Environmental Sustainability Final

Economics

social science that deals with producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services. 

• is not just about money; it is also about the environmental resources we depend on 

Sustainable

capability of being continued indefinitely. 

Ecosystem services

essential ecological processes that make life on Earth possible, including oxygen production, water purification, and pollination.

Ecological footprint

The land area needed to support the resources for and assimilate the waste of a person or population, measuring human impact on the environment.

Natural capital

The wealth of resources on Earth, including consumed natural resources and systems that produce them.

Natural interest

readily produced resources that we could use and still leave enough natural capital behind to replace what we took. 

True cost accounting

evaluating the full cost of a product or service, including internal and external costs, to reflect its true environmental and social impact.

Environmental economics

A theory considering the long-term impact of choices on people and the environment, contrasting with traditional economics based on false assumptions.

Discounting future value

giving more weight to short-term benefits and costs than to long-term ones. 

Linear economic system

a production model that is one-way inputs are used to manufacture a product, and waste is discarded. This is an unsustainable model!

Circular economic system

a production system in which the product is returned to the resource stream when consumers are finished with it or are disposed of in such a way that nature can decompose it. Ex: Interface’s ReEntry 2.0 program recycles old carpet tiles. 

Ecolabeling

Providing information on a product's origin and production methods to help consumers make sustainable choices and support eco-friendly products.

Greenwashing

claiming environmental benefits about a product when the benefits of a product when the benefits are minor or nonexistent. 

Fairtrade

a certification program whose products are made in ways that are environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial including fair wages and good working conditions

Case Study: Microplastics are not ubiquitous on Earth

• The U.S. Niagara conducted one of the first surveys of plastic pollution in Lake Superior 

• 30,000 plastic particles per km^2

• Particles embedded with hazardous chemicals, such as flame retardants

• Found everywhere: remote waters, remote air, and inside living organisms, including humans – disrupting ecosystem processes

Solid waste

Materials discarded by humans, contrasting with natural ecosystems where waste becomes a resource for other organisms.

Law of Conservation of Matter:

matter cannot be created or destroyed, only change forms. 

Biodegradable:

capable of being broken down by living organisms 

Nondegradable:

incapable of being broken down under normal conditions. 

Municipal solid waste (MSW)

Everyday garbage produced by individuals or small businesses, with urban dwellers generating most of the world's municipal trash.

What problems are caused by the improper management of solid waste?

Uncollected and mismanaged solid waste contributes to a variety of environmental problems (ex: flooding, air and water pollution), which can contribute to environmental damage and health problems for humans and other species. 

Open dumps

Sites where trash is piled up, banned in the U.S. due to environmental concerns, contrasting with sanitary landfills that seal in trash to prevent pollution.

Incinerators

Facilities burning trash at high temperatures to reduce volume, but producing air pollution and hazardous ash, posing environmental risks.

Hazardous waste

waste that is toxic, flammable, corrosive, explosive, or radioactive (ex: batteries)

E-waste

unwanted computers and other electronic devices containing precious metals and toxic chemicals

Composting

allowing waste to decompose biologically in the presence of oxygen and water, producing a soil-like mulch

The four R’s of waste reduction:

• Refuse: choose not to use or buy a product if you can do without it 

• Reduce: Make choices that allow you to use less of a resource by, for instance, purchasing durable goods that will last or can be repaired. 

• Reuse: Use a product more than once for its original purpose or for another purpose 

• Recycle: return items for reprocessing into new products. Not all plastics can be recycled. Some plastics can be recycled into other products, such as decking – turning the plastic industry into a closed-loop system. 

Food security

having access to sufficient safe and nutritious food physically, socially, and economically

Food waste

 A lot of food is wasted (1.3 billion tons/year – ⅓ of food grown for humans). 

• In developed nations, food is wasted later in the production chain.

• In developing nations, it happens earlier in the production chain. 

Malnutrition

poor health due to inappropriate caloric intake or nutrient deficiency

Undernourishment

when a person does not have enough to eat. 

Overnutrition

the consumption of too many calories. Considered a form of malnutrition 

Green Revolution

a mid-1900s plant-breeding program increasing crop yields with chemical inputs

Industrial agriculture

farming methods using technology, chemicals, and scale for productivity

Monoculture

 farming method in which a single variety of one crop is planted, typically in rows over huge swaths of land, with large inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, and water. Usually, a genetically uniform crop (monoculture)

Genetic diversity

the heritable variation among individuals of a single population or within the species as a whole. 

The Unintended Consequences of Industrial Farming: 

• Loss of soil fertility 

• Depleted water supplies

• Salinization of soil 

• Water pollution 

• Evolution of pesticide resistance in insects 

• Toxic chemical exposure

• unsustainable!!

Fertilizer

nutrients added to soil to boost plant growth

Pesticide

chemicals killing or repelling plant or animal pests

GMO

organism with modified genetic information for desirable traits

HT crops:

crops with a herbicide-tolerant gene added to their genome. 

BT crops:

crops that contain a gene from Bacillus thuringiensis. A naturally occurring bacterium that produces a toxin that kills some insect pests. 

Food self-sufficiency

growing enough food to feed a population

Food sovereignty

controlling the food system of an individual or nation

Cash crops:

food and fiber crops are grown to sell for profit rather than for use by local families or communities. Ex: growing cotton, coffee, or chocolate

Case study: Using Ancient Methods for Modern Farming

• A Vermont Famer, Erik Andrus, realizes that the location of his farm is good for growing rice. 

• He uses an ancient Japanese method of integrating growing rice and raising ducks.

• This is profitable for the farmer, provides grain and protein, and provides ecosystem services. 

Sustainable agriculture

farming methods that raise food without harming the environment or future productivity. The goal is to mimic the traits of a sustainable ecosystem: 

• Use renewable energy and local resources for inputs 

• Rely on biodiversity to trap energy, deal with wastes, and control pests. 

Organic agriculture

farming that does not use synthetic fertilizer pesticides, GMOs, or other chemical additives like hormones (for animal rearing).

• maybe more nutritious than conventionally grown food – health benefits are unknown. 

• Higher profit margin because consumers will pay more. 

Soil

a complex ecosystem of mineral and organic material, including living organisms such as bacteria, invertebrates, and fungi, that supports the growth of plants and is, in turn, affected by those plants. 

Soil Erosion:

the process in which soil is moved from one location to another, most often by wind or water. 

• Soil forms slowly – 500-1,000 years to form 1 inch of soil. 

• Erosion can remove in days what it took centuries to form. 

Soil formation:

O - organic, leaf litter/grass clippings (one of the most important layers)

A - topsoil, broken down plant and animal material (one of the most important layers)

B - subsoil, denser and more minerals/clay/sand (where plant roots stop)

C – rocks in the process of being broken down (weathering)

R – solid rock, has not been broken down

Agroecology

scientific field favoring agricultural methods protecting the environment and meeting local needs

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

the use of various methods to control pest populations while minimizing or eliminating the use of chemical pesticides. Methods:

• Cultural – how you arrange plants in the space like using barriers

• Mechanical – using nets or traps

• Biological – using natural predators to kill pests

• Chemical – applying chemicals 

Consumer choices

The decisions made by individuals when purchasing goods, which can support sustainable agriculture by buying locally grown, organic food.

Food miles

The distance food travels from its production site to the consumer, impacting the carbon footprint of the food.

Carbon footprint

the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by a person, a company, a nation, or an activity.

Sustainable agriculture trade-offs

The compromises involved in sustainable agriculture, which are considered less problematic than those of modern industrial agriculture in the long term.