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Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable

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:

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Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable

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  1. Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable Social Bearable Equitable Sustainable Economic Ecological Viable

  2. 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?

  3. 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.

  4. Sustainability • The 1987 Brundtland definition is often adapted for a variety of purposes • Sustainable development • Sustainable agriculture • Sustainable communities • Sustainable energy

  5. Three Pillars of Sustainability Social Bearable Equitable Sustainable Economic Ecological Viable The three pillars of sustainability are social, Ecological and economic.

  6. Ecological Pillar • Management of human consumption • Energy • Water • Food • Materials and waste • Environmental management • Air/atmosphere • Water (freshwater & oceans) • Land use

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Three Pillars of Sustainability Social Earth Environment Sustainable Economic Ecological Life Sustainability requires a holistic approach

  10. Sustainability Q: 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 degradation Q: 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

  11. Renewable and Sustainable Resources Photos by B. Ballard

  12. Renewable and Often Sustainable Photos by P. Hofmeyer

  13. Renewable and Rarely Sustainable Irrigated & fertilized corn field [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013] Large Hydro: Hoover Dam [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]

  14. Non-renewable and Not Sustainable Slash-and-burn[Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013] Coal extraction [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]

  15. Sustainability Are humans living sustainably? In order to be sustainable, the Earth’s resources must first replenish themselves equal to our consumption rate

  16. Sustainability Continuum Natural Gas Nuclear Coal and Oil Micro hydro Low enthalpy geothermal Dedicated bioenergy crops Large geothermal Large Hydro Dedicated bioenergy crops Wind Solar Waste biofuels Slash and burn agriculture Crop rotation Sparing use of Fertilizers/pesticides Monoculture farming Intensive pesticides Intensive herbicides Crop rotation No till No fertilization Most sustainable Least sustainable

  17. 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

  18. Sustainable Food Consumption The mean distance for fruits and vegetables to get onto my dinner plate is 1,494 miles This 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.

  19. Buy local, eat local, plant a garden and support a local farmer Photos by B. Ballard

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