A Glance at Sick Building Syndrome

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Sickness of buildings results from a group of factors associated with effects of high concentrations of toxic pollutants present inside the building. In many cases, occupant’s behaviors such as closing windows while using ACs in summer or central heating system in winter leads to an unhealthy indoor atmosphere due to poor ventilation,.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

To ensure elimination of SBS-related problems, several measures must be taken including improving the indoor air quality, as building sickness will diminish once the pollutant source is removed or modified.  Another key measure is repairing or replacement of ventilation system to meet ventilation standards in the local building codes. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Rationale for Protecting Wetlands

See on Scoop.it – Water Board

Wetlands are wonderful for numerous reasons but these wonders weren’t always known to man and it was often common to overlook the importance of this distinct ecosystem. The mention of a wetla…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

The structure of wetlands enables them to absorb rainfall and thus reduce the volume of water that enters into rivers and streams which naturally lowers the risk of flooding. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Environment Protection Outlook for the Middle East

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Environmental protection has become an increasingly important item on the social and economic policy agenda of Middle East nations. Having studied in Cairo and visited Doha and Dubai several times, I can attest to the environmental degradation occurring in the Middle East. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

It would be beneficial to draw upon the Islamic environmental traditions in marketing to the Arab world, in addition to leveraging the example of other locally-relevant respected religious and social figures. Essentially, the success of any environmental initiative stems largely from it being seen as fashionable and easy to do. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Moving Beyond the Niche in Green Sector

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

The problem with green products, even the ones that are actually effective/not green-washing, is that they still fall into a niche category. Every product out there, from solar PV installation services to biopolymer household disposables, is made for everyone – yet very often not marketed to everyone or used by everyone, at least not a percentage worth celebrating.  

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Encouraging consumer behavior includes thinking on that level; it’s why superficiality has successfully trumped the grandness of the planet’s dilemma for decades. The entire concept of “recycling hasn’t proven effective either in technicality or in adoption as a mass behavior, so let’s recycle harder” is not smart environmentalism.

See on www.cleantechloops.com

Global Waste Management Trends

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

Waste management is highly context specific. Therefore it is important to distinguish between the conditions in the Global North and the Global South. Recent ILO figures suggest that 24 million people around the world are involved in the informal waste recycling sector, 80% of whom are waste …

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

The composition of waste is also very different in the Global South where organic waste is a much larger percentage of the waste stream. Because of the high percentage of organics in the waste stream in many cities in the Global South, innovations in decentralised composting and small scale biogas have been seen across the Global South (particularly in India) and can be used effectively by the informal sector, making a zero waste future a real possibility.

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Unending Benefits of Connected Vehicles

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Connected vehicles technology is a wireless-based technology which enables vehicles (light as well as heavy) to instantly communicate with each other, through an onboard installed device that recei…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

The system focuses on improving air quality, reducing GHG emissions and decreasing fuel consumption. Connected vehicles technology is a good tool to mitigate climate change and achieve emissions reduction targets.

See on www.ecomena.org

Dealing with Plastic Wastes

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

While use and consumption of plastic is increasingly high, doubts about viable options for reuse, recycling and disposal are also on the rise. Complications such as the increasing number of additives used alter the strength, texture, flexibility, colour, resistance to microbes, and other characteristics of plastics, make plastics less recyclable. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Plastic waste directly and indirectly affects living organisms throughout the ecosystem, including an increasingly high impact on marine life at a macro and micro scale. 

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Water Insecurity and the Paths to Global Water Security

Salman Zafar:

The road to worldwide water security is a holistic one that includes many factors. For clean water to be allocated equitably and sustainably, we all have a role to play in the fight against water barons and food barons, and we have to try to be stewards of our environment.

Originally posted on What Controls Us:

I wrote this for a presentation in my ENS class. It was too long to finish, so I thought I would post it. It deals with humanitarian issues like water security and how it is connected with food security, farming practices, waste management and infrastructure.

Some basic water facts: 

 

Water Molecule Showing Shared Electrons

As many know, water itself is composed of H20 molecules, containing two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom held by covalent bonds. Fresh water has a salt concentration of less than 0.1%. Water exists in three phase states as a gas, liquid and solid. Temperature and gravity change the phase state of water.

Life evolved from nucleic acids in water aided by the hydrologic cycle, and water is vital for all known forms of life. [1] The human body contains 55 to 78% water and requires at least one liter of water per day. [2] Water…

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Motivating Green Building Around the World

Salman Zafar:

Colombia is disproportionately affected by climate change. There have been huge floods that have killed many people and destroyed entire towns. Now, developers and the government are realizing that the costs of not investing in green infrastructure are exceedingly high. More that 50% of new buildings in Colombia are green buildings.

