Resolutions for Sustainability
2013 is officially here, and it could shape up to be a big year for sustainability. Here are a few things we hope to see in the environmental movement this year.
Energy
Photo via ThinkProgress
2013 could be the year of renewable energy. The new fiscal cliff deal temporarily extends tax credits that expired on January 1 for wind production companies, leaving time for legislators and clean energy lobbyists to work out a more long-lasting energy deal. InsideClimate News predicts that this year will see new legislation to benefit clean energy companies and create more green jobs. And with the price of solar panels going down, more homeowners and developers will be able to afford to retrofit.
Climate Action
In the wake of recent natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, now is the time to get serious about climate change. Aron Carter of The Guardian predicts that 2013 will be the year that people start to demand action in the form of climate legislation, changes in energy policy, and regulations on pollution. President Obama, in his first press conference after reelection, has resolved to make climate change a priority. Protests of the KeystoneXL pipline and the Idle No More indigenous rights campaign have shown that people are committed to making their voices be heard.
Environmental Justice
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As more communities demand solutions to environmental problems, we’re bound to see more stories in the news of environmental injustice. Environmental Health News published a great series in 2012 highlighting the struggles of communities all over the country who are unfairly affected by pollution, environmental degradation, and hazardous living conditions. Lower-income communities and people of color in the U.S. suffer a disproportionate level of damage. The success of recent protests and a general culture of unrest should spur more activism on a local or even national scale. Related note: Go see Promised Land in theaters. It’s a movie about fracking that tells the story of one rural town and their fight to keep a dirty energy company from destroying their livelihood. |
Promised Land official trailer |
3-D Printing
3-D printing is an emerging method of small-scale manufacturing that creates objects out of metal, plastic, ceramics, and other materials based on digital blueprints and 3-D models. The process is relatively fast and inexpensive, making it ideal for small companies, governments, and communities to produce their own goods. An emerging “open source” culture aims to make 3-D printing widely accessible to allow communities to produce their own tools for success without relying on large corporations. Open Source Ecology is a project currently developing technology that will allow communities to “print” their own wind turbines, batteries, construction machinery, and other tools need to build an autonomous civilization. It’s an exciting look into the future of sustainability, and we hope to see big things from this industry in the coming years.