tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/sustainable-living-19795/articlesSustainable living – The Conversation2022-10-13T16:43:28Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1903002022-10-13T16:43:28Z2022-10-13T16:43:28ZTo address climate change, lifestyles must change – but the government’s reluctance to help is holding us back<p>Without changes to people’s behaviour and lifestyles, it will be impossible for the UK to reach net zero emissions by 2050. But the government is failing to put in place the conditions that would enable this to happen – or even recognise its relevance in cutting emissions and meeting climate targets. Its laissez-faire approach of simply “going with the grain of consumer choice”, according to <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/515/environment-and-climate-change-committee/publications/">a recent report</a>, has no chance of bringing about the urgent changes needed.</p>
<p>A House of Lords inquiry assessed the role of public behaviour in meeting climate and environmental goals. The report drew on evidence from leading experts on behavioural science and social change, as well as submissions from a wide range of organisations, including Tesco, Natural England and Cycling UK. </p>
<p>Among the criticisms levelled at the government were accusations that it places too much faith in unproven technologies to fix the climate, and is reluctant to communicate to the public the scale of social change needed to create a low-carbon society. The varying remits of different government departments charged with helping the public change their polluting behaviour were characterised as a “muddle” and “inadequate” to the task. In some instances, government actions have pushed people away from low-carbon choices, like offering a <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/uks-rishi-sunak-cuts-tax-for-domestic-flights-ahead-of-climate-summit/">tax cut for domestic flights</a> just before 2021’s UN climate summit in Glasgow.</p>
<p>Perhaps most uncomfortable for a government that has elevated economic growth as its foremost priority, the report stresses the need for absolute reductions in many of the commonplace activities that are driving the climate crisis. This includes people buying less of the things with sizeable environmental impacts, like long-haul flights, beef and products that use a lot of resources, such as fast-fashion clothing and electronics.</p>
<h2>Low-carbon lifestyles</h2>
<p>The government’s squeamishness around supposedly interfering in people’s lives or restricting personal freedoms is at the heart of a lot of climate policy inertia. Boris Johnson’s government swiftly withdrew <a href="https://www.research-live.com/article/news/climate-change-research-deleted-from-government-website/id/5090762">an earlier report</a> on options for encouraging low-carbon behaviour change that it had itself commissioned, out of fear that its recommendations, which included additional charges on frequent flyers and high-carbon foods, could be interpreted as dictating consumer behaviour.</p>
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<img alt="A shopping trolley filled with vegetables, tinned food and juice." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489575/original/file-20221013-25-yb7kyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Government subsidies could make sustainable food cheaper.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/trolley-healthy-food-supermarket-299376506">Wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Reality is more complex. There is little choice involved in lacking the money to insulate an energy-inefficient home. Nor is there much freedom in struggling to cycle on dangerous roads without dedicated bike lanes, or having to pay much more to travel by train compared with flying. </p>
<p>It is for this reason that the House of Lords report urges the government to use taxes, regulations and infrastructure to level the playing field in favour of <a href="https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/CAST-briefing-01-Engaging-the-public-on-low-carbon-lifestyle-change-min.pdf">greener lifestyles</a>, especially when it comes to travel, heating, diet and the products we buy. One of the few examples cited in the report of the government being assertive in its approach to behaviour and lifestyle change is the ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 – a clear constraint on people’s choices, but one that now appears to be <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-licensing-statistics-april-to-june-2022/vehicle-licensing-statistics-april-to-june-2022">accelerating</a> the uptake of electric vehicles.</p>
<p>Measures for promoting sustainable lifestyles would do well to learn from successes and failures in other areas, such as smoking, obesity and the national response to the pandemic. Health experts stressed in the report that efforts to reduce smoking in the UK have worked precisely because they have involved a range of policy interventions, including raising taxes on tobacco, laws restricting smoking in public spaces and a clampdown on advertising, as well as carefully coordinated and well-timed efforts to engage with the public about these changes. The UK’s success in reducing smoking rates would not have happened with voluntary measures alone.</p>
<h2>The importance of fairness</h2>
<p>The government’s advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, found that about a third of all emissions reductions needed up to 2035 require decisions by individuals and households. But the types of action needed varies greatly depending on people’s circumstances. For this reason, it’s important to be honest not only about what needs to change, but who needs to change the most.</p>
<p>People will be more inclined to make changes if they feel <a href="https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CAST-Briefing-09.pdf">policies are applied fairly</a>. The report is blunt in its assessment of what this means, noting that “higher-income households which typically have a larger carbon footprint must take correspondingly larger steps to reduce their emissions”.</p>
<p>Emissions are highly skewed by income: across Europe, the wealthiest 10% of people have footprints of around <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability/article/unequal-distribution-of-household-carbon-footprints-in-europe-and-its-link-to-sustainability/F1ED4F705AF1C6C1FCAD477398353DC2">20 tonnes of CO₂ a year</a>, compared with half that for those in the middle-income bracket. And it’s not just the size that matters: people in the top 1% have a carbon footprint from <a href="https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CAST-Briefing06.pdf">air travel alone</a> that exceeds the total footprint of middle-income citizens. The government’s failure to intervene in what amounts to a rapid depletion of the remaining carbon budget risks deepening social inequalities further, particularly as the effects of climate change become more severe.</p>
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<img alt="A plane taking off from an airport runway." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489574/original/file-20221013-12-eoyy3q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Frequent flying is most common among the rich.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-2016-october-15-british-airways-487703857">JGolby/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>While the government dawdles, there is a clear <a href="https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CM_UOB_49-CAST-Report_v5_FINAL_27.9.22.pdf">public appetite for change</a>. Our research found that 70% of people in the UK understand that how we live must change drastically. The report offers encouraging examples of changes already made by businesses, civil society and local authorities, such as community faith groups reducing their waste or city councils improving cycling infrastructure. </p>
<p>This goodwill and enthusiasm must be supported. That means governments providing clear signals to the rest of society, like setting a date for a ban on gas boilers or subsidising energy efficiency improvements in people’s homes. We also need a national conversation on how to reach net zero. A coherent public engagement strategy would not only inform people of the changes that are required but involve them in the process. For example, citizens’ assemblies, representative groups of people brought together to deliberate on issues, can create a shared vision of the future. </p>
<p>Simply waiting for people to make low-carbon choices in a world that doesn’t support those choices, and where people feel no stake in the changes taking place, is unfair and irresponsible.</p>
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<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Demski works for the University of Bath and as part of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Capstick works for Cardiff University as part of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p>A new report suggests the government has less to fear from promoting sustainable lifestyles than it expects.Christina Demski, Reader in Environmental Psychology, University of BathStuart Capstick, Senior Research Fellow in Psychology, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1835552022-07-01T10:50:51Z2022-07-01T10:50:51ZHere are the most effective things you can do to fight climate change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470246/original/file-20220622-14-3m51x5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6709%2C4466&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cutting driving and flying are two of the most eco-friendly actions you can take.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-young-africanamerican-woman-giving-speech-1818952307">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires reaching <a href="https://theconversation.com/net-zero-carbon-neutral-carbon-negative-confused-by-all-the-carbon-jargon-then-read-this-151382">net zero</a> emissions by the middle of this century. This means that, in less than three decades, we need to reverse more than a century of rising emissions <em>and</em> bring annual emissions down to near zero, while balancing out all remaining <a href="https://www.cdp.net/en/articles/climate/how-can-companies-handle-so-called-residual-emissions">unavoidable emissions</a> by actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.</p>
<p>To help speed this process as individuals, we’ve got to do everything we can to cut down our use of fossil fuels. But many people <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en/ipsos-perils-perception-climate-change">aren’t aware</a> of the most effective ways to do this. Thankfully, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-key-points-in-the-ipcc-report-on-climate-change-impacts-and-adaptation-178195">latest report</a> by the UN climate change panel <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">IPCC</a> devotes a chapter to all the ways in which changes in people’s behaviour can accelerate the transition to net zero.</p>
<p>The chapter includes an analysis of 60 individual actions which can help fight climate change, building on <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8589">research</a> led by Diana Ivanova at the University of Leeds – and to which I contributed. We grouped these actions into three areas: avoiding consumption, shifting consumption and improving consumption (making it more efficient). The charts below, produced for the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/">IPCC report</a>, show what we found.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Five charts showing how reducing different activities could cut emissions" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=824&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1036&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1036&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470042/original/file-20220621-11-drcbgs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1036&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The first three charts show, in descending order, how effective different behaviours are at cutting emissions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Max Callaghan</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>What to avoid</h2>
<p>By far the most effective things to avoid involve transport. Living <a href="https://theconversation.com/car-ownership-is-likely-to-become-a-thing-of-the-past-and-so-could-public-transport-110550">without a car</a> reduces greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 2 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per person per year, while avoiding a single long distance return flight cuts emissions by an average of 1.9 tonnes. That’s equivalent to driving a <a href="https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/co2-performance-of-new-passenger">typical EU car</a> more than 16,000km from <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Hamburg/Ulaanbaatar,+Mongolia/@50.3406451,40.6332697,4z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x47b161837e1813b9:0x4263df27bd63aa0!2m2!1d9.9936819!2d53.5510846!1m5!1m1!1s0x5d96925be2b18aab:0xe606927864a1847f!2m2!1d106.9057439!2d47.8863988!3e0">Hamburg, Germany to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia</a> and back.</p>
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<img alt="People seated on an aeroplane viewed from the central back aisle" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470241/original/file-20220622-23-7ds6gj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taking fewer flights can have a significant impact on your carbon footprint.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/interior-airplane-passengers-on-seats-waiting-256478011">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Since the vast majority of the world’s population do not fly at all – and of those who do, only a <a href="https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2021/03/31/majority-of-flights-taken-by-a-small-percentage-of-flyers/">small percentage</a> fly frequently – fliers can make very substantial reductions to their carbon footprints with each flight they avoid.</p>
<h2>What to shift</h2>
<p>But living sustainably is not just about giving things up. Large reductions in emissions can be achieved by shifting to a different way of doing things. Because driving is so polluting, for example, shifting to <a href="https://theconversation.com/12-best-ways-to-get-cars-out-of-cities-ranked-by-new-research-180642">public transport</a>, walking or cycling can make an enormous change, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-transformed-a-london-borough-into-a-game-to-get-fewer-people-travelling-by-car-heres-what-happened-171035">added benefits</a> for your personal health and local air pollution levels.</p>
<p>Likewise, because of the high emissions associated with <a href="https://theconversation.com/meat-eating-is-a-big-climate-issue-but-isnt-getting-the-attention-it-deserves-170855">meat and dairy</a> – particularly those produced by farming sheep and cows – shifting towards more sustainable diets can substantially reduce your carbon footprint. A <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html">totally vegan diet</a> is the most effective way to do this, but sizeable savings can be made simply by <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-the-meat-on-your-plate-is-killing-the-planet-76128">switching</a> from beef and lamb to pork and chicken. </p>
<h2>What to improve</h2>
<p>Finally, the things we do already could be made more efficient by improving <a href="https://theconversation.com/oceans-and-their-largest-inhabitants-could-be-the-key-to-storing-our-carbon-emissions-180901">carbon</a> efficiency at home: for example by using insulation and <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-space-for-a-heat-pump-heres-how-your-whole-street-could-get-off-gas-heating-180005">heat pumps</a>, or producing your own renewable energy by installing <a href="https://theconversation.com/solar-panels-on-half-the-worlds-roofs-could-meet-its-entire-electricity-demand-new-research-169302">solar panels</a>. Switching from a combustion car to an electric one – ideally a battery EV, which generates <a href="https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2014/03/f9/thomas_fcev_vs_battery_evs.pdf">much larger reductions</a> in emissions than hybrid or fuel cell EVs – will make your car journeys more efficient. Plus, its effect on emissions will increase as time goes by and the amount of electricity generated by renewables grows. </p>
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<img alt="A person in a grey jumper holds a bowl of greens on their lap" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/470240/original/file-20220622-26-y6ds2e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Vegan diets are hugely beneficial for the environment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/healthy-vegetarian-dinner-woman-jeans-warm-1317602774">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the race to net zero, <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-breakdown-even-if-we-miss-the-1-5-c-target-we-must-still-fight-to-prevent-every-single-increment-of-warming-178581">every tonne of CO₂</a> really does count. If more of us take even a few of these suggestions into account, we’re collectively more likely to be able to achieve the ambitious goals set out in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-paris-agreement-is-working-as-intended-but-weve-still-got-a-long-way-to-go-173478">Paris climate agreement</a>. Of course, these changes will need to be backed by major political action on sustainability at the same time. </p>
<p>If we’re to use less fossil fuel energy, the use of fossil fuels needs to be either restricted or made more expensive. The social consequences of this need to be carefully managed so that <a href="https://carbonpricingdashboard.worldbank.org/what-carbon-pricing">carbon pricing schemes</a> can benefit people on lower incomes: which can happen if <a href="https://www.mcc-berlin.net/en/research/policy-briefs/taxreform.html">revenues are redistributed</a> to take the financial burden off poorer households. </p>
<p>But there’s a whole lot more that governments could do to help people to live more sustainably, such as providing better, safer public transport and “<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-walking-to-cycling-how-we-get-around-a-city-is-a-gender-equality-issue-new-research-175014">active travel</a>” infrastructure (such as bike lanes and pedestrian zones) so that people have alternatives to driving and flying. </p>
<p>There’s no avoiding the fact that if political solutions are to address climate change with the urgency our global situation requires, these solutions will limit the extent to which we can indulge in carbon-intensive behaviours. More than anything, we must vote into power those prepared to make such tough decisions for the sake of our planet’s future.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
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<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183555/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Max Callaghan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our research shows the best changes individuals can make to cut carbon emissions and reduce the effects of climate change.Max Callaghan, PhD Student, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1801822022-04-04T16:19:43Z2022-04-04T16:19:43ZClimate change: greener lifestyles linked to greater happiness – in both rich and poor countries<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456120/original/file-20220404-16429-8hgba2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4242%2C2825&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beijing-china-oct-17cyclists-on-17-505890784">GuoZhongHua/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The idea that being green means sacrifice and going without was epitomised by <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/we-are-not-hair-shirt-wearing-tree-hugging-mung-bean-munching-eco-freaks-says-boris-johnson-climate-ambition-summit-3066010">Boris Johnson’s denigration</a> of the “hair shirt-wearing, tree-hugging, mung bean-eating eco freak”. When the UK prime minister said that in 2020, the message was clear: a sustainable lifestyle may be worthy, but it represents a pretty dreary state of affairs.</p>
<p>Look at the evidence, though, and you’ll find a different story. A wide <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abc4ae/meta">range of research</a> now shows there is a positive relationship between environmentally friendly behaviour and personal wellbeing. This may be because taking steps to protect the environment makes us feel good by fulfilling <a href="https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/SDT/documents/2009_Kasser_ecopsych.pdf">basic psychological needs</a>, such as the sense that we are making a useful contribution to the world or acting on our own values and concerns. </p>
<p>The effect can run the other way too: people in a <a href="https://estudogeral.sib.uc.pt/bitstream/10316/48276/1/AM_Journal%20of%20Environmental%20Psychology_FC_MP_LC_PS_EB_2017.pdf">positive frame of mind</a> are more likely to pay attention to the environment and to act in a manner which benefits more than just themselves. As it becomes ever clearer that a lifestyle geared towards consuming ever more energy and natural resources is not much good <a href="https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34432">for the planet</a> or our <a href="https://www.flightfromperfection.com/files/post_attachments/jebb_et_al_2018.pdf">own wellbeing</a>, there is the tantalising prospect that people could instead live better by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1162/1088198054084734">consuming less</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/03/scientists-urge-end-to-fossil-fuel-use-as-landmark-ippc-report-readied">A landmark report</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that abandoning fossil fuels and the high-emission lifestyles they afford must begin immediately. The good news is that there may be a lot more gained than lost in the process than people realise.</p>
<h2>Good for you, good for the planet</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1462901122000776">recently published research</a>, I and academic colleagues scrutinised the relationship between environmentally friendly action and subjective wellbeing (essentially, how happy a person is). We wanted to find out whether simultaneously greener and happier lives were only possible in wealthier countries, or for people in them who are more well-off. Perhaps the opportunity to feel good about your green choices is a privilege that only certain people can access or afford. </p>
<p>This has been unclear to date. Though research on this topic has been carried out in several different parts of the world, including <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226764459_Sustainable_Consumption_and_Life_Satisfaction">China</a>, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/2/711">Mexico</a> and <a href="https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/877z5">the UK</a>, the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/abc4ae/meta">majority of studies</a> have covered the lives of people in the affluent global north.</p>
<p>Our study used survey data collected from nearly 7,000 people across seven countries: Brazil, China, Denmark, India, Poland, South Africa and the UK. We found that, regardless of the country in which people lived, as their commitment to environmentally friendly action increased – for example, by reducing food waste, buying greener products, donating money to environmental campaigns or getting involved in conservation work – so too did their subjective wellbeing. This effect held across all seven of the countries we investigated – from Denmark, ranked 11th in the <a href="https://hdr.undp.org/en/countries">UN’s Human Development Index</a>, to India, ranked 130th. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A pitchfork planted in soil with yellow flowers behind it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3537%2C2360&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/456110/original/file-20220404-21-brhz59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dig into healthier food and more vibrant green spaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/shot-digging-allotment-on-bright-summers-309545528">Xactive/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the personal level, the connection between green behaviour and wellbeing was as pronounced for those on lower incomes as those in higher income brackets. We also found that, regardless of how altruistic or materialistic people considered themselves to be, personal wellbeing rose by a similar degree as a result of behaving in a more environmentally friendly manner. Whether or not you are an avowed “tree hugger” seems to make little difference.</p>
<p>We did find that this connection between behaviour and wellbeing varies across cultures, however. In places typically considered to be have a more collectivist social organisation and way of seeing the world – in our study, Brazil and China – we found that environmentally beneficial actions which engaged multiple people at once, such as planting trees together, had a particularly profound effect on wellbeing. This effect was not seen in the more individualistic societies we examined, like the UK and Denmark.</p>
<h2>Accentuate the positives</h2>
<p>Our findings suggest that there’s a consistent relationship between environmentally friendly action and personal wellbeing which spans different parts of the world and holds true for a range of personal circumstances and outlooks. Just as a low-carbon diet tends also <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0165797">to be healthier</a>, and <a href="https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1497090/1/Vol2_Issue%204.pdf">cycling and walking</a> gets us exercising as well as cutting emissions, our study adds to evidence that links green behaviour with a better quality of life.</p>
<p>To be clear, our research didn’t seek to compare green behaviours to any other kinds of activities. The chicken and egg question is also not fully answered by the study. It may be that higher wellbeing drives green behaviour as much as the reverse holds true. But in either case, it is fair to say our results show environmentally friendly people tend also to be happier.</p>
<p>This should be good news for campaigners and policymakers alike. Rather than assume that doing the right thing for the environment needs to be a burden, we should be finding ways to stress the positive potential. Improving wellbeing and addressing the climate crisis can be both <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673609617591">cost-effective and socially appealing</a>. Initiatives and campaigns designed to promote environmentally friendly behaviour would do well to stress the value of action for both people and planet.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180182/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Capstick receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. He works for Cardiff University and is affiliated with the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST Centre) and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.</span></em></p>Fixing the climate crisis can be a source of pleasure and not just pain.Stuart Capstick, Senior Research Fellow in Psychology, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1574102021-03-29T02:20:05Z2021-03-29T02:20:05ZWe know hand dryers can circulate germs through the air. Why are they still used everywhere?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392126/original/file-20210329-17-1jgdj3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=79%2C14%2C4713%2C3176&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Airborne contaminants, dirty toilet seats, mould and mildew: long before the coronavirus pandemic came around, the hygiene-focused among us knew public washrooms are grimy places.</p>
<p>Most adults visit the bathroom around <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937802004246?via%3Dihub">8-10</a> times a day. With an average hand-drying time of 30 seconds, we can expect between 4-5 minutes of daily dryer use per person (and more for people with an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-60967-7">overactive</a> <a href="https://bmcurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12894-020-00619-0">bladder</a> or similar disorders).</p>
<p>In an attempt to facilitate the hand washing process, are hand dryers adding to the filth by blowing contaminants around? And if so, why are they still common?</p>
<h2>The need to dry</h2>
<p>Drying hands is an essential part of the hand washing process. Wet hands can further the spread of microbes, since moisture facilitates their transfer from the skin to other <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/residual-moisture-determines-the-level-of-touchcontactassociated-bacterial-transfer-following-hand-washing/096E367EA0A0363A4BD750AE8A174DE2">surfaces</a>. </p>
<p>Compared to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2249283/">shaking your hands</a> dry after a wash, using an air dryer or paper towel greatly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538484/">reduces</a> the number of surface bacteria that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12515399/">remain</a>.</p>
<p>Warm air dryers remove moisture from the hands through <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002561961200393X">evaporation</a>, while jet air dryers remove it by using <a href="https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2010.04838.x">sheer force</a> to disperse the droplets into the air.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Bathroom wall with both paper towels and air dryer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390324/original/file-20210318-23-1foj9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some bathrooms offer both paper towels and air dryers. Should you prioritise one of them?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Christian Moro</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s worth remembering hand dryers don’t <em>create</em> microbes and there’s usually only minimal bacteria on their <a href="https://aem.asm.org/content/84/8/e00044-18.abstract">nozzles</a>, too. In many cases air dryers can even be fitted with filters that help clean and remove contaminants from the air. </p>
