For starters, suburbs are not a good place to walk.  Even if you are brave enough to risk your life and limb in such a manner, the ground-levels of both heavy metals and ozone pollution can be stunningly high in many suburbs.  Creating a walkable center that offers the services that people regularly get in the car to acquire.  Changing the way people view the suburbs and their place in it is also an important part of the sustainable transformation of the suburbs.

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Fire frequency threatens live, property and wildlife in the arid western part of North America at rates not seen in recorded history.  Crop failures are up and pathogens are on the move.  The price of food has skyrocketed and still the weather continues to just be strange all over the world.  Perhaps most dramatic were the events of Hurricane Katrina that saw a major US city nearly destroyed by a single storm and recent events in Haiti, once a very rare catastrophe, are becoming more and more frequent.

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Without the use of petroleum fuel, these industries will have to change dramatically if they are to take advantage of the next trade opportunity. It is likely, for instance, that fuel costs will mean that the majority of items transported, will be smaller and lighter than was a concern for much of the last century. Merchants who find ways to use renewable resources in their operations, will find their costs increasing slower than those of the competition and they’ll be able to deliver what should be highly coveted heavy goods from overseas. Air travel to transport produce may, however, be a casualty of the 21st century.

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It also happens to be a great way to meet the neighbors and patronize local businesses. Part of the sustainability model requires people to have the services and goods they require as close to them as possible. In many urban and suburban areas, it is now possible to take care of all your daily needs without even having to get in the car.

Some people are even choosing to take their vacation at home. Just unplug the phone, set aside your tasks an enjoy the city you’re usually too busy to take notice of.

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It’s true, that the climate has gone through many tumultuous changes in 4 billion years. Ice sample cores that can be tapped to track the composition of the atmosphere, go back at least 800,000 years and give a portrait of carbon dioxide concentrations that have fluctuated on several additive cycles, with great changes during the ice ages. No one is still quite sure what causes an ice age to happen, but it was during this research in the 19th century that the relationship between carbon dioxide and the ability of the climate to trap solar heat was discovered.The levels of carbon in the atmosphere today are well outside the “norm” experienced since the existence of human beings.

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For instance, you could collect water to irrigate a garden of vegetables you’ve cultivated, instead of a lawn.  You can install low-flow fixtures in the bathroom.  If water is a part of your business you can take a water audit.  Whether you do one yourself, or hire a professional to take a look, the recommendations can save a great deal of water and money, by implementing what usually amounts to simple changes in procedure.  This may call for water storage, and cisterns are a good investment for businesses that absolutely rely upon water, such as a distillery or nursery.

I highly recommend that you check out the water saving products and ideas, available at Beingwater.com. This is an excellent website and well worth a look!  Click here to visit the site.

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To breach the gap, sustainable development seeks to make the health of the environment a paramount concern for the livelihood of both business and pleasure.  The threat of climate change is so profound that if nothing were done, there would be little left for anyone to do business with.  With education and firm but gradual changes, all parties can be satisfied with continued effort and dialog.  This can be done at either the local or the international level, by establishing a business climate where people demand accountability in their purchasing decisions.

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Another option is the one we are familiar with every day as the solar furnace.  Light and heat from the sun is the result of a massive fusion reaction that crams hydrogen together until it forms helium, releasing massive amounts of energy in the process.  While it has been a dream for many years to utilize this far more powerful force of physics, to generate plenty of power and a waste product that is useful with party balloons and lighter than air craft.

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The best and only way to make its manufacture as cheap as possible – Several recent innovations in solar technology have brought humankind to the brink of affordable solar power that can be used anywhere.  Flexible film solar can be built into just about anything, from awnings to bikinis.  New advances on how to put the flexible sheets together, have recently come from an American company that literally prints the solar cells onto a substrate at dizzyingly fast rates.  Even solar paint is on the horizon.

The next step to really getting solar everywhere as it should be, is to have similar revolutionary advances in storage technology.

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This is where The Geysers gets creative.  Instead of diverting valuable water to simply be turned into steam, they use the otherwise unusable sewage water.  As soon as it comes into contact with the super heated rocks, any bacteria that might be lingering around are instantly roasted.  This highly sustainable practice allows the shaft cavities to be filled up with water again while getting rid of effluent.

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