1. Defining Sustainability
Environment & Resource Management

2. Defining Sustainability
What is Sustainability?
Organic Food Production
Wetland Restoration
Renewable Energy Technologies

3. What is Sustainability?
The ability to provide for the needs of the world's current population without damaging the ability of future generations to provide for themselves.

4. Organic Food Production
Organic food production is based on a system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.
Organic foods are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation to maintain the integrity of the food.

5. Organic Food Production
Why?
Clean water
Healthy workers
Healthy food
Why not?
Higher prices
Lesser availability

6. Organic Food Production
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the Government of Cuba converted the entire country to organic agriculture, and currently only organic agriculture is permitted by law.

7. Wetland Restoration
Wetland restoration and preservation is becoming an increasingly critical priority around the world.
The importance of wetlands as buffers against extreme weather conditions became apparent in Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit the state in 2005.
More than 148,000 acres of Louisiana wetlands had been destroyed due to construction during the prior decade alone, weakening the inland’s defense against the storm.

8. Mississippi River
New Orleans
August 9, 2005

9. New Orleans
Flooded
Extensive Flooding
September 4, 2005
Missing Land

10. Wetland Restoration
Many nongovernmental organizations around the world are pursuing projects to help preserve vanishing wetlands.
Ordinary citizens have many opportunities to help in the fight to restore this fragile ecosystem.

11. Wetland Restoration Conservation Authorities in Ontario
Conservation Authorities are mandated to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of Ontario's water, land and natural habitats through programs that balance human, environmental and economic needs.
The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority has jurisdiction over the 15 watersheds that lie mainly in Whitby, Oshawa, and Clarington

12. Wetland Restoration
Central Lake Ontario Watersheds

13. Wetland Restoration

14. Wetland Restoration
Central Lake Ontario Conservation Areas

15. Wetland Restoration
CLOCA Working in Partnership with the Community for Healthy Watersheds

16. Lynde Shores Conservation Area

17. Victoria Street
Lynde Shores Trail Map
Lakeridge Road

18. Gordon Street
Victoria Street
Halls Road
Lakeridge Road

19. Lynde Shores Conservation Area

20. Heber Down Conservation Area

21. Heber Down Trail Map

22. Renewable Energy Technologies
Can you identify the 9 major sources of energy depicted in this drawing? Which are “green”?

23. What are all of the renewable energy sources in this picture?

24. Renewable Energy Technologies
Did you spot them all?
Canadian Renewable Energy Network

25. Renewable Energy Technologies
Wind powers 315,000 homes and businesses in Canada
Wind power is the world's fastest growing energy source
Canada could reasonably meet 20% of its total energy needs with wind power

26. Renewable Energy Technologies

27. Renewable Energy Technologies
In Canada, hydroelectricity is used so extensively that the word "hydro" is used to refer to any electricity delivered by a power utility.
Hydroelectric power supplies 20% of world electricity, but Canada is the world's largest producer of hydro power and produces over 70% of its electricity from hydroelectric sources.

28. Renewable Energy Technologies

29. Renewable Energy Technologies
Solar Power is most often used for
Cottages and Remote Residences
Mobile and Recreational Applications
Agriculture
Other (calculators, telecommunications equipment, highway construction signs, parking lights, and navigational warning signals)
Solar power could satisfy up to 47% of residential electrical energy demand in major Canadian cities

30. Renewable Energy Technologies
Biomass Energy comes from many different sources (at right), each with their own pros and cons.
Burning garbage or landfill gas results in the release of emissions that could be harmful to the environment.

31. Renewable Energy Technologies

32. Renewable Energy Technologies
Geothermal Energy comes from the natural heat of the centre of the Earth.
Geothermal is being used for space heating in 30,000 locations in Canada (at right) but is also being produced for electricity in the United States, Italy, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Russia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.