What changed 

Everything about our world has changed since the 1970s. First off, the world’s population has basically doubled from 3.7 billion in 1970 to well over 7 billion today. More people are consuming resources, but more resources are also being consumed per person. On average, wealthier, developed countries in the Global North are each burning more fossil fuels than we were in 1970, eating more meat, and traveling more than ever before. All that consumption adds up to a 90% increase in CO2 emissions since 1970, which after being trapped in the atmosphere, has contributed to ocean waters warming 0.6 °C and sea levels rising more than 5-6 inches. And if that’s not enough, average global temperatures have risen more quickly since the late 1970s (0.29 to 0.46°F per decade since 1979).

What now 

“Earth Day today is about more than just saving our planet – it’s about saving humanity.”

Throughout the decades, Earth Day has been about saving species, ecosystems, and natural habitats from threats like air and water pollution. While these aspects are still focused on, Earth Day today is about more than just saving our planet – it’s about saving humanity. This generation of climate activists has grown up thinking of themselves as truly global citizens. We are more aware of the immediate threat that is facing us, and we’ve made it clear that there is no planet B. The first Earth Day may have started as protest, but it sparked a global movement that is now the vehicle for taking urgent and immediate climate action. 

Earth Day 1970 March // Source: Earth Institute, Columbia University 

With the COVID-19 pandemic causing public health lockdowns around the world, Earth Day 2020 went entirely digital for the first time in its history. Billions of people took part, allowing technology to connect us from all corners of the planet. While the coronavirus forced us to keep our distance, it couldn’t quiet our voices. Over the 24 hours, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day filled the digital landscape with global conversations, calls to action, performances, video teach-ins and webinars, workshops and more. This year, Earth Day remains largely digital. No matter where you are, you can still make a difference. 

Earth Day 2020 Flyer // Source: EarthShare

April 22nd, 2021

The theme of 2021’s Earth Day Canada celebration is Take Care of the Planet. Earth Day Canada is looking to raise awareness among Canadians about the urgency of taking action for the environment and to encourage us to continue taking concrete actions to take care of the planet on a daily basis.

The Media Campaign 

This year’s campaign plays on the irony that animals have to clean up their polluted environments themselves. That may sound funny, but looking at these animals should spark a thought in each and every one of us. They shouldn’t be dealing with this, we should. There are many simple things you can do every day to take care of the planet. It can be as small as picking up one piece of trash every day or as large as participating or organizing a beach cleanup (health measures permitted). 

The Earth Day Canada 2021 campaign invites Canadians to share the actions they are completing to take care of the planet through video testimonials on social networks. You can post to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and more, using the hashtags #TakeCareOfThePlanet #EarthDay2021. 

Since Earth Day 2021 will be virtual for most parts of the world, Earth Day Canada has developed an amazing list of suggestions for what you can do at home and in your community. At home, there are ideas on food, energy, waste, sustainable mobility, and nature. In your community, there are ideas for whether you are acting on behalf of a school, municipality, organization or just yourself. Earth Day Canada has an online calendar where you can register your activities and find out about virtual or local events. 

For the second year in a row, Earth Day Canada is calling on municipalities to play a role in the ecological transition. Cities and towns across Canada are mobilizing to take action towards creating healthier environments, using April 22nd in particular to make a positive impact. These municipalities are also contributing to the ecological transition by organizing and supporting actions in celebration of Earth Day in an effort to encourage everyone in their communities to join the movement. 

Download Earth Day Canada’s 2021 Media Campaign and get started, because the world won’t wait for you – it can’t. 

Source: Earth Day Canada

This article is part of a 3-part editorial series, in collaboration with Earth Day Canada, titled ‘The Past, Present, and Future of Earth Day’. Check out the full series here!

The post Earth Day: Today appeared first on A\J.

There’s nothing funny in the above paragraph. Which is ironic given that no one here at Alternatives Journal (A\J) who had the pleasure of working with (or even just meeting with) Wayne went away without smiling. The subject matters that interested Wayne most were also important and very serious matters, yet our team members first recall the witty headline suggestions and the self-deprecating asides. Don’t get us wrong; the deep ponderings and unique perspectives that Wayne shared with our readers in A\J issues throughout the years were always a feast of food-for-thoughts. You don’t become an ’eminence gris’ without earning the accolades, which Wayne did as individual Canadians, government officials, leading corporations and impactful charitable organizations came to appreciate Wayne’s persistent advocacy for more secure food systems to benefit all Canadians.

We all – all Canadians – have benefited from Wayne’s insights and ideas as they’ve shaped policy and planted the seeds for more meaningful actions to ensure that access to affordable and healthy food choices are available to each and everyone of us.

“When someone in Toronto goes to a farmers’ market or they harvest from a community garden or they see that their local grocery store has more local food in it — Wayne played a vital role in making that happen,” Mike Schreiner, Guelph MPP and Green Party of Ontario leader said.

“He is the godfather of good food policy for Canada for the things that he contributed to food policy in Toronto and Canada at large,” mentioned Anan Lololi, executive director of Afri-Can FoodBasket.

And, as mentioned, we were fortunate to have Wayne share his wisdom and witticisms with our readers on a frequent basis, starting in the mid-00s. His frequent collaborator on our side is long-timer A\Jer and our Publisher Emerita, Marcia Ruby. Marcia shared her thoughts with as as she reflected on Wayne’s involvment and impact our our own work – and the legendary legacy he leaves for others to follow.

In early 2000s, Wayne reached out to A/J to ensconce the idea of food sovereignty in food conversation and policy (29:4, 2003). Food issues have been one of the most popular issue themes here at Alternatives, performing the best on newsstands, and referred to by researchers and activists.

Three years later, for the same reason, Wayne led the editorial charge to scale up on Canada’s food security measures. (32:3)

had many conversations with Wayne apart from his issues and articles. He was generous in contributing advice and strategy for Alternatives, quite separate from editorial. He was a connector– sometimes he’d refer writers working on cutting edge research to me and I’d often refer budding food activist students to Wayne. Not many months would pass without an email exchange or two.

Wayne would always add a special splash to any line of copy, including this, the last line in the editorial for Food Securtiy:

Welcome to food sovereignty: crisp and eager, with a note of the commons, an undertone of nature, a good nose and a sharp finish.

We were very fortunate in 2007 when Wayne agreed to join the A\J’s editorial board, the roundtable of luminaries who help shape issue themes and story ideas. Not a Food issue went by that Wayne did not contribute to. One of the memorable articles was “Eat This Recession” (35:6, 2009) where Wayne crunched a bunch of numbers to show the virtuous results of several approaches including green roofs and a four-day work week. It was so thick with numbers that our editor, Nicola Ross, was compelled to send it to several referees. She had so many opposing views that she wrote a little intro, shared these views and invited others to offer theirs. And I summarized these scenarios by working with an artist to create diagrams of each. One of the higher maintenance but rewarding things I’ve done at A\J. It was a lot to chew and pretty popular.

