One topic that is a main focus in
today’s world is the environment and green technology. I think that this is an
extremely important thing that should be concentrated on, but is making
everything green a good idea or does it cause more controversy?
Old elements and materials that are used and
seen everywhere, such as copper, tin, and iron are now being replaced by things
like zirconium and tellurium. They are also being made of elements that are
classified as “rare earths”. This change in materials makes a huge step towards
helping out the environment, but what happens when these rare materials grow
scarce. In order to obtain these materials will more have to be sacrificed?
Modified lifestyles and change in some things
are easily done, but trying to make our world sustainable might be more
harming. Getting rid of our everyday materials and switching them for new ones
could be unpredictable and end up costing more money due to experimentation.
On the other side of things, I
think that changes materials overall beautifies and helps us move one step
closer to a healthier lifestyle. There are some current materials that are
toxic and endanger wildlife and so in cases like this I fully support thinking
of new materials to take the place of old ones.
It is hard to try to advance and
improve our society and lifestyles, when most people are set with the things
they know. Experimenting with new things can be a risky process and has both
disadvantages and advantages. I am actually torn between what is the absolute
best solution. I currently believe that a balance of both new and old material
uses should be utilized, but there are so many details about various materials
that this is a difficult topic.
Is going green with materials the
best solution to improve our world, or is remaining with the majority of our
basic materials actually more beneficial in terms of cost and safety?
Moving to new ideas, technology and materials is always risky. You can think of this process to be much like starting a new business, or making a new product in an existing company. Within the first few years of development the burdens will most likely always outweigh the benefits. If this part of the process was seen as inefficient or too risky then new businesses or products would never be created. I think that the risks and costs associated with developing environmentally friendly materials and processes are definitely worth the start up cost and burdens. Just like the iPad was created after much research, testing, and cost; a new material or environmental process can be created that has the same impact on our culture and way of life.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for myself, I think it really comes down to the specific material or application you're targeting. In green engineering (a fascinating academic topic and great minor for engineers, I might add), you learn about Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). Many companies are turning to LCAs to help them evaluate the costs associated with changes; changes to materials, to processes, to energy consumption, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's not only about the process, or the raw material; it's about the system. And you will find in studying LCAs that you must define the system you will evaluate. Where do you draw that boundary that tells you which inputs and outputs you will consider in your study? Is your evaluation valid if you leave out specific aspects of the process system that is your biggest polluter? Is it valid if you consider ONLY those big polluters?
When you decide that Puma is no longer the "cool" shoes to wear, how much has your decision to toss them out contributed to the carbon footprint associated with athletic shoes? Does it make a big difference if you wear those shoes until they are splitting at the seams and the soles have big holes in them? How much difference do these issues that seam to have such obvious consequences really contribute to the overall "green" lifestyle you lead?
Just something to chew on for awhile! (And I'm serious; if you're not a graduating senior, try to take at least one class in Life Cycle Analysis with Dr. Sean McGinnis. It will be a significant contribution to your body of knowledge.)
I can see why you are torn between the two, but I believe "going green" is the best decision."Going green" is great in many aspects. We are saving wildlife and promoting healthier ways for humans to live. Younger generations are partly responsible for this cause and movement, and they would have no problem adjusting to the changes. Even if new materials are more costly, wouldn't it be worth it? With anything new, older generations would have a hard time adjusting, but I think it is doable. My grandparents text and use cell phones now, so I'm sure with a little convincing they would love to be up to date with new green products. As far as safety, I believe you are going to have to try it. I'm sure it was a concern when the "old" materials came out. If it turned out to be a problem, it could always be taken out of the market. Isn't there a phrase, "You can't knock it until you try it?"
ReplyDeleteI agree that using the best old and the best new materials makes the best solutions. I think going green is very important and if we continue to make a valiant effort to use less natural resources, then we will put ourselves in much better shape for the future. Old materials that have worked in the past are more natural and are probably better for plants and animals that live on this planet. Even though these will not be around forever, I do not think that going green efforts should totally rule out these materials. Many products that are more green are chemically engineered so they may not be the best things for living beings on the planet. Once again, I think combining old and new is the best strategy!
