The Future Dream to Return to Ways of the Past?

Many years ago, humans weren’t connected to “the grid”. There was no great electricity system that ran through the streets and generated our houses.  People had to run their own generators, build their own windmills, or suffer in the cold and dark.  Then along came the large power stations, running on mainly fossil fuels, but later on water, geothermal, solar, wind or nuclear.  All you had to do was flick a switch and you had hot water, electric stoves, air conditioning and heating. 

But now, this magnificent network that has changed our lives so drastically, is being shunned by many as they return to simpler ways and resist being tied to contracts and the big power companies.  And thanks to a flurry of recent developments it’s possible for them to do this without compromising their lifestyles.

Solar panels have taken the world by storm.  Roof panels are currently the main form of solar panel, and in France, these are now compulsory for new commercial buildings (unless you choose to cover the roof in plants instead – a story for another time) (Chow, 2015).  A new innovation, solar window glass, based on transparent solar technology, may be coming to the market soon (Lavelle, 2015).  Just think of the amount of heat you get through your windows – now we can convert that to power and still enjoy the view! 

Wind harnessing technology is powering up.  A recent article in New Scientist showcased plastic “grass” roofing, that could capture the energy from the wind as it blew over the roof.  The tiny “blades” of grass when blown, sway in the breeze, moving the nanowires on one side of the blades against the indium tin oxide coating on the other side, generating a current (Urquhart, 2016).  

Ecocapsule.  Photo courtesy of McDonald (2015)

The windmill is back in fashion too, though looking a little different to those beauties in Holland.  The giant wind turbines the power companies use are now available in mini versions, as seen on the Ecocapsule which is trending on social media and news websites lately (pictured above). This mini camper allows you to live off the grid by harnessing wind and solar power, and it will even collect rainwater for you to drink (MacDonald, 2015).  Or how about a beautiful wind tree for your front lawn? The change from horizontal wind turbines to vertical masts has opened up a wave of new designs that are more aesthetically pleasing (Webb, 2014), including the one pictured below.

Wind Trees outside the Conference on Climate Change in Paris 2015.  Picture courtesy of Forbes (2015).

 

I, for one, welcome the idea of being off the grid, with no bills in the mail, and taking care of my own needs rather than relying on someone else.  It is reasonable, with all this developing technology, and the attitudes of people to move further and further away from the large energy providers, that mass power supply may indeed become obsolete in the future.  Everyone may indeed, one day, return to the old ways, with their own generators and windmills.  Though hopefully the kind that require little effort and take up a lot less room!  

REFERENCES

Chow, L. (2015). France mandates new roofs must be covered in solar panels or plants.  Retrieved from http://ecowatch.com/2015/03/25/france-roofs-solar-panels-plants/

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.  (2015). Grid-connected systems.  Retrieved from https://www.energywise.govt.nz/at-home/generating-energy/grid-connected-systems/

Forbes. (2015). French start up designed urban wind tress with leaf shaped mini turbines.  Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2015/12/01/french-start-up-designed-urban-wind-trees-with-leaf-shaped-mini-turbines/#2715e4857a0b6fba94b87d18

Lavelle, M. (2015). Windows, phones into power sources. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2015/08/150805-transparent-solar-could-turn-window-phones-into-power-generators/

MacDonald, F.  (2015). This portable capsule lets you live off the grid anywhere in the world.  Retrieved from http://www.sciencealert.com/this-portable-capsule-lets-you-live-off-the-grid-anywhere-in-the-world

Webb, S. (2014).  Now electricity really could grow on trees! Scientists unveil prototype 'wind tree' that uses turbines hidden inside plastic leaves to create power.   Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2855155/Now-electricity-really-grow-trees-Scientists-unveil-prototype-wind-tree-uses-turbines-hidden-inside-plastic-leaves-create-power.html

 

TO LEAD WITH AN IRON FIST OR TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO FOLLOW?

The world has seen many interesting leaders over the years; Napoleon, Hitler, Putin, Obama, and the interesting Donald Trump.  Some have inspired us, some we have feared, and some have brought countries to their knees.  The world relies on great leaders on a global scale, but also in the small company boardrooms, the activist party rallies, and local sports social clubs.  Having the people willing to stand up and make the important decisions, to coordinate and bring together an array of people, and to inspire action is important to moving companies and the world as a whole forward.

