Gerben van Straaten, founder of World of Walas, a collection of sustainable urban development companies, gave a lecture entitled “Mission: Earth First,” on Friday, Oct. 18. The conference room in the U-House was packed full of about 50 faculty and students, all there to learn about innovations in sustainable development.
There has been a lot of talk recently about humans becoming an interplanetary species; NASA is currently considering setting up a colony on Mars within the next 20-30 years with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, endorsing this ambitious project. Van Straaten said that while these goals are admirable, if we applied this same push for technology into sustainable development, we would be able to make Earth into a liveable planet, not threatened by extinction, forcing humankind to relocate. That is why his talk was entitled “Earth First”: there is so much that Earth has to give to us that we have not yet discovered, and that is why humanity should focus efforts here on Earth.
Van Straaten chose to focus on cities because of the mass migration of people from rural to urban areas. According to the UN, the world population living in urban areas will see an increase from 55 per cent in 2018, to 60 per cent in 2030. This makes sustainable urban planning crucial to be able to adjust to this influx of people. Pollution levels and energy consumption in cities are a major focus of Van Straaten’s company. As well, he thinks of holistic community development, as cities need to think of housing solutions, job opportunities, and food security for all of the people in the city.
Van Straaten highlighted solutions that have already been invented for healthy food production in cities, such as hydroponics (a method of growing plants without soil), urban gardens on rooftops, and green garden walls. He is also a big believer in encouraging cities to plant more trees, help offset energy costs, use renewable energy sources like solar and wind, not use new materials in construction, and use algae as a fuel source and sewage solution.
Social structures are another crucial part of urban planning, considering how people interact and the roles they play in society. His company values local labour and tries to build big groups of small companies; he compared it to building a school of fish rather than one big shark.
“Think about the social structure because that is where your real strength is; if you create a situation where people feel strong and involved, they can redevelop themselves, give you their ideas, and that is where the future is,” said van Straaten.
The point he wanted to get across to the audience was that we must collaborate together on innovative solutions. With many cities at risk of going underwater, and corporations emitting and consuming excessive amounts of carbon and nitrogen, people must work together to create technologies that will prevent a mass migration inland.
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
