Sustainable Development week 11

SUSTAINABILITY AND METRICS

“We cannot manage what we cannot measure,

therefore we need to monitor and measure sustainability performance.”  

The question is how do we measure sustainability? First of all we need a definition of what exactly sustainability is in order to be able to measure it. The most popular definition of sustainability can be traced to a 1987 UN conference. It defined sustainable developments as those that “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.“

This above image is possibly more precise and detailed but to mean this definition of sustainability looks a lot more like this: 

 Making policies about sustainable development is of course (unfortunately) left almost completely up to the politicians. They make the final decision about what to measure in order to monitor sustainable development. But with the vast amount of information on so many different areas of sustainability this was proving tricky.They needed information which was understandable, quick to go through, and clear to view so as to see the successes and setbacks. This way they would be able to implement better policies through monitoring the situation.

To remedy this scientists developed indicators. This was a more simple concept of each topic and so easier handle and monitor.  By the time all of the information that has been collected about the subject reaches the politicians, it has been changed into indicators. But this means that a lot of the details have been cut out in order to make it more simple . This method is useful, but can be too simple as there can be a lack of understanding about the subject. This can result in policies which are not specific enough to achieve goals, or can just be misleading.

In 1994 the UK Government published its Strategy for Sustainable Development. One of the commitments in that document was the development of a set of indicators to help to inform people, including those in government, industry, non-governmental organisations, and the general public, about the issues involved in considering whether our development is becoming more sustainable. These indicators came under the following 21 titles:

• The economy
• Transport use
• Leisure and tourism
• Overseas trade
• Energy
• Land use
• Water resources
• Forestry
• Fish resources
• Climate change
• Ozone layer depletion
• Acid deposition
• Air
• Freshwater quality
• Marine
• Wildlife and habitat
• Land cover and land scape
• Soil
• Mineral extraction
• Waste
• Radioactivity

This may be a large area of information to cover and monitor but it is thorough and logical as there is a lot which needs to be taken into account with regard to sustainability. When combined all of these indicators show the progress of sustainability. 

The ecological footprint is a balance between how much of the biosphere’s regenerative capacity is  used by human activity, and how much regenerative capacity is available. It is measured in area, allocating every person on earth with an amount of area, about 1.8gha (global hectares) per person today. But of course, us over consuming westerners have gone over the limit. If everyone were to live like us we would need 2.5 Earths. Europeans on average require 4.8gha to meet there needs, and Americans an average of 9.6gha. Can we develop sustainability if we are to conserve our ecological footprint? In order to conserve it we are being asked to cut back, but to develop is to grow. In my opinion it is possible. There is physical growth and there is mental/cultural growth. I think that people can still develop toward a more sustainable existence while cutting back on their physical growth. Mental/cultural growth of a people does not take up area. It may even reduce it.

Sustainable Development Week 10

RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION 

We are being sold stuff left right and center. It’s thrown in our faces on a constant daily basis. We are being told what we want, what we need, what we should look like, where we should get it, and how much it costs. Why do we love to consume so much? There is always a want for more, more, more. Is it the constant stream of advertisements which gradually whittles away at our minds, making us think that “If I had that, it would make me so much happier.” Or is it the comfort of having so many things around us which makes us feel secure? I can’t say that I’m not part of the crowd. Like many women, I love shopping. The questions that we were asked during the lecture, how many products were in our bags, and also how many products did we own, use or consume on a daily basis, shocked me once I thought about it. In my bag there is a multitude of different things! Books, pens, pencils, rulers, 2 types of lip balm, lip stick, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, my purse with all my cards, my keys with a mountain of different key rings on it, hair bands, hair pins, chewing gum, things for my bike, phone, laptop. The list goes on! And this is just one of my bags. That is around twenty different products, not including the bag itself. If that is all the stuff just in my bag I dread to think how big the list of things I own in general is.

Over half the “stuff” I own I’m sure I would do perfectly well without.  In some ways I would love to be able to discard all  of my belongings except for the bare necessities and live a much more simple life. But, and it seems stupid, I think I wouldn’t have the courage to get rid of everything. A lot of it I have developed silly emotional attachment to. Sometimes for no other reason than that it is mine, and maybe one day I’ll need it.

