Sustainability Support Blog

Linking the Green Economy to National Happiness

Fri, 11 May 2012 01:32:00 GMT

By Alan Atkison, United Nations Environment Programme

Can we create “happiness for all” while preserving the planet? Will humanity manage to create “green economies”, and convert our current economic systems from destructive forces to sustainable and indeed restorative processes, in time? The new report Life Beyond Growth— issued on March 1, 2012, by the Tokyo-based Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy, and Society — maps the past and future of this emerging vision, and the growing revolution in economic thinking that is behind it.

The report, however, takes a nuanced view. Notice the word “economies” in the paragraph above: while we often refer to a single “global economy,” the truth of the matter is that human civilization is comprised of a complex network of many different economic systems, powered by many different kinds of energy and information, guided by many different hands, both visible and invisible. Many of the world’s economies are still free-standing, subsistence communities, where people farm or hunt and live off what is around them, with relatively little interaction with global-scale processes.

Of course, even indigenous tribes living deep in the Amazon are increasingly tied into the world’s larger network of economic transactions, clustered (at least for reporting purposes) into nation states, and woven tightly together by trade, technology, and currency exchange. But the “the global economy” is not a monolith. The process of using resources, creating value, and meeting human needs and aspirations looks very different from one place to another.
And so does happiness.

The rise of the Green Economy has been accompanied by the rise of happiness and well-being as new paradigms for national progress, complete with new indicators. Countries around the world are studying, preparing, or already using these measures as policy tools. The measurement of happiness may differ in methodology depending on whether one is British or Bhutanese, but within that diversity lies a clear commonality: the desire for a good life, and the growing realization that it is good lives, and not GDP growth per se, that our citizens actually want, and that our economies are truly meant to provide.
Life Beyond Growth, after surveying the dizzying diversity of concepts and measurements now being experimented with across the globe, makes a simplifying proposal: let’s link these two concepts, Green Economy and National Happiness, explicitly.

There is ample justification for this linkage in existing international agreements; indeed, happiness — or at least, the possibility for achieving it — may already be a human right. None of the thirty articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, specifically mentions happiness. But Article 25 states, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family....” It also specifies many of factors identified by researchers as the precursors to subjective happiness. These basic needs include food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and other social services, including support to those who are unemployed. Many other rights guaranteed by the Declaration are also related to what researchers say make us happy, including work, recreation, and the possibility to participate in the decisions that affect our lives.

If a phrase like “National Happiness” is at least a close cognate to the concept of universal well-being sketched out in the Declaration — and despite debates over nuances of definition, few would deny that it is — then the adoption of National Happiness measures, in conjunction with Green Economy policies, could be seen as an overdue implementation of the ideals embraced by the world more than sixty years ago. More importantly, embracing happiness as a human right could create the possibility for compromise and common vision regarding a fair distribution of global resources. Happiness, research now confirms, does depend on having achieved a certain minimum standard of material prosperity. But growth beyond that minimum appears to return less and less happiness, until it finally reaches a point where growth itself, green or otherwise, turns into nothing more than waste.

Marrying the concept of Green Economy to the concept of National Happiness can help us see the differences between growth that enriches, and growth that actually impoverishes. It has the potential to describe — perhaps for the first time — a clear and actionable vision for sustainability at the global scale. Where do we truly need growth, to ensure that happiness is at least within reach? And where do we need de-growth, for example in our carbon emissions or impact on biodiversity, if we are to insure that all have a chance to exercise their right to happiness, now and in the future?

For the first time, research techniques can even provide us with measurable, quantitative targets that link economic progress to wellbeing. New indicators can give us feedback on our progress toward this integrated vision vision, using measures that compete favorably with traditional economic signals in terms of robustness. We really do have all the tools we need to aim effectively toward transformation.

The world is in serious need of a new vision, one that can make the concept of sustainable development more real for people, and that can provide the nations of the world with a new sense of common ground. I believe that vision is already emerging all around us, in places large and small — as noted earlier, from Britain to Bhutan.

