As a reader of Sustainable Industries, you're eligible to receive $50 off Kevin Halsey's May 14 workshop, "Integrative Land Use Planning: Collaborative Tools for Optimizing Performance." Simply click here to register.
According to ecosystem services expert Kevin Halsey, transforming social and environmental impacts from business write-offs into drivers of ecological, social, and financial value is not only feasible – it's inevitable.
Sustainable Industries recently caught up with Halsey, co-lead for the Ecosystem Services Consulting team at Parametrix, for an in-depth Q&A. In his role at the Portland-based firm, Halsey helps clients understand ecosystem markets in a variety of projects throughout the western United States and Canada.
Halsey also leads workshops for the University of Oregon's Sustainability Leadership Program. Sustainable Industries recently partnered with the program to both produce and distribute a multi-media content series focused on topical content emerging from the curriculum.
In Part 1 of the interview below, Halsey fleshes out the critical importance of ecosystem services – and why it's not just about "monetizing nature." In Part 2 of the interview – which can be read here – Halsey gets specific about his ecosystem services work in the built environment through the lens of Seattle’s celebrated Bullitt Center, a candidate to meet the rigorous Living Building Challenge (not to mention it's self-proclaimed status as the "greenest commercial building in the world").
SI: Good afternoon, Kevin. To start, what’s your best super tight definition of 'ecosystem services' for the business audience?
KH: Ecosystem services are the natural benefits we rely on for survival and quality of life. When we change the systems that are providing these benefits, there are social and economic consequences.
SI: 'Consequences,' eh? Why are some concerned that ecosystem services are based on the premise that 'nature is here to serve us,' and what do you say to those concerned?
KH: The term itself can certainly mislead people into thinking it is about how nature serves us – and when we talk about understanding the 'value' of nature, it's easy to conclude we are viewing nature as just one more thing to commoditize. However, our starting point for ecosystem services is that nature provides benefits we rely on for survival and quality of life. The truth of ecosystem services is that it is not about us dominating or controlling nature, it's about understanding our dependencies on nature. [pagebreak]These dependencies span a considerable range of human needs all of which are part of understanding the value of nature. Some of those values can be expressed through dollars – others can not. Either way ecosystem services provide a vehicle to communicate to anyone, regardless of their philosophical perspectives, why conservation/restoration of nature is in their best interest.
SI: How do you balance ecosystem services in cities on a spectrum that runs from completely natural to purely technological solutions?
KH: Urban areas force us to think about ecosystem services in a more nuanced manner. Certainly open spaces and parks provide natural benefits, but we can not afford for that to be the end of efforts to integrate ecosystem services. In fact, we increasingly integrate ecosystem services in many ways into our built environment (e.g., green streets, green roofs, garden roofs, community gardens, etc.). These urban ecosystem services improve community resilience and increase human health, providing many social and economic benefits. However, as we integrate ecosystem services into the built environment we have to understand the trade-offs we are making. Technology allows us to live at higher population densities, which is critical if we are to avoid increased habitat destruction due to human sprawl. Thinking about ecosystem services on a spectrum from purely natural to completely technological allows us to do urban planning and design that provides optimal outcomes, balancing high population density with healthy, resilient communities.
SI: To what extent do think it’s feasible, here and now, to transform ecosystem services from economic 'externalities' to drivers of multiple forms of ecological, social, and financial value?
KH: I believe it is very feasible – and inevitable. There is waning debate within the ecosystem services community over whether the concept of ecosystem services is any more than a means of monetizing nature. Although some still use it primarily for that purpose, most recognize that the concept has evolved beyond that limited application. Nature has intrinsic value to some – which is a value. Nature has cultural value to many – which is a value. Nature has economic value to everyone (whether we want to recognize it or not) – which is also a value. Some have very direct dependencies on nature, and they certainly value it. However, the trick will be fully integrating this full range of the ecosystem services concept into our decision making processes. There are many examples of ways in which we already incorporate all of those values into our decision making. However, we do not do systematic analysis of the social and economic consequence of ecological change. For instance, the loss of salmon populations is generally recognized as causing a cultural impact; however, we seldom, if ever, measure the social consequences for low income populations of altering disease vectors through ecological disturbance. There may still be the occasional debates over why we should value nature – as if there are right or wrong ways to recognize our dependence on nature – but hopefully most people are moving on to finding ways to fully integrate these values into decision making.
SI: What are you teaching for the University of Oregon’s Sustainability Leadership Program and what is unique about this course and this program?
KH: My next class is about the relationship of ecosystem services to sustainability and how the concept can be used as an analysis tool to help us optimize urban planning and design. [pagebreak]I'm excited about this particular class because I hope to be in the midst of working with some very smart partners (at Ecotrust and Autopoiesis) to develop a tool that can help urban planners and developers to integrate ecosystem services concepts into their decision making. The tool would use our nature to technology spectrum approach to ecosystem services to help identify optimization points for building design, or landscape composition. I'm hoping to bring the class fully into the tool development process. This will provide a great immersion into the concepts, as well as an opportunity to see and be part of the tool development processes. I think this will be a great opportunity for interactive, hands-on learning. I value the Oregon Sustainability Leadership Program because they provide these types of opportunities – both for me and the students.
Click here to read Part 2 of Sustainable Industries' interview with Kevin Halsey.
As a reader of Sustainable Industries, you're eligible to receive $50 off Kevin Halsey's May 14 workshop, "Integrative Land Use Planning: Collaborative Tools for Optimizing Performance." Simply click here to register.
Flickr Creative Commons slideshow photo by Lollyman.