Spirit of The Times 2011 November Web

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SPIRIT OF THE TIMES

Solutions for Sustainability - The Grassroots Connection
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Issue #2
NOVEMBER 2011
Permaculture
Joining the Dots
Aeroponic Ecocycle
Where Nature Meets Innovation
A Delicate Balance Review
The Importance Of Bringing Food Back To The Community
Local Food Networks
The Role of Veganism in a Sustainable Economy
Purism: To what extent is it possible or desirable to be a purist?
AN EXAMPLE OF A SUSTAINABLE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE
OCCUPY MELBOURNE
Contents
Information
WOMAD Earth Station Festival
Andrew Cooper, Kari McGregor, Matthew Delchev, Michael Kubler and Tamara Otello report on insights to sustainability from the inaugural WOMAD Earth Station Festival at Belair National Park in Adelaide.
Comment
To What Extent is it Possible or Desirable to be a Purist?
SnuSnu philosophically addresses the extent to which it is possible or desirable to be a purist with regard to sustainability-oriented activism.
Letter from the Editor

In this, our second issue of Spirit of the Times I must begin with an apology for lateness! Due to the teams recent involvement in many projects and events, not least the budding Occupy Movement, we have been flat out in their efforts to make what difference we can in the advocacy of sustainability, equality and democracy. Nevertheless, tireless commitment of a wonderful group of collaborators has given us this latest issue, packed full with informative solutions for sustainability. Each of our bimonthly issues aims to present global issues primarily within an Australian context, delivering informative articles regarding contemporary issues, discursive analyses, social commentary, critical thinking, and book and film reviews with content relevant to the aims and ethos of sustainability. Each issue presents its own theme; and this one is Solutions for Sustainability The Grassroots Connection. It is in this, our second, issue, that sustainability measures such as permaculture, community food networks and veganism are explored with regard to their respective merits as grassroots solutions that can be implemented by anyone with a desire to have a positive impact on the world around them. We hope that you will find this an entertaining and informative read, and that you will find information worth sharing!
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18. Permaculture: Joining the Dots

David Holberton explains the connection between permaculture and sustainability.
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Occupy Melbourne An Example of a Sustainable Grassroots Movement for Change

Jade Elise comments on experiences of the grassroots Movement for sustainable social change from Occupy Melbourne.
Aeroponic Ecocycle: 21. Where Nature Meets Innovation

Chris Wilkins demonstrates how innovative measures such as aeroponics can mimic natural processes.
Review
35. Documentary lm review: A Delicate Balance
Analysis
23. Local Food Networks - The Importance of Bringing Food Back to the Community.
Jared Moore analyses the benefits of community-based food networks.
Regards, Kari McGregor & the Spirit of the Times team
25. The Role of Veganism in a Sustainable Economy Kari McGregor investigates the relationship between veganism and sustainability with regard to effective resource management.
Any feedback regarding current articles or enquiries about future submissions is to be sent to: magazine@thespiritofcommunity.org Please indicate whether you would like feedback to be passed on to the writer of any given article, and/or published in the next issue. Thank you.
November 2011
/ Spirit of the Times Magazine
Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011
November 2011
WOMAD Earth Station

A festival of like minds with the shared goal of sustainability
Kari McGregor Mathew Delchev Tamara Otello Andrew Cooper Michael Kubler
Farming the City

1.
Urban Food Sustainability Production and variety of different ways. Some community gardens
(Friends of the Earth, Permaculture Association SA and Community Gardens Network)
n a world in which more than 1 billion people will go to bed hungry tonight something seems not quite right when one learns that in Australia most urban growth is occurring right on top of our most fertile agricultural land. It is necessary for us to be able to reconcile our seemingly inevitable urban growth with our everincreasing need for food production, and for the sake of learning it is important that we turn to some of our neighbours in countries both near and distant for examples. Havana, Hanoi and Shanghai are examples of cities that produce almost all of their food needs from within the city itself, thus demonstrating a range of strategies that are also relevant here in Australia. Urban food initiatives need to function as support for rural farming, as with increasing urbanization we cannot depend wholly on rural farming. In addition these urban food initiatives can also function to reconnect communities, not just produce food. A few examples of urban food initiatives are increasing in popularity and uptake. Guerilla gardening The concept of guerilla gardening is a novel one of converting unused city spaces to productive foodproducing gardens. The concept is beginning to take off in Australia as people recognize the need to reclaim land for the necessities of survival. Community gardens Communities are coming together over food in a
FEATURED ARTICLE
October 21st - 23rd 2011 marked the inaugural WOMAD Earth Station Festival which took place in Belair National Park in Adelaide. WOMAD, traditionally a world music festival, has taken a more intellectual and sustainable direction for its Earth Station spin-off, providing not only world-class music, arts and food, but also presentations from speakers representing numerous organizations and communities around the world all with a shared focus: sustainability. The festivals attendees were capped at 2000, demonstrating the priority of sustainability over profits, and five Spirit of the Times volunteers from South Australia were among the lucky attendees. It is their words which report on the message of Earth Station.
are more focused on home food production, some on seed exchange, some on kitchen gardens, and some on school gardens for the benefit of future generations. Community garden directories are available to help people find gardens close to their homes in which they can participate. Parklands are well suited to community gardens, and in Adelaide where there is 760 hectares of green space, only 0.1% of which is currently used for food production, there is great potential for sustainable urban food initiatives. Currently in Adelaide tennis, cricket and lawn bowls use 10 times more space than food production. It has been estimated that 50 hectares, which is about 6% of the parklands, could produce 15 million dollars worth of lettuce. This is, indeed, food for thought. Food orchards An initiative from Friends of the Earth, food orchards are a new way of communities sharing produce between their members. Informal produce sharing Quite possibly one of the most powerful urban food initiatives is that of informal produce sharing between neighbours and within communities. As this phenomenon becomes more popular communities are finding themselves increasingly well-connected as well as self-sustaining. Community-Supported Agriculture Providing affordable food that is socially just and environmentally sustainable, Community Supported Agriculture helps spread the risks associated with food production between farmers and consumers while connecting urban consumers with rural producers. In this way more money goes directly to
the farmer, creating a more sustainable system of food production. Food co-ops Adelaide is witnessing an increase in the number of urban food co-ops. Some co-ops charge a nominal annual fee to members, and then provide cheap sustainable food year-round. Rooftop gardens One of the drawbacks of the citys limited space is fast becoming a benefit with the rise of rooftop gardens demonstrating the potential for foodproduction spaces within the heart of the city. The urban heat island effect is both useful for growing food and also mitigated by the cooling effect of food production. Community mapping A community mapping exercise was featured as part of the urban food initiatives drive for inspiration. A map was provided onto which audience members were encouraged to post sticky notes marking urban food production initiatives that are currently in progress, those which are in the planning stages, and those they would like to see come to fruition. An example of communities deciding for themselves how they will sustainably support themselves is a great leap in terms of the power of networking and utilizing the resources of a community for the good of the future.
to live by ethics and principles we would achieve a level of sustainability that can support our growing numbers. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, the originators of the permaculture concept, created it as an applied system for sustainable human development, inclusive of both traditional knowledge and modern science. Permaculture design principles are long lasting, multifunctional, and place elements together in a way that they support one another in a web of interconnection. In this system waste items such as sewage, green waste, and waste food are all recycled, and therefore reused, meaning that nothing is actually wasted. It is also imperative that food grown be diverse in order to avoid the disasters threatened by too narrow a range of food crops. Brookman asserts that in the future cities will need to be able to feed themselves as farmers will not be able to meet the increasing demands of a growing population with their supply. However not all land can be used to feed people as much of it needs to be left for biodiversity, a critical factor in any ecosystem. This means that cities will need to be designed to be built upwards and not outwards, and the space managed effectively. Above all it is important that we re-skill people to become effective permaculturalists. The use of people-power, and not industrial agriculture is not only more sustainable, but highly effective as
Loaves and fishes

