Aviation Sustainability... who'da thunk it?

I found this super interesting article, and found that it related my field of interest into sustainability quite perfectly. One paragraph in particular I'll quote and dissect:

Sustainable Development – a Balancing Act

Sustainable development seeks to balance social, economic and environmental objectives in order to secure the well-being of present and future generations. These objectives are interdependent and thus equally important. Finding the optimum balance means that difficult choices sometimes have to be made and concessions may be required.

Aviation is a good example of this: it is a consumer of non-renewable resources, a contributor to climate change and local noise problems but at the same time it makes a very valuable and unique contribution to the sustainable development of our global society.

I'm glad that there are people who are trying to reach new heights (pardon the pun) in the aviation community. When I first enrolled in the business sustainability class, I wasn't exactly sure how it would relate to me, considering I'm kind of a "convenient" environmentalist... such as- if its convenient to be green, then I'll probably do it. I think people are really starting to understand that a lot of people are like that, and it just takes someone to make being green convenient, and everyone will start doing what they can to create a better place for everyone to live.

Spring Break

I had to work. And furthermore I noticed that my work is less green than I had initially thought. I was impressed initially when I found out that we recycle all of our bar bottles and whatnot, but exponentially disgusted when I realized how much styrofoam we go through in a single day. Every time an employee gets a drink, they use a styrofoam cup. This made me realize just how oblivious people can be about the environment when they are actually hurting it more than anyone. Another thing that I noticed was how close minded my parents are about sustainability. Again, another reason I may have not been as green as I could've been throughout my childhood and whatnot. Other than that, my Spring Break was pretty awful- I got stuck at Chicago's O'Hare airport overnight on Sunday and listened to a bunch of people complain about overbooked flights, followed by a long day sleeping in Lambert, St. Louis airport the day only to leave on the last flight (thankfully) to Oklahoma City. Spring Break '09 officially is one of the worst memories I have of O'Hare airport ever, and I hope to never have to see it again (though I know this is definitely not the case).

Business

For this week's post I would like you to write about an industry you have had direct experience with that you think has potential to benefit from adopting and adapting a sustainable business attitude.

Direct experience with. Well- I have direct experience with the field of aviation for my whole life. My father, mother, and brother are all pilots, and I am an aspiring commerical/military pilot as well. As for the military industry? I think they would definitely benefit from adapting a sustainable business attitude. Think about it. Our government pushing biodiesel fuel made from algae to produce a more cost efficient and environmentally friendly airplane would be a great start for our nation. Commercial aviation is on the cutting edge when it comes to finding a more sustainable way to fuel and build newer and better airplanes. From the way that the structure is composed of recycled materials, to the algae used in the new biodiesel started by Boeing (which strikes a chord with me because it is an American company:)). Regardless I think both of these branches of aviation can benefit incredulously by utilizing a sustainable approach.

Figuring it out

Yeah! I finally figured it out!