<h2>Put a lid on it!</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, while dryers themselves aren’t necessarily unclean, their forced air can help circulate bacteria around the space. This is why the main focus should be on preventing bacteria from surfaces ever becoming aerosolised (entering the air) in the first place.</p>
<p>If a toilet’s lid is left open when it’s flushed, a fine aerosolised mist of microbes <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02786826.2013.814911">enters the air</a>. And this cloud of faecal matter can spread over an area of up to six square metres. </p>
<p>Research has shown even after flushing many times, a toilet can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16033465/">continue</a> to emit contaminants into the air. In other words, a person infected with a virus could be spreading these germs for several hours after visiting the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29651169/">bathroom</a>. </p>
<p>Public washrooms can therefore act as reservoirs for especially nasty bacteria, such as those which are resistant to <a href="https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-019-0500-z">antibiotics</a>.</p>
<p>So are paper towels the solution?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-and-handwashing-research-shows-proper-hand-drying-is-also-vital-132905">Coronavirus and handwashing: research shows proper hand drying is also vital</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Problems with paper</h2>
<p>Paper towels remove water by absorption and take contaminants with them when they’re binned. However, they can cause plumbing problems if flushed down the toilet, which require time and money to fix. </p>
<p>Additionally, paper towels need to be continuously purchased, restocked and disposed of as waste — all of which leads to increased costs. In a worst-case scenario towels may run out, prompting people to exit without drying their hands at all.</p>
<p>Granted, in a hospital setting a dryer’s forced air may move microbes onto items handled by health professionals and patients, such as phones or <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/from-the-hospital-toilet-to-the-ward-a-pilot-study-on-microbe-dispersal-to-multiple-hospital-surfaces-following-hand-drying-using-a-jet-air-dryer-versus-paper-towels/FA51D26C9C3DC261D35F122EF97593D5">stethoscopes</a>. So paper towels may be a more suitable option here.</p>
<p>But they still don’t provide an entirely sterile environment and can be <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(18)30366-9/abstract">contaminated</a> by microbes circulating in the area.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Toilet paper stuck to shoe leaves bathroom" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391342/original/file-20210324-19-cvnhyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If contaminated paper towels are discarded on the floor, people stepping on them can transfer germs via their shoes to outside areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Weighing the environmental impact</h2>
<p>Although hand dryers do produce carbon emissions, studies have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-11-07/paper-towels-warm-air-jet-hand-dryers-environment-hygiene/10468580">shown</a> warm air dryers (which rely on evaporation) generate up to <a href="https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/103115">70% more emissions</a> than newer, fast jet dryers (which force out a rush of cold air). </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-great-bathroom-debate-paper-towel-or-hand-dryer-51197">Environmentally speaking</a>, warm air dryers and paper towels perform roughly the same, on average. </p>
<p>Using recycled paper towels doesn’t seem to help much, either. This is because they can’t be recycled further, due to chemicals added to increase their absorptive properties as well as the overall energy required to manufacture them.</p>
<p>In the US, around <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-11-07/paper-towels-warm-air-jet-hand-dryers-environment-hygiene/10468580">six million tonnes</a> of paper towels end up in landfill each year.</p>
<h2>The dry debate continues</h2>
<p>Some <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-most-hygienic-way-to-dry-your-hands-54196">research</a> has concluded paper towels make a more hygienic method for drying hands. Meanwhile, aggressive jet hand dryers seem to have shown the greatest potential for dispersing bacteria and particles <a href="https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jam.13014">over wider distances</a>. </p>
<p>But there isn’t a clear winner in practise. A recent critical review <a href="https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jam.14796">concluded</a> there wasn’t enough research weighing up both options and that until more robust studies were conducted, evidence-based public policy recommendations couldn’t be made. </p>
<p>This echoes both the <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters">World Health Organisation’s</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/faqs.html">Centre for Disease Control’s</a> hesitance to offer recommendations for whether drying hands with air dryers is more or less effective than using paper towels.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-great-bathroom-debate-paper-towel-or-hand-dryer-51197">The great bathroom debate: paper towel or hand dryer?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Tips for a healthy bathroom regimen</h2>
<p>While hand dryers can circulate contaminants around a space, the aim should be to stop germs from becoming aerolised in the first place. If the contaminants aren’t in the air to begin with, their dispersion from hand dryers is less of a worry.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="No standing on the toilet seat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391343/original/file-20210324-19-8hahnz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Common sense goes a long way in bathroom hygiene.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-47483-6_1">Health</a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-981-13-6106-7_118-1">education</a> on this front is important. Simple recommendations include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>closing the toilet lid before flushing</p></li>
<li><p>wearing a mask where recommended or required, especially for those who have respiratory tract symptoms or a cough</p></li>
<li><p>coughing or clearing your throat directly into a tissue and immediately throwing it in the bin</p></li>
<li><p>washing your hands regularly with soap and water and not forgetting to dry them, as wet hands are more likely to spread bugs and diseases. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>In areas where infection control and prevention are paramount, such as hospitals or food production areas, measures such as increased airflow and air filters can also help.</p>
<h2>The bottom line</h2>
<p>Using paper towels comes with recurring costs, logistical problems and environmental considerations. Meanwhile, air dryers can further circulate vapourised bacteria.</p>
<p>Managers of public washrooms have much to consider when deciding which method of hand drying to provide. In some scenarios, hand dryers do present as a better option, which is why we continue to see them in public washrooms.</p>
<p>Regardless of what option you choose, don’t forget drying is an essential part of the hand-washing process. Both air dryers and paper towels are, by a long way, better than using nothing at all. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CMjdfhsjsCg","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157410/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What side are you on, paper or dryer? In either case, here’s the bottom line on what to do after using the toilet.Christian Moro, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond UniversityCharlotte Phelps, PhD Student, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1570522021-03-28T19:07:17Z2021-03-28T19:07:17ZLoving the idea of tiny house living, even if you don’t live in one<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391328/original/file-20210324-23-18nw5cv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C0%2C4019%2C2667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Heather Shearer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite early <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-09/house-prices-to-bounce-back-after-modest-fall-cba/12645780">forecasts of a COVID-driven slump</a>, <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/australian-property-prices-gather-fastest-pace-in-17-years-corelogic-1030545/">house prices are now surging</a> in many parts of Australia. This is further widening the gap between the housing “haves” and “have-nots”, and we are seeing related <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-covid-well-need-a-rethink-to-repair-australias-housing-system-and-the-economy-145437">rises in housing stress, rental insecurity and homelessness</a>. In Australia and elsewhere a movement has emerged that supports tiny house living as an important response to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-covid-well-need-a-rethink-to-repair-australias-housing-system-and-the-economy-145437">housing affordability crisis</a>.</p>
<p>One of us <a href="https://theconversation.com/interest-in-tiny-houses-is-growing-so-who-wants-them-and-why-83872">argued in 2017</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“[Tiny houses] have significant potential to be a catalyst for infill development, either as tiny house villages, or by relaxing planning schemes to allow owners and tenants to situate well-designed tiny houses on suburban lots.”</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet, to date, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2021.1884203">research</a> begun in 2014 shows no appreciable increase in Australia in the proportion of people actually living in tiny houses, including the archetypal tiny houses on wheels. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-you-want-to-live-tiny-heres-what-to-consider-when-choosing-a-house-van-or-caravan-129790">So, you want to live tiny? Here's what to consider when choosing a house, van or caravan</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That’s despite the tiny house movement continuing to gain in popularity over the past decade, buoyed by Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2009-01-01%202021-03-17&geo=AU&q=%22tiny%20house%22">Google Trends</a> indicates the level of interest shows no sign of abating. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/mar/10/tiny-homes-carnival-an-affordable-option-to-put-on-land-that-youve-already-got">A Tiny Homes Carnival</a> in Sydney in March 2020 attracted more than 8,000 people to see tiny houses for sale and listen to tiny house celebrities such as Bryce Langdon of <a href="https://www.livingbiginatinyhouse.com/">Living Big in a Tiny House</a> and Zack Griffin and John Weisbath of <a href="https://www.fyi.tv/shows/tiny-house-nation">Tiny House Nation</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z2_zGa1sAhE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Bryce Langdon of Living Big in a Tiny House visits an example in Queensland.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But that popularity isn’t translating into more people living in tiny houses. Data from four <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2021.1884203">surveys of the tiny house community</a> (the latest in February 2021) show the proportion of respondents living in tiny houses remains under 20% (fewer than 200 people). It hasn’t grown in the past seven years. </p>
<p>The surveys were posted as links to tiny house social media sites, so of course the findings cannot be extrapolated to the whole community. Nonetheless, most tiny house advocates in Australia belong to these groups. </p>
<h2>What’s stopping people moving into tiny houses?</h2>
<p>Some in the movement argue this is due to obstacles such as restrictive planning policies and difficulties in getting finance and secure access to land. In response, some local governments – <a href="https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/302071/Tiny-House-Fact-Sheet.pdf">Cairns</a> and <a href="https://www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Services/Building-development/Do-I-need-approval/Development-and-Building-Fact-Sheets/Tiny-houses">Byron Bay</a>, for example – have published helpful fact sheets and guides.</p>
<p>However, in a recently published <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673037.2021.1884203">research paper</a> in Housing Studies, we argue even if these obstacles were removed, we might not see a big increase in tiny house living, especially in tiny houses on wheels. We reached this conclusion based on what people who are part of the movement, including our survey respondents, said about their motivations and aspirations. </p>
<p>They had three main motivations:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>having access to affordable housing</p></li>
<li><p>achieving a degree of economic freedom</p></li>
<li><p>living in a more environmentally sustainable way.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>In reality, professionally built (off-the-shelf) tiny houses on wheels can cost <a href="https://www.canstar.com.au/home-loans/tiny-houses-australia/">three times more per square metre</a> than standard houses. The <a href="https://tinyrealestate.com.au/what-does-a-tiny-house-cost/">most popular size</a> for a tiny house on wheels is 7.2-by-2.4 metres, which is around 27 square metres (including loft space). That can cost upwards of A$80,000. </p>
<p>Of course many build their tiny houses fully or partly themselves, which can greatly reduce costs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Tiny house on wheels in a garden" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/390819/original/file-20210322-15-q5s5ga.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ready-built tiny houses on wheels cost about three times more per square metre than standard houses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Paul Burton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/life-in-a-tiny-house-whats-it-like-and-how-can-it-be-made-better-110495">Life in a tiny house: what's it like and how can it be made better?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>It’s more about people’s values</h2>
<p>We suggest that for many (but certainly not all) members of the movement, their strongest commitment is to their principles and aspirations, rather than to a particular type of dwelling. <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-people-downsize-to-tiny-houses-they-adopt-more-environmentally-friendly-lifestyles-112485">Some research</a> indicates that tiny house dwellers live a more sustainable lifestyle even after moving to another type of dwelling. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="women looks inside a tiny house on display" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391337/original/file-20210324-19-ergteg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For many people, much of the appeal of tiny houses is the community of shared values they represent.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Heather Shearer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One of the important benefits of tiny house living was the opportunity to be part of a rather ill-defined “community”. The most recent survey unpacked this concept of community. For over 90% of respondents this meant living in a defined area with other tiny house dwellers. </p>
<p>As one respondent said, their ideal was “to share land with a group of tinies, without caravan park zoning”. We found more generally this meant a place with shared access to facilities such as vegetable gardens, workshops, tool sheds and community areas. </p>
<p>So, this research casts doubt on claims that tiny houses represent a major solution to the housing affordability crisis, held back mainly by cumbersome local council regulations and a lack of tailored finance. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/interest-in-tiny-houses-is-growing-so-who-wants-them-and-why-83872">Interest in tiny houses is growing, so who wants them and why?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Reforms would still be welcome</h2>
<p>This is not to say better regulation and finance would not be welcome. </p>
<p>Reforms could include amendments to the National Construction Code. These include <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-30/calls-for-better-regulations-governing-tiny-house-movement/10168810">ensuring</a> tiny houses are structurally sound, energy-efficient and achieve a minimum bushfire attack level rating. </p>
<p>Local councils could also look more favourably on tiny houses on wheels. This would be subject to certain conditions, including the control of environmental waste and the creation of an appropriate local rates category. </p>
<p>Given the interest in community living, councils could also consider relaxing restrictions on multiple dwellings on larger properties. This would enable a degree of communal living, perhaps in <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/periurban/about/focus">peri-urban areas</a>.</p>
<p>These changes would help many aspiring tiny house dwellers achieve their dream. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a tiny house on display" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391339/original/file-20210324-19-zpphet.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes to finance and planning regulations would help more people realise their tiny house dreams.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Heather Shearer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-chinese-courtyard-housing-can-help-older-australian-women-avoid-homelessness-151378">How Chinese courtyard housing can help older Australian women avoid homelessness</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Highlighting questions of housing choice</h2>
<p>Perhaps the most significant contribution the tiny house movement has made so far has been in opening up an important debate about housing choice. It has raised important questions, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Are smaller but well-designed homes better than big and poorly designed ones? </p></li>
<li><p>How can we support the market in providing much more diverse housing (in terms of size, tenure, price and so on)? </p></li>
<li><p>Should we become more tolerant of well-designed and innovative infill developments to rectify the “<a href="https://www.therealestateconversation.com.au/news/2020/01/28/the-persistently-missing-middle-housing/1580169393">missing middle</a>” – the lack of low-rise, medium-density housing options such as townhouses and duplexes – in our cities? </p></li>
<li><p>Can tiny houses help meet the housing needs of particular groups such as single older people who would like to live near each other but not necessarily under the same roof? </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-want-and-need-more-housing-choice-its-about-time-governments-stood-up-to-deliver-it-122390">People want and need more housing choice. It's about time governments stood up to deliver it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In encouraging this debate, the tiny house movement’s greatest contribution might be to remind us of economist E.F. Schumacher’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/10/small-is-beautiful-economic-idea">famous principle</a> that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful">small is beautiful</a> and more sustainable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157052/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Shearer is a member of the Australian Greens Party</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Burton receives funding from the ARC for a Linkage Project on Constructing Building Integrity (LP190101218) and from the City of Gold Coast. He is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and the Urban Development Institute of Australia.</span></em></p>The proportion of people actually living in tiny houses hasn’t been increasing but the movement has prompted debate about living smaller and more sustainably.Heather Shearer, Research Fellow, Cities Research Institute, Griffith UniversityPaul Burton, Professor of Urban Management & Planning, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1572602021-03-26T15:33:30Z2021-03-26T15:33:30ZFood and drink products with pro-environment ‘ecolabels’ are more appealing to shoppers – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391930/original/file-20210326-15-g1j1k7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5472%2C3645&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/meppen-germany-august-9-2019-frozen-1709075449">Defotoberg/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What’s for dinner tonight? If it’s a choice between beef or tofu, it might help to know there’s a 50-fold difference in greenhouse gas emissions between these products and a 200-fold difference in how much land is used to create them, according to <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987">recent research</a>. The choices people make in supermarket aisles can affect how sustainable food systems are, but how do you know which to choose when you’re confronted with multiple options of the same product?</p>
<p>Ecolabels were invented in the late 1970s to help consumers tell the difference between a product with a large ecological footprint – produced and distributed in a way that releases lots of greenhouse gases or consumes a lot of natural habitat – and a product with a smaller one. Globally, there are thought to be more than 120 different types of ecolabels <a href="http://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/">in use</a> on food and drink products. If you live in the UK, you might recognise the Marine Stewardship Council logo, the Carbon Reduction label, or the Rainforest Alliance Certified badge.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A banana with a white label depicting the Rainforest Alliance logo of a green frog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/391928/original/file-20210326-23-bz7wmf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rainforest Alliance-certified fruit and vegetables feature the famous frog ecolabel.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/braunschweig-lower-saxony-germany-may-7-1391882216">K I Photography/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These ecolabels are certainly well intentioned, but how effective are they in encouraging consumers to make green choices? In <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0013916521995473">a new systematic review</a>, we found that people given the option of a food or drink product with an ecolabel and one without are more likely to choose the former.</p>
<h2>How ecolabels stack up</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.leap.ox.ac.uk/home#/?">Our team of researchers</a> reviewed 56 different studies which had tested how different ecolabels affected the choices of 42,768 shoppers. With so many ecolabels in circulation, there’s no consistent format across products, so we wanted to know how important the design and content of a label was. We classified labels according to their text and logo and their overall message, such as “organic”, “low-carbon” and “pesticide-free”. Then we analysed whether ecolabels were more or less effective depending on the characteristics of the shoppers themselves.</p>
<p>Regardless of an ecolabel’s message or format, we found that participants were more likely to choose the product with an ecolabel in 79% of experiments. We also found that ecolabels were more effective among women in 67% of studies, but found no clear difference in their effectiveness based on shopper income, age or education.</p>
<p>Most of the studies were hypothetical, in the sense that participants didn’t spend real money or get real food, but were asked to imagine they were shopping and to choose between products with different attributes. But in the 15 studies conducted in real-world settings, a majority (73%) found that ecolabelled products were more desirable than the alternatives.</p>
<h2>Can this make a difference?</h2>
<p>We were interested in how ecolabels influenced consumer behaviour. What we found suggests ecolabelling could promote more environmentally-conscious shopping. We didn’t investigate whether the various labels accurately reflected each product’s environmental impact though. </p>
<p>For example, while consumers tend to associate organic foods with sustainability, there is <a href="https://www.leap.ox.ac.uk/environmental-impacts-intensive-and-extensive-systems">some debate</a> around whether organic farming methods are actually better for the planet than conventional methods. For that reason, we don’t know for certain whether ecolabels always promote products with a more benign influence on the environment.</p>
<p>We’d also like to know more about any unintended consequences of ecolabels, such as whether they promote less healthy food and drink options. Perhaps a combined system of ecolabelling with nutritional information could remedy this, or the use of ecolabels on products meeting certain health standards. </p>
<p>No current labels capture a product’s full environmental impact from farm to fork. Defining the credentials a product needs in order to be awarded an ecolabel demands further study. This could have the added benefit of making these labels more credible, and improving public confidence in them.</p>
<p>For now, we can take comfort from the fact that an overwhelming majority of studies show ecolabelled products outperforming those without any environmental guarantees. This could show a public appetite for more sustainable lifestyles that businesses and regulators now have an opportunity to nurture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157260/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christina Potter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We still don’t know whether ecolabels are significantly better for the environment than alternatives.Christina Potter, Health Behaviours Researcher, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1554732021-03-09T19:07:33Z2021-03-09T19:07:33ZFrom veggie gardening to op-shopping, migrants are the quiet environmentalists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388421/original/file-20210309-24-1sbzxlb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C4031%2C3011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The organised environmental movement is largely a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/environmental-movement-very-white-these-leaders-want-change-that">white</a>, middle-class space. But <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1806433/Young_Australian_Migrants_and_Environmental_Values_v2.pdf">our research</a> shows migrants care for nature in other ways – including living sustainably in their everyday lives.</p>
<p>This is most obvious on the domestic front. From repurposing goods to keeping vegetable gardens and being careful with electricity use, migrants are highly likely to practise sustainable living – sometimes without even realising it.</p>
<p>In the debate about environmental issues, migrants are often blamed for making the problem worse, such as by adding to <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/australia-pop-50-million-migration-congestion-fears-also-growing-fast-20181122-h187ze">congestion</a>. It’s important to break this circuit and recognise migrants’ positive contribution to environmental protection.</p>
<p>Migrants can successfully be harnessed to help with environmental causes. Doing this will require both learning from migrants, and helping them feel welcome in the green movement.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young Asian people collect rubbish" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388426/original/file-20210309-21-19m4tm9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Migrants are keen to help with environmental initiatives, if given the chance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Busting migrant myths</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/young-and-resilient/projects/current_projects/australian_migrants_and_environmental_values">qualitative pilot study</a> sought to provide an in-depth picture of young first- and second-generation Australian migrants who care about the environment.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Johnston8/publication/228871516_Urban_forestry_in_a_multicultural_society/links/02e7e5226f669e80c8000000/Urban-forestry-in-a-multicultural-society.pdf">Research shows</a> ethnic minorities are often <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/%20how-green-groups-became-so-white-and-what-to-%20do-about-it">under-represented</a> in the urban environmental movement. </p>
<p>This can lead to suggestions migrants do not actively care for the environment – either due to apathy, or because they are preoccupied with climbing social and economic ladders in their new country.</p>
<p>But my research found first- and second-generation migrants in Australia care for the environment in particular ways, largely focused on the domestic front. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/4-assumptions-about-gender-that-distort-how-we-think-about-climate-change-and-3-ways-to-do-better-156126">4 assumptions about gender that distort how we think about climate change (and 3 ways to do better)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Man fixes shoe" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388428/original/file-20210309-15-1nfba01.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Migrants, especially those from poor backgrounds, will often fix or repurpose an item rather than dispose of it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>My research team interviewed eight first-generation migrants and nine second- generation migrants in Sydney, aged between 18 and 40 years. The group comprised seven women and ten men, roughly half of whom were parents. </p>
