Page 6 - North American Clean Energy March/April 2019 Issue

editor's note
news bites
MY FATHER ALWAYS TOLD ME,
“If you want something done right, do it yourself”. While that lesson didn’t bode too well for my ability to delegate, it explains my lingering distrust of automation. (Yes, I’m typing on
a computer and relying on the magic of the internet to connect me to the rest of the world
– hypocrisy duly noted). Part of me feels guilty for not embracing the newest technology, but I’m bound to an ingrained sense of personal responsibility. Lately, I’ve noticed that the pendulum of ecological virtue seems to swing between adopting the latest advancements in clean energy, and altering our own behavior to make greener choices.
We’re in the throes of smart stu . Smart cars, smart buildings, smart phones; all of these tools tend to make us look kind of dumb. ere’s a level of perversity in teaching people to abdicate responsibility for everyday tasks: self-driving cars, automated buildings, voice-operated appliances, and terrabytes of memory are here to save us. Why bother learning how to drive carefully, or checking around the o ce at the end of the day making sure electricity isn’t being wasted, or turning your air conditioner o when you leave the house, or memorizing your best friend’s phone number? I admit it, I used to know my credit card numbers. But now that I buy nearly everything online and my information auto populates the checkout forms, what’s the point?
Have you seen the Disney-Pixar movie WALL-E? It sends a rather terrifying message of our potential fate should we choose to relinquish our personal accountability to technology. Spoiler alert: the movie chronicles the gradual devolution of our bodies as we rely ever more heavily on computers to care for us.
Dear friends of mine had the scare of a lifetime when they rolled over their toddler son while backing the car out of a driveway. He ended up being bruised but okay. As it turns out, the car was an older model they were borrowing; it had no backup camera. ey were so used to seeing behind them without having to turn around and actually look, that performing such a basic safety step didn’t occur to them. Technology altered their normal pattern of behavior. (I don’t fully trust my car’s backup camera, and still prefer to twist around to see where I’m going).
My childhood was lled with unforgettable eco-imagery: a tearful Indian watching trash pile up on the side of the highway, ominous illustrations of gaping holes in the ozone layer, belching smokestacks, etc. We didn’t trick or treat without doing it for Unicef and comparing our haul of donated pennies at the end of the night. We were reminded to turn o the lights, not waste water with 20-minute showers, pick up trash and keep our streets clean. Years later, when I heard the term “grass roots”, it took me a while to realize it was just a fancy way of saying you were doing things on a local level, another way of promoting personal responsibility.
Even as green advocates strive to bring us closer to becoming a “net zero” society through the adoption of automated and eco-friendly solutions, I can't help but feel like we’re becoming further removed from the consequences of our individual actions. Last year I heard a rumor that China stopped accepting our plastic in response to the recent tari s. I was confused because I just gured that all of the cans, bottles, and bags set
out on the curb every week made their way to a local recycling station that transformed them on site. Instead, it’s a long, convoluted, and politically charged journey that our throwaways take on their way to a potential repurposing. It may sound naïve, but not having a direct impact on the fate of the things I touch tends to make me feel impotent in the whole cycle of conservation.
I’m not trying to sell anything or sway any opinions. I’m just an old school conservationist contemplating the connection between our daily actions and the big picture of clean energy we’re all aiming for. It’s worth considering that it may not be smart technology, but smart people that will really make a di erence.
Until the robots take over... Enjoy the read.
Meg
Talking to kids about climate change
According to an international survey, 58 percent of parents want to speak more about climate change with their children but often don’t have the knowledge to do so or nd the topic di cult to explain. In an e ort to encourage children to be a greener next generation, Ørsted launched a children’s book and online platform to make it easier for parents to talk to their children about climate change. e book, Is is My Home? is available for free as an illustrated digital audiobook that can be downloaded online. is online universe aimed at parents also contains tips on how to talk to children about climate change
in a way that appeals to their age as well as answers to di cult question on climate change. It also provides tips on what families can do to help prevent these changes and how children can nd relief in taking green action in their everyday lives.
Ørsted /// www.orsted.com
Engagement in the circular economy
Schneider Electric has won e Circulars 2019 award in the Multinational category. e Circulars, an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders,
run in collaboration with Accenture Strategy. It recognizes private and public organizations, as well as individuals, who make a signi cant contribution to the circular economy. 40,000 tonnes of primary resources avoided being consumed and 30 million tonnes of CO2 saved in 2018 thanks to the circular economy. Schneider Electric’s approach to the circular economy is a concerted move away from the wasteful linear system of “extract, manufacture, dispose” (or “take, make,
and dispose”) that is demonstrably damaging to the planet
and climate. e Circulars 2019 award recognizes Schneider Electric’s commitment to the circular economy everywhere and at all levels, as part of a universal approach that encompasses all of Schneider Electric’s activities, including; eco-design
of products with minimum use of primary raw materials; circular Value Propositions (connected objects, services, leasing, repair, take-back etc.); a circular supply chain (reverse logistics, repair centers, modernization and reconditioning centers etc.); and corporate governance around four “circular economy” indicators in the quarterly non- nancial Schneider Sustainability Impact barometer, which impacts remuneration of thousands of Schneider Electric managers.
Schneider Electric Canada, Inc.
/// www.schneider-electric.com
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MARCH•APRIL2019 /// www.nacleanenergy.com