It seems that every industry is attempting laying claim to being "sustainable" and "green." Sounds good to me, however what does this actually mean and what will its effects be long term?
“Sustainable” is a reference to self-sustaining production, i.e., nature can replace that which is harvested. So when resources are consumed at rate in which they can be replenished, there is a sustainable balance. In essence more energy produced than consumed. "Green" is most often associated with being environmentally friendly although I think its original meaning was more aligned with a vision of feeding the world by agriculture. Either way both these terms have now come to mean something very different.
The seafood industry in which I toil has truly led the way in marketing itself as sustainable and green. With over 70% of wild fisheries overfished and the remainder at the limit of capacity, it is truly a feat of imagination to categorize any wild fishery as sustainable. Yet the seafood industry and its sycophant NGOs have created the perception in the market that wild fisheries are sustainable if only we pick the right species to overfish- sorry, I mean fish. The industry has also laid claim to being green as well. Factory freezer ships effectively take processing and packaging capabilities to the point of harvest thus minimizing shipping and other inefficiencies that would be "less green."
The seafood industry is not alone in its bogus and disingenuous claims to sustainability and being green. From green coal and petroleum, to the auto industry, to the plastics industry, to the agriculture industry, well to virtually all industries- being green and sustainable is the new bigger, better, faster and cheaper claims that once sold products.
Accepting that few industries are truly green and sustainable, could it be they are at least honestly working to be so? I suggest that it is unlikely. The reason being that achieving true sustainability and green status would dramatically transform our economy and negatively impact industry itself. In effect being green and sustainable would mean the dramatic restructuring of industry as it exists today.
If the seafood industry for example were to be truly sustainable, it would mean the end to industrialized wild fisheries. Yep, the seafood industry can become sustainable by ceasing to exist as we now know it. This transformation would mean the relocation of thousands of jobs and the end to many corporate seafood companies that harvest, process and sell wild harvested seafood. This will happen eventually when all the fish are gone, but my guess is that the seafood industry is in no rush to stop the music quite yet.
The example of the seafood industry is not unique. Some products are inherently not sustainable nor green. Walk down any aisle in the supermarket and just take a look at the vast array of packaging- can you say definitely not sustainable? Sure you bring your recycled shopping bags when you shop (which is good) but once you fill those bags with packaged goods whose environmental impacts dwarf the good you have done by not choosing paper or plastic you begin to confront the magnitude of the problem.
By embracing sustainability and being green, you are effectively rejecting the consumer economy that has been the mainstay of economic growth in the United States since WWII. You are saying no to hatchery raised Alaskan "wild" salmon and Fruit Loops and juice boxes. You are saying no to CAFO raised beef, pork and chicken. You are saying no to fruits and vegetables that are genetically modified, shipped half way around the world, and coated with pesticides and herbicides. You are saying yes to supporting local farmers and growing your own food. You are saying yes to making less money while living in a community that spends more time helping itself raise food and its children. You are saying you will skip the new television or car so that your water will be cleaner and your air safe. You will be taking responsibility for yourself, versus supporting a system that outsources the essentials of life in the name of efficiency and progress.
Sustainable and green are more than feel good marketing terms, they are at heart the battle cry for a new economy. Are you ready?
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