Green is another world of sustainability. What is sustainability? Why we need a sustainable world? Furthermore, how can we deal with sustainability?
To be able to answer those questions, I did research which is assisting me to enhance this topic. As figure 1.1 shows below there are three areas of sustainability those are environmental, economic, and social.1
Figure 1.1 (UNIVERSITY, 2014)
Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present based on not destroys the future generations to meet their own needs.2 While, what is happening around us, for instance, over excavating the natural resource; felling trees; CO2 emission etc. People seems like just interested in making more profits rather than protect the earth.
There are lots of claims from the western countries they are suggesting the people to planting more trees instead of felling them down. In China, there are around 20 million trees being cut per year. 3 There are 36 billion tones of CO2 being discharged by the world in 2012. It shows that the developing countries, such as, China and India takes up 27% from the whole.4
Why these countries make a great “contribute” to the pollution? The reason is they have to capture profits in order to enrich the country. In another side, does the developed country also need money? Of course, they even need much more capitals. They are supporting for the sustainable industry planting trees or decrease the excavating of natural resources; meanwhile they exploit the resources in Asia. This is an interesting topic regarding environment, social and economic issues. Every country is keen on natural resources, moreover war; conflict is the consequence of it. Besides, if we think about what is going to be left for the generations? If there is no nature resource, the only thing can be left is death.
It is the time for us to change. I mean if we can provide innovations of sustainable are more efficient than fighting each other. We cannot let this bad circle continue to play. I do research numbers of methods to make this world green. Now I will put forward some of the effectiveness tips. Since I believe contribution is made by every small change.
l Green Printing
Let’s see how much nature resource will be used for 1 ton of virgin, uncoated paper: 4 tons of wood; 30 million BTUs of energy; 5,882 pounds of CO2E of greenhouse gases; 22,219 gallons of water; and 1,909 pounds of solid waste.5 According to this facts there is a recycled term of using paper provided by Vanderbilt University. I am inserting another form for you to understand it clearly.
| 0% recycled content | 30% recycled content | 50% recycled content | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood Use | 37 tons ≈ 259 trees | 26 tons ≈ 181 trees | 18 tons ≈ 130 trees | 0 tons ≈ 0 trees |
| Net Energy | 299 million BTUs (87,628 kWh) ≈ 3.3 homes/year | 274 million BTUs (80,301 kWh) ≈ 3.0 homes/year | 258 million BTUs (75,612 kWh) ≈ 2.8 homes/year | 217 million BTUs (63,596 kWh) ≈ 2.4 homes/year |
| Greenhouse Gases | 58,821 lbs CO2E ≈ 5.3 cars/year | 51,442 lbs CO2E ≈ 4.7 cars/year | 46,522 lbs CO2E ≈ 4.2 cars/year | 34,223 lbs CO2E ≈ 3.1 cars/year |
| Wastewater | 222,189 gallons ≈ 0.34 swimming pools | 186,647 gallons ≈ 0.28 swimming pools | 162,953 gallons ≈ 0.25 swimming pools | 103,717 gallons ≈ 0.16 swimming pools |
| Solid Waste | 19,087 lbs ≈ 0.68 full garbage trucks | 16,929 lbs ≈ 0.60 full garbage trucks | 15,491 lbs ≈ 0.55 full garbage trucks | 11,894 lbs ≈ 0.42 full garbage trucks |
What is this term actually working? They put forward an advice that is to using the wood combining with the post-consumer waste. It is a recycling program avoid of the waste of paper. As the form shows above, there is a huge different of making paper between 0% recycle content and 100% recycled content. However, 100% recycled content is an ideal results. If we cannot implement that much, we could suggest people to use recycling waste as much as possible.
l Waste and Recycling
Vanderbilt University encourage their staff and students to find way to reduce waste and recycle.6 How about the other University? Nowadays, Marketing, Management, Finance etc is the most popular major in most of the Universities for example. Whereas, nearly can be seen there is an environment friendly subject.
Hereby, I have some suggestions as well.
Reducing: paper can be used in both sides no matter printing or writing on it. No plastic straw using in a bottle of water.
Reusing: when we buy a plastic cup of juice please do not throw it away the cup is reusable.
Recycling: girls like to buy new clothes. How about the used clothes? Yes, these clothes is recycling by some industries. For example: H&M has a project of making the world green. They are recycling the used cloth; if you bring a bag of them you can have a 15% off coupon from H&M.
Just do it. You may have some more fresh ideas you can follow me, and let’s do it together.
- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/who-we-are/what-is-sustainability/ ↩
- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/who-we-are/what-is-sustainability/ ↩
- http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/548679269.html ↩
- http://energy.people.com.cn/n/2013/1121/c71661-23614363.html ↩
- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/what-we-do/printing/ ↩
- http://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/what-we-do/waste-and-recycling/ ↩