But it is not only the amount of products that we use, buy, and discard it’s what they come in that also creates a lot of waste.  Only two days ago I went out and brought some moisturizer. All I needed was a simple one for my face, but there was such a big choice on the shelf I was there for nearly twenty minutes trying to decide which one. And when I finally chose one, and opened it at home, the amount of packaging made even me think that’s just mad! It was a big enough box (made of plastic), so I thought there would be a lot in there and it would last a while. But when I opened the box, it was kept in another bit of plastic made to hold it in place, like the plastic you get around an Eastern egg. And inside that there was nothing but a small 50ml metal tube of moisturizer. They had designed it cleverly enough that I couldn’t see what was inside, but the box looked big enough to make me think there was lots there. The amount of packaging that went into this illusion is ridiculous!

Where does all of this waste and over packaging take us? Depletion of resources, ecological damage, destruction of landscapes, and a mountainous amount of waste that we poorly deal with.

 

To me, it’s all about greed. We live in a consumer world where everything is geared toward getting more stuff in order to be happy. It causes wars, and jealousy, and destroys the earth.  So how can we fix this? By designing things to use fewer resources and different materials so that they can be recycled easier. By getting rid of planned obsolescence, so that products will have a longer life span, and won’t need to be replaced as often, therefore reducing the waste.  It doesn’t sound too hard to do. But will it be done? For this to occur, it needs to start with the consumers themselves. In general, before buying something, we should ask ourselves, do I really need this?

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT 2 PART 2 ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE CHALLENGE

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
ASSIGNMENT 2 PART 2
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE CHALLENGE

THE ORGANISATION

St. Goban’s College is a secondary school located in Bantry, West Cork.  It is relatively big, with over 300 students attending and 62 staff members in total. As I attended this school, I have a good idea of how it is run, and am familiar with many of the staff members. It is a well run school, organised, and open to new ideas. However, there are some areas to do with the sustainable development side of the school which could use a lot of improvement. This is a report on where the areas of change may be and how we can begin to work on them.

Waste

This is an issue which affects many schools simply because of the sheer number of people who attend there everyday. A lot of waste is generated by students during breaks. Food waste and plastics mainly, but there is also much paper waste with photo copies being made and handouts etc. This is an issue which needs to be addressed as there is no recycling or separation of wastes in place in this school.

Energy

I have noticed that heating is an issue. The school and classrooms were always quite cold, although there is heating and radiators left on nearly all of the time during winter, and I even remember noticing them being on during summer, when the sun was shining outside and all the windows were open. This is a very poorly managed area and leads me to wonder where else energy may be being lost.

Water

Is the water being used managed properly? Frequently there were taps left running, and with the amount of people there everyday, that is a lot of water being used to flush toilets and wash hands. Even though we are living in Ireland and water isn’t normally a major issue,  globally fresh water is being used at much too fast a rate and is too often taken for granted. The town uses water from the same reservoir as the school, and during summer there has been issues with it running low. This is an area which needs to be looked into in order to help save more water.

These are a couple of the areas which are most apparently in need of an alternative method with which to be run by. Now that these have been brought to our attention we can begin a change process to benefit the school and those involved.

THE PLAN FOR CHANGE

Hopefully having highlighted these problems they may become a stepping stone in the right direction for the school to begin to be more green and save energy. You may not realise the effect which you are having on the environment as an organisation, but hopefully now we can begin to monitor these areas better. This will not only work out cheaper for the school, but will also set a good example for the community around it.  Commencing on this path toward being a greener school will help to educate many people, from the students attending the school to the local people living in the surrounding town.

The changes I propose to make are in steps of one at a time. To begin with, we will educate all of the stakeholders to be involved of what these changes mean and why. This includes the students, the staff, the board of management, the parents, and any local towns people who may be affected. Our aim is to help people see why these changes that are about to be made matter, how they will affect the environment around them, and how it will affect them individually.  This can be done in several ways from news letters, posters, emails and meetings, to include all involved.

