Sustainability & the three E’s – Environmental, Economic and Equity Concerns

Environmental, Economic and Equity concerns are the three base elements of Sustainability. Rather than use examples from a college textbook, a Nantucket example is in order. There are a great many local examples ranging from planning for the future with Coastal Resilience Plans or energy security like solar projects around the island. These are great forward-thinking projects responding to large scale global threats like sea level rise and reducing carbon emissions at the local level. There are older and more established sustainable enterprises on Nantucket that tick all the boxes; our local farms and small producers.

Farmers are the caretakers of large parts of our environment. This also goes for apiarists taking care of bees for honey and pollination, and those in aquaculture growing shellfish such as oysters and Bay scallops. Recreational shell fishers that take to the cooling harbor waters each fall for scallops could also fit as they fill their own freezers at minimal costs. These various harvests from field to fork have their obvious economic benefits that satisfy our environmental factors and economic benefits for sustainability through local commerce. The third pillar is equity. How do our local farmers and producers assist with local equity on Nantucket? In lots of different ways. Keeping it local and reducing the carbon milage come to mind first. It also provides local food security, and this is something that the State is pushing for. This is access to healthy local food that is here even if the ferries don’t run. They provide local commerce and, depending on the scale, local employment. Our farmers and small producers are also maintaining our historic connections to the past and that too is valuable for the social character of the island.

What about something for yourself? For the price of a permit and some gear, most anyone can scallop and get a bushel of scallops a week from October to March. Grow some herbs on your windowsill. Don’t be afraid to buy the cheaper misshapen local produce. Taken as a whole, our local farmers and small producers enhance the quality of life on Nantucket and supports our island’s sustainability.

MIRACLES
Making Island Resources A Collaborative Local Effort for Sustainability