Sustainability

Sustainability Issues• Eat less meat• Waste Management• Energy Use

Eating animal products has significant impacts

Energy choices through food choices

Environmental ramifications of eating meat

• Land and water are needed to raise food for livestock.

1961

Fig. 14. A large part of the forest land is grazed. (Photo by Hawaii Forest Division)

Alternative Protein Source

Carbon footprint•COW: 2,850 g CO2 /kilo of mass gained•PIGS: 1,120•SUN BEETLES: 121 •CRICKETS 1.27

top sirloin beef: 100 g contains about 29 g of protein and 21 g of fatGrasshopper: 100 g contains 20 g of protein and 6 grams of fat."

• Religious• Ethical• Health• Environmental• Animal • Welfare• Economical

Reasons why some choose to practice vegetarianism

Health Advantages

Vegetarian diets have been associated with the following when compared to nonvegetarian diets:

• lower LDL cholesterol levels• lower risk of death from ischemic heart

disease• lower blood pressure• lower rates of hypertension type 2 diabetes • lower body mass index • lower overall cancer rates

Nutritional Considerations for Vegetarians

• Protein• Iron• Zinc• Calcium• Vitamin D• Vitamin B12• Vitamin A/ Beta carotene• Omega-3 fatty acids• Iodine

Anemia

American Plate Asian Plate

Hawaiian Plate

Carbs: taro, yams, arrowroot, or breadfruit vines, ferns, herbs, limu (seaweed)

Protein: birds, chicken, pigs, fish, shrimp, shellfish, squid, limpet, crab and other seafood,

Erosion carries soil away

Environmental concerns

Fertilizers boost yields but cause problems

Eutrophication (too much N2)

Eutrophication (too much N2)

Remediation

Where’s it all going?

Waste can be reduced by manufacturers

Waste can be reduced by manufacturers if consumers:• Choose minimally packaged goods• Buy unwrapped fruits and vegetables• Buy in bulk

Many incinerators create energy• Incineration reduces the volume of waste and can

generate electricity.• Waste-to-energy facilities (WTE): use the heat

produced by waste combustion to produce steam to create electricity

Kapaa Quarry

Landfills can produce gas for energy

CH4

http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/big_box_mart

Waste can be reduced by manufacturers

vs

Chokes animal life Litters environment

Industrial ecology

• Redesigning industrial systems to reduce resource inputs and maximize physical and economic efficiency – Industry mimics nature with little waste – Waste from one organism is food for another– Everything is connected by cyclic processes– Living off nature’s interest

• Businesses can use industrial ecology to save money while reducing waste.

Brewery

Mushroom Growing

Chicken Raising

Methane Gas Production

Fish Ponds

Conventional Waste Managment in Fiji

Brewery waste dumped into oceans to destroy coral reefs

Methane vented

Muck cleaned out

Muck dumped on fields

Waste piles up

Brewery

Mushroom Growing

Chicken Raising

Methane Gas Production

Fish Ponds

Hydroponic Gardening

Industrial Ecology in FijiBrewery waste fertilizes mushrooms

Mushroom residue feeds chickens

Chicken waste is composted

Solids become fish food

Nutrients used in gardens

Illegal dumping of hazardous waste

http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/Stop_Illegal_Dumping.html

Kapaa Quarry

Honolulu

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Why recycle? What can be recycled? Where do we recycle?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Alternative Energy

• Hydroelectric• Geothermal• Wave energy• Solar• Wind• Biofuels• Clean coal• Tidal energy• OTEC deep water cooling

• Flexible fuel vehicles: run on 85% ethanol– But very few gas stations

offer this fuel

• Biodiesel: a fuel produced from vegetable oil, used cooking grease or animal fat

• Some people use straight vegetable oil in their diesel engines.Bio-Beatle Rental on Maui

Cars can run on ethanol

Algae

Biomass energy brings benefits• It is essentially carbon-neutral, releasing no net

carbon into the atmosphere.

CO2O2

Sugarcane

Solar Power Hawaii

Wind Power Hawaii

Wind power has many benefits

• Wind produces no emissions.• It is more efficient.• Turbines also use less water than

conventional power plants.• It can be used on many scales, from one

turbine to hundreds.• Farmers and ranchers can lease their land.

– Produces extra revenue – Landowners can still use their land for other uses.

Wind power has some downsides

Hawaii Geothermal Resources

Puna Geothermal Venture

Geothermal power has benefits and limits

• Benefits:– Reduces emissions

– It does emit very small amounts of gases.

• Limitations:– May not be sustainable

– Water is laced with salts and minerals that corrode equipment and pollute the air.

– Limited to areas where the energy can be trapped

Wave Energy Converter

Wave Energy Converter

40 kw experimental buoy

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

Energy Consumption

Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative

by 2030

http://www.hawaiicleanenergyinitiative.org/

Transportation

• Foot/Pedal power• Cars• Hybrid• Public

Hybrid electric

Lighting

• Sunlight• Compact fluorescence• LED• Solar lights• Piping light in through fiber optics or other

lighting technologies

Water

• Shorter shower and low-flow shower head

• Shower better than bath• Water plants in morning or

night• Plant drought-tolerant

native plants• Skip bottled water• Take

Hawaii’s Aquifer

Xeriscape plants in Hawaii

Bromeliads Plumeria

HibiscusLantana

Akia

Kapiolani Community College Cactus Garden

E-Waste

Food: eating smart

• Reduce amt of meat you eat each week• Buy from local farmers• Choose sustainable seafood products• Organic is best• Bring your own bag shopping

Make your own cleaning supplies.• The big secret: All you need are a few simple

ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap.

• Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

Compost

FuneralsEco-burials• Preservation:

Embalming slows the decomposition process. • Cremation: toxins in the env.• Coffins:

Cardboard, bamboo, or jute coffins; shrouds; or biodegradable urns are all dignified ways to unite with nature more rapidly.

• Leave a living marker• Mooring ball

Eco-Friendly?

Whale disposal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmnq5dBF7Y

Population

• Later• Longer • Fewer

Green buildingFord Island NOAA

What could we change right now?• Room• Building• Home• Community

before after

What is Stewardship?

http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/czm/initiative/community_based/CommunityStewardshipDirectory.pdf

1.Duty of service2.Responsibility3.Management

Earth Day Apr 22