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How to feed 9 billion mouths?
(Answered by Graham Brookman, Carman and Scott Kinnear) Judy
raham Brookman, one of Australias foremost permaculture designers and teachers speaks of the need to re-skill the worlds population in sustainable food-production practices for the sake of our very survival. According to recent statistics the worlds population increases by 1100 people per hour. It is in this way that we are approaching 7 billion people. Some experts claim that if all of those 7 billion were to live in the manner to which Australians are accustomed we would need three earth-like planets in order to support us. And its not stopping there were expected to reach 9 billion in the forseeable future, consumption is ever-increasing, and we do not have another earth to go to. Brookman refers to our population as deskilled regarding the science of sustainability. We literally do not know how to feed ourselves anymore, and with very little funding going into agricultural research we are not anywhere near solving the problem of how to feed our increasing numbers. Brookmans suggestion is for us to design our way out of the problem. If we were to create a society
people can actually produce a lot of energy, and certainly enough to meet the needs of our survival. Judy Carman, director of the Institute of Health and Environmental Research Inc, has chosen to devote her life, since retiring at the age of 45, to the investigation of the effects of genetically modified food on peoples health in pursuit of an answer to the question of whether GM food is safe to eat, and whether it can assist in the endeavor to feed our ever-growing population. The process of genetically modifying food involves trying to get a plant to make a protein, which is achieved via using DNA from other sources, be they plant-based or animal-based. Some of the changes made could be potentially toxic.
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According to Carman claims that genetically modified foods can solve the problem of how to feed an ever-increasing population are far-fetched. Claims that plants can be made drought-tolerant, for example, are extremely difficult to substantiate as the process of making plants drought-tolerant requires a large number of genetic changes with many genes needed to work in synergy. With present GM technology genes can only be inserted 1 or 2 at a time, rendering such complex processes the stuff of future science at best. Generally GM food is engineered to be herbicideresistant, or to produce its own insecticide. The proteins which achieve these effects are physical modifications to the plants structure, remain inside the plant, and cannot be eliminated. This means that they are present when these foods arrive at the table, and regardless of how little we know about their effects on health they are ingested with varying levels of awareness as to their presence. The most commonly genetically modified crops grown in Australia are corn, soy, cotton (for oil) and canola (also for oil). These crops are commonly a part of our food, and are even more commonplace in animal feed, thus finding their way into our diets via the food-chain. These GM foods are also ubiquitous in processed junk foods and many imported food items. Animal products generated from animals fed on GM feed do not have to be labeled by law. Neither does highly refined processed food. Neither does restaurant food. In this way it is almost impossible for us to know whether we are consuming GM foods, so they become almost impossible to avoid, even for the conscientious consumer. The crosscontamination of non-GM crops with GM crops is also a major issue that is threatening to destroy the organic food industry and the range of choices available to the more discerning consumer. In order to determine the safety of GM foods for human health clinical trials would be necessary, post animal studies. It is likely that some readers will be shocked to learn that, according to Carman, no human safety studies have ever been carried out,
whole proteins. This leads to an inaccurate picture of the reality as synergistic effects are untested. In addition average sample sizes in GM testing are approximately 7 animals a sample too small to be able to detect differences unless major. The stark reality in such testing is that figures such as a 25% death rate of animals studied is clinically significant but not statistically significant, meaning that in small-sample studies it is almost impossible to determine whether GM food is, in fact, safe at all. There is also no official or legal definition of fail/ pass-points in studies regardless of how large the differences are. Therefore, as an example, if rats (fed once only with an amino acid only, not the actual genetically modified food) dont die within the space of 4-7 days the item is considered safe for all human consumption! These studies often only measure death rates, not rates of disease, meaning that only the most extreme form of safety (or lack thereof) is being tested. Some animal tests only last for as long as 3 months, which is nowhere near enough time to test for long-term diseases such as cancer or reproductive issues, meaning that a large sector of pathology is going untested by the science. Carman impresses upon her audience that further testing is needed under much more stringent scientific conditions and with much greater integrity before GM food can even be considered to have been properly tested, let alone deemed safe for human consumption. At present it can only be concluded that there is no evidence that GM food is a viable solution for feeding our growing population.
and the majority of animal testing has been highly inadequate. For example, FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) documents look at GM versus non-GM crop comparisons examining only amino acids (which make up proteins), and not
Scott Kinnear of the Safe food institute, which promotes organic food and is currently funding some of Judy Carmans work, works with natural systems design in organic permaculture and biodynamic food production. According to Kinnear, high yields of more nutrient-dense foods can be produced using organic methods of farming. It is this emphasis on nutrient density that is critical when it comes to feeding an ever-growing
population. The nutrient-poor food that is all-too common these days is related to obesity in that people are still hungry even after they have finished eating due to having not satisfied their nutritional needs. It is, therefore, less a matter of quantity and more one of quality as 2kg of nutrientdense food per person per day is sufficient for our needs. It is simply the distribution that is out of balance. In order to redress the balance Kinnear points out that a shift of consciousness is necessary. If we are to feed our evergrowing population then we need to move away from industrial agriculture and focus on small-scale organic food production whereby production can be maximized from a small space of land by growing large number of plant species. It is this variety that will provide the range of nutrients needed to feed our population. In addition to production, consumption must also be conscious and conscientious. Every food-buying decision one makes has an impact further down the line. This means, according to Kinnear, that when purchasing food one must buy with dignity and respect, and consider the far-reaching effects of ones purchases. It is thus that we will defeat the monopoly of nutrient-poor foods grown for the purpose of profits not health. If Monsantos de-facto slogan were to be no food shall be grown that we dont own, then perhaps ours should be sustainable nutrition, not profit-driven.
airports which benefit from global benchmarking as a point for comparison and, therefore, motivation for development. This global network has an environmental site within their website to demonstrate how airports have adopted the sustainability message, providing transparent reporting to their patrons. Tools such as Green Star and neighbor ratings covering a range of different types of buildings are encouraged as a way of benchmarking the sustainability of the airports construction. In addition, Adelaide airport, under Bolts supervision, maintains the ethos of thinking globally whilst acting locally. When dealing with carbon offsetting, credits are purchased not just for any sustainable development program in the world but are directly relevant to the community, contributing to sustainable development projects within Adelaide itself. In dealing with public skepticism regarding environmental sustainability Bolt advises that any perceived risky, expensive or difficult options presented can be guided through with long-term vision. It is short-term vision that gets people stuck with the status quo, so it is necessary to examine the long term benefits and costs, and set tangible examples that can illustrate the relative benefits. Bolt also finds that the mainstream media can either be an ally or a hindrance in the struggle for positive public opinion regarding renewable energy initiatives, as non-expert mainstream media reporting is largely dominated by myths over facts. Filtering information through the mainstream media is difficult due to most information presented not having a scientific basis. It seems to Bolt that there are not enough people in the know at high enough levels to dispel myths, and that this is what is needed to increase the percentage of renewable power. It is necessary that people have access to facts and tangible examples of successful sustainability projects in order to build positive momentum from what has been achieved so far. Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton are the Artistic Directors of the Sydney Theatre Company, and are committed to conveying a message of sustainability to audiences around the world. Blanchett and Upton comment that more people seem to be trying to stop things rather than start them, but that this perhaps has a lot to do with paranoia and poor communication. When there is internal ownership of changes made within a community there is an embrace of those changes. Upton refers to his
Greening in the community

