responded with positive feedback. Join the many who already drop in from time to time and support a bigger cause in doing so. See Old North St. Louis rebuild itself up to the vibrant urban center it once was. Support a social enterprise that is seeking to foster hope, pride, creativity, possibility, and confidence in the community. Be a part of a positive, sustainable change. Check it out for yourself, grab a cup of joe, and support the mission of Urban Studio Café. Urban Studio Café is located at 2815 N. 14th St, St. Louis, MO 63107 or online at urbanstudiocafe.org.
and staff to innovate in order to provide the world with better solutions. We have a small staff of three people and we utilize outside legal counsel in matters of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We have various sandboxes (intellectual property projects) in our innovation portfolio, ranging from medicines to medical instruments to aviation technologies to the arts. In simple terms, if a member of the university community submits a patentable idea, the university funds that patent expense, commercializes the patent, and shares the royalty revenue stream with the inventor. The inventor’s share is 40 percent of the royal- ties collected. In simple terms, the innovators are owners and have a very attractive incentive to discover the next idea. Your organization may use a different incentive program — ours is by no means the only way —but it is critical that the innovators share as an equity partner in their ideas. The following is an example of how our system works and how you can utilize the sandbox universe for your organization. The Sandbox Universe at Saint Louis University: A Case Study To demonstrate how this construct can help your organization, I thought it would be helpful to show you how we use it at St. Louis University. First, we have an office dedicated to innovation. We call it the Office of Innovation and Intellectual Property. We see our role as a service to the university that inspires, protects, and facilitates our faculty, students,
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We have a rather exciting sandbox, or project portfolio, that we call the sustainable sandbox. These are projects that address creating or enhancing energy efficiencies. Currently, our sustainable sandbox contains several very exciting projects, and I share one here to demonstrate how the sandbox universe construct is used to facilitate the growth of innovation. The project is called Quantum Weather.
Inspiration A light bulb went off in my head! Usually, it’s the other way around when it comes to innovation, but for two researchers at St. Louis University, it was the loss of electricity that inspired them to solve a problem. Dr. Robert Paskin and Dr. William Dannevik, members of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, were both victims of severe power outages in the St. Louis area in 2006. The loss of electricity was due to two devastating storms that left in their wake the largest power outages in the history of St. Louis. Dannevik had previously done research at the University of California’s Lawrence Liverpool laboratory and had explored the possibility of developing a “virtual valley” of weather prediction models for California’s rapidly developing Central Valley. Paskin was watching both storms on radar and realized that with advanced fore- casting models, computeraided information, and a network of weather reporting, he could develop a system that predicted atmospheric conditions much more precisely. Imagination Paskin and Dannevick refer to their innovation as “neighborhood weather” because they imagined predicting weather down to the street level. I remember as a kid being amazed at how on a hot summer day, one side of my street could have rain falling and the other side was bone dry. Now, I
had met the scientists who could tell when that was going to happen. What this meant from an electricity perspective was that if “neighborhood weather” was indeed possible, then the electric company would have a very specific advanced warning system to protect or repair electrical lines when a storm was passing through the area. Sounds good in theory, but will anybody believe this? How many times does the TV weather person get the weather wrong? And now these two scientists think they can predict weather down to the street level 12 hours before the storms arrive? Dannevick and Paskin was now faced with the business of selling Imagination — a job thought to be reserved for the likes of Walt Disney or Steve Jobs. But throwing fear to wind (so to speak), they arranged a meeting with AmerenUE, the supplier of the area’s electricity. To their pleasant surprise, Dave Wakeman, AmerenUE’s vice president responsible for power distribution and repairing the power lines damaged by storms, was more than intrigued. In fact, he was willing to invest in time and equipment for Dannevick and Paskin to achieve their neighborhood weather goal. Innovation Development Over the next two years, Dannevick and Paskin, in partnership with Dave Wakeman and AmerenUE, developed an intricate process and system that would receive, evaluate, and forecast with amaz-
ing accuracy from perpetual information retrieved from strategically placed weather-reporting units high atop the AmerenUE electrical poles. Now, as the patent process cures and continued refinement is being done to broaden the use of the technology, SLU and AmerenUE continue to develop a local model that has already saved AmerenUE substantial financial and human resources, but more importantly has drastically improved the preparedness and repair times, which has kept the lights on in St. Louis. This partnership is a modernday example of how in the innovation generation, universities and industry will collaborate to bring cutting-edge innovation to market. This university-industry model is an underutilized asset in the United States and can be the ultimate competitive edge in the universal marketplace of ideas. Industrialization As this sustainable sandbox emerges onto the marketplace, it is now ready to begin its ascent into the universe. With lofty goals and objectives, the project once known as “neighborhood weather” has been given a new trademark, Quantum WeatherTM, to better communicate the size and scope of the potential impact of the project. In 2010, the expansion of the program will begin to provide a patented national weather system that can be used for commercial, homeland security, and sustainability projects and will redefine the forecasting of weather. An imaginary idea, an investment partner, a patented process, and a purpose with integrity make for great innovation. Stay tuned . . .
