Hi I’m back! It’s been a rather long time, but I have decided to live a life more congruent with what I want. This website is something I really desire to develop to its full potential, whatever that may be.

Where to begin? It truly feels like we live in special times where things can change for the better, a precipice of a better future. Yet, it is a fork in the road where society could take the wrong turn. I mainly discuss green technology and sustainability, but this past year has shown us the domino effect all our institutions have upon each other. A solution to a sustainable society is technological, economic, diplomatic, financial, ecological, and many more adjectives! The common denominator in all of these are people and how we interact with each other and the world around us.

One thing to me is apparent by now: our system is more akin to a house of cards, not something sturdy built with the future in mind. As a species, people tend to prioritize short-term gains over long-term effects. This can be due to growing pains from an agricultural society to a digital one in less than a couple hundred years vs. the previous thousands of years of civilization. It is understandable. I have pondered the past few years how we can fix these things, and I wish to elucidate these findings in this blog over time. Some ideas can work while others might need more feedback. I am open to all constructive criticism for I want a better world for everyone, and I am but one person so other ideas are welcome!

The pandemic has shown how a modern economy falters in mere weeks. Not only are we mining resources and dumping them in landfills shortly afterward, but we are draining wallets of consumers who depend on these products and services. We keep short supplies at home, and any disruption in the supply chain cripples companies and households.

My humble proposal is simple: products must be designed with sustainability and long lifecycles. These new electronics with components designed to fail after so much use must become a thing of the past. I do not want to keep buying a new laptop every two years, do you?

Next, there are analogue and homemade methods for activities such as repairs and cleaning that are more natural, cheaper, and environmentally friendly. In this digital age, we throw plastic and processed chemicals in everything, and these can be highly toxic. As a result, they should be reserved for those technologies that necessitate it.

Third, products must be created with full lifecycle sustainability taken into mind from the machines that make the products, the materials procured, energy source used, the distribution, packaging, shopping, usage, and recycling for a full roundabout to the original factory. These systems should be optimized to make the consumer experience seamless from purchase to proper disposal.

As you can see, many unsustainable aspects involve the actual manufacturing, consumption, and disposal of products. It is also poignant to be cognizant when we are using these products. How many of us keep lights on in rooms we left? How many cities keep street lights on all night with no pedestrians or cars? How many office buildings are still running heating and air conditioning on timed power systems when everyone is working remote? Thus not only do products and services have to be made more sustainable, but the judicial use of smart technology to control these things removes the need for people to always be on top of things. Life is complicated. While I would like to think we can all do the right thing, we all get lazy sometimes, and this is where technology can help manage energy and resource use.

From my research, we have most of the methods needed to achieve a blend of modernity and sustainability. It will take an amalgamation of people, governments, policymakers, the private sector, nonprofits, and other relevant parties to create a better world. The time to act is now. When we succeed, our air will be cleaner, our water purer, our food more nutritous, our poverty diminished, our lives simpler, our health better, our wallets larger, and our world a better place for us and our children. We can do this!