3.
Case studies
(Presented by Stephanie Bolt, Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton, Scott Kinear, and Tim Jarvis)
tephanie Bolt Environment Manager at Adelaide airport presents a reassuring picture of how even the most resource-exploitive of our practices can be managed sustainably. Bolt is responsible for overseeing the airports sustainability, environmental compliance, and wildlife management programs, and has been working on a range of programs over several years to bring the airport the point of maximum environmental sustainability. Bolt refers to a networked global community of
November 2011
own community in which anxiety over a solar-panel project motivated people within the community to get together and dialogue in order to negotiate the issue. The anxiety over the proposed changes had been in danger of unpicking the project, but the reassurance that came to the community as a
has so far raised approximately two million dollars to reinvest in sustainable development. Kinnear comments on where he sees some renewable energy companies as having gone wrong in their approach. Some large wind turbine companies, for example, have not handled their communication well especially at community level. Therefore they have not been effective in convincing people of their message, certainly not as effective as the fossil fuel lobby has been. When it comes to communicating the message to the public it is important to engage on the front foot with honest answers and solutions, and not to give oxygen to non-factually-based opinions emerging from paranoia and misinformation. If you want to change public opinion, according to Kinnear, you must engage with narratives. It is important to communicate the message that the environmental situation will get much worse without
result of communications saved the project, and the community were rewarded with a sense of ownership of the sustainable changes that ensued. Blanchett comments on public opinion and our cultural relationship to sustainable practices, referring to our dependence on oil and related products as being an addiction that we as a society are not even aware that we suffer from. It is therefore necessary for society to become aware of this dependence and find ways to approximate the perceived benefits of such products in order for the perceived radical changes to appear less daunting. When questioned as to why she put herself on the line with regard to the carbon tax debate, knowing it would be such a divisive issue, Blanchett responds that there is a need for leadership. She points out that with the issues currently facing us that we cannot wait for leadership and change - that it is what we do in our individual lives that really counts and that those who have access to true science have an obligation to uphold the message and live with integrity. Scott Kinnear, organic food movement advocate, provides a case-study from his own community, which is a wind-powered community whose windpower resources are entirely community owned. The success of this community project was not spontaneous, but the result of five years of planning via dialogue within the community. It was the community development and connection that led to both the adoption of the project and the involvement of the local people in making it happen. Even the erection of the actual wind turbines was celebrated with a community-organized picnic, demonstrating the strength of the communitys bonds. Kinnear also explains how RED energy leads to community funding. Companies buy and sell on the energy produced by the communitys wind turbines, and for every bill paid on time channels $12.50 back into the community. In this way the community
change. However, when it comes to business, people are driven by cost. Therefore it is necessary to identify how businesses can save money and that this can be achieved via sustainable and waste-reduced practices, not by simply using cheaper products as green products and services currently are not cheaper but savings can be made in conjunction with sustainable practices. Companies can also benefit from public opinion by marketing themselves as doing the right thing. When enough people talk to enough people the world will change, Kinnear asserts, as what we buy stimulates investment. We need to communicate, think, and buy wisely in order to inspire and build
momentum in change. David Holmgren, Bill Mollisons co-founder of the permaculture Movement, takes the concept of community self-sufficiency even further, inspiring discussion about energy dissent within communities. Such energy dissent entails communities using less energy and water, using their own land effectively, and managing the ways in which food is grown and purchased at community level. Such a level of community consciousness and empowerment is a powerful emerging phenomenon. Tim Jarvis is an environmental scientist and adventurer committed to finding pragmatic solutions to major environmental issues. He has established a practical version of a think-tank, which he affectionately nicknames a do-tank a form of open source ideas-building to which anyone can contribute via the website, which functions as a collective receptacle for ideas that can make the world more sustainable. An inspiring case-study presented by Jarvis is of a carbon neutral city being built as a satellite of Shanghai. Urban agriculture, solar and wind energy are beginning to take off in China with Shanghai, as an example, producing 75% of its food from within the city itself. As a contrast, in the UK most food has been flown in from thousands of miles, rendering its consumption vastly inferior in terms of sustainability. Although China is guilty of putting up new coal-fired power stations in far greater numbers than would suggest a leaning toward renewable alternatives they are, ironically, leading the way in sustainability in so many other ways. Jarvis comments that as an environmentalist one cannot expect to simply walk into a boardroom and get listened to, even when detailing such practical cases as the aforementioned. It is usually more effective if one manages to sneak in the backdoor as a leadership or motivation expert, for example. It is also important to remember that it is futile trying to turn corporate types into greenies we need to simply focus on getting results, which to sustainability advocates means sustainable solutions while to the corporates it means savings or profits. The fact that we are still debating the issue of renewable energy means, in Jarvis view, that the fossil fuel lobby seems to be winning. We have all forms of renewable energy available but it is not yet in the grid. Jarvis points to a need for federal legislation in order to motivate companies to integrate a renewable element into their budgets. So much vested interest money goes into keeping the renewable energy debate raging for long enough for companies to get returns on their longterm investments while stalling the changes that would damage their prior investments. It is vital that we redress this balance. When it comes to informing either the public or corporations it is important to remember that
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people are generally time-poor and misinformed. They do not have the time or energy to figure out how to do things the right way. Disinformation and the perception that renewable energy is more expensive, for example, inhibit the progress of such initiatives. Jarvis also reminds us that one can waste a lot of energy on the recalcitrant, which is not worth it because such people are at the far end of the spectrum and not willing to move. It is, instead, far more valuable to focus energy on those who are ready and willing to make change, and the rest will follow once tangible examples become more available.
has one existing or under construction. In addition solar-powered cars have been produced which are of far greater efficiency than those fuelled with another alternative fuel source, ethanol. People need to engage in order to remove the political barriers to change. BZE have established programs that the public can become involved in, including their public-speakers program and volunteer programs. BZE are aiming to deliver their message through presentations in schools, businesses, and rotary clubs, etc. in order to get the can do message out there. As regards the transition period between our current energy era and the zero-emissions future Wright proposes the controversial plan of transition coal leading to transition renewables, which is a cheaper and more efficient option than the new gas plants, planned to last 6 years although yet to be built, proposed by companies posing natural gas as an alternative energy source. The reality about gas, little known to the public due to a lack of media reporting and a political system addicted to donations from business interests, is that it produces the a similar level of emissions as coal, and is not, therefore a viable clean energy alternative. Wrights assertion that continuing with coal until renewable alternatives have been fully phased in is both more cost-efficient and more direct appears sound when faced with the comparatively distracting alternative. Frank Boland of Infigen energy explains the impact of wind power in Australias renewable energy transition. Globally Australia numbers 15th in world wind power rankings, and is expected to climb. South Australia is home to 54% of Australias wind farms, and is currently powered by 20% renewable energy as more and more wind farms are installed, displacing gas and coal as the default energy sources. As an example of how much of South Australias energy comes from wind at any given moment a random date was picked and the data extracted on 21st September 2011 at 3:15pm 53% of South Australias energy came from wind power! Infigens wind power projects are currently powering 11% of the state, with the reason for South Australia being chosen over other states being the concentration of good wind sites on the south coasts.
Powering the future

4.
Beyond fossil fuels
(Presentations from Matthew Wright, Frank Boland and James Larratt)
atthew Wright. 2010 young environmentalist of the year, and representative from Beyond Zero Emissions presents a picture of a viable transition to a zero-emissions future within the space of only ten years. Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) proposal involves a stationary energy plan, transport system, and zero-emissions buildings. 370 billion dollars is reportedly the funding needed to push the plan through, and this being under 3% of GDP about what we spend on importing motor vehicles annually it seems viable. Wright explains that going zero-carbon in the space of ten years presents a 67% chance of avoiding a 2 degree temperature increase. These are not the best odds, but the alternative is clearly worrisome. Beyond Zero Emissions stationary energy proposal consists of 60% solar thermal with storage and 40% wind power. Solar thermal energy is generated using a molten salt mix, which is basically industrial fertilizer. When a solar thermal power plant reaches the end of its life the molten salt can be used as fertilizer, or simply re-used elsewhere in another power plant. Transport, according to BZEs plan, includes emissions-free trains similar to an already existing European project involving a 3000km very fast train track/corridor in Spain. Every Spanish city either
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Infigen hope to roll out plans for further windpower sites by scientifically investigating which sites are most appropriate in terms of wind power concentration at peak energy usage times across the country. James Larratt, a representative from Energy Matters, one of Australias leading solar photovoltaic and domestic renewable energy companies, outlines the potential of solar energy to revolutionize Australias energy sector. Energy Matters focuses on delivering affordable renewable energy to the business world primarily, recognizing that this is a fulcrum for tipping the balance for renewable energy consumption. Larrat outlines Energy Matters plan to get solarPV installed in both commercial and domestic buildings. One aim is to get solarPV onto factory rooftops, considered to be the ideal location for this type of energy source. The main reason why solarPV is not being widely used in this capacity at present is due to the capital hurdle that all businesses have to consider. Investing in solar panels is often considered unviable due to the requirement for an investment in 20-40 years worth of electricity upfront. However, as Larratt explains, not only is it necessary to have a long-term view regarding all forms of electricity production, solarPV is also costeffective in that it can beat the variable cost. It is only installation and connection that may cost more, and this is only the case at present. Renewable energy is guaranteed to be cheaper in the future simply because fossil fuels are running out.
The impact of climate change on biodiversity

