Sustainability Summit: a clean vision for our planet

In our global quest for prosperity, economies are increasingly expected to meet higher, and potentially more complex levels of performance. On the other hand citizens in the western world – and elsewhere – expect that the symbols of our wealth – our buildings, our factories, our vehicles, our products in general – should be sustainable, use zeronet energy, be healthy and comfortable, yet economical to build and maintain. Any one of these is challenging in itself, but achieving all would seem overwhelming for any engineer since it looks more of an aspiration than a concrete target, especially in a moment of economic downturn.

Despite this, zero impact technology is a tremendous opportunity for the economy as a system and so governments worldwide are launching economic stimulus packages and incentives for green investments. This provides a critical mass of investment to achieve the transition to a sustainable economy. Global technology providers must seize the opportunity and governments must support the initiatives within the field of environmental technologies.

Looking at how the energy, transportation, building and manufacturing industries might move toward such a vision is a pre-requisite for understanding the impacts that a renewed economy might have on our national energy use, carbon emissions and waste production. In this context, the solutions that exist today should be explored, along with emerging technologies, keeping the focus on integrated systems that can help optimize performance.

Zero Impact Energy Sources The sun is an inexhaustible source of energy that created and has animated our planet for billions of years. Solar energy’s potential is off the chart: the energy in sunlight striking the earth for only 40 minutes is equivalent to global total energy consumption for a year. The cost to produce photovoltaic cells and modules has dropped significantly, opening the way for large-scale deployment. A massive switch to solar power is the logical answer that scientists, engineers, economists and politicians are considering. But our planet is rich with other sources of energy generated from natural resources which are renewable by nature, such as wind, tides and geothermal heat. Those are real opportunities to be taken in consideration.

Zero Impact Urban Life Sustainable living refers to smarter lifestyles that attempt to reduce each individual’s and society’s use of the Earth’s scarce natural resources. Major efforts are dedicated to reduce the carbon footprints by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet. In the past,, the proponents of ecological living aimed to conduct their lives in manners that are consistent with sustainability, respectful of humanity’s symbiotic relationship with the Earth’s natural ecology and cycles. Today the availability of new environmentally friendly technologies makes it possible to envision a new world where progress itself is not a manifestation of blind consumistic habits, but an instrument to efficiently use natural resources as energy, water and food as well as a tool to nurture our planet.

Zero Impact Waste Diversion While manufacturing creates jobs and sustains our well-being, if performed with traditional methods it can damage the ecosystems on a local and global scale. Our planet is running out of resources and is being polluted beyond recognition, but this time it is global and there are no new places to exploit for the first time or send our waste. An essential factor of the manufacture of green products is the establishment of factories with low environmental impact that introduce systems that reduce the ecological impact caused by chemicals, as well as other polluters. Paradoxically, waste produced by urban and industrial activities can – and indeed must – be viewed as a recyclable resource rather than mere garbage. In this regard, a level of pre-planning and awareness must be applied before production of any commodity commences.