18 July 2011

Green Words!

18 July 2011

Long gone are the days where recycling simply applied to paper and plastics. From metals to building materials and even water, recycling has evolved from the straightforward goal of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to the more current purpose that includes renewing, rebuying, rethinking and respecting. The idea of processing and converting used materials to further useable objects has been around since the time of Plato. In those days, people were unable to extensively extract raw materials and create new items. Instead, they reused the old, created the new, and thus did not deal with the aftermaths of extraction. Fast forward to 2011 and extraction of raw materials is at its peak, consequences and impacts of which are being witnessed and suffered by Planet Earth. Not only are raw natural resources extracted, processed, and eventually discarded in a landfill, even more detrimental is the amount of waste produced, energy spent (and wasted), and pollution created. Recycling of materials allows for a decrease in waste and pollution and, in turn, overall improvement to the environment.

One of the most fascinating and practical recycling concepts currently being developed is the recycling of water. Water is one of the greatest natural resources and human necessity on Earth. While 70% of the surface of Earth is covered by water, less than 3% of all this water is freshwater, an amount that is slowly shrinking due to climate change and many human-related causes. Drinking water, in most countries, is used for a variety of applications, including agricultural irrigation, industrial cooling systems, and sanitary needs. Of all possible applications, the only ones that are in real need of freshwater are drinking and cooking. The rest, as surprising as may sound, can use recycled water (cleaned and treated) in order to eliminate the depletion of freshwater. Instead of using drinking water to flush toilets, irrigate lawns at home, or wash cars, we can use gray water (wastewater from various domestic activities excluding toilets) that has been cleaned and ready for application. Currently, many companies are developing methods that will avoid using freshwater in their daily activities in hopes of reducing their environmental impacts. Recycling of water, as is evident, will ensure the survival of this precious resource as well as the living organisms depending so greatly upon it.

Recycling, usually coupled with the environment, may take on different forms, one of which is that of words. While words do not have the wasteful and polluting nature that physical materials have, words and the art or literature they create are able to be reused and reinvented in a similar way. Words can help sell a business and attract attention, increasing its success and potential for growth. Google’s worth is in the billions, most of which is derived from their advertising revenues. Creating such profits comes from the ability to use words to advertise to millions of people, all over the world, who merely have access to internet. The art and science of attracting people to other websites involves working with words, used previously in a variety of market and industry sectors, in creative ways for people to perceive them in a new and fresh way. Google’s ingenuity with words and aptitude of striving for innovation, success, and benefiting impact on the environment seems endless. With the goal of reducing impact of freshwater, Google has actually begun using recycled water or rainwater collection systems for cooling purposes.

As we continue to grow innovatively, our use of the internet will persist intensely. The use of words in a recycled manner will need to evolve creatively for companies to market to the right people at the right time. Innovative growth will also rely on our abilities to safeguard the planet we live on for progress to occur. Without enough water and other natural resources, living on this planet will be tough, regardless of the words used to paint a pretty picture.
Kate Liubansky for
Nexonta Technologies Inc.