Over the centuries, people have been developing useful products and technological advances are increasingly advanced, but in turn, more resources have been consumed around, and ecosystems that are the sustenance of living beings have been destroyed..
Planet Earth has a recovery period, but we have caused it not to recover as it should be, and if we continue like this without making a major change, the planet may not be a suitable place for life to exist.
Particularly in Mexico, not to say that in other countries they are not like that, it lacks the culture in regards to the garbage, in Orizaba it is applied to take out the garbage in organic on certain days, and inorganic in other days, but the reality is that not all people take it out on the days that are established and rummage through organic and inorganic garbage.
Taking into account that some objects that are discarded are toxic to the environment, such as batteries, some components of electronic devices, radioactive liquids, medicines, among others.
That is why governments, organizations and some groups of people have taken actions in order to improve the environment around them, it is about sustainable development and also green technology.
SUSTAINABLE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
According to the 2017 definition in Mexico, sustainability "refers to biological systems that can conserve diversity and productivity over time."
Sustainability is a word that is used for different causes, but most of the time it means our ability to be able to support ourselves, without the help of the outside and not end up with the resources we have.
In the area of ecology, sustainability refers to the ecological and / or biological environment (such as jungles, forests, among others) that conserve its biodiversity and productivity over the years.
In the economic and social context, sustainability is defined as the ability of current generations to meet their needs without harming future generations.
The truth is that the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) has different meanings for each term. Sustainable "that can be sustained or defended with reasons". Sustainable "saying of a process that can stand on its own."
However, both terms do not show great differences with respect to their use as they are related to development, but rather depend on the country in which they use the term and their language.
In other words, sustainability can be used in one country and sustainability in another, referring to exactly the same thing.
They are often used interchangeably and some researchers claim they have the same grammatical meaning. On other occasions they have been used with different approaches:
- Sustainable development
Process through which environmental resources are protected, maintained and stored in a natural way, ensuring the well-being of today's society with a view to preserving it for the future.
- Sustainable development meaning
This concept is applied to carry out economic, social and environmental policies to achieve the satisfaction of our needs and achieve a reasonable balance and without putting at risk the needs of future generations.
Sustainable development is not just another extension of the concept of sustainable development. The latter requires constant efforts and activities to achieve balance and respect for legality and human rights. Sustainable development, on the other hand, starts from a scientific, business and social awareness convinced of the need to protect the environment for the benefit of today's society. But always with protection objectives for future generations.
In a general overview, the objectives of sustainable development focus on three main aspects: economic, social and environmental. Balancing your progress and conserving the planet with a rational use of your resources is the purpose.
ECONOMIC SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
It is the economic dimension that encompasses growth, economic policies, and government efforts. It is a sustainable economic activity when it focuses on the sustainability of the environment, being profitable from a financial point of view.
From the second half of the 20th century, capitalism was installed as the majority economic system and the production of goods and services has exploded since then. This economic scenario is based on constant growth, but the planet does not have that ability.
Consequently, movements such as environmentalism and other sustainable and slow lifestyles defend sustainable economic growth. If until now the Gross Domestic Product has been the way to assess the health of the economic system, these movements advocate introducing new factors of sustainable development such as energy demand, water, waste management or climate change.
SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
The social dimension that includes values and social impacts in the search to maintain cohesion between society and joint work to achieve mutual objectives.
The growth of companies and countries should not be at odds with social improvements. Sustainable social development tries to share the benefits of development for all segments of the population.
For example, a company that triples its turnover: if it does so at the cost of doubling the working hours of its employees, they should see their wages and working conditions improve. That means sustainable industrial development.
Sustainable development in companies, in its social aspect, is key to an excellent evolution of society. If all members of the industry do not benefit equally there is no such sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
It refers to the compatibility of development activities with the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystems, the impact of these activities on the environment must be analyzed to determine how positive or negative they are.
Including here also the care of the environment, the efficient use of natural resources and the implementation of environmentally friendly technologies also called green technologies.
It seeks coexistence between the development and evolution of human activities and the conservation of the environment and its biodiversity. It takes into account that the resources are renewable and that their impact does not exceed the capacity to generate them again from Earth. It is also taken into account that no pollutant is produced faster than its recycling rate.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SUSTAINABILITY
The advantages are:
- Enriching: the people involved, who know the characteristics of sustainable development and apply them, live an enriching process as human beings. Just: when the economic and social part benefit, the result is a more equitable and just world. Correct: the satisfaction of things well done. Looking for common sense and taking into account others, but not only others now, but those who will come, is the right thing to do. Viable: if development also takes into account the economic factor, it makes development feasible.
The disadvantages are:
- Difficult: we do not have all the information about the true impact of our actions, we also do not know what the changes caused by excessive consumption of resources will entail. Opinions contrary to sustainable development proposals, for example, do not deny climate change, but they do argue that it is not known whether the consequences it will bring will be positive or negative. Costly: sustainability is more expensive. It is cheaper and more comfortable to produce without taking into account the consumption of resources or the pollutants used. Break: sustainable development in society is not always easy, many essential decisions require breaking with traditions established over decades. Entry barrier: comply with sustainability criteria, it is an added difficulty when entering the market.To the inexperience and the own expenses to start, having to comply with certain protocols can be an insurmountable barrier for new companies. Slow: the process of raising people's awareness is not immediate. The first thing is to work with education. Having a perspective of common good from a young age takes a long time.
