Technology and Innovation... paired with sustainability
Webster has whatās called a Keystone class, a seminar required for all juniors to take. There are many different Keystone classes. One of my friends was involved in one that taught living off the grid. They just spent fall break in Arkansas, in a community living sustainably and off the grid. In our different study abroad locations, there are Keystone classes that explore the different cities and cultures.Ā
Mine is online. Itās calledĀ āFuture Human: AD 2100ā³ and it discusses how technology might evolve and exist in the year 2100. Technically the class doesnāt start until Monday, but Iām just the sort of person who gets things done quick. You could say Iām an overachiever, but the class is online and Iāve done online classes before. Iām just impatient, and if I have something do to, Iām going to do it so I can get to fun faster. So Iāve been exploring Week 1 and reading the book, which is Michio Kakuās book which shares the name of the class.Ā
The first chapter talks about how computing might evolve over the next century. And the rest of the book also explores how other technology, like medicine, AI, and robots, might develop.Ā
But Iām wondering how all this technology would evolve alongside sustainable technology. Admittedly, itās still early in the class, but I havenāt seen a mention of sustainable energy or technology yet. And I wonder how thatās going to work.Ā
So glass displays like tablets and laptops are going to evolve. Theyāre going to become thinner, more durable, cleaner, and more interactive, as well as far more ubiquitous, which is saying something. And they will be made of glass instead of plastic, which is good, because glass is recyclable, naturally made and naturally occurring. And if it breaks, thatās fine - get a high enough temperature and you can melt it down and use it to make more glass products. But where will all the energy for this come from? How much heat energy will these things produce? How will they be developed? How much heat energy will the development produce? One video showed the future possibility of massive glass signage in Redwood National Forest. How will this affect the animals and the life there? Plant tend to grow up wherever they find a nice patch of dirt and sunlight. How will the glass be cleared of this plant life while maintaining both the diversity of the plant life and the integrity of the glass? Birds already fly into glass windows if they see trees on the other side. Glass is not normal in the forest. So how are they going to prevent birds from flying into this glass? Squirrels? Insects? Having this technology in cars, classrooms, or museums is one thing. The outside world is messy, and I wouldnāt have it any other way.Ā
Iām not saying that people engaging their world and not negatively impact the natural world canāt go hand in hand. But it seems we often think of having one or the other. And technology that could explore that further and take both possibilities under consideration could be interesting to explore.Ā
