Did you know that a simple Internet search generates 0.02 grams of CO2 per second? Due to this and many other reasons, solutions are being sought so that technologies and the environment coexist in a balanced way, the secret is not to consume less, but better.
Technology is present in almost all the activities of our day to day. However, many of us do not know the origin of the materials used, the quality of the processes and their impact on the environment and communities.
Currently around 20 to 50 tons of technological objects are discarded in the world each year and only 12.5% of e-waste is recycled, increasing the levels of pollution in the atmosphere, because many of the devices contain highly hazardous materials. toxic.
Despite the great environmental problems that the world faces regarding the waste of technology, different organizations worldwide, such as the innovation company Intel, are making a difference because they are betting on using conflict-free materials, creating recycling systems to electronic devices and design technologies that help reduce energy consumption.
Green technology
Green technology is the design of solutions and / or devices based on eco-efficiency, that is, they guarantee manufacturing and operating safety while reducing their environmental impact. The key is to "produce more with less." (High Level, 2010)
Green technologies, also called non-polluting or ecological technologies, are those goods and services that improve the quality of air, water, soil or that seek solutions to problems related to waste or noise. These technologies can be very different, ranging from highly complex and expensive high-tech systems to simple solutions.
Origin of green technology
As part of social entrepreneurship and the most marked global trends, we find the concept "Green Technologies" that has its origin in the world "Green Movement" of the 60's and that has become a topic of great relevance in all branches.
Being aware of the environmental impact has been one of the axes of green technologies, a term that began to be used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, for its acronym in English) of the United States, when it developed the Energy Star program in in 1992. This program was introduced as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency.
Today green technology is being developed throughout Latin America and on the European continent, where laws are established that sustainably support the growth of the technology industry.
The importance lies in maintaining this type of project not from an economic perspective, but an environmental, social and cultural one. A clear example of the application of this concept can be seen when in a company the total cost of ownership and electricity costs exceed the cost of purchasing a server, the equation leans in favor of greater efficiency, something so positive for the environment and the company's accounts. Invest in “being green”.
In the coming years the world will see an explosion of technologies that will develop as we move towards lower energy consumption in both new and old buildings. The benefits of consuming less electricity reduce structural costs and lower carbon in the atmosphere, which is good for business and good for the planet. (Martínez, 2014)
Benefits of green technology
- It helps to renew and protect the earth. To reduce the incidence of polluting through messages that raise awareness among the population. 3. Through this, it was possible to eliminate all forms of toxic gases that damage the atmosphere. You learn to recycle and reuse products to make crafts. It reduces the mountains of garbage. It makes life easier for humans and the environment. man in his process of studying and creating progress without damaging the earth. In a very sustainable way, it provides man with the necessary means to satisfy his basic needs. It allows thousands of living beings to peacefully inhabit the earth and live on it. to reverse the damage caused by the misuse of natural resources by man. Recyclable paper is produced to prevent the destruction of forests.Create 100% environmentally friendly products.
Examples of green technologies
1.- Digital press: The possibilities of the electric newspaper contribute directly to mitigating pollution, since more than 55 million newspapers are sold every day in the United States alone.
The electronic newspaper consists of a flexible screen that looks a lot like a newspaper, but can be used on a daily basis. The screen contains millions of microcapsules that carry electrical charges attached by a thin, steely metal foil. Each microcapsule has black and white particles that are associated with positive or negative charges. According to what charge is applied, the black and white particles come to the surface exhibiting different patterns.
2.- Eliminating CO2: CO2 is one of the gases that generates the greenhouse effect that contributes to global warming. Although some experts say that it is impossible to suppress the emission of CO2 in the atmosphere, it is obvious that something must be done about it. One proposed method is to inject it into the ground before it can reach the atmosphere, to separate it from the other gases and thus "bury" it in abandoned oil wells, saline ponds or rocks.
3.- Using plants and microbes to clean up contamination: In order to remove pollutants from the environment and restore the quality of ecosystems, recovery technologies are being carried out that include bio-remediation (using microbes to decontaminate sites), phyto-remediation (using plants to decontaminate sites), and natural attenuation allowing the environment to cleanse itself over time.
4.- Planting on the roof: This concept is attributed to the hanging gardens of Babylon, which were not successful in the modern world, but which now makes sense again linked to environmental care.
Rooftop gardens help absorb heat, reduce the impact of carbon dioxide by absorbing CO2, converting it into oxygen, absorb storm water, reducing the use of air conditioners in summer. The technique could also lessen the "heat island" effect that occurs in urban centers.
