Many of the resources we depend upon are finite in nature, requiring a considerate approach to ensure that our needs will continue to be met in the long term. How the region plans, manages, and conserves resources such as water, energy, materials, and waste will look very different than it did in the past.
A complete lifecycle approach addresses how resources are extracted, how products are made, how they are consumed, and how remaining resources are recovered and recycled. By examining how much energy, water, and material we use and waste, we can better understand the implications of every decision. For instance, reducing energy usage will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease our energy expenses, and improve air quality and human health.
The lifecycle approach helps identify the negative impacts of overconsumption on resource availability and cost. Although high-income families use proportionately more energy and water, low-income families are most burdened by utility costs. The patterns of overconsumption affect us all by exacerbating water scarcity during drought years or by increasing usage of fossil-fuel power plants on high-heat days. Further, low-income communities in close proximity to waste infrastructure currently bear the brunt of high levels of waste generation, illegal dumping, and other poor waste-management symptoms.
We will effectively manage the County’s waste, water, energy, and material resources into the future by improving our ability to promote integrative and collaborative solutions at the local and regional levels.
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