5.
future if we continue to develop as we are, and what action can be taken to mitigate our effects.
Professor Lesley Hughes of Macquarie University explains how climate change has affected biodiversity, What is expected in the
Animals are beginning to migrate earlier in the year
e.g.
Butterflies, migratory birds, and lizards are spending longer in one place and departing later.
Ways in which species have reacted to the modest amount of climate change so far include the following
Species that rely on each other are becoming dislocated from one another
e.g.
Species are moving to cooler places
In the Netherlands oaks are producing leaves earlier in spring. Caterpillars are keeping up with this change by laying their eggs earlier. However, birds are still functioning according to their usual pattern because their hatching depends on day-length. This means that the system is out of synchrony, leading populations of birds to plummet causing disruption of the food chain.
e.g.
Butterflies in northern Europe are moving more than 200km towards the poles.
Species are moving uphill
Heatwaves are drastically affecting species due to a disproportionate increase in hot weather
In 2002 in just one day over 42 degrees in NSW 10-13% of black flying foxes died in the space of a day due to overheating. On 6th January 2010 just one day with a temperature of 48 degrees hundreds of Carnabys cockatoos simply dropped dead, indicating the massive impacts that changes of just a few degrees over average has.
e.g.
In Alpine Australia snowgums, wild horses and wallabies are found higher in the mountains.
e.g.
Marine species of birds and fish are establishing colonies further south in Australia
e.g.
One particular type of sea urchin has moved into Tasmania in search of cooler waters and is doing so well there, consuming so much of the kelp that other species rely on, that many of these other species are becoming disadvantaged.
Coral diseases thrive when temperatures increase
e.g.
Diseases are knocking out corals as completely as bleaching can.
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Coral bleaching is only a recent phenomenon with a 0.7 degree increase over the past 20 years
Business as usual is predicted, via computer models, to incur the following results:
More and more species are likely to be affected similarly to those effects already witnessed, thus impacting ecosystems and communities in turn examples include: One species of ring-tailed possum has disappeared from Far North Queensland due to temperature increases lasting more than a few hours causing it to drop dead due to poor internal temperature control. The Costa Rican toad is likely to be the first species to become extinct due to climate change. Some best-case scenarios in wet tropic Far North Queensland involve total loss of optimal climate for vertebrate species. Every degree of warming will incur the loss of 100150 bird species. A four degree increase in temperature is likely to create the following changes in conditions: Adelaide is likely to develop a climate similar to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. Cairns is expected to become like Weipa in cape York, and at most extreme like Jabiru, therefore becoming unable to store the same biodiversity that Cairns stores. Each decade sees a loss of 10%+ of snow in the Alpine zone; It is likely that there will be no snow left by the end of the century Snowy mountain communities are moving further and further upwards, and some are not able to survive at all, leading to a wholesale restructuring until complete loss is incurred. Coastal wetlands are declining Mangroves are moving freshwater wetland. inland, displacing
e.g.
An increase of just 1 degree over the usual maximum causes the coral to throw out the algae that photosynthesize them, resulting in bleaching. 1979 saw the first recorded bleaching on the Great Barrier reef, with the worst recorded bleaching occurring in 1998, in which 16% of the worlds coral was lost in just one hot summer, and in 2002. The first ever recorded bleaching of the Ningaloo Reef, off the coast of Western Australia, was recorded in 2006. Oceans are now 30% more acidic than before the industrial revolution Coral is growing massively slower than in the past, an occurrence unprecedented in 400 years of records (coral growth rates can be counted in a similar way to tree rings)
ccording to Professor Hughes the future may visit us in two possible forms. The more positive future will only occur if we manage to control greenhouse gas emissions well. However, the other, less promising future, associated with a business as usual approach, is more likely if we do not make drastic changes. Professor Hughes explains the further impacts incurred by the changes outlined. Why we should care is not so much a question we need to ask, but the answers bear outlining for their gravity and the extension beyond the interests of environmentalists to the sphere of economics. Simply regarding economic interests costs of between 18 and 54 trillion dollars per year are incurred in damage. The worlds annual GNP is in the region of 18 trillion dollars, indicating that even economic rationalists should be paying attention to the financial impacts of a loss of biodiversity. On a level of less interest to economists, but of even greater importance, our society treats biodiversity with little regard, somehow disconnecting from the fact that but it is our life support system we simply will not survive without it. As regards Australia, loss of biodiversity is an issue of great concern. 7-10% of global biodiversity is in Australia, with 93% of reptiles endemic, 94% of frogs and 92% of flowering plants. Australia has already lost more than 5% of plant species and is suffering the highest rate of mammal species
In Summary:
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extinction in the world, with one third of extinct mammals being Australian. These are not world records for Australia to be proud of. With approximately one million years needed for a species to evolve, and faced with the possibility that it can take only weeks, days, or even hours for a species to become extinct due to a heatwave it is clear that we cannot afford further increases in temperatures. In outlining the need for action Hughes wastes no time in reminding us that our own survival is our vested interest and that it is we who are ultimately at threat from our own inaction. As regards computer modeling for future scenarios we tend not to think beyond the year 2100 not only because such modeling becomes less accurate, but also, and Hughes states this only partly tongue-in-cheek, because it is, quite frankly, just too frightening a prospect. If we hadnt created other environmental problems such as land-clearing, among other devastating actions, our species would be more resilient in the face of climate change. What we need is to implement conservation measures more effectively than we have managed before, and allow species ecological corridors for change and adaptation. It is also imperative that society return to the level of zero emissions as soon as is viable, in order to mitigate the disasters we have predicted all too clearly. We have the knowledge, science and technology all that seems to be lacking at present is political will, and we cannot wait any longer.
is extremely difficult, as economic priorities rarely take such matters into consideration. It is, therefore, imperative to get through to people via the media, particularly social media, in order to get information into public discourse where it cannot be ignored by the government. Mahaningtyas comments that a top-down approach is insufficient, and that the need for action needs to be translated to those who are able to take such actions to make a difference, and not just communicated at a political level. Local communities also need to be aware that they are acting not only for the benefit of themselves, but holistically, for or everyone/thing. A shifting of perspective is occurring in that when communities use the word us they are referring to all components of the ecosystem, and not just themselves as human elements of society. Empowering communities is a necessary step in the struggle for sustainability, asserts Mahaningtyas. However, it is also about recognition. Communities must be able to represent themselves and not just be represented by NGOs as intermediaries. Indonesian society has developed in recent decades. In the past people were, reportedly, more repressed and did not value individual sentiment. Now people are learning to represent themselves and their communities, and are taking responsibility for choosing who will represent them effectively. Its a journey, according to Mahaningtyas, not a destination, and much more needs to be done. We only see the world in our own lifetime and cannot comprehend how it may feel in the future. It is important for us to question whether people in the future will feel that their situations are natural to them, and then, in turn, reflect on what it is we are viewing as natural now, and what should, in fact, be considered acceptable. Ultimately the questions fall to the stewards of the land, who are not just politicians and corporations, but empowered civil society. The local peoples questions include: what is the benefit for us in preserving the landbase? and why do we have to be the guardians of sustainability while people in developed countries can continue to use air-con and fancy cars? These are valid and relevant questions, and ones that those of us in privileged developed economies
Whose planet is it anyway?

