A Working Model to
Assess and Improve the Sustainability of
Outdoor Education and Recreation
Developed by
Sustainable
Backcountry Travel
Northland College
Fall 2007
Visiting Assistant
Professor of Outdoor Education
Paul Van Horn
Anna Bauer, Hilary
Bulger, Drew Cramer, Byron Emmons, Joe Graveen, Dave
Lardinois, Andrew Rasmus, Paul Sveum, Jessica Swiercynski,
Dave Thomas, Carolyn Weber
"We do not inherit the world from our
ancestors. We borrow it from our children."
~Haida Indian saying
Special Thanks to
Connie Burditt,
Instructor and Associate Director of Native American Studies
Jorge Conesa-Sevilla,
Associate Professor of Psychology
Tim Doyle, Visiting
Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy
Clare Hintz,
Sustainable Systems Educator
Derek Ogle, Associate
Professor of Mathematics and Applied Statistics
Kevin Schanning,
Associate Professor of Sociology
Background
information and context by Hilary Bulger and Paul Sveum
Presented at the
Wilderness Education Association's National Conference
San Diego, California
February 14, 2008
Hilary Bulger, Paul
Sveum, and Paul Van Horn
Versions of the ASAP Model
What does it mean
to be sustainable? What does sustainability itself even mean?The terms "sustainable," "green," and "organic"
have become the cultural phenomenon of today. Once people began to realize the
projected idea that taking away from the land more than what could be given
back was detrimental not only to the health of the planet, but also affected
humankind as well, the revolution began. Ecological consciousness has spread,
but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to create a
more sustainable society. One of the hardest industries to restructure is the
outdoor recreation industry. So much of what the outdoor industry represents
and supports involves some very unsustainable, anti-"green," non-organic
processes, opposite of the values held by the majority, if not all, of the
individuals in the industry.
The process of
formulating a cohesive and comprehensive program intended to make people
examine their practices in hopes of inspiring change is a grand undertaking,
especially when it is centered around a term whose own definition is often up
for interpretation, sustainability.We
looked to the Natural Step for our working definition of sustainability, or
what it means to be sustainable.The Natural
Step defines sustainability from an ecocentric point of view; where all
species, people included, and the ecosystems they live in have the right to
life on Earth.
The Natural Step is a framework of conditions
that must be met for a society to be considered sustainable.Oncologist Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert brought
together leading Swedish scientist to develop the framework, grounded in
science and natural cycles in 1989.The
four conditions and a brief discussion of each that follow are taken from the
The Oregon Natural Step Network's website.
In
order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not
systematically subject to increasing concentrations of substances extracted
from the earth's crust. In a
sustainable society, human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, and
the mining of metals minerals, will not occur at a rate that causes them to
systematically increase in the ecosphere. There are thresholds beyond which
living organisms and ecosystems are adversely affected by increases in
substances from the earth's crust. Problems may include an increase in
greenhouse gases leading to global warming, contamination of surface and ground
water, and metal toxicity which can cause functional disturbances in animals.
In practical terms, the first condition requires society to implement
comprehensive metal and mineral recycling programs and to decrease economic
dependence on fossil fuels.
In
order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not
systematically subject to increasing concentrations of substances produced by
society. In a sustainable society,
humans will avoid generating systematic increases in persistent substances such
as DDT, PCBs, and freon. Synthetic organic compounds such as DDT and PCBs can
remain in the environment for many years, bio-accumulating in the tissue of
organisms and causing profound deleterious effects on predators in the upper
levels of the food chain.Freon, and
other ozone depleting compounds, may increase the risk of cancer due to added
UV radiation in the troposphere.Society
needs to find ways to reduce economic dependence on persistent human-made
substances.
In
order for a society to be sustainable, nature's functions and diversity are not
systematically impoverished by physical displacement, over-harvesting, or other
forms of ecosystem manipulation. In
a sustainable society, humans will avoid taking more from the biosphere than
can be replenished by natural systems.In addition, people will avoid systematically encroaching upon nature by
destroying the habitat of other species.Biodiversity, which includes the great variety of animals and plants
found in nature, provides the foundation for ecosystem services which are
necessary to sustain life on this planet.Society's health and prosperity depends on the enduring capacity of
nature to renew itself and rebuild waste into resources.
In a sustainable society, people are not
subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet
their needs. All human beings have intrinsic needs.The goal of the social system is to provide
the opportunity for all to meet those needs, as a precondition to a dignified
way of life for everyone."What" we do
and "how" we do it matters.To make
decisions which take us toward this goal, in consideration of any policy,
product, marketing, or investment, we should always identify in advance the
people who are going to be affected, taking the widest possible systems
view.We should ask ourselves: "Would we
like to be subjected to the conditions we create?"In addition, the manner in which we make
these decisions should allow for participation, be transparent, hold actors
accountable, and be honest.
It
was in areas like environmental ethics and philosophy that we needed the input
from thinkers in those fields.We worked
with Tim Doyle, Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy, and
Kevin Schanning, Assistant Professor of Sociology, to sort out the ethics
rooted in environmental issues.In many
of our discussions, we came down to very basic issues of morals and ethics,
that we as a class could talk about, but knowing that our program would
possibly be used by other people outside of our small environmental college, we
had to be careful not to load any of the terms or expectations in a way that
would either offend or turn off people who potentially would have used our
program for good.
Similarly, the
issue of why came up many times.Why we
need this gear, why do we travel great distances to seek the outdoors when it
usually exists within walking distance?For these questions, we talked with Associate Professor of Psychology
Jorge Conesa-Sevilla.He contributed the
ecopsychological aspects to our program, which really filled in the holes
between the physical, what should I bring camping, and the psychological, why
am I bringing this much gear, why am I even going?
Connie Burditt,
Instructor of Native American Studies shared her thoughts on the connection
between sustainable backcountry ethics and traditional cultures.We realized there is a link between
sustainability and traditional knowledge and talking to Connie made that even
more apparent.So many of the problems
we addressed are cultural in essence, so having the chance to probe into a
culture based on harmonious life with the earth was important.
In the beginning
of the class, we needed to find a way to break apart this problem of
sustainability into manageable categories.We enlisted the help of Clare Hintz, Sustainable Systems Educator, to
guide us through the different ways of system thinking to solve problems.The process of system thinking isolates
individual components of the system and draws on the group's ideas to make
connections between the different parts of the system.
After we isolated
the three aspects of outdoor recreation that we felt were most addressable in
out time frame - gear, locale, and food - we split into three groups, each to
tackle the research and development of each category.The class spent the bulk of our semester
researching their area of focus, and then bringing their findings to class to
discuss with the rest of the group.After many classes we felt comfortable with the scope of our work and
spent the remaining few classes working on the composition and structure of the
ASAP program.
