By Elizabeth Snyder
Before we can dive into Big Data and Sustainability, it is important to answer the question of how do we define sustainability? Sustainability is complex and covers a large variety of areas, making it rather hard to nail down a short and sweet definition. The most often quoted definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While there are many other definitions and things that can go into sustainability, this is the definition I will use for my blog series.
Before we can dive into Big Data and Sustainability, it is important to answer the question of how do we define sustainability? Sustainability is complex and covers a large variety of areas, making it rather hard to nail down a short and sweet definition. The most often quoted definition comes from the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” While there are many other definitions and things that can go into sustainability, this is the definition I will use for my blog series.
From this definition we learn that to be sustainable means
to meet our current needs while also planning for future conditions. So how do
we know our current needs as well as future needs and conditions? That’s where
Big Data comes in. Now don’t let the phrase “Big Data” scare you. Collecting
data is not a new concept. Simply, there is more data than ever before that has
and continues to be collected, thus it is now termed “Big.” Companies collect
data all of the time on our water, energy, fossil fuel, food production, garbage
usage etc. For example, smart metering allows utility companies to increase or
restrict the flow of electricity, gas or water to reduce waste and ensure
adequate supply at peak periods. Data from each category can be broken down but
country, state, city or even zoomed in to your specific usage. By gathering
this information, we learn what the current demand is as well as being able to
compare them to what they were in the past. Most of the data I’ve seen shows
that the world is increasing demand in almost every category- which is a
problem since resources are finite.
Furthermore, Big Data can reveal important environmental
trends. Climate change is a large global risk affecting and disrupting
economies and agriculture all over the world. While much of the damage is
irreversible, using Big Data we can develop insights in order to take steps
toward being more environmentally sustainable. From natural disasters such as fires,
droughts, rains, earthquakes, etc. to even just daily temperatures data is
collected. Data can measure how frequently weather and disasters occurred over time as well as
the length of each episode- conditions before, during and after as
well as costs associated with maintenance and repairs. For example, combining
satellite imagery, crowd-sourced witness accounts and open data can help track
deforestation. In addition, monitoring daily temperatures and recording highs
and lows for each day all over the world also allows us to see trends and
changes in the climate.
So why do these usage and climate trends matter? Going green,
becoming carbon neutral, getting rid of single-use plastics are many of the hot
environmental topics that universities and brands have been striving for
lately. But why? We will explore the why in the next blog post!
Feedback for Elizabeth Snyder’s post Big Data in Sustainability
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth! I checked back in DQ7, and I was reminded you’re writing about "How data can help brands be more sustainable." You wrote, “sustainability is in desperate need of a makeover. … Brands are just starting to use and understand big data. Sustainable pilot programs such as recycling, plastic free, zero waste etc. are being implemented across the globe and these initiatives and ideas need to spread in order for it to gain credibility and ultimately get more brands to follow suit.” This was what I kept in mind as I read your blog post.
Overall, awesome job.
GLOWS:
1. I loved your conversational tone, like when you talk directly to the reader about their feelings. For example, you wrote, “Now don’t let the phrase ‘Big Data’ scare you.” It helped me feel connected to your article and to you as a writer, which helped me develop trust in what I was reading. Nieman Lab supports this, too, finding that stories with conversational tones lead to higher engagement and more positive responses, as opposed to a more buttoned-up, stuffy writing style. They’re more “accessible” and “personal,” and since humans crave relationships and connection, it’s a no-brainer.
2. You gave real-life examples to back up what you were saying and to get readers to better picture your complex ideas. For example, you wrote, “For example, combining satellite imagery, crowd-sourced witness accounts and open data can help track deforestation.” I learn by example, as I’m sure a lot of your readers do. As soon as I read that, I could picture what you were talking about and your words took on a new meaning.
GROWS:
1. I think it might be smart to lead your article by being clear of who could benefit most from reading this article. In other words, spelling out your target audience, so that you’re pulling in your relevant audiences right away while also making sure irrelevant readers understand they need not tune in. For example, our fellow classmate Henry Gleason starts his article “How Big Data is Revolutionizing Patient Care in the Healthcare Industry” by clearly identifying who is the article intended for -- “Health Care providers” -- and what specifically will be discussed in the article body -- “Here are a few ways that Big Data [is] helping pave the way for a new frontier for Health Care.” I tried to do the same in my post this week with this line: “The marijuana industry is exploding, but one brand in particular seems to be leading the charge: MedMen. … So what is the company doing to stand out so dramatically? And what can other dispensary owners learn? Read on.”
2. As sad as it is, sustainability is not always seen as the sexiest topic. (Even politicians are having a hard time getting voters to care about climate change, and that's literally their job: “It’s too remote. It’s not today. It’s not conflict,” California Gov. Jerry Brown, one of the nation’s leading advocates of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said in an interview. “So that’s where we are, and climate change is not jobs, not taxes, it’s not violent crime. It’s not sex. And it’s not immigration.”) To actively work against this sad truth, I think you should try to add more visuals to your posts, like images and videos, which have been known to exponentially increase engagement and interaction with posts. Anecdotally, when I was a middle-school teacher, the best days for me and for my students were when I broke up my droning on and on with videos. For example, I found this great video on YouTube you could add to your post: Why Sustainability is Important. It’s easy to follow and understand, plus it’s entertaining, meaning it might make the words you wrote pop a bit more and get more eyes on (y)our blog.
Nieman Lab link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.niemanlab.org/2018/04/if-the-financial-times-were-a-person-it-would-be-a-man-heres-how-the-paper-is-trying-to-change-that/
Politico link for Glow #2:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/democrats-climate-change-midterms-824745