I have recently been reading Adam Werbach’s Strategy for Sustainability, which has incited me to explore the meaning of Sustainability. In the introduction he mentions how the word Sustainability has become widely used in reference to environmental concerns, and how it is sadly getting over used.

The Webster Dictionary defines sustainable as: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. If you google the word you will receive 29 million responses and as I perused the first few pages of offerings most are relative to environmental and green references- from a B-B or B-C perspective.

However what is more troubling is the many forms this word is taking on beyond the actual meaning/reference in a quasi form of “Green washing” which is defined as expressions of environmentalist concerns especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities.

We have all seen examples of this sort of thing, as a company touts their “Green Eco Friendly” line, yet their business operates as anything but Green, and they don’t even take the proper steps to improve their practices.

However, as we see “green and sustainable” becoming more a part of our everyday consumer and business language, will it water down the actions needed to help companies/ people be truly sustainable?

Adam identifies 4 coequal components of true sustainability which are:

Social- Actions and conditions that affect all members of society

Economic- Actions that effect how people and business meet their economic needs – securing water, etc

Environmental- actions and conditions that affect the earth’s ecology- preservation of natural resources

Cultural- Actions through which communities manifest their identity and cultivate tradition from generation to generation.

His litmus test is if the plan etc fulfills theses components then it is a “true” sustainable offering/effort. It is sad that we have to look behind the “Green” curtain to make sure it is compliant, however as an optimist- is taking one “Green” step forward, (sans the green washing) maybe with recycling etc still making an effort, and maybe once an organization or person takes this first “Green Step” subsequent steps will follow- and lead them down the path towards true sustainability? Time will tell……

Summer is here, and with the hot temperatures, refreshment from water is crucial to hydrating after some of the 90 degree days we have been experiencing. However, I am sure you have all read about the “controversy” regarding bottled water- in that it is not environmentally friendly, between the cost to transport, the fossil fuels used to get it from the “spring” to your grocery store and those plastic water bottles that end up loading up our land fills.

So what is a true “Green” approach to water?

First, we should recognize that we are very grateful to have so many water choices, when many countries struggle with safe clean water. But the Net-Net is that Bottled water is not “green” for many reasons. Plastic water bottles generate 30 billion single serve bottles a year and only 20% of that is ever recycled. However, with the choices available to us- is tap water the way to go? Are the areas well’s reliable? What about Municipal water? Which options are the best and/or “Greenest” for us in the area?

The irony about bottled water is that while it is more expensive than gasoline- up to $12 dollars a gallon, on comparison- it is not always superior to tap water. Cities must filter and disinfect tap, which comes from surface water. No federal filtration or disinfection requirements exist for bottled water. So is your 3 dollar bottle of water superior to tap? In most cases, no. And that holds true in this area.

However, most of the folks in the New Hope/ Solebury area do NOT have “city water” and utilize well water- how does that compare? I asked my neighbor geologist Dr. Peter Brussock about the water quality in the area, and how he felt it compared to “City” water or even bottled water. His comment was that if your desire is to limit your carbon footprint, then using your own tap water addresses this goal. The cost per gallon of typical well or even municipal water is the most economic and greenest approach by far.

Municipal water is highly regulated and these standards have large margins of safety to protect the average person as well as those who might be most sensitive to chemicals/minerals. Should you still have a “chlorine” aroma to your water straight from the tap, letting the water de-gas; by simply filling a pitcher of water and letting it sit for 24 hours will address that easily.

The benefits of well water are higher mineral content, which is better for you. However, realize that some minerals- mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic- are naturally occurring, and can be found everywhere. If you have a “mineral” taste and wish to filter some of that from your water- a simple carbon filter like a Brita will help to address that concern. The benefits of a carbon filter would be- improved taste of coffee, increased detergent performance and also improvement in your bath products- shampoos etc.

Dr Brussock also suggested checking out the National Groundwater Association website

www.ngwa.org which has plenty of information about water. So for the “Green” water alternative- pass on the bottled water and fill up your Sigg reusable water bottle with “tap” water and enjoy the great outdoors!

Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that link the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. It was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

To do that, Slow Food brings together pleasure and responsibility, and makes them inseparable.

Slow Food Members are:

• Raising public awareness, improving access and encouraging the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown
• Caring for the land and protecting biodiversity for today's communities and future generations
• Performing educational outreach within their communities and working with children in schools and through public programs
• Identifying, promoting and protecting fruits, vegetables, grains, animal breeds, wild foods and cooking traditions at risk of disappearance
• Advocating for farmers and artisans who grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome food
• Promoting the celebration of food as a cornerstone of pleasure, culture and community

Take advantage of the summer crops, dine at a restaurant that utilizes local produce and food in their menu. Help expand the awareness of Slow Food Establishments, Please Post any Dining Establishments that you are aware meet this criteria; the food is usually outstanding, and we help everyone on the “food chain” by patronizing their establishments.

