Consumption Habits: My Stuff

The following is a power consumption table I filled out last year as part of my Sustainable Design course in Calgary. It’s a quick list of some of the appliances and corresponding watts/day, to give an idea of how much energy my wife and I are using.

Consumption =
1) Act of eating or drinking - the eating or drinking of something, or the amount that somebody eats or drinks
2) Act of using something up - the use of natural resources or fuels, or the amount of resources or fuels used
3) Consumer expenditure - the purchase and use of goods and services by consumers, or the quantity of goods and services purchased (Encarta Dictionary)

Consumerism is all around us. Anyone living in North America is especially surrounded. You cannot go anywhere without seeing an advertisement for something. They are seen on the internet, radio, TV, in the newspaper, on public transit, buildings, billboards, and even at hockey games along the boards! They want us to believe that we need, need, need their product and if we don’t buy this new product, we are “out of the loop”. For most of us it is a constant struggle to spend money in a way that is sustainable to our own financial situations and also sustainable to the earth’s ecological balance.

Consumables: products that are eaten or decompose. A package that turns into dirt is infinitely more useful, biologically speaking, than a package that turns into a plastic park bench. Designing for decomposition, not recycling is the way of the world around us.
Durables: products that are designed to last. Currently many durables are designed to fail.

When my wife and I moved to Victoria this past summer, we were shocked by how much stuff we had. Between the two us, we filled up the cab and box of a borrowed half-ton truck pulling a 20 foot U-Haul trailer! We loaded everything including: electronics, kitchen supplies, sports equipment, books, clothes, furniture… All of this stuff can make a person feel spoiled and guilty. By seeing everything you own crammed into a measureable space like a truck and trailer, it really puts things into perspective. It makes you ask questions. Do we really need all of this stuff? What kind of things can we do without? How do we go about living in a more sustainable manner? Moving can really open your eyes to the things that you own! Personally, I feel most guilty about our car. It’s a massive chunk of metal, rubber, glass, and petroleum products that spews GHG’s out its rear end!

“Americans produce six times their body weight every week in hazardous and toxic waste water, incinerator fly ash, agricultural wastes, heavy metals, and waste chemicals, paper, wood, etc. This does not include CO2 which if it were included would double the amount of waste.” I know I’m not American, but I’m pretty darn close. This is outrageous! Six times my own weight in waste a week! When we moved to Victoria, our landlord (we share a house with) offered us a compost bin. This is the first time we have composted, and we can’t believe how much it has reduced our garbage output. But the compost bin isn’t the only reason for less waste. Whenever we go grocery shopping, we try to buy things with the least packaging possible or that can be recycled. For example, instead of putting all of our vegetables in plastic bags, we bring our small hemp baggies that can be reused. Just recently, our landlord changed the households’ garbage pick-up to every two weeks instead of every week.

As stated before, people struggle with the amount of stuff they have and their consumption habits. I truly do not see an end to this soon. Humans are very stuborn and set in their ways. If they want to spend their earnings on new vehicles and TV's they wiil! It seems the only way this will end is through a catastrophic event (the end of oil). The only hope we have lies in the education of sustainable practices and living by example.

Doom and Gloom

On February 11 our class got the chance to listen to Gene Miller from the Centre for Urban Innovation (CUI). CUI is an affiliation of urban thinkers and practitioners who are active in crafting and implementing responses to urban and land use challenges. Based here in Victoria, the Center: involves itself in urban planning initiatives and urban policy development; organizes and hosts conferences; and is currently engaged in economic impact studies of new downtown residential development. Gene also is the founder of Monday magazine (more like a newspaper). “Miller aspired to create a publication for the Victoria readership that was rooted in the social consciousness of the Village Voice but written in the style of The New Yorker”.

Gene’s presentation was dark and gloomy to say the least. In my opinion it was like story time for students! He read to us almost the entire time. But anyways, I did take notes while he talked. He started off by quoting Bill Rees “If climate change was an asteroid, we would throw every resource at it.” This is so true. Humans aren’t inclined to fix things until they’re right in front of our faces. We need proof; seeing is believing. Catastrophe... does it have a meaning. Gene went on to say catastrophe moderates what we can’t; catastrophe changes the game. Are we going to need a catastrophe to change the way we treat this earth? That’s even if we survive it! I hope we will plan to prevent as many catastrophes as possible in the current future.

“We’re living in an age of consequence”

Doom n Gloom = no rainforest, no carbon sink, heat wave kills thousands in Europe in 2003, positive feedback, food shortages by 2040, global warming of 5 degrees, carrying capacity, natural disasters.......We might be ants on a burning log but if we mitigate (lower GHG emissions), adapt (build cities sustainably), and ameliorate (environmental engineering) we may have a chance of sustaining our life on earth. I also think that this problem is not only a science issue its a psychological issue. Are most of us living in denial?

