Exploring Sustainability and Technology

“Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.75 Earths to provide the resources we use and absorb our waste.” Every day I witness the amount of garbage students produce in the cafeteria. Though most likely the easiest solution, using disposable trays and plastic utensils, I do not understand the rationale for the current wasteful system that is in place for school lunches. The worst part of this is that we are allowing children to destruct the planet that they need in the future, simply because is cheap and easy? Are they even aware of it? Are we being good role models? Large, unnecessary amounts of garbage are being produced every day throughout our school systems. There are better, more eco-friendly and sustainable approaches to reduce the amount of waste. Everyone has basic needs like food, shelter, and clean water. However, the desire of human wants tends to require more than the basics. Unfortunately, most people have no idea of the amount of t...

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),  sustainability  is the pursuing of creation and maintenance of “the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.” This idea of sustainability “first appeared in a handbook of forestry published in 1713, and was used to mean never harvesting more than the forest can regenerate. The translated term appeared in English beginning in the mid-19 th  century.”  Despite that people know of the importance of sustainability, it is becoming more evident each day, not many people care enough about our environment or to future generations. Natural resources are becoming scarce and, in some areas, it is completely depleted like in some regions of Africa. Irreparable damages are being done like the overexploitation of fossil fuels, and the destruction of the Amazon forest. Such damages become apparent like permafrost, an ice layer th...