<p>We found the participants actively and consciously carried out environmental care practices, mostly in the domestic sphere. From a young age, first- and second-generation participants continued austerity and waste-consciousness inherited from their parents. These included:</p>
<ul>
<li>recycling and repurposing consumable items</li>
<li>careful water and electricity use</li>
<li>home vegetable gardens and composting</li>
<li>ethical purchase and consumption.</li>
</ul>
<p>Some second-generation migrants said their parents were “accidentally” environmentally friendly. For example, some parents who had experienced financial hardship were frugal with money and goods. Others from an agricultural background remained connected to the land through gardening.</p>
<p>As one second-generation participant from Vietnam observed:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Migrants are often the most environmentally conscious people I know. They’re not purposefully being conscious, but they know about the scarcity of resources and its ingrained into them so it’s part of their lifestyle. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The participant learned sustainable practices from her mother who didn’t have a lot of money. The family’s clothes and homewares came from second-hand stores. Car travel was kept to a minimum and her mother planted many vegetables in her backyard.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-type-of-biodegradable-plastic-will-soon-be-phased-out-in-australia-thats-a-big-win-for-the-environment-156566">A type of ‘biodegradable’ plastic will soon be phased out in Australia. That’s a big win for the environment</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young boys helping in garden" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388423/original/file-20210309-16-dsdv9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Migrants often pass sustainable practices to their children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Outside the home</h2>
<p>Second-generation migrants were much more likely to make the environmentally-motivated choice to become vegan and/or vegetarian. Of the 17 interview participants, five were vegan or vegetarian; all but one were second-generation migrants.</p>
<p>The second-generation migrants were slightly, but not significantly, more engaged with outward forms of environmental activism such as attending protests and marches. </p>
<p>Second-generation migrants said the first generation often eschewed public activism. Reasons for this included language barriers, alternative priorities that come with navigating a foreign country and fears of racism. </p>
<p>Second-generation migrants born in Australia were better equipped to overcome these barriers and felt more comfortable participating in the political sphere. However this group was still ambivalent about, or didn’t prioritise, organised environmental protection.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/everyone-else-does-it-so-i-can-too-how-the-false-consensus-effect-drives-environmental-damage-153305">'Everyone else does it, so I can too': how the false consensus effect drives environmental damage</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Participants – particularly parents – cited the recent Black Summer bushfires as a traumatic reminder of climate change. The tragedy motivated them to practice environmental care such as water conservation.</p>
<p>Just two interviewees, both women, were involved in environmental groups. The others preferred to donate money to environmental causes or sign petitions, usually due to a lack of time. </p>
<p>Other participants sought to influence their family and peers through conversation, work initiatives or buying “green” products. Only three reported being engaged with environmental initiatives of their local councils. </p>
<p>As one first-generation migrant said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In my council meetings, I’m one of the few migrants … They’re not confident yet about how much information they know and how much they’re missing out on. Even if they want to raise their voice they’re hesitant and worried that they’re saying something wrong.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women read a document" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/388429/original/file-20210309-16-svjk2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Migrants should be supported to understand council initiatives.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Next steps</h2>
<p>Migrants are already highly engaged with environmentally friendly behaviour at home. The next step is to help them engage with environmental issues more broadly. We suggest the following measures:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>train first-generation migrants to confidently get involved with local council sustainability measures. Councils should also raise awareness of environmental care programs and provide migrants with volunteering opportunities</p></li>
<li><p>raise awareness in the broader community about how migrants can be part of the solution to environmental problems through their daily domestic practices</p></li>
<li><p>use interactive digital tools to engage time-poor migrants</p></li>
<li><p>leverage second-generation migrants to both pass on, and change, their parents’ environmental practices</p></li>
<li><p>identify “<a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/grants/150804-Multicultural-Community-Engagement.pdf">community champions</a>” to act as agents of change in migrant communities. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Our findings suggest migrants are interested in finding new ways to protect the environment. The green movement must help migrants achieve this, by making environmental initiatives safe, welcoming and accessible to them.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The author would like to acknowledge Claudia Sirdah and Nukte Ogun, who helped compile the research upon which this article is based.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155473/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sukhmani Khorana does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Environmentalism is, for the most part, the domain of the white middle class. We must recognise the contributions migrants already make, and how their power can be further harnessed.Sukhmani Khorana, Senior Research Fellow, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1509382020-12-10T18:59:00Z2020-12-10T18:59:00ZTramping the city to find enchantment in a disenchanting world<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373737/original/file-20201209-16-1tpp073.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C7%2C4977%2C3323&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-australia-march-14-2020-people-1696941991">Photos BrianScantlebury/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Based in Melbourne, we set out to find new ways of seeing and understanding aspects of Australian urban life in the 21st century. We did this by walking the city without preconceptions, open and ready to absorb what the streets and sidewalks had to teach. </p>
<p>In search of disturbance and enchantment, we moved, journeyed, observed, discovered, wandered (and wondered), got lost, found ourselves, listened, smelled and meandered through the main streets and back alleyways, the CBDs and suburbs, the parks, cemeteries, buildings and cultures of Melbourne.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cover of Urban Awakenings book" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=857&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373735/original/file-20201209-18-1ve56z0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1077&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/publications/books-and-monographs/urban-awakenings/urban-awakenings-disturbance-and-enchantment-in-the-industrial-city">Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute/Palgrave</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We have reported our year-long project in our new book, <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789811578601">Urban Awakenings</a>. We conceived it in early 2019 as a series of urban investigations. We were inspired and guided by the thesis set out in American philosopher Jane Bennett’s book <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-enchantment-of-modern-life-jane-bennett/book/9780691088136.html?source=pla&gclid=CjwKCAiA2O39BRBjEiwApB2Ikg6WJJPDRKldNsf_V6lKIlW6v9hDFABu2qszHE_JeaH6BVc4BsvNXBoCHesQAvD_BwE">The Enchantment of Modern Life</a>. </p>
<p>Bennett acknowledges that modern life in industrialised society comes with heavy environmental burdens and deep social justice concerns. But, troubled though modern life is, she argues it still has the capacity to enchant (and disturb) in ways that inspire engagement with the world and each other. </p>
<h2>Why seek out enchantment?</h2>
<p>In Bennett’s hands, a willingness to seek enchantment in everyday life is a necessary precondition of ethical practice and political engagement. It can create the emotional capacity for wonder, compassion, engagement and generosity.</p>
<p>Conversely, disenchantment with life poses an ethical and political problem, she maintains, in that it can lead to apathy and resignation. To be disenchanted is to feel one lives in a world that lacks meaning and purpose. A better world becomes unimaginable and so not worth fighting for. </p>
<p>Readers might agree it is easy to feel disenchanted in a modern, industrial city, with its concrete, cars, noise, pollution and crowding.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="people waiting to cross a busy city intersection" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373746/original/file-20201209-15-1j5hts7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Disenchantment with the crowded, noisy and hectic life of industrial cities can blind us to the possibilities of change.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/city-melbourne-vicaustraliaapril-15th-2019-crowds-1374287114">Shuang Li/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-actually-is-a-good-city-80677">What actually is a good city?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>On the other hand, to actively seek out and appreciate moments of urban enchantment has ethical potential. It can give people the energy — the impulse — to care and engage in a world <a href="https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-12-03/unsettling-the-story-of-disenchantment-excerpt-from-urban-awakenings/">desperately in need</a> of ethical and political re-evaluation and provocation.</p>
<p>To be enchanted — if only for a moment — is to see life as worth living. We can then start to see the world as a place that has the latent capacity to be transformed in more humane and ecologically sane ways. </p>
<p>More importantly, enchantment, as we are using the term, provides the propulsion to act and engage. It’s an antidote to apathy, resignation and perhaps even despair.</p>
<p>Based on these insights, we contend that <a href="https://store.holmgren.com.au/product/art-against-empire-ebook/">effective urban politics</a> must change or challenge not only the way we think about the world, but also how we feel, perceive, judge and experience the world.</p>
<h2>Urban tramping as method</h2>
<p>In our book we apply Bennett’s critical philosophy to the urban landscape. We did this by walking our home city, Melbourne, with eyes open to the possibility of enchantment. </p>
<p>We describe this as “urban tramping”. We urban tramps were to be free-thinking, free walkers of the city, encumbered only by the duty to absorb what the city had to teach.</p>
<p>The “tramp” was to be a distinguishing critical identity that at the same time related us to the various traditions of urban observation: <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1469-8676.12381">flâneurs</a>, <a href="https://www.historyvictoria.org.au/product/vagabond-as-social-reformer-the-inside-melbournes-asylums-and-hospitals-by-john-stanley-james-edited-by-michael-cannon/">slum journalists</a>, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Walking-in-the-European-City-Quotidian-Mobility-and-Urban-Ethnography/Shortell-Brown/p/book/9781138272781">ethnographers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/psychogeography-a-way-to-delve-into-the-soul-of-a-city-78032">psychogeographers</a>, and so on.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/psychogeography-a-way-to-delve-into-the-soul-of-a-city-78032">Psychogeography: a way to delve into the soul of a city</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In other words, we set out to sojourn through urban landscapes with the same sense of wonder and critical attention that a nature walker like <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1862/06/walking/304674/">Henry David Thoreau</a> embodied as he sauntered through <a href="https://www.walden.org/explore-walden-woods/protecting-walden-woods-2/">Walden Woods</a>. Nature can enchant and disturb, but what about the city?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="foggy morning in a Melbourne park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=323&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373738/original/file-20201209-21-6l1d31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The quest for enchantment took in all parts of Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/foggy-morning-ghost-gumtrees-local-dog-413909224">ProDesign studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789811578601">Urban Awakenings</a> draws inspiration and content from the variety of our urban tramps over the past year or so. We started out from grounds never ceded by the Aboriginal peoples who have lived in what we call Melbourne for countless generations. We recognise the false claims to exclusive sovereignty of a social order established through invasion and violence.</p>
<p>In a collection of brief essays based on our perambulations, we record the myriad ways in which we found holes in the main narrative of Western societies today — that free markets and economic growth are the necessary and natural preconditions for modern urban life. Indeed, one journey took us through various cemeteries of Melbourne, inviting reflection on themes of death and finitude even in this (<a href="https://www.invest.vic.gov.au/news-and-events/news/2019/september/melbourne-one-of-the-worlds-most-liveable-cities#:%7E:text=Melbourne%20has%20retained%20its%20status,just%200.7%20points%20behind%20Vienna.">second-most-liveable</a>) city.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/imagining-a-better-world-the-art-of-degrowth-86201">Imagining a better world: the art of degrowth</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A disturbed book</h2>
<p>Little did we know a pandemic would <a href="https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/urbanism/planning/a-disturbed-book-bubbles-under-the-throne/">disrupt</a> our book midway through. It was split into two parts — before-COVID (BC) and after-COVID (AC). </p>
<p><a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heraclitus/">Heraclitus</a>, the ancient Greek philosopher, famously said one can never step into the same river twice, since it is always in flux. We would say the same thing about cities. Our BC and AC experience of Melbourne testifies to this rather starkly.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="feet of person standing on rocks in a river" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373734/original/file-20201209-23-15qvdi2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Just as one can never step into the same river twice, each time we set out into the city it is changing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/girl-waterfall-spray-211925440">Pavel_Markevych/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As it unfolded, the pandemic was yet another historical proof of the vulnerability and contingency of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1942778620937122">capitalism</a>, especially its latest form, globalised <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/07/david-harvey-neoliberalism-capitalism-labor-crisis-resistance/">neoliberalism</a>. We recognised this huge, sudden superimposition on our project as an affirmation of its purpose. We walked Melbourne under lockdown (in accordance with the rules) with a keen eye for the many disruptions the virus imposed on free market societies like Australia, especially their paid and unpaid <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/work-life-balance-7644">working lives</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-seriously-tried-to-believe-capitalism-and-the-planet-can-coexist-but-ive-lost-faith-131288">I've seriously tried to believe capitalism and the planet can coexist, but I've lost faith</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Without diminishing the social and physical injuries of the pandemic, it was clear that many of the apparently rigid processes and rhythms of the industrial order could in fact be rapidly suspended and even permanently changed. </p>
<p>The sudden <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1942778620937122">relocalisation of everyday life</a>, for example, showed the stressful, polluting rhythms of urban commuting were part of a constructed, not natural, order. In traffic-calmed cities, nature took a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/07/blue-sky-thinking-how-cities-can-keep-air-clean-after-coronavirus">breather</a> and found new friends in social hordes who happily occupied <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/27/the-bliss-of-a-quiet-period-lockdown-is-a-unique-chance-to-study-the-nature-of-cities-aoe">newly available green spaces</a>, even median strips in once-busy roads.</p>
<p>Many more disturbing enchantments and enchanting disturbances were observable to the tramps’ eyes.</p>
<p>Our project ended just as the long lockdown in Melbourne was relaxing. Everyone began to wonder what permanent changes might have been wrought on the hard-wiring of Australia’s “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/cjres/article/10/3/391/4090996">growth machine</a>” cities. It was a good time to reflect on Bennett’s point that to seek enchantment is not to seek magic but rather possibilities for change in the stultifying and unjust workings of the industrial order.</p>
<p>The tramps took the project out on the road in Melbourne in 2020 at a time when change was certainly in the air. When we step into the city again tomorrow, no doubt we will find the urban landscape and its inhabitants still in flux.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150938/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendan Gleeson receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Alexander does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Walking all parts of Melbourne before and after the pandemic hit was eye-opening. It brought home just how much change is possible if we wish for a better, more sustainable way of living.Samuel Alexander, Research fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of MelbourneBrendan Gleeson, Director, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1439882020-09-07T20:11:33Z2020-09-07T20:11:33ZVegan leather made from mushrooms could mould the future of sustainable fashion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353527/original/file-20200819-25336-k8lpjy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=36%2C183%2C4867%2C3081&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Seven millennia since its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/leather">invention</a>, leather remains one of the most durable and versatile natural materials. However, some consumers question the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/mar/13/is-it-time-to-give-up-leather-animal-welfare-ethical-lucy-siegle">ethical ramifications</a> and <a href="https://www.ethicalgallery.com.au/blogs/ethical-gallery-blog/the-environmental-impact-of-animal-leather-vs-faux-leather">environmental sustainability</a> of wearing products sourced from animals.</p>
<p>This shift in social standards is the main reason we’re seeing a wave of synthetic substitutes heading for the market.</p>
<p>Leather alternatives produced from synthetic polymers fare better in terms of <a href="https://www.ethicalgallery.com.au/blogs/ethical-gallery-blog/the-environmental-impact-of-animal-leather-vs-faux-leather">environmental sustainability</a> and have achieved considerable <a href="https://leatherpanel.org/content/future-trends-and-expected-status-world-leather-and-leather-products-industry-and-trade-2010">market share</a> in recent years. </p>
<p>But these materials face the same disposal issues as any synthetic plastic. So, the leather market has begun to look to other innovations. As strange as it might sound, the latest contender is the humble fungus.</p>
<p>Research by my colleagues and I, published today in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-00606-1">Nature Sustainability</a>, investigates the history, manufacturing processes, cost, sustainability and material properties of fungus-derived renewable leather substitutes – comparing them to animal and synthetic leathers.</p>
<h2>How unsustainable is animal leather, actually?</h2>
<p>How sustainable leather is depends on how you look at it. As it uses animal skins, typically from cows, leather production is correlated with animal farming. Making it also requires environmentally toxic chemicals. </p>
<p>The livestock sector’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190806-how-vaccines-could-fix-our-problem-with-cow-emissions">sustainability issues</a> are well known. <a href="http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/">According to</a> the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the sector is responsible for about 14% of all greenhouse emissions from human activity. Cattle rearing alone represents about 65% of those emissions. </p>
<p>Still, it’s worth noting the main product of cattle rearing is meat, not leather. Cow hides account for just 5-10% of the market value of a cow and about 7% of the animal’s weight. </p>
<p>There’s also no proven correlation between the demand for red meat and leather. So a reduction in the demand for leather may have no effect on the number of animals slaughtered for meat.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Cattle looking at the camera" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353392/original/file-20200818-14-12ze6ih.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">According to 2019 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 49% of all Australian farms carry beef cattle and these manage more than 79% of all agricultural land.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">freestocks.org/Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That said, leather tanning is still energy- and resource-intensive and produces a lot of <a href="https://leatherpanel.org/sites/default/files/publications-attachments/leather_carbon_footprint_p.pdf">sludge waste</a> during processing. </p>
<p>This gives leather a higher environmental impact than other minimally processed animal products such as blood, heads and organs (which can be sold as meat products or animal feed).</p>
<h2>From spore to mat</h2>
<p>Fungus-derived leather technologies were first patented by US companies <a href="https://www.mycoworks.com/">MycoWorks</a> and <a href="https://ecovativedesign.com/">Ecovative Design</a> about five years ago.</p>
<p>These technologies take advantage of the root-like structure of mushrooms, called <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-mycelium-revolution-is-upon-us/">mycelium</a>, which contains the same polymer found in crab shells.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A root-like mycelium structure grows underground." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353524/original/file-20200819-42876-4aie85.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mycelium is the vegetative body for fungi that produces mushrooms. Fungal colonies made of mycelium can be found in and on soil and wood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When mushroom roots are grown on sawdust or agricultural waste, they form a thick mat that can then be treated to resemble leather. </p>
<p>Because it’s the roots and not the mushrooms being used, this natural biological process can be carried out anywhere. It does not require light, converts waste into useful materials and stores carbon by accumulating it in the growing fungus.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A petri dish with fungal spores on the left and a natural fungal mat on the right." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353396/original/file-20200818-20-k4jqvk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Going from fungal spores on a Petri dish (left) to a natural fungal mat (right) takes just a couple of weeks.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Antoni Gandia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Going from a single spore to a finished “fungi leather” (or “mycelium leather”) product takes a couple of weeks, compared with years required to raise a cow to maturity.</p>
<p>Mild acids, alcohols and dyes are typically used to modify the fungal material, which is then compressed, dried and embossed. </p>
<p>The process is quite simple and can be completed with minimal equipment and resources by artisans. It can also be industrially scaled for mass production. The final product looks and feels like animal leather and has <a href="https://www.madewithreishi.com/">similar durability</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mycelium-derived leather hanging from wire" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353525/original/file-20200819-42876-ikr13l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">MOGU is one company producing materials and products from fungal mycelium.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/arselectronica/42706992340/in/photolist-284SuW9-2aPHL5V-26SBgCj-2j3jYqF/">Ars Electronica/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Mushroom for progress</h2>
<p>It’s important to remember despite years of development, this technology is still in its infancy. Traditional leather production has been refined to perfection over thousands of years. </p>
<p>There are bound to be some teething problems when adopting fungal leather. And despite its biodegradability and low-energy manufacturing, this product alone won’t be enough to solve the sustainability crisis.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-we-soon-be-growing-our-own-vegan-leather-at-home-68498">Will we soon be growing our own vegan leather at home?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>There are wider environmental concerns over animal farming and the proliferation of plastics – both of which are independent of leather production.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, using creativity to harness new technologies can only be a step in the right direction. As the world continues its gradual shift towards sustainable living, perhaps seeing progress in one domain will inspire hope for others.</p>
<h2>Will I be wearing it anytime soon?</h2>
<p>Commercial products made with fungi-derived leather are expected to be on sale soon – so the real question is whether it will cost you an arm and a leg. </p>
<p>Prototypes were released last year in the <a href="https://boltthreads.com/technology/mylo">US</a>, <a href="http://pura.mogu.bio/">Italy</a> and <a href="https://mycl.bio/mylea">Indonesia</a>, in products including watches, purses, bags and shoes.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and brown mycelium leather bag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=778&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353800/original/file-20200820-14-1vgpe5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=977&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">US-based startup Bolt Threads has used myceliym leather to successfully create products such as this bag.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://boltthreads.com/technology/mylo/">Bolt Threads</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And while these fundraiser items were a little pricey – with one designer bag selling for US$500 – manufacturing cost estimates indicate the material could become economically competitive with traditional leather once manufactured on a larger scale. </p>
<p>The signs are promising. MycoWorks raised US$17 million in venture capital <a href="https://vcnewsdaily.com/mycoworks/venture-capital-funding/sgvptckpch">last year</a>. </p>
<p>Ultimately, there’s no good reason fungal leather alternatives couldn’t eventually replace animal leather in many consumer products. </p>
<p>So next time you pass the mushrooms at the supermarket, make sure you acquaint yourself. You may be seeing a whole lot more of each other soon.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/could-fungi-save-the-fashion-world-122894">Could fungi save the fashion world?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mitchell P. Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Going from a single spore to a finished fungi-derived leather product takes a couple of weeks. But raising a cow to maturity for bovine leather can take several years.Mitchell P. Jones, Postdoctoral researcher, TU WienLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1411492020-06-22T16:33:55Z2020-06-22T16:33:55ZWhy zero-carbon homes must lead the green recovery from COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343201/original/file-20200622-54993-1ufgfw8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C128%2C4281%2C2715&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Homes powered by renewable energy in Denmark.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/homes-powered-by-renewable-energy-on-1239040747">Maria Galvin/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Living in a house that doesn’t fully meet your needs might have been tolerable when you spent more of your time elsewhere, but <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/covid-19-one-third-of-humanity-under-virus-lockdown/articleshow/74807030.cms">a third of the world</a> has been stuck indoors at one time during the pandemic. A lack of space, poor soundproofing, inadequate ventilation and no outdoor access, even to a balcony, are all shortcomings that will have made the weeks and months indoors unbearable for some. </p>
