Industries and technology both have hurt and helped our enviornment - Essay Example

The first wave took place in the late 1700’s, bringing industrial improvements to textiles, iron, water and power systems and mechanization. The second wave brought about steam power, trains and steel production. Next, in the 1900’s, came electricity, chemicals and cars. By the middle of the 20th century, the emerging innovations were petroleum, the space race and electronics. In the most recent years, known as the digital age, society has witnessed the development of computers and other electronic devices.

All these innovations have contributed to the development of society. However, the creators of these products did not initially think about the amount of waste that would be generated through the manufacturing of these products and what would happen to these products once they became obsolete. Increasing awareness of the effects of manufacturing on the environment has lead to the development of waste management processes and green engineering. It is not only the issue of emissions, but also the disposal of obsolete vehicles that we have to worry about.

These emission and hazard waste disposal issues are common concerns for all manufacturing facilities. An example of this is the plants in the state of New Jersey that refine oil. They produce products that are very much needed in modern society. However, they also produce waste that is difficult to dispose of and can be damaging to our environment. To preserve our environment requires our manufacturers take steps to implement green engineering principles into their processes and abide by the rules and regulations put forth by the EPA and other agencies.

On the other hand, consumers must also learn to conserve and use products less wastefully. New technologies and industries are created to meet the demands of people and to continuously try to lower the cost of products. Such innovations sometimes have undesirable effects on our global environment. For example, chlorinated fluorocarbons (CFCs) were