Sustainability

As the general population becomes more aware of our environmental challenges and the emerging energy crisis certain words have become popular in the media. Not too many years ago words like sustainable, green or renewable would bring snickers from people who thought the environmental movement and search for alternative energy sources were just hoaxes perpetuated by those with purely political agendas. Not anymore. Just about everywhere you look in media and advertising people are talking green and sustainability.

One unfortunate side effect of having meaningful words become marketing buzzwords is that what these words mean and represent is often lost in a barrage of advertising and shallow quasi-news reporting.

The words sustainable and sustainability are powerful words with meaning that reveals great wisdom for the future of humankind. It is important that we preserve the power of these words to help us understand what we must do to provide a high quality of life in the years ahead. It would be tragic to be seduced by the spin doctors that because we put a green or sustainable label on something that we are properly addressing our long-term challenges.

Both of these words speak to the ability of something to last and endure. This means that whatever we are attempting to sustain is capable of enduring times of hardship, scarcity, or change. Something that works well during the good times but breaks down during times of challenge is simply not sustainable. This is true of every aspect of our civilization including our economy.

This is a lesson that humanity has had great difficulty understanding and learning. Our history over the ages shows a consistent pattern of our developing civilizations and establishing standards of living only to have is all fall apart as soon as conditions change or new threats introduced.

The solutions for this are planning for the long-term, which includes planning for times of scarcity, hardship and change; and investing resources like time, energy and money into these plans.

A good example of how this works is in the hurricane Katrina disaster. The officials in New Orleans had been warned that the levees were not strong enough to withstand a serious hurricane. To repair and strengthen the levees would cost substantial amounts of money and reduce the amount available to spend on advertising to increase tourism.

These officials decided to wait on repairing the levees figuring that such a storm was unlikely, and moved to spend that money on advertising instead. They figured that the increases in their economy would provide the funds necessary for the repairs in due time. In other words they traded the security that this long-term investment would provide for short-term economic gains. We all know how well this strategy ended up working.

If these officials would have invested for the long-term and planned for this “unlikely” event a huge disaster could have been avoided. Today, New Orleans would have recovered from the storm and would be in a position to maintain tourism and the local economy.

As we look ahead to the challenges posed by our energy crisis and climate change we would be wise to vigorously invest in long-term solutions to these challenges today, even if it means forgoing short-term economic gains. Such investments create whole new areas economic opportunity that down to road will benefit us far more than anything else we might do today to stimulate our economy for the short-term.

You can find our more about practical long-term solutions on the Bright Future website. If you have not visited lately come a take a look at the improvements we recently completed. The site has been redesigned with a fresh look and improved navigation. Also, we have added a brand new networking section and a forum where you can discuss our long-term challenges and solutions with others. You are invited to take advantage of our free membership offer that gives you full access to these new functions.

Sustainable building has been in vogue, ever since the green building concept came into existence. Green building means resource efficient and environmentally conscious, sustainable design which is usually dependent on three areas such as conservation, energy, resource conservation and indoor air quality. You can also identify which properties will save you funds when it comes to fuel costs and making repairs.

Viewed as new-age in construction circles, sustainable design looks at homes holistically, and not just a bunch of unrelated systems thrown together. Natural forms of energy, such as wind, solar, and geo-thermal if available on-site are maximized. Make important decisions between one property and another with enough awareness on how carefully has the construction taken into account the weight of environmental protection. And if you plan to put up additional buildings or extensions to your property, you’ll know how to go about it in a responsible way. However, experts are of the opinion that both green building and sustainable building have some difference between them. But, both consider environmental conservation has its prime aim. Viewed as new-age in construction circles, sustainable design looks at homes holistically, and not just a bunch of unrelated systems thrown together.

You must look at the various factors for having a sustainable housing:

Environmental factors: We need to consider the conservation of environment in order to improve the biodiversity and ecology.

Water: rain water reuse, minimising and attenuating surface water run-off to prevent flooding and pollution, make use of water efficient appliances.

Energy: high levels of insulation and reduce energy consumption, make use of energy efficient lighting and appliances, building orientation to maximise solar gains and shelter from prevailing winds.

Materials: make use of materials with longer shelf life, but it should be of lesser environmental impact during extraction, manufacture and us, use of materials which can be reused / recycled, use of locally produced materials to reduce transportation requirements and avoid using non renewable and unsustainable ONES.

