Since today is Earth Day, we thought we would write a blog post on how we can use technology to help save the environment. It is no secret that humans have contributed a great deal to climate change, animal extinction and deforestation. It’s time to make a change and we are going to have to use technology to save the planet from ourselves.
Technology is constantly advancing and we are finding new ways all the time to reduce damage to the environment. Only this month scientists created an enzyme that eats plastic, which is a huge step in the right direction as there are currently 1,000,000 plastic bottles purchased every minute.
The Digital Age
Over the past 10 years or so, we have saw a massive increase in companies using “paperless” systems. This reduces printing costs and increases workplace efficiency. Not only has this been beneficial to companies, but it has also been beneficial to the environment. Less paper means a decrease in the need for trees and as a result reduces deforestation. Going paperless includes storing documents on computers, smartphones and the cloud, as well as sending emails instead of letters.
If you are part of a company looking to go paperless and want to find out different routes you can go down, contact us and we will be happy to help.
Electric Cars
One of the main causes of global warming is car pollution. Vehicles emit carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere causing the temperature to rise. In the long run, this can result in the melting of the ice caps which would cause the sea level to increase. This will result in the land size of our planet being reduced. An immediate issue from this is the animals such as polar bears who inhabit the ice caps, but also as the human population continues to increase it will be even more of a problem with less land area.
A solution to this is the use of electric cars. These are something that have been around for a while now but has only recently became more mainstream through the likes of Tesla. Electric cars are now more affordable to buy and also has running cost-saving benefits. Moreover we believe electric cars are the future and fuel-driven cars will be a thing of the past.
Smart Homes
One of the biggest uses of energy comes from our own homes. Devices in our homes such as smart thermostats can help you save money and be eco-friendly by only heating your home when necessary. If this is something that interests you have a look at Hive Active Heating.
Other technologies such as “motion-activated” lighting means that rooms only get lit up when someone is in them (makes sense). These methods can not only be used at home but also in our workplace office to help benefit the planet greatly.
Renewable Energy
A way we can generate renewable we can reduce the consumption of energy is by installing solar panels on our roofs which will generate energy from the Sun and although the one-off cost can be expensive to get them installed, it will save you money in the long term and you are doing your part in helping the environment. The government offers a “Feed-In Tariff Scheme” if you get solar panels installed, saving you money on your energy bills. Other sources of renewable energy include wind and hydroelectric power.
There are gyms out there that converts the energy created by the exercise machines to electricity, powering the gym, which is a great step in the right direction and hopefully other gyms will be inspired by this and follow suit.
Drones and Monitoring the Environment
Drones can essentially be used as a security cameras in large environments. They can be used to patrol areas where poachers frequently hunt endangered animals, protecting the species and preventing extinction. The government can monitor whether companies follow the environmental regulations by using technology to conduct test simulations of products before they go to market, making sure they are safe before they are released to the planet.
Humans are a few years away from sending humans to Mars, with a view to colonise it and be a multi-planetary species. It is important that we find solutions to our problems before we go and create the same problems all throughout the Universe. It is also crucial that we don’t take Earth for granted as there are no guarantees we will colonise other planets and more importantly, we are not the only living creatures on Earth. Going out into the great unknown and exploring other planets is monumental, but let’s not give up on this one in the process.