The kind of megapolises we live in makes us wonder what is going to be like after a few decades. We may imagine crowded streets without enough space to move our toes. However, Nobel-Prize winner Dr. Daniel Kammen believes the cities can in fact be self-sustaining eco hotspots and can allow people to lead a healthier lifestyle than we do today.

Any of the polluting and energy consuming devices and technologies may be phased out and the cities would be blessed with cleaner air and water. Urban gardens could provide as an alternative to farm products, which strip the soil of its nutrients. Alternative fuels, good waste disposal systems, and also mass housing may help our future cities sustain themselves and not leave ugly carbon footprints. In fact, carbon footprints are left by each individual, even when one drives to the supermarket.

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Well, this bit might have just caught the attention of the international eco-lovers; but the truth is that Indians have been enjoying the benefits of a human-powered ferris wheel for a long time.

The video of the same on YouTube is the reason for the sudden hohullah! They are calling a zero-emissions ride that is great for the environment and for a few laughs. Without using a generator, this giant wheel is put into action by a team of zealous men who climb up one by one and turn the wheel so that it keeps on spinning, and everyone else can have a joyride! As a result, this ride does not send across harmful gases into the atmosphere.

By the by, I’m sure you will be surprised to know but this is no new thing in India. Only that it involves a large ferris wheel. Yep, the small-town carnivals of yore and even now always have a small-sized ferris wheel meant for children which is run by a man single-handedly!

Indeed, a bright green idea.

Via TreeHugger

Israel celebrated its very own ‘Public Transportation Day’ on September, 23rd. An event that saw a professional conference being organised by the local green groups, plus a 6km drag race in Tel Aviv between different modes of transportation. The race was symbolic because Israel’s transportation has been bogged down by the increasing traffic and air pollution. The promised subways are just being built extremely slowly.
On the other hand, the rail system is witnessing a lot of delays and cost overruns. So, it was time the public decided for itself, which is the best mode of conveyance. The bright Tuesday morning, saw a race between a bus, which only travelled in its designated lane, a bicycle and a car. The three vehicles started out from the outskirts of Tel Aviv going towards the central train station.

The bike won and people saw how it was the best, quickest as well as green way to get to one’s destination. The bus came second while the car took the longest time struggling in the endless traffic.

Via treehugger

It’s time to see young and innovative minds approaching the world with their fresh and youthful initiatives. Now lately in the turf of solar powered vehicles a further name, which is going to be impressed, is of University of Iowa Solar Club as the students of university has remarkably instigated an energy efficient solar bike on the roads.

This ecofriendly pollution free bike designed by a collegiate group comprising ten to twenty students can actually revolutionize the whole world of city bikes as of its superb green eminence. The only disheartening facet of this bike is its slow and sluggish speed which comes up to be somewhere around 50 mph only. In today’s viable and hasty world such a lethargic vehicle would not be able to survive for a long time until or unless some relevant perfection is attained in its speed front.

Under the headship of Daniel Rogge, an industrial engineer, the group deems to achieve the target speed of 62 mph in imminent future. Although this newly commenced solar innovation exhibited in yellow color appears to be a weird creation yet it would be barely defied by anyone in this young and modernized horde.
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Via Uiowa

Clean diesel car buyers in Japan will now be rewarded incentives by the next fiscal year. The government is looking to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and is willing to go the extra mile for those who help them achieve their goal. And it’s certainly not the first time Japan will be doing so. If you remember way back in 1998, the Japanese government offered consumer incentives on hybrid cars for nine years to promote gasoline-electric vehicles when they were first launched.
The cars in discussion will be those which meet the tighter regulations on nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. These cars will be introduced in Japan by October 2009. News is that Nissan Motor Co will probably be the first to launch a diesel car that meets the criteria mentioned above. Honda, Mitsubishi and Fuji too will follow suit. Another thing to note is that the only brand selling diesel passenger car, Mercedes-Benz, will not clear the next emission standards.
Diesel cars emit less carbon dioxide and are 20-30 per cent more fuel efficient than gasoline cars.
Via enn

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Imagine a scenario where the polluting elements from a car’s exhaust get miraculously nullified by the road on which the car is running! This might become the reality in near future in a small Dutch town – Hengelo. The town’s University of Twente is now testing a nouveau type of concrete which it claims is an “air-purifying concrete”. The university claims this unique concrete absorbs nitrogen oxide particles which are emitted by car exhausts. The titanium dioxide-based additive alters this concrete. The latter is able to bind nitrogen oxide with the help up sunlight falling on it and converts them into nitrates (harmless species). These can easily get washed away with the rain shower. Currently, the new concrete will be tested on the roads of Hengelo in parts only as the townsfolk is still skeptical over this concept.

