“Individual Choices for a Sustainable World”
Dr. Earl R.
Beaver
Thank you for the warm
welcome. I feel especially comfortable
in Maryville and on this beautiful campus.
It is clear that we as
individuals make choices that impact our environment and the world around us. Your
choice of NW Missouri State has set the stage for the remainder of your life. In fact, considering the quality of that
decision, it influences future decisions for you and the world in which you
live.
Let’s think of some other choices
we make; and how sustainable they are.
This will be the basis for one of two points I offer as takeaways from
this address: Commencement exercises and
graduation ceremonies do not represent passages in the sense that Gail Sheehy used the term -- from a learning situation to a
non-learning situation. We have all watched while media outlets have
bathed us with new information about high energy costs. At the same time, we
are told that virtually everything we do causes global warming and kills polar
bears. As NW Missouri graduates, you’ll
have to do better than that.
For background, it’s important to note that sustainability measurement is key. Measuring allows one to know we where are, to set goals and to measure progress (or lack of progress). A goal is graduation; GPA and accumulated hours are measurements of progress.
One NW student is with me this summer is learning to measure Sustainability…the value of feelings, of culture… Sustainability is being measured and analyzed by life cycle tools and metrics approaches that are established in academia, industry and USEPA; these tools consider such factors as impact on the environment, economy and societal concerns. To illustrate, consider the Mpingo tree…
African Blackwood is another name for the Mpingo tree, native to Tanzania, where it plays a vital
role in the local culture, economy and natural environment. Akin in its
physical properties almost to a metal, the incredibly hard Mpingo
wood is also recognized the world over as the premium raw material in many
instruments' manufacture, particularly for flutes and clarinets.
TVE's Mpingo:
The Tree That Makes Music follows Makonde woodcarvers in Tanzania harvesting the blackwood to make beautiful traditional carvings, passing
their skills down from father to son and creating a healthy income at the same
time. The film then shows the industrial felling of the Mpingo
tree and its transformation into elite musical instruments in the west.
However, as the film also documents, this
precious natural resource is under threat. Taking 60-70 years to reach
maturity, the fully developed trees are fast disappearing, whilst fire
clearances of land making way for agriculture kill the next generation of
saplings at the same time.
It is to highlight the plight of this most highly
prized tree that the African Blackwood Conservation Project was formed. The
group engages in initiatives such as education as well as an ongoing project to
raise new saplings securely to then be planted back into the wild where they
can reach maturity. Field manager of this project is Sebastian Chuwa, a Tanzanian botanist and along with James Harris, a
co-founder of the ABCP.
Mpingo: The Tree That Makes Music features Sebastian at his conservation work and with his example
demonstrates how sustainable management of Mpingo
plantations benefits local communities and international markets alike.
Shouldn’t clarinet manufacturers carry the cost of replanting and maintaining Mpingo trees on their books as a cost, just as shipping appears on the books?
Also, the US has a history of
making decisions that many would not consider Sustainable. Considering the promenade of national flags
here, many of you must have witnessed a significant contrast.
For example, in the United States
>
Average Food Footprint is 8.2 acres of land per person;
>
Average Transportation Footprint is 6.8 acres and
>
Average Housing Footprint is 6.4 acres,
>
For a total US footprint of 30.8 acres per person.
>
This compares to a global average of ~ 3.2 acres.
If everyone lived like the
“typical” US citizen, and 12% of the biosphere were set aside for non-human
species: We actually need 8 Earths. The
age of the Internet and CNN lets those that have little see what we have and
they want it.
The “experts” say
certain human
behaviors make things worse and constitute a “Tragedy of the Commons”; Do you know that story? Ecologist Garrett Hardin's "tragedy of
the commons" (Hardin, 1968) has proven a useful concept for understanding
how we have come to be at the brink of numerous environmental catastrophes.
People face a dangerous situation created not by malicious outside forces but
by the apparently appropriate and innocent behaviors of many individuals acting
alone.
Hardin’s parable involves a pasture
"open to all." He asks us to imagine the grazing of animals on a
common ground. Individuals are motivated to add to their flocks to increase
personal wealth. Yet, every animal added to the total degrades the commons a
small amount. Although the degradation for each additional animal is small
relative to the gain in wealth for the owner, if all owners follow this pattern
the commons will ultimately be destroyed. And, being rational
actors, each owner ads to their flock:
Therein is the tragedy. Each man is locked
into a system that compels him to increase his herd without limit - in a world
that is limited. Ruin is the destination toward which all men rush, each
pursuing his own interest in a society that believes in the freedom of the
commons. (Hardin, 1968)
Despite its reception as revolutionary,
Hardin’s tragedy was not a new concept: its intellectual roots trace back to
Aristotle who noted that "what is common to the greatest number has the
least care bestowed upon it"… if all that was at stake here was grazing
land in the 1800's this would be an issue for historians alone. Hardin
immediately recognized that this concept applies in its broader sense to a
great many modern environmental problems (e.g., overgrazing on federal lands,
acid precipitation, ocean dumping, atmospheric carbon dioxide discharges,
firewood crises in less developed countries, overfishing). Simply stated, we
face a serious dilemma - an instance where individual rational behavior (i.e.,
acting without restraint to maximize personal short-term gain) can cause
long-range harm to the environment, others and ultimately oneself.
Are there other tragedies?