I sent him this note this past Sunday.

Hi Wayne

You are one inspiring man, Mr. Roberts! Thank you for the years of guidance and for all of your contributions to the food movement – in Alternatives and the ocean of other initiatives and thinking that you have created over the years. So much of your generous and sage advice came my way (always delivered in good humor and your infectious giggle, hence, whenever I think of you, I see your face and your great big grin).

Wayne, I’ve got to say, you get the prize for most innovative and entertaining writing on food in Alternatives! “Digest This!” “Eat This Recession” and “Eating Insects: Waiter, There’s no Fly in My Soup” to name but a few.

Love you lots Wayne.

Marcia

Wayne’s contribution, Eat This Recession, in a 2009 issue of Alternatives Journal (A\J)

Nicola Ross, A\J editor from the mid-00s to 2011, also remembers Wayne fondly:

Wayne had the best laugh and the most positive outlook. So smart and he came up with what I think was the best article title during my tenure. On his article about eating insects, the title was “Waiter, there’s no Fly in my Soup.”

Wayne most recently wrote for us in 2017, contributing Radical Food Resistance to our, you guessed it, FOOD issue that year. You can read it yourself – actually, you really should – as he started the article as follows:

I feel totally torn about what I’m going to write here. I’ve been working mostly from the right side of my brain since I became a food enthusiast 20 years ago, but now I feel my left brain calling me to pay more attention to logic and analysis. My right brain tells me we have chalked up a string of successes over the past two decades, and should continue building on that momentum.

Indeed, few social movements can claim as impressive a list of accomplishments as food movements, advances made almost entirely through the efforts of young volunteers, poorly paid employees of grassroots groups and mindful shoppers.

As an organization dedicated to crafting and delivering entertaining and enlightening environmental storytelling, we always knew we could count on Wayne to lift our spirits and expand our mental horizons. We were so very fortunate to have shared those stories with you, our readers, as it gave us an opportunity to meet the man himself. And, as you can read from the above anecdotes and special notes, we are so profoundly grateful for that opportunity.

Please enjoy Wayne Robert’s writing in A\J.

The post Reflections on Wayne Roberts appeared first on A\J.

After living through one heck of an eventful year in 2020, I have reflected a lot on what social media activism really means, and the recurring question I ponder is whether social media activism is actually effective or if it can be counterproductive to its objectives of advancing social and environmental sustainability.

What is Social Media Activism?

Social media activism is a form of advocacy that can include protesting, campaigning, or raising awareness through the use of social media platforms. By using hashtags, online movements can rapidly spread through the world of media, and gain momentum and attention by “trending”, which means becoming one of the top concerns on social media at a given time. But social media activism can often come across as lazy and fake when it is not followed by genuine action, so critics coined a new term for this online facade: “slacktivism”. How do we differentiate between genuine activism on social media platforms and slacktivism?

SOURCE: The Nib

A trend I see amongst my fellow young people on social media is that we each have an “image” that we’ve created of ourselves on our profiles. We are concerned with our aesthetic – what our online presence says about us – and those things are driven by what we post and share on social media. That even applies to people who don’t post anything at all. The silence, unwillingness, or lack of interest in sharing and posting content still upholds a certain image.

I’ll be honest with you, I am completely guilty of slacktivism myself.

What we share and post contributes to and upholds our online reputations by showing what we care about; however, it is all too often that I see people sharing posts that contribute to their identity as an activist, yet it seems that no real action or growth have followed. And isn’t change the main goal of activism? Raising awareness only goes so far before the sharing and posting needs to turn into demonstrating and changing.

I’ll be honest with you, I am completely guilty of slacktivism myself. I have shared plenty of posts on Instagram, adding my own comments encouraging or challenging people to “wake up” to those issues because I support the cause and want to share it, yet sometimes that’s as far as my activism goes. Sometimes I even find myself doing the opposite of what I have shared and advocated for online. I’m sure there have been times when I’ve shared a bunch of posts about the importance of buying local, seasonal produce, and then gone to the store and bought a bag of oranges from Spain. Or perhaps there was a post about a crisis in a developing country that had been circulating through my social media feed and I shared it without actually doing any of the work, like signing the petitions, donating, or educating myself further on the issue at hand.

I was in school this past summer in 2020 and took a literature course that required me to buy 5 novels for the class. Although I tend to be quick to post and share things about boycotting unsustainable corporations, screwing capitalism, and the like, I still somehow ended up ordering all the books I needed on Amazon, which probably came from all over the world and simply put more money in Jeff Bezos’ pocket. I don’t even recall looking at local alternatives beforehand or even asking friends if they had those books that I could borrow. My brain defaulted to searching the books on Amazon and clicking “buy”. Sharing posts on my social media didn’t result in a genuine change in me.

Obviously, no one is perfect and we should all just do what we can. It is not terrible to buy oranges or occasionally buy products on Amazon, as long as you’re doing your best with the resources and capacity that you have. But my point is that my social media image and the environmental and social activist posts that I shared were not followed with genuine change on my part, even though I could easily make those changes. I was not practicing what I preached.

So, can the progress of movements actually be stalled if people are just sharing the content but no one is taking action or actively trying to change? This is how the rise of social media activism can be counterproductive to genuine activism. The act of retweeting a post on Twitter may allow people to feel as though they have done their part and satisfied their “activist duty”, even when no action or transformation has really taken place (me being anti-Amazon online, then buying books on Amazon offline). Maybe my social media activity gave me a sense of fulfillment that allowed me to mentally check off the “activism” box in my mind, giving me more space to make less sustainable choices, given that I had “already done my good for the day”.

Source: Diginews

We have been living in an online world for a while now, and the global pandemic has only accelerated the extent of online life. As young activists, it may seem harder than ever to do anything beyond the online work. But even during the pandemic, we can take part in both social media activism and activism in our offline lives as well. Online activism needs to be followed by real action that supports those ideas.

Despite all the toxic traits of the social media world, there are still plenty of positive aspects of social media activism.

I wanted to dive deeper into this concern because it’s clear that there are issues with slacktivism, but I know social media activism isn’t all bad – like anything, there are pros and cons. So, how can we embrace the advantages and be wary of the problems?

Cons

First, a few of the cons…

• Misinformation

Activism on social media can lead to a variety of issues regarding the legitimacy of information that is shared. Not all information online is reliable. Social media is notorious for spreading misinformation because people tend to believe what they want to believe and don’t always fact check the sources.