The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) shows that the best results, specifically the first 20 positions, are occupied, as expected, by European countries.
| COUNTRIES | SCORE |
| 1.- Switzerland | 87.42 |
| 2.- France | 83.95 |
| 3.- Denmark | 81.60 |
| 4.- Malta | 80.90 |
| 5.- Sweden | 80.51 |
| 6.- United Kingdom | 79.89 |
| 7.- Luxembourg | 79.12 |
| 8.- Austria | 78.97 |
| 9.- Ireland | 78.77 |
| 10.- Finland | 78.64 |
Development projects in a city must be acceptable to the population, that is, they must be livable and functional. They must also have an acceptable cost and, finally, they must meet the equity requirement so that everyone benefits from the improvements. In many ways like:
Mobility
Air quality is a growing concern. In many cities around the world the use of so-called “city bikes” has become popular. Public bikes on loan or rental to facilitate the mobility of citizens. It is not a unique method, but works alongside other non-impact mobility policies, such as bicycle lane construction, public transport improvements, or pedestrianization.
Waste management
Selective garbage collection has needed and needs a process of "education" of citizens. Every day in more households the type of waste is taken into account. Although it has taken time, awareness with recycling grows among more people.
Livability and green spaces.
The creation of green areas, parks and gardens has two main purposes: to make the city more livable for citizens and to provide cities with "green lungs" to offset CO2 emissions from combustion engines.
Taxes
Taking part in sustainable development actions can lead to a reduction in the tax burden on companies. As we saw before, following sustainability criteria makes management more expensive, so that from the institutions it can be valued to lower taxes and fees to be paid.
GREEN TECHNOLOGY
Green technology consists in the design of devices and / or solutions based on eco-efficiency, this translates as guaranteeing manufacturing safety, but at the same time reducing the damage caused to the environment. The key point of this is "doing more with less."
Although also the fact that a product is considered “green”, it serves as a great advertising hook that attracts the public that seeks to help or contribute its “grain of sand” to the conservation of the environment.
The concept of green technology began to be used in 1992 when the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created a plan called "Energy Star" that was basically made to incite and recognize the energy efficiency of various electronic devices, such as televisions, refrigerators, computers, among others.
The Environmental Protection Agency has a tool that can be found on the internet, with which you can do an Environmental Assessment of Electronic Products (EPEAT), which allows you to choose and calculate computers, televisions, monitors, among others, taking their characteristics as indicators environmental to be able to issue a verdict that both contaminates the device or is friendly to the environment.
Products that receive a good rating from EPEAT are created to meet human needs, but in a way that energy consumption is minimal, that it does not have to receive as much corrective maintenance and that most of its components can be recycle, all this maintaining or if possible increasing the efficiency and useful life of the product.
In Latin America, especially in the case of Mexico, this word is beginning to sound strong in various public and private institutions, an example is the number of agencies oriented to this field that exist in the country, such as the Secretary of the Environment. Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the National Institute of Ecology (INE), the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) and the National Commission for Energy Savings (CONAE) to name a few. These agencies are the ones that have the task of creating awareness for the public and private sectors about the benefits that green technologies will bring them in their daily lives.
KEYS FOR A PRODUCT TO BE GREEN
The keys for a product to be considered green are the following:
*Complete cycle.
The design of green technologies must take into account the entire process of the useful life of the created product, from birth to death, so that it is completely recovered or reused.
* Sustainability.
Satisfy the present needs of society, without compromising the resources of subsequent generations and that the solutions provided, may continue to be applicable indefinitely over time.
*Viability.
The products of green technologies must be able to enter the economic environment, accelerating their implementation with appropriate methodologies and seeking that their benefits are not only monetary in nature, but do not have secondary harmful effects.
*Reduction.
Green technology products should aim for a change in consumption, aimed at reducing waste, energy consumption and pollution. Furthermore, these reductions must be part of the premise of creation, production, transportation and final destination.
*Innovation.
Develop elements, materials or practices that are original and innovative or give new uses to those that already exist, always having as its main objective, the benefit of the human being without this being detrimental to that of the environment.
CONCLUSION
These topics have not been so novel, since in small proportions, since the 19th century, concern has been seen, especially for the environment.
Increasingly, engineers or scientists are more committed to creating and developing technologies that are friendly to the environment and human health, making it profitable for all involved.
In itself, green technologies are not a thing of the distant future, it is something that is happening nowadays and that more and more organizations and consumers are concerned that the products they acquire have this kind of technology (environmentally friendly). ambient). We must try to be committed to this cause, ensure that we are sustainable so as not to affect future generations and not to leave them a gray and lifeless world when it comes to the environment.
THANKS
I want to thank my parents first, since while I did not have the support of Conacyt, they supported me financially, while I was here in Orizaba.
To Conacyt for the support he is giving to me and my colleagues so that we can continue studying a postgraduate degree, to the institution and body of postgraduate academics, without them I would not have adequately prepared myself to be able to reach the first semester. To Dr. Aguirre of the FIA subject, for being a teacher with a very different approach to teaching than most of the professors I have had throughout my student life. To my colleagues, since until now we have been united and we support each other if one does not understand the issues or to hand over any documentation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Railing Pacheco 2018. Sustainability and green technology.
cumbrepuebloscop20.org/economia/sustentabilidad/
www.ecoticias.com/tecnologia-verde/175013/Que-significa-Tecnologia-verde
www.gestion.org/que-es-el-desarrollo-sustentable/
