Clean Tech Competition

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One Week!

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This time of year is always a blur, with one week left there are so many things to do and it feels like so little time! After registration closes for the only sustainability competition of its kind, papers from dozens of nations are submitted, top tier judges from across the globe are sent their assignments, scores are submitted, semi-finalists announced and Finalists then notified…all in one month! 

It is a good thing this time of year is the only one that is so busy. I do not think it would be sustainable for me if not! I joke of course, this is an incredible opportunity for so many! It is an honor to be involved with this program year after year. The sprint to the Finals begins soon! 

Don’t Diminish Your Impact!

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Marketing campaigns from large corporations pushing people to live sustainably and “do your part!” have been around for years now. Despite this, most everyone understands that when it comes to sustainability it is these very same corporations that cause the most damage. Over 70% of all global emissions stem from just 100 companies. Just 100! And because of this, it is easy to think your your efforts in preserving planet earth are in vain. And while we do need more from these massive polluters, it is important not to diminish your own impact! 

Say you go to the grocery store every week, and when buying produce you use four plastic bags available at the store. It is easy to say there is little point in using a reusable bag, after all it is only four bags each time! But when you think about it, that is over 200 a year meaning in a 50 year span, you as a single human will have thrown out over 10,000 bags! 

When you extend this logic to other areas of your life like water use, food waste and electricity consumption, your impact over an extended period becomes much more apparent. Then look at this from a global perspective and the impact we have truly begins to sink in!

Do large companies need to work to find ways to have more clean tech in their system and and a more sustainable business model overall? Yes! But never let that make you think your impact is nothing!

One Month Left!

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The Clean Tech Competition runs on a yearly cycle but it never really feels like the end will arrive until all of a sudden it is rapidly approaching just a few weeks away! Of course, the Final end is in August, but the race to tell all the uninformed of the only global sustainability competition for 15-18 year olds ends when registration does! These last few weeks are always move so fast (the Administrator says as he thinks how March and February do not even feel like the happened!?) but they are some of the most exciting! The registrations are pouring in, the paper submissions follow soon, then it is off to the judges with excited students behind them! 

Sustainability is a mindset of passion for many, and we cannot wait to see what amazing work has been done this year! #CTC2021 is about to reach its peak, will you be joining hundreds of students from around the world? Only a few weeks left to join us, do not miss out!

Changing Baseline Syndrome

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There is a long list of ways to fight against a degrading environment. Activism, new technology, decreased resource use and many others allow us to actively lessen the toll taken by our modern civilization. All techniques we should continue rely upon! Unfortunately there is once principle that is almost impossible to reverse and has a huge impact on how we view our planet: Changing Baseline Syndrome.

Changing baseline syndrome is the concept that as our perception of things change, so does the level you consider to be fine. In other words, you or I today view the world as it is and while we know it was better in the past, it is hard to visualize. In 20 years, when we are continuing to try to restore a healthy earth that becomes what we think of as “normal.” While that may not seem terrible, that means those who view that time as normal will not fully comprehend how much better (or hopefully worse!) it was 20 years before. 

This means that no matter what we do there is always going to be a perceptive shift with each generation. Each will feel that the environment of their youth is as good as it gets. Which means that what they fight to make a healthy environment is still much unhealthier than it should be!

Not the thoughts I am sure you were looking to read today, but a fact we have to deal with nonetheless! 

I Love Science

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Science is just the coolest isn’t it! It pieces everything together, giving it reason and sense. It makes the confusing understandable and the mind-boggling logical. It answers everything while giving us more questions. Every solution means a further ten questions; like the hydra head of mythology. There is no limit to the curiosity it can provide unless you limit yourself. Every problem we have can be solved scientifically, there is truly no limit to its abilities! This past week THREE DIFFERENT MISSIONS MADE IT TO MARS. That is truly wild to me and I cannot wait to see what the future entails. 

There are a lot of issues on this planet, and almost every one can be solved with science in some form or another. That is why there is hope, because science provides it. 

Turtles Brought Me Here

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A sustainable lifestyle is something I am constantly striving for personally, and have been (in varying degrees of dedication) doing for most of my life. Conservation and a healthy planet were important to me well before I could readily define either of those terms! I am sure that this is the case for most of those who have entered into the Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition as well; starting a sustainability project is not just a project but a mindset! But do you remember your first thought towards an environmentally conscious existence? I can! 

When I was probably around 7 or 8 years old (way too long ago..) I first learned how the plastic rings on a pack of cans could choke turtles in the ocean. It did not take me long to realize that this could also harm other animals as well. From that point on, I always cut those rings to ensure they were not able to throttle any animal, aquatic or otherwise!

