Below is a guest blog written by Tiffany Graham, a writer who is passionate about sustainable living and is a design consultant who helps homeowners incorporate "green" living into their daily lives.
Our population is growing and will continue to grow. To ensure that we have enough resources to sustain our existence, it's imperative we conserve those we have and don't take them for granted.
Environmentalleader.com reports that our population will grow by 2 billion people by the year 2050 and, at our current rate, we will need the resources from three Earths to survive. The numbers might be scary, but they have also motivated millions of corporate businesses, government and academic agencies, recycling and garbage companies and even people in their own homes to follow a more sustainable and earth-friendly lifestyle.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment."
Sustainability is based on the axiom that to live harmoniously and ultimately survive as human beings we have to treat our environment with respect and keep it in a productive and healthy state. Some highly successful programs and institutions have utilized practices to create sustainable improvements in our environment.
Research and Development
Organizations like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and FONA Research for Sustainable Development are making great strides in academic advancements for sustainability. On Sept. 25, CBRE Group Inc. announced a plan to launch Real Green Research Challenge (RGRC). This four-year program will commit $1 million to innovative sustainability research, especially relating to green commercial real estate. Financial awarding will begin in February but research proposal submissions are currently being accepted.
Education
Sustainability is not just for the good of the planet, the business is booming. With that, comes more jobs and more educational options. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, highly accredited business schools are now offering more programs in the sustainability field in their MBA programs. "From clean energy to programs to reduce a company’s carbon footprint, sustainability knowledge is in practical demand," the article stated. Some notable "green" MBA programs include ERB Institute at University of Michigan, Business and Environment Masters Program at Yale and MS Environment and Resources and MBA at Stanford.
Corporate
Corporate Businesses are getting smarter and realizing the importance of sustainability within a company. A grocery store conglomerate, Supervalu, was recently honored for its environmental efforts. According to drugstorenews.com, Supervalu reduced their emissions by 3 percent this past year. Their total waste reduction was more than 11% including all of its 2,400 retail stores nationwide. The Global 100 list of "Most Sustainable Companies" list some big corporations that have become more environmentally friendly including Mitsubishi, Toyota, Adidas, L'Oreal and Samsung.
Communities
You don't have to be a huge corporation to make a difference in sustaining the planet and its residents. Some communities are beginning by just working to support themselves through clean energy programs. According to sustainablebusiness.com, Culver City, Calif. has made solar power a requirement for all larger corporate developments. Oak Park, Ill. sources 92 percent of it's energy and resources from solar, bio gas, water, geothermal and wind power. Even a large city like Washington D.C. uses more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours of earth-friendly power every year.
Our population is growing and will continue to grow. To ensure that we have enough resources to sustain our existence, it's imperative we conserve those we have and don't take them for granted.
Environmentalleader.com reports that our population will grow by 2 billion people by the year 2050 and, at our current rate, we will need the resources from three Earths to survive. The numbers might be scary, but they have also motivated millions of corporate businesses, government and academic agencies, recycling and garbage companies and even people in their own homes to follow a more sustainable and earth-friendly lifestyle.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, "Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment."
Sustainability is based on the axiom that to live harmoniously and ultimately survive as human beings we have to treat our environment with respect and keep it in a productive and healthy state. Some highly successful programs and institutions have utilized practices to create sustainable improvements in our environment.
Research and Development
Organizations like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and FONA Research for Sustainable Development are making great strides in academic advancements for sustainability. On Sept. 25, CBRE Group Inc. announced a plan to launch Real Green Research Challenge (RGRC). This four-year program will commit $1 million to innovative sustainability research, especially relating to green commercial real estate. Financial awarding will begin in February but research proposal submissions are currently being accepted.
Education
Sustainability is not just for the good of the planet, the business is booming. With that, comes more jobs and more educational options. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, highly accredited business schools are now offering more programs in the sustainability field in their MBA programs. "From clean energy to programs to reduce a company’s carbon footprint, sustainability knowledge is in practical demand," the article stated. Some notable "green" MBA programs include ERB Institute at University of Michigan, Business and Environment Masters Program at Yale and MS Environment and Resources and MBA at Stanford.
Corporate
Corporate Businesses are getting smarter and realizing the importance of sustainability within a company. A grocery store conglomerate, Supervalu, was recently honored for its environmental efforts. According to drugstorenews.com, Supervalu reduced their emissions by 3 percent this past year. Their total waste reduction was more than 11% including all of its 2,400 retail stores nationwide. The Global 100 list of "Most Sustainable Companies" list some big corporations that have become more environmentally friendly including Mitsubishi, Toyota, Adidas, L'Oreal and Samsung.
Communities
You don't have to be a huge corporation to make a difference in sustaining the planet and its residents. Some communities are beginning by just working to support themselves through clean energy programs. According to sustainablebusiness.com, Culver City, Calif. has made solar power a requirement for all larger corporate developments. Oak Park, Ill. sources 92 percent of it's energy and resources from solar, bio gas, water, geothermal and wind power. Even a large city like Washington D.C. uses more than 1 billion kilowatt-hours of earth-friendly power every year.
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