1. Food & Energy: Sustainable & Renewable
Social
Bearable
Equitable
Sustainable
Economic
Ecological
Viable

2. Renewable A resource is renewable if:
It can be replenished by natural processes at a rate equal to, or faster than, its rate of consumption
One must consider if:
Energy resources are renewable?
Agricultural resources are renewable?
Water resources are renewable?

3. Sustainability
Sustainability is a much more difficult term to define and has many connotations
1987 Brundtland Commission* defined sustainability…“to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
*United Nations "Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development." General Assembly Resolution 42/187, 11 December 1987.

4. Sustainability Sustainable development Sustainable agriculture
The 1987 Brundtland definition is often adapted for a variety of purposes
Sustainable development
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable communities
Sustainable energy

5. Three Pillars of Sustainability
Social
Bearable
Equitable
Sustainable
Economic
Ecological
Viable
The three pillars of sustainability are social, Ecological and economic.

6. Ecological Pillar Management of human consumption
Energy
Water
Food
Materials and waste
Environmental management
Air/atmosphere
Water (freshwater & oceans)
Land use

7. Economic Pillar
Address decoupling of environmental degradation and economic growth
(avoid growth that depletes ecosystem services)
Account for value of ecosystem services
Recognize economic opportunity while integrating with ecological and social concerns

8. Social Pillar
Enable peace, security and social justice to decrease poverty, to allow for equitable resource allocation and to promote human rights and gender equality
Support human settlements to create self- reliant communities

9. Three Pillars of Sustainability
Earth
Life
Environment
Social
Sustainable
Economic
Ecological
Sustainability requires a holistic approach

10. Sustainability
Q: Must something be renewable to be considered “sustainable?” A: YES, if a resource is renewable, if it can be replenished at a rate equal to or greater than it is being used, then it is sustainable! Q: Must something be sustainable to be considered “renewable?” A: NO, renewable resources can be exploited, resulting in environmental degradation Q: Are all renewable resources sustainable? A: NO, for example: A large hydro dam may provide renewable power, but it might drastically alter the environment and displace human populations

11. Renewable and Sustainable Resources
Photos by B. Ballard

12. Renewable and Often Sustainable
Photos by P. Hofmeyer

13. Renewable and Rarely Sustainable
Irrigated & fertilized corn field [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Large Hydro: Hoover Dam [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]

14. Non-renewable and Not Sustainable
Slash-and-burn [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]
Coal extraction [Source: Wikimedia Commons, accessed 7/18/2013]

15. Sustainability
Are humans living sustainably? In order to be sustainable, the Earth’s resources must first replenish themselves equal to our consumption rate

16. Sustainability Continuum
Wind
Solar
Waste biofuels
Crop rotation
No till
No fertilization
Micro hydro
Low enthalpy geothermal
Dedicated bioenergy crops
Crop rotation
Sparing use of
Fertilizers/pesticides
Large geothermal
Large Hydro
Dedicated bioenergy crops
Monoculture farming
Intensive pesticides
Intensive herbicides
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Coal and Oil
Slash and burn agriculture
Most sustainable
Least sustainable

17. Sustainability: What can you do?
Two areas in which to improve the sustainability of your lifestyle:
Transportation: Reduce/eliminate fossil fuel use
Diet: Eat food produced locally

18. Sustainable Food Consumption
The mean distance for fruits and vegetables to get onto my dinner plate is 1,494 miles
This is not including imported fruits and vegetables like pineapples, artichokes, kiwis, mangoes, and so on.
Source: Leopold Center report “Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions”, June 2001.

19. Buy local, eat local, plant a garden and support a local farmer
Photos by B. Ballard