Wikipedia – Sustainability itself is expressed as meeting present ecological, societal, and economical needs without compromising these factors for future generations

We live on a finite spherical planet with finite resources and we hate to break the news to everyone, but by this Wikipedia definition, the sustainability train has left the station and we’re not on it. The question we should be asking ourselves is how the heck we get back on board.

Well, for many moons most humans have been using the earth, the wind, the sun and the rain to live their lives sustainably and the majority of the world’s population still does. Using earths renewable resources served us well through the millennia until a few hundred years ago when we discovered fossil fuels. The use of coal kicked off the industrial revolution but it was the discovery of oil that made the biggest impact. Finding oil was like winning the energy lottery. Our modern civilization would not exist, was it not for oil and we take its awesome power for granted. As an example, one of its most common byproducts is gasoline and did you know that a litre of gasoline is equivalent to 2 weeks of human labour and we sell it for less than a cup of coffee while complaining bitterly about the cost. No wonder we’re hooked on this stuff.

We need to start taking sustainability seriously NOW. climate change, environmental degradation and peak oil individually are major threats to the planet and our lives. This perfect storm of world changing threats are already changing our lives and we can choose to just stand by and wait for the changes to come or choose to do something about it. We will have to figure out ways to live and enjoy our lives without fossil fuels and without polluting our environments. Our future generations are counting on it.

Living that way may seem like a scary prospect but as scary as a life with less or no fossil fuels seems, it also gives us an amazing opportunity to be involved in the first ‘sustainability revolution’ on our planet. Sustainability will be the foundation of strong, vibrant local communities and we have that foundation right here in Invermere. One of those foundation stones is the Columbia Valley Botanical Gardens and Centre for Sustainable Living.

The Earth the Wind the Sun and the Rain is a three evening course intended to foster discussion and learn how to implement practical solutions that we can all undertake in our lives at home or work to make our way of life more sustainable. Join Dale Wilker, Bill Swan and your classmates Nov. 3, 17 and Dec. 1 as we explore a wide range of topics in sustainability from energy, transportation, food, economy, buildings and water. Bring a friend – especially a sceptical one!

Check out our other upcoming continuing education courses offered through the COTR Continuing Education courses at www.cotr.bc.ca/invermere or 250-342-3210.