Green Technology
Definition: Green Technology is technology that is designed to be safe for the environment and used in a way that doesn't consume natural resources.
There are 5 types of green technology:
1)Energy - Green technology that produces energy without consuming natural resources or harming the environment. (a.k.a Renewable sources of energy e.g. Hydroelectric)
2)Building - Designing and building houses in a way that utilises materials and tools efficiently to reduce resource consumption.
3)Preferred Purchasing - Buying and producing products that have little effect on the environment.
4)Chemistry - Using chemical products that reduce environmental damage.
5)Nanotechnology - Implementing green principles to the field of nanotechnology.
Green Energy - Green energy utilises the natural power of the earth's environment to create energy. This may include hydroelectric power stations built on waterfalls, geothermal power stations near volcanos and wind turbines around normally windy areas. With the exception of geothermal energy, green power stations directly harness the kinetic energy of the earth's environment (i.e. running water, moving wind) and uses it to create electricity by spinning a turbine. Green energy also includes methods of using energy efficiently, such as using a fan instead of air-conditioning or switching off any unnecessary lights during the day.
Green Building - Green building involves building structures in a green way, as well as designing it so that it maximises energy efficiency. This includes using materials that are quickly renewable such as bamboo (fastest growing plant in the world), building in a location that has windy areas to save on heating/air-conditioning, designing the building in a way to maintain temperature as well as providing the structure with a system to reduce water consumption.
Green Preferred Purchasing - Green preferred purchasing involves the consumer choosing green products over conventional products, such as rechargable batteries. This also extends to the producer researching methods to produce goods in a green way or producing goods that are environmentally friendly.
Green Chemistry - Green chemistry involves the creation of chemical products in a green way, and expands to the whole process of producing the desired chemical. It involves reducing any toxic waste produced, reducing pollution, using non-toxic components, creating environmentally-friendly products and reducing energy consumed in the process of making the chemical.
Green Nanotechnology - Green nanotechnology combines principles of green chemistry and green building to create nanomaterials and products that have no toxic materials, require less energy to make, and are renewable wherever possible. Green nanotechnology also involves using nanotechnology to further augment the efficiency of already existing green methods. For example, in green chemistry, the use of nanoscale membranes may help filter out unwanted products and reduce and waste.
References:
http://www.epa.gov/gcc/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_nanotechnology
http://www.green-technology.org/what.htm
http://hubpages.com/hub/Green-Technology
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