Surprising sustainability trade-offs

People readily believe that economic growth and environmental protection are at odds, so that more of one means less of the other. In fact, there are plenty of ways that the two are synergistic, which is one message of sustainable business proponents. However, sustainability folks also talk quite a bit about the triple bottom line-- people, planet, profit. The "people" component represents a healthy society, including safe neighborhoods, social justice, and time to balance work and family life. Once again, it becomes easy to suspect trade-offs with economic growth (and once again, there are plenty of synergies if you pay attention).

BUT... what about the social/environmental bottom lines-- are they ever in conflict? Interestingly, yes. Check this out:

Farmers in developing world hurt by "eat local" philosophy in US

Increasing awareness of climate change has transformed the way Americans think about organic food. While organic consumers used to focus on how food was produced, such as whether pesticides were used, they now are also concerned about how far food has traveled to arrive at their plate. The issue is that greater distances often equate to more energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The preference for eating local has been popularized, among others, by UC Berkeley journalism professor Michael Pollan in the "Omnivore's Dilemma" and by Barbara Kingsolver in "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." This "eating local" philosophy has a huge following among those consumers who buy organic food. But what about the consequences of the local food craze for farmers in the developing world who have joined the organic and fair trade movements? [...]

Traditional export-oriented agriculture is problematic in many ways, but the organic and fair trade movements are beginning to diversify opportunities for African farmers in this sector. Just as Mexico and South America supply large amounts of organic produce to California, European demand for organic and fair trade products from Africa is surging. These are not just niche markets where developing world farmers can potentially gain a higher return, but these channels also promote better working conditions and the reduced use of chemicals.

If the local food movements in Europe and North America reduce their demand for organic and fair trade products from afar, the most likely consequence is that African farmers who have entered these niche markets will return to producing their export crops in the conventional, pesticide-intensive manner. While local food markets can provide some income for these farmers, they still are reliant on export opportunities for the bulk of their cash income.

Eat local, hurt farmers in Africa who live on tiny, tenuous incomes. Eat non-local, burn lots of carbon to ship food thousands of miles.

Once again, remember that there is no "perfect" diet or lifestyle you can adopt once and not have to think about it again. There is no sustainable retirement, where you achieve ultimate carbon neutrality and live happily ever after. It's always a process, and what matters most is that you are aware of what you are doing.

So be aware that even the "people" and "planet" portions of the triple bottom line are not always harmonious. And just keep doing the best you can.