5.-Implementing Waves and Tides: The oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, which is why they are so necessary for the well-being of the planet. The key is to be able to store enough energy from the waves. A new project is being developed in Portugal that will supply energy to more than 1,500 homes.
6.- Converting the thermal energy of the oceans: The largest collector of solar energy found on earth is the ocean, which absorbs enough energy from the sun every day - comparable to the thermal energy contained in 250 billion barrels of Petroleum. OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) technologies convert the thermal energy contained in the oceans into electricity using the difference in temperature between the surface of the water, which is hot, and the cold at the bottom of the ocean.
The downside of this technology is that it is not yet efficient enough to be used as the main source of power generation.
7.- The New Solar Ideas: The use of photovoltaic modules and thermal collectors for the collection of solar energy in the form of photons, is already quite famous. New research related to this technology uses mirrors and parabolic dishes to concentrate the power of the sun, thus optimizing energy absorption. The latest technological innovation associated with solar energy is the development of a Solar Paint to generate electricity.
8.- The power of Hydrogen: Hydrogen is presented as the green alternative to traditional fossil fuels, generating energy from an electrochemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. The main problem is that hydrogen is not in its pure state.
9.- Eliminating Salt: Fresh water is also another problem. According to studies carried out by the United Nations, its shortages will affect billions of people by the middle of this century. What is new in this area is the desalination process, achieved by extracting salt and minerals from seawater, turning it into drinking water. The problem with this solution is its high cost, because other energies are needed to heat the water, which through evaporation and subsequent filtering is transformed into drinking water.
10.- Making “almost anything” fuels: The idea is quite simple: Any waste that contains carbon, from a tire to animal waste can be turned into fuel, if it is subjected to enough heat and pressure. This process is called Depolymerization. It is very similar to the natural geological process that generates fossil fuels such as oil, it is characterized by its speed, since instead of requiring thousands of years and extreme conditions of heat and pressure, as does the production of fuel on the basis of fossils, the PDT achieves the same results in hours, using a series of tanks, pipes, pumps and boilers, all of which can be installed in the yard garage.
Sustainable Company
A sustainable company is one that seeks success in various aspects such as: well-being of its employees, quality of its products or services, origin of its inputs, environmental impact, social, political and economic impact of its activity and the social and economic development of his country.
Sustainability is also known as sustainability, and it refers to a work model that takes responsible actions with the environment, innovation in its production or the impact of its work in the social and economic sphere of your country will obtain great benefits that you they will allow them to be maintained for a long time without exhausting their own and external resources.
Origin of sustainability
Currently, the term sustainability is cited in innumerable topics: in economic, social, political, environmental foundations, as well as many activities and disciplines of human endeavor. In such a way that it seems to us something current and with a new vision of the world. However, if we look back, we can see that the concept has been used since ancient times, all over the world.
The concept appeared in Germany since 1442, in a regulation of forestry economics of the bishopric of Speyer that proposed the development of this in various regions of Europe, as a means of control and solution to the devastation of forests, especially that perpetrated by the naval industry and mining, which involved these as their basic raw material.
The Middle Ages had in the overexploitation of this habitat a problem similar to the one we live today, hence the forestry (or forest economy) was the discipline in charge of proposing procedures for the use of forests that, in addition to maintaining a high quality in the raw material will promote a constant forest cycle; In other words, there would always be high-quality trees to cut down, without this implying the devastation of forests and thereby causing economic and social damage. It is in those long centuries of the high and late Middle Ages, when it begins to be heard like a murmur that in modern times finally reaches such enormous volume: that is, the idea that men can bring about desirable changes in nature and undesirable.
Thus, this notion described that the exploitation of a forest was done, after determining a maximum cut that would allow its regeneration. The challenge was not to extinguish the natural resource, knowing that the basis of the economic process was the existence and quality of trees. Hence, in general, sustainability is understood as the use of a regenerative system, where the system remains intact in its substantial aspects, and at the same time, can be renewed in a natural way.
This idea is, consequently, a process with an integral vision in which three elements of equal importance intervene: environment, economy and society. The relationship between these is dynamic in nature since society depends on the economy and the environment, and vice versa, which gives this dependence a global, national, regional and local scope, due to the way it affects activities everyday life and industrial processes.
The activities carried out by any company represent a negative or positive impact on our environment. Therefore, this postulate refers, in the first place, to human activity and its key concept is to maintain favorable natural conditions for the development of life, in such a way that limits are maintained that prevent the destruction of the systems that provide sustenance. to societies.