It’s a simple equation, easy to remember: Green Economy + National Happiness = Sustainable World.

Alan Atkisson is lead author of the report, Life Beyond Growth (on which this article is based), and a consultant on sustainable development who works with companies, governments, and international agencies. To download the 73-page Life Beyond Growth report, which traces the emergence of Green Economy, National Happiness and other concepts, please visit this website: www.lifebeyondgrowth.org

Simple Living: The Shipping Container!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:32:00 GMT

Jess Ainscough - The Wellness Warrior

Guest post by Amanda Rootsey.

A few months ago I introduced you to our simple life, living “off the grid” as much as possible in a solar-powered caravan. Recently, we decided to upgrade from our caravan to an ‘eco-cabin.’

Okay well to most people, going from a large caravan with a full kitchen and bathroom to our new home might seem like a downgrade! In fact, ‘eco-cabin’ is actually a very fancy name – at its core it is a very humble recycled shipping container.

Why on earth would you choose to live in a shipping container? Oh I’m so glad you asked…

A ridiculous amount of shipping containers exist in the world today. In fact, more than 420 million shipping containers move around the globe every year, transporting 90% of the world’s cargo. (source: www.un.org) They are generally sent to scrap yards after their glamorous life of travelling the world, at the tender age of 20.

We like the idea of giving one shipping container a new lease on life and it’s a fantastic way to reuse something that would otherwise be a huge hunk of junk!

Built to withstand huge amounts of weight and pressure, as well as extreme weather conditions, these containers make ideal building blocks and are a simple, cheap, sturdy and easily-transportable home.

In comparison to building a home from scratch, it cuts down on wood consumption in the framework, so we also like the fact that we haven’t contributed to unnecessary logging. It also won’t rot, is completely vermin proof, totally storm proof and we can easily move it with a tow truck.

When we tell people that we live in a recycled shipping container they kind of screw their noses up at us, but the one we bought is actually finished very beautifully. As you can see in the pictures it has polished floors, a balcony, big sliding doors, a window and it is completely fitted out with 12V power.

It also has an extended roof made out of cold-room/freezer panels which help to insulate the cabin. We’ve added one solar panel to the roof and one battery and that is all we need for lights, TV, a fridge and the occasional computer charge-up! (Though we do have a generator as well which we use occasionally when the sun hasn’t come out to play for a while, or if we want to use the coffee machine!)

You can buy a shipping container for approximately $4000 and deck it out yourself if you know what you’re doing. We don’t, so we found this website and ordered it from these guys: www.containercabins.com.au It was more expensive but very cheap in comparison to a house.

There is so much that you can do with shipping containers and they are the perfect solution for quick, affordable housing. They are often used as temporary housing at mining sites or in situations where people need something very quickly, such as after the floods in Victoria.

As for our bathroom and kitchen, I do miss having them inside sometimes but very rarely. We love showering outside in the sunshine and we always have. We showered outside most of the time even when we had a shower inside the caravan. We have a small camping toilet that we have set up on the balcony of the little shack next door to our ‘eco cabin’ and we built ourselves a little kitchen too. It’s been a fun adventure, to say the least!

Author bio: Amanda Rootsey is Australia’s first Eco-Model and co-founder of Vegan Era. After going through cancer, her perspective on life changed a lot and she now lives in a solar-powered eco-cabin on top of a mountain with her boyfriend and little staffy girl, Trudi. She blogs about living simply, natural health, eco-fashion and vegan food at AmandaRootsey.com.au.

What do you think about the idea of living in an eco-cabin/shipping container?

Eat and be merry, but leave some fish behind

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:01:00 GMT

David Lockwood, Brisbane Times

Seafood at Christmas is a tradition, but for today's consumers - and their stretched suppliers - sustainability is an increasingly important part in the selection process.

How do you define sustainability? It means capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage.

Image: Rockliff Seafoods’ Adam Rockliff is ready for the Christmas rush with excellent locally caught produce. Photo: Brett Wortman/Sunshine Coast Daily

Most commercial and recreational fisheries have by-catch, so it's a matter of managing that rather than saying don't eat seafood at all. Intensive farming on land can have a greater impact.

