Sustainability

Wanting to live a "reasonable, comfortable life" in tune with nature, Ann and Gord Baird are building a "net zero energy" home on rural Vancouver Island. Their plans: a thick-walled cob house with passive solar heating. Wind and solar panels to provide electricity. Solar thermal hot water for domestic use and radiant heating. Composting toilets to enrich the earth for orchard, gardens and chickens. Rainwater catchment and a well for domestic and irrigation water. Episode 103.

The following is a proposal to help make communities better able to respond to the coming economic shocks from resource depletion, beginning with Peak Oil, and perhaps also to shocks from other causes (such as the ongoing subprime mortgage and credit collapse). Making existing petroleum-reliant communities truly sustainable is a huge task. Virtually every system must be redesigned—from transport to food, sanitation, health care, and manufacturing.

A vocal proponent of going local, Dave Smith co-founded the BriarPatch cooperative market, co-owned "Smith and Hawken" and now owns a used book store he can walk to. His book To Be Of Use: The Seven Seeds of Meaningful Work honors "creative action heros" who meet real needs rather than just desires. He suggests judging others not by their stated values but by their virtues -- their character and actions. (www.grizzlegritz.com, briarpatchnetwork.wordpress.com) Episode 102.

Tour Janet and Richard's quarter acre for an example of what's possible in suburbia. Their front yard of edible plants also provides habitat for birds and insects. The backyard radiates out from an herb and kitchen garden to vegetable beds and containers; 25 fruit and nut trees; and a restful Zen garden. Near a future pond is a "three sisters" spiral of corn, beans and squashes. Check out their rainwater catchment barrels system, solar ovens, grid-tied photovoltaics with backup batteries, a low-energy house, solar-heated garden room, and a comfortable "summer palace" of natural & salvaged materials. (www.richardheinberg.com) Episode 100!

Els Cooperrider is an energetic lady. She co-founded the Mendocino Organic Network, which began an organic peer-certification service for local growers. Their Mendocino Renegade label means products are "beyond organic" and local. She also led Mendocino to become the first U.S. county to be GMO-free -- genetically-modified organisms cannot be grown there. Her eatery, Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant, is America's first certified organic brew pub, which serves seasonal local ingredients. Episode 93.

Tim Winton of The Permaforest Trust Centre for Sustainability Education in Australia explores Pathways to a Low Carbon Future.

O.U.R. stands for "One United Resource," expressing how interdependence and inclusion undergird this 25 acre demonstration sustainable community on Vancouver Island. This model ecovillage comprises natural buildings, a school, long- and short-term residences, extensive gardens, greenhouses, and even a bed & breakfast. Brandy Gallagher MacPherson describes how they created an entirely new zoning category by building relationships with regulatory agencies that go beyond "us versus them". Episode 84.

Food, as Cecile Andrews suggests, is a metaphor for life, in that our relationship to food is also suggestive of our relationship to living and how we connect with the world around us. "Slow is Beautiful" suggests that happiness can be found through being more mindful of our actions. Such an idea is suggestive that happiness itself is a tool to help us achieve more environmentally responsible living.

At Smith and Speed Mercantile on Orcas Island, hand tools line the walls and tables along with organic wool comforters and non-toxic paints. It's an extension of Errol Speed and Kathleen Smith's off-grid homestead where they work at "the speed of living," using hand tools that reconnect them to the earth. Episode 67.

Kevin and Donna Philippe-Johnson are creators of the EarthStar Primal Habitat, a sustainable living model. Kevin & Donna have written several articles published on their website and in Countryside Magazine about how they left the 9-to-5 life behind, moved to "our little hut in the woods" as Kevin calls it, and are truly enjoying "happily ever after". On nearly no annual income, they have good health, abundant free time for creative activities, and a very peaceful life in harmony with the Nature around them.