• Confirmation bias

Social media also drives strong oppositions of “sides” by upholding worldviews. There are issues with confirmation bias, which is just a fancy term explaining how people only see information online that they support and that confirms their beliefs.

• Systemic issues with algorithms

On social media there are also behind-the-scenes mechanisms at work called algorithms, which are programs that learn what you like and support from your information, like the accounts you follow, content you like and share, and so on. But algorithms are not unbiased in the slightest. Algorithms ensure that the content you see and hear is content that supports your worldview, and this is dangerous because how can you ever learn the full story when you only ever see your perspective of it? No change can come from this. The walls that separate us from the stuff we don’t want to hear need to be broken down in order for transformation and dialogue to happen.

Speaking of algorithm bias, Instagram and Facebook have been accused of having racist algorithms. And they likely do. Algorithms are programs that are created and controlled by programmers. Take the programmers of Instagram, for example. Those people are working for someone, so who is instructing their work? Who is the head honcho directing orders? The head of Instagram is Adam Mosseri, an American, white man. And prior to him, Instagram was founded by two other American, white men. So… it might be safe to say that some systemic issues are likely embedded in our social media, and they may present issues of oppression by burying and uplifting certain voices in the algorithms.

• The mute button and “cancel culture”

The mute button is also alive and well on social media. If posts are circling around that you don’t agree with, you have the choice to simply click one of many buttons to make it all go away – mute, unfollow, report, block. Conflict can easily be avoided, at least by the people who are privileged enough to experience those issues only second hand through media. It’s too easy to shut yourself off from conflicts that you could take part in solving. And this past year, people on social media were muting these issues in a new way through “cancel culture”, where a group of people publicly shamed and ostracized individuals and brands, essentially “cancelling” them from society. But cancelling something is not very productive. We can’t resort to voting people off the island just because we don’t like them. Cancel culture does not allow the necessary space to have conversations and begin transformation.

• Lack of real action

And of course, likes and hashtags do not always result in change, actions do. Posts and hashtag movements and sharing can be a wonderful way to spark the flame, but they won’t fuel the wildfire.

Pros

Despite all the toxic traits of the social media world, there are still plenty of positive aspects of social media activism.

• Messages to movements!

Social media is a strong vessel for raising awareness, and spreading news and messages. Within seconds, ideas can spread across the globe and movements can be started.

• Educating and inspiring

Social media platforms have also transformed into spaces where people can learn from one another by listening to each other’s stories. As long as you’re learning from reliable information, there are plenty of online resources to educate ourselves on certain topics. Social media can be a wonderful place to spark ideas and gain inspiration!

• Global connections

Online, people can network, establish meaningful relationships, and join together in solidarity across the world with others who believe in a common purpose.

• Gaining support

Fundraising or gaining support on petitions for causes have never been easier. Think about how much change and awakening have come from the Black Lives Matter movement across all media platforms. Or Greta Thunberg’s social media activism with her weekly photos of her climate strike.

SOURCE: Hypebae

Overall, social media activism is not a bad thing, but it can potentially be counterproductive to activist movements and present barriers to change if it turns into slacktivism, when the online work is not followed with offline work.

Conducting Genuine Online Activism 

My reflection and research on this topic have allowed me to compile a list of simple actions that I believe we can do to avoid slacktivism and make sure our activism efforts are genuine and productive. And going forward, I aim to follow all of these pieces of advice to improve my own activism and make it meaningful.

• Be mindful. Try not to share posts blindly. Read and understand what you’re sharing before you do so. Make sure you ask yourself whether you’re sharing that post for the greater purpose of progressing the cause or simply upholding your image.
• Follow with action and show the world. Do more than the act of sharing and posting – take actions and make changes in your own life to reflect that you genuinely support the causes you share. And show those actions on your social media! That is the beauty of social media activism – you can inspire others with your own personal experiences and contributions!
• Take advice from more experienced activists. Talk to an activist that made change before the age of social media. You may learn some valuable lessons from them.
• Have conversations. Talk to your friends and family and others who don’t agree with you. Try to have those difficult conversations in order to plant seeds in their mind and inspire them.
• Educate yourself. If you don’t have the capacity to take action in your life, then take time to educate yourself. Mental changes are just as important as physical ones. Learn about all perspectives, read other people’s stories, do research. Reflect, journal, and ponder. These are all exercises and activities that will support your activism and make it meaningful.
• Ask questions. Pause and ask yourself questions while undertaking social media activism – does this align with my moral compass and internal purpose? How can I advocate for change in those areas on social media and in my own life?
• Be authentic and be honest. Remember – no one is the perfect activist ; there is no one right way to do activism. Find what works for you and roll with it. Do the work, but remember to take care of yourself too. We all still need time to rest and recharge when fighting for a better world.

What do you think? Is social media activism an effective tool for making positive change, or is it a barrier? I don’t think there is a simple answer. Activism on social media is definitely a catalyst for change and a first step towards transformation, but we, as online activists, need to be aware of slacktivism and the systemic issues within social media. At the end of the day, the goal is to be a better version of you and to keep doing good in the world on screen and off screen. So, what are you doing off screen to support your activism that your followers might not see?

The post THE REALITIES OF SLACKTIVISM appeared first on A\J.

…including ways we can right our environmental wrongs and help nature thrive…”

I do not believe that humans are inherently bad for nature. In history, humans lived harmoniously with nature for generations, living as an intertwined part of nature rather than separate from or in control of it. In fact, even today, in many places in the world, healthy ecosystems actually depend on human intervention and stewardship to thrive.

Does that mean the problem is that humans aren’t living in harmony with nature anymore, as we should be? Well, that may be a piece of it; however, in addition to being better environmental stewards by taking measures to protect the environment, I also believe that we should be taking reactive measures to fix the problems we have already caused. This is where ecological restoration comes into play. There are plenty of things individuals can do to help the environment, including ways we can right our environmental wrongs and help nature thrive in places it used to. Ecological restoration is just that – righting the wrongs, repairing the relationship.

WHAT? – Defining Ecological Restoration

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is the leading organization in ecological restoration across the globe. SER defines ecological restoration as “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed”^[1]. In other words, ecological restoration involves looking at spaces that used to be natural areas that have been ruined in some way as a result of human activities and disturbances, and then taking measures to turn those areas back into functional ecosystems.

