Views on Sustainable Communities: Elizabeth May vs. Ken Lyotier

While watching the two videos in class about sustainability, very different views and opinions were evident. Elizabeth May, former Director of the Sierrra Club of Canada, current leader of the Green Party of Canada, and Ken Lyotier, a former binner, and former Directof of United We Can Bottle Deposit and street charity discussed their views on sustainability in the community.

May’s idea of sustainability seemed to lean towards a greater responsibility on citizens, and that as consumers, we are responsible for our actions. This includes increased self reliance such as using local energy and supplies, as well as focusing on the health and well being of children. Equity, values, and respect of rights will lead to a stronger community and shared responsibility for sustainability. What I took away from May’s discussion is that the citizens are the ones in power to become more sustainable – we shouldn’t be waiting for someone else to do it for us.

Ken Lyotier’s point of view differed from May's, but I can understand how it might be this way, given his past living situation. Ken Lyotier was a binner. A binner is basically someone who looks in garbage bins/recycling bins for something of value to him. Things of value may be in form of clothing or some other physical use, or in the form of refundable materials such as pop bottles, cans, etc – things that can be traded for money, such as at the bottle depot.

To me, Lyotier’s stance on sustainability is that the responsibility falls on the shoulders of the government, and of the rich. Economic value is driven by a capitalist model, where if you are not part of the economic model, it is very difficult or near impossible for you to fit into society. The economic model in this sense generally consists of business people, number crunchers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, etc, and does not include those with alternate abilities that may still provide value to others. Lyotier’s idea for moving towards sustainability is to develop or encourage a society that values the strengths and differences of all individuals.

I see the difference between May’s and Lyotier’s ideas on how to move towards a more sustainable future being that May believes it is the citizens responsibility to place pressure on the government, and Lyotier feels it is the government’s responsibility to place pressure on the citizens. In Lyotier’s case, the pressure should focus on the citizens that are currently ‘included’ in the economic model – this might possibly refer to a specific income bracket, in an attempt to include all citizens, rich or poor.

In Lyotier’s view, I believe the best method to achieving this would be through a catalyst, such as BC Healthy Communities (BCHC). BCHC takes a holistic approach on the ‘big picture’ concept, and is a way of thinking and doing. BCHC’s work is grounded in 7 principles being:

Holistic human development
Collaboration and Integration
Strengths-based
Capacity building
Community engagement
Diversity
Learning

It is apparent that Ken Lyotier’s views on sustainability line up very well with BCHC’s 7 principles. BCHC’s concept is largely focused on a capacity building framework, which involves community learning, engagement, collaboration, and expanded community assets. The holistic approach of BCHC pays attention to individuals, systems and structures which activities are carried out in, and out day to day culture. These include psychological and spiritual assets, cultural assets, physical and behavioural assets, and social and ecological assets. These would totally encompass Ken Lyotier’s position on what it takes to create and maintain a sustainable community.

While Lyotier aligns more closely with BCHC, I cannot completely agree that the responsibility of creating a more sustainable living lies on government programs alone. I believe that it is the merger between May's and Loytier's view points where an agreement can be met. Citizens, and as such, consumers, should place a pressure on government to get more involved. Citizens can use support systems/resources such as BCHC for free, where they are available (many provinces/territories in Canada do not have a system like this). With the help of a support resource such as BCHC, citizens can learn what they can do on their own for their community, and as well what steps they can take to lead government decisions towards sustainability.

Citizen and government are both responsible for sustainability, and must be held accountable to eachtoher for their actions. Without cooperation of one, either citizen or government, it will be near impossible to move in a sustainable direction.