Jasmine Kurniawan | jk4493

Problem

Environmental degradation is a result of various causes such as waste. According to Green Choices, while some waste can naturally rot, others generate explosive methane gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect. For this reason, it is important to incorporate technologies that assist in waste management for both companies and households.

http://www.greenchoices.org/green-living/waste-recycling/environmental-impacts#:~:text=Some%20waste%20will%20eventually%20rot,attract%20vermin%20or%20cause%20litter.

Solution

Smart waste bin systems: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/655/1/012036/pdf

• The article focuses on several types of smart waste bins including the IoT Based Smart Waste Bin, which use sensors to detect the level of the waste in the bin and alerts through methods such as opening up the lid when an individual passes to eliminate the odor.

• The smart bin will send notifications to the owners of the household to empty when full.

• Smart bins are effective in preventing the elimination of harmful gases by overstayed waste as well as encourage recyclable practices.  

Stakeholders

Organizational stakeholders that would use this technology include the operations department within the organization, the city council waste collection department, as well as the property owners.

Implementation

• Purchase of digital gadgets and the integration of Wi-Fi technology that will allow connection between the users and the smart bin system.

• Strategic placement of the bin in areas adjacent to the organization or building.

• Allocating a specific team to monitor and perform the necessary procedures after receiving an alert from the system such as disposal or recycling will go a long way towards realizing the positive effects of the technology.

Jasmine Kurniawan | jk4493

Problem:

Increased consumption and inadequate management of water have in recent years been associated with the rapid drying up of water sources. Rapid urbanization means an increase in water consumption from normal household use to others like landscape irrigation that accounts for over 8 million gallons daily (EPA). Irrigation systems can lead to water wastage if they are not properly managed, which not only increases the cost of consumption for households and institutions but increases the risk of water shortage.

Solution:

Link: WaterSense Labeled Controllers
https://www.epa.gov/watersense/watersense-labeled-controllers

• A report by the Environmental Protection Agency identifies the WaterSense Labeled Controllers as effective in managing water usage based on their ability to utilize or assess the local weather and landscape conditions in ways that lead to smart watering.
• Rather than watering after a set timeline, the technology can identify the level of moisture and the possibility of increased precipitation, which means it limits the watering only when necessary.
• This technology replaces the clock-based controllers that have been linked to increased water wastage.
• With WaterSense Labeled Controllers, each household can save 15,000 gallons of water annually, which limits consumption and hence, safeguards the ecosystem.

Stakeholders:

The organizational stakeholders will include the engineering firms that distribute irrigation equipment to households. The manufacturing production team within these firms will need to incorporate the technology into the final product.

Implementation:

1. Licensing and approval by the relevant government agencies.
2. Labeling for every landscape irrigation product as well as campaigns towards consumer awareness
3. Collaboration with retailers for distribution.

Jasmine Kurniawan | jk4493

Problem

One of the main issues associated with the energy sector is the non-renewable sources of energy such as coal and fossil fuels that have been depleting over the years based on the higher rates of consumption, as well as their role in facilitating pollution and climate change. As such, there is the need to incorporate renewable sources of energy like solar, which necessitate the incorporation of emerging technologies that can be integrated into the digital world.

Solution: Concentrated Solar Power Technology

Link: https://aip.scitation.org/doi/epdf/10.1063/1.5117647

The article “The role of concentrated solar power in the internet of energy” addresses how the Concentrated Solar Power technology can assist in solving the climate change issues associated with energy through its integration into the global internet of the energy network.

• This technology has been introduced within the framework of the Internet of Energy to ensure interconnectedness between energy producers and energy consumers in ways that safeguard the ecosystem.
• The technology utilizes mirrors to concentrate the rays of the sun, which in turn are used to generate heat that is used to produce electricity.
• The technology fits into the Internet of Energy system through its ability to supply power during peak hours, voltage support, frequency response, and overall quality supply of power throughout the connected energy producers and consumers.

