Bert Caldwell: Local talents, resources could light sustainable path

Sustainability could be an idea whose time has come, again.

A child of the “Whole Earth Catalog,” Earth Day and the 1970s oil crisis, the idea that we should use less so our children and grandchildren might have more faded along with crude prices and the rise of the Me Generation. Small is beautiful morphed into McMansions and long commutes.

Now, with oil at $70 a barrel, sustainability has returned. Back-to-back workshops last Wednesday explored sustainability’s potential in Spokane. The sessions coincided with a special New York Times section, “The Business of Green.” How’s that for timing?

Washington State University Professor Melissa Ahern helped organize a daylong community sustainability forum that used the prospect of persistent high energy prices as a jumping-off point for discussions on local agriculture, light rail, housing, even health care.

Ahern teaches health policy and administration, with a focus on the connection between community and health. She says she became more interested in sustainability issues as it became clear to her that high energy prices would force communities to become more self-reliant.

Although Americans were shocked, temporarily, by the quadrupling of oil prices in the early 1970s, Ahern says no one doubted there was enough supply. Now, the depletion of global oil reserves has become an issue, and prices are unlikely to come down much as emerging economies in Asia bid against the United States for the remaining oil.

“That’s the biggest thing that can push everyone to make changes,” she says.

Besides, Ahern says, people have always functioned best at the community level, where they know and trust one another, and more easily recognize what is good for their society.

The downside is resistance to change. “People can’t envision seeing their environment differently,” she says.

A light rail system, for example, could be an economic tonic for Spokane, but supporters have to overcome stereotypes about mass transit and abiding love of the automobile before they persuade others to hop aboard. Even the seemingly permanent Spokane-area congestion caused by ongoing construction projects and sprawl has not been enough to overcome resistance to rail. But expensive energy is not the only threat.

Ahern predicts 2006 will be a cusp year for households caught between high energy prices and debt costs. Many with adjustable rate mortgages could lose their homes as interest costs ratchet monthly payments ever higher.

“There are so many risks now,” she says.

Architect Tom Angell says the growing share of new construction that complies with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards indicates more long-term environmental thinking.

More people, for example, are inquiring about straw-bale homes, which are highly energy efficient and can be constructed with locally available materials. The Inland Northwest, he says, is fortunate that many building materials are produced in the region.

“People are looking for ways to make their homes more energy efficient, their businesses more energy efficient,” Angell says.

While the costs of building “green” are nearing those of conventional construction, he says, “The real savings are long-term.”

So far, nongovernment groups have led the charge for sustainability. Angell says he would like Spokane to follow the lead of Seattle, where Mayor Greg Nickels has become a leader in the “Cool Cities” movement that emphasizes green building and low-emission vehicles.

Changing behaviors is a challenge, Angell concedes. “I just wish it wouldn’t come down to dollars and cents.”

People have to understand that vital neighborhoods, locally gown food, and shorter commutes enhance community sustainability, he says.

Kendall Yards, the residential-commercial project proposed atop the Spokane River’s north bank, could be a template for sustainable development, Angell adds. “I see a lot of potential in that project.”

He says a community action group has been formed to encourage residents, business and government to embrace sustainability initiatives.

Less sprawl would also be a good sign to Ahern. So would more telecommuting and greater reliance on locally grown food. Anything that draws on the talents of Inland Northwest residents.

“There is something exciting about seeing a community come back together,” Ahern says.

If a return of cheap gas doesn’t once more drive it apart, that is.