But with each Australian consuming about 20 kilograms of seafood a year, up from about 15 kilograms in the 1990s, there is a pressing need to shore up supply chains for the future. This needs to be done sustainably if big business wants to grow.

Woolworths's own data reveals it sells 22.7 million kilograms of fresh seafood through 803 supermarkets across the country; 29 million cans of its own-label tuna and salmon (line and pole caught is sustainable); and 100 billion kilograms of its own frozen pre-packaged seafood products.

Besides supermarkets and fishmongers, a growing band of chefs throughout the world are leaping on to the sustainable seafood wagon. Neil Perry raves about the Spencer Gulf prawn fishery, recently awarded certification for the world's first sustainable king prawn by the global Marine Stewardship Council.

At a recent forum on the trends in conservation surrounding sustainable seafood, Woolworths formalised its policy and announced its long-term goal - to have all its wild-caught seafood certified by the council. Aldi and Coles are using the same endorsement.

Other resources worth consulting are the Australian Marine Conservation Society's sustainable seafood guide and app (sustainableseafood.org.au); and the acclaimed good fish/bad fish site created by chefs for chefs (goodfishbadfish.com.au). Both use a traffic light system.

But if you want to hear from the horse's mouth regarding our commercial fisheries, download the 452-page Fishery Status Report 2010 at daff.gov.au.

These are the findings of hard-working scientists whose management advice is helping sustain our fisheries.

The bottom line: eat local, eat lower on the food chain and catch it yourself if you can.

Meanwhile, look on the bright side of the wet summer. It should mean fewer lines in the water, more fish to go around and overcast weather stirring the fish into biting. Although offshore fishers might be kept at bay, inshore fisheries will be firing. Look in your backyard.

One species that jumped out of the blocks in recent weeks is the prized jewfish. The fish are along the beaches, up river, even in Narrabeen Lagoon, the local tackle shop reports.

But with onshore winds stirring up a cool current, the offshore reef fishing has slowed. Paul Minto, a central coast skipper, thanks the heavens for the flathead drifts - a common comment - as there's only a smattering of snapper and morwong.

Interestingly, I heard of two gummy shark captures during the week. The southern species must have swum north in the present cold current.

Scott Thorrington, a local skipper, tagged a striped marlin from the Norah Head canyons aboard Haulin' on Wednesday. The warmest water he saw was 18.5 degrees.

Ron Osman, a Hawkesbury guide, found an odd keeper 70- to 80-centimetre kingfish, heaps of bonito and a few nice jewfish to eight kilograms in recent outings. Big kingfish are still coming from Pittwater. Narrabeen Bait weighed one of 9.3 kilograms cleaned and then an 11-kilogram specimen. Downrigging with squid is the go.

Along the beaches, bream and big whiting are biting. Night is best at Whale or Narrabeen. Prawns are in Narrabeen Lake, but the local tackle shop says the bigger ones are up near the Scout Hall near Wakehurst Parkway.

Stuart Reid, a guide, found truckloads of bonito throughout the harbour. These will attract big kingfish.

Aussie salmon and tailor are more common around Rushcutters Bay. Look for flathead under the schools.

In Botany Bay, the guide Scotty Lyons has been scoring tailor, salmon and bonito on the troll, with flathead on soft plastic lures. Trevally and bream will most likely be on the bite in the cooler water. Look for big whiting in Port Hacking.

What are yout tips on sustainable seafood?

How to Make Origami Newspaper Seedling Pots

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:20:00 GMT

Ideas and Inspiration for Sustainable and Self-Sufficient Living

Inspiration from environmental expert blog For Greenies

These seedling pots require no staples, glue, tape or origami skills. Recycle your old newspapers and get your seeds off to a good start in these pots that can be put into the ground with the young seedlings therefore minimising root disturbance. The newspaper breaks down over time and the plants roots will grow through the newspaper.

Materials needed:

Newspaper

Step 1

If you are using large newspaper, rip in half. Turn piece of newspaper so the long side is facing you.