Though I am not a fan of being in the top chair myself (I would prefer not to have the responsibility of final decisions on my shoulders – “Completer Finisher” and “Teamworker” Belbin role weaknesses coming through), I do appreciate having a good leader above me, guiding me to be the best I can be.  Though I am working on my first ever group assignment at the moment, I have endured several poor leaders in my work environments.  From this I can give a fairly strong list of what qualities I would like in any future leaders I encounter (feels a little like writing a requirement list for a dating website, but here goes):

• Decisive (able to make the tough decisions and stick to them) 
•  Knowledgeable (they must understand their subject/industry, and the jobs their team members do)
•  Empathic (Understanding towards their team members, show some compassion)
•  Fair and Inclusive (No favouritism or singling out of individuals)
• Open minded (Open to new ideas, suggestions and forward thinking.  If we can’t move forward, a company or team won’t grow)
• Communicative (This is a biggie as without communication within a team, everything falls apart)
•  Mature and diplomatic

Within the Belbin team roles (Belbin Associates, 2015), the delegating Co-ordinator is my preferred leadership style, preferably with a bit of action driven Implementer, and diplomatic Teamworker.  I find Shapers, which I have had to deal with in the past (four in one company), to be too abrasive with little regard for others, although they are useful for driving new ideas they don’t communicate or work well with their teams.

For myself, if I was in turn a leader, I hope I could be all of the qualities I listed above. The decisiveness I would need to work on, but I know I would do my best to include the whole team and treat everyone fairly.  Forward thinking, delegation and communication I think would be my strengths.  To inspire a team to create something great is what I believe the goal should be of a leader, not to bully people to do as you tell them.

REFERENCES:

Belbin Associates. (2015). Belbin Team Roles. Retrieved from http://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/

A Hazy Shade of Beijing

The world has reached an epoch in conscious environmental thinking. With so much action and awareness going on around the world like the Climate Summit in Paris, there is at last a light in the distance.  This week an article popped up that seems to recur every couple of months or so in the popular science and news websites, about one particular environmental issue:  The smog that envelops Beijing.  

 

Outside the Forbidden City, Beijing.  Photo taken by author during trip to Beijing, 2014

 

A couple of years ago I spent a week in Beijing visiting all the regular tourist spots including the Great Wall of China.  Prior to my departure the news reports were showing images of Beijing cloaked in a dirty grey haze that blocked out the sun and choked people as they went around their everyday lives.  I was nervous heading over.  Did I need a face mask?  Was this environment dangerous to my health?  And would I need to watch the sunrise on the big screen in Tiananmen Square?

I was pleasantly surprised on my drive from the airport to my hotel that it was light, sunny, and more a shade of white than grey.  Nowhere near the extreme images I had seen on the news, and I only saw two people with face masks on during my whole visit.  But there was a distinct haze, high up, shielding the blue sky.  Though it was sunny, you couldn’t see the sun, and it felt like you were in a giant dome of some sort.  Perhaps I was lucky that week to get a lower level of smog than the city endures on other days, but even still, to never see blue sky wasn’t quite right.

The Great Wall of China.  Photo taken by author during trip to Beijing, 2014

 

Smog is a dangerous side-effect of our industrialised world.  A mixture of particulates, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, ozone and water vapour (Conserve Energy Future, n.d.), smog is caused by emissions from cars, factories, and fires.  It has the potential to cause and inflame a number of respiratory ailments, it can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, and sometimes it can lead to death in the elderly and infirmed (Conserve Energy Future, n.d).

According to an article on theguardian.com this week, Beijing had its second “red-alert” this month, with pollution levels recently reaching nearly 15 times the World Health Organisations safe limits (Phillips, 2015).  When the smog reaches the highest levels the city is basically shut down; people are told to stay indoors and businesses, factories and schools are closed.  But the government in China is putting in place a lot of initiatives to curb the rising pollution problems, including strong restrictions on vehicle use, banning of outdoor barbeques and fireworks when pollution is at its peak (Reuters, 2015), and clamping down on factories with fines for over-polluting (Phillips, 2015). It recognises that, in this instance, the people’s health is more important than the economy, and they are doing what’s necessary to protect that.  Not an easy task in a city with a population of 23 million (Phillips, 2015), but let’s hope that one day the Great Wall of China will forever have blue skies above.

REFERENCES:

Conserve Energy Future. (n.d.). How smog is formed?  Retrieved from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/SmogPollution.php

 

Phillips, T. (2015). Beijing’s ‘airpocalypse’: city shuts down amid three-day smog red alert.  Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/08/beijing-smog-city-shuts-down-amid-red-alert

 

Reuters. (2015). Beijing grinds to halt as second ever ‘red alert’ issued over severe smog.  Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/18/beijing-pollution-second-ever-red-alert-smog-china