By Dr Aled Jones - Global Sustainability Institute – April, 2012
Unlocking a green economy requires a transformation in everything we do. The urgency of the challenge we face gets greater and greater with every new piece of evidence. Avoiding so called ‘tipping points’ in the Earth’s climate system or going beyond a point of recovery for parts of the bio-system gets closer scrutiny every day – even though, as pointed out by Jay Leno (below), the problem has been bad enough for decades and we have yet to transform our societies in any way that meets the challenge.
By Guest Author - Vicki Hird - WSPA International – November, 2011
The country submissions to the UN Rio+20 compilation document make for interesting reading. Many countries express welcome statements on the need to put sustainable agriculture and sustainable production and consumption issues at the heart of Rio+20 outcomes.
The world’s population is expected to increase by about 3 billion by 2050 and nearly 80% of that population will live in urban centers. It is estimated that we will need 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) to grow enough food to feed the growing population if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. Over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is already in use.
The Coop is a Swiss cooperative which operates the second largest supermarket chain in Switzerland, operating 1,437 shops and employing over 48,000 people. According to Bio Suisse, the Swiss organic producers' association, Coop accounts for half of all the organic food sold in Switzerland. Coop's four primary organic brands are Coop Oecoplan, Coop Naturaline, Coop Naturaplan, and Max Havelaar.
In Germany Regiomat machines currently sell fresh milk, eggs, butter, cheese, potatoes and sausage from local farmers in thirteen German towns and communities. They can be placed outdoors 365 days a year as long as they're under a roof (some have even been placed alongside hiking trails in Switzerland), effectively giving locals a 24-hour farmers' market and farmers a lot more free time.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a fishery certification programme and seafood ecolabel which recognises and rewards sustainable fishing worldwide. It is a global organisation working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public around the world to promote the best environmental choice in seafood.
Pachamama's member-owners ship the organic single-origin coffee to the USA, where it is hand-roasted in small batches in California and shiped directly to customers. All of Pachamama's coffee are Certified Organic (CCOF) and Fair Trade (Transfair USA). Proceeds from the sales are reinvested in socially and environmentally responsible programs, which are selected by the co-op's members and based in their home countries.
Cuba has a system of urban organic farms called Organopónicos, which provides a fresh supply of organic food to the community, neighbourhood improvement, beautification of urban areas, as well as employment opportunities. Cuba has more than 7,000 organopónicos, with some 200 gardens in Havana alone, covering more than 35,000 hectares of land, which supply its citizens with 90% of their fruit and vegetables.
Floating gardens extend the growing area of rural communities where land is scarce. They are built by piling mud on top of anchored reeds in the water to construct a fertile bed for growing vegetables. The method is both cheap and sustainable.