Originally posted on City Mentality:

Sustainable design has been a major buzzword this year. Everyone is attempting to hop on the green craze to make their business responsible, forward thinking, and up to date. Whether those are legitimate efforts or throwing around unregulated words like “natural” and “sustainable,” depends on the business. But, one of the good things to come out of the sustainable design buzz, is that green building is actually rising globally because people’s perceptions are changing and the barriers are dropping. I think that’s a good thing and CEO of Colombia’s Green Building Council and Former President of Singapore’s Green Building Council, both of whom I saw on a panel at Greenbuild, agree.

Colombia

Colombia’s Hotel Virrey has a vertical garden with 25,000 plants. Image courtesy of inhabitat.com.

Colombia is disproportionately affected by climate change. There have been huge floods that have killed many people and destroyed entire towns. Now, developers…

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Insights into Computer Recycling

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

A recycling company should apply the rules of the Waste Hierarchy when recycling old computers, whatever the age. For example in this case, reuse is the most favoured recycling technique, followed by recovery of working parts then recycling the materials contained within. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

As long as the recycling of older equipment is performed ethically and responsibility, we can reduce the environmental impact. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Informal Recycling Sector in Latin America

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Some cities in Latin America are facing this challenge by integrating the informal sector recyclers who are already active in their cities into the municipal solid waste management systems. In many cities, these “recicladores”, “cartoneros” or “catadores” (a few of the many names used for these workers in the region) are responsible for up to 90% of the recyclable waste recovered from the waste stream.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Informal recyclers provide important a range of services to municipalities (such as waste collection and recovery in communities that would not otherwise have access to them), as well as cost savings (for example, the extension of landfill life and reduced transport costs), yet are rarely compensated for these benefits.

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Synthetic Biology and Biogas Industry

See on Scoop.it – Renewables

Essentially a process operating by living organisms, the biogas industry is a natural target for synthetic biology. Among numerous microbes in anaerobic digester, methanogenic Archaea are one of a few microbial groups that have been extensively studied, and a number of genetic tools are available for engineering via synthetic biology. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Synthetic biology also holds great potentials to revolutionize the biogas industry. To achieve this goal, joint efforts between the biogas industry and academia must be made. The former side needs to understand what synthetic biology can achieve, while the latter side should identify which parts of the process in the biogas industry can be re-designed and optimized by synthetic biology. 

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Roadblocks in Waste-to-Energy Implementation

See on Scoop.it – Energy Blog

The biggest obstacle to the implementation of Waste-to-Energy (or WTE) lies not in the technology itself but in the acceptance of citizens.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Waste-to-Energy or recycling has kept public discourse from questioning whether there may not be intermediate or case specific solutions. This polarization serves to move the conversation nowhere. For now it can be agreed that landfills are devastating in their contribution to Climate Change and must be done away with. 

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Food Security in Qatar

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

The cultivation of food crops is a difficult proposition for Qatar due to scarcity of water supply and limited availability of arable land. The country is vulnerable to fluctuations in international commodity markets because of heavy dependence on imported grains and food items. The increasing dependence on foreign food imports is leading to a growing sense of food insecurity in Qatar.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Limited land availability, chronic water scarcity and constraints in agricultural growth have led to growing concerns about food security.in Qatar

See on www.ecomena.org

Sustainability in Buildings

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Building construction and operation have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment. Buildings use resources such as energy, water and raw materials, generate a variety of wastes and emit potentially harmful gases. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Countries around the world are taking steps towards implementing sustainable design in the building sector. However most of them are still far from reaching the intended targets.  T

See on www.ecomena.org

More action necessary towards banning plastic bags

Salman Zafar:

Places such as England, New Delhi and South Australia are also eliminating plastic bags through bans and taxes. When China enacted a ban on plastic bags, it saved 1.6 million tons of petroleum that would have been used for production.

Originally posted on Kalli Ricka Wolf:

Walk down almost any street in Tucson and you’re bound to see plastic grocery bags in the sewer drains, stuck in bushes and cactuses. Our windy environment makes for a storm of plastic bags being picked up and blown around, which makes them an eyesore and a threat to our desert ecosystem. Before the problem gets more out of hand, the city ought to place a tax or ban on plastic bags.

More than one trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually, according to Reuseit.com, but only 1 percent of them are recycled.