For each of the
three sections there is background information describing problems we
identified and potential solutions we came up with.Much of our focus was on low hanging fruits, accessible
things we thought could be done today or tomorrow.Each section also has a future steps and
considerations, as well as unanswered questions, which were innumerable.
In designing our
model, we tried to come up with criteria that could be evaluated by users.Some of them are still difficult, like
determining where every step of production takes places and what materials and
processes are used.There are certainly
more criteria that could be included.We
found the following to be, in our opinion, the most relevant and researchable.
It is worth noting
that this project was undertaken by eleven students, guided by one professor,
during a two credit, semester long course.This is obviously a bigger issue than that.There are many, many questions we raised that
need further research, thought, and discussion.There are many other questions we raised that there may not be answers
to, yet.
Some
of the issues yet to be resolved inherent in our model itself are some
incongruencies between sections as they were written by different groups of
students, particularly in language, depth, and citations.The statistics, as far as the percentages and
weights, given that each section has a different possible number of points, was
something we struggled with.We
consulted Derek Ogle, Associate
Professor of Mathematics and Applied Statistics for advice and decided, for
now, to accept that while the three categories hold equal weight, changes
within one category are not equal to changes within another category.
We
need to remember that sustainability, like this model, is a work in
progress.We are on a journey and we can
not be sure of what the end will look like, but we can do our part to influence
it. What is sustainable today should not
and cannot be considered sustainable tomorrow as our knowledge, technologies
(for better or worse), expectations, and global conditions change.
Equipment
by Anna Bauer, Dave Lardinois, Andrew Rasmus, Carolyn Weber
Background
People's
desire to consume is not a new issue, as we are well aware of. People consume
resources to survive. Unfortunately, what we are facing now is a society that
has become addicted to commodities and convenience. The bar has shifted from consumption
of what is necessary to survive to consumption of luxuries that are thought of
as necessities. The results of our purchases are not transparent and are
creating global harm. The consumption patterns have changed drastically,
evolving over time based on the influence of those in control. The few very
wealthy that control these systems have created an economy reliant on wasteful
consumerism.
J.W. Smith
suggests that, "Though most societies were efficient for the time in which they
were formed, powerful nations disintegrated when too large a share of their
labor was diverted to unnecessary tasks. Some societies, such as the European
aristocratic structures, needlessly expended labor, resources, and capital to
support militaristic elite bent on plundering neighbors and their own workers.
Each of these societies became locked into a wasteful system of production and
distribution. The United
States is also locked into a wasteful
expenditure of labor, resources, and industry" (Smith, 1994, p.4).
Just how wasteful
is this system?The processes that lead
to such disparities in unequal consumption are themselves wasteful and are
structured deep into the system itself. Economic efficiency is for making
profits, not necessarily for social good, which is treated as a side effect.
The waste in the economic system is, as a result, very deep. Eliminating the causes
of this type of waste is related to the elimination of poverty and bringing
rights to all. Eliminating the waste also allows for further equitable consumption
for all, as well as a decent standard of consumption.
Just what are the
products made out of that we consume? Plastics, nylon, metal and all sorts of
materials with names that are most likely unfamiliar. Being unfamiliar with
these materials, we fail to realize what it takes to produce these products.
Most of the gear we buy is created from non-renewable resources that in the
process create harmful by-products, polluting the air and stripping the Earth
of its resources. The energy that goes into these productions causes huge
amounts of carbon emissions to be released into the atmosphere. As our society
has finally publicly identified the tremendous harm carbon emissions have on
our climate, we can see how this production system must change.
Besides using
energy and producing harmful emissions, we must understand the risk of creating
such large amounts of non-renewable resources.If we look at the natural step, we can identify that production of these
non-renewable resources is an environmental hazard. Chemicals that are man-made
are identified as dangerous due to their unknown factor. There is not enough
research, time, or money that can identify the effects creating these chemicals
will have on people and the earth in general. We most likely will be unable to
see these results until much time has past.
We
must also consider that creating these non-renewable materials causes by-
products. In the past by-products have been dumped, often randomly, causing
contamination to the land and dangerous sites that future generations will have
to endure. These dump sites often become dangerous.Why must we then, create these products if
they cause so much harm to the environment and ourselves? Additionally, the
gear itself, when we are done using it, often gets dumped as well, rather than
recycled, reused, or repaired.Fortunately
we can create products from sustainably grown resources that bio-degrade.
Though not readily available in all areas for all budgets, we must increase the
demand for these eco-friendly and sustainably grown products as a step in
creating a more sustainable Outdoor Industry.
Model
Renewable
Materials
Renewable
materials are grown and harvested in sustainable manner. Examples of renewable
materials are: bamboo, soy, cocona, hemp, corn based plastic, and hevea tree.
Some research is required to confirm that they are in fact sustainable - processing
may require the use of large amounts of other materials or energy which may
make the "renewable" product no more sustainable.
2 points - made out of 100% renewable materials or materials that
come from an organic producer
1 point - made out of at least 20% renewable materials and less
than one third of materials are non-sustainable products, such as petroleum
based products
0 points - made of primarily non-sustainable materials
Recycled
Materials
Recycled
materials are materials that have can be reused for another purpose. This can
include the direct reuse of a material such as a glass or plastic container. This
can also include the reusing of only the material and transforming it into a
different product, such as using an old t-shirt to make a bag. An
aluminum backpack frame that is made out of old pop cans is another example. When
making an item out of recycled materials be aware of the things that go into
its creation such as glue, sewing thread, or paint for these items are not
being recycled.When purchasing an item
made out of recycled materials, make sure to research what other materials,
including energy, are used and created in the production process.
2 points - made out of 100% recycled materials
1 point - made out of at least 20% recycled materials
0 points - made out of primarily non-recycled materials
Carbon Emissions
According
to scientists, carbon dioxide is the number one green house gas contributing to
global warming. The production process of many materials causes emissions of
carbon into the atmosphere. The less carbon a material produces or emits during
its production process the lower its impact. If carbon offsets or credits are
bought, research should be done on the company they are purchased through.
2 points - amount of production of carbon is within or below
environmental regulations stated by the Kyoto
protocol (Annex 1 country), without the purchase of carbon credits
1 point - buys carbon offsets
0 points - amount of carbon is well above environmental regulations
or is unknown
Distance from
Production to Purchase
The
transportation of goods is responsible for a large portion of the carbon output
of a product. The fewer miles a product has to travel to the point of purchase
translates directly to a decrease in the amount of carbon produced by that
product. Buying locally not only improves the economy of the community, it also
leads to fewer greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
2 points - entire
production process and transportation is accomplished within 100 miles of
purchase
1 point - entire production process and transportation is
accomplished within 1,000 miles of purchase
0 points - entire production process and transportation is not
accomplished within 1,000 miles of the purchase
Synthetic
Compounds
According
to the Natural Step, as summarized by the Oregon Natural Step Network, "synthetic
organic compounds such as DDT and PCBs can remain in the environment for many
years, bio-accumulating in the tissue of organisms and causing profound
deleterious effects on predators in the upper levels of the food chain."Purchase products that do not use or produce
synthetic compounds at any stage of their production.
