Voices against sustainability?

Thanks to the inherent tension between the economy and the environment, there has been a consistent strain of economic conservatives and libertarians who speak out against environmental policy. But there are also voices against sustainability. What's the deal with that?

Berit Kjos argues that sustainability advocates seek to "brainwash" the public into changing their values away from the bible, and "the unadulterated U.S. Constitution" and towards peace and community. This to her is obviously a dangerous precursor to full-on socialism: she uses the teaching of the Little Red Hen in kindergarten to show that children are taught not to hoard the fruits of their labor, but to share.

Henry Lamb tells the story of a 70-year-old woman arrested for not watering her lawn in Utah as an example of how the "sustainable development craze" endangers property rights and imperils freedom:

What should be immediately obvious to the most casual observer is the fact that where sustainable development prevails, individual freedom cannot. Private property rights take a back seat to the collective vision in a sustainable community. In a sustainable community, a committee of "stakeholders" decide what private land owners may do, or may not do, with their own property. This is not freedom.

His example seems odd, because Envision Utah, the initiative he blames for the woman's arrest, lists water conservation as one of its eight quality growth strategies and hopes to promote "water-wise landscaping." So it stretches the imagination to consider her falling afoul of its vision by not watering her lawn.

ICLEI is also a target: Tom DeMeese urges readers to remove the organization from their towns' local planning process. ICLEI, a nonprofit organization that came out of the United Nations and seeks to help sustainable development policy at the local level, is here a clear example of international takeover of U.S. policy.

Talk against sustainable development is not idle theoretical discussion. One talk radio program in New Rochelle discusses sustainability there:

[The town's new sustainability coordinator] Kooris presents "sustainability" as asking ourselves whether decisions we make will benefit all of the facets of New Rochelle but what he is really talking about is placing limits on economic growth. If you push hard on this you will find that the organizations behind pushing this idea are talking about a fundamental reduction in demand. New Rochelle residents might want to understand how these groups propose to fundamentally reduce demand for resources. The answer will have something to do with population control.

The program has an extended series on ICLEI's involvement in the town and sustainability in general, trying to convince listeners that such policy is extreme and leads to socialism.

U.S. climate blame game: My two cents

Since the election (and even before), pundits have been lining up (here, here, and here) trying to figure out why the heck the U.S. Congress couldn't pass a climate bill this year. Potential culprits include the Republicans, the Tea Party, Rahm Emanuel, the media, environmental groups, the public, the fossil fuel industry, Harry Reid, Senate Democrats, the filibuster, the Senate itself, Barack Obama, etc., etc., etc.

I think it's easy and stupid to blame the Republicans. Yes, the party has become deranged since the 2008 election, and the fact that denial of climate change has become party dogma even for those who know better is very disturbing. But if a child misbehaves, do you blame the child or the adults who should know better? If you lose a football game, do you blame the other team or you own bad playing?

Democrats in the Senate didn't even bring the climate bill passed in the House to a vote. That's their fault. If they had put up a fight and lost, that would be one thing. Not even showing up is another. Now, Obama never convinced me of his golden touch, but his popularity in 2008 was due to people's belief that he had a strong vision for the country and was passionate enough to take us there. Where is his vision on climate change?? His administration is directly culpable: it sabotaged Senate efforts at several turns. But the president has been eerily silent on climate and his messaging is pathetic:

And I think one of the things that's very important for me is not to have us ignore the science, but rather to find ways that we can solve these problems that don't hurt the economy, that encourage the development of clean energy in this country, that, in fact, may give us opportunities to create entire new industries and create jobs that - and that put us in a competitive posture around the world.

Setting up climate action as "not bad for the economy" is counterproductive. It retains "economic growth" as the most important value for Americans and sets up a requirement that mitigation measures not touch that growth. It's also easy to show that any policy that could mitigate emissions might slow economic growth, setting it up for failure.

So, to recap: Democrats, own up to your share of the blame, especially you, Obama. You're supposed to be a leader. While you're at it, start selling climate policy on its own merits rather than qualifying it and dooming it to unattainable standards.

Weeding

I've spent the past few weekends trying to destroy the thriving weed ecosystem in my garden. It's weeds upon weeds upon weeds, with tiny stinging nettle plants tucked into grassy tufts that are shaded by dandelion leaves. All manner of plant cast-offs have found a home in the tough, nutrient-poor sand that I hope to transform into a lovely garden. But first the weeds must go!

Most of the task is invigorating and enjoyable. Those nettles are easy to pull out and sometimes reveal 2- and 3-foot-long root structures that connect several seemingly independent plants together. But the dandelions have become the bane of my existence.

Now, I'm a newbie garden and have gotten most of my information from (I know) the internet. The BBC has a particularly great gardening site that's basically Gardening 101. In the module on pests, it says that perennial weeds must be entirely removed, as they can come back stronger from root bits left in the ground. I've taken this warning very seriously, so I'm fearing a plague of dandelions next year.

The problem is, unlike the small, spidery roots that most weeds leave, the dandelion is an evil genius. It has one long, skinny root (called a tap root, I read) that can survive in the toughest, rockiest soil. I've pulled out at least 30 dandelion plants and have gotten the entire root maybe twice.

