Sustainability - the first personal opinion

When one thinks of sustainability, here are some ideas that probably come to mind: recycling, conservation of resources, and use of renewable resources. Most people could probably point out some things that are sustainable such as taking short showers or leaving the lights off all day, but there are many other ways to be sustainable in addition to these small daily habits. Buildings, for example, can be built according to the natural resources of the location. The building materials could all be local products, the design of the building could be made to have optimal light inside according to the time of year and therefore lower the heating costs. Extra precautions can be taken only when necessary, for example a building in the desert probably does not need to have mold protection. The interior design can also be sustainable by using organic cotton or recycled products. Furthermore, sustainability could apply to the production of the building, like trying to use heavy equipment with less pollution or not use heavy equipment at all. Constructing a building is just one way that humans can sustain the world outside of their everyday lives.

My hometown, Reno, Nevada, does not contribute greatly to sustaining the world, but it does have the potential to be. It is a desert so it is sunny more than 90% of the year, and therefore would be a great location for large-scale solar panels and the land is cheap and vast so that would be even easier. The location is near a large mountain range so there are high winds off of the mountains as well as many rivers running down from the mountains, both of which are ideal for wind or water turbines. Furthermore, Nevada has low taxes for businesses so for an electrical business to buy large plots of land and use renewable resources to provide electricity to people, the business would probably profit largely. Although my personal contributes to sustainability are now limited to my daily actions, when I have my own career I plan on focusing on making a larger contribution to sustaining the world.

Sustainability is the ability to preserve the world, the environment, and the life in it. Most people probably think of sustainability in a strictly environmental sense, which is important, but it’s also worthy to note that sustaining the earth does not simply result in a healthier planet, it results in the continuation of the human race. Without our planet, there is no culture, no wars and peace, no government, no families, no pets, no human beings. When people think about taking care of the environment, they should think about taking care of their home and their family because without a planet those things would not exist. That being said, humans have a duty to care for and preserve the environment they live in not only because it is their home but also because it is necessary for their survival.