2 points - there are absolutely no synthetic organic compounds that
are produced during or for the production process
0 points - there are synthetic organic compounds that are produced
during or for the production process
Accessibility
of Company Information
When
doing research on a company, it is important that that company's policies and product
information be easily accessible. This also means that the information is
clearly stated as a legitimate fact and is not merely an attempt to sound
environmentally friendly, known as greenwashing. Look for companies that belong
to the Conservation Alliance and reference the Environmental Protection Agency.
2 points - company exercises public accountability
1 point - moderately to heavy research is needed to find information
on the company's production process
0 points - no information is available on the company's production
process
Fair
Trade
Companies
that follow Fair Trade standards are more sustainably responsible. The standards
set by Fair Trade, including fair prices, labor conditions, direct trade from
the production country, and factors of environmental sustainability, help
protect the environment and attempt to rectify the socioeconomic impacts of our
current economy. The standards guarantee that set economic, social and
environmental criteria that will be met during trade and production processes.
2 points - follows standards of Fair Trade
0 points - few regulations
Multiuse
Gear
Identifying and taking advantage
of gear that has multiple uses will decrease the amount of gear purchased and
used.This, in turn, decreases the
number of resources used.A poncho, for
example, can be used to as protection from wind and rain, as a ground cloth, or
as a tarp.Think outside the box when
considering what to bring on a trip as well as when purchasing.
2 points - three easily distinguished and applicable uses
1 point - two easily distinguished and applicable uses
0 points - one use
Future Steps and Considerations
The
first simple way to become more sustainable in terms of gear is to use second
hand gear, borrowed or rented gear, multi-use gear, or make your own gear. The
basic idea is to use minimalist thinking to lessen the impact backpacking makes
on the environment. Another step is to support companies that are members of
Conservation Alliance, Fair Trade, or EPA Green Power Partnership and demand
products that have higher environmental standards. Read tags to find
information such as where the product is made and what it is made from and
research what that really means. Many companies inform consumers of their
environmental awareness by using little packaging or packaging which is made
from recycled materials. Check to see if gear catalogs are made from recycled
paper or look at products online instead. Do we have realistic expectations as
far as comfort? Many of recreation areas are labeled as primitive or
wilderness.Modern conveniences can over
shadow the rustic and wild atmosphere of the outdoors.
Unanswered Questions
How hard is it to
determine the vast amounts of steps involved in creating a product?
How do we consider
the regulations in each state in determining a final system?
Will the United States
take on the Annex 1 Policy?
How effective are
carbon credits?How can buying more
stuff offset consumerism?
Are there other
organizations, like Fair Trade, that certify?
How and where do we
find information about companies that are not transparent?
How high is the
demand for green power?
Do companies put out
or are required to publish public documents about creating emissions and using certain amounts of
materials, etc?
How strict is the
policy on carbon emission in the United States?
References and
Resources
Adide - sends 10% of its profits back in to the community
for programs and other environmental efforts (www.adideinc.com)
Backcountry.com - the
Green Goat is the newest idea, supporting the minimization of the impacts on
the environment to make the finest outdoor products, for "those who strive to
make the world a greener place to live" (www.backcountry.com)
Chammyz Clothing - makes 100% recycled clothing made from
wood fiber waste (www.chammyz.com)
Cleaner and Greener - this company focuses their
manufacturing process to be eco-friendly and better for the environment by
considering emissions and renewable ideas (www.cleanerandgreener.org)
Co-op America - see
how you can get involved in stopping sweatshops and learn how to support living
green, Fair Trade, and green energy (www.sweatshops.org)
Earth Creation - uses natural clay dies in their organic
hemp and cotton products (www.earthcreations.net)
ExOfficio - is a company that produces products that are
from soy plants (www.exofficio.com)
Fair Trade Certified - check out how companies are
audited for Fair Trade and what it's all about (www.transfairusa.org)
Hemp Sisters - works with Fair Trade, women, and small
businesses of Nepal
(www.hemp-sisters.com)
Lonely Planet -
donates 5% of its profits to projects in developing countries, check out
hundreds of book that will help you recognize ideas of sustainable and
eco-friendly tourism (www.lonelyplanet.com)
Loyale - the clothing produced is made in the United States
and is made of materials like bamboo and organic cotton, they also donate 3% of
their profits to Green Corps (www.loyaleclothing.com)
Milliken and Company (www.visaendurance.com)
Smith, J.W. (1994). The
World's Wasted Wealth 2. Institute for Economic Democracy.
Sustainable Cotton Project (www.sustainablecotton.org)
Splaff - is a company that has a 100% no waste process for
their products (www.splaff.com)
Location
by Byron Emmons, Jessica Swiercynski
Background
Finding
ways to create a more sustainable system for backcountry travel can be
difficult and at many times mind-boggling, especially in the case of all the different
factors inherent in choosing a location. The first major factor for the
location matrix is deciding the type of setting. For our class's purpose,
location has been generalized into three terms: self-owned or private,
established, and undisturbed.
Land that is
privately owned can be used by its owners and their guests in an aware manner, taking
care of its beauty as well as managing its resources. Private property generally
gets less use than public, which are available for use at all times by everyone.
Resources can be decimated faster and natural beauty can decay if a site is
over-used. Undisturbed areas remain the epitome of wilderness. To remain
relatively undisturbed regulations are enforced to monitor amount and types of
use.
There is a fair
amount of philosophical debate surround this topic.Is something really wilderness, really
undisturbed if it is managed and regulated?If damming streams, climbing trees, and hiking off trail are prohibited,
what are we denying ourselves?It is
questions like these that need serious consideration and make choosing a
location particularly difficult.
Another
important facet of locale is the mode of transportation one. There are many
modes of transportation, but for the most part they can be categorized into
three sections: human-powered vehicles, vehicles powered by alternate mechanical
forms of energy, and vehicles powered by fossil fuels. The last category can be
divided into two subcategories: optimal usage of fossil fuel and incompetent
usage of fossil fuel. The burning of fossil fuel is one of the main causes for
the global increase in temperature. Burning fossil fuels at high rates causes
the build-up of green house gasses, which causes massive holes in the ozone
layer, which in turn causes more sunlight to enter our atmosphere and more heat
to be trapped. The more fossil fuels are burned the more we set ourselves up to
cause our own destruction. Though vehicles may spell convenience for many,
fossil-fuel-burning vehicles also spell long-term disaster. Many companies are
working to find a way to accommodate for such loss of fuel by creating cars
that have a greater gas mileage. The greatest way to solve the problem of
over-using fossil fuels is not to use them at all.
