Houses Must Aim to Conserve Our Natural Resource Supply

Houses must aim to conserve our natural resource supply

I recently addressed a group of developers visiting from Japan and explained the practice of natural resource and energy conservation in housing. "Canada is huge and blessed with many natural resources," one of the visitors pointed out at the end of my presentation. "So where does the pressure to conserve come from? You have it, so why not use it?" His comments puzzled me, and he continued, "You have huge land reserves, almost every mineral, a range of energy sources, plenty of clean water, ample forested areas envied by all, so why conserve? It would probably take centuries and many generations before you run out of any resource."

Was my Japanese guest right? He might have had a short-sighted view, but he also neglected to recognize two key principles that guide natural resource consumption: the first being sustainability, and the second understanding the global inter-relationship between over- consumption and its effect.

Principles of sustainable consumption maintain that our present natural resources should be considered investment principal never to be touched. We must swear to live off and use only the interest generated by this principal. When a tree is harvested in the forest, another tree (perhaps even two) should be planted. Have we ignored sustainable principles in the past? We sure have.

Understanding cause and effect is important to improving our record. My Japanese visitor had suggested our vast land reserves allow us to build huge homes in low-density arrangements in sprawling developments. He neglected to recognize the effect of commuting to and from these communities in vehicles that regularly increase in size. He also failed to recognize that the high levels of emissions created by those commuters have affected the ozone layer and accelerated global warming. These phenomena are linked to melting northern glaciers that elevate sea levels and flood homes and fields in low-lying areas, among them Japan.

Action taken in one area on the planet can no longer be disconnected from an effect in another area. Scientists have confirmed the link between pollution or overconsumption in one part of the world with effects in other parts.

The societal damage from urban sprawl is even more pronounced. It has been demonstrated that the cost of building a five-kilometre section of an eight-lane expressway is equivalent to the cost of constructing a school. It is paramount that as a nation we set our priorities straight. Should we invest in roads or educate our children? Should we attend to the needs of cars or people? Many valuable lessons learned over the years are shoved aside when decision time comes, such as building communities along transportation routes, or investing in and encouraging the use of public transportation or permitting the integration of residential and commercial uses.

As a new century begins, bold choices must be made. Sound decisions will ensure that future generations will enjoy and benefit from the plenty that Canada has to offer.