Thoughts from the turn of the year: Working toward sustainability in 2019

Around New Years, I wrote some words on something that has been on my mind quite a lot lately, and something that’s very important to me: sustainability.

This topic was the basis of my design project “torrented.”

This essay-of-sorts is from a few months ago, when I created my first-ever drawing of a car—a Tesla Model S. Without further adieu…

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So, this is my first real drawing of a vehicle, and I'm super happy with how it's turned out.

With 2019 approaching and climate change finally becoming one of the hottest (ahem) topics around the world, I'm feeling pretty flashy.

That being said, I'm using this post to point out the enormous importance in the global switch to renewable energy and sustainability.

With this initiative to move away from unsustainable energy production (i.e. fossil fuel use resulting in excessive atmospheric carbon dioxide, and more generally, short-term gain behavior), we are presented with the opportunity to improve (and maybe even save) the lives of billions.

Renewables also offer a potential solution to some of humanity's other struggles. For example, less expensive means of producing energy can help to lift entire nations out of poverty. When you look at it this way, it's difficult to deny that they're the way to go into the future.

When we make this choice, we open the hatch to a litany of other transformative and heartening endeavors for humans around the globe.

What can you do? Education on this topic right now is vital. It's also incredibly important to support business leaders that are making the choice to support renewables, and stay aware of those who don't. In brief, your apathy is the worst thing you can do or give.

To address the "debate" surrounding this topic, I'll ask a simple question: How smart is the risk of what we've built on a matter of political gain? 

Wishing you a thoughtful and sustainable 2019,

Melanie