6.
(As answered by Avi Mahaningtyas and Peter Burdon)
vi Mahaningtyas of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation Degradation (REDD), an Indonesia-based NGO, explains how environmental sustainability projects and policies must not be dominated by politicians and the corporate elite, but must also involve civil society and the indigenous population in particular. The question of how to involve the non-elite, especially the indigenous, however, is a difficult one to answer. In Indonesia, in particular, the question of how we are going to save our remaining forests is a pertinent one as Indonesia has 133 million hectares of forest land, closely following Brazil and the Congo as the most forested countries in the world. The salvation or destruction of these forests presents, without a doubt, a massive contribution to climate change. Currently the Indonesian economy is witnessing a clash between the perceived need for palm oil production and natural forest habitat preservation, particularly regarding threatened species such as orangutans. Trying to communicate to governments and corporations that animal habitats are important
to benefit from environmental sustainability; it is already recognized that our species is dominating to a detrimental extent. It must be understood that we are part of a system and have responsibilities to take care of it all, not just rights to take from it.
It is not just we humans who are
parcels of private property is taken for granted within our culture. The land is subdivided, minerals are owned, even the air is owned. Our home is treated as our castle, signifying a concept of dominion over space. All of this is true in the legal sense, but ignores the fact that all of these individual elements are part of an integrated ecosystem. It is precisely this fragmentation of ecosystems that is, according to Burdon, in the way of environmental sustainability. Burdon refers to our cultures anthropocentric worldview as an optical delusion of human consciousness whereby we come to see ourselves at the centre of existence, and buy into the idea that nature is here to serve our purposes. This concept is traceable throughout western history, right from its beginnings in Ancient Greece. It is this concept that renders nature devoid, in our mindset, of intrinsic value, with everything existing for a purpose to serve humans. Burdon quotes James Hillman in saying even to think that we are separated from nature is somehow a thinking disorder. Interconnectedness, despite being our proper relationship to nature, is a concept that the legal community has been slow to pick up on. However, Burdon outlines some examples where the culture is shifting. The Earth Charter, signed by almost 5,000 NGOs is an
should be reflecting on in our efforts to assimilate the values of sustainability with those of equality and democracy. Peter Burdon of Adelaide law school is a member of the University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion (RUSSLR). Burdons response to the question of whose planet is it anyway? is a philosophical one framed in our legal and cultural understanding of property and ownership. When one thinks and talks in terms of property, as the legal mind does, it occurs that nature can be owned and exploited for human benefit. In Australian culture property law supplies foundational ideas about the land and our place in it. It is, therefore, important for us to understand the cultural ideas behind ownership and property. The idea that land can be divided into distinct
international law document which states that to move forward it must be recognized that we are all one community with a common destiny. What is needed, according to the Charter, is a cultural shift toward a global society founded on respect for nature and human rights, and a culture of peace. When such ecological statements make their way into the constitution legal practice cannot act in contradiction. It is, therefore, no small achievement that a number of South American countries including Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, now recognize the rights of nature by law. In Europe the cultural and legal zeitgeist is also changing. Germany, Switzerland and Austria, in which there is a higher degree of public involvement in democracy, recognize, via their constitutions, intrinsic value in life and ecological limitations to human rights. This means, in practical terms, that one cannot now have property rights without stewardship the responsibility to take care of the land. In Australian culture it seems we exploit the land because we view ourselves as having no responsibility, only ownership. When Burdon is asked for whom we are saving the planet his answer has far-reaching consequences. It is not just we humans who are to benefit from environmental sustainability; it is already recognized that our species is dominating to a detrimental extent. It must be understood that we are part of a system and have responsibilities to take care of it all, not just rights to take from it. When it comes to advising policy makers Burdon comments that unless communities understand and respond, policies will not be effective. It becomes necessary to communicate in language that resonates with the people affected. As we in Australia do not have rights in the sense that the United States constitution outlines for Americans it is more relevant here to talk about responsibility and duty of care, concepts that resonate much more within our culture.In Australia some communities are coming to recognize their responsibility for protecting the landbase that supports us. Examples of this recognition include communities rejecting fracking for natural gas in order to protect their landbase. Companies cannot go into those communities because there is no willing workforce to carry out their exploitation of the lands resources. This is an example of a bottomup advance, with the people, rather than the legal system or the government, functioning as the catalyst of change. With our elected representatives failing to think in terms of collective responsibility for protection of our landbase, thinking only in terms of the dollar-value trade-off in preservation versus exploitation, it becomes apparent that there is a need for change to come from the bottom up. It is genuine participatory democracy where real change has occurred throughout all examples of positive action for environmental sustainability. When Burdon is asked to defend his position of promoting community-based change he is pointed to the tragedy of the commons, in which exploitation
and neglect occur due to a lack of internalization of responsibility. Burdon responds that this tragedy is an inaccurate perception of communitybased collective responsibility because, in truly interconnected systems, negotiation takes place. It is actually fragmentation of society that causes the problem of neglect as the carving up of land and the separate responsibilities that come with it causes disregard for ecological corridors. More property rights, when this understanding is taken into consideration, do not help. However, community-based bottom-up change is difficult in isolation. Community spirit is a necessary catalyst for change, and such spirit is being promoted and nurtured by groups and networks such as the Transition Towns network, and Friends of the Earth, who are working to empower communities. The key here is not feeling isolated, but knowing that one is connected to a greater network that collaborates for the greater good.
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INFO ARTICLE
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Permaculture: Joining the Dots

November 2011
David Holberton
A solution for HERE and NOW
the force pushing on you, and you go nowhere. It is best to get out of natures way and let it do the job that it has been successful at for a few billion years, while observing it, learning from it, and guiding it. In clearing forests for construction, energy, and agriculture we lose much more than the trees that have been felled. The forest environment is a symbiotic relationship between plant and animal, all providing a necessary mutually beneficial function to the overall forest ecology. Permaculture observes this relationship and can optimally mimic the forest environment with specially chosen plants and animals to produce an abundant food forest. Another area that permaculture has been very successful with is making bridges and connections to all surrounding disciplines to land ecology. Where traditional schooling teaches you to remove the subject, dissect it, separate it into its constituent components, it is this manner of thinking that makes monoculture and the opportunity for exploitation by pests possible, whereas in permaculture there is too much information in the environment for pests to be able to get a successful hold in plague proportions. The result of putting permaculture principles into practice is a completely sustainable energyindependent agriculture that, on a modest scale, can contribute much of the household food budget and turn system waste into useable energies, realizing that pollution is just an unused energy of any system. Permaculture can be adapted to the balcony of a one-bedroom flat, or the primary intention for the yield and production of a multi-acre rural property. The term permaculture was coined by Bill Mollison as a permanent agriculture or a permanent culture, realizing that, under the current methods, we have set the stage for the entire depletion of the human species worldwide. The pessimist will complain and react while failing to make the appropriate connections and associations between information and solutions where the optimist will learn from the pitfalls, pick up some tools, and start re-building an informative, fruitful, and prosperous humanity. Part of the change people are realizing all over the world, made apparent from many of the challenges presented through the first decade of the 21st century, is recognizing and defeating our learned helplessness that is meshed into the fabric of culture and government schooling.
ermaculture will be a tectonic plate-scale solution for the future. The discipline sits right underneath the bedrock of culture and community, providing a calculator to crunch all available environmental data, and process it in a meaningful way that directly confronts the global issue of food security and energy waste. If you are new to permaculture or have heard the concept but are unaware what permaculture encompasses, then watch these documentaries right away: Farm for the future, and The Permaculture Concept. This is where I began only a few months ago, and recently I travelled to Tasmania for a twoweek intensive Permaculture Wwoofing program with permaculture founder, Bill Mollison (www.tagari.com for anyone interested in signing up). All knowledge of global problems and understanding their root causes is wasted if one is not taking one step further and making changes in ones own life that resonate with how to become detached from the system that generates not only inequality and hatred, but also perpetuates our helplessness to recognize and take action regarding real, viable solutions. Our comfort with the current social culture is like any other addiction. We are so hooked on the meagre comforts of developed society, that, for most, we will argue in favour of it, exposing the extreme short-sightedness in understanding how those comforts were made possible, and most will come to understand they are not comforts at all, but a resting place for our ignorance. In a world where it takes more than 10 joules of energy to consume and convert 1 joule of energy from digested food; in a world where global food production produced enough food to feed 12 billion people in 2010, although over half the global population are destitute for subsistence with tens of thousands dying every day; in a world where the agricultural methods of food production are aligned to profit and causing the slow, systematic destruction of the environment through ground toxification and erosion, something is very, very wrong. For the initial permaculture principles to work we must design our agriculture to suit the land and local environment. If we continue being arrogant and changing our environment to suit the human, then we pay the price in energy consumption while we forfeit the opportunity to observe and learn from our greatest teacher, nature. The sum of all permaculture principles effectively go with and help to guide the flow of the prevailing energies; fire, water, wind and earth, for anywhere you observe to be meeting and blocking energy head on you expend an amount of energy equal to
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INFO ARTICLE
Aeroponic Ecocycle WHERE NATURE MEETS INNOVATION