The process of ecosystem restoration // SOURCE: Medium

An example of this process in a community could be transforming a damaged, unused parking lot space into a city park where native vegetation can be planted. A larger scale project might look like reverting a decommissioned, highly polluted mine site back into a thriving natural ecosystem. But, wait. Isn’t this supposed to be about how individuals can practice ecological restoration? Absolutely! Ecological restoration does include large scale projects, research, and experiments, since restoration ecology is an academic field of study. But the concept of restoring natural spaces can also be scaled down to the local, household level. So let’s get into what ecological restoration has to do with YOU.

WHY? – The Benefits

Before we discuss the how, we should discuss the why. Why should you care about ecological restoration? Because it benefits you!

Restoring natural areas can do wonders for human health and wellbeing by making our communities healthier and more desirable places to live. For example, transforming degraded areas into functional, natural spaces may improve air and water quality. Ecological restoration projects could also combat climate change, since plant life takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and cools our environment.

Natural areas also directly benefit human mental health and wellbeing by providing recreational outdoor space, and making urban and suburban areas more aesthetically pleasing. Several studies, including one conducted by the NASA Earth Observatory, have shown the link between positive mental health and both the accessibility and proximity to green spaces. Green spaces are valued by many for enjoyment, boosting their mood, and inspiring deeper connections with nature. To break it down: Ecological restoration = more parks and gardens = more outdoor fun and good-looking cities = happier people.

Ecological restoration projects also usually provide increased and improved habitat spaces for wildlife. Now, I know this article is focused on why ecological restoration is relevant to people, and you are probably not a butterfly or toad looking for habitat, but hear me out. Some very important species are at risk of extinction since their habitat needs are becoming harder to meet in this era of urbanization and climate change. Many natural areas have been reduced or destroyed, and the animals who need to live in those spaces are struggling to survive in many cases. The karner blue butterfly is just one of many examples of a pollinator species that has gone locally extinct in Ontario.

The Karner Blue Butterfly // SOURCE: Nature Canada

Pollinators are especially valuable species for the health of the entire planet, so we really can’t afford to lose any more of them. It is estimated that up to 95% of flowering plants depend on pollination^[2]. In terms of plants that humans eat, that means roughly one out of every three bites of food that you take exists because of pollinators. So if pollinators can’t find habitats and continue to decline, our entire global food system could be at stake. Now that is a scary thought. Allow me to bring back the optimism. It is truly amazing that we have the capability to stop those environmental dooms from happening, and a key method to do so is ecological restoration!

HOW? – The Actions

The individual’s role in ecological restoration is simple: transform your areas with little to no diversity into biodiverse paradises, and take part in local community projects.

One great starting point for figuring out where you should do ecological restoration is identifying areas outdoors that have little to nothing growing there. The average North American lawn is a great example of this. What comes to mind when you think of a lawn? Probably an expanse of short, uniform grass. Let me explain why lawns are one of the areas with the most potential for ecological restoration at the household level.

Lawns are very common green spaces in urban and suburban areas, yet they have no ecological value. Many lawns actually do more harm than good for the environment because they require lots of water and can even release more greenhouse gases than they absorb. It is nonsensical that these precious areas of green space are being wasted on lawn grass!

The key to remember here is simply – restore your green spaces so they are welcoming to a diversity of species in order to create functional ecosystems and promote sustainability.

nstead of having a boring, homogenous lawn, you can transform that space into something more beautiful and ecologically-beneficial! Alternative lawns may look different depending on where you live and what kind of space you have available, but planting a diversity of native plants is a good start. Using a diversity of plants, meaning plants of different species, is important to create habitats. The more diverse your space is, the more types of pollinators and other species it will accommodate, and the more functional the ecosystem will be! If you take pride in the beauty of your yard, then now is the time to let your creativity shine! Check out Credit Valley Conservation’s tips and resources on how to “ecologically landscape” your lawn.

SOURCE: Hamilton Pollinator Paradise

If you don’t have the resources to completely change your lawn right away, don’t worry. You can also just let your grass grow longer instead of regularly cutting it, which can lower the lawn’s water requirements and still foster a space for pollinators. Even simply taking a break from raking leaves in the fall is a strategy to make your spaces more ecologically beneficial because leaf piles are actually super important spaces for small critters to live and hide, like butterfly larvae, salamanders, and shrews!

The key to remember here is simply – restore your green spaces so they are welcoming to a diversity of species in order to create functional ecosystems and promote sustainability.

 For those who don’t have a lawn and don’t have any areas where you can create habitats and gardens, there are still things you can do – just get involved. There are so many local ecological restoration community projects, practically across the whole globe. Finding a project near you that you can help with is just a few clicks away! Just research ecological restoration projects near you. You can also go to the project database on SER’s website to find some larger scale projects in your area if you’re interested in learning more! Many ecological restoration projects welcome volunteers with open arms. You could spend a day in nature by joining a team pulling invasive species in a natural area, or donate to a local initiative trying to turn an old landfill site into a park in your city, or even take a field trip to a conservation area! For example, the Ontario branch of SER hosts several field trips each year in order to introduce the public to restoration efforts near them. Even during the pandemic, they are hosting virtual field trips and webinars.

I study at the University of Waterloo and I like to go for walks on my study breaks. Recently, I took a walk in Filsinger Park, in Kitchener, and I found out that the Filsinger Park stream had been a restoration project. The city replaced the concrete stream channels with native vegetation to create a naturalized, functional stream ecosystem, and it is now a beautiful place to take a walk and appreciate nature! My point is, simply going for a walk and discovering ecological restoration in your city could be the first step in making your mark on the environment a positive one. Ecological restoration is relevant to you. We can all contribute to restoring natural spaces in our own backyards and communities. And by making these contributions, we can restore our relationship with nature, one step at a time.

^[1] Society for Ecological Restoration, “International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration: Second Edition” (accessed January 7, 2021) <https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.ser.org/resource/resmgr/docs/ser_international_standards_.pdf>^[2] Ollerton J, Winfree R, and Tarrant S, “How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals?” (accessed January 7, 2021) <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18644.x>

^[2] Ollerton J, Winfree R, and Tarrant S, “How many flowering plants are pollinated by animals?” (accessed January 7, 2021) <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18644.x>

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Yearly, Canadians produce 3.3.million tonnes of plastic waste while 2.8 million tonnes (the weight of 24 CN towers) of it ends up in the landfill, according to statistics from Oceana Canada. Approximately only 9% of this waste is recycled. Environment and Climate Change Canada shows that 47% (one-third) of Canada’s plastic waste comes from single-use sources such as packaging. Therefore, focusing on cutting down the production and use of single-use plastics should be prioritized amongst other areas of concern with plastic. The Government aims to ban the use of plastics by 2021 by implementing the Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste (more on this in volume 4 of the Plastic Free July series). For the month of July, I will help raise awareness of the plastic problem we face, contribute to and suggest ways that individuals and governments can help through a five-part Plastic Free July series.

