Why is ecology being marginalized or totally left out of the discussion of sustainability? How can we even think about sustainability without thinking about and incorporating ecological carrying capacity, ecological processes, landscape ecology, conservation biology and biodiversity in land development projects, resource extraction and infrastructure improvements? A LEED© or Living Building Challenge project built with little or no regard to these factors is not sustainable and never will be. Pretty soon we will have a bunch of ‘sustainable’ buildings in a sterile landscape where crows, rats, cockroaches and Kentucky bluegrass reign supreme, all the while bemoaning the fact that we have lost 90% of life on earth and have no idea how that happened. Sound rigorous science needs to be fully incorporated into land development projects. Time to wake up!