Tackling waste management will be our first step. Before we may begin with a solution, we must first determine what areas are the main sources of waste production. This can be done by conducting a waste audit. Once we have found out what and where are the biggest sources of waste we can begin to take a plan of action. The famous three R’s will come in very handy as Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle is exactly what is needed. We will also need a great deal of cooperate from the students and parents as much waste comes from food and packaging which is brought in for lunch by the students. More bins are required rather than one bin for everything, we will need a paper/cardboard, a plastics, and a food waste bin. Having these easy and accessible to all, in the canteen and all of the classrooms, will help to reduce laziness and inevitable mixing of materials. If we begin to recycle all of these materials we can greatly reduce the amount of rubbish waste which we are producing which will also bring down the costs of the rubbish collection as it is a pay-by-weight process.  Bills for such things should be kept as a way of monitoring the situation and we can then be able to compare back to the beginning and note the differences.

For the food waste we have a couple of alternatives of how to dispose of it. One, we can create a school garden where we will be able to grow vegetables and other plants and be able to educate students on growing seasons, crop rotation, soils, and generally about how to grow your own food. If we decide to go with this method, then a few composting bins can be placed on the school grounds. The alternative would be to get into contact with any composting plants or organisations in the area, either at the recycling plant, or the local gardening centers.

All other materials to be recycled can be brought down to the local recycling plant where it is very cheap to dispose of waste.

To determine our energy usage we need to review past bills for things such as electricity, gas and oil. From this we can measure the energy consumption of the school. There are several areas which may be using up using up energy unnecessarily. These can include heating, hot water, lights left on, and appliances left on standby.

As I have mentioned previously, the energy usage for heating has already been shown to not be monitored properly. To help correct this, the building insulation needs to be examined. Wall crevices, and insulation in the ceiling will need to be filled or added to, to increase retention of heat. Any gaps in doors and windows should be filled to prevent drafts. The heating should then be set on a timer for a couple of times during the morning, and turned off before noon unless the day is particularly cold, and a thermostat should be installed. The recommended temperature for classrooms is 18ºC. Every 1ºC increase in temperature over the above figures could add up to 10% to cost of heating bills.

A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they’re fully turned off.

Lights and appliances left on can add up to a very large increase in energy being used. Any lights being left on while nobody is in the room should be switched off. A sticker should be put on all of the switches to remind people to turn them off when leaving the room. Energy efficient light bulbs should be used for all of the lights in the school, as they only use about a quarter of the of the amount of energy as for a normal light bulb and last for much longer.

Altogether, standby power use is roughly responsible for 1% of global CO₂ emissions. Standby power is caused by circuits that continue to be energized even when the device is “off”. Almost any product with an external power supply, remote control, continuous display (including an LED), or charges batteries will draw power continuously. Sometimes there is no obvious sign of continuous power consumption and you need a meter to be certain. A photocopier left switched on overnight wastes enough energy to make 5,300 A4 copies. All appliances should be turned off at the power socket when not in use, and over night. Use a switchable power strip for clusters of computers in the computer labs as this way we will then be able to turn them all to zero in one action.

It would be a good idea to keep all of the bills for energy used as they can then be compared. From this we can see which areas we are using most energy in, and monitor them better. The electricity company could also be switched to Airtricity, which comes from the windmills which have recently been put up in the area.

Turn off taps – wasting water wastes electricity as a huge amount of electricity is used daily in supplying water and cleaning it after use. Is there a water meter in the school? If not, one needs to be installed so that we can measure the water consumption and find out the average used per day/month and per student. All taps need to be tuned off properly and any leaks or drips should be repaired. Having a water meter will be the best way to measure the consumption and from there we can monitor the situation. Signs should be put up next to all taps to remind people to turn off the taps properly and not waste.

POSSIBLE BARRIERS

For this sustainable development plan to work properly we will need for all stake holders to be in agreement and ready to commit to the change. Any who are not in agreement should state why not and it should be worked out. It may be a struggle at first or when trying to keep in the habit of change, which is why it is a good idea to have monitors for each area of change so as to keep an eye on how it is progressing. Every part of change we have decided to implement is within the health and safety regulations of the school and so should not cause a problem. If it is a fact that finance is a problem, if we make the investment into this now, we will end up saving a great deal in the long run, as well as being more sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint.

WHAT IS GREEN SCHOOLS

Describe what the program entails, the themes, the steps needed, how this will work out.

