What is all the hype about Sustainability for?
Sustainability is a relatively new concept that has become a buzzword for a while now. Scientists, activists, academics and all sorts of people involved in studying the environment are increasingly talking about the subject. They are asking people all around the world to take notice and for governments to take action. And that is for a good reason since the world we live in is increasingly becoming uninhabitable. It is largely because of how we humans live and consume. In the last few centuries, our technology has advanced at such unprecedented growth that we never realized the negative impact we are leaving on the environment. It has caused us a great deal of short-term convenience and ease to us but it also has been greatly detrimental to the planet, the consequences of which we have only begun to see.
For our well-being, we need to pay attention to how we consume resources and interact not only with the environment but also with each other. Sustainable development was defined in the 1987 Brundtland Report as "Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Sustainability questions our existing methods and ideas of living, how is it costing us our planet, and thus in turn, our health and lives.
Why is it important?
In the last century, our general quality of life has skyrocketed thanks to the industrial revolution and globalisation. Everything from the quality of products and services we consume has increased. It has resulted in our living the best lives we have in the history of humanity.
But, It comes at a cost.
The number of resources used has also grown exponentially with the rapidly growing population. The resources we have relied upon for this development have depleted so much that soon we would not have any more of it. According to the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere’s (MAHB) 2019 study, the world's oil reserves will run out by 2052, natural gas by 2060 and coal by 2090. But it is the smallest of our worries because that is not the only consequence we face. The scale of pollution has also exploded unimaginably and we cannot escape its effects anymore. CO2 levels have risen to a 50% more than in the pre-industrial revolution era. Air pollution has become the 8th most common cause of death in the US. It accounts for 11.65% of all deaths globally. What has been our greatest tool is quickly becoming the reason for our doom if measures are not taken soon enough.
Why should you know about it?
Climate change is the biggest effect the industrial revolution has had. You face the consequences of it, directly or indirectly. Water shortage crisis, Forest fires, Floods, and Rising Sea levels are only a few of the problems we face as the direct effect of climate change. 2016 study found enhanced the drying of organic matter and doubled the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015 in the western United States. It’s only a matter of time before the effects we have on the environment become irreversible. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) has set 2030 as the Climate Change deadline for gas emissions to be halved and reach net zero by 2050.
Is Sustainability a tool to help us solve this problem?
Yes. Sustainability is a way of reimagining the way we consume resources. It can help us reverse climate change if proper measures are being taken. Sustainability is a concept that not only considers how a product is manufactured or made but also its entire life cycle. A product made using low resources but contributing to climate change during its lifetime, due to its nature, is not sustainable. A product which is difficult to dispose of after its lifecycle, and causes negative effects on its environment is also not a sustainable product. Sustainability is not just a feature that can be added to a product, it is an approach with which products and systems are designed and built.
The advancements in technology and its after-effects are so accelerated that legislation and rules are often slow to catch up to the problems due to the bureaucracy. Brands are often at the forefront of how we shape the world. But it is the consumers that drive the ecosystem. Hence the responsibility also lies in how you consume products since the market primarily runs on supply and demand. If consumers specifically demand sustainable products, the brands will be obliged to comply and this will drive us towards a hopeful future where we are not constantly worried about everything that might affect our health negatively.
We, at Graniti Vicentia, practice sustainability as the core principle for designing and building. We believe in creating a world which is safe for our future generations. We also take responsibility for raising awareness for sustainability because it is our strongest tool for fighting climate change and thus in turn making our planet a safer place to live in. Here is our sustainability philosophy where we take care of our consumers and the planet alike. We make sure our products and services provide the greatest satisfaction to our consumers, while also taking care of the environment.