European Outdoor Film Tour 2010: Testosterone in the wilderness

The European Outdoor Film Tour just came through Berlin and I was really excited about it until I saw the program. It's just a bunch of guys trying to prove their manliness by taming the ultimate beast: Mother Nature. That's not what the outdoors are about to me and leaves the most sour taste in my mouth. Where are the adventurers who seek to commune with nature, to better understand the world outside?

Note to EOFT programmers and outdoor documentarians: There are many, many people who enjoy the outdoors in non-destructive ways. Long-distance hikers like me embrace "Leave No Trace" principles that aim to protect the natural beauty of the wilderness. More important is the unofficial hiker motto "Hike Your Own Hike" (which I suppose I'm breaking now) that basically means everyone has the right to enjoy the journey in her own way. At any rate, I think someone who hikes six months across the U.S. is more of a bad-ass than a dude jumping off cliffs on a dirt bike for a few hours on a Sunday.

It's fine to show hot rods and daredevils try stupid stunts in the desert and call that "outdoor film." But it'd be nice if you'd capture a little more of the full spectrum of people who venture outdoors. And it'd be nice to see the real main character--nature--feature into your programming as well.

My secret garden

Last month I bought an apartment in my favorite part of Berlin, just around the corner from Urbanhafen. One of the best features is the private backyard. I see it as a way to put my ideas about sustainability into action, so of course I want it to become a thriving organic vegetable garden. The only problem: as it's between a bunch of tall buildings, the garden gets very little sun. What to do?

My plan is to find out what will thrive in the moist, shady environment I've been given and stick to that. To that end, I met with a Pflanzendoktor yesterday to get tips on what to plant. She told me to stick to local varieties and shade-friendly sorts. I'm thinking mushrooms, blackberries, and maybe some tomatoes.

10:10:10 Global Work Party in Prinzessinnengärten

The last time I wrote, it was about the Prinzessinnengärten in Kreuzberg. Well, on Sunday I organized a work party with some fellow FFU PhD students in conjunction with 350.org's international 10:10:10 event.

It was a smashing success! We had nearly 40 volunteers who harvested two varieties of potatoes to be used and sold in the garden's café. I got lots of nice feedback from participants and was glad to finally see the sun as well.

What touched me the most was a young boy who had come for another event across the street. He helped me record how much the potatoes harvested from each sack weighed (remember, this is a mobile garden!). When I asked him if he knew about climate change, he told me he'd watched a documentary that said humans were polluting the air and that the world would suffer greatly in the coming century. The movie upset him so much that he couldn't sleep for two days. So I told him that we were throwing this party to help heal the planet and make sure that his nightmare didn't come true. He was helping to save the planet! I think knowing this motivated him and definitely put a smile on his face.

Urban farming in Berlin: Prinzessinnengärten

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a giant open space on Moritzplatz that I always remembered as an abandoned lot. This time the gates where open and the place was sprawling with sacks, crates, and bags of soil, most of which had plants popping out. They were labeled with their name and many had a little description. It looked almost like a gardening store, but there were no prices on anything. In the back, people were lounging on benches, eating and drinking at a café of some sort. Welcome to Prinzessinnengärten.

British magazine Monocle made a short video report about the project, which calls itself a "mobile urban farm." Some guys thought the previously wasted space was a great opportunity to grow heirloom organic food. So they grabbed their friends and started to work last year. The place is already thriving, and I can't wait to go to one of their work days on Thursdays.

Lovefilm.de: The weird European version of Netflix

What have I missed most since moving to Germany? Not the difficulty to get free tap water, not the English language, and not even real milkshakes. No, what I pine for the most is Netflix.

So since I moved to a new apartment, I thought I'd try a test run of Lovefilm, the Europeans' Netflix knock-off. Perhaps most oddly--aside from the third season of "ALF" beginning its first recommendation for me--is the identity verification you have to go through to rent movies rated "FSK 18" (the German equivalent of NC-17). Whereas Netflix lets you click a button to determine what movies you can rent, Lovefilm requires members to print out a form to take to the post office to have them verify that 1) the member is at least 18 and 2) no one under 18 has access to the mailbox. Most movies are rated no higher than "FSK 16" (R), but many are also available in the U.S. in "unrated" versions--this usually means racier jokes and more violence--which in Germany makes the DVD FSK 18.

I suppose I might as well do this...who knows what cool indie flicks have been tagged FSK 18?

Consumer indicators: Egg labels

Every carton of eggs sold in Germany is labeled according to how the chickens were raised:

0. organic (Ökologische Erzeugung)
   
1. free-range (Freilandhaltung)
   
2. ground (Bodenhaltung)
3. cage (Käfighaltung)

There are detailed requirements for each type of production; for example, in addition to being fed organic feed, organic hens are required to have at least eight hours a day with no artificial light, room to build nests, and a place to "sand bathe."

The point is more consumer information, which undoubtedly leads to better (i.e., more humane) choices. The percentage of eggs purchased in Germany from caged hens has dropped in the last few years. Making the hens' living conditions apparent gives meaning to more expensive types of farming and allows consumers to make more informed choices.

