Futurist Response #1 - Go Green

Fell the Urgency

I have never really considered myself an environmental nut. After reading just the first page of this book though, it reinforced my belief that we need and should do everything that we are capable of doing to improve our current situation, with specific reference to our current environmental problems.

In the beginning of James Martin’s The Meaning of the 21^st Century, Martin touches on how in the near future if we do not drastically change the way in which we use (or waste) our resources then we could be in grave danger, not only as a country but also as an entire planet. In the more recent years I have heard this more and more. It has become more of a hot topic in society today. People are now being educated on practices, which could greatly help sustainability in the future.

After reading the first couple pages of Martin’s book, I was quickly reminded of my AP Environmental class. In the class we were educated on the effects we had on the planet. One specific activity that we did that truly put into perspective the effects that we have on the world was calculating our carbon footprint. We were told to record the amount of time spent using various items such as phones, computers, vacuums, dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers. Once this was done we were told to use this information to calculate the amount of energy it took to do our everyday activities. Along with this came the amount of unnecessary energy used in our homes. While doing this I not only learned how much I was using and wasting but I also was able to understand the cost financially of what I do everyday. We were able to see the amount of carbon we were using and how this affects the planet. If we used ourselves as the average person or model and multiplied our carbon use by the amount of people there are on the planet it was calculated that all of the resources might be gone by now, and it would take 3.4 earths to sustain us. After thinking about this Martin’s quote, “Sooner or later, we must realize that we have to live within the planet’s means” really hit home (page 11). We need to take into account that we are not the only people on the planet. We need to be aware that by protecting the environment we are not just helping ourselves, but we are also helping future generations.

This activity portrayed the environment in an entirely new light. I had an understanding for how much I was using and wasting, but never the extent to which I was doing it. In this class we also were able to see how advanced the environmental problem is in today’s society. Though many people might not show or voice their concern it is definitely there. While discussing the environment in class the big debate over water consumption and use came up. While thinking back about this it made be think about Sarah’s article the she presented in class on Thursday. If we were able to financially manufacture a filter that could create clean and safe drinking water out of any liquid, we could solve so many problems that have been plaguing the environment. It could possibly mean a world where everyone could have access to water. In general like Martin has mention in various ways, if we were able to invent technology along the same lines as the filter, we could and would be able to help the planet in more ways than one. With these new innovations in technology we would be able to solve more of the environmental problems that we have today. Like for example carbon emissions from cars buildings and other various sources.

One of the other various programs that we also discussed in our environmental science was the carbon emission program. We discussed how the government is now taking more action to create programs to prevent carbon emissions from becoming even worse, such as the cap and trade program. The program just says that there is a limit on the amount of carbon a company can produce and if they go over they are penalized, and the companies that do not use their entire quota can sell their shares to larger companies. This is all done to maintain a balance of pollution. With these programs being implemented we can make a huge difference, which is what I believe Martin is conveying throughout his entire book. If people looked at the situation objectively then we might be in a better situation than we are in now.

With our country the way it is today and with the way things are progressing, if we don’t do something soon it might be too late. We need to feel the urgency. We need to see the importance. With new technologies such as the water filter discussed in Sarah’s article, we could make the planet a better place. As corny as it might sound we just need everyone to go green.