July 2014 - Achieving Sustainability

What dumplings can tell us about Achieving Sustainability

July 31, 2014July 31, 2014 by Aaron Redman

Last week the New York Times Magazine included a piece titled: “What do Chinese dumplings have to do with global warming?” which is an interesting look into the rapid rise of refrigerated and frozen foods in China over the last two decades. One often forgets that “refrigeration” does not just mean the fridge in your … Read more…

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For Sustainability, Spanish sees Double

August 17, 2014July 29, 2014 by Aaron Redman

La version en español. When I first arrived in Mexico I was surprised to discover that there were actually two different translations for Sustainability in Spanish-Sostenibilidad and Sustentabilidad. Since my colleagues at UNAM’s Institute of Ecology used Sostenibilidad I decided to stick to that version for all my work here. Inevitably when I present about … Read more…

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SustainabLINKS July 28, 2014

July 27, 2014July 28, 2014 by Aaron Redman

A lot of interesting pieces on our food system to peruse:
- Being a vegetarian has gotten a little cheaper in the last year.
- More good news, sales of Coca Cola in Mexico have declined since the implementation of the soda tax, keep our fingers crossed that the trend continues.
- A great take down of the Paleo diet. My favorite quote: “Watch out for the assumption that the only way forward is to find our way back to Eden.” This type of thinking is all too pervasive in the Sustainability/Environmental movement.
- In a related topic, Gluten Intolerance: “I would like to offer another meaning for G.I: Grossly Ill-informed.”
- Great piece by Chef Linton Hopkins on why cheeseburgers in and of themselves aren’t the problem, its the way we produce them. E.g. “Our bread shelves should be empty at the end of the day.”
Another reminder that Sustainable solutions can be found when we look to improve environmental and social conditions, such as through busing.
The prestigious academic journal Science has a special issue out on our Vanishing Fauna, which is making the rounds of news sites as the Sixth Mass Extinction.
Photo essay of people with a week’s worth of their garbage.
Go hike out in nature-Doctor’s orders!

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SustainabLINKS July 21, 2014

July 19, 2014July 21, 2014 by Aaron Redman

Over at Ideas for Sustainability Joern Fischer identified some frameworks within which certain groups of sustainability scientists seem to be trapped ¹⁾He calls them group-think but they seem to be more like frameworks for sustainability problem-solving within which some individuals seem trapped..
Good
overview of the Santa Fe Institute and its potential in the Sustainability realm. With plenty of shout-outs to my Alma Mater.
How much is clean air worth for you? Multi-national companies are giving hazard pay to get employees to move to some particularly egregious Chinese cities.
Another great piece from Vox.com on a new paper pointing to “leverage points” for increasing the global food security. Research article is gated.
The BBC details an “extreme” (and that is putting it lightly) idea for Achieving Sustainability. Actually probably a sensible thought if we ever decide to launch interstellar colonizing spaceships…for Sustainability here on Earth, probably not such a stellar plan.

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Pesticides, why you should be worried but not about your health

July 16, 2014July 17, 2014 by Aaron Redman

A new study in the British Journal of Nutrition (abstract)2)I was unable to gain access to the full text. Though it was unclear whether that was because it had not yet been released to the public or was behind a paywall. has lent support to the hypothesis that organically grown food is healthier than food … Read more…

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SustainabLINKS July 14, 2014

July 18, 2014July 14, 2014 by Aaron Redman

A geologist’s view on climate change: we are not going to destroy Earth, it has gone through bigger shifts before. That is why Sustainability has to be people focused.
Raising the tax on gasoline would be the best solution for so many different reasons yet instead
congress is moving to further de-link highway funding from driving.
Biking and walking are most popular among the lowest income groups in America: one can really see this to an extreme here in Leon where biking is essential for the poor but unheard of once a car can be afforded.
A new report out from the UN lays out a serious global roadmap for how we can decarbonize our economies and stave of the more drastic possibilities of climate change. The New York Times has a good summary
One thing that we could all do is eat less meat, as a new study dramatically points out.

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Launching Achieving Sustainability!

July 12, 2014July 9, 2014 by Aaron Redman

Welcome to Achieving Sustainability, we are now live on the world wide web! My goal for this blog is to have a more successful website launch than Healthcare.gov. This I will do principally by lowering expectations and getting off to a nice, soft rolling start. I hope that this will compensate for my inexperience both … Read more…

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