Distance
is also a critical factor in deciding on a location, particularly when paired
with mode of transportation. It is up to outdoor enthusiasts today to decide
whether driving a distance of 25 miles is necessary or whether it could have
been biked. This also forces an outdoor enthusiast to examine his or her
reasons for recreating at his or her destination in the first place. For
example, is it really necessary to travel all the way to Glacier
National Park to go backpacking or can
a person who lives in Ashland, Wisconsin
go out and backpack in the Chequamegon
National Forest and
achieve the same satisfaction?
Once
at a location, it is important to be aware of how you are treating it.Leave No Trace is a familiar set of
principles, designed guide people to preserve the ecological aspects of
wilderness areas that are open to recreation. Leave No Trace is fairly
widespread and does promote careful use of the outdoors, but is it realistic to
expect that someone is capable of not leaving a trace at all?What if it was a good trace?Like enriching the soil by spreading broken
down, and of course cold, coals?We are
going to use the term expertise to address the skills and ideas necessary to be
a good nature traveler.By
understanding, and, more importantly, practicing solid backcountry skills, we
can minimize our impact and potentially leave a positive one.
One
current debate is whether to use wood fires or gas stoves.Wood can be depleted quickly from an area by
ignorant use, but where does gas come from?It comes down to a matter of my backyard or your backyard, a hole in the
Earth or a hole in the woods.Knowing
the area you are going to will help you make an informed decision about this
and other issues.
Knowledge
is power and the size of the group and the amount of this knowledge that the
group possesses collectively is important to outdoor recreating in a
sustainable and ecologically conscious manner. The more knowledge a group
possesses the less impact that this particular group will have on the
environment. It should be every educator's goal to teach his or her students
about ecological consciousness and the importance of protecting the environment
for future generations, as well as how to use the environment wisely in order
to conserve resources.
Once
a knowledgeable group ventures out, the amount of time that the group spends in
one location and the size of the group, however knowledgeable, can cause a
great decimation of resources and aesthetic beauty.To minimize the impact that one group has on
a location one should resolve to move often and not stay in one position for a
long period of time, as a large group must use more resources than a small
group.
Ecopsychology
plays an important role in the purpose behind outdoor recreation itself, so
influences location as well. Ecopsychology explores the relationships between
existential circumstances such as "nature estrangement" and "nature alienation"
and diverse situation where psychological wellness is suggested in varying
degrees of severity (Roszak, Gomes, Kanner 1995). It can be defined as
mankind's desire to return to nature to stay sane. It resolves to recreate the
age-old connection between humans and nature, between humans and their origins.
The connection that spans the concept of the self and reaches beyond human
society to again connect with nature is resolved, resulting in an ecological
ego, best explained as the sense of ethical responsibility to the planet as is
seen among person to person (Conessa-Sevilla 2006).
Ecopsychology
questions the need for society's masculine, capitalistic, urbanized culture and
cultivates ideas of a humble, open-minded, generally rural culture. To use the
outdoors to help others find their ecological ego should be the pinnacle of
reasoning behind recreating in the outdoors in the first place. As long as
someone knows their ecological ego exists and has a desire to be outdoors and
connect with nature, any reason for recreation is acceptable. The ability to
give back to the environment instead of just take is a keystone when it comes
to sustainability and therefore it is important to understand or at least be
aware of why as a person one may require time in the outdoors... Perhaps a
spark will ignite, followed by a desire to learn more about the environment and
the compassion to act to make a difference.
Once
a person recognizes why he or she desires to participate in outdoor pastimes,
he or she can use one's knowledge to decide an appropriate place to recreate.
Those with a greater knowledge of ecological consciousness should focus on the
reasons they decide to recreate. Does a person really need to visit untouched
wilderness or can he or she achieve the same desire in an established area? If
this is so one would not need to travel far or stay in one place for long or
require a remote wilderness area to appreciate the beauty that nature has to
offer. Someone who is still developing his or her ecological consciousness,
however, still might require something more remote and intense to feel in tune
with nature. It is when one realizes that nature can be appreciated on a door
step in the middle of the city that one can truly be at peace with the inner
desire for nature. Location loses its value when full ecological appreciation
is awoken, but until then a trip's location is what remains as the settling
factor.
Once
a place has been decided, one can figure out how distance and the amount of
time spent recreating affect one's carbon footprint.The idea is to travel the least amount while
still spending a greater time recreating so that shorter trips do not have to
be taken frequently, reducing the impact caused by time spent in one place as
well as reducing the possible carbon output of having to travel a certain distance
frequently. By taking one long trip instead of multiple short trips it gives
the ecosystem time to repair itself while people are away where as short trips
continue to degrade the environment not allowing the land to heal.
Model
Type of Area
This section is
meant to address the specific areas that people choose to recreate in. In order
to allow for the least amount of environmental impact while still remaining
sustainable, it is best, if possible, to use private property. Going to
established parks, trails, and campsites are good because they concentrate
human impact so that small areas of fragile wilderness can stay intact, but the
concentration of human impact at established areas can leave devastating
effects such as erosion, trash build up, and over harvesting of firewood.Untouched wilderness may need to be explored
for educational and scientific purposes, but impact will be more noticeable.
3 points - private property
2 points - established areas such as
parks, campgrounds, trails, etc.
1 point - untouched wilderness with a
purpose
0 points - untouched wilderness without
a purpose
Fuel Consumption
The best options
for travel that are the most sustainable and the best for the environment are
those that require no mechanical parts such as walking and horse-back riding.
Alternative vehicles that are modified so that they do not require fossil fuels
are the next best option.If using a
vehicle powered by fossil fuel, look for a vehicle that efficiently uses our
precious resources.Mass transit is
efficient because of the large number of people that can be transported if
full, but does require large amounts of fuel.
3 points - alternate transportation options
such as walking, riding a bike, etc.
2 points - alternate power source
transportation such as bio fuel, electric, solar, etc.
1 point - transportation that uses
fossil fuel to the fullest such as full busses, trains, planes, and vehicles
with gas mileage of 30+
0 points - vehicles that get less than
30 miles to the gallon
Distance
Simply the
distance traveled to reach your location, reflective of the fossil fuels used
and the emissions produced.These distances
have a wavering factor, left to your discretion.For example, it is up to you to award two points
or three points for a trip that is 28 miles away.Note: if you are using a form of
transportation that does not release require fossil fuels or produce emissions,
award yourself three points.