It would be a good idea to register the school with “Green Schools” as this will help to reinforce the changes we wish to implement and will also offer a reward system. It is also something which is a good attribute for the school to have and good for its reputation, thus attracting more students. Green-Schools in Ireland is operated and coordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce (FEE member for Ireland), in partnership with Local Authorities throughout the country, is supported by the Department of Environment Community and Local Government, the Department of transport and is sponsored by Repak and the Wringly Company Ltd. Green Schools structure is divided into themes and works in a seven step program to help make the school a more sustainable place. After you have completed the first theme, litter and waste, then you are rewarded with a Green Schools Flag. Green Schools will help us to achieve and supply us with the following:

• Curriculum materials and ideas for projects and events;
• Access to a network of support agencies;
• Links with other schools in Ireland and internationally;
• A prestigious and internationally recognised award;
• Opportunities for local and national publicity;

GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED

There are many different ways to get people from the school and around the community, such as information nights, sustainable development events, litter picking up walks, projects and sustainable development science fairs. People and students need to be educated so that they start to take an interest in it themselves, not just for the school. Doing activities and getting students involved in decision-making and votes will help them to feel a sense of pride at the work they are helping to implement.

EXPECTED AND HOPED FOR RESULT

By beginning this path to creating a more sustainable school we can help to decrease the damage we are causing on the environment, and help to reduce our carbon footprint on the earth. We are going to be able to educate people and help spread the knowledge of sustainable development and hopefully set an example for people to follow. By educating the students from a young age we can begin to show them how we need to change in order the protect the earth, and how easy it really is. Hopefully some of the ideas which we will teach about being more aware of how our actions are affecting the world will begin to take effect in the nearby towns as more people get involved. We will also begin to save a great deal more money by saving more energy, which can then be put back into the education of the students. By recycling, monitoring the amount of  water we are using and saving energy, we are helping to preserve nonrenewable resources, fossil fuels, and fresh water. Helping the world to become a more sustainable place is a big job, and requires the cooperation of everyone. These changes, however small, are easy to implement and will help to protect the world around us.

References:

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=green+ecofriendly+environment&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=709&tbm=isch&tbnid=wIi0fX2H21DTIM:&imgrefurl=http://makemyofficegreen.com/uncategorized/developing-a-green-office-environment/&docid=5KmQi8hPGdiktM&imgurl=http://makemyofficegreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/for-green-signature.jpg&w=302&h=357&ei=n7yOT8f_KsnIhAfildTyCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=712&vpy=174&dur=1846&hovh=244&hovw=206&tx=91&ty=148&sig=114784172223385333631&page=1&tbnh=147&tbnw=124&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0,i:70

http://www.greenschoolsireland.org/

http://images.search.conduit.com/ImagePreview/?q=overflowing+waste+bin&ctid=CT2504091&SearchSource=49&FollowOn=true&PageSource=Results&SSPV=&start=35&pos=19

http://www.google.ie/imgres?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=709&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=nQKELE1VknTHDM:&imgrefurl=http://www.mummy-diaries.com/2012/03/how-to-make-your-home-more-energy.html&docid=L3TW6MmzZJZVuM&imgurl=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x9i-0KyEXHg/T2m8-Nt6ayI/AAAAAAAAQFM/NMBYiO9-Icg/s1600/POST.jpg&w=310&h=387&ei=wbCQT8O5O4uEhQf5oI2GBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1038&vpy=171&dur=4&hovh=251&hovw=201&tx=134&ty=99&sig=114784172223385333631&page=1&tbnh=163&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0,i:153

http://standby.lbl.gov/faq.html

http://www.google.ie/imgres?num=10&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=709&tbm=isch&tbnid=fRByTWnvNPpTSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.greenroofs.com/archives/sustainable_editor.htm&docid=bAX3VaTyvYKDIM&imgurl=http://www.greenroofs.com/archives/images/sustainable-green_earth.jpg&w=320&h=312&ei=wPmST9-lNY-whAe0kPn9Aw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1012&vpy=321&dur=6951&hovh=222&hovw=227&tx=156&ty=96&sig=114784172223385333631&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:85

Sustainable Development Week 9

 Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a movement which aims to make companies more aware of the impact that their business is having on the rest of society around them and involved with them, including stake holders and the environment. This business approach helps to implement a more sustainable development by tackling areas such as the economic, social and environmental aspect of the business and trying to improve it in a way which will benefit all involved. These days companies can’t just worry about themselves but they are now having to take on an even wider range of responsibilities. This can include things such as where they source their products, where waste goes, how it effects the people buying their product, and any affects they made be having on the environment.

