Bill Rees on the Human Ecological Footprint

Urban Cities and Their State of Emergency

As we continue to abuse our environment, the less fortunate people of America suffer at a much higher degree than most might think. This is due impart because the waste of the upper class can be shipped to these less desirable areas, completely disregarding the wellbeing of their fellow citizens. Kunstler asserts that me must shift to a more localized community where people are responsible for their own waste, and thus will take their consumption more seriously. With this, urban areas will see an improvement in quality of life and as a whole, waste and pollution will be treated with more care since people will be responsible for what they produce.

As our environment continues to get worse, we turn a blind eye to the amount of hopelessness we are getting ourselves into. Kunstler believes this to be the “greatest misallocation of resources to date” and that our quality of civic life that we take for granted today will only continue to get worse unless we can reverse the negative actions we are placing on our environment. In the past, people took conservative approaches to their cities, where the towns never got too large, the people always provided for themselves, and people all depended on one another for the production of goods. The culture of civic design and the organization of cities went down the drain after the Industrial Revolution, and all of our principles of sustainability and space conservation went down the drain with it as well. We want to get to the point where we can dwell in a hopeful present, and not worry about a future full of despair.

Chipotle, The Sustainable Fast Food Movement

From the beginning, fast food chains have been producing and selling food in the fastest and cheapest way possible. Until recently, some chains have been promoting sustainable efforts in creating there food, although many have little evidence to support their claims. Many believe this effort is a hoax in order to make people believe that they are trying to be environmentally friendly. Unlike other fast food chains, Chipotle, under the control of Steve Ells has been using free-range animals, in local farms to produce their food. Steve Ells the Chairman and Co-CEO of Chipotle sparked a movement in fast food production before sustainability became popular. This shows that the core values of the restaurant have been there from the beginning and their efforts of being sustainable are solely to be sustainable rather than appear sustainable.

History of Chipotle

Annie Leonard and "The Story of Stuff"

Annie Leonard has put together a great film, entitled "The Story of Stuff." As with many good ideas, Stephen Colbert invited her to be interviewed on The Colbert Report. Her Story of Stuff is so popular, it's been viewed by millions. Check out her other films, "The Story of Cosmetics," "The Story of Citizens United v. FEC," "The Story of Electronics," and "The Story of Bottled Water." Coming out on Nov. 8--"The Story of Broke"--an interesting and controversial take on economics.

Green Business

Link:

10 Green Giants-Fortune Magazine

Video:

A dramatic change in the paradigm of capitalism is being experienced as the corporate world embraces sustainability. Reform is necessary in today’s capitalistic society because companies throughout the industrial revolution up to today have been living in a culture that tolerates waste. No more! Sustainability has become an important part in the production equation because businesses have recognized the advantages of operating sustainably. Businesses are still seeking to maximize production but with as little impact on their environment as possible. The first link is to a Forbes magazine article, called “10 green giants”. The article lists ten large revenue companies that are making headway in sustainable business operations. Companies like Honda, GE, PG&E, and Hewlett Packard stand out as well known names. For example, Honda has been investing in multiple forms of energy for their vehicles like, hydrogen fuel cell and natural gas. Honda is unique because it is a conglomerate, which has been a benefit to the consumer because Honda has been incorporating their car technologies in their other products within home energy as well as in infrastructure. However, big companies are not the only ones pursuing sustainability, small-scale efficiency in operations has grown in popularity with homeowners to small businesses. The second link is a video of an Australia-based company called, Green Biz Check, that offers green advising and counseling to small businesses. This company is unique because their job is not traditional; in fact, sustainable managing is a job that has emerged in the past decade. Many companies, large and small, are tackling the problem of sustainability in hopes that they will run a leaner, more cost-effective business because it will increase profits and ultimately create a life-sustaining culture.

Tracy Chapman--New Beginning

Paul Hawken on Blessed Unrest