Susan Holtz

Crisis? What Crisis?

27 May, 2009 | Susan Holtz

The single most important characteristic of a water soft path is that it is about sustainability as a new, additional and explicit goal for water management. Unlike traditional water planning, the soft path takes into account the water requirements for in situ functions of the natural resource. This new perspective acknowledges the vital importance of maintaining ecological “services” like nutrient cycling and aquatic habitat, as well as on-site uses such as boating and hydroelectric power production.

Beyond Food-vs-Fuel

26 May, 2009 | Susan Holtz

The debate about biofuels has become, in large part, one of food-versus-fuel. Framing the discussion in this way distorts the issue, in that only a modest portion of biofuel is produced from crops that are raised for direct human consumption. Moreover, the environmental implications associated with different biofuels and their feedstocks vary. Above all, the discussion has failed to consider the raft of issues pertaining to the future sustainability of both energy and food systems, which are indeed closely linked. Production and use patterns related to energy, transportation, food and agriculture must change as a result of environmental problems, resource limits, and economic and socio-political stresses. ...

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