As people become more sustainably aware it has become a more desirable label to be attached to a product. When people see that a company is more responsible in this way they feel that they are helping to contribute to the environment or human rights and they will most likely choose this option.

Responsibility for where a company sources its products or materials is a major concern. It can either make or break a company. A good example of this the ‘sustainable tea’ program. Lipton and PG Tips (both owned by a multinational corporation called ‘Unilever’) have aimed to source all of their products from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms only. The Rainforest Alliance Certification offers farms a way to differentiate their products as being socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Unilever has a comprehensive CSR strategy. The company has been ranked ‘Food Industry leader’ in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for the 11 consecutive years and ranked 7th in the ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’. Having this reputation is definitely something which entices more clients.

Companies need to be aware whether where they are sourcing their material and products is also corporately responsible, as far back as they can have influence in the decision. For instance they may receive all of their material from one supplier, but where that supplier then gets their material is also a factor. Apple had a lot of trouble with this when it was found out what poor conditions the workers were working in at Foxconn. Suicide was a big issue. 43% of people said that they had either been in or seen factory accidents, and two-thirds of people claim that they cannot live on their salaries whilst working many hours over time.  Apple are not the only company to source from Foxconn.  Foxconn also produces electronic parts for Dell, Amazon, HP and a host of other technology firms. Since the report it has decided to make changes to improve work conditions, such as lowering the working hours while not reducing the pay. Even though Apple were not the only company to source from Foxconn, they are one of the biggest and easiest to attack and therefore they are the ones whose reputation was put at stake.

Although some companies may not even care about the environment or whether or not they are having many bad effects on a community, it has become that much more desirable that they are being forced into it to prevent lack of profits. I think that whether or not they care is not a big deal as long as it implements a change which will help to benefit all areas which are affected by that particular company.

Sustainable Development Week 8

LAW AND THE ENVIRONMENT/SUSTAINABLILTY

 At this point in time it doesn’t need to be said that creating a more sustainable existence is easier said than done. We have proven this so very easily. You can educate people all you want about pollution and preservation of the world, but in the end, the majority of people will inevitably choose comfort or easy money over moral high ground (or good sense) of protecting the environment. This is why we need laws in place to provide guide lines for the many business owners, farmers, companies, and the general population.  I wrote in my previous blog about the development of Mauritania and the environment. For this one I have decided to follow up on that and write about the laws effecting the environment in Mauritania.

As of yet, most of Mauritania’s laws are borrowed from the french legal system. However with time and recommendations from investors, more laws have been added, but not always in a coherent way. This has resulted in a lot of incompatibility between between texts of law.  This most likely has caused confusion and therefore the lack of enforcement of these laws. As I have mentioned before the government is poor and corrupt, easily bribed. When I lived there, there was still a great deal of political turmoil, with a coup happening merely a week before we arrived, and another just after we left. There was also Al Qaeda activity happening whilst we lived there and we had to have armed vehicles following our car at all times. There has been so much unrest that enforcing laws for the environment was probably quite low on their list.

Mauritania is a part of the Global Legal Information Network or “GLIN.” This is a computerized legal network where in there are 46 members at present. This network is designed to store legislative texts and channel them to member countries in the original texts together with references and summaries.   It’s aim is to be an effective development tool for the country, especially in areas such as: law reform; applying RIO conventions; fighting poverty; good governance and the use of new technologies. By implementing GLIN in Mauritania, it may help to reform to the legal texts, improve the management of natural resources, and conditions for its people.