Affordability: reduce the cost of ownership – if it isn’t affordable – it cannot be sustainable, flexibility and adaptability to meet the changing needs of present and future occupiers.

Transport:  Your house should be close to public transport routes, access to amenities and place of work should be easy or have some space to work from home itself, to reduce your commuting problem.

Health and wellbeing: make use of non toxic materials, with adequate day lighting, ventilation provided. Private outdoor space, green space, ‘sense of place’, integration with the surroundings / landscape.

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Ask any person on the street which industry earns New Zealand the most amount of money and 9 times out of 10 you are bound to hear ‘Dairy’. However a little known fact is that the dairy industry is second to the tourism industry in terms of earning foreign exchange.

In 2007, international tourists spent $8.8billion(1) on our shores. During the same time we exported $7.3billion(1) worth of dairy products. So if international tourists are so important to our economy, what does its future hold with the cost of air travel increasing and the need to reduce carbon emissions?

We are an isolated country and a long-haul destination from all of our major tourist markets baring Australia. It has always cost visitors more to get to us than other possible destinations. This limits the volume of people who are able to travel here. On top of this, add to the traveller’s decision process the impact of air travel on their carbon footprint and we have significant obstacles to overcome in our efforts to attract international visitors.

New Zealand has always had a ‘clean green’ image and the major attraction for international visitors is our array of unspoilt natural landscapes. This is the theme of Tourism New Zealand’s (TNZ) 100% Pure NZ marketing campaign. However many of the service providers that tourists use have not been living up to this ‘clean green’ image. In order to minimise the carbon footprint international visitors create during their visit and help mitigate the environmental impact of their air travel to NZ, TNZ has identified the need for our industry to deliver a sustainable experience for our visitors. This has been outlined by TNZ and the Government in the New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015 (NZTS 2015). Tourism relies more than any other sector on our countries continuing sustainability as a nation. This is because New Zealand itself is the product we are selling internationally. Sustainability involves delivering the maximum benefit – economic, social, cultural, and environmental – with as few unwanted effects as possible ensuring the future of the industry and our environment(2).

The most significant development our industry has had since the publication of the NZTS 2015 is the development of the world’s first integrated environmental performance and quality assurance system – Qualmark Green. Qualmark (www.qualmark.co.nz) is TNZ’s official independent mark of quality and now every Qualmark accredited accommodation provider, visitor activity and transport provider, visitor service and venue is assessed on their environmental performance and required to meet a set of minimum standards. Those that excel receive either a bronze, silver or gold accreditation which they can promote alongside their quality rating.

Furthermore, the small South Island tourist town of Kaikoura (famous for whale watching) has been extremely proactive with regards to sustainability. In 2004 Kaikoura became the first local authority in the world to achieve Green Globe 21 Certification. Green Globe (www.ec3global.com) is a global benchmarking and certification process for sustainable travel and tourism. Kaikoura District Council created an environmental and social policy action plan using Green Globe’s guidelines, reduced its solid waste output through a zero waste scheme which has saved the district thousands of dollars, and introduced a carbon offset scheme to ensure that their carbon footprint is dramatically reduced. The certification has become a unique selling point for Kaikoura as a destination which has resulted in increased visitation.

Initiatives such as these show how New Zealand is leading the way with sustainable tourism. It is ensuring that those involved in the industry live the clean green image our international visitors expect. And due to the breadth of the industry throughout NZ, sustainable values are reaching all communities around the country.

1: Tourism Satellite Account – 2007
2: New Zealand Tourism Strategy 2015

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Your business has potential. The idea that you had worked – and worked well. The business has really started to kick off and you are getting successful. It is a great feeling.

Beneath that great feeling is a level of unease. You know that what is keeping your business going is all about you – and the stresses and strains of that are starting to show. It’s a feeling of exhilaration tinged with fear and disillusion. You know that you cannot keep up this pace forever. What happened to the success and what it was supposed to give you?

What’s more, you want a vacation.

If Want Sustainable Business Growth – Think Again…

It is time to think again. It is a problem that is solvable – and that solution may not be as far away as you might think.

What you have right now is unsustainable, so you need to switch that into something that enables sustainable business growth. This is making sure your business prospers and grows, without the backbreaking work on your part. Giving you the time to enjoy some of the fruits of your labors too.

To give sustainable business growth, there is one ingredient in the recipe that needs to be taken out of the equation, at least as far as the grunt work – the everyday operation of your business – is concerned. YOU.