Ideas for going plastic-free at work

Source: Road Runner

The Plastic Free July campaign originally started in 2011 in Western Australia by founder of the Plastic Free Foundation, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz. This has had a global rippling effect of raising environmental awareness and bringing about changes in the reduction of plastic waste not only in the month of July. Join us in raising awareness and doing your part. This campaign has been ongoing but how can we make greater strides to eliminate plastic use? As of 2020, 86% of Canadians would like to see single-use plastics be banned by 2021, according to Oceana. This 5% increase in support from the 2019 statistics of 81% shows that individuals are becoming more mindful, alarmed and interested in making changes.

Plastics broken down into microplastics, eaten by our food sources and then consumed by us

Source: 4Ocean

Our oceans and land are impacted by the anthropogenic-induced plastic crisis. Harming flora, fauna and resulting in the environmental karma humans face when plastics affect us in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air that we breathe. While we may say, what’s one plastic straw going to do? Unknowingly, too many say that without thinking about the collective impact. We need to wake up and recognize that plastic waste from one country is also another country’s concern as wind and ocean currents (e.g. Great Pacific Garbage Patch) help transport plastic waste with ease. We are all in this together and the onus is on every person on this planet.

Plastic straws are sucking the life out of the planet

Source: iBanPlastic

Plastics are found in polyester fibres in our clothing, helium balloons that land in oceans, disposable coffee cups and cutlery, tea bags, produce stickers, glitter (cosmetic and craft)- they’re everywhere! However, we must do our best to use plastic-free alternatives (more on this in volume 2 of the Plastic Free July series).

Ashley Wallis, Plastics Program Manager at Environmental Defence Canada raises concerns that the plastic waste statistics will only increase with time as plastics are constantly being produced and used as a foundational material in different industries. For this reason, they are also pushing for the government to ensure that the ban on single-use plastics moves forward and for them to make manufacturers more responsible for their plastic products and resultant waste. Wallis believes that manufacturers have unfairly shifted the burden onto consumers to properly sort and dispose of plastic materials. Taxpayers are paying for recycling systems in Canada and therefore paying for the infrastructure to handle all of the manufacturer’s complicated material that the recycling process wasn’t originally designed to handle. Thus, it should be the manufacturer’s responsibility to make products and packaging out of simpler plastic alternatives or products with a circular economy approach where items can be easily broken down and used to create other goods rather than being sent straight to the landfill.

COVID-19 seemed to have allowed some people to reverse their plastic-free and reusable product lifestyles. From the onset of the pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of single-use plastics by 250-300%, according to the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). That alarming increase would lead to even further environmental disruption that is being caused by plastics in the air, water and terrestrial ecosystems if proper recycling measures are not put into place. While Wallis states the banning of single-use plastics in personal protective equipment (e.g. masks) for medical and pharmaceutical use is not on their agenda as it is justified and understood for medical purposes, she encourages the public to have reusable options.

Washed up on shore in 2016, plastics from our past are haunting our present and future

Source: Anything

However, Wallis notes that this increase in single-use plastic since the onset of COVID-19 was also due to an increase in plastic bag use and disposable cups as places have temporarily stopped taking reusable cups and containers. She believes that the plastic industry also seems to be pushing a narrative that plastic is more sterile or hygienic during the pandemic misleading the understandably nervous and fearful public, due to the pandemic, to, unfortunately, overlook plastic alternatives under this false assumption.

While single-use plastic is the most dominant type of plastic that is focused on in the Plastic Free July initiative, Environmental Defense places emphasis on promoting the elimination of all plastic as much as possible in your daily lives. Governmental action through policies and individual action will create a holistic approach in dealing with the plastic crisis we’ve created and indulged in.

So what can we do? Take a look at the items you use daily and ask yourself, where can I find an environmentally sustainable alternative?

 Ideas to make your July plastic-free

Source: Medium

Stay tuned for volume two of our Plastic Free July series to learn more on how we can reduce our impact of plastic waste on our oceans, land and air.

COVID or not, we should attempt to reduce the amount of plastics we purchase and use plastic alternatives in the best and safest way we can for both our health and that of the environment, presently and in the future.

***

In the meantime, read about the impact of microplastics in the ocean as 1.9 million pieces of microplastics can settle in just 1m² of the ocean’s seafloor, while unsettling sea life. That’s about two million too many, if you ask me.

Similarly, see Plastic Free July in a nutshell how it’s in our food. 

For more on the Plastic Free July Series see:

• Volume 1: Strong and Plastic-Free
• Volume 2: Breaking Up With Plastics
• Volume 3: A Guide to a Plastic Free Beach Day
• Volume 4: Revolve, Reduce, Reuse
• Volume 5: We ACT Upon It For Our Children

The post Strong and Plastic-Free appeared first on A\J.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2019 YRE Canada Eco-Journalism Competition for Youth! Youth from across the country investigated solutions to environmental challenges in their communities (and around the world), and shared their findings through video, photography, and writing.

YRE Canada inspires youth ages 11-18 to seek solutions to environmental issues in their communities and to share their findings through writing, photography, or video. The program is run by Environmental Defence as part of Young Reporters for the Environment, an international program by the Foundation for Environmental Education.

Alternatives Journal (A\J) is honoured to act as a platformand a canvas, in print and online, to share these journalistic first-steps with our international readership – and we are equally honoured to be a partner with Environmental Defence and the YRE program. A\J was founded to support environmental journalism, and the YRE program provides many young Canadians – and friends from around the world – with an opportunity to capture and share stories, images and visuals that convey their perspectives on environmental problems and challenges that exists in their worlds. All news starts local, the old saying goes, and all new storytellers start local, too. We look forward to watching as the Canadian winners take to the global stage as incredible ambassadors for Canada’s youth commitment to environmental stewardship and protection.

Take a look at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place entries below. To view all the winners’ contributions, please visit the YRE page on the Environmental Defence website.