With regard to the environment I have also already mentioned this in my previous blog. When I lived there, there was little care for the desert surrounding the city. There used to be a joke that you always new where Mauritanians had been, even in the middle of nowhere, as you would find patches of litter and rubbish left behind. As the land is completely unable to support a farm or agriculture, and the sands are always shifting (often engulfing entire houses on the outskirts of the city) I suppose that most of the people there saw it as useless. With out a use it was worthless to them. Most food was imported from surrounding countries. Even much of the water was transported from near by oasis. People were without a care for the environment, even though from what I have seen it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Mauritania has a large diversity in marine and mineral resources. Now since the Earth Summit it has begun to integrate environmental concerns into economic projects to enhance ecologic and social sustainability in the development process. Since then Mauritania has set up an environmental policy that conciliates priorities of economic development and those of nature conservation. It has been four years since I left Nouakchott, but maybe if I ever choose to return there, I will find a changed, much more developed country.

 

Sustainable Energy Week 7

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The development of a country and the environment seem to go hand in hand, but in a rather symbiotic relationship (i.e. one lives off the other in a harmful relationship). The more resources they have at their disposal the better the economic development but in many cases the environment suffers.   As the country develops and becomes more economically stable they can then begin to pay closer attention to environmental regulations. The countries which are still in the process of development however are still at the stage  where they cannot afford to look after the environment in a way which will also benefit them enough to reinforce it.

I have been able to have a first hand experience of this happening when I lived in Mauritania, in the city of Nouakchott. This is a small, relatively young city (only 50 years or so) which is situated on the coast of West Africa, in the Sahara Desert. Its main industry is fish processing, and the mining of iron ore and gypsum. The city began when there was repeated droughts and many of the nomads and subsistence farmers came to the area as it is one of the richest fishing areas in the world.

 However the city is growing at such a rapid rate, and it is so young, that it is having trouble with economics. Its greatest resource is fish, but they can only afford to have one boat out guarding its waters. This allows in many trawlers and foreign fishing boats that are able to just help themselves. Because of this their fish populations are not being properly monitored and its ecosystem can easily be destroyed.  The Government is practically broke and is therefore very bribe-able. This does not benefit the rest of the population at all. There are many poor living out on the streets and begging beside the road that the government can do nothing about. Apart from some of the camel herders living on the outskirts of the city, Nouakchott’s relationship with the environment is pretty much non-existent. They do have a few environmental regulations on their statute books, usually ones they copied from France or ones that N.G.O.’s (non governmental organisations) have persuaded them to use. However they never tried to implement these rules. The locals are also not educated enough about the environment and pollution. Plastic bags, dead animals and rubbish litter the streets, and the local dump is right before the beach.  There are also many open sewers flooding the roads, and a lot of air pollution filling the air from badly looked after cars.

 

These conditions are a health hazard to the people living there and causing severe damage to the beautiful desert and coastal environment. This is a good example however, of how the developed countries of today may have also struggled in the beginning and damaged the environment. Maybe in years to come, as this country gets a firmer grip on its fishing grounds, government, and becomes more economically and politically stable, it can eventually begin to enforce the environmental regulations to protect its local area. But if instead the people of Nouakchott were made more aware of pollution and the environment from the more developed countries of now, maybe they would be able to gain much more and be able to develop as a more eco-friendly city early on.

                              

Sustainable Development Week 6

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WEEK 6
AGRICULTURE

We all depend on food to live, and this last weeks lectures showed us the impact agriculture was having on the world, and how we need to be more energy conscious of where our food is coming from in order to help preserve the non-renewable fuels and energy consumption of the world.

When we buy food from the super market, the majority of us never really think about where it has come from, the journey it has made. We take for granted the oranges, bananas and other tropical fruits, veg, and many other products that line the supermarket aisles day in and day out. In reality many of the products have had an enormous journey, by planes, boats, trucks, and lorries to eventually be bought to you. And that’s not it, just in its growing processes, mass production of the product using tractors and ploughs, and many other types of farming machinery has been used. Also the production and transport of the masses of chemicals that are being used for herbicides, insecticides and antibiotics for the animals such as beef, and poultry are all using energy and fuel in the process. Masses of land are also being devoted to this industry, and deforestation is a big issue as farmers use the cut and burn technique to clear land for beef farms. Much energy is being used up in order to create this consumer world, but we need to start learning to conserve what fuel we have.

