Although there is growing interest in using green technology more in daily life, it may be argued that practicing sustainability requires fundamental change and overcoming the main challenge of attitudinal barriers. As people become more aware of environmental issues like pollution and climate change, and how these issues affect our society, implementing more eco-efficient ideas and solutions look better by the day. However, in order to have effective green technologies in place and working properly, people must first change their own behaviors and attitudes toward wanting to protect the environment and the life existing within it. Sustainability requires everyone to overcome various attitudinal barriers through recycling, reducing waste, reusing materials, and learning how to purchase eco-friendly products to ease our carbon footprint and be successful.
Invoking these different variables into our everyday lives is called ecological design, a form of design that minimizes the impacts of environmental destruction and instead integrates itself within the living processes on the planet. Ecological design works with and promotes the restoration, conservation, and functionality of specific areas and their ecosystems; architectural practices at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution offered no focus on using sustainable materials to build structures or how the scraps that were tossed aside would affect the environment for years to come. Today, the design industry as a whole is stepping up to use more eco-friendly materials for consumers - everything from interior design to clothing - that benefit the planet as well.
Over all, environmental problems are mostly the result of misguided human intentions and a lack of understanding the vitality of a healthy planet. If people do not understand the purpose of protecting the environment and why it is so vital for survival, then ignoring sustainable practices and technologies is too easy and an attitude of establishing sustainability will never be reached. It all begins with education - the ability to learn and understand important environmental issues and supporting efforts for going green and developing clean energy methods.
Ecological design can also include ecological restoration, the process of renewing and maintaining the health of an ecosystem as well as protecting its natural resources. This process would be a positive step towards achieving the goal of sustainability. Nevertheless, the challenge of ecological design is more than an engineering problem of improving efficiency, it is minimizing and reducing the rates that humans engage in activities that damage the environment. The success of ecological design depends on our ability to create a sense of connection and obligation. Through raising awareness about different types of green technology that is available, not only does the planet benefit, but so does your wallet in the long run. Implementing clean energy and going green greatly reduces energy costs, consumer waste, and ultimately saves us money.
