Go Green

[debashish]

Is Going Green the Real Global Warming Answer?

You can turn on any tv station and sooner or later you will hear the phrase "going green". It seems like everyone is doing it, thinking of doing it, planning on doing it, or trying to find better ways of going green than the other guy. Our world has finally opened it's eyes and realized that we are destroying it. If you look back in history you will realize that humans are the most destructive species in nature. We destroy everything we touch, and don't realize or do anything about it until it is too late.

The "green" concept has been coming around for a few years now, but not as evident as it is today. We have known that we have had a hole in the ozone layer for decades. Why are we just now starting to think of ways to do something about it? I don't know the answer to this one, but I do know that some of our answers we have come up with aren't real answers at all. Some answers are to use corn for fuel. How long do you think this will last? Not very long at all. It won't take long for the ground to erode, the soil to go bad and not produce the yields it once did. Not only that, the amount to produce enough to sustain our world is staggering. We have already taken over most of the world's land, forcing wildlife to try to exist in less and less space. Even our seas we have polluted and extorted to no end. There is very little left of the rain forest, and animals all over the world are suffering. How are we going to have enough land to support all these corn crops we are going to have for fuel? How about the electric/fuel cars? Doesn't producing electricity at our huge power plants produce enormous amounts of pollution? How is this solving the problem? These are just some examples in a whole bunch of answers that scientists have come up with to solve the global warming issue.

I agree that we do need to do something. I feel that we should have done something long before now. I also feel that we really need to take the global warming issue a lot more seriously. With the population of people today,there really isn't a solution to the problem in the realm of going green. That is just a temporary fix. What are we going to do in say 20 years from now when there are 2 or 3 million more people on this planet? We can't keep up with those kinds of needs for that many people. Our planet can not sustain us. The only real solution is population control. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's the only thing that will work. Our planet can't keep supplying everyone with the things we need when our population keeps growing and the land we need to sustain us are getting smaller to house us. I'm not saying genocide or anything like that, no way. What I am saying is that perhaps we should put a limit on how many children we bring into this world. Just like other countries have a limit due to space, our space is also running out. If we were to put this plan into action soon enough, the planet might stand a chance. I am saying to go green also, as this can only help, but it can't be the only solution. We need to plant more trees and be careful of the resources we are taking and using from Earth. We need to give back to our planet many of the things we have taken away that it was using to stay balanced. Let's face it, there are so many of us that we are like a plague, and a plague can only hold out as long as it has a host to feed upon. Just going green isn't going to do the job, we have to do more.



http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/126638/is_going_green_the_real_global_warming.html

[debashish]

Going green by way of Digital Bangladesh




Salahuddin Ahmed

THE burning issue in today's world is climate change. Countries around the globe try various methods to mitigate environmental degradation. 'Go Green' concept is one such method. The existence of our country critically depends on appropriate handling of environmental issues.

'Going Green' is a phrase that refers to the pursuit of knowledge and practices that lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, thus helping protect the environment and sustaining its natural resources. Certain ways that we can sustain the natural resources include saving water, saving gas and saving energy. Companies and enterprises around the world have already adopted the slogan and the development of information technology has made the concept of 'Go Green' more appealing. Online transaction is a great means to save the planet's resources. Offices and business establishments can save a huge amount of paper and paper-utilities by working online which will ultimately help the environment go green. In this context, Bangladesh government's initiative of 'Digital Bangladesh' deserves a special mention. 'Digital Bangladesh' is a concept through which we can disseminate information to increase ICT knowledge. We can integrate these two concepts, 'Go Green' and 'Digital Bangladesh', and make the dream of green Bangladesh a reality.

The government is making efforts to spread ICT knowledge as a result of which the impact of digital Bangladesh is visible in various sectors. The number of internet users is increasing and many offices and industries are going online and promoting communication through e-mail, audio-video conference using the internet. Research shows that a huge amount of money can be saved if the use of paper and paper-utilities is reduced. This is why many developed countries try to do everything online that reduces the use of paper and ultimately saves natural resources. The amount of paper used for the statements and envelopes is huge. There are also the energy costs of running the giant printing machines, and the costs of delivery.

It may not be possible to collect all the electric or gas bills online and for all the banks to introduce online banking in the country right now. But this is the time to make the beginning and make the people aware about online transaction. Thus we can make the concept of 'Go Green' workable.

Online shopping is still not so popular in our country. But we can certainly shop online by using our bank account. Instead of using credit/debit card people can shop online by using their bank account that would save time, money and energy. Online shopping is a great way to save gas money which may be balanced out with the shipping, but it also saves valuable time. Many chain stores are developing in our country now-a-days, which can offer online shopping. All these initiatives will be possible if the government pays proper attention to it and if they realise the importance of protecting the environment.

We talk a lot about environmental protection, but time has come when we need to do something that can make things different. The government can make various websites on environmental issues.

Concept of going green is really difficult to implement fully in a developing countries like Bangladesh, where there is great density of population and stark poverty. But there is no doubt that our country is also moving forward with the development of information technology. We need to make sure in utilising this technology to keep our development process going.

(The writer is an MBA Student & Graduate Assistant, Ashland University, OH, USA. He can be reached at e-mail: sahmed@ashland.edu)