So, green bricks made out of this air-purifying concrete will be laid down in alternate sections will the normal one on the road and then further studies will be conducted to determine its effectiveness. If the new concrete proves its mettle then hurray, at least there will be a beginning of green pavement in that part of the world!
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Via: engadget

In today’s crammed world, one would incontrovertibly desire a means of commutation that would not put load on pollution and contamination level, put aside fuel and energy and above all for its own comfort, a highly spacious vehicle that could lodge enough of luggage and bags. One would not confide but Piers Prendergast creatively designed electric car actually dishes up these entire functionalities in a single serving. This newly build up eco conceptual car apart from offsetting fumes enables us to heave all types of luggage including shopping bags, grocery bags, sports gears inside the car as it goes well with the city people needs. There is ample room granted for our baggage and belongings in this supremely sized and formed ecofriendly car.

Outline of the car structure has been primed observing the constraints of metropolis populace. The construction of this city car is innovatively atypical from customary designs as it has been crafted essentially to jog on jam-packed roads. Hailed as the Electracity this car truly is a micro courier vehicle with its carcass pulled out a bit longer.

With a foldable chassis and automatic sliding door this modern-day electric vehicle is suited for both labor and leisure activities. Undoubtedly this city concept car is going to hit the existing automobile industry and metropolitans in very short span of time.

Via Dvice

The Chinese government has left no stone unturned to control pollution in their capital city in the wake of the Olympic Games. The skyline is accentuated by a hazy smog that just refuses to lift as more and more foreign journalists pour into the 2008 Olympic city. In fact, the government is so worried about the whole thing that measures which should be invoked only in ‘extremely unfavourable weather conditions’ were posted on the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection Website on Thursday. And this crusade against pollution was started on 1st July with a ban on 300,000 high polluting vehicles. Soon driving and traffic restrictions were imposed removing almost two million vehicles in the city.

Looks like the stereotypical preventive measure are not enough for the Chinese government as they have also come up with innovative traffic restrictions. Apparently, odd number (licence plate) vehicles can hit roads on odd days and even number vehicles on even days. More than 105 heavy polluting factories too were padlocked. The sky gods seem to be ppreciating the Chinese effort to bring down pollution with the approaching rains. Environmental officers claim that pollution has dropped by 20 percent due to all these efforts. However, the foreign journalists beg to differ.

Via greendiary

The brunt of global warming as seen in form of climate change is getting harsher below the Earth’s mighty oceans. Coral reefs of Pacific are facing survival threat in manners more than one. The rise in temperature above the ocean surface owing to massive CO2 emissions is resulting in a change in the pH levels of water bodies. Primarily basic in nature, oceans are now becoming acidic by the day. The increasing acidity could be disastrous eventually, as it is hindering the formation of Corals which have an intricate calcium carbonate skeleton. Moreover, the results of new research indicate that the glue which holds coral reefs together and tethers it to the ocean floor may not form with the increase in oceanic acidity levels. A higher acidic level means a lower pH-at lower levels of pH the process which results in formation of cementing binder gets substantially affected! The formation of coral is a slow process. The calcium carbonate precipitated out of ocean water forms the binder. This binder rushes through the pores of coral’s skeleton.

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These results are an outcome of the comparison studies wherein, scientists studied CO2 levels in eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, near the Galapagos Islands (the region is known for its naturally varying oceanic carbon dioxide levels) and compared them with western Pacific’s data. According to researchers, the eastern Pacific is essentially nature’s own laboratory to study the how’s and why’s of coral reef ecosystems. Although the waters of Galapagos are upwelled by the incoming currents of colder water and this may be one of the factors in the cementation difference as noted by the scientists during their studies. But, the findings of this research definitely add up to the devastating effects (as Scientist predict) of rising CO2 levels both above and below the oceans. Thus oceanic acidity affects coral reefs in two ways:1) slows down the coral skeletal formation by hindering carbonate formation and 2) affecting the process of glue-formation which is very important for the survival of coral reefs.At this corrosive rate, ocean acidification should not be ignored by the global community.World leaders are actively addressing� issues� of global warming and climate change but forgetting that the triangle gets completed with the third place getting occupied by ocean acidification!

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Via: Discovery

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Today every positive move towards curbing pollution counts and whenever I hear about any such development I like to share it with you all. After a ban on plastic bags in China, Israel, Australia (Melbourne) and San Francisco, it’s now Los Angeles’ turn.� The city dwellers want to green-up their homes, offices and play grounds by completely shunning plastic bags by 2010. The positive move is now going to materialize with the coming in effect of Assembly bill (AB 2058) next month. The latter will addresses recycling issues and a fee for plastic bags. This means the new legislative measure will take care of the 2.3 billion bags consumed by LA’s population. Until now, there was a voluntary program residing in the city which involved encouraging customers to opt for reusable bags (which sums up to 5% of entire lot).

But as it turns out the move is not enough to tackle the problem of growing numbers of plastic waste. Besides plastic, a ban on Styrofoam will also be implemented by 2009 at all city-owned facilities (including LAX). The enormous Styrofoam and plastic waste piled up in LA contributes to direct pollution of Pacific Ocean owning to the city’s prime location. After hearing all this good news from Melbourne,� San Francisco and now Los Angeles too, I whole heartedly feel others should also embrace such bans, especially India where plastic nuisance has choked her major rivers like Yamuna and is daily adding on to its pollution scale.

Via: inhabitat