Is there hope for the future?



http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/sustainable-development.html

 During this weeks lecture the topic was "Saving the Enchilada".  My understanding was that there were a number of things that make an area sustainable such as: lower energy consumption rates, stable employment, and that sustainable practices would be done by choice and not by government forcing policies.  Also that there are a number of steps that can be used to implement more sustainable practices, such as: adjusting prices to reflect costs to the environment and future generations, replacing the current tax system and making one that encourages conservation practices, and to change the way things are manufactured so it is done in a cradle to cradle way.  (Ling, C. Saving the Enchilada, Feb. 28, 2011).

Obviously we are not living in a fully sustainable world today, but it definitely has the potential to be.  Over time the implementation of these ideas will lead to a the formation of a sustainable society.  I think that in order to work towards a sustainable society we need to start changing now, by changing little things and habits that we do in our day to day lives.  These are little changes that we can incorporate in our day to day lives.  Things like taking shorter showers, turning off the lights, unplugging unnecessary appliances, and turning down the thermostat.  These are only a number of ways on how we can work to change our simple bad habits into better energy saving ones.  We should have no problems adapting to these changes as long as we are willing to commit to completing these changes.

http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/hybrid-cars.html

Once society has committed to making the above changes we can move onto bigger and better things.  This would include such things as buying hybrid cars or installing solar thermal hot water heating systems in our homes.  Not everyone is going to be able to afford such things, but the governments can aid in making it possible for these individuals.  The way that they do this is through the use of grants and incentives to people willing to install energy saving systems in their homes, or people willing to buy hybrid vehicles.  This is the case in the Solar Colwood project where the first 10 homes to agree to installing solar thermal heating systems will receive incentives of $3800 to aid in the installation costs. 

Society as a whole can also work together to establish sustainable cities that include high density living housing as well as electric transport systems.  This is currently being done in places such as Masdar City where the use of PRT (personal rapid transit) is being used to transport people throughout the city in pod cars.  Places such as Masdar City are good signs of hope for our sustainable future.  When I hear about things like the use of pod cars I think about how I used to think about the future as a kid.  I remember thinking that by the time I have my own kids the car I would have would drive me around instead of having me drive it, much like how it was in the Jetsons.  The video below is an example of the pod cars that are being used in Masdar City. 

That being said, there are several problems that will arise in the implementation of sustainable initiatives.  One of these problems in the issue of money.  As a society there are no two individuals that earn the same wage while at the same time have the same spending habits.  This tends to result in a gap between the rich and the poor, which unfortunately leads to unsustainable practices.  Lower income individuals tend to want to invest in something that will show immediate results, not results over a period of time.  This is what makes them resistant to the idea of the installation of energy saving technologies such as solar energy or even the use of incandescent bulbs.  Another issue that has the potential to put a damper on societies move towards sustainability is the lack of information available to the public.  This could be prevented if there were sources of information based on sustainable initiatives that can be completed, this would be as simple as the creation of a helpful website.  A good example of a website that is helpful for individuals trying to make their homes greener is the Sustainable Victoria website.  This website is great in that it provides links not only to sustainable ideas, but also to tradespeople who would help in the installation of such systems. 

http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/the_geography_of_hope_0

Education is key to future sustainability success.  In order for people to realize the extent of the current problems we are facing due to climate change, they need to realize the outcomes of our carelessness to the environment.  If we want to educate more individuals we should first begin to educate women in developing countries.  Not only would this be beneficial to the protection of the environment, but it would also result in a decrease in population and consumption since the women would not feel the need to become pregnant immediately since they would be able to rely on their education.  By working towards providing education to the world I think that there would be a large amount of hope for the future in terms of sustainability.  It is important that the worlds population understands how important it is that something is done, and it is our job to begin the education of our peers and families in order to begin spreading the word.  If we do the these things then one day we may all live like the Jetsons did!

http://www.simpsonstrivia.com.ar/jetsons-pics.htm