The Human Impact

I admit - I’m living a bit vicariously through those of you who are basking the sunshine, drunk with Spring Fever. But I can’t help but wonder - if we’re experiencing 80 degree temperatures in March, what will August bring? What will be the state of our water resource when the land is parched and dry, desperate for just one inch of rain or a hint of morning dew?

Will the cities that have saved money on snowplowing have the prudence to store their pennies for the time of year when they’ll need to bolster their riverbanks or quench raging forest fires?

What becomes of a community when tornado season is no longer a season, but an all-year reality? Will those community members be forced to live with a lingering sense of fear? Or will we as building professionals provide the foresight and leadership to fortify our homes, schools, and workplaces with strong, disaster resistant, durable materials?

Can we allow ourselves to move beyond the debate that our human impact has taken a hefty toll on our planet, and that there is no longer an economic, political, social, or environmental ‘normal’ that we can use as an anchoring metric for the future?

We are at a crossroads, and we have a very clear choice. We can stick our heads in the sand and ignore the realities of our world: that China and India are adding 10,000 cars each week to their roads, that we’ll have another 2 billion hungry mouths to feed by 2050; and that the number of people around the world using resources at a Western pace is growing significantly each day. Or, we can plan for the future, creating advanced technologies, responsible development plans, and conservation strategies that will use fewer resources and generate less waste.

Although it may sound trite, the long road ahead inevitably begins with a single step. So, as you’re out enjoying the balmy day, take a moment to look at your surroundings. Take note of something that strikes you—a special tree dancing in the breeze, a remarkable flower shyly unfolding its pedals as it experiences a newfound springtime freedom, a songbird that has returned home after a long northward journey. And then make the choice to protect it. It’s that simple.

When you look around at your environment, what is worthy of your protection? Write to me at sara@greenbuildermag.com or follow me on Twitter @SaraGBM.

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