So I have had this love affair with bicycle transportation since viewing the lovely bikes in Copenhagen and realizing that it is a primary mode of transport for some. Nothing is more lovely to witness than folks biking to work, carrying their groceries back home or beating the stop and go traffic by pedaling right by. Don’t get me wrong I love driving my car, but sometimes I want to savor those drives versus the chauffeuring and chore it can tend to become. However, after a week in Cape May one summer with a cruiser at my disposal and morning rides along the beach, I fell in love again with a bike. My husband subsequently purchased a baby blue “Cruiser” for my birthday and I love to pedal about the tow path with my bike basket in front going to and fro.

Last month was Bike to Work month, now I work from my house, but I understand the concept and set the intention to pedal as much as possible, until the flat tire.

In any event, while my bicycle aspirations are set on hold until the flat is fixed, I wanted to see if the raising gas prices and increasing costs to maintain cars etc would create a “Peddling Revolution” such as Jeff Mapes wrote about in his book- “Peddling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities”.

Yes I see more spandex clad bicyclists in my area, but not many of the commuting to work type. I guess as I glance over the street/road infrastructure in my area we are really not safely set up to accommodate bicycle transport as a means of transportation. No shoulders on the road, and no bike paths= not much of a safe incentive to cycle.

So my hope is that the folks in the city planning and transportation universe realize that there are people who want this option. Mapes book provides details to how cities from Amsterdam to Paris to New York have developed policies encouraging cycling in recent decades and how other towns are beginning to make way for bikes. All this information is great ammunition for those of us would like our community’s to adopt more bike friendly options.

Check into your local community, biking is a great option and cuts down on the Co2 in your community while also suppressing traffic while raising the community’s level of general fitness as biking performs a function (commuting to work) as well as exercise. Who knows with our auto industry in peril, maybe we will become more of a Bike Country versus the Car Culture of the past few decades. Get your local government and urban planners on the “bike bus” and help make the idea of cheap, effortless transportation a viable option for one and all!

I recently saw a poll that was conducted by an independent research group in Britain that used the "Happy Planet Index," which seeks countries with the most content, or essentially the “Happiest place in the world”. Their research found a small Latin American County – Costa Rica, that beat out such heavyweights as the US and Canada and other larger more “developed” countries the world over. What they found as they conducted their research was that Costa Rica was a country with a goal of building a new economy, “centered on people and the environment”.

This aggressive goal- which the country takes quite seriously, is the secret to why they posses the most content people in the world. The index takes into consideration the ecological footprint and life expectancy of the countries, and Costa Rica stood out like a diamond amongst some smoggy rocks. As you review the study, you can’t help but to realize the impact a “greener” lifestyle can have on a community/country.

Costa Rica is a small country located between Nicaragua and Panama, and with no army of its own, is renowned for its peace making efforts, as the President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias Sanchez won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for trying to help end civil wars in neighboring countries. So rather than funneling funds for a defense budget, they can use those dollars to increase literacy as it is one of the most literate countries in Latin America, while they also work to preserve their natural resources.

This beautiful country has some incredible natural resources- cloud forests, rain forests, lakes and volcanoes plus not just one but two beautiful coasts with pristine beaches, and so many varieties of birds, you’d think you were in a jungle Shangri-la.

I believe Costa Rica is an excellent model of the positive impact leading a “balanced” economy can have for the population; one that is centered on its people and the environment, and what the effect of this new economy can do for the people in that country.

Better health; life expectancy is 78 years old in Costa Rica

Better Health means lower health care costs due to lack of “diseases of developed countries”, obesity, heart disease etc

More opportunity; Costa Rica has the lowest unemployment rate of Latin America at 4.8 %

Smaller Ecological Footprint- the county narrowly fails to achieve the goal of consuming its fair share of the earth’s natural resources and strives to continue to improve

More Social Imagination- with no army and vast untouched but protected natural resources, the people of Costa Rica have been inventive in how they create opportunity without exploiting their resources.

As the US embarks on a new healthcare plan as well as addressing climate change, this study is an example of how these two issues go hand in hand and the impact it can have on the lifestyles and subsequent health of a country.

Costa Ricans have a saying “Pura Vida” which means Pure Life, maybe the US needs to adapt a similar mantra- such as “Pure Health” and work towards a smaller ecological footprint- as the “health” of our economy could benefit, as well as the “health” of our country.