Sustainable Society of the Future - Essay Example

? Sustainability Report Introduction about the leadership role and segment being addressed Now-a-days, the society is being impacted by a diverse array of calamities that are ranging from climatic changes to the water shortages caused by drought; such natural disasters are impacting the quality of air, causing environmental destructions and drastically affecting the lives of people present in the world. With the advent of time, these types of natural disasters are increasing due to one reason or the other. It is assumed that such problems will continue to affect the quality of life in the present day and even the future generations. If quality of life is affected, then this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed in an immediate mode. Hence, it is vital for everyone in the community to take preventive measures to protect the environment so that the imperative resources can be well-preserved. In order to protect the society from harmful implications of the industrialized world, there is a segment in the society that wants to use natural resources in an economical way so that the prospective generations can gain advantages in the years ahead. Since energy conversion methods are required by this segment, as a leader the main aim is to provide them guidance about the mechanisms that can be employed so that the society is less dependent on the non-renewable resources. Creating awareness may seem a very simple task, but usually this is one part that may be ignored and people jump onto other complex tasks. If there is societal awareness created about any certain issue, then this in itself may solve a major chunk of the problem being faced. This is so because due to awareness each individual may play their part in working towards the solution or avoiding the things that cause the problem. Hence, the primary purpose as a leader is to demonstrate the segment about the measures that can be implemented to ensure that the behavior of the people in the society is in compliance with the creation of a sustainable and prospering society. There will be less emphasis on over-consumption activities and initiatives that are the originations of environmental degradations. Objectives of the sustainability plan As the present society is dominated by the inadequate economic systems, automobile-oriented infrastructure, extensive dependence on fossil fuels for the development of non-renewable resources and unsustainable agricultural systems, the foremost objectives of the sustainability plan are as follows: 1. To implement the Triple Bottom line concept which ensures that all the decisions taken by the segment will promote stable economic activities, equitable social environment and sustainable environment. 2. To encourage the environmentally conscious people to get engaged in projects that will preserve the valuable resources of the particular society. 3. To promote the idea of cyclical process rather than one-way flow process supported by the industrialized world. 4. To reduce the waste elimination processes by 20% so that the carbon dioxide emission is reduced by a considerable extent and air pollution is reduced by 12%. A proposed model of the creation of a sustainable society is represented in the following figure which shows the key aspects that will be addressed in this sustainability plan: Use of Technological Wherewithal Although the latest trend in the market is of technological wherewithal which means that the people are heavily dependent on the technical facilities but people have survived in other ages such as Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age; hence, the members of the society have to develop the policy of making less use of the technological things so that the environment can be protected. In order to reduce the elimination caused by industries, automobiles and other technological gadgets, various initiatives will be undertaken to encourage people to shift to the traditional means of transportation and make use of the processes that will not damage the environment. Since the packaged foods are preferred by everyone in the society, people will be given incentives for getting involved in recycling and energy preserving procedures so that the human used items can be reused. The by-products of the re-processed items will be utilized again so that the renewed resources can be employed again in meaningful ways. Strategies to respond economic constraints and incentives In the US economy, the major economic constraints and incentives that will be faced are unstable economic situation, increasing inflation rate, decreasing customer spending power, decline in foreign direct investments, tax relaxation for opening new factories, incentives for exploitation of the areas that are underdeveloped and need to be prepared for the expansion purposes and grants for expanding on the international level. Although all of these constraints and incentives are present but they can be tackled easily by undertaking the following steps: 1. Providing an attractive compensation plan to the individuals who are involved in the environmental protective projects so that the people can be provided money for fulfilling their basic necessities and live a well-to-do life. 2. Avoid the grants and incentives that appear lucrative to invest money in the expansion plans of underdeveloped areas such as mechanical activities that will damage the environment and affect the well-being of the society. Such incentives will be disregarded by the community people so that they can depict their dedication towards preserving the valuable resources of the world. 3. Ensure that the society members are offered all the basic requirements of life so that they can work as a collaborative team that has the endeavor of creating a sustainable and well-off society. Action plan In order to preserve the natural resources and promote the concept of minimizing the usage of non-renewable sources to ensure that everyone in the society remains protected from the hazardous side-effects that are caused by such by-products. The key societal pressure points that will be addressed in the action plan are as follows: 1. Values balance societal pressure point – Of course, some people give more value to the materialistic things and want to earn good amount of money so that they can upgrade their standard of living. As they are passionate about materialistic goals, they might get involved in activities such as starting a factory that produces plastic bags or chemicals required by any particular industry which will create harmful effects in the society. The values that are required by everyone in the segment are to support the idea of employing energy efficient measures that will preserve the environment. It is imperative to keep a balance between the needs at the societal and materialistic level. 2. Market segment consensus societal pressure point – As everyone within the segment will have some varying degree of preference set, so it will be vital to understand their requirements and then arrive at a consensus decision about the projects that will be undertaken. In order to reduce the variation in the actions, everyone will be asked to first list down there priorities in terms of personal values, ability to participate in the socially responsible activities, extent to which the contribution will be made and suggestions about the effective utilization of the available resources. 3. Communication effectiveness societal pressure point – It is important to create a participative environment so that the individuals are induced to making valuable contributions that will allow them to actively play a part towards the consensus of the decision making process. There is a huge probability that lack of communication can pose drastic impacts on the perceptions held by the people. 