<p>While these problems will seem less acute as lockdowns ease around the world, we should remember them, to encourage us to build better societies after COVID-19.</p>
<p>In order for the UK to meet its climate change commitments, all houses, old and new, must be zero-carbon by 2050. Currently, houses account for about <a href="https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/WorldGBC-embodied-carbon-report-published">28% of all carbon emissions worldwide</a>, half of which comes from energy used for heating and air conditioning. </p>
<p>New houses can be built to zero-carbon standards on a cost-competitive basis in the mass market, but currently only a very small proportion are built to better than the <a href="https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/domestic/search">minimum legal requirement</a> for energy efficiency. For example, between April 2019 and March 2020 in Scotland, 14,000 new homes were built but just eight achieved the highest “gold level” rating for energy efficiency. </p>
<p>Making new homes zero-carbon is really the low hanging fruit for decarbonising society. In 2050, we will still be living in <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/members/article/uk-needs-to-retrofit-26-million-homes-by-2050-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions">about 80% of the homes that exist today</a>, so retrofitting these will also be essential. And reducing energy demand in homes has broader benefits, such as reducing fuel poverty.</p>
<p>As the UK government looks to revive the economy post-pandemic, its priority should be laying the ground for a zero-carbon housebuilding boom – one which can create millions of jobs nationwide while reducing emissions and leaving households healthier.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343203/original/file-20200622-55009-1hvnc1o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Insulating foam is injected between walls to prevent heat escaping from the home, reducing energy use.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/renovation-old-house-wall-sprayed-liquid-80046088">Pi-Lens/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building back better</h2>
<p>Construction is often trusted to drive national recoveries from economic crises, as it tends to create local jobs and it can regenerate other industries by building new infrastructure. In the UK, the construction industry contributes about <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01432/">£117 billion to the UK economy annually</a>, of which housing is about £38 billion. The sector provides more than 2.5 million jobs and apprenticeships – about 7% of total UK employment.</p>
<p>Yet it is facing a major crisis. Commercial real estate – offices, shops, leisure facilties and factories – <a href="https://www.fool.com/millionacres/real-estate-investing/articles/how-commercial-real-estate-may-fare-in-a-recession/">always takes a hit</a> after a recession, meaning demand will inevitably remain in the doldrums for some time. This time around, however, there may also be a more fundamental shift. </p>
<p>Businesses are having to rethink how they occupy space safely. Some are actively encouraging employees to continue to work from home, reducing the need for office space. We all know high streets have been struggling for some time too, and the retail sector will suffer further if the rise in online shopping generated by the lockdown continues. </p>
<p>There is also a big question around how hotels, cinemas and theatres reopen with social distancing rules. As a result, it’s difficult to see how commercial property could be a viable part of a recovery plan. In other words, housing will have to take most of the strain. Building new zero-carbon homes and retrofitting old ones could play a big part in driving a recovery. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-greener-economy-how-we-make-sustainability-central-to-business-139086">A greener economy: how we make sustainability central to business </a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The housing industry has a broad and diverse supply chain, and its demand is dispersed across the whole country. Homes can be built using a wide range of skills and suppliers, from the traditional carpenter with hammer and saw, through to entire factories producing fully fitted units that are delivered to sites and craned into place. </p>
<p>The work all of this will take – from building and designing zero-carbon homes to installing insulation, double-glazed windows, heat pumps and solar panels in existing ones – can only be done here in the UK, unlike many traditional manufacturing and heavy industry jobs which were outsourced in the past. As a result, a national drive to decarbonise housing can form the basis of <a href="https://theconversation.com/labours-low-carbon-warm-homes-for-all-could-revolutionise-social-housing-experts-126329">good, well-paid work</a> within every community in Britain.</p>
<h2>An investment for future generations</h2>
<p>Everyone needs somewhere to live, and it’s estimated that two billion new homes will be needed globally <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/design/housing-crisis-global-population-increase-two-billion-new-homes-80-years-end-of-century-a8245906.html">by 2100</a>. That includes a whole range of accommodation beyond just houses, such as care homes, student flats, and hostels for the homeless. </p>
<p>Sir Bob Kerslake, president of the UK Local Government Association and chair of Peabody, one of Britain’s oldest and largest housing associations, recently made the case that “<a href="https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/comment/better-housing-is-the-key-to-a-healthier-britain/5106349.article">better housing is key to a healthier Britain</a>”. He argued that the UK has seen death rates higher than elsewhere partially because of our inadequate housing system, and that the most effective way to reduce these health inequalities would be to rapidly increase the delivery of good quality and genuinely affordable housing.</p>
<p>Houses have a lifespan beyond the people who live in them, with each one <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43541990">sold about</a> every 20 years on average. We cannot measure their value purely by the return at the time of each sale. Instead, we must recognise our housing stock is a long-lasting part of a society’s infrastructure, of value to people now and future generations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343196/original/file-20200622-54997-1wbbkwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Homes generating renewable energy can further reduce their total energy use with insulation and heat pumps.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/installing-solar-cell-on-roof-1056264089">Lalanta71/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is especially true for decarbonisation, as even a modest increase in the cost of each home’s construction could deliver <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hkaoKyLiMGQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">significant energy savings</a> throughout its entire life cycle.</p>
<p>Focusing efforts on decarbonising housing will ensure the post-pandemic recovery is both green and socially equitable, addressing two of the greatest crises of our time.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=Imagineheader1141149">Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn’t.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141149/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ranald Boydell has received funding from the Scottish Government Self and Custom Build Challenge Fund.</span></em></p>Building a greener economy starts at home.Ran Boydell, Visiting Lecturer in Sustainable Development, Heriot-Watt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1360132020-05-01T15:27:54Z2020-05-01T15:27:54ZStop blaming each other for the climate crisis – coronavirus shows what we can achieve together<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331962/original/file-20200501-42962-1mg4396.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4608%2C3062&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A climate action march in London, February 2020, before the onset of lockdown.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/londonengland-february-22-2020-extinction-rebellion-1660268761">JessicaGirvan1/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How can I reduce my carbon footprint? As sustainability researchers, we regularly field this question, from friends and family but also journalists. The answer is simple: cut down on flying, driving and eating animal products. Google is awash with the <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/how-to-fight-climate-change-2020">same advice</a> and the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8589">science backs it up</a>. </p>
<p>Of course, changes to our diet, travel and lifestyle are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0121-1">entirely necessary</a> to avert climate breakdown. These are most needed in high income countries, given their <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0010440">disproportionate responsibility</a> for greenhouse gas emissions. </p>
<p>The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will finally dedicate – for the first time since its first report in 1990 – an entire chapter to <a href="https://www.mcc-berlin.net/en/news/information/information-detail/article/climate-better-understand-demand-side-solutions.html">demand side</a> solutions in its upcoming sixth Assessment Report. The UK government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change recognises that society will need to change fundamentally for the UK to <a href="https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/net-zero-the-uks-contribution-to-stopping-global-warming/">meet net zero emissions</a> by 2050. And each individual can help this effort.</p>
<p>If you live in a developed country, not taking that one long-haul flight a year could reduce your annual carbon emissions <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200218-climate-change-how-to-cut-your-carbon-emissions-when-flying">by up to half</a>. Going vegan can <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/987">cut your food-related emissions by over 70%</a>. And switching to a renewable energy provider can knock another <a href="https://bulb.co.uk/carbon-calculator/">sizeable chunk</a> off your carbon footprint. But we’re still sceptical about whether these changes can really scale up to what’s needed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331965/original/file-20200501-42946-15r7hg6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Going vegan can drastically lower your carbon footprint, but it’s unlikely that most people will give up animal products.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/healthy-balanced-dieting-concept-selection-rich-717931615">Antonina Vlasova/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To have any meaningful impact, measures to reduce carbon footprints require everyone adopting them. But even among the most well-informed people, there’s little evidence of positive environmental behaviour. Conservationists, despite their acute awareness of the ecological and climate crisis, have <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171010114648.htm">environmental footprints</a> that are no lower than their colleagues in medicine or economics, for example. </p>
<p>Even if everyone adopts a low carbon lifestyle, we can only hope to influence at most half of the emissions linked to human activity, with the remainder being <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/8/1880">locked up in infrastructure</a>, such as roads, airports, and buildings. A <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2018.1551186">recent study</a> found that with reasonable levels of adoption, green consumer actions could only reduce the EU’s carbon footprint by 25%. But the actions commonly taken to reduce carbon footprints – recycling, reusing bags and changing light bulbs – <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541">have little effect</a>. </p>
<p>Instead of obsessing over our individual carbon footprint, we need to realise our collective power. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated this beautifully. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-coronavirus-measures-have-worked-around-the-world-133933">In many places</a>, people have surprised their own governments by overwhelmingly obeying lockdown restrictions and supporting their extension. </p>
<p>People who are healthy and to whom the virus poses little risk are isolating to protect the most vulnerable in their community. And it’s working. These individual actions are helping suppress the transmission of the virus and <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-were-flattening-the-coronavirus-curve-but-modelling-needs-to-inform-how-we-start-easing-restrictions-135832">reduce the number of new cases</a>. This shows how our individual actions can add up when they’re taken in solidarity with others.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331967/original/file-20200501-42951-e8odnh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Social distancing has put paid to the idea that individuals are too selfish to act for the collective good.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/social-distancing-concept-preventing-coronavirus-covid19-1679261281">Fatmawati achmad zaenuri/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building collective power</h2>
<p>The real culprits of the climate emergency have been eclipsed by individual guilt and blame. If we invested the energy we currently do in challenging each other’s green credentials into calling out how governments and businesses <a href="https://www.ftm.nl/dutch-multinationals-funded-climate-sceptic">have derailed</a> environmental action instead, we might be further ahead.</p>
<p>A recent report found 134 countries have commitments to reduce emissions over the next decade that are <a href="https://feu-us.org/behind-the-climate-pledges/">insufficient</a> for limiting global warming to well below 2°C, as outlined in the international <a href="https://theconversation.com/paris-agreement-on-climate-change-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-52242">Paris Agreement</a> on climate change. Building the movements to challenge and ultimately change this situation will be profound. Acting alone simply isn’t an option.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-reasons-green-growth-wont-save-the-planet-116037">Five reasons 'green growth' won’t save the planet</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Even before the pandemic, recent history vindicated collective action by ordinary people. Movements such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/extinction-rebellion-disruption-and-arrests-can-bring-social-change-115741">Extinction Rebellion</a> and the Greta Thunberg-inspired <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/">Fridays for Future</a> have placed the environment <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/karencorreiadasilva/2019/04/30/what-can-extinction-rebellion-teach-us-about-behaviour-change/#794e52cb7c45">front and centre</a> in political debates. Electoral <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/driven-by-the-continents-youth-europes-greens-find-new-strength">gains for green parties</a> illustrate a new appetite for solutions to environmental problems. </p>
<p>Grassroots campaigns have pressured <a href="https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/energiegeschaeft-fridays-for-future-ruft-zu-protesten-gegen-siemens-auf/25395640.html">governments and corporations</a> to honour their commitments on climate change. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/20/can-climate-litigation-save-the-world">Legal action</a> has helped advance the notion that a safe climate is a fundamental human right that must be respected in law. Calls for fossil fuel divestment have led <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jan/13/universities-divesting-from-fossil-fuels-have-made-history-but-the-fight-isnt-over">universities</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/09/parliament-pension-fund-fossil-fuel-divestment-climate-change">pension schemes</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/12/ireland-becomes-worlds-first-country-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels">whole countries</a> to abandon investments in fossil fuel companies. </p>
<p>Direct action, such as protests disrupting <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14022017/climate-change-vienna-airport-paris-climate-agreement-james-hansen">airport expansion</a>, has stirred public support for scaling back major infrastructure decisions that would accelerate climate change. Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/16/activists-respond-to-blackrocks-plan-to-tackle-climate-change.html">announced after global protests</a> that it would stop investing in companies that threaten the environment, such as coal production.</p>
<p>Individual action will only disrupt business as usual once we realise we are not one, but many. As we try desperately to flatten the coronavirus curve, we should reflect on how, through cooperation, we can do the same for climate change.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=Imagineheader1136013">Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn’t.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>By self-isolating, people all over the world are acting for the collective good. That’s encouraging for tackling climate change.Oliver Taherzadeh, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of CambridgeBenedict Probst, Felllow at Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of CambridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1320812020-03-17T18:49:23Z2020-03-17T18:49:23ZA simpler life begins at home – key tips from people who’ve done it<p>Voluntary simplicity focuses on doing more with less. People who choose this way of life seek other riches, like personal fulfilment, free time, community and environmental benefits. They see limiting their consumption as a way to improve their quality of life and flourish. </p>
<p>We wanted to learn about people who choose this path. What lessons do they have to share? In particular, how can housing be designed to support simplicity? </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-earthships-could-make-rebuilding-safer-in-bushfire-zones-131291">How 'Earthships' could make rebuilding safer in bushfire zones</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We talked in depth to 14 householders and 25 housing industry professionals. As well as the householders, 11 of the professionals had made housing changes to simplify their own lives. Our conversations focused on life stories and beliefs, thoughts on voluntary simplicity, and ways to overcome the challenges they faced.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02673037.2020.1720614">recently published research</a> shows it is possible, with a bit of work and planning, to live a simple <em>and</em> fulfilling life. We focused on housing, because housing choices are at the heart of such a life. Our social connections, incomes, transport needs and energy and water usage all link to where and <em>how</em> we live. </p>
<p>Despite <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/6496B4739650C270CA2581F3000E3B4D?OpenDocument">continuing increases</a>, house and land prices are lower in Tasmania than on mainland Australia, but so are incomes. Just as elsewhere, housing practices here can lock householders into complicated consumption practices with negative consequences for society and the environment. Needing to work more to pay off bigger mortgages is one aspect of this. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/people-want-and-need-more-housing-choice-its-about-time-governments-stood-up-to-deliver-it-122390">People want and need more housing choice. It's about time governments stood up to deliver it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Compromises are inevitable</h2>
<p>Some participants wanted housing that encompassed environmental best practice and closeness to nature. Some wanted to connect with like-minded people. Some wanted smaller or no mortgages.</p>
<p>But “you can’t have it all”, we were told. Compromises are inherent in striving for voluntary simplicity in housing. </p>
<p>For example, you might want an off-grid eco-haven, but that’s unlikely in the inner city. You might need public transport, but that could rule out retrofitting a bush block home. </p>
<p>The ethically sourced building materials you select from interstate or overseas might involve supply chains using multiple transport modes and all the fossil fuel these use. Locally sourced materials might not meet your ethical standards. And are you happy to buy your solar panels using credit from a Big Four bank that invests in fossil fuels?</p>
<p>So, know your deal-breakers and accept that you cannot be “a model of simplicity” in every way all the time. “Do what you can for the context you’re in.”</p>
<p>A resounding piece of advice from the professionals was “smaller is better”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-you-want-to-live-tiny-heres-what-to-consider-when-choosing-a-house-van-or-caravan-129790">So, you want to live tiny? Here's what to consider when choosing a house, van or caravan</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Do your homework</h2>
<p>To find palatable compromises you must do your homework. For example, many people wanted to save money or have meaningful experiences of creating house and home. </p>
<p>That level of engagement takes a lot of work, which surprised several participants. It requires project-management skills and familiarity with regulations <em>beforehand</em>.</p>
<p>You might need specialist professionals on board from the start. A building designer told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You’re doing something different from the norm, so your standard industry professional might not be experienced with the regulations for composting toilets, on-site greywater systems, or even smaller-than-average houses.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Situations might change mid-project. Participants emphasised how important it is to be prepared for regulatory reforms, technological change and unexpected costs. Communication is crucial – with family, professionals and tradespeople, councils and suppliers.</p>
<p>One owner-builder told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s like a little treasure hunt. Ask lots of questions but gather them all together because professionals charge per hour or part thereof. Find people who have experience with a similar build or project. We asked friends for basic info, then asked the experts once we had some background.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Options and requirements might not be obvious. Finding professionals with similar values who have a talent for project administration, regulations and time management can be hugely helpful. Another building designer told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s becoming increasingly hard to build a home without professional help. If you don’t know the order in which to do things, and how one influences the other, it can become very stressful and costly and time-consuming.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Confidence and patience are useful attributes. Another owner-builder said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You’ll be talking with people who know their stuff (or think they do) and are used to working with other professionals. It’s hard to call someone about a product not knowing what you’re talking about, but do it anyway and don’t be scared. At the end of the day, we were responsible for every aspect of our place, so why not take control? It gets easier once you start doing it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Be patient and know your limitations</h2>
<p>Since everything seems to “take so much longer than planned”, remember you are there for the long haul. </p>
<p>If you want to move faster, you often have to pay experts for the privilege. As one owner-builder said: “We could have gotten away without the loan if time weren’t a factor.”</p>
<p>The more you do yourself as a non-expert the more you learn. But even if you are careful, you might make mistakes that cost time and money. So “be guided by your emotions and values but don’t let them get the best of you”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318510/original/file-20200304-66084-3m4ahk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This owner-built straw bale home is a product of creativity, commitment and years of hard work. The owners wanted to be close to nature, grow some of their own food, keep animals and have composting and greywater systems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318514/original/file-20200304-66084-1qcwhd6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A work in progress: rendering the straw bales involved input from professional renderers, family and friends.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/ozearth/photos/a.1376348502409365/1387704961273719/?type=3&theater">OzEarth/Facebook</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/318508/original/file-20200304-66089-6wv1ir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Living closer to the bush can mean more space for things like outdoor sporting equipment and sheds or garages, which some householders valued for self-sufficiency and connection to nature.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The project of a lifetime</h2>
<p>The voluntary simplicity housing journey also affects professionals. One building designer told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I hope to see myself as an interpreter of what people want. It might be the project of a lifetime for someone who has spent their life savings on it, so I feel a responsibility to provide some sort of pastoral care. For owner-builders, the house becomes a part of the family in some ways.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That means being friendly, patient, communicative and paying attention to how clients experience the whole system from planning regulations to the philosophies of sustainability.</p>
<p>In practice, simple living is a huge journey. But with thought, planning and hard work, it can be extremely satisfying and rewarding. </p>
<p>Committing to voluntary simplicity in housing (or anything else) is never a complete response. But, as part of a suite of positive responses to contemporary challenges, from climate change to community cohesion, it’s worth working for as individuals and as professionals.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bamboo-architecture-balis-green-school-inspires-a-global-renaissance-121248">Bamboo architecture: Bali's Green School inspires a global renaissance</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/132081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marisa McArthur works for the City of Hobart. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>From time to time Elaine Stratford receives funding from nationally competitive and other funding bodies. The work described here was not supported by any such funding bodies.</span></em></p>Creating a simple, sustainable home isn’t as easy as it sounds. But with some planning and hard work, it can be an exciting and fulfilling journey.Marisa McArthur, PhD Candidate, School of Technology Environments and Design, University of TasmaniaElaine Stratford, Professor of Geography, School of Technology Environments and Design, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1312912020-03-05T19:07:37Z2020-03-05T19:07:37ZHow ‘Earthships’ could make rebuilding safer in bushfire zones<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/318773/original/file-20200305-127951-vhyr52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1309%2C9%2C1470%2C850&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.earthshipironbank.com.au/">Earthship Ironbark</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recent disastrous <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/bushfires-1377">bushfires</a> have rebooted debate about how to (re)build in the Australian bush. Questions are being asked about <a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-building-codes-dont-expect-houses-to-be-fire-proof-and-thats-by-design-129540">building standards</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/building-standards-give-us-false-hope-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-fireproof-house-130165">whether a fire-proof home is possible</a>, the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/government-approved-bushfire-bunkers-could-help-protect-homes-lives-20200101-p53o0m.html">value of fire bunkers</a> when it’s too late to leave, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/before-we-rush-to-rebuild-after-fires-we-need-to-think-about-where-and-how-130049">if we should even live in the bush</a> any more.</p>
<p>I suggest homes and community buildings in bushfire-prone areas can be made much more fire-resistant, perhaps even fire-proof, by adopting earth-covered, off-grid structures – known as <a href="https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/about.html">Earthships</a> – as the new standard.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/before-we-rush-to-rebuild-after-fires-we-need-to-think-about-where-and-how-130049">Before we rush to rebuild after fires, we need to think about where and how</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Built for survival</h2>