“Hope is unresearched optimism”

Gene also organizes Gaining Ground Summits. This year’s summit held in Vancouver is called Eco Logical: the power of green cities to share the future. Its focus is on the idea that North American cities—in partnership with their respective states and provinces—need to plan and act as the de facto leaders of an ecological project that includes climate action. New strategies need to be implemented if we are going to sustain a healthy economy and social well-being. This is great news that cities are working together. Recently I found out my hometown (Rocky Mtn. House) of 6000 people is starting their own sustainability plan. This is awesome news, I hope every town and city starts thinking about the environment in their planning activites.

Sustainable Transportation

Todd Litman from Victoria Sustainable Transportation Institute is one of the most exciting, passionate, and eccentric person I’ve ever met. This is a good thing, don’t get me wrong. We need people like Todd for encouragement and a hope that is often missing in our society. Heck, without a little craziness, this life would be pretty boring! After biking from downtown Victoria still sweaty, out of breath and a little thirsty, Todd presented to us alternative transportation methods, personal research initiatives, and a personal challenge.

“Paradise is not a distant destination; it’s something we create in our communities.” –Todd Litman

Why do we need the fastest, newest and biggest vehicle? Our current North American lifestyle has forced us to believe we need this. Vehicle ownership is engrained in us. When traffic jams start occurring we just build more lanes! This is called “growth” or “expansion”. A local transportation issue (Malahat highway) is a prime example of this dilemma of whether to expand the number of lanes or to develop a bus system that would transport people. We are hopefully moving towards sustainable “development” in the near future. This involves improving existing systems already in place. For example, in land uses planning some of the new ideas out there include mixed use, smart growth and transit-oriented design (TOD). Personally I like the TOD concept where high density housing and mixed use are built in the region of transit stations (trains and buses) for easy accessibility.

Wheeled Luggage = More Walkability

Problems associated with vehicle transportation: Traffic congestion, Road construction, Accidents and insurance, Parking costs, GHGs, Inadequate physical activity, Lack of mobility for pedestrians. There are many solutions available to these problems we have created. If our transit systems were more efficient, cheaper, had more convenient information and accessibility, than I think people would take them more often. They need to compete with vehicle driving. Having a more positive image would help too. Todd thinks we should make our transit systems sexier! He also suggested we make our bus/train stations more comfortable, safe and fun so everyone would want to take transit. Personally this doesn’t make sense to me. Does he not realize how many bus stops there are in Victoria? I guess the city could clean up a few of the major stations but to improve all of them would cost an arm and a leg. Also, I think improving the transit system by making it more accessible and affordable to more people is what we should be doing first.

Influencing the Community

In order to reach community goals, local governments and community groups have to work hard to influence/engage the people. It’s very important to start with groups/networks already existing in the community; reinventing the wheel takes up precious time. Every group has their own purpose, intents and reasons why they are a group. The key thing here is to take the common passions/desires from each group and form one large sustainability group that meets the purpose, intents, and needs of the community. To change behaviours one could simply use compliance as a quick fix. For example, we could make a law saying vehicle owners can only drive every other day. This would definitely reduce carbon emissions but wouldn’t make anyone happy. They would eventually leave the community. In order to change the attitudes of the people, persuasion is often used. Persuasion, although difficult, wins the hearts and minds of people and lasts the longest if performed properly. The five tools of persuasion are Reciprocation, Consistency, Social Proof, Scarcity, Liking, and Authority. One must ask themselves what the receiver is thinking. Is the message acceptable?understood? David Suzuki is one of my favorite educators because he has the ability of translating the message so that everyone can understand it (i.e. Nature of Things).

The way we communicate and the choice of words we use can influence people tremendously. One of the best examples of this is when hotels ask customers to consider reusing their towels. Instead of using “Help save the environment” a hotel should use “Join your fellow citizens in helping saving the environment”. Although it’s tacky, it works. People want to feel they are a part of something good, and they are more willing to do it if others are included. I believe we are slowly moving to a more environmentally accepting society where being green will be the cool thing to do. Taking care of the environment will be the norm. Things like recycling, composting, and conscious consumerism are going to become second nature to all. I think this green revolution/movement (however you want to coin it) is just in its beginning stages. Although this is taking a while, people are slooowly starting to change.

Local Government

What is the local government doing in Colwood to sustain its community and environment? This is the question Mayor Dave Saunders and councillor Judith Cullington answered on January 28. It was very important for our class to learn about Colwood, for this is the community we are a part of for 12 months of our study. And who better to hear from than the Mayor! Colwood is a relatively new community (25 years this year) with a population of approximately 15,000 people. It’s 92% residential with one of the youngest average ages in the CRD (mostly teens and young families). Colwood is growing at an extremely fast rate and is expected to reach a population of 32,000 by 2028! Some of the places Colwood is known for are Esquimalt Lagoon Federal Bird Sanctuary, First Nations history, RRU, Garry Oak Ecosystems, Old Growth Forests, and three national historic sites.

