4 ESSENCE January 13, 2010

Conservation as a Normative Concept Local Flair for Fish Fillets

SARA FRALIN
Conservation may be considered
a normative concept among Envi-
ronmental Studies students such as
myself, but this perception is held by
a privileged minority. Conservation
is defined by Webster’s New World
Dictionary (2003) as “the official care
or management of natural resources.”
It can also include the preservation of
natural resources and a decrease in
use or consumption. Conservation is
a concept that many people do not yet
fully understand or acknowledge; its
recognition involves environmental
ethics, education, economic stability
and great foresight. Normative con-
cepts hold a belief that certain things
ought or should be done; conservation
as a normative concept means people
believe we should be preserving our
natural resources and decreasing our
consumption .I believe conservation
should not only be practiced but it
needs to become common practice
to ensure our future. Although many
cultures hold great respect and an ap-
preciation of natural surroundings,
conservation is a relatively new con-
cept to the public, and continues to
gain momentum around the world.
Placing value on conserving our
natural resources involves great in-
sight, education, and preconditioned
environmental ethics. Insight infers
the ability to look past tomorrow into
the future and foresee the impacts of
today’s actions. Education is required
for people to understand how their
actions affect the complex ecosystems
that make up environment. And envi-
ronmental ethics are essential in this
education so that people will care not
only about humanity’s economic pros-
perity, but also about a future which
is dependent on our planets fragile
environment. For most people one
or more of these major variables are
not present.
The majority of humanity lives in
extreme poverty, their concerns are
focused on where their next meal will
come from and whether they will be
able to afford basic necessities - not
the luxury of preserving habitat space
or biodiversity. This constant struggle
for economic survival prevents many
people from achieving a level of secu-
rity needed to foresee environmental
damage or to incorporate environ-
mental ethics into their daily lives.
Economic stability is not the only in-
hibitor of this concept; many people
who enjoy the luxury of financial
security do not believe conservation
is important. The average consumer
(educated and financially secure) does
not perceive a real danger to our envi-
ronment, they value natural resources
through the attachment of monetary
amounts, and make little or no effort
to change how they consume.
A normative concept affirms how
things should be or a way something
ought to be done according to social
or personal values. Conservation is an
ethical value and so cannot be used as
a generalization for the global popu-
lace. For the large number of people
who do not have economic stability or
access to education, it is unlikely that
conservation is practiced. Those con-
sumers who have the luxury of an ed-
ucation and see how global resources
are being exploited may not have an
ethical base that falls in line with that
of conservation. The small groups of
people who do care, who can afford to
believe in conservationism and who
clearly see our damaging effects on
the environment are a minority pri-
marily living in developed countries.
These people have the privilege to see
conservation as a normative concept,
and make consciences decisions in
their consumption habits.
PHOTO BY: MILA CZEMERYS
Conservation is a concept slowly
gaining popularity. So far primarily a
fortunate few believe it is something
we should act upon. This concept is
complex, as it requires the time, edu-
cation, and ethical harmony for those
who wish to take an interest in it. I
believe that conservation is a norma-
tive concept, but that is most likely
due to my privileged up-bringing and
conditioned values. Were I struggling
to find food or shelter, I wonder if I
would uphold the same values?
EMILY ANDERSON
I came up with this twist on fish when I was experimenting in the kitchen one
evening and happened to have Oregon grape (Mahonia/Berberis aquifolium) berries
on hand. Blueberries or salal berries work just as well, but the Oregon grape has a
tart flavor that complements stuffing like no other. Plus, it is fun to cook with local,
native flora in an age when people are concerned about where food is coming from.
I find this recipe works best will sole, but any fish fillets will work!
Here is what you will need:
-4 4-ounce fresh/frozen skinless sole or other wild fish fillets
-Salt and black pepper
-1 10-ounce package of frozen spinach (use fresh organic spinach if available. I
sometimes use Swiss chard, it is delicious. Or mix the two.)
-1 free range, organic egg
-1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix or 1 cup bread crumbs with your own selection
of seasonings (rosemary, thyme and chilies are great!)
-½ cup Oregon grape berries, salal berries or blueberries
-Chives for garnish
1) Rinse the fish and season fish with salt and/or pepper.
2) Combine spinach or chard, egg, stuffing mix and berries.
3) Spoon one quarter of the filling into each fillet. Roll up and pin rolls with a
toothpick or shish kabob skewer.
4) Bake covered at 350 Fahrenheit for 30-35 min (until fish flakes lightly and is
cooked through). Sprinkle with fresh chives. Enjoy!
(Suggestion: serve with lemon and chili potato wedges or mashed cauliflower
with squeezed lemon).
SALAL BERRIES CAN BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OREGON GRAPE IN THIS RECIPE
PHOTO BY: MILA CZEMERYS