<p>Houses sheltered by earth have a higher chance of survival in a bushfire. This is because <a href="https://inhabitat.com/this-earth-sheltered-australian-hobbit-home-stay-cozy-all-year/">earth-based constructions are non-flammable</a> (while topsoil can burn and smoulder, clayey, sandy and gravelly soil does not). </p>
<p>A typical Earthship design has double-glazed windows to the north to let in winter sun, while mounds of earth, pushed up to roof level, protect the south, east and west walls. Taking this a step further, an earth-covered house includes a layer of earth over the roof.</p>
<p>The north-facing double-glazed windows (an essential element of <a href="https://sustainability.williams.edu/green-building-basics/passive-solar-design">passive solar design</a>) is the only part of the building that needs some other protection.</p>
<p><a href="https://hia.com.au/business-information/standards-regulations/building-in-bushfire-prone-areas">Bushfire building codes and standards</a> already demand that windows have extra-thick, toughened glass to resist burning debris and intense heat. Double glazing (two layers of glass separated by a small air gap) offers extra protection. In very high-risk areas, bushfire shutters are a requirement.</p>
<p>Although not demanded by building codes, automated sprinklers could be used to spray water on the windows. But automated systems are problematic during a bushfire when <a href="https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/news/2019/ten-years-black-saturday-what-have-we-discovered">power and water supplies are likely to fail</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-food-no-fuel-no-phones-bushfires-showed-were-only-ever-one-step-from-system-collapse-130600">No food, no fuel, no phones: bushfires showed we're only ever one step from system collapse</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Independent water supplies (big water tanks) and pumps (usually petrol or diesel) are often a condition of approval for new homes in fire-prone areas. However, these are difficult to automate because of choke, throttle, ignition and refuelling issues.</p>
<h2>Examples around Australia</h2>
<p>Enter the Earthship. Invented by American architect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Reynolds_(architect)">Michael Reynolds</a>, thousands have been built all over the world, often by owner-builders.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TlntQ9EgOxg?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Earthships, invented by Michael Reynolds, are now found all over the world.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I built Australia’s first council-approved Earthship – Earthship Ironbank - in the bushfire-prone Adelaide hills. Australian examples can be found in all states, including at <a href="http://www.earthshipironbank.com.au/">Ironbank</a> in South Australia, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-10-30/kinglake-black-saturday-survivor-builds-earthship/9091972">Kinglake</a> in Victoria, <a href="https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/east-augusta-wa.html">East Augusta</a> and <a href="https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/jurien-bay-wa.html">Jurien Bay</a> in Western Australia, and <a href="https://www.earthshipecohomes.com.au/suburban-earthship.html">Narara</a> and <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/news/it-geek-building-dream-home-out-of-old-tyres-bottles-and-cans/">Marulan</a> in New South Wales.</p>
<p>Earthships have an electric pump powered by solar panels and a battery for day-to-day water supply – and to fight fires. Sprinklers can then spray water on any vulnerable areas regardless of grid failures and without needing to deal with the flammable fuel that petrol and diesel pumps require. </p>
<p>The standard Earthship design has another feature that could save lives. Underground pipes called earth-tubes or cooling tubes bring fresh air into the building at a nice temperature (better than outside) due to the heat-exchanging effect of the earth around the pipes. When wet fabric is placed over the end of the pipes, these can filter out bushfire smoke. </p>
<p>Earth-covered homes are very air-tight, which combined with the earth-tubes helps keep out smoke and reduce <a href="https://www.bushfirecrc.com/sites/default/files/managed/resource/katherine-haynes.pdf">asphyxiation risks</a>. </p>
<p>Another defence mechanism is the “greenhouse”, a sunroom and corridor space on the sunny north side used for passive heating and cooling, treating wastewater and growing food. Yet another layer of double glazing isolates the greenhouse from the living spaces behind it. Adding indoor sprinklers (commonplace in commercial buildings) to the greenhouse could create a “wet buffer zone” and stop embers blowing into living areas where flammable furnishings are a hazard.</p>
<p>An iconic Earthship feature is the tyres used to form the exterior earth walls. While empty tyres are highly flammable, in this design they are not. The tyres are filled with compacted earth and protected by a layer of earth many metres thick (inside walls are rendered). There is already <a href="https://pangeabuilders.com/earthship-buildings-are-fire-resistant-not-a-total-loss/">evidence of their fire-resistant nature</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australian-building-codes-dont-expect-houses-to-be-fire-proof-and-thats-by-design-129540">Australian building codes don't expect houses to be fire-proof – and that's by design</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Safer for the planet too</h2>
<p>My PhD research focused on the energy efficiency and environmental footprint of the Earthship, comparing it to other construction systems and designs. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1UjbmksKYI?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A look at the author’s Earthship Ironbark.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Earth is a low-cost, readily available material. It takes very little energy to dig it up, needs no processing and minimal (if any) transport. It is difficult to think of a more sustainable, inexpensive and non-flammable material.</p>
<p>I found off-grid homes minimise their eco-footprint by kicking three very dirty habits: the power, water and sewage grids. “Earthy” construction methods, such as Earthship, rammed earth, mudbrick and strawbale, also have much lower environmental impacts.</p>
<p>Earth-covered buildings are <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/books/energy-conservation/earth-shelters-a-review-of-energy-conservation-properties-in-earth-sheltered-housing">renowned for their energy efficiency</a>. Earth insulates and has “thermal mass”, an architectural term for dense materials (e.g. concrete, brick, rammed earth, water). Thermal mass evens out temperature changes by absorbing heat when it is too hot inside and releasing heat when it is too cold inside. This means minimal heating and cooling bills.</p>
<p>There are a few “tricks” to getting council approval. Hire an experienced structural engineer and use a private certifier or surveyor for building rules consent as they are better equipped to certify compliance with the <a href="https://ncc.abcb.gov.au/ncc-online/About">National Construction Code</a>. The one aspect of the Earthship I couldn’t get approved was an <a href="http://www.earthshipironbank.com.au/">indoor greywater garden and toilet-flushing system</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-cities-australias-building-and-planning-rules-stand-in-the-way-of-getting-there-84263">Sustainable cities? Australia's building and planning rules stand in the way of getting there</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Parts of the roof are earth-covered with fire-fighting sprinklers on the roof and windows. If I was building again I’d prioritise bushfire resilience by making it fully earth-covered with fire shutters, sprinklers and a safe room.</p>
<p>Further study is needed to scientifically validate my proposal here. However, we already have some evidence that Earthships, with a few minor design changes, might be the most sustainable, liveable, economical, fire-resistant buildings ever conceived of.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/131291/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Martin Freney operates Earthship Eco Homes, a design consultancy dedicated to Earthship inspired homes and Earthship Ironbank, Australia’s first council approved Earthship available for anyone to experience on Airbnb or Sustainable House Day. His PhD thesis is titled “Earthship Architecture: Post Occupancy Evaluation, Thermal Performance and Life Cycle Assessment”. Martin has received funding from Tyre Stewardship Australia (federally funded) to fund a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia to conduct a study titled “physical properties of tyre walls in residential housing construction”.</span></em></p>Earth-covered houses are not only highly fire-resistant, but sustainable features such as off-grid power and water supplies could also be life-saving in a bushfire.Martin Freney, Lecturer in Industrial and Sustainable Design, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1286242020-01-26T19:06:02Z2020-01-26T19:06:02ZHow a year of trying to buy nothing made me a smarter shopper and a better teacher<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311714/original/file-20200123-162246-muon4y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4618%2C3228&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Year 7 students at the International School of Helsinki, Finland, doing a sustainable development exercise with the author (top left) and fellow teacher Rachael Thrash.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katja Lehtonen</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It started as a New Year’s resolution driven by guilt and a touch of sibling rivalry – but by the end of the year, it taught me valuable lessons as a teacher, including about the benefits of failure.</p>
<p>At Christmas dinner 2018, my sister declared she would buy nothing for a year. After living in Bangladesh for two years, she had seen how the world’s fashion industry was wreaking havoc on the country’s people and environment.</p>
<p>I decided to follow her lead. As an Australian living in Finland, I still can’t imagine going a year without a flight home to see family. So buying nothing (apart from groceries) would do something to offset all those carbon-costly air miles. </p>
<p>I’m also a high school humanities teacher, and realised what I was learning while trying to buy nothing could prove useful in a classroom. </p>
<h2>Modelling behaviour</h2>
<p>The effectiveness of <a href="https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/control/modeling-of-behavior/">“modelling”</a> – demonstrating a behaviour, which is then observed and imitated by someone else – as a <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.464.9530&rep=rep1&type=pdf">teaching strategy</a> has long been known in <a href="http://www.stiftelsen-hvasser.no/documents/Bandura_Human_Agency_in_social_Cognitiv_theory.pdf">education literature</a>. There is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JOEE.38.1.39-53">recent evidence</a> to suggest modelling is an effective strategy in education for sustainable development too. </p>
<p>Given this research, I thought modelling sustainable and ethical decision-making while teaching could prompt some interesting discussions, without needing to preach to my students.</p>
<p>This is known as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097340820700100209">education for sustainable development 1</a> (ESD1), where the goal is to raise awareness and change students’ behaviours. ESD1 has also been called <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097340821100500208">instrumental ESD</a>. It’s widely used in teacher training courses and school curricula around the world. It involves encouraging students to learn how their behaviours impact the environment, and what behaviours they could substitute or modify to reduce their ecological footprint.</p>
<p>However, some <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097340820700100209">researchers</a> argue this type of education for sustainable development is not enough, and advocate also including <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097340821100500208">emancipatory education for sustainable development</a>, or ESD2. Its goal is to build students’ capacity in more innovative, critical thinking about sustainable development. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/involving-kids-in-making-schools-sustainable-spreads-the-message-beyond-the-classroom-119470">Involving kids in making schools sustainable spreads the message beyond the classroom</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How I applied modelling in my classroom</h2>
<p>As I began my year of buying nothing, I was about to start teaching Year 7 students a unit called “Progress: At What Cost?”. It examines the parallels between the first industrial revolution – a time of extraordinary change, but also labour exploitation, colonisation and huge increases in pollution – and the challenges from progress today, including from climate change, structural inequalities and the technological revolution.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311717/original/file-20200123-162228-f6kehy.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Year 7 International School of Helsinki students pitching ideas at their innovation fair.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A combination of humanities, English, science and design, the unit culminates with an innovation fair. The students choose one of the United Nation’s <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">Sustainable Development Goals</a> to solve, and at the fair, students, teachers and parents walk around with $1000 in pretend “seed money” to “invest” with the students whose solutions they like best.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311734/original/file-20200124-81352-hstmhp.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students trying to win ‘investment’ for their ideas at the innovation fair.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I’ve come to see these two strands of education for sustainable development as complementary. The first, more concrete ESD1 – learning about the global supply chain, our ecological footprints and low-carbon alternatives – allows students to see the impact of their actions today. ESD2 encourages students to imagine the challenges they might face in future, as well as new solutions.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-why-some-people-still-think-climate-change-isnt-real-124763">Climate explained: why some people still think climate change isn't real</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>My failures produced the best lessons</h2>
<p>If I think about what improved in my classroom because of my new year’s resolution, the biggest gains in my students’ and my own thinking came from discussing my failures. </p>
<p>I didn’t make it the whole year without buying anything. I bought four things: food containers so I could avoid plastic wrap, new running shoes when my old ones began falling apart, a secondhand bike after mine was stolen and a secondhand phone when mine died in a storm.</p>
<p>I went about a week without a phone. It turned out I was as addicted to it as the teenagers in my class. This sparked a conversation about smart phones, screen-time and social media addiction as added costs of progress, and a class challenge to go tech-free for 24 hours. Two students out of the 36 in my class made it. I didn’t.</p>
<p>I decided to buy a secondhand “new” phone. I talked to my students about my checklist of sustainable consumption questions, which helped me buy almost nothing all year:</p>
<ol>
<li> Could I go without it? (No, as it turned out with my phone: I am an addict.)</li>
<li> Could I repair what I had? (I tried drying my old phone out in a bag of rice for two days, but it didn’t work.)</li>
<li> Could I buy a secondhand one? (Yes! I got one from <a href="https://swappie.com/en/">Swappie</a>.)</li>
</ol>
<h2>What I saved and learned</h2>
<p>As my year of buying almost nothing in 2019 came to a close, I had no motivation to hit the post-holiday sales. I’d also saved at least few thousand dollars, which instead went towards paying off my mortgage and more meals out with friends.</p>
<p>At the beginning of this new school year, I don’t pretend to have all the answers about living sustainably. But as a consumer and as a teacher, there’s a lot I can do. I can support my students’ activism, including if they choose to join a <a href="https://fridaysforfuture.org/">Fridays for future</a> school strike for the climate. I can support – and challenge – their critical reasoning capacity in our classrooms the rest of the week. Each of us can make a difference – and we can all start by practising what we preach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128624/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ellen Heyting consults to InspireCitizens.org and CultivatingConnectionsThatMatter.org</span></em></p>My year of buying almost nothing saved me thousands of dollars – but also taught me valuable lessons as a teacher, including about the benefits of failure.Ellen Heyting, PhD student in Education and Head of Years 11 and 12, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1288112020-01-07T15:25:46Z2020-01-07T15:25:46ZFour ways to reduce the carbon in your food basket<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308802/original/file-20200107-123407-jyk5sc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5184%2C3453&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/metal-shopping-cart-model-planet-earth-1485554786">Alena A/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How does your food shop affect the planet? Well, think of it like this – consuming just one egg <a href="https://issuu.com/thema1/docs/tesco_product_carbon_footprint_summary_1_">emits between 260 and 330g of CO₂</a> to the atmosphere. That’s because before that egg can reach your plate, animal feed has to be produced and delivered to the hen that laid it. That hen then needs heating pumped into the shed it shares with the other hens on the farm, and their eggs have to be transported, often by van, to the shop you buy them from, where they’re stored in refrigerators. There’s also the packaging that must be made to store the eggs and the process of cooking them to consider.</p>
<p>All of this takes energy, which, more often than not, is generated using fossil fuels. We can analyse the carbon footprint of a particular food item by working out the quantity of greenhouse gases that are emitted during the production of raw materials, industrial processing, transport, storage, cooking, consumption, and waste. This is called the “cradle-to-grave” approach.</p>
<p>It can help people better understand how the things we use every day affect the world around us. With that in mind, here are four simple rules to help you reduce the carbon footprint of your food basket during your next shopping trip.</p>
<h2>1. Diversify your protein sources</h2>
<p>Of all livestock, cows require the most pasture land and the most feed from land-intensive crops. Their burps also generate large quantities of planet-warming methane, making the carbon footprint of beef <a href="http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/carbon-footprint-factsheet">on average four times higher than pork and poultry</a>. Lamb has a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46459714">high carbon footprint</a>, and its consumption should be also reduced. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308804/original/file-20200107-123395-y5iwyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Protein doesn’t have to come from meat. In fact, beans and pulses are often a healthier source, for you and the planet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/canned-food-background-champignons-olives-beans-1266520018">Good luck images/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Grains, beans, lentils, soya and tofu, nuts and seeds, mushrooms, and seaweed all contain high levels of protein and require far smaller inputs than animals to grow, giving them a very low carbon footprint. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/healthy-and-sustainable-diets-that-meet-greenhouse-gas-emission-reduction-targets-and-are-affordable-for-different-income-groups-in-the-uk/8CBE9E11287F4879AA7CF343791631DF">A recent study</a> showed that it’s possible to reduce dietary greenhouse gas emissions by 80%, just by reducing meat consumption by 70% and dairy consumption by 65%.</p>
<h2>2. Organic doesn’t mean low carbon</h2>
<p>In the absence of calculated carbon footprints on food labels, consumers commonly use other information on labels to estimate the environmental impact. But <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516300300">these can often mislead</a>. Consumers may associate “organic” or “free range” with higher environmental quality (low pesticide intensity and more natural animal rearing), and by extension assume that they are low-carbon products. But while some organic products, such as milk or olive oil, typically have a lower carbon footprint than regular equivalents, <a href="https://issuu.com/thema1/docs/tesco_product_carbon_footprint_summary_1_">the reverse is true</a> for soy milk and organic and free-range eggs versus barn eggs. For pasta, there’s generally no difference between organic and non-organic varieties.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/going-entirely-organic-could-mean-food-emissions-up-70-in-england-and-wales-125656">Going entirely organic could mean food emissions up 70% in England and Wales</a>
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<hr>
<p>Of course, caring for animal welfare and supporting the limited use of chemical fertiliser are important considerations too. But avoid using these keywords to estimate the carbon burden of foods.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308806/original/file-20200107-123389-1me2oaw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Organic food is often better for wildlife and animal welfare, but it’s not necessarily better for the climate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/organic-labeled-delicata-squash-sweet-potato-557161963">Ana Lacob Photography/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>3. Local isn’t always best</h2>
<p>Buying <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516300300">local products doesn’t guarantee a smaller carbon footprint</a>. Transport is an important contributor to the carbon cost of foods but its not the only carbon cost. In fact, the carbon contribution of transport is higher <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-013-0576-2">in low-carbon than high-carbon foods</a>. To this extent, the “food miles” concept, should not be used as an indicator of carbon footprint, because it only considers the transport element of the carbon footprint.</p>
<p>For instance, transport does not increase the footprint for high-carbon products such as meat by much, and it may transpire that lamb from New Zealand in the season of slaughter has lower carbon emissions than British lamb out of season, primarily because of the much lower carbon footprint at rearing, due to more favourable <a href="https://www.ecoandbeyond.co/articles/british-new-zealand-lamb/">weather that allows the animals to eat more grass and less animal feed</a>. On the other hand, green beans from Kenya or asparagus from Peru will have a low carbon footprint at production, but their carbon footprint is much increased by the flight that gets them to supermarket shelves in the UK.</p>
<p>Going local is useful for fruit and vegetables in season, but the carbon emitted by growing them in greenhouses in winter means that importing from a country where the produce is in season is usually more sustainable. Of course, best of all would be to eat in synchrony with the natural seasons where you live, if possible.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-a-healthy-diet-look-like-for-me-and-the-planet-it-depends-where-you-live-123470">What does a healthy diet look like for me and the planet? It depends where you live</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>The carbon footprint of transport can be lower for processed products too. Shipping ground coffee instead of coffee beans or concentrated orange juice rather than oranges implies only transporting the final product, without the waste or the extra water, and using less refrigeration and less packaging. As a result, <a href="https://stanfordmag.org/contents/getting-the-most-sustainable-squeeze-from-your-oj-essential-answer">concentrated orange juice emits less CO₂ than fresh orange juice</a>, and grinding coffee where beans are grown may be more sustainable than importing the beans to be ground elsewhere.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308808/original/file-20200107-123395-1v1hrqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Believe it or not, lamb reared in New Zealand could sometimes be a better choice for UK consumers than local produce.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/xsIOCYmlI1g">Martin Bisof/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. Packaging matters</h2>
<p>Plastic packaging is not always the evil it’s made out to be. Some packaging options, particularly tin and glass, are very heavy, and so can only be transported in smaller quantities. This means that their transport requires more energy per unit of food. As a result, switching from these types of materials to plastic, which is considerably lighter, can reduce carbon emissions. This is particularly the case if the plastic is recyclable.</p>
<p>Plastic packaging can be better than no packaging in some cases. In <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-some-plastic-packaging-is-necessary-to-prevent-food-waste-and-protect-the-environment-117479">extending the shelf life</a> of fresh produce, plastic can be an ally in reducing food waste – which <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-48257019">produces methane</a> if it goes to landfill.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-some-plastic-packaging-is-necessary-to-prevent-food-waste-and-protect-the-environment-117479">Why some plastic packaging is necessary to prevent food waste and protect the environment</a>
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<p>Where packaging is unavoidable, or necessary to preserve food, select the simplest packaging and ensure it’s recyclable.</p>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263883/original/file-20190314-28475-1mzxjur.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&utm_content=Imagineheader1128811">Click here to subscribe to our climate action newsletter. Climate change is inevitable. Our response to it isn’t.</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Luca Panzone receives funding from Global Food Security (BBSRC/NERC/ESRC); N8 Agri-food, Institute for Research on Sustainability, Newcastle University and Unilever. John Kazer (Carbon Trust) and Lucia Rehackova (Newcastle University) provided assistance during the writing of this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Natasha Auch receives funding from ESRC and Unilever.</span></em></p>Plastic packaging isn’t always the enemy and don’t be fooled by organic labels.Luca Panzone, Lecturer in Consumer Behaviour, Newcastle UniversityNatasha Auch, PhD Candidate in Behavioural Economics, Newcastle UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1281252019-12-16T19:02:37Z2019-12-16T19:02:37ZFor a greener future, we must accept there’s nothing inherently sustainable about going digital<p>Digital technologies are often put forward as a solution to environmental dilemmas.</p>
<p>The spread of the internet came with claims of a huge reduction in printing, and by replacing paper with bytes, we thought we’d reduce our negative environmental impact </p>
<p>But this early promise of solving environmental problems may not be delivering because digital devices, like most technologies, also have environmental impacts. </p>
<p>Devices are powered by electricity – often produced in coal-fired plants – and are manufactured from materials such as metals, glass and plastics. These materials also have to be mined, made or recycled.</p>
<p>So, while digital technologies can facilitate environmental benefits, we shouldn’t assume they always do. <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030283063">My research</a> published this year shows much more needs to be done to debunk such myths. </p>
<h2>Measuring digital eco-footprints</h2>
<p>It’s difficult to measure the environmental impacts of our digital lives, partly because the digital ecosystems that facilitate the internet are complex. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-the-eco-friendly-guide-to-online-christmas-shopping-88252">Sustainable Shopping: the eco-friendly guide to online Christmas shopping</a>
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<p>The United Nations Environment Assembly defines a <a href="https://un-spbf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Digital-Ecosystem-final-2.pdf">digital ecosystem</a> as “a complex distributed network or interconnected socio-technological system”. </p>
<p>Simply, digital ecosystems are the result of humans, digital infrastructure and devices interacting with one another. They rely on energy consumption at multiple scales. </p>
<p>The term “digital ecosystem” relates to ecological thinking, specifically in terms of how human-technological systems work. </p>
<p>However, there’s nothing <em>inherently</em> environmentally sustainable about digital ecosystems. </p>
<p>It’s worthwhile considering digital ecosystems’ environmental impacts as they grow.</p>
<p>In 2017, it was reported in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06610-y">Nature</a> that internet traffic (to and from data centres) was increasing at an exponential rate. At that stage, it had reached 1.1 zettabytes (a zettabyte equals one trillion gigabytes). </p>
<p>As our digital use continues, so do our carbon emissions. </p>
<h2>Dangers of data centres</h2>
<p>Data centres majorly contribute to the carbon emissions of digital ecosystems. They are basically factories that store, backup and recover our data. </p>
