Ecological Economic Empowerment (EEE)

In business a company’s balance sheet will always be the biggest factor affecting its decision-making , with complete disregard to what has to be done to get it there…

Unfortunately along with our growing population there is a huge amount of stress put on our natural resources. Along with this growing demand we face the awful fact that we have caused a significant, and  in many cases unrepairable, damage to our environment. Traditionally we rate companies, their products, and quality of their services using a 5 star rating. In an attempt to improve awareness and consciously prevent damage to an environment and the ecological cycles found within it we need a method of rating a company based on how much time, money and resources are sustainably used and re-used to gauge its ecological impact.

The ecological systems within an environment often draw the short straw when identifying the importance of their role within a project. The purpose of EEE is to hand over economic privileges previously not available to ecologically engineered ideas under traditional engineering practices. So let me give you a better picture of how this works.

Each of the 5 leaves represents a different aspect of the system by which companies are assessed.

RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY

The first leaf represents resources sustainability. This includes Water,Electricity and Carbon footprints. How much of each of these resources does the company use? Have they set up methods to reduce their usage, this might include recycling water or installing methods of renewable electricity production? Perhaps they have just added sky lights to lower the amount of energy they require.

Basically this leaf is obtained when the company has implemented initiatives to reduce the amount of conventionally obtained resources required by the company and can confidently say that a larger proportion of their resources are ‘green’ of their total useage.

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING

The second leaf represents the companies procedures and abilities to report their environmental responsibilities. Weve been asking companies to do this for years, and more recently they have started finally producing some detailed reports about the true extent of the impacts and what goals they might have set to help reduce them. Now obviously this is an expensive task for small companies with low turnovers and limited resources so for companies turning over a certain threshold a range of reports are required to earn this leaf while companies earning under the threshold may need a simplified method or a scaled value that is adopted from their suppliers and contractors.

LIFECYCLE IMPACT

Ah, so here is an interesting one, it does take a little more imagination and flexibility to adapt this rating to each specific company so

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I will do my best to try to explain it with a few examples. This leaf rating relates to what the company produces and how they conserve resources in the process. Basically the way I see it its all about making the product life cycle more efficient.

Take a minute and look at something around you. Perhaps a pencil? Have you ever thought about what it takes to make a pencil? Well lets start with the obvious, wood, well you need to cut down a tree to get that and then you need to insert a piece of graphite into that to make the pencil and all you end up getting is a simple ol’ pencil. did you know that there are about 2.9 billion graphite pencils sold in North America each year? and that only in America just think of the toll on forests from pencil production, and thats before we have anything to write on! So lets put this in perspective. Company A produces pencils from cutting down and using the wood in trees while Company B decides that they are going to use recycled paper to create the normally wooden part of a pencil. Below is a video of how a pencil is made. While you are watching it i would like you to consider a few questions.

How much power is used to make this pencil? How much waste is produced from shaping a conventional pencil? What amount of carom is produced transporting raw materials to pencil factories and then pencils from the factories to the customer?

There are a number of ways to ensure that this pencil is more efficiently produced, Perhaps the wood can be purchased locally, pencils can be shaped in such a way to reduce the amount of waste. This leaf aims to make the product more efficient. In an attempt to encourage sister-companies to gain a leaf rating, this leaf rating may be averages through the products life-cycle. For example if the company that supplies the wood for the pencil has a low overall leaf rating of perhaps 2 and the company producing the pencil has a 4 for its leaf rating then the pencil is assumed to have an average product rating of 3 leaves.

BUILDING IMPACT

This leaf rating is awarded depending on the efficiency of the companies building. It is connected in many ways to the Resource Sustainability Leaf in the sense that it too relies on sustainable resource usage. For new buildings this leaf might be rated on whether the company used green concrete when building, if they incorporate any methods of temperature control so that air-conditioning systems are not needed, this might include living walls or simply effective insulation methods. Water treatment and methods to reduce water useage are considered at this stage too.

The perfect example this type of building can be seen below in House Rhino. I realise that this is a long video and there is no need to watch the whole thing but I’d like to hear what your thought are on this nifty little home. Would you live here?

SITE SPECIFIC OFFSET

Gone are the days where rich companies can pay a measly handful of cash to make up for all the environmental destruction they have caused. Now, its personal. This final leaf really hones down on the essence of ecological engineering principles. In order to obtain this last leaf companies are required to not simple give an environmental impact survey but rather have to come up with how the project/ process that they are involved in impacts their local environment, what elements of the local ecological system are effected, if there are any ways to close the ecological ‘circle’ if you like while still taking out the desired product. This final leaf  as expected takes far greater research and understanding of the ecological systems that might be at play, but hopefully in an attempt to gain this leaf people are exposed to the level of impact that we bring onto our surroundings.

