Our world can be beautiful; however, it can also be downright depressing. When you look outside and see rolling hills and gorgeous oceans, you see the world’s beauty. When you see the amount of trash, we as humans produce, it is saddening. There must be something done, to help stop the spread of this mess which we act like we are not creating. We might not all have the platform of Greta Thunberg, but we all have the same opportunities in our daily lives.
For the past two and half years I have had the opportunity to work for an automation and robotics company. In my experiences, I have seen many different industries and manufacturing plants, noticing a common lack of green alternatives. Moving forward in my career I want to look for the chance to use companies that strive to help the environment with their products.
It may not seem like a lot to these large manufacturers trying to meet a bottom line but creating environmentally friendly packaging could save billions of future funds on trying to clean the environment. From experience, many of these companies are putting out thousands of bags each day, which are not environmentally friendly. Where do all these bags end up? In the ecosystem which we call home. The bottom line is important in business, but the earth is important to every living organism. If we can start making changes today, such as environmentally friendly bags, maybe tomorrow will look a bit brighter. Maybe tomorrow we can tackle other issues such as using fewer fossil fuels. We must start somewhere, so why not here?
Looking into my personal life, I think, what kind of world do I want my children to inherit? I want them to have a better world than we do, and that means that I must start doing my part to ensure the environment is sustained. It is easy to ignore everyday actions, such as ordering that new toy or (in my wife’s case) décor item from the internet. We receive these goodies in bags and boxes with packing materials galore. We discard all the garbage and revel in our purchase, thinking we are the winners. But all that garbage gets collected and dumped, building up somewhere else. Out of sight, out of mind. This is an easy concept for many people in this world to hold on to. But it will come back into our sights one day.
My role may be small, but by being an advocate for a greener solution, perhaps I can start a change within my family and then within my community. I wanted an opportunity to go to school and become the first person in my family to graduate from college. Using my degree in electrical engineering, I can work with future companies and partners on better alternatives for the environment such as packaging solutions. If we can change one portion at a time, we will not only save future generations the time and resources of handling the mess we make now, but we will also reap the benefits today.
Essay by: Gabriel Opp
Arizona State University