FIRST PLACE

PHOTO

Ages 11-14

Karman Kapoor, Treeline Public School (Brampton, ON)

Ages 15-18

Luckshana Ganeshananda, Emily Carr Secondary School (Vaughan, ON)

VIDEO

Ages 11-14

Gurleen Bhandal, Navreen Sekhon & Soumil Walia, Seaquam Secondary (North Delta, BC)

Ages 15-18

Janelle Feng, Gleneagle Secondary (Coquitlam, BC)

ARTICLE

Ages 11-14

Hamidah Oderinwale, Sir William Gage Middle School (Brampton, ON)

An Unsuspected Miscreant: The Healthcare Industry’s Effect on Plastic Pollution

Ages 15-18

Diane Huang, Gleneagle Secondary School (Coquitlam, BC)

A Bloody Problem Period

SECOND PLACE

PHOTO

Ages 11-14

Komal Kainth,Treeline Public School (Brampton, ON)

Ages 15-18

Sidney Shaw, Unionville High School (Markham, ON)

VIDEO

Ages 11-14

Jasmeen Grewal & Karena Kular, Seaquam Secondary (Delta, BC)

Ages 15-18

Erica Johnston & Lily Whittle, Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Seconday School (Bracebridge, ON)

ARTICLE

Ages 11-14

Arham Ali, Morning Star Middle School (Brampton, ON)

How Food Courts Are Ruining The World 

Ages 15-18

Emmalee Barrett, Seaquam Secondary School (Delta, BC)

Finding Creative and Meaningful Ways to Re-use Plastic Products

THIRD PLACE

PHOTO

Ages 11-14

Harguntoj Thind, Treeline Public School (Brampton, ON)

Ages 15-18

Angelica Longobardi, Emily Carr Secondary School (Woodbridge, ON)

ARTICLE

Ages 11-14

Kira Patel, Morning Star Middle School (Mississauga, ON)

Lake Ontario meets microplastic

Ages 15-18

Bella Todd, St. John’s College (Brantford, ON)

Be The Solution, Not The Pollution

The post Introducing the 2019 Winners of the YRE Canada Eco-Journalism Competition! appeared first on A\J.

Imagine catching a GO train to see, taste, and pick the best the world grows and prepares all in one place. Imagine picking your own berries and then drinking squeezed juice while watching some frisky goats. Then imagine sitting down to enjoy what can be done with the cheese they supply. That, and more, minutes from downtown Toronto: GO to food and food-to-go.

Food and food-based travel have created thriving local economies in Niagara, Prince Edward County and Vermont. For that matter, Italy and France are often thought of this way. It is exciting to realize that another place in Ontario might emerge that is accessible to millions by public transit (GO train to shuttle bus).

In Toronto (and other large cities) fewer young people are buying cars. Instead, they take transit and rent cars now and then. My Toronto-based sons have never bothered to get driver’s licenses. Many such people can afford and would love nearby day or weekend family trips getting outdoors. If the Land Over Landings group’s vision happens, that experience will become a whole lot easier for millions.

Land Over Landings is the successor to People or Planes featured in an A/J cover story in the autumn of 1972! Both oppose a second Toronto airport on prime farmland just north of Pickering. Their superb study on the economic potential of the 9,600 acres adjacent to the new Rouge Valley National Urban Park, Canada’s first urban national park is now complete.

This priceless near-urban, high quality farmland could become the envy of most global cities. If this study’s vision comes to pass, the world will see the value of having that much farmland in one piece adjacent to a National Park, and close to a huge city. The land is already owned by the Canadian government and the economists who did this study think it should stay that way.

The study’s economic analysts Dr. John Groenewegen and Dr. Atif Kubursi offer six scenarios detailing the economic impacts of various management strategies. These lands annually produce cash crops like corn and soybeans valued at $3.7 million. This land, as well as the park’s land, were placed in reserve for an airport that was never built.

Because the land is leased in short-term contracts, no tenants invest in tiling fields, buildings for animals or equipment or anything like orchards, because these activities only make money after several years. Groenewegen and Kubursi suggest renewable 30-year leases to spur diverse crops. As well, long-term leases could attract relatively young farmers while avoiding high land purchase costs that all-but-exclude non-speculators. This scenario sees these lands generating over $100 million annually from crops and agricultural tourism. Potential crops include widely varied vegetables and fruits and diverse ethnic crops to serve the GTA population as well as livestock.

The economic impact estimates are conservative, as they should be in such a study, but the authors do suggest thoughtful policies to make the transition work. For more detail I highly recommend reading the study, one eminently readable by non-economists. It will open your imagination.

Here’s a little dreaming about what this area could become. Let’s start our dream with one word: branding.  This land will be branded, as well as the crops it produces, and the foods prepared on and near to it. Think of the Big Apple (further east on the 401), think of Ben and Jerry’s and what that one ice cream factory has done for Vermont tourism and Vermont’s economy.

Then consider the possibilities for ethnic food creations including Ethiopian, South American, Asian, Middle Eastern. The possibilities are endless. We can grow most of what is needed right there. Then imagine the possibilities for restaurants and branded products made from produce grown and prepared fresh daily on the doorstep of 10,000,000 people and whoever else wants to come.

These lands could also be a living lab for something else profoundly important: food security. We must be able to produce most of what we need.

There are four reasons to avoid excessive dependence on imported food. One: climate change is already affecting California, our leading source of fresh fruits and vegetables. These impacts will worsen over time. Two: today’s political attacks on immigrants threaten to leave California and Florida produce either unpicked or more expensive. Third, fully using local food production capacities reduces carbon emissions. Innovative farmers are now growing fresh greens in Ontario year round in low-cost passive solar greenhouses. Fourth, Trump’s government is systematically weakening pesticide and water quality regulations, likely affecting the safety of food from America.

The capacity to grow quality food locally (especially year-round) depends on involving young, innovative, diverse people into farming and, of course, on preserving quality farmland. Affordable access to land is essential. Leasing opportunities like the ones suggested by Land over Landings help open such possibilities. Many people want the chance to farm, but their dreams are often financially out of reach given the cost of land.

Food production in Canada will thrive if farming is profitable, visible and exciting. These special lands and nearby communities can blossom with crops and restaurants of incredible variety. Everyone can dine, buy take-away or rent bicycles (maybe electrified by barn roof solar) to go from farm-to-farm picking or buying.

With new places created for overnight stays, there would be more jobs than the study estimates, especially if excellent culinary creations are branded and marketed widely. Visitors who enjoy products or meals will be thrilled to find them available back home in Toronto or elsewhere. Truly, the possibilities are endless.

The post The GO Train to Farm Country? appeared first on A\J.

Whether on a patio, a balcony, in a backyard, or even in a fish tank, growing an urban garden in the midst of a large metropolis is possible with as little or as much space as you can muster. Gardening isn’t always easy, but once you create your own food, you might just find it deeply satisfying.

I decided to embark on my own urban gardening journey with my six-year-old daughter, Aurora, after she expressed interest in the planting process. Lara Kelly is the owner of Holly Ray Farms, a vegetable consultation business in Toronto, and she believes in the value of introducing children to gardening. “When children are young, they understand so much about the natural world. I’ve never come across a child who, when introduced to gardening, didn’t take to it and love it,” Kelly says. “They all absolutely love watching things grow and they are more connected to the simple joy and awe of it.” Harnessing this joy and awe will promote mini city slickers to love nature and have a healthy relationship with food.

