Reboot Now Sustainability Conference Facts Panel

Facts

CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REALITY

The choices we make today will decide the climate of the future. At Reboot we will be looking at ways of living which cut down our carbon footprint and prepare us for a future in which we will not be able to depend so heavily on fossil fuels and all the commodities these bring along and we take for granted.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges faced by this generation.Today, our world is hotter than it has been in two thousand years. By the end of the century, if current trends continue, the global temperature will likely climb higher than at any time in the past two million years.

For more than a century, people have relied on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas for their energy needs. Burning these fossil fuels releases the global warming gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Other, even more potent, greenhouse gasses are also playing a role, as is massive deforestation.

There is a broad scientific consensus that that there will be a gradual increase in global temperatures by between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees by the end of the century and that humanity is in large part responsible for this change.

This will have serious implications for ecosystems, growing seasons, animals and their habitats. There may also be more intense and frequent extreme weather events.

Even if no more fossil fuels were burned or trees cut down, the world’s climate would still warm in years to come as there is a time lag between when emissions occur and when their effects are felt.

Some of the likely effects of this warming include:

Rainfall: Some regions will experience more extreme rainfall while others will experience drought.
Sea levels: These could rise by more than 40 cm by the end of the century. As the oceans warm, the water expands and more water melts from glaciers and polar ice caps. The new levels would swamp small low-lying island states and put millions of people at risk of flooding.
Water: There will be less water available for irrigation and drinking because there will be less rain. Up to three billion more people could suffer water shortages by 2080 in northern Africa, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.
Harvest: Cereals and crop yields are expected to suffer in areas of less water and increased temperatures.
Disease: Malaria, West Nile fever, dengue fever and river blindness will spread to a wider area with an extra 290m people exposed to malaria by the 2080s.
Wildlife: If temperatures rise in the middle of the predicted range, a third of all land-living species will be threatened by 2050. Some species are unable to adapt quickly enough to the temperature change and habitats might not be available for them to move into.
Rainforests: Higher temperatures and reduced rainfall could mean the loss of large areas of the Brazilian and southern African rainforest.

Sources: Greenpeace, Directgov

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?

“Permaculture is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns.” It uses the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems to provide a framework and guidance for people to develop their own sustainable solutions to the problems facing their world, on a local, national or global scale. It is based on the philosophy of co-operation with nature and caring for the earth and its people.

Ethics and Principles: "If we want to move on and create sustainability and a more fulfilling quality of life, the best way to do this is to understand the nature of the world and to live harmoniously and creatively with it - to understand that we are a part of the web of life, not separate from it."
Permaculture embodies a system of ethics and principles that we aim to put into practice. These focus around sustainability and fairness, and are generally divided into three main categories:
Earth Care: Permaculture as a design system is based on natural systems. It is about working with nature, not against it - not using natural resources unnecessarily or at a rate at which they cannot be replaced. It also means using outputs from one system as inputs for another (vegetable peelings as compost, for example), and so minimising wastage.
People Care: People care is about looking after us as people, not just the world we live in. It works on both an individual and a community level. Self-reliance, co-operation and support of each other should be encouraged. It is, however, important to look after ourselves on an individual level too. Our skills are of no use to anyone if we are too tired to do anything useful! People care is also about our legacy to future generations.
Fair Shares: The fair shares part of the permaculture ethic brings earth care and people care together. We only have one earth, and we have to share it - with each other, with other living things, and with future generations. This means limiting our consumption, especially of natural resources, and working for everyone to have access to the fundamental needs of life - clean water, clean air, food, shelter, meaningful employment, and social contact.

Permaculture does not provide prescriptive solutions to the problems facing the world - nobody is going to demand that you put an herb spiral in the bottom left corner of your garden, or wear only hand knitted recycled non-bleached organic fair trade clothes. It is about allowing you the freedom to observe your surroundings, and make decisions that will work for you, in your situation, using the resources you have.

At Reboot we will have lectures, talks and workshops showing us the latest in permaculture ideas and techniques from people who are at the forefront of designing, teaching, implementing and spreading the word about permaculture as a way of life for a friendlier co-existence with earth.

Source: Permaculture Association, read more.

BAMBOO AS A SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL

At Reboot Now you will notice that many structures are constructed from bamboo. Please read on to find out how bamboo is an eco-friendly and sustainably harvested material to work with.

Bamboo is a woody evergreen plant traditionally grown in South-East Asia, and now grown across India and the Himalayas, North-East Australia, and South-West America.

It grows in diverse climate zones, and can spread rapidly, unless prevented or deliberately cultivated. There are more than 1200 species worldwide. It has traditionally been regarded by Chinese society as a symbol of longevity, and within India as a sign of friendship.

Bamboo is Versatile: Bamboo is a truly remarkable renewable resource. It is a centuries old material that has been and continues to be used by over half the world's population for applications as varied as food, shelter, fuel and clothing. These applications make bamboo a vital non-timber, non-petroleum resource. With a tensile strength superior to steel, it is one of the most versatile and durable natural resources in the world.
Bamboo is Sustainable: Bamboo plays an important role in the reduction of timber consumption, environmental and forest protection, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development of rural economies. It is the fastest growing canopy for the re-greening of degraded lands and releases 35% more oxygen than equivalent timber stands.
There are many houses in Thailand and Vietnam made completely from bamboo, and in many other buildings and dwellings across Asia it is at least a component of the house construction. It is a sustainable material, and when grown and harvested locally to the construction site, could be said to be the most ecologically friendly building material available.
With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2 to 5% for trees, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One clump can produce 200 poles in the three to five years. Bamboo generates a crop every year.
Bamboo is Renewable: Bamboo is a highly renewable material. It is one of the earth's fastest growing plants. Bamboo needs no replanting, grows without fertilizers or pesticides and is harvested from controlled stands with an astounding growth cycle of three to five years.
Bamboo is not a wood, but a species of fast-growing grass that can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwoods. Bamboo tolerates extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall.
Bamboo offers vital economic and ecological benefits to the lives of millions of people worldwide; providing food, fuel, housing, furniture, artisan products, and soil and water conservation.