Yes, it is now time to ensure that you are as little a part of the sustainable business growth package as possible, by creating a bunch of people around you that are able to do your work; to take the weight off your shoulders, by being as good, if not better at running your business as you are – or think you are.

In fact, by turning over running your business, not only will you achieve sustainable business growth that doesn’t kill you, but you will also build a business that thrives on others doing the work you help so close to your chest for so long – understandably, because it was your baby.

And when others are a part of your ‘master’ team, it will become beyond sustainable business growth, it will elevate into a far better business proposition than you might have dreamt.

Sustainable Business Growth Is About (YOU) Letting Go

By developing a group of people in your team who are capable; enthusiastic; motivated and focused, you will be able to loosen your reins of control. You will be able to take a back seat in the running of the business. To quote a well-known phrase, you will be able to work ‘on’ the business, rather than ‘in’ the business. And that’s a big step.

Five rules of ‘letting go’:-

1) Rigorously consider everything you do and decide just how little you could do if you had the right person in place.

2) Decide on a timescale of letting that go to someone else, even if you don’t know who that might be right no (hint – be challenging with timescale – 6 months should do it).

3) Consider who you have in your team now who could step up what they do to the next level.

4) Create a quick and dirty 6 month program of developing (supporting, challenging, delegating and above all trusting) each of the people you have already, to step up. If you haven’t got the people you think can do it, plan to recruit inside 3 months (note – you probably have the potential inside the people you already have, so check that out first).

5) Start tomorrow

One thing you need to know. It will take a big shift in attitudes from excuses and reasons for it not being possible, to ‘can do’. And the biggest hurdle that you will find in creating this sustainable business growth model of shifting total accountability to others, will be you. Your people will love it; love you and take it in their stride.

The capability will most often be there. It’s up to your to let go, support and take a vacation, safe in the knowledge that your business is thriving.

Psst – most often it will do even better when you are not there!

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Sustainable energy is the renewable energy which is not expected to be exhausted in a timeframe and its sources are not supposed to be consumed ever. The sources of the sustainable energy are natural like solar power hydro power wind power bio fuel biomass geothermal power and so on. Sustainable energy is also the alternative of the fossil energy. The sources of the renewable energy are inexhaustible.

Increasing the use of sustainable or renewable energy decrease the use of fossil fuel resources and increase the contribution of world energy security. When the fossil energy resources are consumed the emission from these are causing the pollution. In this current scenario one of the biggest social problems is pollution. To prevent the alarming growth of the environment pollution it becomes very necessary to use the sustainable energies instead of the fossil energy. And how is that you are using the energy as much as you require and that doesn’t create any pollution. Keeping the earth a healthy clean and clear!

Solar panels are now vastly used for the domestic pas well as commercial purpose. If we use the wood pellet stoves or boilers instead of other means of stoves or boilers, we can save the environment, storage of bio fuels as well as our money also. Wood pellets are exhausted completely. The percentage of waste in the wood pellet stoves is around 1–2% only. That means it saves your money. These are not only bio friendly but very economical also. Sustainable energy is consisting of renewable energy and energy efficiency. These energies can be used in household, automotive and every commercial field.

Most of the progressive countries are now taking positive steps to promote the renewable energy. The Governments provide the grants to their respective countries. Various NGOs and environmentalists are working to make popular the sustainable energy. Now this is not only used for bio friendly reasons but this is also used for profit maximizing for the commercial houses also. You can have a look on the hyperlinks mentioned below where you can get the SEI Grant scheme available in Ireland. This list is very much useful to avail the full benefit of installing the solar panels. Now a day it has been noticed that the use of the sustainable energy sources are increasing in the suburban areas rather than the towns and villages. And where the blessings of electricity have not reached yet, the growth of renewable energy is greatly noticeable. As per the surveys it has been noticed that the cost of energy generation is much lesser to the other means of energy generation.

Renewable energies are crucial contributors to the energy supply as they contribute to the world energy supply security, reducing dependency on fossil fuel resources and provide opportunities for extenuating greenhouse gases. Renewable energy is the third largest contributor to the global electricity production. They accounted for almost 18% of the production in 2004, just after coal (40%) and natural gas (close to 20%), but ahead of nuclear (16%), oil (7%) and other nonrenewable waste.