Embracing my daughter’s interest in the world of gardening, I began to plan how to make her dreams of having a green-thumb come true. The first step was to investigate what kind of space I had to build a garden. This is more difficult than it sounds when you are an inner-city urbanite in Toronto. I live above a restaurant (organic luckily) and have a modest patio space behind my apartment. It is tucked between the edge of the building and a small roof that gives me a narrow margin of available room to garden. I refused to be daunted though, since lack of space is a regular issue when living in a large city, and there is always a way around it.

Luckily, plants are flexible in small spaces. Rhonda Teitel-Payne, coordinator of Toronto Urban Growers, a networking hub that brings community groups together for gardening in Toronto, is used to hearing that space is an issue in the city. “Really finding out what works out for your space is the most important thing,” Teitel explains. “There is a lot of experimenting which can be frustrating for first-time growers, but every year you learn more and more.”

Taking her advice, I drew a general plan using my patio space and discovered that I have a lot more room than I thought possible. I headed to the store to buy several vegetables and flowers to put in hanging pots that I suspended alongside the patio. I also purchased a lot of climbers such as peas and long beans that will eventually creep up vertically along the wall to save space. “You can maximize your space by using trellis materials (like climbing rope) against walls to grow vines” Kelly says. “You can completely cover your patio with container gardening as well.”

Watching her little hands dig into the soil and learning how to water the plants inspires me to understand the power of connecting with the Earth’s roots from a young age. “

Patio space isn’t the only way to incorporate plants into an urban garden, and with a little creativity, it is even possible to use your fish tank. Brandon Hebor and Steven Bourne are co-owners of Ripple Farms, a local aquaponics operation run out of Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Hebor explains, “Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture, which is raising an aquatic species, and hydroponics, which is growing without soil. We have tethered two living ecosystems, using the fish poop as an organic fertilizer for our plants.”

Building a DIY aquaponics system is a challenge, but is possible with a few tools and hard work. Ripple Farms is hosting a series of aquaponics workshops with the Toronto Tool Library in the coming months for those interested in learning. Begin by using a 50-to-75-gallon (190-to-285-litre) fish tank for tilapia, koi or another freshwater species. Set up a pumping system that moves water from the fish tank into a media bed on top, or beside the tank. The media bed acts as a zone of biological reaction where “poop water” is converted from “toxic” ammonia to “healthy” nitrate, a primary nutrient for plants to uptake. Water flowing through the media bed passes over the exposed plant roots, allowing them to grow quickly by accessing readily available nutrients.

For the owners of Ripple Farms, the project isn’t just a fun way to garden. The two fish enthusiasts have larger goals when it comes to aquaponics and the importance of gardening as a source of food. “Canada only has three to five days of reserve food on hand. It is scary to think about what would happen to our national food supply if the borders closed up or a disaster occurred. What do we do in that case?” Bourne asks. “Creating a long-term plan for systemic change, we are trying to internalize our food production system. We want to make farming cool again and inspire youth of all ages to put down the phone and plant a seed.”

Whether it is a garden on the balcony or an aquaponics system in a fish tank, deciding to plant edible foods is a good idea. I decided to stay away from more difficult plants such as cauliflower or broccoli, and used food-grade containers so that toxins wouldn’t spread into my veggies. Aurora and I planted chard, black kale, collards, lettuce, and we even challenged ourselves with a large pot of tomatoes.

I also paid special attention to which combination of plants to put together, and made sure to pair deeper-rooted plants with shallow-rooted ones. I learned that some plants help others thrive and some greens shouldn’t be planted together at all. “Certain plants get along with other plants really well such as marigold, which is a good insect repellent and does well in small spaces,” Teitel says.  While on the other hand, “Dill has a repellent effect towards other plants.”

Though I was a bit shy to plant fruits my first year, if you are feeling confident in your planting abilities, fruit may be your calling. A well-loved fruit tree will produce fruit for decades. According to the Director of Orchard People Fruit Tree Care Consulting and Education, Susan Poizner, it is even possible to have a fruit tree on a patio as well. “Depending on how big your patio is, you would need a very large pot with a lot of depth,” Poizner says. “If you want to grow a tropical tree like a Meyer lemon, you can keep it inside near a sunny window, in the winter, and then put it on your patio in the summer. I look at fruit trees as beings that we have a two-way relationship with. All we have to do is give them lots of love and correct hands-on care and in return, they will give you a fantastic harvest for years to come.”

Aurora and I look forward to a summer of tending our new garden. Watching her little hands dig into the soil and learning how to water the plants inspires me to understand the power of connecting with the Earth’s roots from a young age. As the plants grow and produce flowers and vegetables, I can’t wait to watch her pride for growing food and understanding how hard work and patience pays off.

“So much of gardening is accepting the lifecycles and seeing something start from a seed to its full lifecycle and then watching it decay,” Kelly says. “There is still life in the decaying process. It helps you in your own experience – dealing with these things as a gardener and in life.” Aurora and I couldn’t agree more, and together we’ll learn about the cycle of life through the world of urban gardening.

To find out more about aquaponics, check out ripplefarms.ca. Toronto Urban Growers is a membership-based network of urban farmers, gardeners, businesses, etc. who are ready to help you start or scale up your food-growing-in-the-city initiatives. torontourbangrowers.org

The post The Concrete Garden appeared first on A\J.

In my research, I’ve asked the question: can we in Canada have full employment, no poverty, greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and fiscal balance without relying on economic growth? Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

If economic growth is an unmixed blessing, why would there be a need to talk about inclusive, green, clean, smart, responsible, or sustainable growth?

In my research, I’ve asked the question: can we in Canada have full employment, no poverty, greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and fiscal balance without relying on economic growth? Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

I first addressed the implications of managing without growth 10 years ago in a book called Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, not Disaster. I deliberately focused on rich countries where it has been shown in many studies that further increases in average GDP (gross domestic product) per person contribute less and less to people’s sense of well-being.

I used a simulation model of the Canadian economy to generate scenarios indicating that it is possible to move the economy towards prosperity and well-being without increasing GDP. I also considered some of the changes that would be necessary to make it so. These included a modest reduction in average annual working hours to reduce unemployment, an escalating carbon tax to discourage greenhouse gas emissions, and a number of anti-poverty measures to reduce poverty. Ultimately, I found that it would be possible for Canada to manage just fine without growth.

That was 10 years ago. Back then, it looked possible to make a reasonably smooth transition to an economy that would provide high and improving levels of well-being to all Canadians. Now it’s not so clear.

