Sustainabilty on the Prairies?

Just in time for Earth Day, last night I attended a lecture at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, all about environmental sustainability and if it's really possible. The speaker was Dr. Bill Rees, from the University of British Columbia who is also one of the founder's of the Ecological Footprint. I have to admit that I didn't know too much (re: anything) about his work, but I was pretty desperate to get out of the house as well as to check out the museum. They opened the galleries after the talk, so I was able to wander through the exhibits. One of my favourite books as a kid was about two children who accidentally get locked inside a museum overnight, so I was kind of excited to be there after hours. Geeky but true!

Dr. Rees talked a lot about the idea of myth, and the ways we create and gather around myths in ways that support our decision making as a culture. For example, when our myth making surrounds industrial production and the "American Dream", our ideas of sustainability will continue to be directed toward maintaining that myth...ex. etheanol fuel as a "sustainable" option to keep our SUVs on the road. His argument (or hypotheses in science-speak!) was that until our cultural myths change, our reactions to scientifically proven crisis will not. I've done lots of reading about myth so I was really intrigued by the way as a scientist he mixes science with culture. Of course there was a lot more to his talk, but I'm providing you with the Coles Notes version!

One of Saskatchewan's Crown Corporations, SaskTel, is sponsoring Al Gore to speak this coming week in Regina, and I can't help but think it would be much more helpful for people to listen to Dr. Rees, rather than the more sexy side of climate change that Mr. Gore presents. Not that Dr. Rees' talk wasn't sexy. Um, anyway...that wasn't the point.

Happy Earth Day!