SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY ACTION PROJECT, Inc.

c/o Ernest & Elaine Cohen
 525 Midvale Road
Upper Darby, PA 19082-3607 USA
610-352-2689     ernest.cohen@ieee.org

SSAP NewsLetter 2008-2 <=> March 2008

PUTTING YOU IN SUSTAINABILITY
What Individuals Can Do
Fifteenth Delaware Valley Conference on Evolving a Sustainable Society
Sunday - April 6, 2008
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Registration: 12:30 PM

Widener University
Webb Room - First Floor of the University Center
14th Street, Chester, PA
(SEPTA 109 or 113 Buses from 69th Street or Chester Railroad Station come near campus)
SPONSOR:  Sustainable Society Action Project, Inc.
CO-SPONSORS: Alliance for a Sustainable Future (ASF)
Widener University

Contact person: Dr. Ernest B. Cohen
525 Midvale Road, Upper Darby, PA 19082
Phone: 610-352-2689
Email: ernest.cohen@ieee.org

Contribution: $20 (Seniors, Low-income $10, Students $5) includes vegetarian snacks

                                              Program
Dr. Ernest B. Cohen (SSAP) - Co-ordinator
Elaine H. Cohen (SSAP) - Moderator
William Marston - Key Note speaker - Neighborhood Organization & Green Buildings
Dr, Ernest B. Cohen (SSAP) - Water as a Sustainability Issue
Rev. Owen Owens - Religion as a Social force
Dr. Dominic Roberti - Eco-Spirituality
John Madera (DVRPC) - Transportation for a Sustainable World
John Eshleman -(White Dog Community Enterprises) Food for a Sustainable World
Larry Menkes - (Sustainability Advocate) The economics of a Sustainable World
Prof. Bruce Pollack-Johnson (Villanova University) & Art Cohen - Song Leaders
Rev. Owen Owens - Closing Benediction
                
In memory of Dr. Lester Milbrath - an early visionary for sustainability


PROGRESSIVELY SPEAKING
Dreams, Visions, a Crashing Economy and a Sustainable Future
By Michael Tabor

Is this economic crisis we've been witnessing a shot across our bow?  Perhaps, instead of just desperately formulating traditional economic stimulus measures, rescue packages and lower interest rates, we should also use this opportunity to focus on sustainability and downsizing and other ways to radically restructure our economy.  My family got a glimpse of some things that can be done when we recently visited France and England.  Nothing revolutionary, but it was evident how these countries are responding to shifting global realities in a very different manner.

Paris, for example, was swarming with bikes, scooters and half-size smart cars, and virtually no SUVs or personal pick up trucks.  There are 5,000 bike stations and 20,000 bikes available, affordably throughout the city.  You slip your credit card into the slot to release a bike and return it at any station.  People were walking and taking public transportation and generally looked fit.  We saw quite a few elderly walking to stores and doing errands.  While corporate stores are slowly creeping in, the shops were mostly family-owned, creative and colorful businesses.

The British seemed geared to more societal green programming þ containers for recycling Christmas cards were in metro and rail stations, bike racks positioned everywhere, and reminders to eat 5 vegetables and fruits a day were in buses, newspapers and on TV.  The ordinary convenience stores touted fair-trade and organic coffees.  Supermarkets labeled and encouraged consumption of locally-grown, organic produce.  And, although fast foods (think "fish & chips") are part of their culture, the market places were brimming with traditional regional goodies.  The Tate Modern Museum, one of the world's most respected art museums, decided to eliminate Coke and Pepsi from its menu and instead feature local beverages.
We visited centrally-placed Borough Market (the oldest farmers market in London, located under London Bridge) which featured local free-range eggs, flowers, traditional (heirloom) apples, breads, fish, preserves and cheeses.  I reveled in the sampling of 4 types of locally-produced hard cider!

There were negatives as well in both countries þ higher costs for clothing, housing, gas and food.  But the British and Europeans seem to have learned to deal with these negatives instead of unthinkingly continuing a wasteful, outmoded way of life.  They have become more frugal and have downsized more than we have.  Sustainability is part of public policy because it's their economic reality.  Smaller homes, environmentally-friendly lifestyles and better transportation are necessities.  While we love our Takoma Park, when we were in Oxford, we did feel a slight tinge of jealousy of our host's ability to ride their bikes almost everywhere and use accessible public transportation.  And our walk along the Thames River was shared with so many other families out for a winter stroll.  The British scenic walk consists of lovely scenery with stops at strategically placed country cafes.

In contrast, while our economy is faltering, we seem determined to prop up totally dysfunctional systems.  Just look at the recent auto show at the Washington Convention center.  Flex fuels, lower emissions and green factory roofs at production plants are basically public relation ploys.  What was being showcased were Corvettes, Tahoes, Navigators, Cherokees, Yukons and all the other useless vehicles that should be banned as hazards to our lives, roads and air.  If the industry were serious about their "engineering for the future" theme, they'd be featuring solar and electric powered vehicles.  Hybrids with improved gas mileage for Hummers simply isn't going to hack it.  Neither is the excuse that we need the power to pull recreation homes and motor boats.
Indeed the future, if we are serious about fighting global warming and ending our addiction to petroleum, shouldn't be about building more Interstate-type superhighways, that trigger millions of miles of new driving and thousands of acres of destructive sprawl, but about creating more livable communities.

No more subdivisions without sidewalks.  No more highways that boost greenhouse gas emissions and pollute our air.  No more cancer-spewing power plants.  Instead self-sufficient communities featuring gardens and year-round greenhouses, environmentally-sound new home construction and schools powered by energy from the sun, wind, earth and water.  No more corporate-owned mega-malls but family-owned retail shops and co-ops filled with useful, regionally-made goods and foods.  Craftspeople, mechanics, plumbers and carpenters geared toward sustainable living rather than stores selling us wasteful appliances and low efficiency junk.  We can be more demanding and vocal in our desire for locally grown, affordably priced organic, fair trade, healthy foods in our convenience stores and supermarkets.  And dream of dreams, we can demand a health care system geared to prevention of serious illness rather than one that serves as a vehicle for selling pharmaceuticals.

This grand vision ultimately requires alert, involved, knowledgeable citizenry and an electorate supporting courageous public servants who reflect these visions.  There's still time but it's getting late.  Economic downturns are correctable in the short run but we need more than glib short-term fixes and promises this time.  Remember, it's our future that is at stake.

            Mike writes a regular column for the Tacoma Voice in Tacoma Park, MD.

Ernest B. Cohen & Elaine H. Cohen
ernest.cohen@ieee.org