My Reflections From All Around on (Un)Sustainability

                                                                (A Collage to Remind You of Previous Blog Posts)

In this last post I will try to put my blog in context using a couple other blogs as my reference point. But before I get to that I just want to say that the process of completing this blog was an adventure…..a creative adventure. The thought process of coming up with an appropriate topic on the city to blog about was not difficult because I am very interested in the sustainable part of our lives and I see sustainability or unsustainability every where I look and see areas to improve on. When I actually began the blog I thought I knew everything there was to know about sustainability but how wrong I was. The learning process throughout the approximate four months has been astounding. I have learnt about sustainability and saw it places I never thought it could be. But this learning process was not just about sustainability but also about different topics chosen by my colleagues that involved the city. 

There were a lot of ideas from my colleagues that could be linked to my blog but in the end I chose those that I most related to. Firstly, “Of Green Spaces, Aqua and "Counter-Urban" Aesthetics features” done by Kevin Ousman drew me in. After I got over his pictures that were amazingly breathtaking I enjoyed the ideas he presented and found that there was a link to one of my blogs “One Step in the Right Direction”. As mentioned in my blog sustainability does not only include the environment but also society. I always think a person’s surroundings affect their mood. So if they are in a concrete jungle all day one’s mood may be depressed or stressed compared to a garden with a pond where it will be fun, calm and even playful. Just one flowering tree can bring a smile to my face and I'm sure it's the same for others. The psychological link between green spaces in the urban shows that sustainability goes beyond the environment (as I mentioned throughout my blog) and begins to affect one’s life and the kind of life we have. Obviously all of us want the best life possible so the way to achieve this is by making the right decisions to benefit our future generations and us. 

Secondly, I looked at “The Greener Alternative” by Avinash Narine for my next comparator. In my blog post “Oh the Dreams to Own a Car…But What About Their Impacts” I looked at the use of biofuels as an alternative form of fuel that will produce cleaner fuel emissions however, from Avinash’s blog I saw that CNG could also be used as an alternative. In Trinidad CNG may be a more appropriate alternative because it is cheaper and easier to obtain so it can be used. As stated on Avinash’s blog post, I remember when some vehicles in Trinidad would use CNG and it was mostly in older cars but a lot of the owners switched to other fuels because there was not enough service stations and those that were present were in deplorable conditions with unreliable services. So to implement this great greener alternative in Trinidad to obtain maximum benefit the proper initiatives must be put in place by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and all those private firms involved. I think CNG is a great idea for Trinidad since it will meet our fuel needs sustainably without providing a lot of problems in making it available to consumers.

Lastly, I chose “Sustainability in the City...contemplating City Size, Green Spaces and Urban Attitudes” by Hannah Sammy and this one blog post can be related to a couple of my posts in my blog. Firstly, we both found it is very interesting that the perfectly manicured green spaces are less beneficial than those that are just over grown and existing. Everyone will believe that those that are taken care of are the best that is not the case when the environment is being considered because they do not necessarily met the needs for environmental sustainability (as mentioned in my blog post) as the over grown (fortuitous) areas do. However, the manicured areas are usually better for social sustainability since, people would rather look at and spend leisure time in an area that is well kept than abandoned. So it will be to the benefit of all if there are both types of green spaces so that both types of sustainability are achieved. In addition, Hannah’s blog post included a picture of pollution and this reminded me of my posts on industries and landfills. That picture was an eye opener to see how people can litter and degrade the same areas that they have to work or live in or the areas where their kids play. It amazes me how they feel no remorse for their actions that not only affects the environment negatively but also society as whole.

The blogs used from colleagues are:
Kevin's http://triniurbanosity.blogspot.com/2013/03/of-green-spaces-aqua-and-counter-urban.html

Avinash's http://urbanmobility17.blogspot.com/2013/04/so-we-meet-again-for-another-entry-j.html

Hannah's http://facetsofurbanlife.blogspot.com/2013/04/sustainability-in-citycontemplating.html

I hope these three reflections from some of my other course colleagues’ blog gave you some insight into my blog. I thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and giving me all your feedback be it positive or your critiques. Also, I hope you enjoyed them but that is all for now. I might post again whenever some appropriate arises.

The song says "With one little action the chain reaction will never stop." This is so perfect because if one of us start to make a difference then it will only continue as others try to do the same. Also, I chose this song because it ties my entire blog together in terms of making right decisions that are sustainable to make a change. 

Thank You again for all the input and to all those who helped me no matter how small it mattered! :)