The very best alternative to this would be for everyone to begin to grow his or her own food, either privately or locally. This would reduce the need to use so much energy and fuel, as it would not need to be done to such a high commercial level. There would be next to non of the transport requirements compared to as it is now, as there would not be as much need for planes and boats and other vehicles. As there is less food to grow at one time then there would be less of a need to use such a heavy amount of chemicals, if any at all, and this would also help to lessen pollution of the soil and water. There may be a lack of such a variety of fruit and vegetable products as they would be seasonal, but as I see it, it is a luxury to have such an amount of out of season fruits that we do now. This may seem hard, but it is very do-able. Back home in Cork we grow all of our own vegetables and have many fruit trees. On average we rarely have to buy our own, especially during summer, and much of the time we sell our salads and eggs to restaurants.

It is an extreme change to how we live now. But how we are living now is also in an extreme way of life, tonnes of food being grown and harvested, animals being bred and raised and then killed in the thousands, all to support a massive population which is still growing at a rapid speed. It would enable us to save fossil fuels for more important tasks, such as readying the world for a time where no fossil fuels are left. It would help to stop the pollution of our soils and water. It would build a much better sense of community. And also save an abundance of energy usage.

Sustainable Development Week 5

ENERGY

Clothing Ink, Heart Valves, Crayons, Parachutes, Telephones, Enamel, Transparent tape, Antiseptics, Vacuum bottles, Deodorant, Pantyhose, Rubbing Alcohol, Carpets, Epoxy paint, Oil filters, Upholstery,Hearing Aids, Car sound insulation, Cassettes, Motorcycle helmets, Pillows, Shower doors, Shoes, Refrigerator linings, Electrical tape, Safety glass, Awnings, Salad bowl, Rubber cement, Nylon rope, Ice buckets, Fertilizers, Hair coloring, Toilet seats, Denture adhesive, Loudspeakers, Movie film, Fishing boots, Candles, Water pipes, Car enamel, Shower curtains, Credit cards, Aspirin, Golf balls, Detergents, Sunglasses, Glue, Fishing rods, Linoleum, Plastic wood, Soft contact lenses, Trash bags, Hand lotion, Shampoo, Shaving cream, Footballs, Paint brushes, Balloons, Fan belts, Umbrellas, Paint Rollers, Luggage, Antifreeze, Model cars, Floor wax, Sports car bodies, Tires, Dish washing liquids, Unbreakable dishes, Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, Combs, Tents, Hair curlers, Lipstick, Ice cube trays, Electric blankets, Tennis rackets, Drinking cups, House paint, Rollerskates wheels, Guitar strings, Ammonia, Eyeglasses, ice chests, Life jackets, TV cabinets, Car battery cases, Insect repellent, Refrigerants, Typewriter, ribbons, Cold cream, Glycerin, Plywood adhesive, Cameras, Anesthetics, Artificial turf, Artificial Limbs, Bandages, Dentures, Mops, Beach Umbrellas, Ballpoint pens, Boats, Nail polish, Golf bags, Caulking, Tape recorders, Curtains ,Vitamin capsules, Dashboards, Putty, Percolators, Skis, Insecticides, Fishing lures, Perfumes, Shoe polish, Petroleum jelly, Faucet washers, Food preservatives, Antihistamines, Cortisone, Dyes, LP records, Solvents, Roofing.

This is just a partial list of some of the products which are dependent on oil for their production. As our development toward a more modern life style and energy rich culture progressed we became ever more dependent on this substance. As you look around you, its presence is everywhere, from the chairs you sit on to the bricks of the buildings, it has been used in the manufacture and transportation of all of these things. We have become accustomed to having this high amount of energy available to us in our everyday, not just from oil but other fossil fuels such as natural gas, peat, and coal. Having high amounts of this high source of energy has brought us a long way, however it is gradually beginning to show signs of diminishing. With rising prices and less oil and gas finds per year our supply has peaked and will eventually end. With an ever increasing population our dependency on oil has never been greater. People are becoming ever more desperate to reap the last of our supply which may be left, but many of these supplies are in deep hard to reach places which will  no doubt cause damage to the earth in our attempts to get at it. But is it worth it?

