I have a dream of a world filled with opportunities, wonders and riches. A world wherein value is placed on the things that truly matter – not money or status or fame, but on the many wonders of life, on the uniqueness of each individual and on the riches that the world has to offer.  I dream of a world that puts emphasis on being environmentally friendly and that cares about the future of the world.

The conventional energy sources that we are using currently are dangerous, dirty and transient. My dreams as far as energy solutions go are that we switch over and use clean, sustainable and renewable sources sustainable and renewable sources such as solar energy, hydroelectricity and wind turbines. Solar energy is when the radiant heat and light from the sun is used to make electricity.  Solar energy can be found anywhere that there is sunshine. There are many variations of solar energy (i.e. solar panels with PV cells, solar cones without PV cells, as well as molten salts and mirrors), however, my favourite is the solar energy created using the molten salts and mirrors. This is when there is a tall tower filled with molten salts and all around the tower is mirrors which are perfectly placed so that the sunlight can bounce off of them and heat up the molten salts in the tower. The heat from the molten salts in the tower steams up and it is then able to spin a turbine to power electricity. Although this solution requires a large amount of space and a hot, dry climate, it is able to work 24/7 because the molten salts will retain the heat. This is a simple silent design solution that is not very expensive, produces lots of energy and is completely renewable/sustainable. I would love to see this solution being implemented in places like Dubai, where there is lots of sun, it is dry and there is space. Hydroelectricity is the electricity created through the movement of water. My favourite hydroelectricity solution is hydro river rapids. Hydro river rapids can be used anywhere with fast movement currents or rapids. This solution is a small flow of water from the river/rapid and takes it off on a small stream nearby where it passes through multiple turbines before returning to its original pathway. This solution doesn’t interrupt ecosystems, is inexpensive and is great for small communities. Having multiple turbines on this solution allows the water to have a greater impact. I would love to see this solution being implemented on all rivers that are fast moving or rapids. This would help generate the electricity needed for the communities nearby. Wind turbines are systems that get their power from the wind. Wind turbines can be used anywhere that there are high winds. In wind turbines, the wind pushes the wings of the turbine to spin, which then spins a generator to create electricity. Wind turbines are very inexpensive, they release no GHGs and they are great because many geographic locations have wind. This is a sustainable and renewable source of energy that will never run out. I would love to see this solution being implemented wherever it can be. I think that they should be installed in large fields that are not being used, along the sides of highways (not too close to the road though) and wherever else they can be.

In Canada, per person/year, we produce 725 kg of waste. But that’s only Canada… Taking in account this stat, imagine how much waste is produced worldwide per year! This is a big issue and needs to be fixed. My dreams as far as waste solutions go are that we put our subsidies into companies like Plasco, that we all actively divert our waste (i.e. put each waste item in its appropriate bin) and that we learn to upcycle some of our stuff. Plasco is a company that turns waste into energy. Plasco can be used anywhere that there is garbage. Plasco uses the waste that would have gone into landfills but turns it into electricity instead. Right now, we have an overabundance of landfills and we are now lacking space to put our garbage. Plasco takes the garbage and through a process called plasma gasification, it turns as much of it as it can into energy and the rest is turn into construction aggravate. Although this solution has a large start-up cost, it is a great solution because it powers itself using some of the electricity that it creates, it helps cities and economies, it makes lots of jobs, it is safe and clean, it produces zero waste and most importantly, it provides us with a solution as to where to put the growing amount of waste that we are accumulating. I would love to see this solution being implemented in every city. This is because every city produces garbage and if it had a Plasco facility, then the city’s garbage wouldn’t be going a landfill, it would be turned into electricity. Another important solution for waste is diverting our waste. This means putting all of our waste into the right bins (i.e. recycling metals/glass, recycling paper, composting). Waste diversion is important because it reduces the need for/use of landfills, it reduces the need to go back to the earth to get new materials, less ecosystems will then be impacted and it saves both energy and money. This is a very simple solution, but it provides huge results. I would love to see this solution being implemented everywhere. I believe that we should have the opportunity (i.e. they should put all the bins out) at every facility that we go into, in our homes, etc and that people should be educated on which things go in which bins so they will then be more likely to do it. Finally, I think we should learn to upcycle our materials. So many good things that could still be put to use get thrown out every day and it needs to stop. For instance, if a hockey stick breaks, it doesn’t have to be thrown out right away… it could be turned into a cool chair or a table or anything! I would love to see this solution being implemented everywhere. This is because waste that is potentially upcycle-able is thrown out everywhere, every day. People should begin to upcycle materials and there should be companies that make more products out of upcycled materials instead of using new materials (i.e. companies that make shoes out of plastic bags, and things like that).