Why is it better?
Chris Wilkins
What is Aeroponics?
+ Worms = even better
eroponics is a type of Hydroponics with the difference being the way the water is delivered to the roots of the plants grown. In hydroponics the roots of a plant are submersed for a period, or sprayed. With aeroponics the roots are continuously hanging in an ideal mix of air and water.
he water is turned to mist 0.5 3 micron size. This allows for the hair roots to uptake the water and nutrients much more quickly. The roots actually release CO2 and uptake oxygen. This method allows for 100% access to oxygen and 100% access to water and nutrients.
ith the addition of compost worms we are able to add an even greater spectrum of micronutrients. We also create a viable crop from stocking compost bins with worms, which are very high in protein and are therefore an ideal fish or crustacean food, as well as
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Is it unnatural?
ost hydro systems rely on bottles of NPK (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus). This is like growing a child on protein and carbs; it can grow big and strong, but without a complete diet it will not be healthy. Therefore, in aeroponics, we make our own nutrient-dense compost of food scraps, garden leaves, etc, mimicking nature to create a complete plant-food, with which we make a tea bag to infuse the water with which the plants will be fed.
Light
lants require mostly blue light to grow and red light to flower. In nature they receive a full spectrum. With the addition of blue and red LEDs to natural light, we can drastically accelerate the speed at which the plant can grow. Ideally we would use sulphur plasma light, but the technology is still too new at present for this to be feasible.
Aquaculture
he small amount of fresh water (ideally rainwater) that the system consumes should be fed through an aquaculture tank. The tank serves to provide a habitat for fish and crustaceans as well as providing ammonia in the water which, once it travels through the system, converts to nitrogen (the most vital plant food). The fish and crustaceans can be fed on the worms or on food scraps, both of which are present for composting purposes. Both the fish and crustacean products sell for around $20 per kilo and taste superb, reflecting the completeness of the ecocycle.
Optimal photosynthesis
lants are considered autotrophs, meaning they synthesize their own food. This process is done by absorbing light and carbon dioxide combined with water and, in turn, making glucose which facilitates growth. The prehistoric earth had extremely high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere which the plants have progressively absorbed from the air and stored under the ground. By providing a CO2-rich environment for the plants they thrive even more. During the composting cycle CO2 is given off, and this can be piped into the greenhouse in order to further facilitate production.
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November 2011
A combustible fuel
uring the composting cycle carbon dioxide and methane are produced. Methane, in the correct concentration, is flammable. Once this CO2/methane mix has passed over the leaves of the plants only methane and oxygen should remain, making a perfect combustible mixture, capable of driving a small engine or to heat water. The byproducts are more CO2, which can be used in the greenhouse for the plants, and water vapor.
Try it yourself
n areoponic ecocycle is relatively simple to replicate in a relatively small space with the right tools and materials for only a small cost. The ecocycle mimics that of nature, contributing to the natural cycle even within the confines of the otherwise limiting urban life that characterizes most of modern society. There is no reason why we cannot all live sustainably with the information and resources available to us.
ANALYSIS
Local Food Networks:

the importance of bringing food back to the community
Jared Moore (QLD)
n recent times the face of food has changed. Food, to me, is a celebration of life; you are taking something that was once living, plant or animal, into yourself, and it is providing you sustenance. Eating is one of the most intimate pleasures that we enjoy as humans. Preparing and sharing food with someone has been, since ancient times, a very distinct personal experience. Eating and drinking is at the forefront of every social gathering, and so you would expect that the quality of foods would also be of great importance. People go to their local supermarket and browse through the meats, and the fruits and vegetables, carefully selecting the ingredients for their next few meals, expecting that they are purchasing fresh nutritious food. Unfortunately this is often very far from the case. From Farm to Fork - the adventures of a supermarket tomato If you have ever picked a warm ripe tomato off the vine and taken a bite you are aware of the amazing flavour that bursts in your mouth. It is an extraordinary taste and texture explosion, unrivalled by many other fruits. When you buy a tomato in a supermarket, the taste is almost non-existent. Many people ask, why does a supermarket tomato have no flavour? The answer lies in two very similar words produce and product. Produce refers to food that has been grown with nutritional value in mind whereas product refers to food that has been manufactured as a commodity to turn a profit. When a tomato is grown for sale in a supermarket, it is a product. In many cases it is grown hydroponically, from genetically modified seed, by farmers who are underpaid. It is treated with insecticides and fertilisers with the intention of producing large, seemingly perfect, fruit with diluted nutritional value. Then
it is harvested while still green and transported to a warehouse, stored for anywhere up to 3 weeks before it is reddened with ethylene gas and then transported to a distribution centre, where it is sorted and graded and then transported again to the supermarket. The fruit you buy has travelled thousands of kilometres, is old and usually goes bad before it even gets to your fork.
been selling his produce to the supermarkets. He said that in the beginning it was very good the supermarkets were happy with what he produced because he produced good yields of quality food which kept the customers happy. He was also happy with what the supermarkets paid for his produce. Everyone seemed to be happy. He then went on to say that over the years the face of the supermarkets changed, and before long they were no longer happy with his produce. They wanted bigger fruit with less flaws; they wanted him to spray with all sorts of chemicals, with the threat that they would not purchase his produce otherwise; they started to pay him less and less, while charging more and more at the checkout. Because he believed that he had no other option he went along with the changes, perhaps believing it was just a rough patch and that things would improve. But things did not improve. His prices were driven down further and further until he was making a loss on every crop and having to get government assistance just to keep his farm running. He suffered, his family suffered. Nobody was happy anymore. In his own words he decided to tell the supermarkets to get lost. He stopped supplying them. Since then he has been operating his roadside stall, selling less but making more money for himself. The fruit and veg that we bought from him that day were not perfect in appearance, but you could taste them. They tasted beautiful and real, like produce, not product. As more and more farmers have been pushed into destitution, many farmers markets have started to emerge all around the country. Most of them are fairly conventional markets, operating without the corporations playing middle-man and taking the majority of the profits.
W h a t you are getting is merely a representation of the fruit itself, and carries almost none of the nutrient that it otherwise would without this process. You could eat a wet photo of a Tomato and have the same experience of taste and get roughly the same nutritional value. This is only one example of the inefficient and corrupt food distribution system. You can look at almost any other food item and find similar examples of inefficiency and ruthless capitalism at work. This is where community food networks come in, to save the day and put real food back on the table. Community Food Networks One day on a particularly long drive back from Airlie Beach to Cairns, my partner and I decided to pull over at a roadside stall, to buy some fruit and veg. The farmer was present at the stall, and he regaled us with a story that I think will stay with me forever. He explained that he was a banana farmer who grew a myriad of other fruit and veg, and for thirty years he had
There are some new phenomena that have arisen, however, that are not quite so conventional. One of these is the Realfood Network, and it is that which I am most interested in and wish to share with you. The Realfood Network is a network between organic and bio-dynamic growers and their customers. Interested parties join the network via phone or internet and place an order. Every week the orders are delivered to various pick-up points, usually just someones house, from where others can collect their orders. Customers are guaranteed to receive fresh produce direct from the farm, with minimal travel distance, for a price that is equal to or less than what they would normally pay for inferior products from the supermarket. The farmers enjoy the satisfaction of growing their produce organically, to maturity, and receiving satisfactory remuneration for their efforts. Everyone involved is happy once again, except for the
supermarkets that have been cut out of the equation. Such an elegant system of reciprocal benefit is easy to incorporate into any community. Imagine if models such as this could be made to suit all of the troubled systems that plague society? By fixing problems locally, you are, in turn, contributing to fixing problems globally. On a side note - If there are no community gardens in your area, it may be worthwhile gathering a group together to discuss starting one. It is a big job, but one that pays dividends, not only monetarily, but also in the sense of satisfaction and community that a project like that will foster. People young and old will enjoy being a part of it, and everyone can experience the benefits of eating real food. Yum!
The Role of Veganism in a Sustainable Economy
t is widely acknowledged that environmental sustainability in terms of mitigating and preventing climate change, overuse and destruction of our water resources, and the degradation of our landbase is a pressing issue. It is also widely agreed that practices such as reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, limiting water usage, and moving away from our dependence on petrochemicals whilst making concerted
ANALYSIS
Kari McGregor
efforts at revegetation are necessary measures that must be implemented for the sake of environmental sustainability. However, as regards the causes of many of the issues of environmental sustainability that we face it seems there is an elephant in the room. It is now well understood within the field of science that the sustainability of our environment and our species is directly related to, among other factors, our culturally
perpetuated dietary habits. GHG emissions, water consumption, land degradation and scarcity are all directly related, in large part, to our consumption of animal products, suggesting that in order to manage our resources effectively an animal-product free lifestyle, although controversial, may be the most sustainable way forward for a resource-based economy. GHG emissions in relation to animal-based food production
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reduction in our consumption of animal-based foods is not only possible, but would likely have a profound effect on emissions. Koneswaran and Nierenberg point to various studies indicating the relative emissions levels associated with various food items, finding that legumes, a staple of many vegan diets, are some of the lowest emitting foods whereas beef, cheese, and pork are among the highest. High levels of emissions associated with foods produced from ruminants such as cows are explained mainly by methane emissions from enteric fermentation. Animal protein production, according to David Pimentel, requires more than eight times as much fossilfuel energy than production of plant protein, while only being 1.4 times as nutritious per kg, indicating that huge reductions in such fuel consumption, and its associated GHG emissions, can be achieved via a vegan diet. Usage and degradation of water resources related to animalbased foods
is used for livestock and pastures whereas, by comparison, fruit and vegetables, which account for the majority of human nutritional needs, only account for 6% (1,320 GL) of the total agricultural water demand. According to leading climatechange economist Sir Nicholas Stern, animal-based food products are a wasteful use of water, placing huge pressures on the worlds resources. While a vegan diet requires only 1,140 litres of water per day, an animalbased diet requires more than 16,000 litres of water a day. A recent study by Andrew Joyce and colleagues flags livestock production as a major contributor to global water shortage issues, being responsible for more than 8% of total usage. In Australia the dairy industry uses the largest percentage of irrigation water in the Murray-Darling Basin. In addition the livestock sector is a major contributor to water pollution, contributing to damage through animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, fertilizers and pesticides used for feed cereals, and sediments from eroded pastures. In comparison to the production of vegetable-based protein, animalbased sources of protein require considerably greater use of water resources, and contribute greater levels of waste.
Annika Carlsson-Kanyama and Alejandro Gonzlez report that one of the main factors in anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change is the contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, from animal agriculture. According to a study by Herreroa et al, global GHG emissions attributable to livestock production are estimated to be between 8 and 51% of the total. This variability suggests, on the face of it, that there is a lack of consensus among scientists. However, organizations such as the International Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are in close agreement, with variation mainly arising according to whether the emissions total includes all, or only some stages in the production of animal-based foods. Gowri Koneswaran and Danielle Nierenberg refer to a 2006 FAO report that identifies animal agriculture as a major threat to the environment, responsible for 18%, of human-caused GHG emissions, which is higher than the transportation sector. This figure is conservative compared to the findings of many impartial studies including Worldwatch Intstitutes 2011 study which pitches the figure at 51% when all factors contributing to production are accounted for. With approximately 56 billion land animals being reared and slaughtered for human consumption annually across the globe, and this figure being expected to double by 2050, it is easy to see, however controversial it may be, that a
In Australia, according to statistics from Urban Ecology Australia, of the total annual use of 22,186 gigalitres (GL) of water, the largest percentage is consumed by the agricultural sector, which accounts for the use of 15,502 GL, or 70% of the total. 38% (8,360 GL) of this water
Land degradation in relation to animal-based food production

