Written for Healthy Indoors Magazine -
January 2014
When my long-time friend and colleague, Bob Krell, the
Publisher of this magazine asked me to write a monthly column, I got really
excited. When he said I could write about whatever I felt was timely and
interesting to me, my heart did a
little dance!
I’ve lived in Arizona for the past 15+ years. That almost
makes me a native by Arizona standards. About ten years ago, I came to the hard
realization that if you really want to affect positive change, you need to
become involved (or at least have a firm understanding) of politics.
Arizona is nationally known for its extreme politics, giving
daily fodder to the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. This doesn’t
necessarily make me proud, but it does make me more determined to stick around
and help fight the good fight here. I will also point out that contrary to
popular belief we’re not all crazy I
can assure you!
Having a background in indoor air and environmental quality,
I often view Arizona as a petri dish for bad legislation. It reminds me of when
I’d have leftover agar plates and I would have my kids cough onto them so we
could watch what fuzzy, green things might stick and grow. I often joke that
bad bills are like zombies here – you kill them, and they just keep coming back
to life year after year after year after year after… You get the point.
Our 2014 Legislative Session is about to begin. Our elected
officials have been busy drafting bills and having meetings to weigh the
popularity. Many will go nowhere. Others will push on. Some good, some bad, some
boring, some sad. (If you’re a 70’s kid like me, maybe you remember Schoolhouse
Rock’s
I’m Just a Bill.)
Do they even still teach that stuff anymore? For some reason I fear not.
So what does this have to do with sustainability?
Everything!
For the past two years, I have helped battle back a bill
here in Arizona called the Rio Declaration – Prohibition. I even had a nice
profile
piece written after fighting it off the first year.
The Rio Declaration was the result of a United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development that took place in Rio de Janeiro in
1992. The conference agenda was to
reaffirm the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment which had been adopted at Stockholm in 1972, and to further expand
upon the mission,
“With the goal of establishing a new and equitable global
partnership through the creation of new levels of cooperation among States, key
sectors of societies and people, working towards international agreements which
respect the interests of all and protect the integrity of the global
environmental and developmental system, and recognizing the integral and
interdependent nature of the Earth, our home.”
I also like to remind people that the “21” simply stands for
the 21st Century and maybe we should all try living in it someday.
During that first year, there were a handful of other states
that had similar bills- New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee, but thankfully,
none of them passed. It was killed in committee in all three of those states,
and Tennessee even did a fiscal review of how the state would be financially
impacted, which you can read
HERE.
Last year across the
nation, we didn’t fare so well (even though we managed to battle the zombie
back again in Arizona). 34 bills and resolutions were introduced in 20 states
in 2013. Of those, only a few passed all the way through. But yes, some states
passed a bill which broadly outlaws sustainability along with such missions as
eradicating poverty.
Agenda 21 has become the target of right wing conspiracy
theorists, such as the John Birch Society, and is the new BIG BAD WOLF. There are actual “Stop Agenda 21″ tool kits
along with language for bills so we won’t supposedly have a UN takeover while
we’re sleeping. Anything touted as green
or sustainable has become code word for Agenda
21 conspiracy at both the local and state level.
Michael Schmitz, Executive Director of ICLEI–Local
Governments for Sustainability USA, wrote a
3p oped
about the recent attacks on green cities reminding people that:
“Agenda 21 is not a treaty or legally binding document and
does not infringe upon the sovereignty of any nation, state, or local
government. Bottom line, it isn’t being forced on anybody, anywhere, by any
organization.”
Apparently a bunch of people missed that memo…
This my short list of how anti Rio Declaration/Agenda 21
legislation could potentially hurt any state:
Jobs – The green and sustainable job market is one of the
only consistently growing markets across the nation. Any and all federal funding for green job
training could vanish. We also have green sects throughout our government at
both city and state levels. These jobs could be jeopardized.
Business/Industry – Nearly every large corporation and
industry (and many small businesses) have sustainability
initiatives/plans. This is now a way of
life – as well it should be because it’s smart. Sustainability plans are meant
to save companies money by using less energy, increasing productivity,
lessening environmental impacts, and a myriad of other things that are good for
People, Planet + Profit. Would large
companies want to set up shop in a state that was opposed to the Rio
Declaration in this day and age? The
answer is an emphatic NO.
Health – Green building programs and policies improve the
health of our people – thus saving millions of dollars in healthcare
costs. I can point to hundreds of
peer-reviewed and published studies with regard to the health benefits
associated with green building, as well as less absenteeism and improved test
scores in green-built schools.
Economy – Our economy is still not 100% and many people are
still un or under-employed. Energy
programs, including those that are federally funded, serve to help people lower
their utility costs by offering
extremely low out-of-pocket costs to upgrade HVAC systems, add insulation, make
sure ducts are sealed and offer shade screens.
Social Equality/Environmental Justice – Sustainability only
works if it reaches across all socio-economic levels, into every neighborhood
and touches every group of people. Funding for TOD (transit oriented
development) various HUD programs, organizations like Habitat for Humanity and
others could be at risk of losing major funding.
So please keep all of these things in mind when following
your local city and state politics in the coming months. Remember the
opposition to green and sustainable
is mainly fear based coupled with a lack of factual knowledge. Take the time to
educate yourself so you can in turn help educate others.
The American Planning Association has an
Agenda 21 Myths and
Facts guide sheet. If you hear the term Agenda 21 or Rio Declaration being
brought up within your local city or state governments, print some, attend and
pass them out.
I’m crossing my fingers that my own zombie bill won’t be
back for the third time, but it’s apparently pretty hungry for brains. Time
will tell.
Only together can we create a healthier and more sustainable
future.
And please remember to rock your vote!