<p>In April last year, it was estimated data centres around the world used more than 2% of the world’s electricity, and generated the <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/energy-hogs-can-huge-data-centers-be-made-more-efficient">same amount of carbon emissions</a> as the global airline industry (in terms of fuel use). </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-is-it-possible-to-fly-sustainably-88636">Sustainable shopping: is it possible to fly sustainably?</a>
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<p>While there is debate about the impact of flying on climate change, we’re less likely to evaluate our digital lives the same way. </p>
<p>According to British Open University <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/26/trouble-with-bitcoin-big-data-huge-energy-bill">Professor John Naughton</a>, data centres make up about 50% of all energy consumed by digital ecosystems. Personal devices use another 34%, and the industries responsible for manufacturing them use 16%.</p>
<p>Tech giants <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/9/17216656/apple-renewable-energy-worldwide-climate-change">such as Apple</a> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/4/17197342/google-renewable-energy-climate-change">and Google</a> have committed to 100% renewable targets, but they’re just one part of our giant digital ecosystem. </p>
<p>Also, on many occasions, they rely on carbon offsets to achieve this. Offsets involve people and organisations <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/16/carbon-offset-projects-carbon-emissions">investing in environmental projects</a> to balance their carbon emissions from other activities. For instance, people can buy carbon offsets when booking flights. </p>
<p>Offsets have been critiqued for not effectively reducing the carbon footprints of wealthy people, while absolving guilt from continued consumption. </p>
<h2>A carbon-filled road ahead</h2>
<p>With more digital technologies emerging, the environmental impacts of digital ecosystems are probably going to increase. </p>
<p>Apart from the obvious <a href="https://theconversation.com/ai-could-be-a-force-for-good-but-were-currently-heading-for-a-darker-future-124941">social and economic impacts</a>, artificial intelligence’s (AI) environmental implications should be seriously considered. </p>
<p><a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1906.02243.pdf">A paper published in June</a> by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers revealed training a large AI machine could produce five times as much carbon as what one car (including fuel) emits over a person’s lifetime, on average. </p>
<p>Also, this figure only relates to training a large AI machine. There are various other ways these machines suck energy.</p>
<p>Similarly, bitcoin mining (an application of blockchain) continues to consume large amounts of energy, and is increasing on a global scale. According to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/july/bitcoin-energy-use-mined-the-gap.html">International Energy Agency</a>, bitcoin mining uses more energy than some countries, including Austria and Colombia.</p>
<h2>Putting the ‘eco’ back in digital ecosystem</h2>
<p>The digital ecosystem that supports our devices includes storage systems and networks that aren’t in our homes or workplaces, such as “the cloud”. But we should still take responsibility for the impact of such systems.</p>
<p>Satellites are in space. Wires run beneath footpaths, roads and oceans. </p>
<p>All the while, the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/">Internet of Things</a> is creeping into old technologies and transforming how we use them. These underground and distant aspects of digital ecosystems may partly explain why the growing environmental impacts of digital are sidelined. </p>
<p>There are some ways people can find out more about responsible tech options. <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/planet4-international-stateless/2017/01/35f0ac1a-clickclean2016-hires.pdf">A 2017 guide</a> by Greenpeace rated digital tech companies on their green credentials. It assessed a range of corporations, including some managing digital platforms, and others hosting data centres. </p>
<p>But while the guide is useful, it’s also limited by a lack of transparency, because corporations aren’t obliged to share information on how much energy is needed or supplied for their data centres. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/high-tech-consumerism-a-global-catastrophe-happening-on-our-watch-43476">High-tech consumerism, a global catastrophe happening on our watch</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Holding big tech accountable</h2>
<p>The responsibility to make our digital lives more sustainable shouldn’t lie solely with individuals. </p>
<p>Governments should provide a regulatory environment that demands greater transparency on how digital corporations use energy. And holding these corporations accountable should include reporting on whether they are improving the sustainability of their practices.</p>
<p>One immediate step could be for corporations that produce digital devices to move away from planned obsolescence. One example of this is when companies <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/apple-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones">including Apple and Samsung</a> manufacture smartphones that are not designed to last. </p>
<p>Digital sustainability is a useful way to frame how digital technologies affect our environmental world. </p>
<p>We need to acknowledge that technology isn’t just a source of environmental solutions, but also has the potential for negative environmental impact. </p>
<p>Only then can we start to effectively transition to a more sustainable future that also includes digital technologies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128125/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica McLean does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Last year, it was estimated data centres around the world generated the same amount of carbon emissions as created by the global airline industry’s fuel usage.Jessica McLean, Senior Lecturer in Geography, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1259682019-12-04T11:33:12Z2019-12-04T11:33:12ZHow to find the most sustainable and long-lasting children’s toys<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304987/original/file-20191203-67034-yjggu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4636%2C3088&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wjpGuGfxZhE">freestocks.org/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Think about the way plastic pollution has been reported in recent years and you’re probably picturing plastic packaging, films and microfibres. But Christmas brings a deluge of another relatively short-lived plastic product that has received a lot less attention – children’s toys. </p>
<p>Children’s toys form a large and growing global market worth <a href="https://www.toyassociation.org/ta/research/data/global/toys/research-and-data/data/global-sales-data.aspx?hkey=64bda73b-80ee-4f26-bd61-1aca29ff2abf">USD$90.4 billion in 2018</a>. Unlike low weight packaging and film, toys often contain far larger quantities of high-quality virgin plastic material – and they usually last a lot longer than their owner’s interest, such is the rapid pace of child development. </p>
<p>We wanted to find out which toys are best for the planet, to help parents make a sustainable choice of gifts for their children at Christmas. Our research considered a wide range of children’s toys and compared high-value branded toys with those that were cheaper and unbranded.</p>
<p>By studying the life cycles of a range of children’s toys, we were able to determine their environmental impact and calculate how much energy goes into making and using each toy throughout its lifespan. We calculated the energy used to extract and process the raw materials, ship the product, deliver any power requirements such as batteries as well as energy that is lost, used or recovered through recycling or disposing of the toy at the end of its life.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304990/original/file-20191203-66994-r7xgig.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some toys are bought, discarded and dumped in landfill within just a year or two.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/soledade-april-1-2019-approximate-image-1356785255?src=fda13fed-ee4a-4e61-a9b4-4b29f2325cdb-1-14">Felipequeiroz/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found that toys that are kept longer, resold or donated secondhand, have a lower yearly environmental impact overall, as this is likely to negate the manufacture and purchase of new toys. Toys that maintained their interest and relevance to children over time, had multiple uses or could added to as part of a collection had the greatest potential for longer lifespans.</p>
<p>We also considered the secondhand prices of toys online and asked the opinions of secondhand retailers such as charity shops and parents and childcare workers. As you might expect, the secondhand value of a toy is greater for those that are initially more expensive. Higher-value branded products were more likely to be resold whereas cheaper alternatives were more likely to be sent to landfill or donated rather than sold.</p>
<p>So which toys were the most and least sustainable?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304994/original/file-20191203-66998-dpavyv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More expensive toys tend to hold their resale value, and are more likely to find second owners.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-hand-holding-donation-box-clothes-1248084661?src=d8ca5711-0666-4041-b1ac-facc2bd0c39a-1-41">Veja/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Secondhand toy story</h2>
<p>Construction toys such as Lego and Meccano scored well because they can be used for longer and are suitable for children over a wider age range. These collections can be added to and customised, ensuring that they remain challenging and enjoyable as the child grows. Such toys have maintained their popularity over generations and so retain a good residual secondhand value and are more likely to be resold.</p>
<p>The least sustainable toys were typically those that contained electronics. These toys require larger amounts of energy during manufacture, and the electronics hamper their capacity to be recycled. Electronic toys also rely on batteries and tend to only be relevant to younger children, giving them a short lifespan. They are often relatively cheap when new, limiting their value in secondhand sales. Some electronic soft toys are particularly hard to clean, meaning that they are often discarded rather than donated.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304995/original/file-20191203-66982-1802178.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Plastic isn’t all bad – construction toys in particular have a low environmental impact and a long shelf life.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Z9AU36chmQI">Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For early development playthings, the parents and carers we interviewed strongly preferred wooden toys. Secondhand retailers said that wooden toys such as stacking rings and blocks retain relatively high secondhand values, and can have second – or even third – lives. But plastic toys shouldn’t necessarily be demonised – especially products like Lego. Good quality plastic toys are typically highly durable and are easily cleaned before resale.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dreaming-of-a-green-christmas-here-are-five-ways-to-make-it-more-sustainable-108768">Dreaming of a green Christmas? Here are five ways to make it more sustainable</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Top tips for toy purchases this Christmas:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Buy secondhand wherever possible.</p></li>
<li><p>Consider signing up to a local toy library if there’s one in your area. For a small fee per toy or a subscription you can borrow toys as you would a book in a normal library.</p></li>
<li><p>Avoid electronic toys, especially for lower age groups where a child’s capabilities and interests change rapidly. </p></li>
<li><p>Consider how long the toy may be relevant to your child.</p></li>
<li><p>If buying short-lived toys such as art and craft-based toys, try to ensure that the materials are biodegradable or reusable.</p></li>
</ol><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125968/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was undertaken with financial support from the EPSRC-funded Centre for Industrial Energy, Materials and Products. </span></em></p>The most thoughtful gifts can also be the most sustainable, and last long after Christmas has ended.Matthew Watkins, Senior Lecturer in Product Design, Nottingham Trent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1239152019-11-04T19:03:10Z2019-11-04T19:03:10ZWhat is ‘ecological economics’ and why do we need to talk about it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299603/original/file-20191031-30397-jk8ls0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=234%2C63%2C5583%2C3341&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ecological economics focuses on sustainability and development, rather than the traditional economic concerts of efficiency and growth.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/carbon-footprint-concept-drawn-on-billboard-552925435">thodonal88/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article is part of a <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/anzsee-78179">series</a> on rebalancing the human–nature interactions that are central to the study and practice of ecological economics, which is the focus of the <a href="https://anzsee.org.au/2019-anzsee-conference/">2019 ANZSEE Conference</a> in Melbourne later this month.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>As environmental crises and the urgency to create ecological sustainability escalate, so does the importance of ecological economics. This applied, solutions-based field of studies is concerned with sustainability and development, rather than efficiency and growth. Also, given that cities account for <a href="http://nua.unhabitat.org/details1.asp?ProjectId=33&ln=1">70-80% of global economic activity</a> and associated <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-development/news/urban-resource-flows-and-the-governance">resource use</a>, <a href="https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cities-pollution.shtml">emissions</a> and <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/09/20/global-waste-to-grow-by-70-percent-by-2050-unless-urgent-action-is-taken-world-bank-report">waste</a>, they are central to finding solutions to the challenge of sustainability.</p>
<p>Ecological economics recognises local to global environmental limits. It ranges from research for short-term policy and local challenges through to long-term visions of sustainable societies. Ecological economists also consider global issues such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-what-each-of-us-can-do-to-reduce-our-carbon-footprint-123851">carbon emissions</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-amazon-is-on-fire-here-are-5-things-you-need-to-know-122326">deforestation</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/plenty-of-fish-in-the-sea-not-necessarily-as-history-shows-84440">overfishing</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/plants-are-going-extinct-up-to-350-times-faster-than-the-historical-norm-122255">species extinctions</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-cities-fall-short-on-sustainability-but-planning-innovations-offer-local-solutions-107091">Our cities fall short on sustainability, but planning innovations offer local solutions</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Core concepts</h2>
<p>You’re probably familiar with some core concepts of ecological economics. These include “steady-state economies”, “carrying capacity”, “ecological footprints” and “environmental justice”.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299762/original/file-20191031-187912-wzwxwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=837&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen was one of the first economists to argue that an economy faces limits to growth as a result of resource depletion.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A <strong><a href="https://www.casse-nsw.org.au/">steady-state economy</a></strong> is both relatively stable and respects ecological limits. Drawing on the work of mathematician and economist <a href="https://www.hetwebsite.net/het/profiles/georgescu.htm">Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen</a>, economist <a href="http://np4sd.org/about/herman-daly/">Herman Daly</a> elaborated the model, editing a 1973 anthology, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Daly#Toward_a_Steady-State_Economy">Toward a Steady-State Economy</a>. </p>
<p>In 1990, Daly co-founded the International Society of Ecological Economics (<a href="http://www.isecoeco.org/">ISEE</a>). It had three key principles:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the human economy is embedded in nature, and economic processes are actually biological, physical and chemical processes and transformations</p></li>
<li><p>ecological economics is a meeting place for researchers committed to environmental issues</p></li>
<li><p>ecological economics requires transdisciplinary work to describe economic processes in relation to physical reality.</p></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.uvm.edu/gund/profiles/joshua-farley">Joshua Farley</a>, who has worked with Daly, discusses some of these principles in an opening address to the Australia New Zealand Society of Ecological Economics (<a href="https://anzsee.org.au/">ANZSEE</a>) <a href="https://anzsee.org.au/2019-anzsee-conference/">conference</a> at RMIT University later this month. </p>
<p>In a partnership program of several North American universities, Farley teaches <a href="https://e4a-net.org/what-is-e4a/">Economics for the Anthropocene</a> postgraduates. They apply ecological economics to “real-world environmental solutions”. Some will talk at the conference about their research.</p>
<p>Today overconsumption is measured against Earth’s <strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/human-carrying-capacity-and-our-need-for-a-parachute-7160">carrying capacity</a></strong>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/human-carrying-capacity-and-our-need-for-a-parachute-7160">Human carrying capacity and our need for a parachute</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><a href="http://williamrees.org/biography/">William Rees</a> and <a href="https://www.footprintnetwork.org/about-us/people/?_ga=2.189136171.1872162861.1572564412-1050177602.1571894476">Mathis Wackernagel</a> developed the related concept of the <strong><a href="https://www.footprintnetwork.org/">ecological footprint</a></strong>. It’s an indicator of the ecological impacts of everyday activities and practices. </p>
<p>Ecological footprints are useful ways for industries, <a href="https://theconversation.com/chinese-migrants-follow-and-add-to-australian-city-dwellers-giant-ecological-footprints-103921">governments</a> and <a href="https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/change-the-way-you-live/ecological-footprint-calculator#gs.8476ub">people</a> to assess which practices we need to reduce to keep within the limits of Earth’s regenerative capacity.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fACkb2u1ULY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The ecological footprint explained.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chinese-migrants-follow-and-add-to-australian-city-dwellers-giant-ecological-footprints-103921">Chinese migrants follow and add to Australian city dwellers' giant ecological footprints</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>ISEE co-founder <a href="https://ictaweb.uab.cat/personal_detail.php?id=15">Joan Martinez-Alier</a> established the global <a href="https://ejatlas.org/">Environmental Justice Atlas</a>. Activists and scholars developed this online database of around 3,000 <strong>environmental justice</strong> conflicts. It provides open access to many and various ecological and economic value assessments.</p>
<p>Issues of <a href="https://ejatlas.org/country/australia">environmental justice in Australia</a> include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gards.org/asbestos-related-disease-facts-and-figures-australia-2018/">fatalities from asbestos-related diseases</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/fossil-fuels-are-bad-for-your-health-and-harmful-in-many-ways-besides-climate-change-107771">health and climate impacts of coal mining</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/expanding-gas-mining-threatens-our-climate-water-and-health-113047">natural gas fracking</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-just-blame-government-and-business-for-the-recycling-crisis-it-begins-with-us-121241">ineffective waste systems</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-much-landfill-does-australia-have-78404">landfills</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/logged-native-forests-mostly-end-up-in-landfill-not-in-buildings-and-furniture-115054">clear-felling of Australian forests</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-might-water-down-illegal-logging-laws-heres-why-its-a-bad-idea-86832">timber imports</a> from Asia-Pacific deforestation.</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/an-environmentally-just-city-works-best-for-all-in-the-end-53803">An environmentally just city works best for all in the end</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299606/original/file-20191031-187907-9b803j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mountains of waste are a stark reminder we are consuming more than the Earth can sustain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mountain-garbage-working-backhoe-181863353">ThavornC/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A new kind of economics</h2>
<p>Ecological economics partly developed from frustration with the narrowness of environmental and resource economics. These approaches apply mainstream economics to the environment. In doing so, they fail to incorporate critical environmental concerns that arise with inputs, outputs and waste.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-gdp-are-there-better-ways-to-measure-well-being-33414">Beyond GDP: are there better ways to measure well-being?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In addition, ecological economists have a <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-gdp-are-there-better-ways-to-measure-well-being-33414">broader view about what “progress” is</a> and how to measure it. Ecological econonomists are more sceptical about how much human-made capital improves on the benefits we get from nature. Critically, they ask: “How useful is it to put a monetary value on nature?”</p>
<p>Ecological economist <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/clive-hamilton-195">Clive Hamilton</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-price-of-god-at-coronation-hill-49235">discusses</a> that question in the case of Coronation Hill in Kakadu National Park. He argues that market-based assessments such as “willingness to pay” favour market-based solutions. Similarly, <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/brian-coffey-162907">Brian Coffey</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/cents-and-sensibility-why-its-unwise-to-put-dollar-figures-on-nature-49508">highlights</a> the conundrum of monetising ecological values: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I would rather ask “why is nature important?” and “how can we live with, and within, it?”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Despite this, certain ecological economists use monetary data to make powerful ecological statements. For instance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ida-kubiszewski-142545">Ida Kubiszewski</a> and her co-authors surveyed land uses under different future scenarios. They <a href="https://theconversation.com/without-action-asia-pacific-ecosystems-could-lose-a-third-of-their-value-by-2050-63452">concluded</a> that continuing business as usual could wipe out a third of the value of Asia-Pacific ecosystems by 2050. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/without-action-asia-pacific-ecosystems-could-lose-a-third-of-their-value-by-2050-63452">Without action, Asia-Pacific ecosystems could lose a third of their value by 2050</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Solutions for sustainable and just futures</h2>
<p>In short, ecological economics has contributors from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds. </p>
<p>Presenters to the ANZSEE conference of course include ecologists and economists. But there are also social and physical scientists, sociologists, philosophers, historians, planners and sustainability experts.</p>
<p>Sustainability expert <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/samuel-alexander-102353">Samuel Alexander</a> speaks about <a href="https://theconversation.com/limits-to-growth-policies-to-steer-the-economy-away-from-disaster-57721">living well with degrowth</a>. Others argue that a climate-safe world requires radical forms of economics. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/limits-to-growth-policies-to-steer-the-economy-away-from-disaster-57721">Limits to growth: policies to steer the economy away from disaster</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Contributors will also talk about <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-our-response-to-climate-change-needs-to-be-a-just-and-careful-revolution-that-limits-pushback-123588">just transitions</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/keeping-the-city-cool-isnt-just-about-tree-cover-it-calls-for-a-commons-based-climate-response-120491">commoning</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-search-for-an-alternative-to-gdp-to-measure-a-nations-progress-the-new-zealand-experience-118169">genuine progress indicator</a> (GPI), <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-stand-with-the-climate-striking-students-its-time-to-create-a-new-economy-123893">School Strike for Climate</a> (SS4C), <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-next-after-100-resilient-cities-funding-ends-116734">resilience</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/2050-is-too-late-we-must-drastically-cut-emissions-much-sooner-121512">decarbonisation</a> and ethical investment. Keynote speaker <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jon-altman-2991">Jon Altman</a> presents a model of hybrid economies that’s useful in the context of Indigenous peoples.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123915/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anitra Nelson is Vice-President of the Australia New Zealand Society of Ecological Economics (ANZSEE), has been on the ANZSEE executive (2015–19) and is Chair of the Organising Committee for the ANZSEE 2019 Conference at RMIT University. An Australian research team she has led also received funding associated with entries made for the online data-base EJAtlas.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Coffey is on the Organising Committee for the ANZSEE 2019 Conference, which is to be held at RMIT University. </span></em></p>Ecological economics focuses on sustainability and development rather than efficiency and growth. Cities, as home to 70-80% of economic activity, are at the heart of the challenge of being sustainable.Anitra Nelson, Associate Professor, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT UniversityBrian Coffey, Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow, Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1245942019-10-02T13:44:22Z2019-10-02T13:44:22ZPasha 38: How cloud computing can speed up development in African countries<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295178/original/file-20191002-49365-suhopc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Cloud computing is the delivery and storage of technology capabilities over the internet. It can be a valuable tool, but to unlock its capability is no easy task. There are certain fundamentals that need to be in place. </p>
<p>In today’s episode of Pasha, Willem Fourie an associate Professor at the University of Pretoria, looks at the four fundamentals needed to get African countries to use cloud computing effectively. He discusses this with examples of where cloud computing is being used successfully. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cloud-computing-could-be-key-to-speeding-up-africas-development-121344">Cloud computing could be key to speeding up Africa's development</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Photo:</strong>
Jozsef Bagota
Future Technologies, Internet of Things, Cloud Computing in Africa <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/future-technologies-internet-things-cloud-computing-1438769294?src=IdiKwI7YsQiv17HYB6811g-1-19">Shutterstock</a></p>
<p><strong>Music</strong>
“Happy African Village” by John Bartmann found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124594/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Cloud computing can play a crucial role in helping African countries reach sustainable development.Ozayr Patel, Digital EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1212462019-08-21T19:53:34Z2019-08-21T19:53:34ZAccess to land is a barrier to simpler, sustainable living. Public housing could offer a way forward<p>Many of us do not need to hear any more warnings from <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/">the IPCC</a>, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2209126-david-attenborough-on-climate-change-we-cannot-be-radical-enough/">David Attenborough</a> or climate activists like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/11/greta-thunberg-schoolgirl-climate-change-warrior-some-people-can-let-things-go-i-cant">Greta Thunberg</a>. We have seen enough to be convinced that limitless <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/post-capitalism-life-within-environmental-limits">economic growth and the globalisation of high-consumption lifestyles</a> have <a href="https://www.breakthroughonline.org.au/whatliesbeneath">brought our planet’s life-support systems to the brink of collapse</a>.</p>