It makes me wonder how the eggs I bought in the U.S. were laid.

Climate Lecture 2010: Elinor Ostrom at TU

Today Elinor Ostrom spoke at the Technical University's Climate Lecture. Her talk was lively and full of food for thought, based around the question "Who Affects Climate Change." Some highlights:

• She took issue with the premise of collective action theory that action must be taken at the global level. She hoped that international agreement can be reached at some point, but stressed that action needs to be taken now at all levels, and that even a global agreement would have to be implemented at lower scales.
• She drew on her vast knowledge of empirical research in collective resource problems to discuss the most important features of successful solutions: monitoring, trust, and use of local expertise.
• She advocated for a "polycentric" approach that takes into account the nested externalities of emissions decisions (for example, a family that drives to work rather than biking may face more health problems and will have to pay more for gas and car maintenance, in addition to emitting more greenhouse gases) and considers all levels of governance.

Ostrom peppered her talk with lively examples and anecdotes (in explaining one study of local policework that she'd done, she said "I'm sure I've spent more time in the back of a police car than anyone else here!"), and was an engaging and inspiring speaker.

In an interesting contrast with climate politics in the United States, German protesters loudly disrupted one of the speakers: Tuomo Hatakka, CEO of Vattenfall Europe, a major electric utility. After he took the stage to give some brief remarks, several students in the auditorium threw up huge banners protesting Vattenfall's use of coal and nuclear energy, to loud cheers and applause. The president of the university had to take the microphone and ask the students to channel their dissent into productive questions after the speech. And indeed, Hatakka came out looking like the grown-up: once the crowd calmed down, he said that Vattenfall is "part of the problem. But we want to be part of the solution." He added that the company is trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, and become climate neutral by 2050.

It's clear that the vocal political fringe in Germany is of a distinctly green bent. Although I consider myself more of a pragmatist (and was embarrassed by the outburst), I think it is ultimately good for German politics that the debate is between the crazy greens and the pragmatic greens about the best climate policies, rather than between climate change deniers and believers over whether there's a problem at all.

Depressing

So what's happened to Lindsey Graham recently? The erstwhile Senate cap-and-trade co-author has turned climate skeptic! Ezra Klein explains:

Back when I interviewed Graham, he was trying out some of the same rhetoric, and I walked away pretty depressed. It seemed to me that Lindsey Graham 1) believed in climate change and believed that it was a problem, as that was the only explanation for the time he'd sunk into the issue, and 2) believed that the Republican base's antipathy towards Al Gore and environmentalists had become so overwhelming that the only way to convince them to cap carbon emissions would be to persuade them that doing so had nothing to do with atmospheric temperatures. And I really have no reason to think that Graham is wrong on that, or that I know grass-roots Republicans better than he does.

Ugh. More evidence that the Republican party has officially gone insane and that the U.S. political system needs a major overhaul. The "debate" about climate change has been over in most of the rest of the world for at least a decade. Can the U.S. just get with the program?

Ein neues wir: Documentary on eco-villages

I caught an interesting documentary by Stefan Wolf called Ein neues wir: Ökodörfer und ökologische Gemeinschaften in Europa ("a new we: eco-villages and ecological communities in Europe"). It profiles 10 communities in Europe, interviewing residents to show what life in each place is like. Although it's not exactly an earth-shattering film—Wolf doesn't tie the villages together or discuss their cultural or political relevance—it does show how real people are living today with a lighter ecological footprint.

Interesting, too, is that the residents' interest lies in the sense of community and well-being that comes from living in these eco-villages. Aside from a few solar panels and talk of energy-efficient buildings, their environmentally friendly lifestyle comes from living simply. Most of their diets are vegetarian or vegan and come from the food they grow themselves. A huge part of the day is spent with arts, music, and spiritual ceremonies: there isn't a TV or car to be found. Although the film doesn't discuss this directly, I suspect that the values shared by eco-villagers cause them to own fewer possessions, which allows them to work less and enjoy more free time as well as reduce their carbon emissions.

This slow, easy pace life had in the ten villages struck me the most from the film. It reminded me a little of the philosophy I've seen in long-distance hikers, but as a long-term way of life. Now I'm curious to visit one.

Local sustainability: State parks

Sustainability means long-term system viability. The environmental component often gets the most attention, but it's by no means the only aspect that needs consideration. At any rate, this article in May's Governing magazine shows state governments throwing all three out the window in their decision to close state parks, which are huge revenue generators, preserve the local environment, and encourage social interaction and active leisure.

Shame on you, state governments.

Back again

Well, I'm back in Berlin (for the third time now), working on a PhD in environmental management at the Free University Berlin. Over the past two months, I have thought several times: "Wow, I should share that. It'd make an interesting blog post." So I'm back at my blog again, with an updated mission statement.

The goal is to relate the theoretical ideas I'm working with in my research to everyday experiences in Berlin, while sharing information that I haven't been able to find online and thus may be of interest to others, too. I expect to post on environmental policy (specifically climate change and sustainability), the German higher education system, independent/international films, hiking in Europe, and weird cultural quirks.