This whole sustainability thing is in need of a major branding overhaul. When you let scientists and policymakers control the sustainability conversation you get definitions of sustainability such as “meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Talk about boring. Talk about uninspiring.

We need leaders who understand that creating an inspiring environmental vision and appealing to enlightened self-interested are the most effective tools for getting those SUV driving, McMansion aspiring mainstream Americans excited about joining the green movement.

And let’s be clear: sustainability is a movement, a human-centric movement designed to enable humans to live on this planet for a long time. But a movement that only promotes the goal of being able to live here for a long time hardly seems much worth joining let alone fighting for. How about living in abundance? How about fostering a vibrant, dynamic society that furthers the human journey? How about living as well as we possibly can?

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To that end, I propose a new definition of sustainability:To live as well as we possibly can while bringing our lifestyles into balance with nature.

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Same goal. Only reframed in such a way that it might just generate some excitement.

This might all sound like semantics but it’s hugely important. Unless the environmental movement examines its communication strategies, it will never attract the type of widespread acceptance necessary to be effective on the scale required to solve the enormous environmental challenges we face.

It’s time to recognize that there is an overwhelming opportunity to frame green choices in terms of personal self-interest environmentalism. The new green value proposition should be: it’s better for you AND for the planet.

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Source: The Lazy Environmentalist

Omaha’s local news reported yesterday that higher prices are hitting Nebraska farmers hard. Higher prices for equipment, fuel, seed and fertilizer (petroleum based) are driving up operating expenses across the heartland. This development is yet another issue exposing the unsustainability of corn-ethanol as a fuel.

According to a KETV story, “In one year, seed prices have doubled, diesel prices have jumped by $2 and fertilizer prices have tripled.” They say that one local farmer’s, “diesel fuel expenses are $600,000 higher in eight months.”

My recent Dirt Rag article on corn-ethanol titled Another Roadside Distraction, highlights the many shortcomings of producing fuel from corn. These problems are being amplified by the fact that rising costs make the fuel even more expensive to produce.

In particular, I want to remind everyone how environmentally harmful corn production is. “As far as green fuels go, corn ethanol is at the bottom of the heap. Corn production in the US demands massive amounts of herbicides, insecticides and petroleum-based fertilizers. Corn creates the most soil erosion of any US crop, and sucks up wetlands throughout corn country. Runoff from the corn industry silts the once mighty Mississippi River, creating a massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.”

I’m much more optimistic about conservation solutions that are currently underway. This behavioral change is practical, affordable and meaningful. There are technology changes that are promising, but corn-ethanol isn’t one of them.

If you haven’t ever seen the video called The Story of Stuff, or all of the amazing support material on the site, then you MUST check it out. Seriously, I mean it. Get some popcorn and watch it now.

This gets to the root of everything that I’m trying to do in work and in life.

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. It exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Remember, when you are done watching, spend some time looking through the resources and then send a link to a friend. We really do have the ability to change the system.

Read the Article Online

Earlier this year, Dirt Rag Magazine generously extended me the opportunity to write an article for the April issue. To prep readers for May’s National Bike to Work Month, I signed up to write an opinion piece in the Last Chance for Gas section that closes each issue.

The article, Another Roadside Distraction, is my criticism of the corn ethanol industry. I live Nebraska, smack dab in the middle of America’s corn country. I have a front row seat for the debate raging in our country about the feasibility of fuel from corn.

I shared with readers my believe that generating fuel from corn is the biggest political boondoggle of my lifetime. I see farmers making short term gains in the marketplace, only to suffer an increased cost of living as a result of rising food prices. I see the biggest corporations in our economy profiting from both government subsides and market factors. And most importantly, I see the negative environmental aspects of producing corn crops in this country as a major detriment to our nation’s ecosystem.

I only had 600 words to cover a lot of ground, but the words I chose generated a lot of passionate responses from readers. I got several emails from people commenting on the article, and their opinions were evenly divided between support for my statements or support for the corn ethanol industry.

The response to this article revealed to me that an ever growing segment of the population is joining the sustainability debate. The issue of corn ethanol highlighted that people are thinking about the issues and seeking connections in the community in order to debate the issues.

I decided to ask Dirt Rag if they would allow me to write a monthly sustainability article for their website in order to keep the debate going. Today, Volume 1 in what will hopefully be a very long series was published.

As I continue to evolve my lifestyle and beliefs to be consistent with a sustainable lifestyle, I will share my insights with as many people as possible.