‘TOL VIEWS

Balancing progress and ecological preservation has always been a globally shared challenge.  Sustainable development has always been difficult to balance with industrialization. For developing countries like the Philippines, the dilemma has always been development versus environment. While both are undeniably essential for community life to continue and thrive, tough choices are often made and striking that balance has indeed been an unending struggle.

In an article from the Sustainable Development Impact Summit, it was written that by the year 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, hence the need to build more sustainable and smart cities for the future.  Many leading cities of the world are actually already engaged in the business of sustainable development, the following to name a few of the groundwork they have laid to shift to sustainable technologies:

1. Milan, Italy had established “vertical forests” in residential tower blocks, two of which have grown 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants.

2. Berlin, Germany has installed more than 400 charging points in order to encourage citizens who have not yet shifted to electric vehicles to embrace this new technology.

3. Stockholm, Sweden generates bio-fuel which powers vehicles, this energy being derived from sewage waste.

4. Amsterdam, Netherlands harnessed solar power with more and more homes installing solar panels and the use of electric vehicles apart from the widespread use of bicycles for short distance transportation.

5. Copenhagen, Denmark has introduced organic eating with 24 percent of the total food sale in the city being organic food.  Also, in Copenhagen, only 29 percent of the households own a car, adding more and more bicycle lanes to encourage people to use bicycles.

6. Zurich, Switzerland produces 80 percent of its electricity with renewable energy resources and 40 percent of its waste gets recycled.

7. Canberra, Australia relies heavily on solar power and wind farms, the city also being the first in Europe to be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

The sustainability strategies of the cities mentioned above are but a few of the many other innovations undertaken all over the world to ensure that development proceeds alongside sustainability. Yes, the cities mentioned above are indeed leading cities of the world with adequate capacity to engage in extensive research and development and use greener technologies. Let us not forget, however, that we share the same goal with them – to sustain life on earth, to build progressive and livable communities. Our planet is asking us not for highly complex undertakings to save whatever it has left to bless this generation and the ones to come.  Simple deeds to save energy, reduce emission and conserve water can and will surely count.  Sustainable development is everyone’s business – not just of leaders, not just of governments – for we all have a stake in this.