erreroa et al report on animal agriculture as being a large contributor to land degradation due to for the conversion of wooded areas to grazing land or cropland for feed production. Emissions resulting from this deforestation are estimated at 2.4 billion metric tons of CO2 annually. Areas of the world particularly affected by deforestation due to land-clearing
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November 2011
Vegan Water Consumption

for animal agriculture include Latin America, where cattle ranching is the reason provided for the greatest proportion of deforestation. Desertification is also responsible for a percentage of CO2 escaping into the atmosphere due to reduced productivity and vegetative cover. This desertification, according to Herreroa et al, is exacerbated by the animal agriculture sector. Livestock are also directly or indirectly responsible for soil erosion, as determined by the ecologist David Pimentel. Soil loss in the United States is at an average of 13 tons per hectare per year on lands where feed grain for livestock is produced. Pasture lands are being eroded at a pace of 6 tons per hectare per year on average. However, on overgrazed pastures soil erosion may be upwards of 100 tons per hectare per year, and with large percentages of pasture land (levels of 54% in the U.S.) being overgrazed this is highly concerning. consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million. This figure is no minor revelation, representing approximately twice the current population of the United States, suggesting that the notion of scarcity is one associated with inefficient resource management, rather than an empirical fact. Pimental elaborates that nearly 40 percent of the worlds grain is being fed to livestock rather than being consumed directly by humans, creating much cause for concern with our ever-growing population. A great deal more food can be grown on any piece land when nutrients, in the form of food crops, are not being filtered through animals. According to Ingrid Newkirk, founder and president of PETA, it takes three and a quarter acres of land to produce food for a person who eats meat and dairy products, while food for a vegan can be produced on a fraction of that space - just one sixth of an acre of land. Vegfam, a UK-based charity specializing in funding sustainable plant-food projects, estimates that whereas a 10-acre farm would be able to support 60 people by growing soybeans, 24 people by growing wheat or 10 people by growing corn, it would only be able to support two people by raising cattle.
Scarcity versus abundance
n the words of David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell Universitys College of Agriculture and Life Sciences If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were
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Veganism as a sustainable food paradigm
hen all the evidence is taken into account there are a great many reasons why one should consider a change in dietary habits for the sake of sustainability.
It is possible that, with advances in renewable energy resources and technology, that GHG emissions levels associated with animal-based food production can be significantly lowered in the future. However, issues of land use, degradation, water consumption and scarcity of food resources due to the inefficiency of filtering nutrients through animals before consumption are not mitigated by such measures. These issues are inherent flaws in a foodproduction system based on animal products and can only be managed more sustainably by reductions in consumption levels. If resource management is to be taken seriously as an intrinsic factor in a functional resource-based economy in which sustainability and equality of resource distribution are inherent values then perhaps it is time that veganism be taken seriously as a sustainable food paradigm for the future.
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COMMENT
November 2011
SnuSnu
hen we assess whether or not we should be purists it is helpful to first take a closer look at ourselves and determine whether we are living consistently in accordance with our principles. Most of us may uphold a few key principles naturally, as we have been incentivized to do so from personal experience and conditioning. In addition we may aware of peripheral principles which complement our central principles, but are not fundamental to adopting the ideology, hence, for whatever reason, the majority of us have not been able to prioritize them as consistently.
This may be due to behavioural or subconscious suppression of the imperative, reflecting our discomfort with drastic change or the breadth of moral fortitude we have not learned to adapt to readily. It may also be due to genuine analysis, or from the perspective of an alpha purist, defensive rationalization of the peripheral issue as being of less importance to the core objectives, despite whether or not evidence suggests otherwise. One possibly contentious example is advocacy of veganism in a resource-based economy, for to be consistent with the core principles of compassion and sustainability, we must eliminate the 51% of greenhouse gases for which livestock farming is responsible and figure out more humane ways to fulfill our appetites.
Purism
It is helpful, however, to consider the circumstances and intentions of the peripheral slacker regarding why they are unable to live up to the purists holistic standards. They were likely conditioned into a completely different lifestyle. They may be trying their hardest to live up to principles which are as second nature as breathing to the purist. They may simply be ignorant or apathetic. They may be fully aware, but unable to follow through due to lack of know-how and motivation. The purist fallacy has its roots in stagnant intolerance and elitism; however the positive polarity may manifest through self-
discipline and actively being a role model to others. We should only attempt to be purists in areas where all other options have been verified as unethical, illogical or implausible, hence irreconcilable with compromise, though our judgment may still be fallible. Strategically, we may strengthen our chances of collective solidarity if we retain some patience and flexibility regarding peripheral principles, at least in the earlier stages of trying to implement our central principles. In the context of a sustainable economy, a commonly raised argument is that scarce resources, such as a waterfront home, can only be allocated efficiently with the use of money or a merit system. Ideally, by that stage, we would hope that
most people would not be so fussy and materialistic, coupled with the likely probability of being able to use high speed rail systems to efficiently reach nearly any destination. However, there is still the possibility that a negotiation will not be made, and our ability to compromise may throw a monkey wrench in the notion that only a market system will be able to rationally allocate these resources. As a last resort, it may be possible to introduce a case-based merit model, where all participants get together to democratically design unique conditions for which they would like to compete for the prize. This may take the form of community credits, game-show inspired challenges, or scissors paper rock (usually the final deciding factor for items in limbo at swap parties!). Such a compromise still stands in stark contrast to the current monetary paradigm, where everyone is forced to compete for their basic necessities, not just luxuries, regardless of whether they agree with the fairness of the conditions of pay. Obviously such trivial
strategies would not be used if the objects in question were needed for large scale, communitybased, scientific purposes. This is just a suggestion, but it does demonstrate a gray area in which a so-called purist can still stay true to his or her principles, while partially accommodating differing values. Essentially, if one is to take pride in their purist position, it is not enough to criticize the other parties for not knowing any better. Perhaps instead of viewing the issue as one of frustrated Pygmalion projects and disappointment, we could view it as an opportunity for mutual growth and assistance in our areas of weakness. Where a purist may need to be open to new ways of achieving common
goals, a floater may need to rein in their complacency or lack of consistency in the pursuit of social change. This begs the question, how do we even measure such a purist quotient in the context of sustainability? The bottom line is even the most consistent purist is just as vulnerable to hypocrisy as the rest of us, and they will likely be held more accountable if they have made it a habit to crusade tactlessly in a manner which alienates the very people they are meant to be inspiring.
