Ecological Sustainability

As is usually the case on Friday evening, I made time to watch Bill Moyer's Journal. One of his guests was Daniel Goleman, author of a new book entitled Ecological Intelligence. You can read the transcript or view the video from here. Goldman's major points begin with our consumerism.

The sad fact is that what we see in the store, what we put in our homes, what we use every day, all those objects, all those friendly products that we're so used to, has a hidden legacy which has to do with their impacts on the environment, on our health, on ecosystems, on the people that made them, that starts from the moment that they start to extract the ingredients. Manufacture through transport, through use, disposal.

Given that, it is about being in informed consumer.

At every step of the way there are myriad impacts on the environment, on health, on the people involved, and so on. So, first, we have a vaster sense, and a much more accurate sense, of really what the impact is. And the second thing is, and this is the big breakthrough, that information is now available to you and me while we're shopping. So that we can use it to make better decisions.

I have happened to find a great (to my taste) California Cheese, called Dry Monterey by Rumiano Cheese Co., Grass Valley, CA. This is what they say about sustainability on their web site.

The Rumiano Cheese Company is committed to sustainability, supporting the local community with a quality workplace and an environmentally friendly operation.

After that, they detail 5 specifics: a new wastewater treatment facility, locally made with local milk and local workers, new water recirculation pumps, energy efficient lighting, no harmful dies and a company wide recycling program that includes old cheese. My question is how green is green and what is it worth. $8.00 per lb. on their web site and $9.99 at my local supermarket.