Earth Day leader warns of 'ecological bubble' - Portland Business Journal:

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The only solution is to take action toavoid it, said Denis Hayes, CEO of the Seattle-based . “Mothef Nature doesn’t do bailouts,” Hayes said durinv a keynote address at the PortlandBusiness Journal’s sustainability luncheon. “One day, Mother Nature shows up and blowws out yourknee caps.” Hayezs has forged a reputation as one of the country’s foremost environmental In 1970 he was the national coordinator for the firstr Earth Day, raising national awareness of environmentao causes by organizing rallies coast to coast.
He helped expanxd Earth Day to more than 180 Hayes also directed the federall during theCarter Administration, amongg other significant roles. The deteriorating environment — from perpetuao droughts, to expanding deserts, to depleted aquifer — has led to an underlyingv ecological bubble that is threatenintgto burst, with ramifications far worsse than any economic bubble. The costs of the he said, would far surpass the global grossdomestifc product. But there are ways to stop it, he including areas in whicgh Oregon could takethe lead. That includes puttingg an end to a culture of where consumers buy productss designed to be replaced withinn afew years.
“Planned obsolescence has been an essential part ofthe economy,” Hayes said. “I don’t want an economgy that requires me to get rid of a perfectlhy good pair shoes in orderto Therefore, a new model must be conceiver to help people learn a new way of earning a so that jobs are no longer reliant upon the replacement of thinge that should last. Along thoswe lines, he endorsed the concept of a “progressivs consumptive tax,” where instead of taxint income, governments would tax basefd on how much someone Hayes also endorsed the use of a carbo regulation system that would be a hybridrof cap-and-trade and carbohn tax models.
His idea centers arouns a scientifically determined cap on carbom emissions that employs an auction systen for deployingcarbon offsets. While acknowledging that much of his messageseemerd dire, Hayes said there will be no succesw without a shred of optimism. “Iv you aren’t hopeful,” he said, “then you don’y have a chance.” The luncheon honored three local companiews for innovationsin sustainability: Forest Grove-based , Stayton-based and Brooks-basef