According to Helmut Kaiser Consultancy of Zurich the yield and storage of renewable energy will be the fastest growing sector in the energy market over the next 20 years. The market of renewable energy is vast as well as open and growing very fast.

With Sustainable Design as the most important issue in Architecture today, designers are not only focusing on environmentally friendly materials but also educating their clients on the benefits of their design approach, their use of materials and their method of construction for reaching “Green” status.

The essential aim of Sustainable Design is to produce places, products and services in a way that reduces the use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and relates people to the natural environment. Architectural Fabric Structures have been in use since first introduced by Frei Otto in the early 1960′s for temporary expositions. The major benefits were its minimal impact on the environment, its ability to enclose large spaces with little material and, of course, its aesthetic quality. Essentially, these early structures were fine examples of Sustainable Design. Over time, these structures have proven themselves as a permanent building material having been used in retail malls, airports, and sports facilities to name a few.

Everyone (Owner, Designer, Consultant, and Contractor) has an opinion on sustainability and when it comes to fabric structures one could argue that these view points can be broken down into three major components: Design, Materials and Construction.

When it comes to design, it is very important to understand why one wants to be sustainable. Some times it can be a philosophical approach from the owner’s point of view, it could be mandated by market segment or there could be financial implications (banks, energy, etc.). I always like to say Design takes time and Green Design takes more time. Make sure your client realizes that too. Current design benefits of fabric structures directed at clients include: day lighting which reduces the need for artificial lighting, UV protection which reduces the risk of skin cancer, water collection which is then used for irrigating plants and other services, solar shading which reduces energy on a building’s mechanical system and rarely considered but a growing trend of incorporating a fabric structure as an educational tool that teaches people about UV protection, recyclability, etc.

When it comes to materials and fabric structures, designers look to the three basic components: the structural members, the membrane and the perimeter tensioning system. The structural system is primarily made of steel but aluminum and wood are being considered more often. These materials all have many recyclable attributes and can be specified to be manufactured locally to the site. However, the most important factor in looking to be more sustainable with the structural members is in documenting your work. Saying something is recyclable and having the certified documents to prove it are two different things. It is hard to go back to the origins of the material if you intend to go for a LEED certification or need it for rebates and tax cuts. The perimeter tensioning system which includes tie downs and catenaries can be made with webbing belts, ropes of different compositions or wire rope depending on the load imposed on the structure. The membrane can come from all over the world and fabrication shops varying depending on the material chosen. Some materials have short life spans while others are made of recyclable materials. You can also find materials with 20 to 30 years life spans and are more environmentally friendly than ever before. The same can be said for the membrane as it is for the structural members; document your work and certify its origins. More research needs to be done on the amount of energy required to both make the material and fabricate the finished membrane. I think one will find another added benefit to fabric structures and sustainable design.

Lastly, construction benefits and fabric structures vary from location, place where components were manufactured and what is required to install these structures. Most tensioned fabric structures are designed, engineered and fabricated by “form finding” which means they are designed to be not only structurally efficient but manufactured and installed with little to no waste and energy. Architectural fabric is considered one of the lightest building materials and can create the largest building envelope. The result can have significant impact from plant to site. Less weight and packed to move, membrane, structural steel and components can be shipped to site with fewer trucks and erected with lighter equipment. Properly designed fabric structures may have little impact on the ground with smaller concrete foundations for compression loads and the use of utility cable anchor technology for tension loads. These efforts can have significant saving when the site is being used for temporary structures or deployable structures where reuse is inevitable.

Remember, sustainable design and the use of fabric structures is most successful when ALL three components are considered just keep in mind the views of others.

Sustainable agricultural and organic farming is an alternative way to live life, preserve a culture, and protect nature in Northern Thailand.

Ek-ii-aek-aekkk…the Thai language call of the roosters aroused me from my warm, comfortable mattress. I can glimpse the sun beams seeping through the walls and under the wooden door. I can sense chilly, white fog of the Thailand winter while walking downstairs to help my host mother prepare vegetables to sell at market.

“You seem sleepy. Why don’t you go back to your bed and sleep longer?”
Mae Ratri asked gently.  Mae in this instance means ‘mother’ and is the way to address ones host mother; for about 2 weeks I was very blessed to have Mae Ratri Kruengngern’s as my surrogate mother.

