Scientists and environmentalists are using technology to improve the environment in many ways, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing the consumption of resources as well as planning more sustainable urban environments. Note some ways that technology can be used to improve the environment at home and in an industrial or commercial setting, so you know you’re doing everything possible to employ green and eco-friendly practices.
Just-In-Time Materials
Rather than buying large quantities of construction materials and other items and then warehousing those items and potentially having them go to waste, use technology to employ just-in-time or JIT material deliveries. Many vendors and delivery companies have apps and other means of ordering materials in an instant, for tracking deliveries, and the like. These features eliminate the need to order large quantities well ahead of time, just to ensure a timely delivery.
JIT is especially vital in the construction industry. A construction manager reduces construction waste and eliminates the need for warehousing items by employing JIT deliveries to various jobsites or by ordering materials once a contract is signed and a project is ready to begin.
Programmable and Zone Thermostats
Programmable thermostats ensure that you never forget to adjust the thermostat when leaving the home or office while zone thermostats allow you to adjust the temperature of a structure according to its occupation. For example, you might keep an office and receiving area at the same temperature during the day but then program the office temperature to adjust at five o’clock. If the receiving area is open for a second and third shift, those areas can stay at an ambient temperature without wasting energy heating and cooling an empty office.
Zone thermostats also work well in a residential home. Why heat and cool the upstairs bedrooms when everyone is downstairs watching a movie, or heat and cool the living room when everyone is upstairs in bed? Using zone thermostats then saves energy and reduces pollution created by power plants.
Digitize All Your Paperwork
Storing paperwork and communicating digitally reduces the need to harvest trees for new paper while also keeping papers out of landfills. Consider anything and everything you put to paper and note how to switch to computers and other technology; you can even produce, send, and store blueprints, engineering and architectural drawings, medical scans, and customer receipts digitally!
Paying for items electronically and via the internet or smart phone apps also eliminates the need for paper bills and reduces the carbon emissions created by postal trucks! Computer programs and apps also work to remind you of when certain bills and expenses are due so you don’t need to rely on paper bills and invoices as a reminder to pay.
Construction managers and others in the building trades can also request quotes by sent digitally as well as drawings, agreements, contracts, and the like. This also reduces the use of paper and eliminates wasted paper at the end of every construction project!