Eco-friendly. Environmentally friendly. Reuse, reduce and recycle. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Terms, slogans and catch-phrases we all come across in our daily lives, be it from the products we use, consume or hear about from the product information or advertisements. It paints a pretty picture in our minds and gives us a ‘feel good’ assurance that we are indirectly supporting a good cause for the planet. Yet, none of those are what makes a business or product sustainable.
From years of building and consulting for sustainable businesses for various industries around the world, understanding the concept of sustainability is something that varies a lot with individual perceptions. The most common analogy for some, is that sustainability would define them doing something ‘green’; that is doing something to maintain, improve or re-balance nature. Some, on the other hand, simply take the word to its definition by maintaining an ‘unlimited’ resource capability. But from all the analogies we’ve gathered, most of their perceptions are only ‘one-way’; that is from source to end-user.
Sustainable Buildings
Buildings aren’t dead things. You’re not the first to pause on this contradiction. But fact to be told, buildings can and should be ‘alive’ in that it can respond, receive instructions and perform precognitive intelligence. Most typical building construction methods would use typical brick and cement with steel rods to reinforce, but none of these materials or methods are sustainable at all regardless of how much eco-friendly materials the developer might sell you for.
Sustainable buildings are those that can sustain its eco-social footprint to all its stakeholders. This includes its occupants and the entities around it. Using our highly sustainable building materials and construction methods, our buildings are able to respond to energy demands even with climate or environment changes. The benefits reaped are beyond just energy and cost saving or ‘smart’ features as they also help create sustainability awareness to the stakeholder community across generations.
Sustainable Urban-Produce
As cities grow more and more urban and economies become less agro-based, the more its citizens want to see and consume more ‘greens’ or fresh produce. There have been many highly successful urban farming projects that convert rooftops of buildings or open green spaces for residents or cooperatives to farm fresh green and organic produce. But how sustainable are these urban farming methods and will they have an impact on the natural ecosystem?
Unsustainable urban farming methods can do the exact opposite for the environment and may cause more ecological issues rather than solving any. For example, the introduction of certain crops may bring about its natural pests and its predators to the neighborhood which can eradicate sub-species or genealogy of other plants or natural ecosystems nearby. Not to mention the impact of soil drainage and mineral deposits on to buildings and their plumbing works.
Our sustainable urban farming technology is soil-less, hence it doesn’t carry any microbes, excessive minerals or bacteria in its deposits. This avoids damaging the eco-footprint of the urban farm while keeping them enclosed in a modern highly sustainable greenhouse. Using solar and renewable energy to keep pumps and UV enhancing feed lights, these greenhouses can recycle rainwater and yield certain greens rapidly while being semi-automated using latest IoT (Internet of Things) technology. Customers can literally take home fresh produce from farm to plate with no artificial chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
Sustainable Businesses
While we strive to deploy sustainable technology for various industries, it is also important for businesses to employ the concept of sustainability on their strategic assets and core business-segments. Sustainability is not just a concept or creed. It’s a lifestyle. Hence, entities and businesses need to embrace sustainability elements in its very core before considering multi or trans-national expansions and or new business ventures and segments.
The recent pandemic is proof of how sustainable most businesses are in weathering such global crises. Especially when government imposed lock-downs has forced several businesses to shutter indefinitely, many businesses are left stranded with huge economic losses from missed or canceled business opportunities. Even deploying WFH (work-from-home) arrangements was restricted to the limitations of their operational infrastructure and business framework design. Employing last minute and unprepared multi-host video conferencing tools and remote work software only exposed the businesses’ database and assets to online malicious attacks.
We help businesses look at the businesses’ macro and micro sustainability systems and levels in detail and provide consultancy in areas to improve. By educating business owners and improving their operations to remain highly sustainable, their end-user customers will also reap the benefits and adopt a new sustainable lifestyle themselves. We also help businesses create and prepare alternative operational sites to ensure that their product or service continues regardless of geo-political or geographical situations.
Conclusion
Sustainability isn’t an attribute. It is a lifestyle for end-user stakeholders as well as the intricate network of businesses that produce and supply such means in the marketplace. Sustainability may become the next new economy for most nations eventually as new generational leaders are taking actionable efforts to revamp their national industries and domestic products for a more sustainable economy, taking lessons from the current pandemic.
Is your business facing sustainability risks? Interested in learning more about sustainable technologies and IoT devices for your business? Contact us now.
The Globales 