·
having too many
children per couple
·
agricultural burning
·
overconsumption of
resources
·
failure to re-cycle,
re-use, recover, remanufacture
·
production/disposal
of toxic waste
·
improper disposal of
human waste
·
improper disposal of
garbage
·
miss-use of
pesticides
·
overcrowding
·
economic dependence
on growth
·
depletion of soils by
over-farming
·
erosion from removal
of vegetation
·
urban sprawl
·
over-fishing
·
removal of carbon
sinks (trees)
·
inefficient use of
fuel
·
urbanizing farmland
·
urban growth where
water is scarce
·
eating meat
Where
we can do something about it… areas which offer significant choices that we could
make. The sectors we'll look at are: Sustainable Choices in transportation, choices
in our households, and tourism.
Activities we are involved with on an almost daily basis. Then I'll introduce sustainable choices in
consumerism.
Let’s look at some energy
choices in the average US home.
> 23,000 pounds of
carbon dioxide are emitted annually for electricity used in the home.
> One incandescent
light-bulb versus a compact fluorescent bulb saves 1,000 pounds carbon dioxide
emitted and $67 dollars per year.
> The average annual energy bill for
(Worldwide, 2 billion people are currently without electricity.)
For
home use:
> Think small – consider future needs
> Heat with the sun – exposure, porches,
overhangs
> Keep cool – slab cooling,
thermally-broken balconies
> Use renewable energy – solar, wind for
remote locations
> Conserve water – downspout collection
systems
> Use local materials – reduce
transportation
> Use natural materials – rock, stone
> Save the forests – recover wood
> Recycle materials – use existing
structure and materials
> Build to last – durable materials,
thicker walls
> Grow your food – attached greenhouses
> Store your food – root cellars and
pantries
Tactical:
> Compact florescent bulbs, but only
replace burned-out bulbs!
> Properly maintained A/C & heat
> Plant trees & vines
> Turn off everything when not in use
> Identify phantom uses
> Activate sleep features
> Use dimmers & timers
> Reduce hot water consumption
> Insulate & tighten ducts
> Shade southern & western exposures
> Choose non-electronic entertainment
(board games, reading, conversation)
> Don’t litter
Strategic:
> Live in a smaller home
> Purchase energy efficient appliances
& water heaters
> Look for water efficient appliances
> Install passive solar water heater
> Identify cogeneration options
> Install reflective roof tiles
> Purchase a programmable thermostat
> Install skylights
> Eliminate energy intensive materials
like aluminum & cement
> Choose a “natural burial”…I’m 63 and
read the obits daily to see if I passed…Have you read about “green burial” or
“natural burials?” Read “Stiff; the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers”
by Mary Roach in 2003.
Regarding
consumer products:
> Don’t flush pharmaceuticals –
double-wrap in original bottle and place in trash; return to pharmacy (soon)*
> Use less cosmetics and fragrances.
> Give used clothing to needy.
> Use minimum insecticides or herbicides.
> Don’t smoke.
> Use minimum detergents – measure.
> Reverse osmosis system for drinking
water cleanup.
> Press for more information from the water
company. Does your water company do
this?
Background Regarding Transportation:
>
350
million lbs. smog-producing chemicals (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic
compounds) released by planes in U.S. - 2000
>
Average
speed of a horse & buggy in
>
Average
speed of a car in Manhattan 2007 - 3 MPH (G. Tyler Miller, Jr., Living in
the Environment)
>
U.S. annually paves over a green area
the size of Delaware
>
An estimated 27,000 plant and animal
species worldwide vanish each year—three animals, plants, insects, or
microorganisms per hour.
>
American cities spend almost 5 times
more on road investment than public transportation. (Kenworthy & Laube), 1995
Tactical:
> Drive your vehicle less…my 2007 Lexus
has 2300 miles on it, including 800 by my son and 300 by a NW Missouri intern,
learning to drive.
> Avoid quick acceleration
> Properly inflate tires
> Take heavy items out of trunk
> Avoid high speeds
> Get regular tune-ups
> Avoid idling
> Consolidate errands to avoid multiple
trips
> Go less
> Don’t over-practice parallel
parking
Strategic:
> Buy the most fuel efficient vehicle for
your needs
> Live closer to work
> Work from home
> Walk, bike, rollerblade, or skateboard
when possible
> Set-up a carpool system
> Use public transportation
> Avoid peak travel times
Tactical:
> Buy products with less packaging
> Buy local products
> Purchase remanufactured products
> Keep things longer
> Read labels
> Avoid “disposable” products
> Keep original containers
> Don’t succumb to advertising
> Eat more plant foods
In
addition to the choices I’ve just outlined, we can also make sustainable
choices with the products we buy.
My
second point builds off the first…that is, your choice, intentionally or by
default (getting caught in the wave), of a career. At my stage in life, and
being on the mentoring committee of two major technical organizations, I get
many requests for career advice. I find
that interesting, high paying and long-lasting careers lay in boundaries of
growth areas or “converging technologies”…bio, info, enviro,
nano and cogno…specifically
where they come together or overlap. For
example, it looks as though biologically-produced nano-materials
are now and will be for the foreseeable future, a major area for innovation and
business opportunity. Nano and cogno interface at
applications in the brain, especially the human brain, and allow people with
serious brain injury to communicate and become far more self-sufficient. The next big jump in info, or information
technology, will be biologically-based computers. And, information technology through GPS and
Google Earth will yield tremendous improvements in man-made or natural climate-based
biological problems or opportunities.
Perhaps improvements enabled by nanotechnology will allow you to access
all the databases required to make sustainable decisions simply with a few
strokes on your “i-phone.”
As
graduates of NWMissouri State, you arrive on the
scene to lead society into a better future.
I hope to be around to watch and comment on your choices.
And,
remember we are citizens of the world, not just citizens of a nation, a state,
a county, a city…we share the pasture.
Thank
you for your patience and attention.