Juanse writes:

"sustainable" is not sustainable.
This word comes out to be the new paradigm, probably because of what Randy pointed out of the hippie generation.
As they do not like the word profit, economy and the like, they have invented this new word.
I do not have a solution, but I am really fed up with all this organic movement.

Hi all
I grew up in the sixties, too. Even thought that Organic Farming was the future of the Planet. However, I was never opposed to making money. I just never have been any good at it. To me, the Organic & Biodynamic Movement has an eradicable taint: Rudolph Steiner. That name produces the same cringe factor as L. Ron Hubbard, Mary Baker Eddy and Rev. Sun Myung Moon. 

The chief tenets of organic farming: natural manures, natural pest controls, etc. however, have all been incorporated into Integrated Pest Management. By reducing high cost chemical inputs, sustainability is increased. Sustainability, to be fair, means something different to different people. But essentially it *should* be use to contrast the slash and burn practices of the past with intelligent, forward looking practices.

Obviously, we cannot see the future, nor know the outcome of everything we do. But some circumstantial evidence is strong, like the trout in the milk. We cannot blithely harvest the fish out of the sea, pump the oil out of the ground, etc without realizing that these are finite resources. The switch to agriculture itself grew from the realization that there was a limit to hunting and gathering. We must sow in order to reap.

Almost everywhere you look you see products being sold that are subsidized by cheap, irreplaceable resources, whether it's water, oil, or labor. At some point resources become too costly to use, and cheaper alternatives must be found.  What sustainability *should* mean is not being propped up by exploitation of resources, people, or their ignorance. The term "make an honest living" comes to mind, even "right livelihood". 

These terms are susceptible to abuse and misinterpretation. However, that does not rob them of their essential meaning and value. Strive to make the world a better place, rather than to pilfer it as if you intend to leave nothing for the children! Have fun doing it!

Happy New Year!

Peter Loring Borst
peterloringborst.com

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