Sustainability 101Adams State University

1 June 2015

• Nick C. Parker PhD• Nick Parker Consulting, LLC• www.nickparkerllc.com• nickparkerllc@gmail.com• 806-786-0925

Sustainability

What is it?Life as of today?

Food, water, energy, communications?Jobs, entertainment, TV, sports, health?Computers, 3-D printers, space, travel?

Universities, education, government, police?Animals, plants, soils, air, minerals, metals?

Google=115,000,000 results

Sustainability

Social justiceEquity

Human rightsLocal

Community development

Yale study of Climate Change Beliefs2014

• Estimated % of adults who think global warming is happening, 2014• Display model output: • RI• DE• DC• 5%• 10%• 15%• 20%• 25%• 30%• 35%• 40%5• 45%5• 50%5• 55%• 60%• 65%5• 70%• 75%• 80%• 85%• 90%• 95%• Geography Name• National

66%

Estimated % of adults who think global warming is happening

Fossil Fuels

• Produces 70 % of GHGs

• 111th US Congress

• Fossil fuel industry spent $347 million on lobbying

• Received $120.5 billion in subsidies

Sea Ice Melt,Polar bears, Arctic,

Tropics & World

Red Line-Continuing use of Fossil Fuels

Population

• Growth in next 40 years will require new buildings equal to those built over the past 4,000 years

• 4,000 years produced 1 X houses/year

• 2014-2054 will need to produce 96 X houses/ year

• Sustainable?

Human and animal weight(millions of tons & %)

0100200300400

Series 1Series 2

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

GreeksRomans

SumeriansAztec

Easter Island

Space Hubble telescope

Time13.7 billion years since Big Bang =

24 hours on our clock

Therefore, 2,000 years = 0.001 sec1492-2015=523 years

=0.00025 sec100 years= 0.00005 sec

44 min 37 min 23 min 19 min 40 sec

Anthropogenic

Man is doing itHabitat loss

Global warming20-50% of all species

extinct by 2100

100 yrs=0.00005 sec

The only constant is change

• Pangea from one continent to seven continents• Tyrannosaurs evolved over 100 million years• Dinosaurs extinct 65 million years ago• Homo erectus, 2 million years ago• Homo sapiens, 250,000 years ago• Climate• CO2, O2

Aral Sea

Aral Sea1985 2010

What is Sustainability?

• Is our world sustainable?• What are others doing?• What can you do?

Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables

This is the beginning of the end.

2013 World added 143 gigawatts of renewable energy and141 gigawatts of fossil fuel power

Renewable Energy Home retrofitOrono, Maine

• 39-panel solar array--$28,790--saved $2,400/yr• Geothermal heat pumps--$25,495--saved

$2,800/year• Limiting leaks-- $2,407– saved $70/winter month• Solar hot water--$8,395– saved $875/year• Toyota Corolla--fuel/1000 miles--$94• Toyota Prius--fuel/1000 miles--$58• Nissan Leaf—fuel/1000 miles—1.50

Starter Solar System

• Solar panels--$300 x 2 = $600• Charge controller--$75• Batteries--$70 x 4= $280• Inverter--$260• Wiring & misc.--$100• Total--$1,315

• Survivalistboards.com

Tesla Power-

wall Battery

10 kwBattery$3,500

Tesla electric car & Powerwall battery

Corvette twin turbo 2.9 secTesla D 3.2Dodge Viper 3.2Ferrari 3.5Ford Shelby Mustang 3.6

O – 60 mphtimes

Finance sector must serve the economy rather than the economy

serving the finance sector

• Financial sector profits % GDP• ____________________ ______

• 1973 20.1% 13.6

• 2007 44.6% 20.4

Rigging of Foreign Exchange Market Makes Felons of Top Banks MAY 20, 2015

Agreed to pay about $5.6 billion in penalties in addition to the$4.25 billion that some of these banks agreed to pay in November

Sustainability

• Able to be maintained• Maintaining ecological balance• Living based on renewable energy and

natural resources• Living today so as not to impact future

generations• Living today so our children can live with the

same standard tomorrow

Suggested Readings

• Topics Number of Books• Agriculture 8 • Economics 7• Energy 16• Environment 17• Food 4• Future 1• History 11• Off-grid 4• Society 11• Sustainability 20• Trends 6• Water 18• Total 123

Sustainability 101Adams State University

1 June 2015

• Nick C. Parker, PhD• Nick Parker Consulting, LLC• www.nickparkerllc.com• nickparkerllc@gmail.com• 806-786-0925