Mae Ratri and her family are a rural farming family in Mae Tha, an idyllic green village in Northern Thailand. I was part of a group of university students studying sustainable agriculture and as inviting as the offer of extra sleep sounded, I was much more excited to continue with another day of learning.

Mae Tha is a small community of Mae-On sub-district in Chiang Mai, located amidst the mountains on the boundary of Lamphun province. Most of the population speaks the “Yong” dialect or the Thai language.

Mae Tha villagers earn a living by farming rice and cultivating indigenous vegetables using organic and sustainable practices.

Mr. Phat or Por Phat, dressed in his pale blue cotton shirt, traditional style pants and wearing flip-flops, is a leader of the village who firstly introduced organic farming and sustainable way of living to people in Mae Tha.

The transition process to change the farms in Mae Tha from chemical to organic ran effectively since there was a good cooperation from villagers in the community.

“I dare say it is because our families have a long and dear relationship. Our past generations live here. We are all related and that support is the community’s strength” Por Phat said proudly.

Most mornings people will venture out to their own farms but if there is a time of harvesting they will willingly go to help others from farm to farm.

The most impressive thing about farming and living in Mae Tha is learning how to give and receive. You will always get assistance whenever you need and the state of giving perpetuates when you feel that you could help others. That is the beautiful and endless circle of support that people in Mae Tha adopted from their ancestors and pass on through the generations.

Every Wednesday and Sunday Mae Ratri and a group of villagers will wake up around 2-3 am to prepare all the green, fresh, and chemical-free vegetables to sell in the organic food spots in Chiang Mai – JJ market and Nhong Hoi market.

The organic food selling areas are established by Institute for Sustainable Agricultural Communities or ISAC, an organization that aims to build and support sustainable agriculture communities in Chiang Mai.

The sun shines more brightly as it is time for a big truck to come and pick up both the produce and the sellers for the trip to the market.

Mr. Weerapon Thamkhun, one of the ISAC’s committee members said “giving high priority on home consumption is our first concern.”  He added “the goal of Organic Market is to promote the products from natural processes with not using chemical fertilizers or pesticides, including processing and marketing.”

The number of organic food consumers is increasing due to the increasing attention to health concerns and agricultural sustainability.

The smiling faces of the people who come and buy organic vegetables at the market marks the appreciation of receiving healthy, safe foods and reasonable price. The increasing demand and appreciation for quality is the challenge that the organic and sustainable farming community readily accepts.

Mrs. Wannapa Tachai, a fan of organic food said “organic farming is the greatest idea for both consumers and farmers. We both have a clean and safe food for our health.”

Mae Ratri turned her face to Mrs. Wannapa and gave her a nod. “And it seems we, both farmers and consumers, are friends. They will pay a reasonable price for the good quality of fresh vegetables, while we can also provide them healthy food.”

Mae Ratri added that she felt like it is a kind of making merit. Since she and people in the village produce the safe organic food for consumers, not introducing potentially harmful chemicals.

The sunlight gets stronger and moves its position to the top of our head showing that it is time to have lunch and go back home.  We all gathered around and had lunch together. Sharing food is a common thing to Mae Ratri and her friends because it shows the easy and close relationship of people in Mae Tha.

After the meal, the people were ready to go back home and prepare for working in their farms. We planted, plugged, watered, pulled weeds, and hand dug the soil. The work was exhausting but every single drop of sweat will in turn be reward when the vegetables are grown.

Since it is during winter time, broccoli, cauliflowers, and many kinds of winter green vegetables can be grown. So we grab a hoe and started plowing new plots for them.

The sun still shines brightly bringing hotness and humidity but the cool breeze helps ease the heat. So, we keep working the farm.

Time passed by, the sound of birds flying back to their nests was a sign that it was time to finish work.

We went back home and cleaned ourselves. I found that although working in the farm was tiring and made my two palms rough and bruised, it brought freshness and delight to me.

“I feel happy because I know that I have spent my sweat for growing healthy and safe foods for the goodness of my customers”, Mae Ratri’s words have repeated several times in my mind.

Organic farming is not only bringing her family safe food for healthy life, but also widens the view to perceive the rule of nature. The more they protect nature by farm with natural methods, the longer nature stays with them.

“We have only one chance to live our lives. Being healthy and to live happily in sufficiency are much more important than earning a sum of money and being wealthy by trickery and take-advantage doings”, Mae Ratri remarked.

I think these are strong words of wisdom learned from generations of people living close to the land and respecting strong community values.