Our Sustainable Community By Bob Bruggner
Most of us baby boomers have all, at one time or another, had the rewarding experienced of trying to pass on to our children and/or grandchildren those riveting stories of what it was like growing up during the post-World War II era. I think the late Bill Spooner may have described the experience best when he said; “they start to scatter like a covey of flushed quail.” I’ll try to be brief because I suspect you’ve probably heard this one before.
In 1950, the year I was born on a small barrier island off the west coast of Florida, our state had a population of 2.8 million inhabitants, the United States 152 million, with the world population standing at around 2.6 billion. Most families, “in my neck of the sand” as we used to say, had little choice but to lived within their means in modest homes with few of today’s modern day amenities such as air-conditioners, televisions, dishwashers, etc. They had one family vehicle (that actually ran) and often earned their living engaged in some form of hard, physical labor. The 50’s were also the beginning of an emergence from the deprivations of the great depression and sacrifices endured during World War II. America, along with other developing nations, was entered a new period of escalating growth and prosperity. Innovations in new technologies such as plastics, nuclear energy, and synthetic chemicals coupled with the increasing use of fossil fuels, were rapidly transforming our daily lives while the development of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides were having a similar impact on agriculture. The hopes for a brighter future were on the horizon and just around the corner.
Let’s fast-forward nearly 60 years to 2009. No matter what yardstick you use as a measure tool, it’s hard to argue that many, if not most, of those 50’s futurist dreams have become reality. Our current standard of living as measured by income levels, quality of housing and food, medical care, educational opportunities, transportation, and communications, have all improved for Americans and citizens in developing countries. This prosperity and increase in standard of living has also been accompanied by rapid population growth and a sharp increase in individual consumption, which has more than doubled over the past 45 years. Florida’s population has ballooned from 2.7 to 18.5 million, our US population has doubled from 152 million to 304 million while the world population has increased from 2.5 billion to nearly 6.8 billion inhabitants. It is project that somewhere around the year 2050, the world population will reach nine billion, essentially adding two Chinas to the number of people alive today. These new billions, (along with us members of the old billions that are still around), will be seeking food, water and other finite resources on a planet that may have already exceeding it’s long term carrying capacity.
As a result of this mounting pressure on available resources, we’re hearing a great deal of conversation today regarding “eco and green initiatives” which are primarily targeted at developing long-term, sustainable programs and policies that will allow us to meet the needs of our present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s a complex and challenging task with a great deal of private sector and government investment being poured into areas such as alternative energy production, sustainable design and building materials, agriculture practices, transportation and urban infrastructure just to name a few.
When I approached Nick about writing a column for the Havana Herald, I assured him that the focus of this column would be neither technical nor political in nature. Rather, the intent will be to keep Herald readers informed of some of the issues, new ideas and emerging technologies that will have an impact on our community while shape our lifestyle over the coming years. Your comments, ideas and suggestions are always welcome (bbruggner@gmail.com)
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