Check out the accompanying blog below for more examples of the 5 leaf system!

So what are we getting out of this whole 5 leaf Ecological-Economic Empowerment plan?

Well the main aim of this project is to kick off promoting the economic transformation to enable meaningful contribution of ecological principles within society. With the implementation of EEE within the workplace we can achieve sustainable change within the ecological composition of management structures, skilled occupation and general company formation. As a vender you want your supplier to have a high leaf rating so that their rating does not poorly affect yours, you want to sell a product that a consumer is going to feel guilt free when buying.As a consumer you want to have guilt free shopping knowing that the product you are buying had been produced following sound ecological principles. It is these relationships which increase the extent to which worker, cooperatives and other collective enterprises own and manage both new and existing enterprises while increasing their access to economic activities like infrastructure and skill training.

This project will no doubt promote investment programs that lead to broad-based and meaningful participation within the economy. It aims to empower people and organisations to learn a new range of skills and understanding pertaining to land, infrastructure and company ownership development.

There are a number of steps that will need to be taken to establish such a system, these include but are not limited to;

• Advising the government of what  EEE is
• Reviewing the progress of EEE, in particular during the early stages
• Creating a set codes of good practice for EEE
• Methods to further develop, amend and replace sections depending on their
• ensure that there is a method of facilitation between state departments and private sector

At such an early stage of the project it is important to recognise that it has some limitations. In its infancy the project requires that there is a plan to finance such an extensive project. Perhaps initially this funding can be obtained from carbon offsets or other fine received from other ecological and environmental causes. It is equally as important that a system is provided to aid in preparing EEE plans and the ability to report on the compliance of those plans. This is an exciting time to be a part of the engineering community. A lot has happened over the generations of human history, much of it is damage that cannot be undone, but that doesn’t mean that moving forward we give up but rather do our very best to make up for our indiscretions.

Eat Humble Pie

Did you know that the average Australian uses approximately 340 litres of water per day? That may not seem like a lot of water to you. The problem is that it’s not just 340 litres per day, if we include the water used for manufacturing and food growth of items that we use and eat on a day to day basis, suddenly our water usage goes up to 6300 litres per day. Now have I got your attention?

So here comes the truth, unfortunately our worlds water usage has been completely abused, and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Fresh water only makes up about 2.5% of the worlds water supply. With growing population and the demands of manufactured goods and food supply there have been increased pressures put on our water supplies. We cannot hinder population growth, but we can, however, become more efficient in the ways in which we use our water.

For those of us privileged enough to walk to a tap in our homes and open it only to have water flowing out let us think of our less fortunate friends in Cape Town, South Africa where residents have now been set a maximum of 50 litres of water per person per day!

Let’s take a moment to gain some prespective here,Check out a snippet of how cape town residents are going about saving water.

While the situation is quite serious, some people are trying to make light of it. Below is a link to check out Suzelle DIY (a somewhat mock-up DIY show) and some of her tips to help save water as a Cape town resident.

She raises a good point on our outlook on the water crisis in South Africa. Instead of looking at the water crisis as a disaster perhaps we SHOULD look at it as a creative challenge, a way in finding more efficient ways of saving and using water! While Perth is not in the midst of a water crisis that doesn’t mean that we should not be aware of our water usage.

So what are we going to do to ensure that we are preserving water?

Well let’s have a look at what the rest of the world is doing. In Los Angeles as a method of conserving water they have emptied thousands of “shade balls” into their dams which float on the water’s surface and prevent evaporation.

Check out the moment they release thousands of shade balls here!

This is a great idea for water that is stored in dams and reservoirs but what about how we as consumers are using this water? How can we can make our water usage more efficient and what does this have to do with Ecological Engineering?

A different kettle of fish

Ecological Engineering is a relatively new division within engineering design which includes the restoration of ecosystems that have been agitated by human activities as well as the design and development of new and sustainable ecosystems that integrate modern human culture with its natural environment and of course, to benefit both.

As with most engineering practice there are a number of principles which aim to define the ecological engineering design. At this point it is important to note that no exact design will ever be used again as each design has to take advantage of the characteristic behaviours of naturally occurring systems that are found in particular areas while still fulfilling the design parameters. As mentioned these designs must benefit both the human culture and the natural environment.

