Seeing Green on Earth Day-22 April 2010

While the world still faces incredible challenges-and global warming wasn?t even on the agenda when Earth Day started-a lot has also been achieved.
 
One of the biggest changes is the sheer public awareness about the environment, a shift being matched, in most cases, by industry.
 
Certainly it?s a major motivation for many of the companies and sectors that I work with everyday. I?m also pleased to say that copper is also finding a practical role-key to technological innovations in alternative power, technology, smart buildings, energy management, energy efficiency and aquaculture, to name only a few.
 
In fact there?s a move to call people who believe we can be green with technology ?Turqs?-combining green with blue-sky, open-minded thinking-so that we?re guided by science, not nostalgia or technophobia.

Technology is one area that has kept evolving. It?s helped make some of the big changes-better performing cars and appliances for a start-and I believe it can provide a lot more.
 
Intelligent buildings are a primary example. Even basic networking can improve the consumption of electricity and water at home-from smart meters to smart appliances the technology is already here to make big changes.
 
It?s already providing a basis for home e-work-a trend that?s expected to have a huge impact on our carbon footprint-as well as opportunities to connect houses and apartments to a much smarter grid.
 
The ability to program our lights, heaters, air conditioners, washing machine, fridges and dish washes-pretty much everything is up for grabs in the next few years-and link them sensors and remote control will be a big turning point for the planet.
 
Getting there won?t be easy and it will require vision, resources and good will on the part of everyone involved. But the last part is happening and I noticed that new U.S. research showed 74% of consumers there saying environmental attributes would be an important factor in their next electronic purchasing decision.
 
Of course we can?t rely on technology to do everything and in the end it is people who can make or break what it achieves. You only have to realize that smart meters and smart grids won?t be nearly as useful if people don?t respond positively to the opportunities.
 
But technology can take some of the guess work out of our hands, embedding it as a given across all areas of our life. And that, I think, will be very positive for the earth.
 
John Fennell
jjfennell@copperdev.com