3 points - less than 25 miles
2 points - 26 to100 miles
1 point - 101 to 300 miles
0 points - 301 or more miles
Camping Expertise
This easily can be
the most important aspect of sustainable travel.Having the right knowledge to conduct your
selves in the least harmful manner is critical.Even more important then knowing is putting the knowledge into practice
on the trail.One possible credit for
each section, each credit is worth one point.
Travel - If there is an established
trail, use it in a single file line to avoid widening it.Climb over trees and go through mud, again to
avoid increasing the width of the trail.If there is not a trail, spread out so you don't establish one.Watch where you step; walk on bare rocks, firm
ground, or impacted areas.Try and not
step on vegetation, humans are large animals and can be very destructive.Avoid steep slopes to help reduce
erosion.
Choosing a Campsite - Pick a previously
used site when possible.Be conscious of
your new neighbors, do not set up camp at a local watering hole, denying access
to animals.Place tents on firm, bare,
or impacted areas.Shorter stays help to
minimize impact.Sweep your camp when
you leave and leave it better than you found it.
Fires - Clear away all organic litter
that may light on fire.Keep fires small
and in control. Never leave a fire unattended! Know the area you are in and
make an educated decision on what kind and how much wood to use, if at
all.Make sure the fire is cold when
done. Crush and scatter all coals and ash and restore area to natural look.
Outdoor Bathrooms - Always go far away
from water sources.If the waste does
not have ample time to filter through the ground, it can contaminate local
water sources.Use cat holes.If using toilet paper either pack out or
burn.Pack out everything else,
including feminine products.
Washing of Self and Dishes - Like going
to the bathroom be far away from water.Even biodegradable soaps put stress on the environment so be frugal when
using.Dirt and ash do a great job at
cleaning out dishes.Every food scrap,
no matter how small or how biodegradable should be packed out.
Trash and General Respect - If you
bring it in you bring it out.You can
prepare your food and supplies before the trip by removing extra packaging, and
always bring garbage bags.Check and
double check your campsite when you are leaving.Pick up any trash you may find along the
trail.Over all be respectful to all
life plant and animal alike.Use
common sense, don't feed animals, and be respectful of other visitors.
Remember
that knowing these skills is one thing but to actually get credit you must
practice them too.
1-6 points - 1-6 credits
Group Size
The impact of
humans on the environment is connected to how much each person in a group knows
and cares about preserving the environment, as well as the size of the group. A
large group of students with a greater knowledge is more likely to make less of
an impact on an expedition than a small group that has no knowledge or desire
to care for the environment.
3 points - a group of 10 members or
less with an average score of 4 credits or above on expertise
2 points - a group of more than 10
members with an average score of 4 credits or above on expertise
1 point - a group of 10 members or less
with an average score less than 4 credits on expertise
0 points - a group of more than 10
members with an average score less than 4 credits on expertise
Time Spent in One Location
It would be more
beneficial for the environment if a small group of people spends less time at a
single destination rather than a large group spending a long time at a single
destination. The less time that is spent at a destination the less likely the
impact will be more noticeable and permanent.
3 points - the size of the group is 10
members or less and less than a week is spent in a single destination
2 points - the size of the group is 10
members or less and more than a week is spent in a single destination
1 point - the size of the group is more
than 10 members and less than a week is spent in a single destination
0 points - the size of the group is
more than 10 members and more than one week is spent in a single destination
Ecopsychology
Ecopsychology
helps us understand why we go the places we go.By understanding humans' intrinsic need for nature, we can better choose
appropriate locations based on our specific purposes.See background for more information on
ecopsychology.
3 points - recreation for educational
or cultural purposes
2 points - recreation for personal
reasons such as fun, exploration, spiritual, etc., has a connection with nature
1 point - no knowledge or reason, just
something to do
0 points - out to take advantage of
nature
Location
The impact you
have on a place is influenced by the knowledge you possess and the type of
location you are going to.The impact
may or not be acceptable depending on your reason for going there, based on
your ecological consciousness or lack of.
3 points- if the location is
established and expertise score is above 4 along with at least 2 points for
ecopsychology
2 points - if the location is
undisturbed and expertise score is above 4 along with at least 2 points for
ecopsychology
1 point - if the location is
established and expertise score is below 4 along with 2 or less for
ecospychology
0 points - if the location is
undisturbed and expertise score is below 4 along with 2 or less points for
ecopsychology
Distance
The ideal
situation is to travel the least distance to a location and then spending the
greatest time there. For example it
would be better to take one long trip every other month than a short trip every
weekend in terms of fuel usage and impact. Note: if you are using a form of
transportation that does not release require fossil fuels or produce emissions,
award yourself three points.
3 points - the distance traveled is
less than 100 miles and more than a week is spent recreating
2 points - the distance traveled is
less than 100 miles and less than a week is spent recreating
1 point - the distance traveled is more
than 100 miles and a week or more is spent recreating
0 points - the distance traveled is
over 100 miles and less than a week is spent recreating
Future Steps and Considerations
When
dealing with the location aspect of recreating sustainably, one deals more with
personal actions instead of objects like in the food and gear aspects of
recreation. Because of the wide range of actions that one must take
responsibility for in this category and also because all of the actions are
interconnected, it is not yet possible to distinguish any more immediate future
steps than those that have been addressed. It is up to each individual to
decide whether or not they want to follow these guidelines or whether or not
they want to update them with better options in sustainable recreation. As long
as one thinks consciously about how they are affecting the environment and that
they know why they are out in nature, they are on the right track.This is each person's opportunity to take the
road less traveled.
There are many
complications and subjective information involved with a study on
sustainability, particularly location issues.It is difficult to quantify many of the relevant aspects, so specific
distances and time frames are somewhat arbitrary, but were the result of much
research, thought, and discussion.It is
equally difficult to quantify the value of various purposes, so again, use
thought, care, and consideration.
References and Resources
Conessa-Sevilla. (2006). Defining Ecopsychology: A New Name for an
Old Science.
coa.house.gov/greenexpo
Louv, Richard. (2005). Last Child in the Woods. New York: Algonquin
Books.
Rocky Mountain Sports. August 2007.
p.38.
Roszak, Theodore, Gomes, Mary, and
Kanner, Allen. (Eds.) (1995). EcopsychologyRestoring the Mind, Healing the Mind.
San Francisco: Sierra
Club Books.
