Re: Sustainability

Gary Berlind (mailto:gberlind@CRL.COM)
Mon, 7 Oct 1996 17:14:54 -0800 

Message-ID:  <199610080017.AA02880@mail.crl.com>
Date:         Mon, 7 Oct 1996 17:14:54 -0800
From: Gary Berlind <mailto:gberlind@CRL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Sustainability
To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>


>Date: Mon, 7 Oct 1996 17:14:14 -0800

>To:Ruth Moench <mailto:rjm8@AXE.HUMBOLDT.EDU>

>From:mailto:gberlind@crl.com (Gary Berlind)

>Subject:Re: Sustainability

>

>**Ruth:  Don't believe everything people tell you...  You have to form your

>own opinions.  However, before you do so, get a copy of Jerry Mander's "In the

>Absence of the Sacred" and read it!!

>

>Gary Berlind

>

>

>>So if we accept this arguement that "traditional" societies were not as

>>sustainable as popularly reported in the press, what is the foundation we

>>are using to build the future of sustainable development on?  Is there an

>>actual example of a longterm sustainable economy and society?

>>

>>

>>

>>On Sat, 5 Oct 1996, Elin Whitney-Smith wrote:

>>

>>>  In reply to Ruth Moench's question

>>> Were

>>> >traditional societies truly sustainable or were the negative

>>> >environmental effects negligable because of the small size of the

>>> >societies, thus making the use of those technologies on a large scale not

>>> >any more effective than what we currently have?

>>>

>>> It depends on what you mean by sustainability and who you describe as

>>> traditional or indiginous.

>>>

>>> 1) It is thought that the extinction of the wolly mammoth and other Ice Age

>>> animals was due in part to overhunting. (for a duscussion in the form of a

>>> mystery story see http://www.well.com/user/elin/mstry.htm)

>>>

>>> 2) There was a major extinction of lemurs on Madagascar which started when

>>> humans first moved to the island.  Those people were "traditional".

>>>

>>> 3) 4000 to 1000 years ago Indians in North America hunted bison by hearding

>>> thousands of them off cliffs.

>>>

>>> 4) It is thought by some researchers that an environmental collapse is what

>>> caused the disappearance of the Maya and other central American groups.

>>>

>>> 5) Deforestation and desertificaiton are both attributed to various groups

>>> of non-modern peoples.

>>>

>>> Those groups which have reverance for land may be remnants of peoples who

>>> were once more populous and have now are not as a result of ecological

>>> catastrophe.

>>>

>>> elin

>>> Elin Whitney-Smith

>>> mailto:elin@tmn.com

>>> http://www.well.com/user/elin

>>>

>