Sustainable Living and Sustainable Construction Essay

Sustainable Living and Sustainable Construction - Essay Example Consequently, the existing infrastructure, water supplies and transport systems are strained by the new housing. Therefore, there is very little difference between this housing scheme and the ones carried out in the past. For many years now, anti-road building lobbies have been arguing that governments should cease building new roads because this will just encourage more people to travel by car, resulting in increased harmful exhaust gas emission. â€Å"Governments are taking advantage of this lobbying to cut back on spending on roads leading to deterioration of the road network† (Bleischwitz, 29). Critics are also arguing that the same logic is not applied by the government to new housing because it results in the generation of new taxes. The government simply overlooks the fact that increased housing units lead to increased road traffic in the localities concerned. These practices are understandable since many authorities, institutions, and even individuals tend to focus on reducing costs while simultaneously maximizing benefits. Unfortunately, this is often undertaken at the expense of maximizing positive impact on the environment, and often leads to environmental degradation, and wastage of natural resources. Opponents of sustainable living and sustainable construction indeed have strong arguments against the suitability of this practice for conservation of the environment. However, they overlook many crucial factors regarding this issue which make their arguments irrelevant. First of all, sustainable living and construction can only achieve their aims when they are fully adopted and implemented. Partial adoption and implementation does not meet... The researcher of this essay states that despite the obvious benefits that sustainable living and sustainable construction, that was discussed in the essay and have positive impact on the lives of human beings and the environment in general, criticism has emerged from several quarters challenging the usefulness of these two practices. A number of well-known scholars in the field of sustainable development have raised concerns that sustainable growth is, in fact, an irreconcilable paradox, whose overall effects on the environment are largely harmful. Opponents of sustainable living and sustainable construction indeed have strong arguments against the suitability of this practice for conservation of the environment. The researcher also uses Stapleton neighborhood in Denver, Colorado as an example of a community built almost entirely using sustainable development. It occupies the site previously occupied by the Stapleton International Airport, and was built using recycled materials. The case of Stapleton serves as proof to critics of sustainable development that an initiative of such a large magnitude can be successfully initiated with 100% benefits, and no negative impacts. The planning stage should be given strong emphasis to ensure that all aspects of the project comply with sustainability standards. Sustainable living and construction has to be fully compliant with ‘green’ standards in order for it to achieve its aims of conserving energy, reducing waste and preventing pollution of the environment.