Sustainable Development

You might be asking yourself a very important question, "What's so important about Sustainable Development?". On the surface, the answer might not be as clear to you as you might expect. Let's take a look and see why YOU should care about it. Before we do that, we should talk a little bit about what we mean by the term sustainable development.

Sustainable development is a tricky term. Generally speaking, it is a term used to classify a philosophy of development work. It is a philosophy which states that it is necessary to consider the impacts of changes done within a group, particularly to the environmental resources, in such a way as to "sustain" or support that group over a long period of time. In this sense, it is not which technology that is used, but how that technology is used, and for what reason. The use of this type of philosophy when doing development work can help the developing world meet needs faster while helping alleviate the need for costly infrastructures to be in place.

That being said, there are also specific kinds of technologies which are often used in sustainable development work. These technologies are ones which are able to meet the need without a heavy dependence on fuel sources which may be limited or impractical to transport. The following give a quick list of the different types of sustainable technologies which are often used in this type of work:

  • Photovoltaic (PV) Cells convert the sun's energy into electricity. These PV cells can help meet the electric demands of water purification systems, cooling and heating needs, and even power to run a computer. PV cells are often essential for electric applications in remote areas. One limitation of PV cells is that on cloudy days (when there is inadequate sunlight), they cannot produce electricity, and one must rely on backup generators or batteries.





  • Wind Turbines convert the energy of the wind into electricity. Like PV cells, they can help meet the electric need of a particular application. As you might expect, one problem with wind turbines is that they need a relatively consistent "wind supply" for them to produce electricity.







  • Cookstoves are a class of cooking instruments. Solar cookstoves use the sun's energy to cook food. Other types of cookstoves use wood or coal more efficiently (making it last longer) and thus cook food with less fuel. These devices are important because wood is often not readily available around the village or town. These devices come in many different shapes and sizes. One challenge with cookstoves is that they often are hard to integrate into a particular society because of cultural and societal barriers.

 

The above are just a few of the different kinds of technologies which are often used in sustainable technology. These technologies are usually synthesized (that is, different types used together) to form a system which meets the many needs of a group. So why is sustainable development important? Well.

  1. It allows a group to meet its basic needs (water, food, shelter, energy, etc.) in a way which does not deplete their resources
  2. Groups or communities can meet those basic needs without complex and expensive infrastructures to transport resources. This means that the basic needs can be met more quickly, efficiently, and economically .
  3. It gives communities a chance to thrive, and not just survive.
  4. It allows us to be better stewards of our natural resources.