<p>In response to today’s urgent ecological and social problems, we often hear calls from sustainability advocates about the need to “<a href="https://www.sloww.co/downshifting-simple-living/">downshift</a>” away from consumer lifestyles, to practise <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-revolution-disguised-as-organic-gardening-in-memory-of-bill-mollison-66137">permaculture</a> and to embrace <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-simple-life-manifesto-and-how-it-could-save-us-33081">simpler ways</a> to live. When these <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-spiritual-home-of-overconsumption-but-they-also-hold-the-key-to-a-better-future-108496">movements scale up</a>, the argument goes, we will “<a href="http://theconversation.com/life-in-a-degrowth-economy-and-why-you-might-actually-enjoy-it-32224">degrow</a>” our economies to a sustainable scale.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/life-in-a-degrowth-economy-and-why-you-might-actually-enjoy-it-32224">Life in a 'degrowth' economy, and why you might actually enjoy it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Important though these analyses and perspectives are, they almost always leave something critical out of the conversation. There is a very powerful reason we are currently unable to move toward a simpler and sustainable society: the costs of securing access to land for housing often mean only the relatively affluent can afford such “green lifestyles”.</p>
<p>In response to this problem, we offer some ideas to show how public land could be used for sustainable forms of community-led development.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288831/original/file-20190821-170914-1icx8ko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Creating a place like Sustainable Fawkner’s ‘Dandelion Patch’ depends on access to suitable land. More creative public housing policies could lead the way in developing more community food gardens (for example, see www.ntwonline.weebly.com).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/16183127878">Takver/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The property system makes simple living hard</h2>
<p>Recognition of the need for <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-strikes-greta-thunberg-calls-for-system-change-not-climate-change-heres-what-that-could-look-like-112891">system change</a> is growing. But those arguing for high-impact societies to downshift toward cultures of sustainable consumption need to acknowledge a fundamental problem more clearly: simply keeping a roof over our heads can demand an energy-intensive lifestyle and a dependence on market growth.</p>
<p>Why? Having to buy or rent a home in capitalist societies like Australia has huge implications for most of us. It affects what we do for work, how much we work, our need for a car, etc. And, if you can barely afford land or your own home, putting solar panels on the roof, working part-time or growing your own organic food all become very unlikely.</p>
<p>In short, securing the basic need for housing is putting people in <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/more-home-owners-falling-behind-on-mortgage-as-debt-climbs-20190617-p51yhg.html">more and more debt</a>. This often means any attempt at “dropping out” of market consumerism first involves a whole lot of “dropping in”. The consequences of this reality are anything but <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Affluenza-When-Much-Never-Enough/dp/1741146712">simple, local and sustainable</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-spiritual-home-of-overconsumption-but-they-also-hold-the-key-to-a-better-future-108496">The suburbs are the spiritual home of overconsumption. But they also hold the key to a better future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A different type of land and housing opportunity is needed for reasons of sustainability and equity. Central here is the recognition that access to land, just as with air and water, is not a market product. <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/LandAndHR/Pages/LandandHumanRightsIndex.aspx">It is a human right</a> and should be recognised as such. </p>
<p>Even discussing land reform in terms of “affordable housing” still frames land as a market commodity. These discussions often rely on notions of charity and welfare to increase access to land when it really should be available as a right.</p>
<p>But in a nation where simply <a href="https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2019/07/negative-gearing-reform-dead-buried-cremated/">abolishing negative gearing appears to be politically unpalatable</a>, it would be pragmatic, as a first step, to explore less controversial but still effective policy approaches.</p>
<h2>Pointers to rethinking how we govern land</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1941069">many conceptions</a> of property, which means we do not simply have to choose between free market capitalism and state socialism. In Singapore, for example, <a href="https://www.hdb.gov.sg/cs/infoweb/about-us/history">more than 80% of residents live in state-provided housing</a>. </p>
<p>Societies can govern access to land in an infinite variety of ways. Each way distributes or concentrates wealth and power in progressive or regressive ways.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-century-of-public-housing-lessons-from-singapore-where-housing-is-a-social-not-financial-asset-121141">A century of public housing: lessons from Singapore, where housing is a social, not financial, asset</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One policy deserving of attention involves attempting to transcend the “welfare” framing of existing uses of public housing. Already, secure access to public land has empowered some residents to participate <a href="https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/living/rights-responsibilities/get-involved/chapters/community-greening-program">in programs such as community food gardens, resources repair/share programs, housing management, maintenance</a> and, in the UK, even <a href="http://www.forevergreen.org.uk/Forever_Green_Ecological_Architects/hedgehog-self-build-housing-co-op.html">housing construction</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288838/original/file-20190821-170935-10tygd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Public housing residents in Fitzroy, Melbourne, maintain this community garden.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au/">BSL/Cultivating Community</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In New South Wales, <a href="https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/housing/living/rights-responsibilities/get-involved/chapters/community-greening-program">50,000 public housing residents</a> have converted many hectares of land in social housing areas into gardens growing vegetables, fruit and flowers. In Victoria, <a href="http://www.cultivatingcommunity.org.au/community-gardens/our-services-2/">more than 20 public housing estates</a> have established community gardens. </p>
<p>If these self-selecting residents could be <a href="http://ntwonline.weebly.com/">better supported and validated</a>, their status in society (and how they might conceive of themselves) could move from being regarded as “social dependants” to “pioneers of a new economy”. By showing that access to public land can help with the emergence of local and sustainable <a href="https://thenextsystem.org/cultivating-community-economies">community economies</a>, such experiments could be the cultural driver of a broader policy rethink of how we govern land.</p>
<p>For example, more public land could be made available for <a href="http://www.forevergreen.org.uk/Forever_Green_Ecological_Architects/hedgehog-self-build-housing-co-op.html">housing construction collectives</a>, where people participate in building their own homes under the guidance of experts. Australia could seek inspiration from Senegal, where <a href="https://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/06/17/senegal-transforming-14000-villages-into-ecovillages/">14,000 ecovillages</a> are being developed.</p>
<p>In governing land we are limited only by our imaginations. Currently, a chronic lack of imagination is being shown. It is time to experiment with new frameworks that can increase access to land and thereby empower more people to explore lifestyles of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-are-the-spiritual-home-of-overconsumption-but-they-also-hold-the-key-to-a-better-future-108496">reduced consumption and increased self-sufficiency</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/farming-the-suburbs-why-cant-we-grow-food-wherever-we-want-80330">Farming the suburbs – why can’t we grow food wherever we want?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The first step is recognising the obstacle</h2>
<p>We call on the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1469540512444019">simple living</a>, <a href="https://retrosuburbia.com/">permaculture</a> and <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789811321306">degrowth</a> movements – and the sustainability movement more generally – to better recognise the obstacle that access to land presents to achieving their goals. More energy and activism should be dedicated to envisioning, campaigning for and experimenting with <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Housing-for-Degrowth-Principles-Models-Challenges-and-Opportunities/Nelson-Schneider/p/book/9781138558052">alternative property and housing arrangements</a>.</p>
<p>Our purpose is not to dismiss the importance of the various <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/post-capitalism-life-within-environmental-limits">downshifting movements</a>. We need as many people as possible pushing against the tide of consumerism and showing that low-impact living can be <a href="http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue61/Alexander1_61.pdf">good living</a>.</p>
<p>These social movements will help create the culture of <a href="https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Sufficiency-Economy-Samuel-Alexander/9780994160614">sufficiency</a> that is needed to support a politics of sustainability. But any such politics must include more empowering and creative land policies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121246/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Baumann is affiliated with the NTW project (<a href="http://www.ntwonline.weebly.com">www.ntwonline.weebly.com</a>). This project is working on a reframing of public housing policy settings – to provide an example of local collaborative development on public land. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Alexander does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The cost of land and, in turn, housing forces people to buy into the rules of market capitalism, making it very hard to ‘downshift’ from consumer lifestyles. But what if we rethink public housing?Alex Baumann, Casual Academic, School of Social Sciences & Psychology, Western Sydney UniversitySamuel Alexander, Research fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1163902019-05-03T15:08:55Z2019-05-03T15:08:55ZDon’t write off abandoned buildings – they can be an important resource for the community<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273110/original/file-20190507-103060-d8oy4g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/cQ1BNRYjVJo">Jens Lindner/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You need only look to the UK’s high streets to see myriad buildings in decline. Walk through any city or town and witness the empty shops, vacant office blocks and derelict housing. A <a href="https://www.rsph.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/dbdbb8e5-4375-4143-a3bb7c6455f398de.pdf">recent report</a> from the <a href="https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIje-thYH94QIVS0HTCh2gRQPzEAAYASABEgIG0fD_BwE">Royal Society for Public Health</a> revealed that one in 10 high street shops in the UK is empty.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0743915618810438">research</a> has found that people see value in derelict buildings that is often overlooked by policymakers, urban planners and property developers. The idea of economic value tends to dominate when dealing with buildings that require restoration, redevelopment and possibly demolition. But our work identified other ways that people value such buildings, that could prompt public policymakers to re-evaluate the role that empty or buildings play in society. As part of our research we talked to a number of people whose fascination with derelict buildings leads them to photograph these decaying relics.</p>
<p>This cultural interest is associated with the genre of “<a href="https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/dan-barasch-ruin-and-redemption.html">ruin porn</a>” and has been highlighted in North American cities such as Detroit where <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/08/17/us/detroit-decline.html">deindustrialisation and economic instability</a> have created a ruined landscape of once-fine civic buildings, their faded grandeur contrasting sharply with the bleak urban landscape. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bx7tF1Ov8Vs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Modern ruins rarely attract the same fascination, admiration or protection in comparison to recognised heritage sites. Often working-class heritage such as factories, mills and public transport hubs are overlooked in favour of castles, cathedrals and other sites of historical significance.</p>
<p>In drawing attention to neglected buildings through their photography, our interviewees counter this sense of waste, reject heritage prejudice and celebrate local culture. These people distinguish between old and new buildings and describe much of what is replacing the old as “homogeneous”, “devoid of any character” and “plain and uninteresting”.</p>
<h2>‘Meanwhile’ projects</h2>
<p>The negative impact of dereliction also creates “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09581596.2013.873532">spatial stigma</a>” where particular areas become associated with crime and social deprivation because of the number of abandoned buildings. But an alternative approach is to consider the value of derelict buildings for temporary use projects. Such “meanwhile” projects are environmentally sustainable as they enable buildings to be reused, decreasing the carbon, energy and water footprints created by demolition. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273114/original/file-20190507-103078-h0ahxt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Disused buildings can be repurposed to benefit local communities from youth clubs to cafes and drop-in centres.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/1hUY8SpJ8Cw">v2osk/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Temporary-use projects also have a economic impact by enabling businesses to use derelict buildings for short periods of time, often stimulating short-term economic growth and delaying demolition. For example, in Switzerland, <a href="https://projekt-interim.ch/en/">Projekt Interim</a> is an organisation that coordinates temporary rental and use of (temporarily) vacant property for business start-ups, pop-up shops and living accommodation.</p>
<p>These projects can also have a huge impact on local communities. The <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/clerkenwell-fire-station-to-reopen-as-temporary-homeless-shelter-after-five-years-lying-empty-at-a4121816.html">recent announcement</a> that Clerkenwell fire station in London has been repurposed as a temporary homeless shelter demonstrates the benefits of reclaiming vacant space. Similarly, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/britain-opens-its-doors-to-communities-in-need">Open Doors project</a> is a new UK-wide government scheme in consultation with the <a href="https://www.meanwhile.org.uk/">Meanwhile Foundation</a> that opens vacant high street spaces for meanwhile use by local community.</p>
<p>The Open Doors scheme encourages communities to be more creative when tackling the social and economic challenges they face, especially when it comes to young people. Gang violence in London, for example, has been partly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/jul/29/young-people-gangs-youth-clubs-close">attributed</a> to the loss of community clubs and youth centres. </p>
<p>This repurposing of abandoned buildings for the good of the community resonated with the sentiments of one of our interviewees:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I always like the idea of places, like churches, being used for the community because that is why they were there in the first place. So if it can’t be a church, can it not be something for the local kids: youth clubs or something like that? That would be ideal for these places.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Such government schemes help to foster community ownership and pride in the local environment, encouraging people to get involved in the planning and decision-making that affects their lives. This could be supported by providing funding for community-led redevelopment. In Scotland, the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2015/6/contents/enacted">Community Empowerment Act 2015</a> is a good example of how this could be achieved by reducing legal barriers for communities to reclaim disused buildings.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273112/original/file-20190507-103063-2mxdh3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=631&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Often perfectly decent buildings fall into disrepair which is wasteful of good resources.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/wNvBv3kVGVI">Patrick Pierre/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But temporary use is not always an option and often these buildings cannot be saved. In these cases, the wasting of buildings becomes a spectacle of prolonged ruination or demolition. A prime example is the <a href="http://www.disappearing-glasgow.com/">Disappearing Glasgow</a> project that documents the recent mass demolition of high-rise tower blocks in the city.</p>
<p>Neglected and unused buildings are ubiquitous in our surroundings and often go unnoticed, but they exist as a valuable resource, offering the potential for community projects and commercial opportunities that could enrich the lives of many.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116390/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One in 10 shops in the UK lies empty. These buildings could be put to good “meanwhile” use to benefit and sustain communities.Stephanie Anderson, Lecturer in Marketing, University of GlasgowKathy Hamilton, Reader in Marketing, University of Strathclyde Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1104952019-01-27T18:57:02Z2019-01-27T18:57:02ZLife in a tiny house: what’s it like and how can it be made better?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255519/original/file-20190125-108358-4xnfwo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Although tiny houses take many forms, most are situated in rural or semi-rural areas.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://naturallyjek.com/">Jekka Shearer</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Mention “tiny house” in any social gathering and people almost always say, “Oh I <em>love</em> tiny houses.” The enthusiasm for tiny houses isn’t matched, however, by the take-up of tiny house living. Very few people actually live in tiny houses. So, why the discrepancy? </p>
<p>As a follow-up to my research (in <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-love-tiny-houses-so-why-arent-more-of-us-living-in-them-44230">2015</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/interest-in-tiny-houses-is-growing-so-who-wants-them-and-why-83872">2017</a>), I interviewed people around the country (in person and on social media) about their lived experience in tiny houses. I also stayed in a tiny house. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-love-tiny-houses-so-why-arent-more-of-us-living-in-them-44230">Australians love tiny houses, so why aren’t more of us living in them?</a></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/interest-in-tiny-houses-is-growing-so-who-wants-them-and-why-83872">Interest in tiny houses is growing, so who wants them and why?</a></em></p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=948&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255526/original/file-20190125-108338-8nx9td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1192&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tiny houses need to maximise use of every space.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Heather Shearer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most of the people I interviewed were in southeast Queensland, but some were in Victoria and Tasmania. The majority were situated in rural or semi-rural areas, although a couple lived in suburban locations (Brisbane and Logan). </p>
<p>Most were aged in their 20s, or were 55-plus, and were couples or singles, the majority women. A few had children. </p>
<p>Nearly all had built their own tiny house, but some had bought their homes from tiny house builders. Interestingly, few homes were the archetypal tiny house on wheels – there were container houses, converted buses, and even tents. </p>
<p>This accords with research on the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14036096.2018.1487879?journalCode=shou20">typology of tiny houses</a>, which found they can take a number of forms. Note: “<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/1/26/htm">True tiny houses</a> … (whether on foundation or wheels) are generally smaller than 400 sq ft (37m<sup>2</sup>).” </p>
<h2>So how do people feel about tiny house life?</h2>
<p>People had lived in their tiny houses from weeks to a couple of years. The majority had only positive things to say about tiny house living. As one respondent enthused:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I LOVE it. Love living in it; independent side of things … it’s much better than [living in] the caravan – own shower, kitchen, composting toilet, complete independence. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I actually enjoy to live in a smaller space, because you don’t feel overwhelmed, and with kids you can see all the time, you can hear them and see what they’re up to. I love tiny house living, and I would love to help other people getting into it, it would be awesome.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255534/original/file-20190125-108348-16h2e80.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some tiny houses can be found in the suburbs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Heather Shearer</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other positive experiences included:</p>
<ul>
<li>freedom from debt – “the real cost savings and availability to be an actual home owner instead of permanent debt”</li>
<li>community – “joining the community of like-minded people”</li>
<li>having one’s own space. </li>
</ul>
<p>People also often mentioned the ease of maintenance. Nearly all commented on how easy it was to keep clean and to heat or cool. One respondent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Cleaning the house takes half an hour and I know where everything is. I don’t accumulate things I don’t need.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another commented:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A tiny house is a breeze to clean. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Those who were negative expressed minor concerns with issues such as cleaning composting toilets and small spaces. One commented:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The multipurpose nature of each room means that the bedding smells like fish when I cook salmon. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255523/original/file-20190125-108367-1t8rxi1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can have a decent kitchen, but think twice about cooking anything that you don’t want to smell throughout the house.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://naturallyjek.com/">Jekka Shearer</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=764&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255524/original/file-20190125-108345-e6zpgz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=960&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Making do: the basin doubles as a baby bath.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://naturallyjek.com/">Jekka Shearer</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But, more seriously, longer-term concerns included:</p>
<ul>
<li>insecurity of tenure</li>
<li>lack of privacy</li>
<li>inability to get bank loans</li>
<li>difficulties with having young children in a very small space. </li>
</ul>
<p>One young Tasmanian couple with a 15-month-old son moved out of their tiny house (which they had built themselves) partly because it was too difficult to keep their active child content in the small space during the cold and wet winter months. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tiny-houses-look-marvellous-but-have-a-dark-side-three-things-they-dont-tell-you-on-marketing-blurb-109592">Tiny houses look marvellous but have a dark side: three things they don't tell you on marketing blurb</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Here to stay but planning laws haven’t kept up</h2>
<p>An ongoing issue is where to put tiny houses. <a href="https://theconversation.com/tiny-houses-the-big-idea-that-could-take-some-heat-out-of-the-housing-crisis-77295">Planning laws are still the major obstacle</a> to tiny house living.</p>
<p>One respondent said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t like the fact that there is no surety that I can stay legally in one place. I don’t like knowing that I can’t stay long-term. You know what your timeframe is for renting, [you’re] not going to be moved for a ridiculous reason. There’s no protection if in a tiny house. Silly [council] rules like I [have to] stay in it for two nights, then move into the main house for one night, I get why these things have been put into place … waste and water, amenity; but I don’t see why [regulations] for that can’t be implemented. </p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tiny-houses-the-big-idea-that-could-take-some-heat-out-of-the-housing-crisis-77295">Tiny houses: the big idea that could take some heat out of the housing crisis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255528/original/file-20190125-108367-1vdnf1f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=506&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The biggest challenge with tiny houses isn’t making them comfortable and homely, it’s finding a site with long-term security of tenure.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://naturallyjek.com/">Jekka Shearer</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1067&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255532/original/file-20190125-108361-v51jqe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Interior of a tiny house for sale.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://aussietinyhouses.com.au/">Heather Shearer</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Major findings of this and other research are that tiny houses are here to stay. They are definitely not just a niche market, but <em>are</em> more suited to certain demographics. </p>
<p>Interestingly, those who had moved to more conventional houses seemed almost guilty about having left. Tiny houses should be more <a href="https://theconversation.com/tiny-houses-look-marvellous-but-have-a-dark-side-three-things-they-dont-tell-you-on-marketing-blurb-109592">realistically viewed as one stage in the lifetime housing journey</a>, which may suit some and not others. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-more-flexible-housing-for-21st-century-lives-102636">Housing in the 21st century needs to be more flexible</a> to suit various lifestyle stages and households, not just singles and nuclear families. Safe shelter is a fundamental human right, but conventional housing has become increasingly unattainable for many. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-more-flexible-housing-for-21st-century-lives-102636">We need more flexible housing for 21st-century lives</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Local governments in particular could be far more proactive by adapting their planning schemes to permit more flexible types of dwellings, obviously in accordance with building, health, safety and environmental regulations. This would enable people to live in security without being afraid that they are going to be moved off because some neighbour might complain. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>As long as safe and sanitary, and not an environmental eyesore, then why not? It’s very easy to say, if you have a certain size property, then you can have x tiny houses, [at a] certain distance.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Finally, as the owner of a property that has a number of tiny houses said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I have worked in urban development for 20 years and the concept of affordable housing is a furphy unless we change legislation and allow people to live smaller. I am passionate that housing should be accessible by all, that people shouldn’t have to resort to social and public housing. Tiny housing offers a major disruptive solution to an ever-growing housing unaffordability and social divide in housing.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Shearer is a member of the Australian Greens Party. </span></em></p>Tiny houses aren’t for everyone, but most people who live in them are positive about the experience. Yet planning laws still make this way of life harder and less secure than it could be.Heather Shearer, Research Fellow, Cities Research Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/970692018-06-05T20:07:31Z2018-06-05T20:07:31ZMaking a global agenda work locally for healthy, sustainable living in tropical Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/220969/original/file-20180530-120484-2gngra.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Planning and design for healthy, liveable communities in the Australian tropics can involve quite different considerations from those that apply down south.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Silvia Tavares</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Life in the tropics is often seen as “living in paradise”, a place where everything grows and flourishes. This picture-postcard environment is not the year-round reality. At certain times of year, intense heat, humidity and the wet season affect liveability, making outdoor activity unattractive and thereby reducing social cohesion.</p>
