I apologize for the shortness of this entry, but I’ve been enjoying my holidays and avoiding the office. Catching up with my workload on my return has pushed me to the deadline for this blog. So, here’s a pie-in-the-sky list of what I would love to see happen relating to sustainability in 2013!

1. Development of a viable capacitor-battery hybrid. It would have the quick charging & discharging abilities of a capacitor, the storage capabilities of a battery, and be very scalable (since I’m dreaming, here). Solar and wind power could finally be dependable energy sources! Whoa, this would be huge.

2. Banning plastic shopping bags. This is based less upon the raw materials going into them and more upon the post-use life of this filmy plague. They either fill up our landfills or escape into the environment and wreak havoc. They’re also a potent symbol of our ridiculously disposable culture. They are single use items with a common lifespan of an hour.

3. Here’s an easier one: banning EPS foam from consumer goods. No more Styrofoam cups, throwaway coolers, or foam product packaging. Vast mats of tiny little beads float in our oceans, never to dissolve.

4. An agreement between major electronics manufacturers to design their products so that at least 95% of the components can be safely recycled after the device becomes obsolete.

5. Industry and political leaders admitting that global climate change is a direct result of human society. If I can’t be optimistic in January, what’s the point?

Here’s to dreaming!