With the amount of energy we will expend on getting at this fuel source, will it supply enough energy in return to make it worth while? If you use up 100 barrels of oil in getting at the fuel supply, which then only gives you half as much back, then there is no point. The fact that much of the remaining oil is in difficult areas, such as under oceans, which will have many engineering challenges and cause environmental damage, does not make any more likely.

However the use of fossil fuels cannot be simply cut out of our lives completely. The high amount of energy we get from fossil fuels would take a great number of renewable techniques, wind, solar and hydro power, to make the equivalent amount. At the moment we are using oil at such a high rate it wont take long before we run out, but if we create a balance between renewable and non-renewable resources first, then possibly it could make the transition from non-renewable to only renewable resources easier. We have many resources at our disposal which can easily be acquired and used and don’t cause much damage to the environment, but instead we choose to do things like “fracking” which pollutes and destroys the earth. We need to find the balance which allows us to still have a high amount of energy to support the growing population while lessening our impact on the environment.

 

 

Sustainable Development Assignment 2 Part 1

Assignment 2 ulsd

http://hayleybooth.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/assignment-2-ulsd2.pdf

Sustainable Development week 4

CLIMATE CHANGE

During this week we learnt how naturally climate can vary over time. Over thousands of years there have been many drastic changes in the temperature and climate of different regions, resulting in the ice ages  and warm deserts. This was a result of many different factors, such as volcanoes and the storage of carbon. However, its main cause was the shifting of the earths axis and the change in rotation of the earth around the sun.

The usual circular rotation of the sun changes and becomes more elliptical in shape. This causes the earth to be further away from the heat of the sun which then results in colder climates and the ice ages. As the earth tilts on its axis, this also creates even colder climates as the areas tilted furthest away from the sun receive less light and warmth.

We have many different ways of testing for the change in climate which has occurred over the years, all of which have been successful in producing an average for the overall climatic change world-wide. There are the remains of plants, animals and habitats in areas where the climate is completely different. This is an interesting way to observe how the climate has differed in certain areas, for example there is evidence of grasslands in the Sahara, and also it is very evident to see the effects the glaciers have had on the Irish landscape, where they gouged out great parts of mountains and deposited the debris elsewhere.  People may use carbon dating as a means to determine the age of something, e.g. an animal fossil, by measuring the amount and ratio of C14 to C12. Dendrochronology is also a useful technique, using the rings which form in tree trunks, as trees can live for hundreds of years.

The darker rings represent the growth of the tree during winter and the lighter rings are its growth during summer. They are a good way to tell the shift in temperatures during the years, as the thinner the lines, the less growth there was that year due to harsher conditions. Using all of these techniques we can see that throughout the ages there has always be a natural tendency for the climate of the earth to change without human interference.

Given this information, many scientists abject to the idea that the earths gradual warming up is caused by human interference and pollution. There is no doubt that the climate is heating up, but the reasons why are in wide debate. As seen above it is very possible that this could be a natural event. However, with the many other vast effects we are having on the earth, I think it very foolish to just cast aside the idea that we are an influence. The evidence is all around us. With the tonnes of carbon and pollution which we pump into the atmosphere daily, much of the heat coming from the sun becomes trapped within our atmosphere. This causes evaporation of water particles, which then traps more heat. The temperatures predicted for the next few years show an all time high for the worlds global temperatures. This increase correlates with the increase of population and carbon emissions. The rate at which the temperatures are raising are also too rapid to be completely natural. Many countries have come to the conclusion that the amount of pollution being released is damaging them, and many policies are being made to prevent this. But however much we attempt to predict the climate, it is one of those things which is essentially out of our control. We may influence it, but to how great an extent is a mystery, and we can only wait to see what the results will be with time. In the mean time though, even if we are not effecting the climate to the extent we think we are, we should still work to cut back on pollution and carbon emissions to protect the environment, and health of people living in it. I found this link a very good example of proof that we are indeed having a great impact on the climatic changes taking place. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9ob9WdbXx0

This link is also an excellent example of both sides of the argument, why some people think that global warming is nothing but a hoax by governments to introduce more taxes, but also many examples from people living around the world who have clear evidence of great climate change in their areas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dph2SVhDFAg&feature=related