Review of “The New Economics of Sustainable Consumption”

RACHEL WEVER
“Green” consumerism is evi-
dent everywhere in our current social
climate. Green product labeling is
intended to help consumers make a
fully informed decision to purchase
or not purchase goods produced more
ethically or efficiently. Their purchase
decision in turn sends a signal to pro-
ducers – this is the concept of “vot-
ing” with your dollar. Mainstream
economics presumes fully-informed,
rational consumers acting in isola-
tion, and touts market mechanisms
such as green product labeling and
tax incentives to achieve socially op-
timal consumption. Unfortunately for
mainstream economics, there is more
to consumer theory than that.
Gill Seyfang calls to question
such mainstream truths in The New
Economics of Sustainable Consump-
tion. After examining what consump-
tion means and what motivates con-
sumer decisions, she suggests that
green product labeling and educa-
tional campaigns fall flat.
What comes to mind with the
words “sustainable consumption”?
Seyfang distinguishes between two
interpretations of the term: the main-
stream approach mentioned above
that aims to create “green consum-
ers”; and a new economic approach
that realigns social and economic
institutions to create “ecological citi-
zens”. The difference has many im-
plications: contrast individual green
consumers influencing incremental
improvements through market sig-
nals to ecological citizens organizing
collectively to make systemic changes
to market infrastructure.
While Seyfang outlines a skeleton of
the problems embedded in the current
economic and political system, the
meat of her book is solution-oriented.
Seyfang uses five indicators of “sus-
tainable consumption” (localization,
reducing ecological footprints, com-
munity building, collective action,
and building new infrastructures of
provision) to rate sustainable con-
sumption initiatives concerning food,
housing, and currency. The fifth indi-
cator reflects an idea that the avenues
through which we make consump-
tion decisions must be exposed, and
not just the consumption decisions
PHOTO BY: MILA CZEMERYS
made by individuals. This abstract
idea is captured in several examples:
food is provided at a farmer’s market
or at a grocery store, houses are built
in the style of “self-build” or by large
construction companies propagating
urban sprawl.
In her analysis, Seyfang pro-
vides a realistic vantage point from
which to assess the benefits and chal-
lenges facing grassroots initiatives.
Seyfang’s examples may seem distant
and isolated, but they embody “seeds
of change” that together mark a grow-
ing movement. She further explains
how many grassroots movements can-
not go mainstream or upscale without
compromising their core ideologies.
For example, a project such
as Earthship Biotecture, a sustainable
housing initiative, it is not realistic to
build at a high volume – yet this proj-
ect can still transfer knowledge and
be part of a wider solution. Earthship
Biotecture creates zero-carbon houses
(earthships) from available trash such
as tires and pop cans. These Earth-
ships are self-sufficient for both ener-
gy and water. The structures require
no heating or cooling as they are built
with thermal mass walls and floors,
and make use of south-facing light
and natural shade to regulate tem-
peratures.
While the Earthship project
cannot easily be mass-produced, Sey-
fang offers solutions for integrating
aspects of these alternative buildings
into mainstream construction, per-
haps by making use of rainwater har-
vesting, greywater recycling, or straw
bale insulating. Admittedly, these so-
lutions shed the community aspect
of self-built projects in order to gain
mainstream acceptance and facilitate
widespread installations.
Seyfang addresses these “costs
and benefits” throughout the book,
paying special attention to impacts
on equality and community. She sug-
gests that sustainable consumption is
about consuming less, not simply con-
suming “green” versions of the same
products. It is also about self-provi-
sioning and community building, as
is evident in Seyfang’s examples of
time-share programs and alternative
community currencies. Finally, sus-
tainable consumption must include
initiatives that rely on a wider under-
standing of “wealth”.
Overall, Seyfang’s examples demon-
strate the truth behind purchasing
decisions – contrary to mainstream
theories, people do not act as isolated
individuals, but as members of a wid-
er community that they affect and that
affects them. The ideas mentioned in
this book are insightful, for somebody
interested in creating positive changes
towards a more sustainable future,
this book can offer inspiring examples
of how others are doing just that.
(This book is available for free down-
load on the website of Gill Seyfang at
http://www.uea.ac.uk/~e175/Sey-
fang/Home/Home.html)