Time to Eat the Dog? The Real Guide to Sustainable Living

388 Pages·2009·38.34 MB·English

by  Brenda Vale, Robert Vale

TIME To
EAT THe Dog ?

the real guide to
7

Thames & Hudson
Time To EAT THE Deg?

the real guide to

sustainable living

Robert and Branda Vale

The world and rs resources

nite, yet we are soumingly
locked inta a ayster

sed on growth: growth of population,
growth of income and gronth of consumption. From this
‘refutabio starting point, Time to Eat the Dog? attomp:s

jy meane, Robert and

{o uncover wha: sustainability” re
Brenda Vale have gathered a weath of deta from sources
around the world rom these nuts and bolts facts anes figures,
‘hey encourage the real to ‘othe rls" ard werkt out

for themseives

“his book will make you see your life and your place ith
‘worldin & completly new light. Challenging the othodoxies
that underpin our entire economic system, this is one

‘subversive read

Govern Mi Mei
TIME TO EAT THE DOG?
TIME TO EAT
THe D0G?
the real guide

sus e living

&
aS thames Hudson

“oe
This book isdedicoted to Lawa and tal garden, everywhere

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
‘Seoul othr inerrtionalcemmaniy of pene
Dedongenafine whe have med theresa ed ocrion
{aiabke bh ilaks and on te trues wiht heme
ahs eso unsinnaly rid nr enldrathave nlon
alin, evo ash Vora Coven
‘Wetingon tor ging the ane owe

sayy shod sey heer ph
iene rete

eerie apd

‘seers penne: Sec lweipone cpa oe
CONTENTS

inTropucTion
‘Resse cnt i ac 8 Wy howe! 9
Toamemigawt vo Wovedmeteamay

1 FOOD +9
Theenegyetiead 29 Ausaluckto “al 49 Chansinghow we pric: food 50
Heath seabhyand wise? 72

2 TRANSPORT 72
“Tweca 72. tthe fs nningout.. Bs Gatingatou nasusinablc tue 99
Tomgdtinetesel ay Iiecston tis

Notuidings wok Sac waters 1 Wes wet et 249 Indoors spay 38
UUsngtne se 1p) OM bens to Conchcion v8

4 STUFF WEHAVE AT HOME 190
Goring w9@ The meldaMatcossyndroe 209. Onean sid eneinaewaeh 303
\Wragus wars 209 Dressed ay, Wategoing i a16 ey pee 225
Disereion 352

3 TIME TO SPARE 354
Anyone fortenis 934, Beans 365 Hw you estore 2p
Ravgperinck abr Spore bore a84 Aue a8; Caletng 286
Progucteepovries Jor Thskausal later jy

6 WORK sar
orsngles yr Whete should we win? 525 Tavelatwors conferees 8
Tepper ofc sy, Onc ns marke anaes an’ ein 333

7 RITES OF PASSAGE 7
Fruroradingsto stant 99

CONCLUSION 45
ToskteDan Cae gp Ait Waes Cerna rey chokes 349
Exe ms? ing dca

NOTES 360
SOURCES ANO RESOURCES 580
Invex 3h

INTRODUCTION

As boy growing up in England in the 19503, one ofthe authors af this book
vas an avi flower of Hhe wanoor. adventures of Dan Dace, Pot of the
Futare, i the comic Eng I his beaulully drawn usar Engladof shy
screpers, spaceships, ying jeeps. gyroscopic cas and London Trensport
rmonorais, where Earth played tet match cricket sg
and his colleagues in the lnerplanet Spacefleet were on hand to protect
society atthe rurr ofthe 21st century roma range of unexpected enraeres-
tri’ threats and troubles, Now that we have avived at Dan Dare’ tare
somehow thinge have nol materialized quiteasvewere led toexpect In fet,
the futurs has tsmed outtn be mach morelixe the ro508. We dchavelos of
skyscrapers, bat space travel still uncoramon, cat still have for wheels,
London Tiansport sll have red dosbledecke: bases, jeeps dont fy, and
Ear atilldnesn’thavea decent cricket eam,

‘One :hing the earta does Fave now, unexpected by many, a whole
sries of inraerearialthyeats and woubles. The adventures of Dan Dre
Droserted an optimistic siew of the futues an af the ie of progress, but

Mars, Dan Darz

since the
lake For granted may be doing us rie overall Farm shan good, ard at
many of au activities may rot he sustaincbe in he long ecm because they
es that are finite, There his eer lot otal in recent

heady days we have begun to ser that many of the things we

sre sed on res

sears sbeut‘ssteinabiliy’, and this 00k san allen adios al
Taina sally means, As fara we ace concerned here, the only possible
eliniiun of sastanabiliy i the abit to be sustained or to contizve into
‘he indefinite Fonore (leaing aside the cooling ofthe sun in some very fae
dita age}

The planeteatth, aller, eunaodably Fite Admitecty, receives
energy Flom the sun ~ roughly 7,900 ames the atrount of energy we

coneume cach year — ut it recelvee ver litle in the way of materials amd
resources, Br Peter Blown ofthe Linivesiy af Western Ontario says shat
everyday the earth is bombarded by 80-100 metic tonnes of space dustin
the form of 50 gram pavtcles This sounds ikea lat, bur eeen 160 tonnes
per day is ver ite when shared among a population approaching seven
billion (ve are asing te US billion here, called: ‘miliad” in Europe ad
teaning one thassind milion’. So ir material terms, the ea sit ess
isall we have. However. in spit ofits obvions finiteness, we tod to treat the
«arth as ifit were inexhaustible. Ou: slobelizeé society is baseé on ov:

roth of population, gramih uf income growth oF energy consumplir
rom of wealth, Any interruption, o of “his prowess is
rested as tragedy, as was seen it the slowing of the United States!
conn in 2008, which ld to stock mark fills all ver Hoe word Al ths

resounees stud raters that we use far physical geoath come from th
«auth, whether ibe te rock tbat we dig up to make the corcrete build our
fepanding cies, oh cna ard uranium we dig av af the grand thar
incur power slaliors Io met the demand for mone electricity. The fandand
‘sate “het sustain a rising gol population als care fom thecarh,

re Fates

‘PLEASE, SIR,
CAN | HAVE SOME MORE??

allthis emphasis on growth rises to simple questions. Te fis iss" How
can we continue to grow on a fnile planet?” We rly an a fee sloce of
esoutces that wete pul ia place when Ue earth was fone, ad hese ae
‘desey limited, One day there wil be ne mot il of, ahd ne sro Hime
stone sur into cement, Oils hnawn tobe a finite resource, yet the world
«economy demands more very year felis growth. Weactas though there
svete no listo the resources wean ae from the earth,

The second question :s:'Waen will wehaveensugh?' Inte esos the
American advertising industry prediced recession for he United Stes
economy thes thought basincesee faced the ral prblem of net eing able
vy sell sty more guuds since everyone in America ese nad enough ef
cverytsingthey could possibly want Now we have alo inerestul nd yet
still seers that we want more. I it possible for as all to contin to have
more on Ene planet?