Green Technology
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Green Technology
With the ever changing world that we are a part of we must take heed to the understanding that we have stewardship over it. We need to do our part in ensuring that our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same luxuries and joys that our planet has brought us. In this paper I will be discussing the effects of careless stewardship and what can be done to prevent and even better our planet, more practically I will be discussing 1. Where we are now, 2.the effects of poor environmental management, 3 alternate fuels/green building, and 4 our future. Technology is changing every day and it is getting more and more important to take a stance against the abuse that some put our earth under. We need to find a common ground between enjoying what has been given to us and protecting it for future generations. Green technology encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods and materials, form techniques for generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.
We are currently living in an age where the skies above us are being filled with toxic chemicals that are not only harmful to the environment but also to us as a people (Bowels, 2010). The irony of pollution is that we cause the problems that affect us on a daily basis. Every year United States factories release approx. three million tons of toxic chemicals in to the land, air, and water (Stevenson, 2012). These chemicals are toxic to humans and harmful to the development of unborn and even living babies (Stevenson, 2012).
Farming is one area that is in a constant debate involving the pesticides used to control weeds and insects. DDT was a very common used pesticide by the American farmer. In the late 1930; s it was discovered that the malaria confounding agent was also a very valuable insecticide. The chemical DDT was used worldwide until the United States banned its use in 1972. The scientific studies showed that the use of DDT causes problems for wildlife and that it caused the shells of eggs to be thinned, thus causing a higher percentage of failed births of birds.
When we talk about whether we as a people are willing to put our foot down on an issue we need to have a complete stance. The use of DDT was banned by the United States government but it was allowed to be on the foods that we imported from countries such as Mexico. To be a country with legitimate convictions we need to not only disallow it or allow it on our soil but we need to boycott it if it is being used by other nations. The product either is bad or good. The location of its use is invalid in any argument; if you are against something being sprayed or consumed it needs to be fully across the board (Stevenson, 2012).
There is a bandwagon that many people are jumping on right now because it seems cool to be green. The recycle their water bottles and drive hybrid cars but give not thought as to what is going on anywhere else that is 10 mile away. A genuine concern for the environment involves a thorough investigation and change of life (Bowels, 2010). This does not mean that one only eats organic foods and rides a bike everywhere, but it does mean that they are true to their convictions or in other words they practice what they preach.
Preaching against the use of chemicals or the pollution that some machinery emits and then eating the food produced or using the manufactured good is simply hypocritical. Be true to your convictions and live your words.
The environment has been the victim to many unrestrained individuals and corporations (Stevenson, 2012). The rain forests house thousands of species that are an integral part of the sustainability to this plant. They are violently torn down to make way for houses and businesses without any regard to the habitations that it provides (Bowels, 2010).
In the areas of the world that have need for expansion but are limited on space need to do a better job evaluating the surroundings that they have. In many of these areas there are abandoned buildings that could just as easily be torn down to make way for new ones to be built in its place. Converting smaller buildings into larger ones rather than destroying valuable forest land is another way to be environmentally friendly.
With the knowledge that this world contains there is no reason that a reasonable solution cannot be figured out that satisfies all sides. Each party will have to be willing to give up something to gain something in return but the planet can be salvaged and returned to its lustrous beauty (Stevenson, 2012).
We as a people have begun to develop alternate sources to petroleum based products (Stevenson, 2012). The toll that is taken when a land is striped for the oil or other raw substance that is possessed does not have to happen. There are ways to achieve the same goal with less impact (Stevenson, 2012).
Our solar system provides us with a great fuel resource. Solar energy, if harnessed could provide enough energy to energize the entire planet with some to waste. The use of solar panels has been around for decades (Solar Energy, 2012). Homes have been powered with the suns energy and people have been taking advantage of this never failing energy source for years and years. The initial cost of the solar panels and other devices to make it all come together is high, but the eventual payoff is far greater in the end (Bowels, 2010). The solar panels do pay for themselves but more importantly it is a clean and efficient way to power stuff. The environmental impact and the carbon footprint that is associated with solar power are minimal. The majority of the equipment needed is placed within the house and on top of the house (Solar Energy, 2012).
Electric cars have been developed and are continually being updated and made more efficient. Alternative fueling stations are beginning to become a common place among society. The tip of the iceberg has only been discovered when it comes to alternative fuels. CNG has made its way into the automobile world. Running a vehicle on compressed nature gas eliminates most of the problems involved with the burning of fossil fuels. The exhaust is far less potent to the environment and the ozone (Stevenson, 2012).
The production costs of these types of vehicles are high at the current time because of the relatively new idea that hybrid cars are. The costs are sure to decrease with advancement and the more prevalent these types of vehicles become on the current and future market. (Stevenson, 2012).
Propane has also been proposed as being used as an alternative to gasoline because of the cleaner exhaust. With the advancement of technology and the further progression of hybrid cars the rise of these alternative fuels will help clean the air pollution by decreasing the amount of carbon-monoxide that is released into the air from fossil fuel