To rectify the environmental havoc that toxic processes and materials created and continue to have seems virtually impossible due to the large scale of the problem. With the right consumer choices and habitual practices, however, by industries, small businesses, families, and individuals, our small yet significant actions can make a difference and solve many, if not all, of the ecological problems we face today and will in the future.
Making such choices requires a paradigm shift, or a change in the way we think about and deal with the issues. We need to be certain that the products we use, the processes used to create those items, and the effects of those products are of little to no danger or present no hazard to the environment and biodiversity. Intrinsically wise, the purpose of such is to ensure that the environment reaches a sound balance in which mostly natural forces act upon the organisms and ecological constructs present rather than human forces. Instrumentally wise, the essence of correcting our environmental wrongs in a holistic manner is to ensure that future generations and we may exist sustainably.
To attain these environmental goals, it is necessary for industries to adapt cradle-to-cradle mechanisms, even if doing so requires a total overhaul of previous systems used, because these closed-loop processes promote the development of sustainability. That is, these processes assist in diminishing the environmental mark that humans have made and are making yet provide options for humans to continue to live in ways they are generally familiar with. In my opinion, the essence of cradle-to-cradle engineering is to create little to no waste. We must do so in a way, then, that mirrors natural processes on Earth, or create technological metabolic processes that resemble biological metabolic processes.
Earlier in the semester, we discussed the Gaia Hypothesis, which has a similar viewpoint to cradle-to-cradle design. The Gaia Hypothesis encompasses viewing the Earth as an organism with natural processes that maintain equilibrium within that organism. In a sense, we must use a viewpoint of the Earth that is a fusion of the Gaia Hypothesis and of modern ideologies, or the Earth as a machine, to restore the Earth to equilibrium while practicing limits.
While industries adopt such cradle-to-cradle policies, they can use “The 12 Principles of Green Engineering” to aid them in attaining environmentally, socially, and economically beneficial businesses. As industries make these changes, citizens have the responsibility of making the right choices. That is, they should consume products that are made in environmentally sustainable ways to make such products the norm. For example, as opposed to spending large sums of money on a vehicle that uses a lot of fuel, one might opt for a hybrid or one with higher miles per gallon. By making sustainable industries commonplace, not only will citizens contribute their efforts to a cleaner, balanced environment but also their efforts may effectively drive the cost down of the products of the industries, ultimately creating an all-around beneficial system. In this case, one does not have to stress too much upon finding energy or material sources because the cradle-to-cradle designs inherently account for such supplies.
By committing to a paradigm shift and by combining the cradle-to-cradle policies with “The 12 Principles of Green Engineering”, it is possible to achieve a healthy, clean, balanced Earth. In order to certainly reach such goals, however, I believe that one essential element must exist within all of us. This fundamental is emotional engagement. Without genuinely caring about what we are doing, future generations, other organisms, the intrinsic value of the Earth, and ourselves, we would be innovating and acting because we are supposed to rather than because we want to. In this case, if there is no one to tell us what to do and why to care, we will lose all interest eventually and return to our old ways. Emotional engagement is, thus, important to constantly remind us to act sustainably and environmentally friendly as well as remind us of why it is essential to act in such a way.
Sherifa Baldeo
