Letter from the Director

Ignacio Restrepo Abondano

It would turn a blind eye to reality, if we were not aware of the profound changes that are plaguing our traditional habits.

Among them, it is clear that the effect of the image that holds strong battle against the speech we were habituated to. And what of the technological developments that overlap with always shorter intervals under which quickly become obsolete instruments that not long ago seemed to us useful. In the life of older adults and even less so, the system has to communicate substantial rollover from the magnetic phone, via the automatic, now replaced, not only by the cell phone but the intenet, which in wonderful way makes million people dependent on the "blackberry" for long hours, day and night.

Still in the lives of our parents to travel to another continent - think Europe - meant huge risks and indeterminate time not infrequently assumed almost final farewells and visits to notaries to keep records of the last will.

Not long ago, in years, air travel, to go to Europe meant a two or three stops to provide fuel to the engine and rest to travelers in long hours. Today seems a cinch to take a plane and 10 hours to be in Madrid, Paris or London, not knowing what will be in five or ten years.

Television happened in a few years as a trial, something very primitive, black and white with great technical limitations to be today an universal and complex phenomenon that does not recognize distances each day and add significant new technological breakthroughs to reach the digital probably will be replaced by something much more efficient in no time.

But changes are occurring even more momentous for human life .. And thus we are not referring only to the impressive advances in medical and biological sciences, but to international efforts in environmental matters.

Climate change removes the world in its economic fundamentals, the industrial world, energy production, water use, the imbalance of the glaciers, with the nefarious effects that may occur in the life of mankind. Is it any effect of the action of Men over nature, or has to do with changes in the solar system beyond our own hands? - It is an open question.

What is certain, is the concern and society movement to prevent contamination of the environment to return to the "green", to replace energy sources. And this movement, the university can not be absent.

In fact, universities have been the cradle of theories and movements that currently affect about universal changes in attitude.

Very modestly the University Sergio Arboleda has joined these behaviors, with the firm will to be certified "zero carbon", which aims to mitigate and offset the emissions of C0₂ by the academic and administrative community. In this line we ascribe the University Wellness efforts to promote energy conservation, paper and water. In the same way the university has been declared smoke-free space, so that the smoke was banned from our campus.

Such action necessarily must be reflected in an organ as the review CIVILIZAR, is another of its objectives to delve into issues of health and environment from the standpoint of our disciplines in the social sciences.

Thus, our pages will draw reflections that correspond to current and interests so actual for the society.