Stakeholders

The organizational stakeholders will include the energy producers within the Internet of Energy who seek to curtail the use of renewable sources of energy as well as increase supply to more households. Government and international institutions will incorporate roles and resources to distribute power from renewable sources in regions like Europe.

Implementation

The first three steps include:

1. Seeking donations through various initiatives for the purchase of the technologies associated with CSP

2. Policy changes that encourage power distribution using renewable sources

3. Collaboration with energy companies for distribution

Jasmine Kurniawan | Uni: jk4493

Problem:

Every year, approximately 6 billion payment cards are issued around the world. According to Mastercard, these are typically replaced every three to four years, leading to a total of 5.7 million tons of plastic in landfills.

PVC plastic currently makes up the majority of the world’s payment cards. This type of plastic is a salt and, more specifically, oil-based synthetic plastic polymer. This means that, although the material is long-lasting, it does not biodegrade naturally; instead, it holds its shape for decades before breaking down into tiny plastic fragments known as microplastics.

Solution:
Tred Cards: https://www.tred.earth/card
https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/04/16/this-eco-finance-start-up-wants-to-offset-your-carbon-spending

• Tred is a financial services business headquartered in the United Kingdom that offers debit cards made from recycled ocean plastic, as well as an app that measures the user’s carbon footprint. 

• Peter Kirby and Will Smith, co-founders, have spent years creating a millennial-friendly app that turns pounds spent into kilograms of CO2.The goal is to educate people about how excessive consumption, such as quick fashion, harms the environment. Users will look at colorful graphs that show what they’re doing to benefit – or hurt – the environment.

• Tred customers are then sent a report that links their carbon spending to a £20 (€23) monthly subscription limit. Each subscription payment is used to offset carbon emissions through a certified Scottish tree-planting scheme.
  
• Those who leave the least amount of carbon footprint are compensated with additional trees planted on their behalf by the organization.

Stakeholders:

Stakeholders include merchants since they rely on the point of sale system to accept the form of payment from the consumers and tree-planting organizations such as the Scottish Tree Planting LTD.

Implementation:

• Educate consumers on the impact that their physical payment cards and their purchases have on the environment and the importance of being more mindful of their purchases
• Generate a point system for consumer’s purchases and carbon footprint in order to determine the rewards system in which the organization will plant additional trees on the consumer’s behalf
• Collaborate with merchants in order to find a more accurate carbon footprint measure of the products purchased by the consumer

Jasmine Kurniawan | uni: jk4493

One sustainability issue in the Waste category is the lack of appropriate disposal of waste for a majority of communities in the Global South. These communities lack adequate sanitation that allows the proper disposal and recycling of the waste produced by humans. As a result, the population is exposed to hazardous conditions that include infectious diseases, which are implications of the improper disposal of waste.

Solution:

How to turn human waste into drinking water – and more:
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/20/turning-human-waste-into-drinking-water

The article identifies a technology created by Janicki Bioenery called the Omniprocessor, which is aimed at turning human waste into economic opportunities for communities in third world countries like Senegal.

• The technology transforms the human waste into safe and clean drinking water, ash, and electricity.

• The technology works by using a three step process that converts waste to drinking water and include: solid fuel combustion, steam power generation and water treatment.

• The Omniprocessor integrates the incineration, steam power and filtration technologies that also assist in promoting other environmentally sustainable approaches like saving energy.

Organizational Stakeholders:

The main stakeholders in this case are the local and government waste treatment plants in the area and the public. The fact that the technology is compact allows the public to integrate it in their homesteads and other community centers where the level of human waste is high. Additionally, the local and government waste treatment plants can integrate the technology to transform the large volumes of waste to water for re-distribution to the communities.

Implementation:

Implementation of the technology necessitates the increased investments and distribution by philanthropic institutions like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation as well as other international community organizations. A second step is combined efforts with the regional governments to encourage the redistribution and education of the public regarding the use of the technology. Lastly, the technology needs to be fitted in community centers close to various rural communities that experience the highest cases of waste disposal issues.