Another Reprinted REDLAND COUNTRY NEWS ARTICLE, March 2005
I'M GLAD YOU ASKED! By Annette Zimmerman Wells (Now Annette Waya Ewing...)

Q: What does sustainability mean? I hear it used in all sorts of contexts…

A: Oh, no, yet another buzzword! This is an important one, and worth spending a few minutes to define.

Sustainability is the [emerging] doctrine that economic growth and development must take place, and be maintained over time, within the limits set by ecology in the broadest sense--by the interrelations of human beings and their works, and the biosphere...It follows that environmental protection and economic development are complementary rather than antagonistic processes. -
William D. Ruckelshaus - Scientific American, September 1989

Building a sustainable system entails acting in accord with an objective understanding of the interconnections between environmental, social and economic needs, the practices of living within present means and distributing resources and opportunities equitably, in order to preserve and enhance quality of (all) life for future generations.

Within that basic framework, the term takes on variations according to the context in which it is used—most often sustainability is used to describe responsible ways of development (building), and administering communities, business and production, and agriculture.

Q: That sounds like a good idea, is it being instituted ?

A: A little, this common-sense trend is catching on, as sustainable practices provide for long-range fiscal health rather than shortsighted exploitive profit making. (Think Enron.) Florida has a statute, (403.7049) which requires local governments to use Full Cost Accounting (FCA) in various operations, such as waste management, and the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida recommends its use in Everglades restoration project planning. FCA is the process of decision-making based on weighing the pros-and-cons of the options presented for all interests involved.. The success of the process depends on the accuracy and objectivity of the information presented to the decision-makers. For instance, if a study to determine whether the Urban Development Boundary should be eradicated to accommodate urban sprawl is weighted with people who stand to profit from development, clearly the process is a sham.

NOTE: In Mississippi, where I now live, there is the 20/20 Netowrk, dedicated to making Mississippi the first sustainable state in the South. http://www.mississippi2020.org/

Q: What does sustainability mean in terms of the growth issues we face in southern Miami Dade County? (Or in other areas of the country threatened by urban sprawl--which is every city where emphasis is not on infill.

A: It’s the key concept in creating a compromise between total exploitation/depletion of land and resources, which would benefit developers most—and preserving the only green spaces left in Miami Dade County, which would have broader and longer term benefits for the entire community.

Q: What does sustainability mean in terms of agriculture?

A: According to Dick Levins, of the Land Stewardship Program, ...farmers in sustainable agriculture are concerned about feeding their families and paying their bills, but those are not their only goals in life. They set out to protect the land, improve their quality of life, and enhance the communities in which they live. Their day-to-day decisions are not guided by a single minded search for profit, but by a delicate balancing act among many goals. --from “Monitoring Sustainable Agriculture with Conventional Financial Data”

South Florida(and Mississippi) produces billions in agricultural products and services yearly, and employment for tens of thousands. However, this is changing, with the steady disappearance of all but the huge factory farms.

75% of the fruits, vegetable and dairy products produced in the U.S. are in urban edge areas, threatened by sprawling development. The U.S. loses over a million acres of farmland yearly. Preserving agriculture means helping the U.S. maintain food self-sufficiency.

Do we really want to depend on foreign countries for our food?

Q: What can I do to promote sustainability in my community and help to assure quality of life for my kids and grandkids?

A: There are many things that you can do that will really make a difference. Here are a few:

1. Shop locally, buy locally—patronize to local shopsinstead of the ‘big boxes’. This helps to preserve downtown, keeps your money circulating within your community, and saves gas. Buy goods made in USA, if you can find any!
2. Eat locally produced fruits and veggies, of course! The average veggie in the supermarket has traveled 1300 miles and gone through several distributors—no wonder they don’t compare to our home-grown produce. You can eat well, support your neighbors, help the environment, and save fuel at the same time!
3. Use native plants for your landscaping—they create habitat for critters that help keep the ecosystems in balance, they also save water and need less fertilizer and/or pesticides to thrive.
4. Support your local organic farmers, they help to conserve the soil, and the runoff from their farms never pollutes.
5. Continue to comply with local recycling laws, also recycle your batteries, cell phones, electronic printer cartridges, TV’s and so on.
6. Think twice about purchasing items such as party goods and decorations that are designed to be used once, then tossed. Maybe we don’t need so much stuff...the average American consumes what 30 affluent (East)Indians do!
7. Promote biodiversity by growing heirloom veggies in your garden and saving the seeds. By varying the gene pool, resistance to pests and disease is fostered.
8. Ask questions! Become an informed, active participant in the decision-making processes in your community. Let your legislators know your concerns. Do what you can to keep money and other resources (human!) circulating in your community.
9. Be mindful that everything that goes down the drain or onto the ground winds up in our groundwater. Cut back on chemical cleaners, get that oil leak fixed, use biodegradable laundry and dish detergent, and wash your car only when you can no longer tell what color it is.
10. Be energy smart. Use florescent bulbs. Buy appliances with an “Energy Star” rating. Piloting a giant SUV to work downtown every day (alone) is a bit like lighting a cigarette with a blowtorch. It’s assertive, effective, and flashy, but clearly wasteful and more potentially harmful than a match!
11. Consider the effects of every action you take on 7 generations to come.
12. Read the Earth Day Wendell Berry quotation, then act on it wherever possible.

Q: Where can I find more information on sustainability?

A: Here are a few websites to get you started:

American Farmland Trust: http://www.farmland.com,
Alliance for Sustainability: http://allianceforsustainability.net
Alliance for Global Sustainability: http://globalsustainability.org
The Earth Charter http://www.earthcharterusa.org
Sustainability Institute: http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org