Theodore Roszak's Eight
Ecopsychological Principle's
www.care2.com/channels/ecoinfo/transportation
www.communitywebs.org/ScientificExpeditionGroup/pdf/MINIMUM%20IMPACT%2GUIDELINES.pdf
www.ecopsychology.org
www.gdrc.org/uem/co2-calculator.html
www.knowledgehound.com/topics/ecotrans.htm
www.lnt.org
www.motherearthnews.com/alternative-transportation.aspx
www.sustainabletravelinternational.org
For further reference look at any of the publications
by:
Derrick Jensen
Ralph Metzner
Betty Roszak
Theodore Roszak
Paul Shepard
Food
by Drew Cramer, Joe Graveen, Dave Thomas
Background
In conventional
agriculture there have been many detrimental effects in and on the environment
and in human health and nutrition.The
biomagnification - "the bioaccumulation
of a substance up the food chain by transfer of residues of the substance in
smaller organisms that are food for larger organisms in the chain" (Biomagnification,
2006) - of pesticides has increased dramatically in the animals we eat for
food.In the 1987 book by John Robbins,
Diet for a New America, he cites research studies that "indicate that of all
the toxic chemical residues in the American diet, 95-99%, comes from meat,
fish, dairy products, and eggs" (p. 315).Pesticide residues are minimal from diets low on the food chain
including "1% from grains, 4% from fruits, and 6% from vegetables compared to
23% from dairy products and 55% from meats" (Realities 1989).Pesticide residues are stored in fat cells in
animals higher up on the food chain; people are pesticide sinks, storing
residues in their cells.
After World War
II, farming changed dramatically from what it had been for centuries
before.With the end of the war, the
enemy was changed from Germany
and Japan
to the natural world, absorbing the weapons and machines into another sector of
the economy.The tanks became tractors
to work the soil while the explosives were transformed into fertilizers to
stimulate growth of plants.Before World
War II soil fertility was dependent on manure, crop rotations, and the planting
of nitrogen fixing plants thus insuring a healthy complex system, but after the
war, with an enormous surplus of nitrogen explosives, scientists abandoned the
small complex farm and created mechanized farms that were thousands of acres
and supplied with nitrogen fertilizers.These fertilizers and animal manure after 60 years of constant misuse
have compromised certain aspects of the environment, especially the Gulf of
Mexico, where the runoff of all the Midwestern farms has created an enormous
algae bloom - known as the Dead Zone - which uses up the oxygen available
for aquatic organisms.The Dead Zone, at
its peak, is almost the size of New
Jersey, fluctuating from year to year (Roach,
2005).
The over-use of
petroleum is prevalent in conventional agricultural systems because it is
heavily subsidized.If farmers had to
pay the "real cost" of petroleum today's farms would look very different.Petroleum is extensively used throughout the
agricultural system including the shipping of materials, the machines that
plant, maintain, and harvest, and in the creation of synthetic fertilizers and
pesticides.
Our
nation's food supply is dependent on nationwide distribution, ensuring that a product
is in a store and not guaranteeing its quality or taste.The average distance produce travels to reach
a Chicago
market is 1,518 miles (Mason, 2006, 135).Most of the produce comes from California
and is trucked throughout the United
States on the Interstate Highway System,
sometimes traveling as far as 3,000 miles from where it was grown.
Large
factory farm implements are employed in conventional agricultural systems to
increase the efficiency on the farm.Enormous tractors that run on diesel or propane are used everyday doing
tasks around the farm.These machines
are powered by fossil fuels and generally run all day throughout the planting
and harvesting seasons.
Petroleum
based fertilizers are energy intensive.Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are formed from the Haber-Bosch process
by combining nitrogen and hydrogen gases under vast amounts of heat and
pressure.The heat and pressure are
supplied by electricity and the hydrogen gas from fossil fuels, thus changing
what had once been a sun driven cycle to one supplemented by fossil fuels."Every bushel of industrial corn requires the
equivalent of between a quarter and a third of a gallon to grow it or about
fifty gallons of oil per acre" (Pollan, 2006, 45).This number is so large that it now takes
"more than a calorie of fossil fuel energy to produce a calorie of food," when
before chemical fertilizers farms "produced more than two calories of food
energy for every calorie of energy invested" (Pollen, 2006, 46).
The
farming practices in the meat industry should hardly be called farming and
instead should be called the industrial production of meat.Beef, poultry, and pork are all raised in
large "factory" farms that produce meat in an industrial fashion.These animals are fed a diet of "corn,
soybeans, and fishmeal, plus vitamins, hormones, and antibiotics.Such a diet uses massive amounts of water and
energy—to grow the feed; water the cattle, pigs, and chickens; and produce the
fertilizers" (Steinberg 190).This feed
is bought at a lower price than what it cost to grow the grains because of
government subsidies.This artificially
low price allows the factory farms to raise meat without paying for the costs
to the environment—water pollution, soil erosion, lack of diversity, and air
pollution.
Cattle are
ruminants, meaning they eat grass, and have been doing so forever. Feeding
these animals corn is going against hundreds of thousands of years of genetic
adaptation.Eating corn causes the rumen
to swell and pushes against the other stomachs, causing much pain for the cow,
and a veterinarian has to come to the farm to release the pressure. Laying hens
live in small, six inch cages, not even allowing them to spread their wings, which
are roughly 26 inches (Realities 1989).Hogs
regularly bite the tails of other hogs because of the confinement.To live in these confined areas so close to
so many other animals, antibiotics are essential or a disease could take out
the entire building.As a result, animals
now consume more than 30 times the amount of antibiotics than humans (Steinberg
196).This has unknown health risks, but
one thing that has resulted from this antibiotic use is increased tolerance in
bacteria, leaving older antibiotics ineffective.
Through current
"free" trade practices peoples all over the world are being systematically
extorted. Mega-corporations are able to sell their products worldwide with no
regulations addressing human and environmental rights. The violations on human
rights include child labor, low to no wages, long hours without breaks, union
busting, and harsh working conditions. The most expense part of almost any
product is human labor and by minimizing this cost companies are seeking to
maximize profits, with no care for the welfare of the people who work for them.
Health problems from
genetically altered foods are a dangerous concern. GMO's (genetically modified
organism) can cause include food allergies, increased toxicity, decreased
nutritional value, and antibiotic resistance to various bacterium (Genetically
Modified Organisms, 2003).Food
allergies become a problem because when genetically modifying an organism
scientists take a desirable gene from one organism and put it into another. In
one case researches put a gene from the Brazil nut into the soybean to increase
Methionine production. After the splicing of these two plants people had
unexpected allergic reactions to the soy beans containing this gene (Case
Study: Brazil nut allergen in GE soybeans). If people can have unforeseen
allergic reactions, how many other unforeseen negative effects will GMO's
bring?
Another alarming
concern regarding food today is bio-piracy.According to the action group on Erosion, Technology, and Concentration (ETC
Group), "bio-piracy refers to the appropriation of the knowledge and genetic
resources of farming and indigenous communities by individuals or institutions
who seek exclusive monopoly control over resources and knowledge" (Brinkman,
2005).It is then possible to obtain
patents on food.If a patented food
spreads to another farmer's field the patent holder is able to collect
royalties on that farmer. As pollens are able to drift many miles, there is bound
to be uncontrolled cross breeding, giving one person holding a patent the
ability to sue countless others for royalties.
