Sustainable Living & Sustainable Lifestyle
Green technology supports a better planet by reducing the negative impact human beings have on the environment.
Green technology supports a better planet by reducing the negative impact human beings have on the environment.
Green technology supports a better planet by reducing the negative impact human beings have on the environment.
Green technology continues to evolve, leading to more effective methods for reducing carbon emissions and other pollutants that impact the nation’s waterways, air and land. Whether used by businesses or individuals, green technology supports a more sustainable future.
The issue, in most cases, is adaptation. Green technology such as electric cars, wind turbines and solar panels are well known yet still not widely adopted by the majority of Americans. That’s the case with other, lesser known technologies that have the potential to significantly impact sustainability in industry, the workplace and in your own home.
Green technology refers to innovative technology that has the benefit – whether by design or as a byproduct of its use – to reduce man-made emissions that pollute the planet. In many cases, green technology is specifically designed to reduce the impact that human beings have on the planet’s environment.
Green technology includes many innovations that most people have heard of, including recycling centers, wastewater treatment and water purification, and waste-to-energy technology. It also includes products people can use in their homes, including LED lighting and programmable thermostats.
More cutting edge green technology involves tidal energy (producing power from water waves), vertical farming, carbon tracking software and self-sufficient buildings.
For 2023 and beyond, a handful of green technology trends have emerged that experts predict will have a big impact on the future. The website Greenly recently put together a list that includes the following.
Buildings with low carbon construction are designed to emit little to no carbon across their entire lifespan. That’s an important innovation, as traditional buildings account for an estimated 38 percent of gas emissions. Low carbon construction involves the use of eco-friendly materials that include bamboo and hemp.
Lowering carbon emissions into the atmosphere is one of the keys to combating global warming. In addition to reducing emissions at the source, scientists also are exploring ideas for Direct Air Capture (DAC) of carbon already in the atmosphere. A Stanford University study reports that the two methods gaining the biggest support are liquid solvent DAC (in which carbon is removed from the atmosphere through contact with basic solution) and solid sorbent DAC (where the same goal is achieved through contact with a porous basic solid). The main obstacle is the expense of the technology, but the Stanford study predicts it will drop
This area of green technology addresses the issue of creating systems that can store power generated through clean energy sources such as solar and thermal. Greenly reports that companies such as Aquion Energy, Malta (Google X) and Highview Power are currently working on long-term storage solutions for power generated by renewable sources.
Hydrogen is key to powering fuel cell electric vehicles, a system that offers the efficiency of battery-powered electric vehicles. These vehicles do not produce any harmful emissions. While the cost of hydrogen is currently a big challenge to overcome, some experts think hydrogen could power as many as 400 million cars by 2050, Greenly reports.
These represent some of the biggest green technology trends expected to emerge in the coming year and beyond. With so many experts focused on finding alternative fuel sources, expect even more advanced technology that supports sustainability to emerge in the future for both personal homes and businesses.
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