What Is Cleantech?
Cleantech Is:
Cleantech is a blanket term referring to a wide variety of environmentally-friendly technologies and practices that utilize those technologies.
Green vs. Blue Technologies
Green Technologies
Green technologies, on the other hand, use renewable energy and do not emit greenhouse gases during their use or production. Electric vehicles charged from a renewable source and geothermal heat pumps are two examples of green technologies.
Blue Technologies
Blue technologies*, usually in chemistry, refers to technologies that are more environmentally-friendly than the current mainstream methods of production. Blue generally still uses fossil fuels to produce, emits carbon dioxide or other pollutants as a byproduct, but is nevertheless much cleaner than the standard method of production or operations. Hybrid cars and transition fuels, such as natural gas, are two examples of blue technologies.
*Not to be confused with Bluetech--cleantech pertaining to the oceanic sustainability technologies
Why Use Blue, If We Have Green?
Green technologies aren't always economically feasible given our current level of technological advancement. Sometimes our infrastructure isn't prepared to handle an immediate switch to a particular green technology. For instance, our current battery technology and lack of charging stations are two such instances that prevent us from using electric vehicles for long-distance interstate travel (two issues that you may be able to help us solve!).
As such, using a blue technology still helps us reduce our environmental impact. Doing something is always better than doing nothing!
Sustainability
What Is Sustainability?
Environmental Sustainability is the ability to maintain an ecological balance in our planet’s natural environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations.