GREEN:
"We need to save our planet", is a commonly used slogan used by environmentalists, as the inevitable energy crisis seems to lure at our doorstep, as the traditional energy resources mitigate, prices soar, and alternatives seem scarce. People, like frantic ants, start to panic, as they always have done in the face of a crisis. Naturally, they become more irrational and tend be willing to go to any extent to prevent the storm. As a result of many decades in the business, advertisers have become very aware of this psychological characteristic that overrides human beings. That is how the term “Green” has slowly creped into our lives, to the point that a simple adjective has become a trend followed by millions and even acquired a benevolent and altruistic connotation in our colloquial slang.
Yet what does really mean to be "Green"?
To try and figure that out one should go back to the origin of the term "Green". Naturally it stems from all the living plants that surround us and as such it is the color that sustains life. So, does is mean that to be "Green” means to act like the Chlorophyll cells and convert the waste of others into our life line? Or is the term "Green" suppose to make us regard ourselves as part of a intricate system in which our actions affect the outcome of the big picture? Or is "Green" just a marketing strategy, which has proven to be very successful since the consumer has limited resources to check the validity of their statement?
In my opinion, the "Green" frenzy embodies all of those three aspects. First, if we act like the chlorophyll cells, we redefine what we used to label as waste. Consequently "the waste" from one product serves as a primary material for another one, like the copper from old telephone rods, or the "waste" can simply be reused for the same purpose, like glass rebottling. The economic and environmental success of the Recycling Industry is a perfect example of how beneficial acting like the chlorophyll cells can be. The Second aspect that the term "Green" embodies has a strong ideological direction in which the individual is forced to view him/herself as the brick of a building, in which a shifted position could have big repercussions on the stability of the whole. The second element is closely bound with the third one, for the constant advertising is the propeller of this new idea. It might be true, that the consumer has limited resources to verify the validity of an add campaign but the "Green" movement has definitely steered the market into a new direction, which until now has proven to be quite beneficial.
SUSTAINABILITY:
The Oxford Dictionary defines the adjective sustainable to be something that is "1. Capable of being borne or endured; supportable, bearable", also as something that is "2. Capable of being upheld or defended; maintainable", and lastly as something that is "3. Capable of being maintained at a certain rate or level". So, how come that term “Sustainability” become so important when facing and trying to find a solution for the energy crisis?
In my opinion, sustainability is the most important aspect in the energy crisis that must be kept in mind when looking for an adequate solution. The reason for the significance of that term is that the depleting natural resources, the high prices, and elevated CO2-emissions are making us change the entire motors of the industrialized economies, such as oil and natural gas that have propelled that have been the primary energy source since the Industrial Revolution. Since that period, the life standard and innovation of such nations has increased dramatically. Yet as we face decelerating motors as the resources deplete, the last thing we want to do is sacrifice all the advancement that has been achieved. For example if we were to power a household only on solar energy, its inhabitants would expect their entire house to be lit, to be warmed or cooled (depending on the season), for all their electronics to work with the same efficiency etc. yet they would mostly expect those services for the relatively same low energy prices that they have been accustomed too. The transition of energy sources should therefore be progressional so harsh economic repercussions can be prevented. On a larger scale sustainability means that the alternative energy sources that are going to replace the current ones, should neither compromise the living standard, development nor economic growth.
SYSTEM APPROACH:
A system is defined by The Webster Dictionary as "A group of independent but interrelated elements that comprise a unified whole". It is through the observational approach of inductive reasoning and the method of abstraction that the scientific field has been able to establish theoretical systems that allow us to comprehend our surroundings. Galileo, the father of modern science, was the one who introduced that method. As a result he was able to discover and understand the concept of acceleration by observing hundreds of times, how a ball fell to the floor. Today, that approach seems obvious yet that is not the methodology in which science has always been approached. The other approach taken towards science before Galileo's time was deductive. For example a religious belief was the premise of a scientific theory and all observations would be manipulated enable for them to back up the hypothesis.
If one transport him/herself back to modern time and tries to find a solution to the energy crisis, one will discover that this prevalent problem has various causalities that emerge from the interactions of different systems, such as political, economical, and ethical. For example: The organic waste of a slaughtering is sold to a factory that produces mulch. Yet there is no profitable possibility is the waste of mulch, so they dump it in the river. As a cause the water, which is the source of water for the animals from the slaughtering house, gets contaminated. As a result they die. The meat industry suffers from the loss and their price rises. Meanwhile the mulch industry suffers as well because they cannot buy the animal waste to produce their mulch; their prices rise as well. This example serves to depict how interconnected all the different industries and their problems are. If one tries to solve one problem, one should take into account how that solution affects other systems. The energy crisis is comprised of so many systems, that a general solution will be impossible to find. Therefore one should settle for the best partial solution.