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November 2011
Jade Elise
y name is Jade Elise, and I have been involved with Melbourne chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement a global movement for sustainability advocacy for just over a year. Its a great bunch of people, with many diverse, talented minds. When the Occupy Wall Street movement started, I was deeply moved by the inspirational message these people were spreading, and I knew we had to get on board. So when I saw that Occupy Melbourne was forming, I pledged support from Zeitgeist Melbourne. Many of us became quite involved in the organizing and planning for Occupy Melbourne, and I personally coordinated the promotions and first aid teams. It was wonderful to be a part of such a dedicated, unified group of purely altruistic souls! Everyone gave an amazing amount of their time, effort and resources, and were functioning as a fully coherent movement within a few days. When we finally started occupying our City Square, the feeling of positivity and cooperation was palpable! We had a well-equipped first aid tent, an unbelievable kitchen with food donated by supporters and local businesses, a free store with donated clothes and shoes that anyone could take from or add to, a wonderful free library, a legal team comprising qualified lawyers and legal observers, and a fantastic media team who kept the world updated on our situation
with livestreams and social media posts. We fed not only ourselves, but also homeless people and curious passersby, and found blankets and tents for whoever needed them. We provided a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen to anyone who wanted to share their stories of struggle with the current economic system, and the inequalities they experienced on a daily basis. No money was used the whole time, clearly highlighting the viability of a community setup without the need for currency. Many occupiers were receptive to the ideals of The Zeitgeist Movement, and many a conversation about Fractional Reserve Banking and Resource Based Economies was had! Sadly, using dubious council bylaws, the Mayor of Melbourne utilized riot police, pepper spray and horses to forcefully evict us after 6 days of peaceful, positive occupation. I was subjected to police intimidation, and witnessed
first-hand the horror of unprovoked police brutality, scenes that will stay with me forever. It was a clear example of the corruption of the system we find ourselves in, a system designed to instill fear and keep us from expressing our discontent, while protecting those with wealth and power. Zeitgeist Melbourne are proud to be a part of this amazing, inspirational movement, and stand in solidarity with those all over the world who are suffering from corporate greed and inequality.
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November 2011
Documentary review:
A DELICATE BALANCE
disease, particularly in the economically developed western world, has been escalating over the last 50 years resulting in one in two men and one in three women being diagnosed with cancers at some time in their lives. Every person today has been touched or will be touched by the loss of a loved one to illness and premature death. In a time when modern medicine and science have made such enormous advancements, Aaron Scheibner aims to leave viewers well- informed as to some of the causes of chronic diseases, and offer suggestions for how human health can be improved in relation to a minimal environmental impact.
hree years in the making, A Delicate Balance is a succinct production by Sydney-based Australian filmmaker Aaron Scheibner, featuring candid interviews with some of the worlds leading experts in a variety of fields, including mainstream researchers, doctors, nutritionists, cattle ranchers, environmentalists and politicians. Nominated for Best Unreleased Documentary by the Australian Film Critics Association, this film is highly informative for anyone concerned about their health, the environment, and the delicate balance we must find in our symbiotic relationship with nature. A Delicate Balance predominantly explores the effects of the consumption of animal protein on both the human body and the environment. The film aims to help viewers make informed choices to reduce their own negative impact on both the environment and their personal health. Scheibner paints a grim picture with statistics showing that
There are many ways of reducing our impact upon climate change and other forms of environmental damage. In A Delicate Balance Scheibner treats information regarding the impacts of our food choices as both empowering and a responsibility we must assume if we are to make the necessary changes toward sustainability. A Delicate Balance explores the ways in which meat production is contributing to contemporary issues such as water shortage, starvation and poverty. The premises of this documentary are that is it a) necessary for us to know where our food comes from, and b) what impact its production is having on the world. This documentary identifies the effects of animal agriculture upon the environment in a way that holds us all accountable for our choices. A Delicate Balance was made in order to help reduce the unnecessary, yet escalating loss of human life, to reduce the unnecessary suffering of animals across the planet and to help empower people to make informed choices for the benefit of environmental sustainability. Scheibner believes that once armed with information we are in a position to implement practices in our own lives that will contribute to us becoming the change we wish to see in the world.
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For the love of life, not the love of money!

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November 2011

Spirit of The Times 2011 November Web

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SPIRIT OF THE TIMES

Where Nature Meets Innovation

A Delicate Balance Review

The Importance Of Bringing Food Back To The Community

Local Food Networks

The Role of Veganism in a Sustainable Economy

Purism: To what extent is it possible or desirable to be a purist?

AN EXAMPLE OF A SUSTAINABLE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE

Letter from the Editor

18. Permaculture: Joining the Dots

Occupy Melbourne An Example of a Sustainable Grassroots Movement for Change

Aeroponic Ecocycle: 21. Where Nature Meets Innovation

Regards, Kari McGregor & the Spirit of the Times team

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Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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WOMAD Earth Station

Farming the City

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

Loaves and fishes

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Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

Greening in the community

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Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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Powering the future

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

The impact of climate change on biodiversity

Animals are beginning to migrate earlier in the year

Species are moving to cooler places

Species are moving uphill

Coral diseases thrive when temperatures increase

Diseases are knocking out corals as completely as bleaching can.

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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Whose planet is it anyway?

It is not just we humans who are

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

Permaculture: Joining the Dots

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A solution for HERE and NOW

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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Aeroponic Ecocycle WHERE NATURE MEETS INNOVATION

+ Worms = even better

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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Local Food Networks:

The Role of Veganism in a Sustainable Economy

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

Land degradation in relation to animal-based food production

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Vegan Water Consumption

Scarcity versus abundance

Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

Veganism as a sustainable food paradigm

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Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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Spirit of the Times Magazine / November 2011

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