Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - (Page 46) THE LAST WORD Sustainable Land Development Building a Bridge to a New Global Culture As the first year of SLDI’s publication of this magazine draws to a close, I want to take a look back at where the sustainable land development movement has come from, along with offering a new prediction of where we go from here. In the summer of 1995, as a cofounder and the first (and only) land developer past-president of the non-profit Florida Native Plant Society, I was asked to write an article for the Society’s quarterly publication – The Palmetto. Following are excerpts from that article, which provides a snap shot of a time 13 years ago. You be the judge of whether there has been movement toward more informed decisions about the future, toward a plan that I called at the time, “the coming restorative economy.” Terry Mock SLDI executive director Paradigm Shift The good news is that out of these huge problems will come the pressure to replace our old system with new political and business structures that will help provide for a sustainable global economy. The will to act is all that is missing, for the scientific knowledge to technologically operate our planet in a sustainable manner is now available to all via satellite-relayed, instant aroundthe-world information. The key component of our newfound knowledge of sustainability is the philosophy of “doing more with less”, and the best sustainable models for us to study are the earth’s natural systems. Only by emulating the efficiency of nature can we sustain our species at a desirable standard of living. At long last…the restoration economy will replace the competitiveness of a scarce resource mindset with the cooperativeness of a limitless, sustainable resource paradigm… …Restoration implies a responsibility to change existing business practices to more closely mimic the complex and efficient models of sustainable natural systems: I New accounting standards, which consider the long-term costs of environmental degradation, must be implemented. I Creative financial tools, such as mitigation banking, must be allowed to evolve in order to vent development pressure and to raise revenue for largescale restoration projects. I Sustainable profit centers, such as eco-tourism, must be developed for local economies as an alternative to natural resource mining. I Organically produced, local cash crops must be developed to replace chemically dependent monocultures in order to preserve biodiversity. Take the High Ground …Earth restoration will not only restore our natural systems – it will restore our faith in ourselves and our hope for the future. David Brower, the first executive director of the Sierra Club and pre-eminent wilderness preservationist, now asserts…that the world desperately needs CPR – Conservation, Preservation, and Restoration – in order to achieve the ultimate goal in life – Celebration. The opportunities for each of us as environmental entrepreneurs are greater than at any time in human history. We can make money, save the world, and have fun! Who says you can’t have it all?! Outrunning our Headlights While there continues to be debate over various scientific, economic, and political details of the plan, two overriding pressures are now combining to forge a new global consensus for environmental restoration: I At the present rate of consumption, the Earth does not have the resource capacity to continue to sustain our human population. The end of the current world for humankind is now in sight. I The United States, winner of the Cold war and the leading role model for the rest of the world, has a capitalistic system that is now approaching insolvency… I The existing world economic order is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and will not be capable of sustaining itself much longer by exploiting dwindling world supplies of natural resources and by deficit government spending. That is the bad news. Update In his latest book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, multi-Pulitzer-winning journalist Thomas Friedman now says that the greatest thing that the U.S. could do today for itself, and for the whole world, would be to announce its intention to “outgreen China” - by taking a commanding lead in the race to build the next great global industry. In this groundbreaking account of where we stand now, he shows how America’s recent lack of focus and national purpose; and the global environmental crisis are linked – and how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time. The mission of Sustainable Land Development International is the bridge to a new global culture…Promoting and enabling land development worldwide that balances the needs of people, planet & profit for today – and future generations. SLDT 46 November/December 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources The BottomLine Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land It’s About Name Recognition Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier Industry Spotlight Achieving Sustainable Land Development Worthy of Recognition Stormwater Wastewater Erosion Control Innovation Classifieds Advertiser Index Last Word Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 (Page Cover1) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 (Page Cover2) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 (Page 3) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Our Voice (Page 6) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Our Voice (Page 7) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - SLDT Resources (Page 8) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - SLDT Resources (Page 9) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - The BottomLine (Page 10) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - The BottomLine (Page 11) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land (Page 12) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land (Page 13) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land (Page 14) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Go Forth and Tread Lightly on the Land (Page 15) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - It’s About Name Recognition (Page 16) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - It’s About Name Recognition (Page 17) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - It’s About Name Recognition (Page 18) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - It’s About Name Recognition (Page 19) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier (Page 20) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier (Page 21) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier (Page 22) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Managing Risk in the Sustainable Building Frontier (Page 23) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Industry Spotlight (Page 24) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Industry Spotlight (Page 25) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Achieving Sustainable Land Development (Page 26) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Achieving Sustainable Land Development (Page 27) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Achieving Sustainable Land Development (Page 28) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Achieving Sustainable Land Development (Page 29) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Worthy of Recognition (Page 30) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Worthy of Recognition (Page 31) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Stormwater (Page 32) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Stormwater (Page 33) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Wastewater (Page 34) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Wastewater (Page 35) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Wastewater (Page 36) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Wastewater (Page 37) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Erosion Control (Page 38) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Erosion Control (Page 39) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Innovation (Page 40) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Innovation (Page 41) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Innovation (Page 42) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Classifieds (Page 43) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Classifieds (Page 44) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Advertiser Index (Page 45) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Last Word (Page 46) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Last Word (Page 47) Sustainable Land Development Today - November/December 2008 - Last Word (Page 48)
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