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Environmental Sustainability in
Developing Nations
by Kathleen Carson
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By Kathleen Carson
E
nvironmental sustainability is much easier to define than to identify, practice, or construct in a modern, industrialized world. The abstract definition adopted by the UN from the World Commission on the Environment and Development is meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Briefly, it means limiting and eventually eliminating the use of nonrenewable resources and using renewable resources at or below replacement rate. Furthermore, it is only producing waste that the environment is capable of assimilating by not producing either too much waste or toxic waste that the environment cannot absorb. The popular construction of sustainability in the U.S. and much of the developed world centers on “future generations.” However, much of the world struggles to meet present needs and, as Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen reminds us, “in our anxiety to protect the future generations, we must not overlook the pressing claims of the less privileged today… [we] cannot ignore the deprived people today in trying to prevent deprivation in the future.” This is where the difficult work of determining what is “sustainable” begins — efforts to preserve the ability of future generations to meet their Right: Small girl sits surrounded by electronic waste in the Guiyu, China. The e-waste capital of the world. Photo by Anna (anna_es _arte flickr)
needs may be coming at the expense of the 1.4 billion people who live in extreme poverty today. The world economic crisis is a prime example of this. When the recession began in 2007, people drove and flew less, used less electricity, and bought fewer consumer goods; as a result, companies slowed production. This reduced the release of greenhouse gases and toxic chemicals into the environment and slowed mining of metals and minerals and the harvesting of renewable resources. Though not approaching the level needed for long-term sustainability, the rate of worldwide consumption did shift slightly in that direction. But at what cost? The World Bank reports that 90 million more people will fall under the poverty level because factories in Vietnam were shut down, remittances to India dropped, tourism to the Dominican Republic slowed, and direct investment all over the world came to a halt. The ideal of a sustainable world economy evokes promises of a pollution-free existence, clean and untroubled by greenhouse gases and resource shortages; but sustainability is a process, not an end state, that will be difficult for many. However, there are still many opportunities that will help encourage this necessary process. Recycling e-waste is an auspicious way to promote sustainability. Despite the global economic crisis, the demand for consumer electronic goods is growing and the speed of replacement climbs. The result: piles of discarded computers,
cell phones, televisions, and other gadgets full of toxic substances and valuable materials – like the gold used to make the Vancouver Olympic medals. Currently, many electronics—4.5 million tons in the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency—are being dumped in landfills, incinerated, or incompletely and dangerously recycled by people, including children, in developing countries. This disposal is creating a huge public health problem and is also resulting in the loss of a great deal of resources. The UN is responding by pushing countries and manufacturers to increase recycling, invest in Designed for the Environment (DFE) products that use less toxic materials and are made for easy upgrades, repairs, and disassembly, and implement take-back and lease programs to keep products in the recycling loop. These moves could dramatically improve the prospects of people doing the recycling while also limiting the negative social and environmental impact our little conveniences have. Even if the UN’s proposal were implemented, there may still be an e-waste problem. Discarded U.S. and European electronics are still dumped in places like Hong Kong and Nigeria despite national and international law. Some will argue the economics are not right or companies would be capitalizing on the opportunity. This is the quandary of sustainability: the process is complex and not resolved through single-shot solutions, and there are no silver bullets.
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call to action. “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”
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Martin Luther King, Jr
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