Cdn Bill Rees on Urban Ecology and "Smart Decline"

Bill Rees, creator of the "ecological footprint," gave a lecture at the 2009 Gaining Ground Summit in Vancouver on the evolution of cities and "smart decline," or "planning down", i.e. planning for a descent in consumption, not just in fuel, but all consumer goods and natural resources. He opens with one of the most original and revelatory statements I've heard on the evolution of cities.

Smart Decline in CD Quality

You should definitely put "Radio Ecoshock" from Vancouver on your short list of "must listen to" podcasts. It's the only site I've found that regularly features interviews and presentations of actual climate scientists from around the world on climate change issues. If you want the latest on climate science, check out Alex Smith's podcast.

Organic Farming in the US

The New York Times took 2007 USDA data and mapped the location of all farms and of organic ones. They noted:

"The map of organic farms in the United States is clustered into a few geographic centers, a strikingly different pattern than the map of all farms, which spreads densely over many regions, breaking only for the Rockies and Western deserts.

Areas in the Northeast and Northwest have many small organic farms that sell produce directly to consumers. Large organic farms, which some critics call organic agribusiness, have flourished in California.

The largest organic markets by far are for vegetables, fruit and dairy products, according to Catherine Greene, an economist at the Agriculture Department.

Organic vegetables now account for 5 percent of all vegetable sales; organic dairies, which are the fastest-growing sector, now produce 1 percent of the nation’s milk."