The concept was also mentioned in a publication by Hans Carl von Carlowitz from 1713, where he described the use of forests and their raw material, wood. But, it was in 1972 when the term sustainability appeared for the first time in the Club of Rome report entitled The limits of growth referring in its broadest sense, to the condition of global balance.
The international community raised awareness about humanity's dependence on natural resources and ecosystems. For the first time, an agenda was made in this regard and abundantly, when at the beginning of the seventies the different energy crises (especially the oil crisis of 1973), the desertification of forest areas, the consequences of polluted waters reflected in serious economic and public health problems demystified blind faith and carefree worship of technological processes.
The perception of the natural environment changed. On the one hand, the threat to humans and technology appeared, and on the other hand, it was clearly seen that the latter and the economy depended on ecosystems. The knowledge that the human economy was about to destroy its own base was partial, and perceived as a shock, which gave way to the belief that it was going through a planetary environmental crisis. (Garcia, 2008)
Advantages of being a sustainable company
Leading organizations in sustainable practices obtain important competitive advantages, since they access a huge spill of benefits such as:
- Access to exclusive stock market indices for the leading companies in this field. Facilities for funds, incentives and subsidies destined only to this type of business. Attracting new customers seeking the most sustainable option for their consumption. Facilities that favor the survival of the business through responsible management of natural resources Maintaining positive relationships with society Economic growth of the company
Examples of sustainable companies
Certain companies seem to have found the solution to be sustainable and continue to earn money by achieving the Golden Trifecta: to develop a product with a lower environmental impact, while maintaining its good price and quality.
- Method: The strategy of this non-toxic cleaning products company is to offer quality, well-designed packaging (some made with recycled plastic obtained from the ocean) and to impact the community. And it has worked so well that its main rival bought it, creating a super company of green cleaning products Osprey: This brand of products for outdoor activities has a sustainable line called ReSource, with items manufactured 100% from bottles of PET at very competitive prices: Sometimes companies in the same industry must come together to achieve significant changes, as is the case with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition: brands such as Adidas, Levi Strauss, Timberland and Nike founded this collation with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the clothing and footwear industry.Their collaboration has resulted in the emergence of greener but also effective and price competitive products, such as Nike soccer cleats and Levi's Care Tag.
Of course, creating a product inevitably involves some kind of impact on the environment, but this can be minimized, and this effort does not have to mean a decrease in price and quality. Method and Osprey continue to offer products with innovative and eye-catching designs, and Nike sports products have continued to be synonymous with quality for their customers. (Expoknews, 2012)
How to be a green company
Joining the cause of improving the environment and promoting the reduction of practices with a negative impact on the planet are one of the motivators to make a business or company sustainable.
"Going green" requires adopting ecological efficiency measures that, once implemented, offer various benefits to entrepreneurs, allowing them to reduce costs, attract customers, and achieve greater social responsibility.
The objective of being a green company will lie in motivating its employees to implement a change in the management of resources to help the planet.
To be part of the green trend, companies start by changing their vision of the planet and following ecological routines that can help. Some of the green practices are:
- Familiarize collaborators with the subject. Provide them with material on environmental protection Maintain a regulated energy use Reduce, reuse and recycle waste as much as possible Reduce the printing of emails Recycle paper and print on both sides of the sheet Use the necessary water, encourage closing the water pipes if they are not using it. Do not let the water run so as not to waste it. Turn off the office light every time you leave it. When you are out of the company remember to turn off the computer and other electronic devices that you may be using.
Reaching a level of commitment is the first step to carry out eco-sustainable practices in the company. Identifying those actions that can improve the environment and begin to include them in the daily routine will have an effect that can truly have a real impact, which will bring improvements to the organization and of course to the planet. (Corporate Communication, 2010)
conclusion
Green Technology is considered as the future of society, because we cannot continue to use harmful technologies that cause negative impacts on the entire environment of every way of life that inhabits the world in search of sustenance. We humans who are allowed to be the caretakers of the planet keep it on the road to desolation and death.
Just as a species that does not adapt to the conditions is likely to disappear; companies that are unable to pay attention to, interpret and respond to the fluctuating and globalized environment in which we operate are unlikely to survive in the long term.
Today, sustainability is a fact. The most developed companies have adopted it, and every day more are added. This strategy promotes concordance in its value chain, therefore, suppliers, clients and other stakeholders must be aligned with its principles and in a globalized world, it is very difficult to remain isolated for long.
References
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