Many
genetically altered foods are tested in open air test plots, which has caused
uncontrolled spreading in recent years. Such was the case in Aug, 2006 in Oregon when a GE
(genetically engineered) bent-grass escaped its testing ground. That same year
a German company was responsible for the contamination of virtually all the United States'
crop of long grain white rice with a GE variety never intended for human
consumption (LaDuke, 2006). These crops are sometimes consumed before they have
been deemed safe, even when after testing their level of safety should be
questioned. Our tests can not test the multitude of possibilities that occur in
nature. Also with uncontrolled spreading these plants cross pollinate with wild
strains, possibly driving them out, or creating a new unpredictable strain.
Heirloom varieties of plants that have been cultivated for generations become
extinct because of one GMO getting loose. Through the production of GMO's we
are threatening our crops genetic diversity, something that will take countless
years to get back, if we can even get them back at all.
Terminator seeds are seeds that
will only produce once, are genetically modified, and are owned by merger
mega-corporations like Monsanto and Dupont. The problem with terminator seeds
is that they only produce one year's crop. After they have produced they die
and no reseeding is possible (Olsen, 1999). This forces farmers to buy them
year after year, rendering them dependant upon someone else for their crops. Since
it is corporations that own these seeds they are often able to make other seed
producers go out of business, resulting in a monopoly on seeds in their area,
forcing farmers to buy only from them.
As
our farming practices have become more and more estranged from "real" farming,
our effects on the land have become nothing short of tragic. In the production
of every pound meat, poultry, eggs, or milk five pounds of topsoil are lost
(Vandana, 2000, pp 70-71). This loss of topsoil is caused by modern farming
practices that let erosion and soil degradation wreck our most basic of natural
resources. Topsoil takes years to be produced, and when there is no more
topsoil for the plant matter to grow on, there will be no more plant matter to
make the topsoil. If we continue to destroy our topsoil we will soon realize
the true value of dirt. There is a Cree proverb that speaks on this issue,
"Only when the last tree is cut, only when the last river is polluted, only
when the last fish is caught, only then will they realize that you cannot eat
money."
Sustainable
alternatives to conventional agriculture can leave our future with healthy,
fertile soil instead of the biologically dead soil conventional systems are
creating.Instead of the conventional
mindset that we are combating the environment to grow our food, sustainable
systems work with nature rather than against it.They employ natural systems and plants to
maintain fertility and control pests.
Maintaining
fertile soil is easy to do organically using compost.Compost is the recycling of natural materials
like leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen scraps into organic matter.The finished product is black and gives the
soil that "earthy" smell, like the smell of forest soil.Compost is home to thousands of bacteria,
fungi, nematodes, protozoa, and arthropods that feed the plants through their
interactions around the plants.Manures
can also be composted with the addition of a carbon source; these have higher
nitrogen levels and are great for heavy feeding plants like corn.
Mulches are laid
out around plants to protect the soil micro-organisms and help retain water in
the soil.The mulches also slowly break
down and can be thought of as a time released fertilizer.Green mulches can also be grown after or before
a harvest and tilled into the soil to increase nutrients—like nitrogen—into the
soil. Organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion are used to supplement plants
with their needed nutrients.Soil
minerals can also be applied to fields or foliar fed to plants to correct
mineral deficiencies.
Insect control can
be done several ways in organic farming.Healthy plants will generally not have insect damage so pest damage is
probably pointing out some kind of deficiency.Paying close attention to crops that are being grown and what is
happening around them is crucial for an organic farmer.If there is a pest it can be taken care of
immediately before it spreads throughout the farm.Diversity and crop rotations disrupt insect
cycles, not allowing one type of pest to cause serious damage.Habitats that encourage predatory insects are
essential for a healthy insect population to keep the pest species in
check.If a pest does get out of control
there are biocides, insecticides derived from plants or other natural materials
that are used to kill insects.They are
permitable under USDA Organic guidelines, but if a biocide is used it will kill
all insects, both beneficial and pest.
Alternatives
to petroleum based agriculture are popping up around the country because of
demands from consumers.People want food
that tastes like food, has more nutrition, and was raised fairly. Local farming
is a growing movement across the world, allowing some people to eat within a
100 mile radius of where they live.This
reduces fossil fuel use by limiting the distance and number of trucks used for
shipping.This food has more vitamins
and minerals because it is picked at its ripest stage so it is healthier for
the consumer.By supporting this type
of farming the money stays in the local economy, building and strengthening the
community.Local food can be bought at a
farmer's markets, a co-op, off the farm, from a membership to a CSA - community
supported agriculture - program, or even from a supermarket if labels are read
carefully.
Diverse
farm practices are essential for a healthy and productive agrarian system.There are many different kinds of farms that
employ natural methods for some or all of their crops.Organic agriculture is the most well known of
these, and it currently has standards that have been set by the USDA.There are other farming systems that consider
themselves "beyond organic" because the word organic does not mean what it once
did.The standards that have been
created allow agribusiness to operate a farm very similar to conventional farming,
simply substituting fertilizer for manure trucked in many miles or a biocide to
control pests rather than pesticides.Many farms that are "beyond organic" use principles based on the food
soil web, using the microorganisms underneath the soil to maintain plant and
soil fertility through adding compost, mulch, and some no till and tilling
options depending on the crop.Another
example of a diverse farming practice is permaculture, a system of permanent
agriculture developed by Australian Bill Mollison. This type of farming mimics
natural ecosystems while producing food for humans, habitat for wildlife, and
all the while increasing the soil's fertility. Biodynamic farming is a type of
farming that was developed by Rudolf Steiner in the early twentieth century
that uses different compost preparations to increase soil fertility and
production. All of these farms work with nature rather than against it to feed
humans in a sustainable manner.
Free range, grass,
pasture fed meats reflect the "real cost" of raising meat because their
production is not subsidized.These
animals eat a diverse diet including many different kinds of grasses, legumes,
and herbaceous plants.This allows the
different micronutrients that are found in these plants are transferred to the
animal, which in turn is transferred to the people who eat the meat.If multiple animals are raised on pasture
operation fertilizers, pesticides, and antibiotics are unnecessary to have a
healthy, productive farm.On Polyface
Farm cows are grazed in a paddock and moved daily.After the paddock has sat for a day chickens
are brought in to scratch through the manure, spreading it, fertilizing the
pasture while fertilizing it with their own manure, searching for parasite
grubs to eat.This disrupts the
parasite-host cycle making pesticides and antibiotics unnecessary.