In the decade since I began my investigations into alternative economic futures, Canada’s GDP has grown 19.7 percent, GHG emissions have declined a measly 0.8 percent excluding LULUCF (land use, land-use change and forestry) but increased 6.0 percent including LULUCF. Although the inequality of income distribution declined slightly as measured by the Gini coefficient, the number of Canadians living below the Low Income Measure (LIM), used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to compare poverty among member countries, increased 8.0 percent. This was a smaller percentage increase than the total Canadian population, but nevertheless it meant that from 2004 to 2014 the number of Canadians with low incomes grew by 335,000 to 4.5 million.

It’s widely believed that economic growth – the continual expansion of production and consumption of finished goods and services – is absolutely essential for improving the well-being of Canadians. But GDP is a seriously inadequate measure of well-being.It says nothing about distribution, excludes many factors that influence well-being such as environmental damage and other social costs, gives no value to unpaid work, and includes some expenditures on items such as increased commuting and home alarms whose contribution to well-being is questionable.

While GDP has been growing, other measures designed to evaluate how Canadians are really doing tell a very different story about our well-being. For example, between 1994 and 2014 the Canadian Index of Well-being, which is based on changes in education, health, community vitality, democratic engagement, living standards, time use, environment, and leisure and culture, increased just 9.9 percent. Meanwhile GDP increased 38 percent.

The Slowdown of growth

Since the 1950s, the promotion of economic growth, measured as an increase in inflation-adjusted GDP, has been the overarching policy objective of virtually all governments and political parties. Now economic growth is proving increasingly elusive as growth rates continue to slow. The average annual growth rate of OECD economies combined fluctuated between four to six percent per year in the 1960s. Since 2001, it’s been in the 2 to 2.5 percent range with negative growth in 2009 during the financial crisis. The Canadian record is much the same. This decline in the rate of economic growth has revived concern about “secular stagnation,” a condition of ongoing low or no economic growth due to insufficient spending or slow increases in productivity or both.

Slowing growth is a matter of grave concern to those who regard economic growth as vital. But something else is wrong with economic growth. We can see this from the proliferation of adjectives that are now frequently placed in front of economic growth. If economic growth is an unmixed blessing, why would there be a need to talk about “inclusive” growth, “green” growth, “clean” growth, “smart” growth, “responsible” growth, “sustainable” growth, all terms easily found in the literature and on the Internet? It implies that, economic growth is exclusive, brown, dirty, stupid, irresponsible and unsustainable, and if it is slowing down anyway, we really ought to think about managing without growth altogether, at least in a rich country like Canada.

Whether for reasons of the decline in the growth rate or because of its increasingly obvious inadequacies as an indicator of improving well-being, it is becoming clear to ecological economists that increasing GDP should be seen for what it is: a measure of means, not ends. These ends include the promotion of well-being, employment, social justice, environmental quality, and biodiversity – themes you see throughout ecological economic discussions. If the pursuit of economic growth becomes an obstacle to the achievement of these ends, then it is growth that should be questioned, not the ends that it is intended to serve.

This is not to say that our new policy objective should be to replace positive growth in GDP with a rate of zero. Rather, it means that we should enhance what really matters as we thoughtfully and deliberately reduce the requirements for materials and energy in our economy and also reverse the destruction of habitat that is stressing so many species with which we share the planet.

In this context the question of whether we can manage without economic growth in Canada becomes important, because it is folly to celebrate small reductions in material and energy use per unit of GDP, if overall the economy continues to unsustainably strip the planet of resources. But, if GDP is not growing, then a reduction of materials and energy per dollar guarantees an overall reduction in resource use.

What happens if GDP doesn’t grow?

Suggestions to wean ourselves off dependence on economic growth are met with questions like “how can high levels of employment be maintained?” or “will it exacerbate inequality?” or “how will interest on loans be paid if GDP is not growing?” My colleagues and I have conducted in-depth research to answer these questions.

For example, my fellow economist Tim Jackson and I found that a two-fold strategy of work-time reduction and a shift to services with a low carbon footprint could maintain full employment in the UK with zero or even negative economic growth. We also found that inequality in a no-growth economy can be reduced with the increased prominence of sectors like health care, as well as stronger unions and labour protections. As well, through a relatively new type of macro-economic modelling we showed that a constant amount of money created through loans is perfectly consistent with a non-growing economy as long as bank profits obtained from extending the loans are distributed as dividends.

While GDP has been growing, other measures designed to evaluate how Canadians are really doing tell a very different story about our well-being”

Is growth our best future?

Steps are being taken in the public and private sectors to address some of the failures of economic growth but with limited results. The call for faster economic growth remains as loud as ever and as long as we allow economic growth to trump other more meaningful objectives, our future prospects will be bleak. Many groups and individuals are exploring possible alternatives that offer solutions to the multiple challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, resource scarcity, social justice and financial instability.

Tim Jackson and I offered our own views of such a future in a report for the Next System Project, a multidisciplinary initiative with the aim of offering a new way forward for economic organization in the United States.

We focused our attention on five interrelated dimensions of an economy that would deliver shared prosperity within the ecological conditions of the Earth. We looked at the types of enterprises that could thrive independently of the need to grow, the kinds of employment they could offer, the level and mix of investment required to transform the economy over time, the financial systems required to support the transformation, and the governance structures to establish, maintain, and strengthen real democracy.

What has emerged is something we call “ecological macroeconomics.” This new approach to the macro-economy has three main components:

1.  the “real economy” where goods and services are produced, distributed, and used,

2. a financial system that supports the real economy rather than dominates it, and

3. recognition that the materials and energy used to produce products (called “throughput”) link economies to the biosphere on which they are wholly dependent.

Such a conception of what economies are and how they function is essential for identifying opportunities for changing the direction in which the world’s economies, including Canada’s, are headed.

Mainstream macroeconomics is blind to many of the problems of our era. It does not account for any loss of capacity of the environment to provide resources, the implications of climate change, or the need to obtain resources from increasingly remote areas. It pays insufficient attention to the financial sector, and focuses heavily on growing GDP. If we continue to rely on traditional macroeconomics, we are doomed to repeat our mistakes. A new ecological macroeconomics can help us escape the limitations and failures of the current economic system.

Economists and those concerned with the environment must demonstrate that by pursuing growth when it has become uneconomic – when its benefits outweigh its costs – we will fail to achieve our real objectives. The way to do this is to show as best we can that Canada, like any advanced economy, can manage without economic growth. Then we can hope that growth as an overarching objective of economic policy will fade into the past where it belongs.

The post We’ve Outgrown Growth appeared first on A\J.