Let me give you some perspective here. Because of rapid population growth there are higher demands on the quantity of food that farms produce. When farm production is intensified there is a greater influence of external products like mineral fertiliser, feed and pesticides. While this may boost productivity in the short term, they often come coupled with negative environmental effects both short and long term. In areas where they have increased competition for land and water the farmers have had to become more creative and efficient with their farming methods to improve productivity. To do this we are going to take a chapter out of the Longxian village in the Zhejiang Province of China where locals have managed to harness the benefits of Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture (IAA).

Agriculture uses 70% of the worlds available freshwater and since water is a limiting factor in our future food production it is VERY important that we get ‘more crop per drop’. You might be asking what the fuss about IAA might be, well let’s take a look.

IAA uses on-farm cooperation between fish and crops to increase efficiency and productivity resulting in improved net income of farms. In my opinion IAA is an interesting option particularly with regards to the re-design of farming as a method to become more ecologically sound. The key feature of an IAA system is the flow of energy or resources among subsystems. If we take a basic system of a rice farm, below, we can see this energy flow within the system.

Adapted from Figure 3

IAA principles are based on recycling the on-farm nutrients and as soon as we add fish into the equation we get a whole new dynamic to the system. We can see below that the manmade manure and fertilisers have been replaced by fish and egrets who by and large now produce the fertilizer for the system.

Adapted from Figure 3

Wait, let’s just clarify here. We replace two man-made products, which both produce negative side effects from their use, with fish??!? I know it’s a little bizarre but bear with me. Basically, the system is recycling unused by-products of one element of the system to help grow another element of the system. When this occurs suddenly the need for fertilizers and pesticides alike is unnecessary because the ecosystem is diverse enough that is can self-sustain with minimum human interaction.

Above figure from here!

I’m sure that you can see as well as I the benefit of taking advantage of the individual behaviour of the each of the natural subsystems at work within this particular ecosystem. After all, why not profit from the naturally free flowing energy into and within the system and let nature do some of the engineering for us? Personally, I’d rather not do the heavy lifting if I don’t have to! This ever-so-convenient bonus of ecological engineering links the First and Fourth principles of Ecological engineering; design consistent with the ecological principles while designing for efficiency in energy and information.

Alright so there are some limitations to this solution. We already know that freshwater is a scarce resource but for IAA to work water must be available, so it’s great in the Zhejiang Province of China but is has no place in the Namib Desert in Namibia where there are no rivers or springs. As an Ecological Engineer it is important to realise this and remember the second principle of Ecological Engineering; design for site specific context. This particular example is specific to this area whether that regards the species of fish, the type of rice growing or just the ratios of each subsystem and its by-products to another. But just because this system is so specifically ideal for this area does not mean that the concept as a whole cannot be used in other areas where rice is farmed. What I like most about IAA is that is is a way to “fix” the ecological footprint that people have created by farming rice.

After looking over this particular ecological system we can note its economic, social and environmental successes. We have already had a snapshot of the environmental benefits but what about the knock-on successes socially and economically?

Well, in the village of Longxian farmers have benefited socially from their IAA program in many ways. Firstly, this type of farming has created unique rural landscapes that are specific to the region. This well-established cultural farming method and landscapes have drawn tourists from within China and internationally. It seems like a rather quirky type of tourism, but tourism non-the less. A number of other opportunities have opened up for the community as a result of the 100000 tourists that visit this town each year, including but not limited to multiple restaurants opening. With mouths to feed the price of fish has gone up from approximately $2.5 to $19 per kilogram and the average net family income has increased along with it.  Egrets and several other bird species have also returned to the area. In fact, the village has become more conscious of the importance and conservation of environmental protection as a whole.

It is so important that members of a society can not only benefit from the nutritional benefits of IAA but can also be healthy enough to participate in social programs whether it be meeting about farming production or partaking in spiritual events the IAA farming method has given communities a better standard of living. It is all of these reasons which encompass the fifth principle of ecological engineering; the purpose that motivates design. At the end of the day our main purpose as Ecological Engineers is to benefit both society and the natural environment. Wouldn’t you agree that is easier to teach conservation and the importance of the ecological systems found within the natural environment when a group of people can not only benefit from it but accept it as part of their culture.

Some final notes to take away

Integrated Aqua-Agriculture makes the most of our rarest resource, water. This method of farming maximises food production whilst minimising water usage. It is vital to address water scarcity and food insecurity in our ever-growing world but let’s not forget that this method can only be used in particular areas as it is centred on water availability. As we have seen one of the fundamental characteristics of IAA systems is the flow of resources among the subsystems. What is so great about this system is that humans can be almost completely removed from this system while still obtaining the benefits of an ecosystem’s natural cycle as well as minimising the destruction to the environment. What is particularly special is that this system produces a protein in an environment where resources (i.e. grassland) are at a premium and so land is predominantly used for crops alone.