Dave made it clear to us that he’s always open to new ideas. He’s available by phone, internet, mail, or in person. I really respected this and told him afterwards that’s how it should be. There are a number of places in Colwood that are demonstrating sustainability in one way or another. Royal Oak Bakery (3 blocks from our place) bakes all their goods with organic flour. The farmers market held at the Juan de Fuca Rec centre sells local produce on Wednesday nights through the summer. There is also an art gallery called Coast Collective where over 100 local artists show off their work. The Island Chefs Collaborative and the Go Local tomato challenge was also held here in town. The new Aquattro development saved 40% of green space by increasing its density.

One of the biggest questions being asked is “what does Colwood’s future look like?” Dave’s plans include Smart Growth, sewage treatment that harvests methane, water smart, green home construction, fibre optic internet (better business), carbon neutral hotel, solar water heaters, geothermal heating, and becoming the first green learning city in Canada by uniting with RRU. Dave is also very excited about developing on the gravel pit. I hope he takes a sustainable approach when this takes place. These are exciting times for Colwood, let’s hope they accomplish these great dreams.

Community Research and Design

Jordan Fisher from Jordan Fisher & Associates Green Development Consulting came to the university to talk to us about his role in Colwood’s sustainable future. Jordan has been working with the city on a new Energy and Emissions Plan. He has found that 2/3 of the city's emissions are from transportation and 1/3 is coming from buildings and waste. His vision for the community includes retrofitting buildings to become more energy efficient, using alternative fuels to reduce emissions and dependence on fossil fuels, and lastly (his passion) - land use planning. He would like to encourage people to live closer to transit and services. Currently Colwood is very unwalkable (takes 45 minutes for my wife and I to go someplace for coffee!)There are however future plans to develop mixed use at the existing Colwood gravel pit. This area would include schools, grocery stores, and gas stations so that people like myself who live out that direction wouldn't have to drive/walk such a long distance to get places. This is exciting and smart and will allow people to bike and walk around Colwood more rather than drive.

Our next speaker of the morning came all the way from the Office of Community research at UVic... whatever that means! haha, sorry. But this was exactly how Maeve Lydon started her presentation-by asking us what community research meant to us. We came up with a few words: local knowledge, involvement, holistic, action-oriented, positive change, gathering information, partnerships, networks, resource sharing. The definition she provided us is: “The OCBR-UVic exists to facilitate collaborative community-university research and partnerships that enhance the quality of life and the economic, environmental and social well-being of communities”. It’s a community–university partnership which supports community engagement and research to create vibrant, sustainable and inclusive communities.

Maeve referred to universities as "silos" or "places for solutions". More importantly, universities should never be left out of communities but rather be a part of them. I am very lucky to be a student at RRU for this very reason. We have the opportunity to work with the community of Colwood and make it a better place for those living here temporarily and more importantly for the families that live here permanently. Universities have the opportunity to breathe new life into stale communities. Maeve is ensuring community development across the island by helping out with the Vancouver Island Community Research Alliance which includes community groups, health authorities, First Nations, high schools, colleges/universities, and the economic alliance. She also is involved in community mapping projects which are sprouting up in many local communities and around the globe. The Colwood community mapping session was just held at our university on February 12th and I had an opportunity to contribute. I told them that the city was lacking a “downtown”, and that the major stores are not centralized/accessible to the residents without driving to them.

Sustainable Communities

On January 21, I had the privilege of hearing from an individual that is striving to make Victoria's communities more sustainable. The Capital Regional District's Climate Action coordinator Sarah Webb came to our classroom to present some grand ideas. Sarah graduated from UVic with a Biology degree then went on to become the university's first Sustainability coordinator in 2002! She reminded us that the Environmental field is made up of people with a variety of backgrounds. So, although I may graduate with a BSc, I may go on to become a geographer, teacher or something else. There are no limitations, this can be exciting and scary at the same time.

Sarah has been faced with many questions concerning the environment since she started at the CRD. Some of these include: What are the hopes of Victoria? Who are the stakeholders? What's the cost of engaging/not engaging the community? What's the timeframe we're dealing with? What tools/methods work most effectively? Her job as the coordinator is to increase public awareness/engage the public on climate change's impacts and to develop strategies to reduce emissions. She works with all forms of governments on climate-related programs, policies and legislation.

One of the goals of the CRD is to become carbon neutral by 2012. Also, the province of BC has committed to cut emissions by 33% by 2020. I've had the privilege of actually working with Sarah during my major project this year. We are creating an inventory of businesses, hotels, and tourist attractions that exemplify sustainability/low carbon operations in the greater Victoria region rather than concentrating on downtown. Another objective of our project is to quantify the economic and environmental impacts of the tourist industry in the Capital Region. In the end we hope to create a “low carbon vacation guidebook” for visitors and locals to use when they are looking for a place to eat, sleep, visit, etc. I am very excited about this, as it provides businesses that are making a difference to get their names out there. I also obtain quality work experience with a recognized organization along the way!