Hi Five Awesome Environmental Projects Undertaken By Large Cities!.

Hi Five Awesome Environmental Projects Undertaken By Large Cities!.

Environmental conservation is every nation's rallying call in the wake of its massive destruction around the world and the dire need to conserve it for ourselves and the future. Unless proper measures are undertaken to protect and conserve it, we shall only be around long enough to watch it perish and we after it.

Many, if not all the nations of the world, in this realization have come up with ingenious ways and projects to conserve the environment and keep it that way for a long time to come. We will look at least five of these projects carried out in major cities around the world.

Near Albany, NY, a company known as Ecovative Design came up with a low-cost innovative zero-waste, bio-based packing material that replaces foam packaging like urethane, Styrofoam and plastic thermoforms. The process takes place indoors, in darkness and doesn't require any human intervention.

It mainly uses fungi which 'grow' on custom-shaped forms that are made from inedible crop waste like buckwheat husks. There is zero waste because all the raw material becomes part of the final product, and easily becomes compost after the intended use.

This product in essence replaces 196,000 cubic feet of foam plastic packaging parts, thereby saving 77 thousand gallons of petroleum annually, essentially because approximately 10% of petroleum used in America goes to the manufacture of plastics and foams.

In Tokyo Bay, an ambitious construction project is being developed to help in the conservation of the environment. The Shimizu Corporation has an ambitious project of constructing a pyramid that is three miles long, making its height 14 times higher than the Great Pyramid of Giza. There are smaller projects too that have just as big ambitions, the Vancouver Cigarette butt recycling program, looks to make Vancouver the most eco-friendly city by 2020.

The pyramid will be made up of 204 other smaller pyramids and will have at least 750,000 housing units for people in Tokyo. The carbon fibre material used to make the pyramid will be mainly light weight; the pyramid will be host to shopping centres, restaurants, research facilities and private homes. The residences and businesses will be powered by wind power, solar power and algae scum.

In the Maldives, an ambitious project funded both by the government and well-wishers has been started up to conserve corals. Seamarc, a consultancy company in marine matters has engineered an innovative technique where new corals are propagated on metal frames.

This is made possible through a process of transplantation using broken fragments of corals harvested from the natural reef. The coral fragments are then attached to the metal frames where they grow into new colonies.

Discernible difference can be viewed within 2 months of the initial 2-3 weeks that follow the transplant. Proceeds from each frame are used to fund local community initiatives and also towards research in Cocoa Island's marine conservation pro-grammes.

Another construction project in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi is building the 1st carbon-neutral city in a span of 10 years. The city will have all cars banned within city limits; only solar-powered vehicles would be allowed within the city.

80% of all the water in the city will be recycled and all human waste 'repurposed' and converted to energy for use. This city would move beyond the current dependency on oil and will be the world's first zero-waste, zero-carbon city, especially because the city will be built with recycled materials from ground up which will eschew carbon emissions.

In Europe, a recycling process for waste water to be used in hotels was developed by Marco Cremona, an engineer, mainly to be used in hotels. Its system, based on the innovative Membrane BioReactor (MBR), this is a waste water treatment process that is used together with reverse osmosis process (RO) that is well proven. With this process, 70-80% of the water brought in by the hotel will be conserved.

Hi Researchers use HIVE to test latest building methods.

Hi Researchers use HIVE to test latest building methods.

A new research facility in Wiltshire is set to 

advance the development of sustainable 

construction materials and systems.

Funded by EPSRC, the £1m HIVE facility will allow construction companies and researchers to conduct realistic, full-scale testing of their facade designs in open-air conditions.

HIVE, located at Bath University’s Building Research Park in Swindon, consists of eight cells that are insulated from one another, each with a single face left exposed to the external environment.

The cells themselves will let researchers analyse the environmental impact of construction materials including their energy efficiency, flood resilience, structural capability and internal air quality.

‘People are interested in looking at the latest iteration of their products and trying to compare them with previous iterations or with competitive products to see whether or not the performance is something to shout about,’ said Dr Mike Lawrence, director of the Building Research Park.

He cautioned, however, that related projects are beset with issues surrounding finding a suitable location to build, gaining planning permission and installing the infrastructure to carry projects out.

Dr Lawrence said: ‘[HIVE is] plug-and-play…we’ve already got the data loggers, all the infrastructure, weather stations, communications [etc.].

‘They can, on day one, start their programme, which saves between six months to a year of time.

‘At the other end when you’ve finished your programme, you often have to deconstruct your building and put everything back to where it started. Again, we’ve got processes where the whole thing can happen much more quickly and effectively.’

Sixteen platforms will be available alongside HIVE for researchers to construct pods of up to 125m³ enabling flexible testing of construction systems and performance.