The
easiest way to make sure that what you are buying is indeed giving someone a
living wage is if it has a Fair Trade label. Fair Trade is an international,
non-profit, multi-stakeholder association that among other things sets
standards and certifies certain products if they meet these standards. Instead
of impoverishing people in third world countries, it empowers them. "Fair trade
businesses return 1/3 to 1/4 of profits back to producers in developing
countries" (Facts and Figures, 2007). Buy purchasing Fair Trade labeled
products you can be assured that all workers were paid fairly.
The health benefit of using
non-GMO food is that its seed is natural and most likely organically grow,
while GMO foods are altered and can create toxins, allergens, carcinogens, or
nutritional problems (From an interview by 'noseweek', South African
investigative magazine, with Jeffrey Smith, author of 'the non-GMO bible' Seeds
of Deception, exposing bad science behind GMO's, government and biotech industry
lies).
Commons are resources
owned equally by every member of the community, even though the community
recognizes that only a limited number of members may use the resource at any
given time. Commons is most often a finite but replenishable resource, which
requires responsible use in order to remain available. It requires not only
responsible use but also active contribution from its users.
According to Seed
Saver Exchange, a heirloom seed is any garden plant that has had a history of
being passed down in a family. Protecting heirloom seeds is protecting the
genetic diversity of that unique variety of seed.
Proper land
management requires long range planning in terms of enhancing its potential to
produce and to be sustainable. Adopting proper land use patterns and
implementing synergistic soil and crop management practices are necessary to
conserve the potential of land in perpetuity. Proper land management consists
of the two key issues of what to use the land for and how to use it to obtain
maximum productivity in perpetuity.
Model
This food model is
mainly focused on things that the consumer has control over. By reading the
labels of food much information can be readily had. Since this is the
information that is available to a consumer this is how we will rate a food's
sustainability. Another part that factors into this model is the benefit of
growing your own foods or gathering them from the land.Remember that each type of food needs to be
rated individually before averaging the scores.Note: this model does not take into account how much of a food you are
consuming, so one cup of tea can factor the same as 20 pounds of beef. Be aware
of this fact.
Organic
Organic foods are
foods that have no pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers added. These
chemicals that are often used in food production are synthesized from
petroleum, and therefore unsustainable.
1 point - organic
0 points - not organic
Local
Most of our foods
come from hundreds if not thousands of miles away, burning fossil fuels and
toxic emissions. Foods that are grown locally do not.
2 points - grown locally
0 points- not local
Fair Trade
Labor is
expensive, therefore it is cheaper for a company to treat its employees
abominably. When companies have factories overseas they are not subject to the
same, if any, labor laws. By buying foods that have they Fair Trade logo you
can be assured that the people who produced your food were treated
appropriately and earned decent wages.
1 point - Fair Trade certified
0 points - not Fair Trade certified
Small Farm
Large corporate
farms practice methods of farming that are over-taxing on the land. Since they
try to have high outputs they ship in resources from all over the country to
produce their food. Small farms use only what is available to them and have to
be more conscientious of how they treat the land.
1 point - grown at
a small farm
0 points - grown at a corporate farm
Non-GMO
Genetically
modified foods have numerous unforeseen side effects, ranging from
environmental dangers to direct health dangers. Foods that have not been
genetically modified have evolved to be consumed and have been proven safe by
thousands of years of consumption.
1 point - non-GMO
0 points - GMO
Meat
Large amounts of
resources are grown to be fed to animals, who are often left inside small cages
never seeing the light of day. When they are in one place for so long they have
high levels of waste concentrated, increasing the need for antibiotics. These
animals are also often raised in a way that is highly taxing on water and food
supplies. There is no distinct line for an ethically raised meat, read into
where your meat comes from if you are purchasing meat, and find out the farmers'
practices. Since non-meat products are naturally less intensive to grow they
are also more efficient.
2 points - Conscientiously raised meat
or no meat
0 points - Unconscientiously raised
meat
Home Grown and Locally Gathered
There are
naturally growing foods almost everywhere, even in places where you can't find
food you can grow it. Foods that you grow or gather you have direct control
over. They are local and very likely organic.
2 points - Home grown or locally
gathered food
0 points - Not grown or gathered
Future Steps and Considerations
As this is just
the beginning of change it is necessary to plan for future changes. This model
gives a way to rate how sustainable our choices are; by paying attention to
what matters to you, you can determine possible options that would be
appropriate for your community. At our campus every year we have Outdoor
Orientation trips. Incoming students go out on trips with several returning
students. Our campus also has a small garden, so it would be very easy to grow
all the food needed to feed all the new students on their trips. Other possible
actions would be to lead campus discussions on sustainable food options and
when awareness grows large enough we could petition our school to only purchase
only sustainable foods. These are some possible options that are appropriate
for our community, yours might be different.
Unanswered Questions
When
making this model there were some things that we were unable to cover or fully
understand. When doing your own research we recommend thinking about these
things:
Can non-local foods be justifiably
purchased?
Transportation methods questioned?
Short distance car versus long distance train, which is more sustainable?
Places where food cannot be grown easily?
When local food is not available?
Price versus the true cost of food?
We pay more money for sustainable foods but more do not pay the true cost for "normal" foods, how to balance with
small income?
Points system needs more
modification, some things more important than others?
References and Resources
Resources
www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm
www.biodynamics.com/
www.midwestpermaculture.com/
www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/approach.html
www.sustainabletable.org
References
Biomagnifacation.
(December 2006). Retrieved December
3, 2007, from United States Geological
Survey Web site: toxics.usgs.gov/definitions/biomagnification.html
Brinkman, J. (2005). Peruvian Maca and Allegations of Biopiracy.
Retrieved December 3, 2007, from The Journal of
the American Botanical Council Web site content.herbalgram.org/wholefoodsmarket/herbalgram/articleview.asp?a=3128.
Case
Study: Brazil Nut allergen in GE soybeans. (n.d.). Retrieved on December 3, 2007, from Genetically Engineered Organisms Web site
www.geo-pie.cornell.edu/issues/brazilnut.html.
Facts
and Figures. (2007). Retrieved on December 3, 2007
, from Fair Trade Federation Web site: www.fairtradefederation.org/ht/d/sp/i/197/pid/197.
Genetically
Modified Organisms. (2003). Retrieved December 3, 2007, from University of
Minnesota Environmental Health Sciences Web
site: enhs.umn.edu/5103/gm/harmful.html
LaDuke, W. October 06, 2006.Manoomin,
seed sovereignty and genetics. Retrieved
December 3, 2007, from
Indian Country Tody Web Site: www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413782
Mason J, Singer P. (2006). The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter.
USA:
Rodale. Inc.
Olsen, M. (1999). Terminator Unleashed: Patenting Life -
Patenting Death. Retrieved
on December 3, 2007,
from Biological koyaanisqatsi
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