Step 2

Fold in half, left to right.

Step 3

Fold it again, bottom to top into a quarter size.

Step 4

Fold it in half again, left to right.

Take note of red crease line and 'A' for next step

Step 5

Now fold the bottom right corner (marked with an “A” in Step four) up to the middle along the spine.
The crease in the center shown by the red line, was the bottom in Step four.

See how the “A” has moved up now?

Step 6

Flip it over on the other side and do the same thing you just did in Step five.

Step 7

Open the wings up to make a smooth shape like this.

Step 8

Fold the wings in to the crease in the center.

Step 9

Fold them in again.

Step 10

Now flip it over and repeat Steps eight and nine. It should look like this when you are done.

Step 11

Fold the top flaps down and crease them well.

Step 12

Now you can open up your pot! Make sure to square the bottom so it can sit well.

If you don’t like the ears on your pot, you can fold them into the pot. When you fill it with soil, it will keep them locked in place.

If you want, you can also drop the ears into adjoining pots to make a four or six pack, like you find in the garden shops.

Fill with seed raising mix and plant your seeds and water them. It is best to keep the pots in a tray. When the seedlings have their first pair of leaves just plant the whole thing in the garden!

A Message from Earth Hour Ambassador Miranda Kerr

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:50:00 GMT

Miranda Kerr- Ambassador for Earth Hour

I am pleased to have been asked to be the global ambassador for Earth Hour 2011.

Each of us has a responsibility for the sustainability of our planet and each of us can make a difference if we choose to do so.

On 26 March at 8:30pm Earth Hour 2011 will take place - globally. This is an opportunity for every individual, every business and every community to switch their lights off for one hour in a collective display of commitment to protect the one thing that unites us all - the planet.

I will personally be participating in the Earth Hour event on 26 March 2011 along with hundreds of millions of people globally and I will continue to adopt sustainability practices thereafter in my everyday life....

Some of the things that I recommend we can do in our homes:

* Buy local produce from markets thereby reducing food miles
* Walking or riding the bike wherever possible as opposed to driving
* Ensure the car tyres are always inflated to the correct level as they use less fuel
* Use fuel with Ethanol
* Turn off the lights and use organic or beeswax candles a lot of the time
* Unplug appliances when they are not in use
* Use heating and cooling when absolutely necessary
* Wash in mostly cold water
* Use chemical-free dish washing, washing powder and cleaning products
* Recycle, recycle, recycle
* Buy products with the highest recyclability
* Purchase clothes that are ethically made, not mass produced
* Dress in Organic clothing
* Install water-saving nozzles on all taps including showers
* Compost scraps whenever possible
* Prepare food plans so as to avoid food wastage
* Grow herbs and spices
* Have timed showers to use less water
* Water the plants of an evening
* Bury food scraps in the garden bed to feed the earth worms or compost
* Collecting grey water from bath and use it to water plants
* Using Certified Organic personal care products (avoid using chemicals)
* Wash the car on the grass with environmentally friendly car wash
* Buy Certified Organic or Farmers markets produce. I understand that certified organics can be expensive, but local farmers markets for the most part are usually reasonable. On my blog (www.koraorganics.com/blog) I include a list of Farmers Markets from around the world so that people will have ready access to the same.

Together we can make a difference! For further details on how you can participate in Earth Hour plus take Earth Hour - "Beyond the Hour" refer to www.earthhour.org I look forward to hearing from you.

Love Miranda xxx

What do you think of Earth Hours choice for ambassador? Will you follow Miranda's advice this month?

How to Green Your Conferences and Meetings

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 04:44:00 GMT

Manda Trevarthen - Green Business Notebook
Subscribe today!

Conferences and meetings are a normal part of business life. More and more businesses are adopting green business practices to reduce the environmental impact of their events. Many hotels and even planners offer a “green meeting” option and what was once seen as a passing fad is being an increasingly common business option. Although there is not one single definition of what is considered a green meeting, here are four key areas you must keep in mind when trying to reduce the meetings environmental impact.

