Category: Environment

Urban Living Better than Sub-urban Living

From the blatantly obvious department comes a short piece on how people can be kinder to the environment by living in an urban setting. The suburban lifestyle isn’t the best for the environment for many reasons, so everybody move downtown to show the world some love!

The fact is, urban living is kinder to the planet, and Manhattan is perhaps the greenest place in the US. A Manhattanite’s carbon footprint is 30 percent smaller than the average American’s. The rate of car ownership is among the lowest in the country; 65 percent of the population walks, bikes, or rides mass transit to work. Large apartment buildings are the most efficient dwellings to heat and cool.
And guess what high-speed means of transportation emits less atmospheric carbon than trains, planes, and automobiles? The humble counterweight elevator put into service in 1857, which has made vertical density possible from Dubai to Taipei.

Video on NY Environmental Artist

This landed in my email today from Parisa:

I’d like to share with you a video from Current.com that I thought you and your blog would appreciate; in the piece, Fritz Haeg–green architect/artist, discusses his current art project called Animal Estates where he makes homes for animals where people live in cities, suburbs, private properties, institution, etc. Based on the Manhattan Project, Fritz’s intention is to make homes for animals that used to live four-hundred years ago on locations where he’s placed his art. In the video, Fritz discusses his inspiration, roots, concepts and the ideas behind this project

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Plastic Bottle Island Ready for the Public

We’ve looked at Spiral Island before and now people can actually visit the island made out of old plastic bottles.

Ecoble has more info on the island and looks into some controversy around the island (if it gets destroyed all the plastic bottles become litter again).

Find more photos like this on Richie Sowa's Spiral Island

Proof That Rain Forests can be Saved

Costa Rica is establishing itself as a fantastic spot for eco-tourism and to ensure that they continue to be so awesome they need to protect their natural environment. Costa Rica is trying to reclaim land that was taken away from their tropical forests and replant the natural species in hopes of revival – and it’s working.

When the researchers planted worn-out cattle pastures in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees in the early 1990s, native species of plants began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rain forests could one day be replaced.
Ten years after the tree plantings, Cornell graduate student Jackeline Salazar counted the species of plants that took up residence in the shade of the new planted areas. She found remarkably high numbers of species — more than 100 in each plot. And many of the new arrivals were also to be found in nearby remnants of the original forests.
“By restoring forests we hope not only to be improving the native forests, but we are helping to control erosion and helping the quality of life of the local people,” said Carl Leopold, the William H. Crocker Scientist Emeritus at BTI. He pointed out that drinking water becomes more readily available when forests thrive because tree roots act as a sort of sponge, favoring rainwater seepage and preventing water running off hills and draining away.

Eco Mombassa

Mombassa is going to be home to Kenya’s first eco-city. The spread of the eco-cities is fantastic news because urban living is fun and is becoming more environmentally awesome!

Construction of Kenya’s first eco-city — a residential settlement that is environmentally, socially, economically and culturally self-sustaining — has commenced on the outskirts of Mombasa, with the first phase expected to be ready for occupation by the third quarter of this year.

The whole project will take four to five years to complete.

Going by the name Hacienda, the development, located in the Mwakirunge area of the North Coast, off the Mombas-Malindi highway, will have 6,250 housing units — of two- and three-bedroom flats, and three- and four bedroom bungalows — to be developed in 10 phases.

The plan also includes a hospital, school, playgrounds and recreation facilities, a police station, commercial centres and office blocks, among other vital amenities.

According to Urban Ecology Australia, a non-profit organisation promoting people- and nature-friendly urban settlements, an eco-city is a human settlement that enables its residents to live a quality life while using minimal natural resource