From there, it has just always made sense to me that science and morality say we should treat other animals and the planet as we would our own family and home. What has never made sense to me is why people purposely choose to not live this way; it just sounds cruel and lazy. In summation, my thoughts are perfectly stated by this famous cartoon by Joel Pett. All sustainability does is create a better world. Why do people try to fight it so hard?

 

Happy New Year!

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Well, I think I speak for everyone when I say that 2020 was a year we would rather move past! Not much seemed to go well and even when it did, it was painful. With a global pandemic a lot seemed to be put on hold, and unfortunately that includes sustainability. But with vaccines on the way, hopefully this year will allow the world to focus on a green future! 

A lot of people relished at news that our carbon footprint decreased dramatically this year; many even said this would help with our long term planetary health. This is sadly not the case. While clearer skies and waterways were a side effect, they were not a permanent result. Sustainable research is still needed! I have faith that most who understood the energy crisis were not confused by this short term positive news, and if you are reading this blog post then you are very likely one of those people!

As we begin the next annual chapter in human history, I hope that you continue to have faith in our future! Youth centered scientific research is a keystone of a healthy planet. Students looking into sustainable practices will be the defining factor in the long term health of our home. How are you helping us get there?

Holiday Packaging

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The holiday season is upon us! A traditional time of gift giving for billions across the globe, this season of generosity is anything but to our planets resources. Think of how many billions of packages will be sent and gifts will be bought. In America alone, over $1 trillion was spent on Christmas gifts in 2019. Everything bought (often in a box) is then usually placed in another box or wrapped in paper. Ordering online? Think of all the packaging and wrapping and bubble wrap. Oh and how about the fuel used to ship! 

Unfortunately, with a pandemic raging across much of the world, it is forecast to be a record year for online purchases. And given the circumstances, that is understandable. I myself will be ordering through Amazon more than I wish. Sustainability and environmental consciousness is not the easiest at this time of year. It is hard to live a renewable-focused lifestyle during the 2020 holiday season. Hopefully people decide to cut down on their use of large online retailers once this is past us. Sorry to be less than cheery!

If only someone could create a highly-compostable cardboard that is cost effective. That would make a great Clean Tech Competition entry!

Cost vs Benefit of Responsible Climate Policies

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(Whenever you hear of responsible climate policies being proposed, you almost invariably hear the response of “it is too expensive, we cannot afford that.” It is very difficult to properly describe how much a statement like this frustrates me. I do not think that there is a cheap fix for our climate issues, that would be naïve. But I find it to be infantile to look at the cost of action and ignore the cost of inaction!

The cost for responsible action is purely monetary. And money is something that we can certainly make more of in a sustainable environment. The money is invested and will spur job growth, create opportunities, provide a healthy environment, improve current technology, fashion new technology at the cutting edge of science, etcetera etcetera etcetera. 

The cost for inaction? Rising sea levels that destroy coastal cities and island cultures. Increased droughts and famine that plague millions. Larger numbers of disease carrying insects. In short, a world much harsher than the one that gave birth to us; one that will kill millions more every year. 

And somehow governments, politicians and civilians alike look at the enormous (but relatively small) cost of acting now, and view it is “too much.” To be able to speak and act this way is one of privilege. The knowledge that the impending climate disaster will impact you on a far smaller scale than those in innumerable other places on earth. This too is short sighted and selfish. While maybe they and their children will be fine, their grandchildren will undoubtedly suffer too. 

Thankfully there are more who see than do not, and this gives me hope! If you are entering into the Clean Tech Competition then I am certain you have a reasonable view, and I hope you try to help others see the light!

Research In School

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In the course of administering the Clean Tech Competition, one thing that has struck me is the inconsistency in research programs amongst secondary schools. My own did not have any sort of research program and when I look even now they still do not. And it makes me wonder: why? Why is research not more of a thing in every nation, large or small, wealthy or poor? My initial thoughts are that it is the same reason that many students do not perform research on their own; they feel as though they need a big expensive lab to be able to accomplish anything because that is the image they have always had.

Surprise, you do not! While it certainly helps, a fancy lab does not cause you to innovate, it merely helps. And if anything, the perception of a lab being necessary stymies growth on its own. Several of the best projects from the Competition have been done in an informal setting. 

If this sort of thinking, that science can be done anywhere, was more prevalent, how much farther along could we be as a world? If everyone looked around and saw something they could improve on their own and did not feel a major obstacle, what would that accomplish? In younger kids especially, a whole lot. Children are curious as a rule. Encouraging them to apply their curiosity at a young age would inspire legions more to pursue a scientific career. At least, that is how I see it!