Lasting Value & Sustainability
For the longest time, mankind has taken the easy way out when it comes to the production of goods, services and utilities. Loose ends were the norm when it came to by-products and waste. Using the environment as a dumping ground for the "unwanted" created alongside the necessary products, was a common practice since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution.
It wasn't until the 60’s when Rachel Carson wrote "The Silent Sea", that society was first introduced to the toxic dumping that was going on in the early morning when no one was looking. The very idea of "out-of-sight, out-of-mind" was an easy way of dismissing the tangible by-products created when the innovative technological advances were introduced into society's financial markets.
This dumping went on for decades until the 70's when the Environmental Protection Agency was created to oversee and curb such unethical practices. Although much was curtailed, the unethical elimination of these by-product continued. To such an extent, the very "backyard" we've been dumping into has turned out to be our own.
The Earth is a limited resource and cannot hide our "unwanted" anymore. The oceans are contaminated, the air is saturated, and the rivers can no longer be treated as an open sewer line.
Unfortunately, centuries ago, we were told by a very old and respected subculture about our bad habits. Native Americans warned us of such practices. They believed that before anything new was introduced into their society, the effects and consequences of such actions must be considered for the next seven generations.
We failed to hear their advice centuries ago and now we find ourselves in a serious situation that doesn't just make us deal with an improved way of production, but also a vast clean-up effort that may take decades to be achieved.
Therefore, the very idea of Sustainable Value must be incorporated into every aspect of our lives. There must no longer be "loose-ends" that go by the wayside. From creation to implementation, all aspects of a product, service, or utility must be addressed and formulated into an environmentally secure foundation.
We can no longer wait for the plastics to wash up on our beaches in order to correct it; no longer allow pesticides and fertilizers to cause "dead-zones" in our oceans; no longer allow petroleum by-products to leech into any type of environment. From the beginning to the end, from the gathering and processing of raw materials, to the packaging of end product and its eventual discontinuation must all be considered and met before the product goes to market. That is what the value of sustainability truly means.
We have the technology that allow such practices. With the functioning of a Market Economy with its supply and demand aspects, such practices will bring an economic boom to all local businesses. "Loose-ends" will have to be tied with the creation of businesses whose sole purpose would be, for example, packaging, distribution or resource regeneration. It could be done without Government intervention so long as well-established, science-based and the protocols are followed.
Not just the production of goods should be considered but also the
Energy production must stand under rigorous protocols. With the advent of solar panels, wind farms, and hydroelectric dams, our need for petroleum can be limited. With the proper research and development, along with the introduction of smart meters and a more modern electrical grid, we can eliminate the use of petroleum even further.
Imagine every home in this country with the ability of energy production. Would there be any need for centralized power plants to exist? A local energy-efficient plant can supplement household energy production eliminating coal and oil burning power plants. Don't you think we've been burning oil for too long?
The time has come to step up to the plate and do something that should have been done centuries ago. There are no more easy way outs and the sooner sustainability becomes a common practice, the better we, the society and the Earth will be.