ReplyDeleteNatural resources must be used now wiser than ever. We really need new materials that will greatly
ReplyDeletereduce the use and eventually replace the old ones. Advances in technology allow for discoveries of new
materials. Nanomaterials are definitely the new generation of materials that display outstanding
properties. Nanoproducts require less old materials during manufacturing process. They last longer, so
they do not have to be disposed that often. Some nanomaterials are even being used to clean up waste
and reduce it effectively. It seems like this new kind of material could be really environmentally friendly.
Unfortunately, there is a catch. Although we do not know yet how nanomaterials themselves could
affect the environment, we know already that particles from nanomaterials could be harmful to humans
and animals and should be treated as potential hazard. A lot of time and money will be needed to do
research and come up with solutions that will make nanomaterials environmentally friendly and safe for
living beings. Replacing old materials by the new ones is unavoidable. It will be a long process and it will
cost a lot, especially if we need them to be green and environmentally friendly.
I think there are a lot of inefficiencies that can be improved in the material production world that people do not consider because of the lack of respect some people have for the environment or the imbalance between how much importance some may place on the environment and how much importance some place on cost reduction and material enhancement.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that we are lucky to have a planet that allows life to even exist so we have a responsibility to repay. That's why i think its more important to consider the environment above cost (some may fully disagree with this).
I'm certainly not saying we should halt innovation, and discovery to save the earth, but i think we can do a lot better with our current performance. And most of the inefficiencies that are evident today are a result of profit losses, which to me is a shame.
I read an article a few days ago where a few engineers found a way to isolate and recycle the sediment from sewage (after sterilizing it and reforming it) and create toilet paper. The article mentioned that this cut the cost of making toilet paper drastically than the previous method which consisted of recycled paper.
Over the past decade, our society has acknowledged the environmental impacts and future consequences of taking advantage of our Earth's natural resources. While undeniably our society needs to implement more environmentally-friendly ways of protecting the environment for our posterity, I believe the looming hesitation in regards to green technology becomes the convenience and the upheaval that these changes would make on our every day life.
ReplyDeleteThis semester in my Energy, Resources, and The Environment course, our teacher asked us to compare a desired form of green technology with its corresponding conventional technology. In regards to this assignment, I chose to compare the use of Hybrid-Electric Vehicles to Conventional Vehicles. Environmental impact is the biggest reason for switching to Hybrid or Electric vehicles, and heading in this direction is definitely where society needs to be going. Since transportation produces most of the greenhouse gases, being able to reduce that carbon footprint could make a huge difference. Many people however don’t take into consideration the whole life cycle of a more sustainable vehicle. Although while running an Electric car produces zero emissions, the manufacturing of the vehicle and charging of the battery uses those fossil fuels that emit harmful chemicals into the environment. Taking a stance in favor of conventional fuel and oil run cars is difficult to do when looking from an environmental standpoint, but while looking from any other side however; this is not the case.
The accessibility, cost, and social acceptance are all in favor of conventional vehicles. With these advantages it would be challenging for the world to change their ways of transportation. We should therefore keep utilizing oil as our main use for fuel until the advantages for sustainable cars surpass those of conventional. Hybrids and Electric cars cannot begin that process until the world makes a global commitment in providing an easier way to charge the battery and design a cheaper product for the public. As previously stated, sustainable modes of transportation need to be designed for a longer travelling distance, a way to for the battery to be fully charged in less than ten minutes, and accessible charging stations. If met, these solutions would most definitely help to increase the demand for sustainable vehicles, while also creating many more problems before any good would be noticed. The issues surrounding these vehicles cannot be solved until more damage is done; eventually verifying that the advantages will prove greater than the ramifications.