Sustainability and Society

Sustainability and the environment are not topics that I have seriously thought about up until the last few years. This has changed for two main reasons. Firstly, these two topics are always in the news these days, so they are impossible to avoid. Secondly (and more importantly for me), my PhD Thesis topic has to do with sustainability and infrastructure. Consequently, I have learnt alot about how infrastructure affects the environment, and in a vicious cycle, how the environment affects our infrastructure.

I was attending a Symposium last week which had to do with 'Sustainability in Engineering'. One of the keynote speakers was a gentleman named Mr. Peter Robinson who was with the David Suzuki Foundation, a group dedicated to Environmental Issues in Canada, and around the world. He was one of the better speakers of the day, and I enjoyed his talk very much.

One statement he made really made an impression on me. He said that he felt Environmental Sustainability could never be achieved without achieving Societal Sustainability first. The two go hand in hand. That is, unless Society develops in a sustainable and responsible manner, Environmental Sustainability will be a dream, and our Ecosystem will continue to degenerate.

I felt this was a very poignant remark. We can engineer as many solutions as we want to Global Climate Change and environmental issues, but as long as we, as a society, do not have the will to sacrifice and adapt ourselves to living a sustainable lifestyle, technological innovation will be pointless. We may claim we want to save the Rainforest, but how many of us check if our coffee beans are certified by the Rainforest Allaince? We may claim we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but how many of us would prefer to drive a hybrid vehicle over a high-powered BMW? We chide the 3rd world for developing in an unsustainable manner, and take pride when we cut our emissions by a few percent, but our frame of reference is so narrow that we forget that we are the ones whose excessive consumption has effectively caused the crisis we are in in the first place!

It is one thing to talk big, and to maybe develop a few potential solutions. It is another thing to act on our words and implement them. If we are serious about saving the planet, lets stop just talking about it, make some sacrifices, and actually do it.

Restaurant Review: Chilli House Thai Bistro

Chilli House Thai Bistro

1018 Beach Avenue

Vancouver, BC

My blog has been woefully unattended to the last few months, and I figured it was time to update with a restaurant review. Went out for a lovely evening last weekend for a friends birthday, part of which involved dinner at the Chilli House Bistro located at the edge of False Creek almost directly underneath the Burrard Street Bridge.

The Chilli House Bistro is kind of an upscale Thai Restaurant, located in a beautiful part of Vancouver. The surroundings and the atmosphere are really lovely, as you can enjoy your meal and get a great view of False Creek at the same time. Unfortunately, this comes at a premium as the prices for dishes here are $4-$5 than most other Thai Restaurants around town.

In terms of quality of food , it was quite standard. I ordered the Pad Bai Grapua (Stir Fried Chicken and Vegetables) with rice, and found the taste to be good, but nothing extraordinary. The portions were good to full the stomach, but not excessive.

Overall, a nice restaurant, but overpriced.

Location: 5/5

Service/Ambiance: 3/5

Food: 3/5

A question of happiness...

A thought has been passing my mind a bit these past few days.

What is true happiness?

Yes, that is actually quite a deep, complicated question, but I would like to narrow it down a bit.

Specifically, should one be happy if they are content with what they are given, or should they be happy if they get what they desire? Does the former inspire lethargy, and the latter inspire greed? Maybe there is a happy medium in between?

Not really sure of the answer myself, but would like to hear some thoughts.