Checkered Past or Future?

You know those pretty multi-coloured checkerboard parcels of farmland you see when you look at South Delta from an arial photo? Guess what?....they didn't come like that. Nope. When our forefathers settled this land they did so to homestead and feed their families and to participate in, sorry about this, commerce.

These farmers and families clear cut trees to free up the rich arable land that makes up the Delta. In later years, pressure to grow and participate in the farming "industry" led to the use of fertilizers and chemicals that would eventually leetch their way in to the soils and runoff through the estuary system of the Fraser River which has contributed to the overall degradation and potential utrification of areas within its' ecosytem. I apologize but I have just associated a 'mother earth issue" with harm to the environment. It happens.

It is odd that we often seem to forget the fact that just like transportation, farming is Industry too. They are each needed and they each harm the environment in their own way. Idyllic imagery of a simple pastoral life of food production is an admirable dream but an affordable reality for a lucky few. Those of us not as lucky have to rely on other commercial enterprise to house and feed ourselves.

Just as our needs grew generations ago, we continue to grow now to the point where we need infrastructure for our ongoing participation in the capitalism that has contributed to our enviable lifestyle and to Vancouver's positioning as one of the best cities in the world in which to live. As Harvey Enchin recently noted in the Vancouver Sun, capitalism has done more to spread wealth throughout the world than any other force...like it or not.

The current UN sponsored World Urban Forum sessions in Vancouver give light to countless ironies that cloud any real concept of "sustainability". Why, as Pete Mcmartin asked earlier this week, were so few representatives of private business invited to speak at the the many sessions. As he asks, is it a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) "wonk- fest" only?

It seems to me that some of us are hugging mother earth so hard that we are threatening our collective ability to sustain it.

There are lots of definitions of Sustainability but this one from the Environmental Protection Agency will fit in this comment: "... the basic principles and concepts remain constant: balancing a growing economy, protection for the environment, and social responsibility, so they together lead to an improved quality of life for ourselves and future generations."

In Delta we need to look at Density as one of the items to consider in the sustainability equation. What assets do we have that could contribute to sustainability in the EPA definition of it? We have land in and out of the ALR that is geographically positioned to assist in our growth as a community. It is "edge land" that requires thoughtful design and not blissful ignorance in consideration of its best use.

You can comment on these issues at www.town-portal.com