4. Competing ethical and legal practices societal pressure point – Every member of the society needs to understand the ethical practices that should be undertaken under the legal requirements so that they can create a favorable and conducive environment for everyone living in the society. If other societies are indulged in unethical or illegal practices, then it can create a negative impact of the particular segment. In order to reduce the variation in societal pressures and ensure that the action plan is effective, following actions will be incorporated in the plan: 1. Isolationistic action – As people will be inclined to get deviated from the core purpose of development of a sustainable society, in order to keep the segment of people dedicated to the focal points, some measures such as free basic necessities like home, education and transportation facilities will be provided so that there is an adequate balance between the societal and materialistic values. 2. Conversation action – Everyone will be given the opportunity of making valuable contribution in the development of the society’s action plan so that they can be an integral part of the sustainable society creation body. When they will see that their opinions are being valued and there is an open communication, they will be willing to enhance their efforts in supporting the leader in attainment of the objectives of the sustainability report. 3. Regulatory action - Finally, everyone will be encouraged to ensure that the ethical and legal activities are undertaken so that the community members feel as a valuable part of the society and they can understand the benefits of ensuring that there practices are within the boundaries of the ethical and legal framework. Every member will be forced to ensure compliance with the desired code of conduct that will be developed by this committee so that they are reinforced about their responsibilities towards the protection of the environment. Assessment about the segments in play Since the chief purpose of the entire segment is to commence such measures that are used to preserve the natural resources and persuade people to embark on the projects that will reduce waste elimination procedures. In order to support this idea, the support from legislative bodies will be taken so that the required legislations can be imposed. The competing societies are those that are in favor of industrialized production of goods and services. Of course, such societies will object to the initiatives of the societal segment but they will be overcome by showing that the concerned people are engaged in ethical and legal activities. Implication of law of diminishing returns As the law of diminishing returns is evident in every process, the sustainable society necessitates the requirement of understanding the entire environmental control process so that the mandatory steps can be effectively implemented. In this case, the main input areas that will be covered are natural resources and forests so that the habitats can be protected. Although these natural sources have high financial costs but they allow the people to reap the benefits derived from their original purpose of usage. In order to process these natural resources, instead of pollution creating machineries, eco-friendly ones will be purchased and placed in the factories so that the products are manufactured in such a way that there are less negative consequences. It implies that the packaging of the products will be done in an appropriate manner which will ensure that no wastage will be created. The implication of the law of diminishing returns is that the technological advancements will not impact the segment measures and the desired results will be effectively attained. Feasibility of the attainment of objectives In order to ensure that the objectives are close to reality and attainable, a market survey was carried out. With the help of the initial survey, the task assessment body was able to identify the key issues regarding the environment that are customary in the society so that only immediate problems are targeted. Although there are various other issues that are of concern but the environmental related ones are crucial because if they are not resolved then the survival of human beings, plants, animals and other living species will be difficult. Since the particular segment is too much concerned about preserving the natural habitat for providing a clean and hygienic environment to the upcoming generation, the objectives will ensure that the hazardous elements are reduced to a great extent. With the help of these authentic and genuine targets, it will be possible to allow the children to nurture in a society that gives utmost value to the gifts that are bestowed on them by the ultimate creator of the world. By changing the production processes to the cyclical frameworks, it will be possible for the companies to re-utilize the used resources which will ensure that the vital elements are properly employed. Likewise, the implementation of the Triple Bottom Line concept will help the group members to make meaningful contribution in the economy, society and environment. Moreover, additional measures will be taken to create awareness about the environmental protection ways which will comprise of arranging workshops, seminars and conferences with the international sustainable development organizations that can shed some light on the important projects that can be initiated to boost the societal impact. The intentions of the group members are sincere and they are willing to play their role as a responsible citizen of the country. Reason for selection as the leader The leader is the person who has the ability of creating a realistic vision that will allow the followers to understand the end results that will be achieved by the attainment of the long-term goal. One key aspect that is highly valued by the followers is that the leader should be competent enough to inspire the group members and develop the will power in them to follow the right direction. It is vital for the leader to understand the constraints that will be encountered so that the adequate measures can be taken to handle them and minimize their impact. As I have to lead this societal segment, I believe that all the qualities required by a leader are ingrained in my personality. In order to ensure that the right issues are addressed, the opinion of the societal members is taken along with their feedback so that the objectives are aligned with their suggestions. The leader was selected by the task assignment committee in the form of an election so that everyone is satisfied with the person who is given the leadership position. It is evident from the sustainability report that I have given importance to all the aspects of the society so that a sustainable and conducive environment is created for the people that will allow them to reap huge amount of potential benefits. Conclusion In this sustainability report, the key area that has been targeted is creation of an environmental friendly society that relies more on natural resources rather than a handmade one. In such a society, there will be less dependency on the technologically related products, services and other means so that energy efficient projects are implemented that will create an environment that has excellent air quality, preserves the natural beauty, gives protection to all living species about the superior value of their habitat and ensure that the future generation is provided a hassle free, hygienic and peaceful place for living. Technological gadgets has brought convenience in lives along with problems and as we can see in the discussion above, the problems are very intense. Decisions regarding the environment stability is one of the most crucial decisions for a successful sustainability plan. Read More