Facilities selection: It’s important to choose a venue that supports your green meeting agenda. Check to see if the hotel or conference venue has a green certification or environmental policy. You should also ask about their waste and energy management programs such as whether they have a recycling programming, a set point on the air conditioning and how the air conditioning will be turned off when not in use.

Transport: Hold meetings as close as possible to the largest number of participants that are close to mass transport options to reduce the environmental impact of transportation. Advise participants that mass transport is the preferred option for the meeting and provide a transport map to the delegates. If air travel is required, choose an airline with an environmental policy where you can offset the carbon emissions generated.

Food: The most environmentally friendly option is to provide food sourced locally that has recyclable packaging and can be purchased in bulk. Attendees can be asked to indicate in advance what meals they want and the size of the meal which potentially reduces the amount of food to be purchased and food waste. For coffee breaks, get rid of the single serve sachets and give participants reusable coffee mugs.

Communication: These days a lot of communication is done over the internet reducing the need for printed papers and a reusable USB drive can be provided to each participant to further reduce the need for printed materials. If paper and printed materials are required, choose recycled paper and print documents on both sides.

If you want to go a step further you can calculate the carbon emissions of your event and pay to offset this through a carbon offsetting programming. Whatever you choose to implement, simple steps like these will reduce the environmental impact of your business events and should be incorporated as standard business practice.

For more information on green conferences and meetings visit the best events team 'green'.

Coalition chips in with big win for forestry industry

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:01:00 GMT

Senator Richard Colbeck
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

The Federal Coalition has gained a big win for the forestry industry with agreement by the Federal Government to amend its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) to allow forestry contractors to access the fuel credits scheme.

It is estimated these changes sought and gained by the Coalition will reduce the costs forestry contactors by an average $14,000 per year under the new CPRS legislation.

The Coalition's Spokesperson on Forestry Richard Colbeck said he listened carefully to the industry on this critical issue and lobbied hard to get the changes to the legislation currently before the Senate.

"Labor’s flawed emissions trading scheme, with forest contracts excluded from the fuel credits scheme, was going to hit the sector hard. Jobs would have been lost in the forestry industry," Senator Colbeck said.

"But due to strong industry lobbying and the Coalition's determination to assist forest contractors these CPRS amendments have been offered by the Federal Government.

"While farmers, fishermen and heavy on-road transporters would be included in the fuel credits scheme under the government's legislation, forest contractors would have been left out."

Senator Colbeck said the changes to the fuel credits scheme would also greatly reduce the red tape faced by businesses using the scheme.

"Under the original legislation, agriculture, fisheries and on-road transporters would have been eligible for fuel credits, but not forestry contractors working on private roads.

"Businesses working across these sectors would have faced a paperwork nightmare distinguishing between these activities as well as determining which forestry activities took place on private roads and which took place on public roads.

"The amendments gained by the Coalition, with the assistance of the industry, are commonsense.

"I commend the forestry industry, including the National Association of Forestry Industries and other peak bodies for their commitment to this task."

Airconditioned lifestyle for South East Queenslanders

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:16:00 GMT

Research collected by ENERGEX has shown that more than 1000 South East Queensland homes a week are installing air conditioning systems and there are now around 70 per cent of houses, units and apartments in the region with at least one air conditioner. Around 30 per cent have two, three or more cooling systems.

During the last five years almost 300,000 extra homes across South East Queensland installed at least one air conditioning system which previously did not have air conditioning.

This lifestyle choice had a major impact on electricity use with summer peak energy consumption rising by more than 50 per cent in the past seven years. In some South East Queensland areas the peak power use almost doubles from one cool day to a hot, humid day the next.

ENERGEX has been heavily investing in electricity network upgrades to meet both this growth, as well as the rise in power demand due to the continued rapid population and business expansion across the region.

In the 2009-10 financial year ENERGEX is investing around $940 million on upgrades to its electricity network while a further $360 million-plus has been set aside to maintain and operate the power supply – that’s an overall average of more than $3 million a day.