<p>Urban living can already be pretty insular these days. People move from temperature-controlled houses to temperature-controlled cars to temperature-controlled offices, and vice versa. There’s no need to talk to anyone really. And exercise? It’s something you try to fit in if you can – but you probably don’t.</p>
<p>An ideal city life might be one in which you walk or cycle to work easily, say hi to a neighbour, and pick up some fresh produce for lunch along the way. While it is nice to expect that people will do this for a healthier self and planet, the truth is that <a href="https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017/2/10/jeff-speck-4-ways-to-make-a-city-more-walkable">daily life choices depend on convenience</a>. </p>
<p>Furthermore, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/designing-the-compassionate-city-to-overcome-built-in-biases-and-help-us-live-better-92726">planning and design (or haphazard evolution) of urban spaces largely dictate the way we live</a>. This in turn <a href="https://www.thefifthestate.com.au/columns/news-from-the-front-desk/on-why-cars-should-come-with-a-health-warning-and-maybe-our-cities-should-too/99077?mc_cid=3505518555&mc_eid=64a8a9dd84">affects our health in many ways</a>. It can, for instance, encourage or discourage active lifestyles, social cohesion and access to healthy food choices.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/designing-the-compassionate-city-to-overcome-built-in-biases-and-help-us-live-better-92726">Designing the compassionate city to overcome built-in biases and help us live better</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is where the New Urban Agenda comes into play. </p>
<h2>The New Urban Agenda and why it matters</h2>
<p>The <a href="http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/NUA-English.pdf">New Urban Agenda</a>, drafted by UN-Habitat and endorsed in late 2016 by the United Nations General Assembly, aims to help everyone to benefit from urbanisation. </p>
<p>Through <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/">Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 (Sustainable cities and communities)</a>, the agenda provides a guide for developing safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable new cities that promote social integration and equity. It can also provide the impetus for conversations about the growth, redesign and redevelopment of existing urban spaces.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-the-new-urban-agenda-and-sustainable-development-goals-do-for-cities-75533">What can the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals do for cities?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Making the New Urban Agenda work locally depends on more than overall regulations, or “importing” southern Australian solutions to the tropics. Even within the Australian tropical region, the <a href="http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/">climate varies</a>. Cairns experiences a tropical monsoon climate (wet tropics), while Townsville is exposed to a tropical savannah climate (dry tropics). </p>
<p>The way public spaces should be designed must, therefore, also vary within the tropical climate zone. We need to listen to locals, understand their behaviour and preferences, then promote these preferred public space qualities through urban planning and design. </p>
<p>Good design can improve the choices we make. But what is good design? And how do we adapt general guidelines to specific places and cultures?</p>
<h2>Urban diaries to understand each city</h2>
<p><a href="https://islandpress.org/book/seeing-the-better-city">Urban diaries</a> are premised on the importance of local history, values and knowledge. This approach aims to “<a href="https://islandpress.org/book/urbanism-without-effort">distinguish underlying organic relationships between people and cities from indiscriminate prescription imposed upon place</a>”. Urban diaries are a powerful tool for personal observation, raising awareness and creating positive urban change. </p>
<p>In our investigation, participants are invited to shoot and caption photographs of their surroundings, noting what makes their lives healthier, happier and stronger, and what does not. These images will be shared through social media and used to capture ideas and start conversations. </p>
<p>These urban diaries will help clarify how Cairns and Townsville function as tropical cities. At the same time this approach will help bring to light ways of improving local lifestyles by implementing the New Urban Agenda principles in this local context.</p>
<h2>Place-based urban planning and design</h2>
<p>Climate-responsive planning and design are important to make sure people can incorporate incidental exercise into their everyday routine. People will use public spaces if these are designed in a way that mediates the negative impacts of tropical climates.</p>
<p>What type of spaces and features will encourage people to walk even if the temperature outside is 40°C? We are particularly interested in three overarching questions. These concern how existing urban infrastructure and amenities promote or restrict:</p>
<ol>
<li>active lifestyles </li>
<li>social inclusion </li>
<li>healthy eating. </li>
</ol>
<p>These questions will be explored through public participation in the upcoming UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign <a href="http://www.worldurbancampaign.org/events/urban-livability-tropical-australia-through-urban-diaries-and-community-engagement">Urban Thinkers Campus events</a> in Cairns on June 8 and Townsville on June 15. Drawing on urban diaries, these events will provide the fundamental basis for understanding these places through a local lens.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/this-is-why-health-has-to-be-at-the-heart-of-the-new-urban-agenda-91009">This is why health has to be at the heart of the New Urban Agenda</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97069/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all plan for sustainable, healthy urban living. Urban diaries help identify what works – and doesn’t work – for tropical cities like Cairns or Townsville.Silvia Tavares, Lecturer in Urban Design, James Cook UniversityDavid Sellars, Senior Lecturer – Environmental Health, James Cook UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/916552018-02-21T17:22:55Z2018-02-21T17:22:55ZGreenwashing the property market: why ‘green star’ ratings don’t guarantee more sustainable buildings<p>Nothing uses more resources or produces more waste than the buildings we live and work in. Our built environment is responsible for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.06.003">half of all global energy use</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2015.06.003">half of all greenhouse gas emissions</a>. Buildings consume <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.037">one-sixth of all freshwater</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.037">one-quarter of world wood harvests</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.037">four-tenths of all other raw materials</a>. The construction and later demolition of buildings produces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.10.025">40% of all waste</a>.</p>
<p>The sustainability of our buildings is coming under scrutiny, and “green” rating tools are the key method for measuring this. Deakin University’s School of Architecture and Built Environment recently <a href="http://www.deakin.edu.au/architecture-built-environment/research/charting-pre-design-sustainability-indicators">reviewed</a> these certification schemes. Focus group discussions were held in Sydney and Melbourne with representatives in the field of sustainability – including government, green consultancies and rating tool providers. </p>
<p>Two main concerns emerged from our review:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sustainability ratings tools are not audited. Most ratings tools are predictive, while those few that take measurements use paid third parties. Government plays no active part.</p></li>
<li><p>The sustainability parameters measured only loosely intersect with the building occupants’ sustainability concerns. Considerations such as access to transport and amenities are not included.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207055/original/file-20180220-116343-j14zhh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Focus group sessions run by Deakin University helped identify problems with current sustainability ratings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/construction-industry-loophole-leaves-home-buyers-facing-higher-energy-bills-82378">Construction industry loophole leaves home buyers facing higher energy bills</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That’s the backdrop to the sustainability targets now being adopted across Australia. Australia has the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-economy-population/australias-population-growth-outpaces-world-as-migrants-rush-in-idUSKBN1E80HT">highest rate of population growth</a> of any developed country. The population now is <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/1647509ef7e25faaca2568a900154b63?OpenDocument">24.8 million</a>. It is expected to reach between <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3222.0Main+Features12006%20to%202101?OpenDocument">30.9 and 42.5 million people by 2056</a>. </p>
<p>More buildings will be needed for these people to live and work in. And we will have to find ways to ensure these buildings are more sustainable if the targets now being adopted are to be achieved.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.rics.org/au/knowledge/research/research-reports/building-permits-and-sustainability/">Over 80%</a> of local governments have zero-emissions targets. <a href="http://www.rics.org/au/knowledge/research/research-reports/building-permits-and-sustainability/">Sydney and Canberra</a> have committed to zero-carbon emissions by 2050. <a href="http://www.rics.org/au/knowledge/research/research-reports/building-permits-and-sustainability/">Melbourne</a> has pledged to be carbon-neutral by 2020. </p>
<h2>So how do green ratings work?</h2>
<p>Each green rating tool works by identifying a range of sustainability parameters – such as water and energy use, waste production, etc. The list of things to be measured runs into the dozens. Tools differ on the parameters measured, method of measurement, weightings given and the thresholds that determine a given sustainability rating.</p>
<p>There are over 600 such rating tools worldwide. Each competes in the marketplace by looking to reconcile the credibility of its ratings with the disinclination of developers to submit to an assessment that will rate them poorly. Rating tools found in Australia include <a href="https://new.gbca.org.au/green-star/">Green Star</a>, <a href="https://nabers.gov.au/public/webpages/home.aspx">NABERS</a>, <a href="http://www.nathers.gov.au/">NatHERS</a>, <a href="http://www.circlesofsustainability.org/">Circles of Sustainability</a>, <a href="http://www.envirodevelopment.com.au/">EnviroDevelopment</a>, <a href="https://living-future.org/lcc/">Living Community Challenge</a> and <a href="http://bioregional.com.au/oneplanetliving/oneplanetcommunities/">One Planet Communities</a>. </p>
<p>So, it is easy enough to find landmark developments labelled with green accreditations. It is harder to quantify what these actually mean.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/green-building-revolution-only-in-high-end-new-cbd-offices-24535">Green building revolution? Only in high-end new CBD offices</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ratings must be independently audited</h2>
<p>Government practice, historically, has been to assure building quality through permits. Planning permits ensure a development conforms with city schemes. Building permits assess structural load-bearing capacity, health and fire safety. </p>
<p>All this is done off the plan. Site inspections take place to verify that the building is built to plan. But once a certificate of occupancy is issued, the government steps aside.</p>
<p>The sustainability agenda promoted by government has been grafted onto this regime. Energy efficiency was introduced into the residential building code in <a href="http://www.rics.org/au/knowledge/research/research-reports/building-permits-and-sustainability/">2005</a>, and then into the commercial building code in <a href="http://www.rics.org/au/knowledge/research/research-reports/building-permits-and-sustainability/">2006</a>. At first, this was limited to new buildings, but then broadened to include refurbishment of existing structures. </p>
<p>Again, sustainability credentials are assessed off the plan and certification issued once the building is up and running. Thereafter, government walks away.</p>
<p>We know of only one longitudinal energy performance study carried out on domestic residences in Australia. It is an as-yet-unpublished project conducted by a retiree from the CSIRO, working with Indigenous communities in Far North Queensland. </p>
<p>The findings corroborate a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.10.025">recent study</a> by Gertrud Hatvani-Kovacs and colleagues from the University of South Australia. This study found that so-called “energy-inefficient” houses, following traditional design, managed under certain conditions to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-04/australian-houses-losing-in-heat-management-design/9287188">outperform 6- and 8-star buildings</a>.</p>
<h2>Sustainability tools must measure what matters</h2>
<p>Energy usage is but the tip of the iceberg. Genuine sustainability is about delivering our children into a future in which they have all that we have today.</p>
<p>Home owners, on average, turn their property around <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/brisbane-qld/property-ownership-trends-sees-a-10-years-average-across-australia-which-is-not-good-for-the-economy/news-story/40f58f85cb081ec84bd74af08cda5b4f">every eight years</a>. They are less concerned with energy efficiency than with real estate prices. And these prices depend on the appeal of the property, which involves access to transport, schools, parks and amenities, and freedom from crime.</p>
<p>Commercial property owners, too, are concerned about infrastructure, and they care about creating work environments that retain valued employees. </p>
<p>These are all core sustainability issues, yet do not come up in the rating systems we use.</p>
<p>If government is serious about creating sustainable cities, it needs to let go of its limited, narrow criteria and embrace these larger concerns of “liveability”. It must embody these broader criteria in the rating systems it uses to endorse developments. And it needs an auditing and enforcement regime in place to make it happen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91655/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Igor Martek receives funding from the IDF, internal to Deakin University.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>M. Reza Hosseini is affiliated with the School of Architecture and Built Environment, Deakin University. </span></em></p>Buildings are central to creating more sustainable cities, and green ratings are often used to assess how well a building measures up against this goal. But the current system has serious flaws.Igor Martek, Lecturer In Construction, Deakin UniversityM. Reza Hosseini, Lecturer in Construction, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/839752017-11-29T19:10:26Z2017-11-29T19:10:26ZSustainable re-use and recycling work for heritage buildings and places too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189705/original/file-20171011-2024-1k5frf9.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The old Pratt Street power plant in Baltimore in the US is now home to commercial uses. But the heritage preservation is compromised by advertising that is not sympathetic to the building style and design.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BaltimorePowerPlant.JPG">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This article is part of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/building-on-heritage-46804">Building on Heritage</a> series on preserving heritage buildings and places while making them as sustainable as possible.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The desire to preserve the special character and historical significance of unique places and buildings is at the heart of heritage preservation. But should heritage be “frozen in time”? Or can it sometimes be adapted for re-use in sustainable ways? </p>
<p>Safeguarding heritage for future generations can celebrate urban histories. But it can also <a href="https://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/61533/Sustainability_Heritage_tech_-leaflet.pdf">make environmental sense</a>. This includes <a href="http://theconversation.com/heritage-building-preservation-vs-sustainability-conflict-isnt-inevitable-83973">conserving the embodied energy</a> in buildings and retaining examples of <a href="https://theconversation.com/sublime-design-the-queenslander-27225">design suited to the local environment</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="http://theconversation.com/heritage-building-preservation-vs-sustainability-conflict-isnt-inevitable-83973">Heritage building preservation vs sustainability? Conflict isn’t inevitable</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>However, some may see heritage protection as an imposition. This might include owners who wish to add modern sustainability features to a heritage building. </p>
<p>Say, for example, a home owner wants to improve thermal performance and energy efficiency by using double-glazing and solar panels. Would a council heritage officer reject such improvements? </p>
<p>If done well, heritage protection can add value to buildings, neighbourhoods and communities. The <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308954707_Managing_ensemble_scale_heritage_conservation_in_the_Shandon_Architectural_Conservation_Area_in_Cork_Ireland">benefits can include</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li>preserving cultural and architectural assets</li>
<li>defining the character of places</li>
<li>contributing to social and community well-being</li>
<li>improving the overall built environment.</li>
</ul>
<h2>What is old is new again</h2>
<p>Many of the world’s cities need to accommodate population growth and activities within existing urban areas. Even places and buildings that are treasured for their cultural value can face mounting <a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-sirius-why-heritage-protection-should-include-social-housing-81670">pressure for demolition and redevelopment</a> to accommodate growth. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/saving-sirius-why-heritage-protection-should-include-social-housing-81670">Saving Sirius: why heritage protection should include social housing</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Environmental challenges like climate change are also driving efforts to adapt built environments to be more sustainable and liveable. </p>
<p>How best to protect built heritage then becomes a key question. Fortunately, we can often sustainably modify built heritage for new uses. </p>
<p>Indeed, we have been recycling old places <a href="https://theconversation.com/reinventing-heritage-buildings-isnt-new-at-all-the-ancients-did-it-too-70053">since the first cities were created</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/reinventing-heritage-buildings-isnt-new-at-all-the-ancients-did-it-too-70053">Reinventing heritage buildings isn’t new at all – the ancients did it too</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>“Adaptive re-use” is the process of repurposing built heritage for new functions. It’s based on the idea of “preservation through transformation”. </p>
<p><audio preload="metadata" controls="controls" data-duration="1268" data-image="" data-title="The Urban Squeeze S1E12 – Urban Heritage Protection" data-size="10141824" data-source="Tony Matthews" data-source-url="" data-license="Author provided" data-license-url="">
<source src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/925/ep-12-heritage-protection-urban-squeeze-w-opener.mp3" type="audio/mpeg">
</audio>
<div class="audio-player-caption">
The Urban Squeeze S1E12 – Urban Heritage Protection.
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Matthews</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span><span class="download"><span>9.67 MB</span> <a target="_blank" href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/audio/925/ep-12-heritage-protection-urban-squeeze-w-opener.mp3">(download)</a></span></span>
</div></p>
<h2>Sustainably retrofitting heritage buildings</h2>
<p>The possibilities created by adaptive re-use can easily capture the imagination. Could a <a href="http://heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/research-projects/industrial-heritage-case-studies/1-fennell-street/">former chocolate factory</a> be converted into retail spaces? Or a <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/about/projects/constructing-tate-modern">power station</a> be turned into a bookstore, cafe, restaurants or museum? Or a <a href="http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=CC&regno=20512014">market building</a> be transformed into a museum and studios for artisans?</p>
<p>Adaptive re-use offers potential social, economic, cultural and environmental returns. There are now <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/architecture-design-blog/2016/oct/13/preserving-historical-buildings-the-most-sustainable-thing-is-not-to-build-new-stuff">many successful examples</a> of this. For example, London’s iconic <a href="http://www.tate.org.uk/about/projects/constructing-tate-modern">Tate Modern</a> gallery is housed in a former power station. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189732/original/file-20171011-16686-1se7f7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From power station to art gallery: the Tate Modern in London.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/reservasdecoches/3661674044">Alquiler de Coches/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Commentators have noted how since the 1970s formerly disparaged inner-city areas <a href="https://theconversation.com/preserving-cities-how-trendies-shaped-australias-urban-heritage-66515">have become trendy</a> around the world. Preserving heritage while allowing buildings and districts <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-in-living-heritage-from-tokyo-to-adelaide-52957">to evolve organically</a> in response to current needs is possible. </p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/lessons-in-living-heritage-from-tokyo-to-adelaide-52957">Lessons in living heritage from Tokyo to Adelaide</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>Buildings are not the only heritage assets that can be adaptively re-used. There are many examples internationally where sites such as cemeteries have been re-used for parks and gardens. One may be seen in the Shandon Architectural Conservation Area in Cork, Ireland.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189724/original/file-20171011-16660-1yvg06y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This historic, heritage-protected graveyard in Shandon has been adapted into a pocket park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tony Matthews</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Further reading:</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/inner-city-neighbourhood-shows-the-way-in-protecting-heritage-of-centuries-past-83805">Inner-city neighbourhood shows the way in protecting heritage of centuries past</a></em></p>
<hr>
<p>In Sydney, the <a href="http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/facilities/parks/major-parks/paddington-reservoir-gardens">Paddington Reservoir Gardens</a> are a recycled former water storage reservoir. It’s now a beautiful urban park. As well as recreation and relaxation, the park offers urban cooling.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189707/original/file-20171011-2038-1uu94bj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Paddington Reservoir Gardens in Sydney were formerly a water storage reservoir.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paddington_Reservoir_Gardens_2010.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Adaptive re-use is different to “facadism”, where only the external shell of a building is saved. Adaptive re-use attempts to preserve the interior of building too (wherever possible), sometimes incorporating old fittings in playful ways. Facadism is a less elegant and useful version of heritage protection.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/189702/original/file-20171011-2038-1bj2o0l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An example of ‘facadism’ – only the shell of the building is retained.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/newtown_grafitti/6835379279">Newtown grafitti/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>So what is allowed in adaptive re-use?</h2>
<p>Given the many possibilities for repurposing buildings and places, we need to keep in mind what steps can be taken to preserve heritage and improve sustainability. Legal, practical and financial questions are central to decisions on adaptive re-use. </p>
<p>A raft of international and national laws, conventions and organisations have emerged in recent decades to guide heritage management. These include the <a href="http://www.icomos.org/en/">International Council on Monuments and Sites</a> (ICOMOS), the <a href="http://australia.icomos.org/publications/charters/">Burra Charter</a> and the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/">UNESCO World Heritage List</a>. And practical guidance to protect built heritage while sustainably adapting it is becoming more common.</p>
<p>The European Union has developed <a href="http://www.3encult.eu/en/deliverables/Documents/WP2_D2.3_20140111_P21_Proposal%20of%20generic%20replicable%20factors.pdf">guidelines and best practice examples</a> for local governments. These provide guidance for achieving ambitious energy efficiency standards when renovating historic buildings. This is seen as a way for heritage buildings to become beacons of sustainable development at the community level.</p>
<p><a href="http://australia.icomos.org/resources/australia-icomos-heritage-toolkit/energy-sustainability/">ICOMOS Australia</a> also has a range of information about guidelines for sustainability retrofits and adaptive re-use of heritage buildings. </p>
<p>For example, let’s return to our earlier example of fitting solar panels to a heritage building. In South Australia the <a href="http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Solar-Panel-Guidelines-Colonel-Light-Gardens-State-Heritage-Area-SA-DEWNR.pdf">use of solar panels on heritage buildings</a> needs to ensure they are not visible from the street. Hobart City Council has <a href="http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Heritage-Solar-Technology-Guidelines-Hobart-City-Council.pdf">very specific guidelines</a> for incorporating solar in heritage buildings. In Queensland, <a href="http://australia.icomos.org/wp-content/uploads/Building-Services-Upgrades-and-Installation-QLD-DEHP.pdf">sustainability upgrades</a> must not damage or obscure views of the heritage building, must not damage the “significant fabric” of the building, and must be sympathetic in size, scale, colour, materials etc. </p>
<p>Adaptive re-use offers great potential to protect built heritage while meeting principles of sustainability. Practices that combine built heritage protection and sustainable development are gaining momentum in many cities. Comprehensive, integrated and strategic guidance is the first and best step towards supporting the exciting possibilities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83975/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Byrne receives funding from the Australian Research Council for two research projects on: (i) climate change and social innovation and (ii) green space and health. He is a member of the Planning Institute Australia and Institute of Australian Geographers. He is affiliated with the Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council and donates to environmental groups (e.g. Australian Conservation Foundation). Jason is an avid fan of mid-century modern design and has solar panels on his roof. He is transitioning to a new post as Professor of Human Geography and Planning at the University of Tasmania.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tony Matthews receives external funding from the Australian Research Council, as well as internal funding from Griffith University. He is affiliated with the Shandon Area Renewal Association, Royal Town Planning Institute and the Planning Institute of Australia.</span></em></p>Adaptively re-using buildings can preserve heritage while enabling new uses that help make cities more liveable and sustainable.Jason Byrne, Professor of Human Geography and Planning, University of TasmaniaTony Matthews, Lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.