This Week In Sustainability - Edition 5

Sustainability In The Press

A new study reported that 75% of the coal industry is more costly than solar or wind when it comes to producing electricity. What’s even more encouraging is that by 2025, the entire industry of coal production will be more expensive than solar and wind, even when you factor in the upfront costs of building wind turbines and installing solar panels.

If I was a honey bee, I’d totally be hanging out with Morgan Freeman right now. The star-studded actor announced that he converted his 124-acre ranch in Mississippi over into a honey bee sanctuary. Freeman picked up beekeeping in 2014 and since then has added clover, magnolia, and lavender to his acreage to support his 26 hives.

While Trump continues to take two steps backward on environmental protection and climate change, Hawaii took one big leap forward. The state legislature introduced a bill that would phase out all forms of single-use plastics in restaurants by 2022. They see that litter hurts not only their oceans, but it costs taxpayers money too. This would be the first statewide ban on single-use plastics ever.

In the dynasties of fossil fuel business, here are a handful of uplifting stories on the power of numbers when it comes to switching the family business over to renewable energy. Chris Riley, whose family has been in coal for decades says, “It’s not ideology, it’s math.”

Sustainability Podcasts

Sustainable Dish Episode 88: Dirt To Soil with Gabe Brown, One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture.

Sustainable World Radio Episode 140: How Connecting To Nature Can Change Your Life.

Parting Thoughts

Lately I've been ruminating on how our society rewards those who have careers of consequence versus careers of prevention. Reward meaning their annual salary. How they are compensated for their time and, ultimately, how we as a culture value their time spent doing what they do.

The first example is teachers versus lawyers. A teacher - someone who teaches our children how the world works and how they should behave within it, made on average $55,000 in 2018 in the state of Wisconsin (where we call home). Lawyers - those who deal with the consequences of those who have bad behavior- made on average $115,000. That's double, my friend.

Then there are farmers - those who grow the food that nourish our bodies - who made on average $41,000 in 2018 in Wisconsin. Juxtapose that with doctors - those who deal with the consequences of unhealthy diets (now more than ever as Type 2 diabetes skyrockets) - who made $300,000 on average in 2018.

I can't help but wonder what  our society would look like if we rewarded teachers and farmers with the same salary that we give lawyers and doctors. Would there be less crime? Would there be healthier people? I understand that years of schooling are involved in the areas of medicine and law and make up quite a bit of student loans to pay back, but just chew on this thought for a few days for me.

Any other prevention versus consequence careers you can think of?

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