Sustainable practices are not merely temporary. These are permanent changes to protect our natural world.

Earth can be abundant and generous to all life, but, there are moral practices that have to be given their place in society for protections of the natural world.

Ruthlessness at any cost cannot be tolerated. Ruthless practices are immoral.

Sustainability is not a temporary measure. Don't fool yourself into believing if the global community cuts back greenhouse gas emissions for the next 10 years all will be okay and "the old ways" can return. The old ways will never return.

If tomorrow Earth had returned to pre-industrial revolution status, the world will still be growing in population. Looking toward tomorrow, with Earth in distress, the practices we institute today will be the ways of the future.

A couple of good examples. Scotland has recently become a country with 100 percent wind power. No carbon or methane emissions for energy from Scotland.

The Finnish government is now asking citizens to half their carbon footprint. 

15.9.2017

Finland's government (click here) agreed on a national plan on Thursday to drastically cut the country's emissions level by 2030. Ordinary consumers and citizens are also called upon to shrink their carbon footprints by changing how they commute and eat.

"This is about campaigning and encouraging people, not obligating anyone," Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Kimmo Tiilikainen said. "There's a big difference."

The Centre Party minister was asked why consumers are expected to halve their footprints by half, while the plan only calls for the government to bring greenhouse gas emissions down by 39 percent over the next 13 years.

"There are many ongoing challenges at the moment, and consumers or companies can make pledges to reduce the amount of emissions they are responsible for," Tiilikainen said. "I recall making such a pledge myself, to halve my consumption in a short time. This is one way of making these measures reality."

This is the first domestic climate policy of its breadth to be enacted in Finland. The measures are directed at sectors other than emissions trading, such as traffic, heating, waste disposal and agriculture....

These are new practices, but, they are not temporary or a fad. These are long term practices that insure protections for the natural world.

I covered government solid waste management and agricultural waste, but, the others will continue next week.