‘We can whack [buildings] up very quickly because the foundations are already there and when the experiment’s finished take it down and put something else up straight away – all of the infrastructure is there,’ said Dr Lawrence.

Carbon footprint:

The construction industry is widely acknowledged as having a considerable carbon footprint, a situation that Dr Lawrence is keen to redress.

‘The construction industry is responsible for half of global emissions, that’s an enormous amount and big target to hit,’ he said. ‘Let’s try and hit it, let’s both improve its on-going performance but also…make a building with a lower carbon footprint actually embedded into it.

‘So instead of putting in lots of steel and concrete, let’s put in materials which have much lower environmental impact, or indeed where the energy input into building [a structure] is less than the energy stored within the fabric of that building if you convert it into carbon dioxide.’

 Inside the HIVE:

• a hygrothermal cell to evaluate movement of heat and moisture through buildings, energy efficiency, air tightness and acoustic efficiency;
• a double-height and width cell that can be used for flexible construction design, testing façades, internal walls and floors, together with a strong roof, allowing for load testing;
• a flood cell that can be used for testing the resistance of construction materials to high water levels or for testing technologies that resolve the effects of flood damage;
• a bladder cell that enables the testing of construction panels against horizontal loading such as wind load and geotechnical forces.

Hi Ozone Layer Healing, But...

Hi Ozone Layer Healing, But...

According to the ozone sensors on Europe's MetOpt weather satellite, the hole over Antarctica in 2012 was the smallest in the last 10 years. 

Since the beginning of the 1980s, an ozone hole has developed over Antarctica during the southern spring - September to November - resulting in a decrease in ozone concentration of up to 70%. 

Man-made chlorofluorocarbons - CFCs - have a negative effect on the ozone, depleting it and creating the infamous hole. 

The Montreal Protocol has stopped the increase of CFC concentrations, and a drastic fall has been observed since the mid-1990s. 

You can see the Total Ozone values in the Northern Hemishpere and Southern Hemisphere along with the climate model prediction (in blue) showing recovery continuing over several decades.

The good news is that the Antarctic ozone hole is on the way to recovery. 

The bad news is that scientists now think it is helping to slow the polar seas' ability to absorb carbon dioxide, a leading contributor to Global Warming. 

Antarctic accounts for about 40% of the total carbon absorbed by the world's seas. 

Scientists at Johns Hopkins University found the same winds that caused extremely low temperatures leading to higher levels of ozone depletion are speeding circulation patterns in polar waters, with the currents closer to the land pushing more deep water up to the ocean surface.

Scientists worry that the increasing upwelling of that water, hundreds of years old and naturally rich in carbon dioxide, is reducing the amount of manmade carbon absorbed by sub-polar waters.

Thanks to the Montreal Protocol we are well on our way to eliminating the use of CFCs. 

The damage however will go on for decades and more.

Further information on these most recent studies can be found in the Feb 15, 2013 issue of OzoNews click the following link here to download.

Hi' Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality;

Hi' Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality;

Indoor air pollution is considered as one of the top environmental risks to public health worldwide due to increasing number of building-related illnesses. 

Studies have found that concentration of indoor pollutants is significantly higher indoors than they are in outdoor environment, which is two to five times and sometimes hundred times higher than outdoor levels. 

As most of the people spend 80% to 90% of their lives indoor, indoor air quality has significant implication on sustainability.

Decreased indoor air quality can affect quality of life of the building occupant, increase health risks and increase the liability for building owner, decrease the productivity of occupants and reduce the resale value of the building. Poor indoor air quality can cause “sick building syndrome”, which is a medical condition linked to poor health and absenteeism.

Poor indoor air quality is due to many factors including but not limited to improper building design, inadequate ventilation, off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from furniture, carpets, paints and coatings, cleaning products, and from human respiration. Airborne particles such as lints, dust, dust mites, mold, bacteria, pollen and animal dander also contribute to poor indoor air quality. Indicators that are used to measure the indoor air quality include total particulate matter, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), formaldehyde, carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), air temperature, relative humidity (RH). Concentration of CO₂ in the indoor environment indicates whether ventilation is sufficient or not.

In the Middle East region, most of the people live in enclosed air-conditioned indoor environments. With rapidly growing population, increase in number of vehicles on the road, high temperature level, ever increasing construction activities, regular sandstorm, concentration of air contaminants in the region is among the highest worldwide. Indoor environment also reflects outdoor air quality and pollution. Transport of outdoor contaminants to the indoor environment can result in occupant exposure to outdoor pollutants that have serious health impacts. In addition, there are many sources of indoor pollutants present in building materials, cleaning products, indoor mold and legionella growth, and emission from interior furnishings, finishing and equipments.

Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality;

Indoor air quality is influenced by concentration of outdoor air pollutants as well as indoor source of pollution, characteristic of building and habits of occupants. Appropriate building design and mechanical system and control strategies as well as changing occupant behaviour can improve indoor air quality and health and comfort, performance and productivity of building occupants. There are a host of strategies to improve the indoor air quality.

Appropriate design;

Building envelop, orientation, and location of air intake, location of mechanical ventilation systems can contribute to indoor air quality. Hence, these factors should be considered during the design stage of projects to control the main source of pollutants for the whole building.

Whole house mechanical ventilation;

Properly designed and sized ventilation system can supply adequate outdoor air to indoor. In most of the green building rating systems, industry standards such as ASHRAE Standard 62 or Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality are commonly followed.

Mixed mode ventilation:

Use of combination of mechanical and natural ventilation systems in buildings, such as automated window controlling systems and operable windows, can help in maintaining healthy indoor air quality.

Air quality management during construction:

During the construction phase, molds can develop due to exposure of building materials with moisture. Dust and particulates can easily accumulate on building materials if they are not protected. The air quality during the construction period can be protected by protecting the building materials from dust and particles and moistures.

High efficiency air filters: 

Filters prevent transports of outdoor VOCs, dusts, particulates and ozone indoors. Use of good particle filter such as high MERV rated filters in ventilation equipment are found to be the most effective filters in filtering outdoor dust and particulates out.

Maintenance schedule for HVAC filters:

Dirty filter can cause sensory irritation. Hence, appropriate maintenance schedule can prevent this to happen.

Use of low emitting materials: 

Use of materials that have low VOC content for products such as indoor carpets, rubber flooring, sub-floor materials, ceramics and ties, plasterboards, or other sealants and adhesives.  Also internal construction materials with low formaldehyde content can be helpful.

Conduct building flush out: 

Flushing out of indoor contaminants thoroughly in buildings before occupancy will help replacing dirty indoor air with fresh outdoor air.

Green cleaning program:

Select cleaning materials that are made of low emitting materials and employ a green cleaning program to reduce contaminant exposure.

Carbon dioxide monitors: Install CO₂ monitors in ventilation system and integrate them to regulate the supply of fresh air according to the building occupants demand. By doing so, if the CO₂ concentration increases beyond a set point, then the airflow automatically increases. 

Sustainable Cities.

Hi Regional Focus "Middle East - Egypt Report":

Hi Regional Focus "Middle East - Egypt Report":

* Egypt GHG emissions, reduction strategy: 

*Content:


▪ Overall country perspective
▪ Industry overview
▪ Deep dive on selected sectors


Click Here To Download the Full Report

*Executive Summary:

Approach:

Emission baseline and abatement potential have been estimated on a macro sector basis (with a focus on 5 key sectors Power, Building, Cement, Road transport, Agriculture).

▪ Data has been collected from available public sources (local and international), syndicated by interviews with local experts and using values from comparable countries.

▪ Greenhouse Gas (GHG) abatement analysis has been developed with the objective of providing an 

integrated perspective on emissions reductions and cost. It cannot be used to forecast exact CO2 prices/ CO2 regulation or forecast individual technologies. 

Overall Business as Usual (BAU):

Emissions in 2005 are in the range of 220 Mt CO2 e and are expected to grow up to ~550 Mt CO2 e by 2030 contributing to ~0.9% of world emissions.

▪ In 2005 emissions per capita versus GDP per capita in Egypt are in line with other developing regions 

(such as India, Latin America and  Middle East), and throughout 2030 are expected to follow a typical 

growth pattern of a developing country.

▪ The 5 main sectors (Power, Building, Cement, Road transport, Agriculture) account for ∼75% of total emissions in 2005  and are expected to slightly increase their relative importance by 2030 (∼77% of total emissions). 

▪ Overall industry related emissions account for ∼29% of the total emissions in 2005 and are expected to increase their relative share to ∼36% by 2030.

Potential abatement:


Overall abatement potential is in the range of ∼200 Mt CO2e, equivalent to ∼36% of BAU at 2030.
▪ The overall potential is slightly lower than comparable developing regions mainly due to lower potential from the power sector (absence of coal plants, in BAU most of the total power production is already generated by relatively low gas plants).
▪ Total abatement potential of ~200 MtCO2e is fragmented into multiple levers and can be partially
implemented with economic benefits.
▪ Most of the abatement potential comes from the 5 key sectors  (Power, Transport, Cement, Building,
Agriculture) which account for ~80% of the total abatement.

*A specific methodological approach has been followed..