Industry

Industrial production must become more energy-and resource-efficient and must pollute less. This will require major investments and economic adjustments, which in turn require political commitment to change. As each year goes by we become more aware of the real costs of resources and pollution, and these costs are now beginning to be taken into account in some countries, for example by imposing ‘environmental taxes’ on carbon-based energy sources and collecting fees from polluting industry. Industrial licensing and pollution control have also become stricter in some countries, but much remains to be done.

Many environmentalists feel that more deepgoing changes in production systems are necessary. If wasteful consumerism is to be eliminated, the system of production and marketing of unnecessary consumer goods and throwaway items should shift to a more environmentally sound production and marketing system. A better balance between ecology and economy could be achieved through higher-quality goods having longer lifespan as well as through increased recycling and reuse of materials. Studies of food production in industrial countries have also shown that the energy costs for transporting, marketing, processing, advertising and storing goods may be much higher than the energy costs to produce them! In the European countries now undergoing economic restructuring, new industrial production should be as resource-efficient and energy-efficient as possible.

IX Sustainable Ecology Brings Business Innovation

The sweet aroma of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and loamy soil fills the air every morning. It’s called Chai Mulch, an inventive new environmentally friendly compost made from recycled tea.

When Ken Foster, founder of Santa Cruz, California’s Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping learned that the local tea factory was trashing an entire dumpster-worth of chai-waste every day, he had a sudden inspiration. Foster and his crew of 10 to 12 employees transformed the landfill-bound waste into nourishing fertilizer. Foster is a co-founder of Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping, a radically new – yet profoundly ancient – approach to landscaping.

“The mission of Terra Nova is that we work with the intelligence of nature... using nature as a mentor,” says Foster, who has a degree in landscape horticulture and is now the company’s sole owner and master landscape designer. Terra Nova uses only organic fertilizer, and never herbicides or pesticides. Native species that don’t use too much water are particularly emphasized.

“We create landscapes that are full and diverse and serve many functions,” says Foster. He says that landscapes designed by Terra Nova are not only beautiful, but often integrate organic vegetable and herbal gardens, and provide irrigation and water catchment.

Recycled materials are utilized wherever possible. Foster uses sawdust from a local cabinetmaker for pathways. For stepping stones and patios, he uses mosaics of rocks, bricks, and urbanite – an affectionate term for reused concrete which can be beautified by staining it with iron sulfate.

The Bicycle Landscaping Company

It was Earth Day, and Foster was busy managing two festival booths – one for Terra Nova and the other for Conservation International. His friend gave him a trailer made from recycled bike frames for transporting his materials to the booths. Immediately recognizing the potential, Foster, a long-time cyclist himself, cleaned up and painted the bike trailer.

After meeting a bike trailer manufacturer at a Santa Cruz hearing on the establishment of bike lanes, Foster commissioned him to increase his fleet. Thus, what Santa Cruz residents now know as ‘The Bicycle Landscaping Company’ was born.

Although Terra Nova used to have a regular pickup truck, it has since sold it and employed mountain bikes with detachable trailers, quadracycles with truck beds, and a biodiesel-powered vehicle.

Terra Nova has five garages and storage units across the city to make transportation without motor vehicles feasible.

“Bicycles are one of the more elegant forms of transportation on the planet – second maybe to walking,” Foster jokes.

He also likes to minimize using equipment that contributes to air and noise pollution. “I used to have a backpack blower and I sold it,” he recalls. “That was a great day.” Foster and his crew use hand shears, rakes and brooms in lieu of electric hedge trimmers and blowers, although a battery-powered lawnmower is used when necessary.

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