// About

What is this blog about?

I put this blog up as a repository for ideas, information and, if you’re up for it, discussion on topics related to some ridiculously nebulous and broad themes – environment, sustainability, development and technology. All of these themes are covered to a greater or lesser extend in the International Studies degree I am reading, and all of them are related to each other.

environment [ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt] noun

1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work,
2. (ecology) the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour,
3. the state of being environed; encirclement.

sustainable [səˈsteɪnəbəl] adjective

1. capable of being sustained,
2. (of economic development, energy sources, etc) capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage, sustainable development,
3. (of economic growth) non-inflationary

development [dɪˈvɛləpmənt] noun

1. the act or process of growing, progressing, or developing,
2. the product or result of developing,
3. a fact, event, or happening, esp one that changes a situation.

technology [tɛkˈnɒlədʒɪ] noun ((pl -gies))

1. the application of practical sciences to industry or commerce,
2. the methods, theory, and practices governing such application, a highly developed technology,
3. the total knowledge and skills available to any human society for industry, art, science, etc.

There are thousands, millions of blogs, feeds, tweets, people, ideas and conversations out there all related to these areas, and next to no empirical truths or ‘best’ ways of doing things. Facts fight with opinions, statistics, gut reactions and media hype for attention. This blog will therefore evolve, I hope, as I find more information and try to get to grips with bullshit, sentimentality, hype, meaningless statistics, and find some genuinely useful and effective ideas.

Ideas for what? Well, if you’re interested in any of the themes of this site, you’re interested in how we can support and protect the world we live in, and improve the lives of the people in it.

Why read this blog?

If you get something out this site, excellent. You may find this site interesting if you are studying in one of the theme areas mentioned, as I am. Possibly you’re interested in one or more of the themes, and this blog provides another perspective. I’ll try to keep things simple (never mind you, they have to be simple for me).

The photograph used in the title bar of this site is NASA’s Blue Marble, a composite image of the Earth.

Who’s writing this?

I’m Nathan Nelson, currently working in IT in the UK while reading International Studies BA with the Open University and exploring career options.

Apart from my studies, I have a little experience of working abroad in the voluntary sector, I’ve travelled extensively, and I have met some truly inspirational people working in development. Hopefully that means I won’t be talking complete cobblers. If I do, sorry, and let me know why, but play nice.

My other blog is here, and you can also follow me on Twitter.

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