Transportation makes up for 25% of Canada’s GHG emissions. It is very important to find and utilize solutions to this problem. My dreams as far as transportation solutions go are that we invest in/buy from car companies like Tesla, and that we utilize car sharing programs. Tesla is a car company that makes electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are great because they don’t use gas and they don’t release any GHGs (which cause global warming). These vehicles are the future of transportation – or at least they should be, in my opinion. They are equipped with technology that allows them to run solely on electricity. I would love to see this solution being implemented amongst everyone. I think that we should all be driving electric vehicles, as they are much, much better for the environment. Car sharing programs are programs in which people can have access to a car when they need it. These are great because this will reduce the amount of cars using gas, emitting GHGs.

In 1968, the world’s population was 3 billion people; in 1998, the world’s population was 6 billion people; in 2015, the world’s population was 7.4 billion people. It is projected that by 2050, the world’s population would be over 9 billion people. We have a rising population that we need to feed, however there are many challenges with agriculture such as pollution from fertilizers used, impacts of pesticides used, water loss, and desertification. We can address these problems in two ways: changing how we grow our food and changing what we eat. My dreams as far as agriculture solutions go in regards to changing how we grow our food are that we begin to make use of the new, innovative farming solutions such as seawater greenhouses, hydroponics and vertical farms. My dreams as far as agriculture solutions go in regards to changing how we grow our food are that we begin to waste less food, that we try to eat more vegetarian-like/vegan-like and that we begin eating organic foods as well as organic/free-range meats. Seawater greenhouses are greenhouses that enable the crops to be grown in arid regions near a source of sea water, using seawater and solar energy. Seawater greenhouses don’t use pesticides or herbicides because the crops are contained in the greenhouses and they are very beneficial because they permit crops to be grown in regions where it is very hot. I would love to see this solution being implemented in areas that are warm such as the UAE or Africa or Egypt, so that they too can grow crops with ease and can then enjoy good, healthy food to feed their every-growing populations. Hydroponics is a way to grow plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. This is a great solution because it does not require large amounts of space and can be done anywhere. I would love to see this solution being implemented in developing countries, so that they too can grow crops without hassle and can grow enough to feed their populations. Vertical farms are when crops are grown vertically indoors. These can be in tall buildings, which is great because then it won’t be necessary to clear cut a large area for agriculture. Vertical farms do not require large amounts of space and can be done anywhere very easily. I would love to see this solution being implemented in developing countries, so that they too can grow crops easily and can grow enough to feed their populations. We should also begin to change how we eat. We should be wasting less food – we should only take the amount of food that we are going to eat and save the rest for left overs so that we aren’t throwing out a lot of food. We should eat more vegetarian-like/vegan-like as to make less of a water footprint because when we do eat meat, it wastes a lot of water (in the processing of the meat in the factory) and it also creates less biodiversity and more animals are treated badly/killed when we eat lots of meat. Furthermore, we should eat organic foods because they are much better for our bodies and they are much better for the environment (no pesticides or herbicides). I would love to see this solution being implemented amongst all humans. I think that we should all try to change how we eat – even if it is a small change, like having one vegetarian day per week, because it makes a huge impact.

Water covers 70.9% of the Earth’s surface, and it is vital for all known forms of life. Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater and we need to conserve it. A lot of the water on earth is polluted; this is a major global problem. Water pollution accounts for the deaths of 14,000 people daily. This is a problem that needs to be fixed. My dreams as far as water solutions go in regards to conserving water are that we invest in Reverse Osmosis Desalination and that we implement solutions like Aqualogy’s Smart Metering worldwide. My dreams as far as water solutions go in regards to water pollution are that we utilize solutions such as Phytoremediation. Reverse Osmosis Desalination is when seawater is put through a process to become clean freshwater. This process is clean, sustainable and does not produce waste. This solution is good because it can provide us with a lot of fresh water, which we need. I would love to see this solution being implemented around the world so that we can all have freshwater. Smart metering is a solution that meters how much water is being used in homes, industries or even agriculture and will provide data so people will know. It will also send alert if there is a leak or non-stop use. This is good because it is inexpensive, it will help people realise how much water they are using/wasting and get them to consume less and it will prevent leaks from wasting too much water. It will also lower the cost of water for people because ultimately they should be using less, which will cost less. I would love to see this solution being implemented as a standard thing everywhere where water is used. I believe that it would really aid in conserving the freshwater that we have left. Phytoremediation is using plants to clean polluted water. Phytoremediation is inexpensive, simple, environmentally friendly, does not use any harsh chemicals and great because it is a great way to clean up water pollution. I would love to see this solution being implemented wherever there is water pollution because I think that this is a great way to clean it up.

There’s a very popular quote that goes “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. This is what we did, we taught men to fish, and at first it was good – it was a way to feed the population and sustain us (and the fish were even able to sustain themselves), but now this fishing industry is being threatened due to unsustainable or even illegal fishing practices. Unsustainable (such as overfishing) and/or illegal fishing practices harm the marine ecosystems severely. Some solutions for fisheries are research/rules and regulations or monitoring the waters. Research of fishing practices, the best types of fish to catch (the most self-sustainable kinds) and other pertinent information relating to fishing should be done in order to gain more knowledge and be able to fish cleverly and carefully. Based on the information, rules and regulations should be created in order to control the fishing practices used and control how many fish are being caught/of what kinds, etc. I would love to see this solution being implemented in all fishing industries world-wide because these problems affect fisheries everywhere. Also, these rules and regulations should be applied through close monitoring. They should be monitoring the waters and then enforcing these rules and regulations if they are not already being followed properly. I would love to see this solution being implemented in all fishing industries world-wide because these problems affect fisheries everywhere.

So many good products are thrown out every day. This is due to planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence. Planned obsolescence is when the companies making the products make them to a lower standard, meaning they break easily. These products are essentially “designed for the dump”. For instance, nowadays, lightbulbs burn out even faster than they did years ago (even though logically, we should be able to make light bulbs that last even longer), and because of this, people now have to buy replacements more often. Perceived obsolescence is when consumers are convinced that they need the new version of a product because it is made to look “new” and “cool”, even though their existing version of the product works perfectly well. For instance, when the new iPhone 6 came out, all iPhone users that had lower versions of the phone wanted to get the new one, simply because it looked nicer and was “cooler” even though theirs still worked perfectly fine. So how do we fix this? Buying smart and voting with our wallets! Buying smart is buying products such as Phonebloks, which are sustainable and long-lasting. Phonebloks creates a phone with interchangeable pieces, meaning that as you evolve and change, your phone can too. With Phonebloks you can support your favourite companies, while producing no waste and not giving in to perceived obsolescence/planned obsolescence. What does this mean? Well, when you buy a product, you are telling the company that you support them, and you support what they’re doing. So when you buy that iPhone 6 for example, you are telling Apple that you support them when they release new products like this, and then they will continue doing so, and users will just continue throwing away their perfectly good phones. Or when you buy from clothing companies from which their clothing is made in sweat shops, you are supporting that company and telling them that it’s okay to make clothing that way. So before you buy a product or buy anything, you should do some searching into it to see if it’s a company/product that you really want to be supporting. Buying from companies like Me to We, Free the Children, Bamboosa, Etc are good choices. But voting with your wallet doesn’t just mean buying products from companies you support, it can also mean boycotting or even telling the companies that you don’t support that you won’t buy their products/support them, and why. I would love to see this solution being implemented in every person. This is something we should all be doing because it truly makes a huge difference.

You may not believe it, but something that really does have a huge influence on the environment is politics. When a political leader is chosen, the country is under their control for four years. So if, for instance, this political leader only cared about advancing our economy and not at all about the environment, then for the next four years the location under which he controls, would become all about the economy. A good example of a leader like this is Steven Harper. Steven Harper cares more for the economy than the environment, which is why he has decided to loosen our environmental laws, to the point at which they are almost non-existent, and he has joined Canada into this that will only help the economy and will destroy the environment (oil sands, oil sands pipeline, etc). We need leaders that will place stronger environmental laws and regulations, that will put higher environmental standards into place and will try to advance the economy, while still helping the environment and caring for the citizens along the way. That’s where us, voters come in! The biggest and most important solution in regards to helping the environment in the politics section is us, voters. It is the responsibility of all citizens to educate themselves on the policies of the parties running for leadership and to make educated votes. Remember, the big money makers always vote, so if we don’t, they win every time. If every person votes, then every single person will have a say in what goes on in their country from the beginning. Often times now, I heard people complaining about the things that Steven Harper is doing; except when I ask them if they voted/who they voted for, they say they didn’t! Well this has to change. If we speak up and use our voice, we can put the people that we trust and believe in in charge. They will make a positive difference, while acting on the things we feel strongly about and they will only get the chance to do this if we vote for them.

The most important solution in my opinion is education and awareness. If people don’t know, then nothing will ever change.  People need to be informed about the problems (and yes, to some this might be saddening to learn about, but it is super important) so that they can then be motivated to learn about what possible solution there are and how to implement these solutions. Take energy conservation for instance… People don’t know how much energy they are consuming, or where their energy is from, or how much energy we waste. But, if they knew, if they were aware of this problem, then they may be more inclined to learn about what kinds of solutions there are to these problems. Once they know about these solutions, (like solar energy, wind turbines, etc.) then they will push to get them implemented. Change can happen, and education is the most important step. I think that everyone should be educated on all the problems going on in the world – especially environmental ones. They should be educated on what kinds of solutions there are to these problems and what they, personally can do about it. I would love to see this solution being implemented in not only schools, but also workplaces and everywhere, really – meaning, I think everyone should have to take a course about the environment in order to learn about the problems and the solutions.

The world we live in won’t change if we don’t change it. As Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. Change can happen, but we need to make it happen. My biggest dream of all is that everything I’ve mentioned here goes from dream to reality.