Friday, May 18, 2012

The Search For True Sustainability

Furman University takes pride in its commitment to sustainability, coordinating various research and energy conservation projects through the Shi Center for Sustainability. Sustainable Furman, a long term plan drafted in 2009, charts the university's future in reducing emissions and promoting renewable energy, while the Shi Center received a $1 million grant from the Duke Endowment in 2010 to further expand its operations.  Furman's obsession with "sustainability" seems to reflect many growing organic and environmentally-friendly fads sweeping our nation. Go paperless. Recycle. Buy a hybrid vehicle. Eat organic food. The list goes on and on, with companies promoting marked-up products with such vague but pleasant-sounding buzzwords. Although upper-middle class families love to purchase organic soymilk or baby spinach leaves, the terms "sustainability" and "organic" remain loosely defined and misinterpreted in modern society. For example, most people are not aware that organic products can still be sprayed with pesticides, and that organic farming can be just as intensive or environmentally damaging as conventional farming.

A greenhouse at the Wallace Farm
A visit to the Henry A. Wallace Farm in Orient, IA yielded a wealth of eye-opening information regarding sustainable farming practices. Many well-meaning vegetarians who purchase organic vegetables would be disappointed to discover that their food probably flourished due to chicken manure shipped from a nearby CAFO (confined animal feeding operation), while environmentalists would surely cringe upon learning that organic farming can in fact lead to soil erosion and nutrient loss. When practiced properly, "sustainable agriculture" (which is not a synonym for organic growing) does reduce environmental impact. Soil conservation techniques such as terracing, no-till planting, crop rotation, wind-breaking, and fallowing are being used effectively in Iowa to control soil loss. Additionally, nitrogen-fixing legumes/grasses and riparian zones along the edges of farmland and rivers can reign in nutrient loss.
Rows of vegetables at the Wallace Farm

Commodity agriculture and sustainable agriculture have both made impressive strides in balancing environmental stewardship with profitability and efficiency; however, both camps have a long way to go. Iowa currently has some of the most highly polluted rivers in the nation (despite having no urban metropolises); Des Moines may run out of clean water in 20 years despite an abundance of freshwater resources. As our guide this afternoon bluntly informed us, even the most efficient and sustainable form of production still removes nutrients from the ground and harms the land. As of now, no operation can operate with 100% sustainability or efficiency. The unpredictable nature of agriculture itself may stymie man's attempts to attain such a level of production for eternity (or at least for as long as humans exist).
Natural prairie grasses replanted at the Wallace Farm
With global poverty and environmental degradation growing more visible every day, continuation of the status quo is not a viable option, despite humanity's resistance to change. To solve pressing issues such as hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico or desertification of rich farmland around the world, the Western world requires a drastic shift in its high-consumption lifestyle. Will this shift ever occur? Many think so. I remain much more cynical for now, but I appreciate the insight into the reality of sustainable agriculture that I have gained thus far.


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