“If you’ve never looked at this issue before, you could be astounded and overwhelmed,” said Leif Abrell, a scientist who works in the Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants at the UA. “It’s insane how much material is out there, and there are different ways that this is a problem for our environment.”

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Making a business case for Sustainable Development

Originally posted on Corporate Sustainability :

The rapidly growing world population and the pressure it is putting on the environment and natural resources, has raised many concerns. The apprehensions shared by the global community pertain to the question – how Sustainable will such a development be in the long term?

Of late, Sustainable Developments a topic that has been cropping up in a number of conversations the world over. The concept is not new and over the years has gained attention and importance in the numerous world summits. Sustainable Development is a complex term that involves numerous issues concerning environment as well social and economic changes, all of which are inter-related. Brundtland Commission (1987) captured the definition in a simple and concise manner: “Development that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Sustainability in the context of businesses is an approach that aims to…

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Hazards of Olive Oil Wastes

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

Due to its complex compounds, olive processing waste  is not easily biodegradable and needs to be detoxified before it can properly be used in agricultural and other industrial processes. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Even a small quantity of olive wastewater in contact with groundwater has the potential to cause significant pollution to drinking water sources. The problem is more serious where chlorine is used to disinfect drinking water. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Biogas Production in Tanneries

See on Scoop.it – Energy Blog

Anaerobic digestion of tannery wastes is an attractive method to recover energy from tannery wastes. This method degrades a substantial part of the organic matter contained in the sludge and tannery solid wastes, generating valuable biogas, contributing to alleviate the environmental problem, giving time to set-up more sustainable treatment and disposal routes. Digested solid waste is biologically stabilized and can be reused in agriculture.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

When the locally available industrial wastewater treatment plant is not provided by anaerobic digester, a large scale digestion can be planned in regions accommodating a big cluster of tanneries, if there is enough waste to make the facility economically attractive. In this circumstance, an anaerobic co-digestion plant based on sludge and tanneries may be a recommendable option

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

What does 3D Printing mean for Waste

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

3D printing is something of a double-edged sword when it comes to waste. It creates new recycling problems, but has considerable potential to help prevent waste. It could even be an outlet for recycled plastics. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

3D printing offers numerous challenges and opportunities to the waste management industry. The best approach would be for the waste management industry to engage positively with the designers and manufacturers of the 3D printing devices, trying to identify opportunities to ensure that the circular economy doesn’t become an afterthought.

See on www.ecomena.org

Islam and Nature

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

There are over 6,000 verses in the Holy Quran of which more than 500 deal with the natural phenomenon. Allah, the Almighty, repeatedly calls on mankind to reflect on His signs, which include all aspects of nature such as trees, mountains, seas, animals, birds, stars, the Sun and the moon and our own hearts. Islamic jurisprudence contains regulations concerning the conservation and allocation of scarce water resources;

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Humans have the capacity to subvert the world, far more than any other living species. We also have the capacity to uphold the physical world. Islam believes that all human souls come from a garden, and that at the end of time each soul will either enter the garden or the fire. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Green Lessons from Hadith

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Prophet Muhammad categorically taught people to live on less, to protect animal and plant life, and to worship the Creator by being merciful to the creation. What is also distinctive about Prophet Muhammad’s advice is the connection between ethical practices and the eternal effects in the life after death, which represents a greater incentive for Muslims to care for the earth and its resources.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Animals have a huge role in the ecological welfare system. The tenets of the Shariah law towards animal rights make it obligatory for any individual to take care of crippled animals, to rescue strays and to guard a bird’s nest of eggs.

See on www.ecomena.org

EcoMENA – Sustainability Hub for the Middle East

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

EcoMENA came into existence in early 2012 with the primary aim to raise environmental awareness in the MENA region and provide a one-stop destination for high-quality information on environment, energy, waste, water, sustainability and related areas.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

EcoMENA provides encouragement to people in tackling major environmental challenges by empowering them with knowledge and by providing them a solid platform to share their views with the outside world. With soaring popularity of social media, networking plays a vital role in assimilation of ideas, knowledge-sharing, scientific thinking and creativeness.

See on www.ecomena.org

The Promise of Seawater Desalination

See on Scoop.it – Water Board

Water scarcity is a major problem in many parts of the world affecting quality of life, the environment, industry, and the economies of developing nations. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Recent researches indicate that we can produce that much freshwater with less than 1 kWh of electricity, and no other paid-for source of power is needed. This process is fuelled by concentration gradients of salinity between different vessels of brine. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Rural Culture in Islam

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Rural culture developed magnificently during medieval times in the Islamic Mediterranean countries. It has left its mark on many aspects of daily life in the countryside, from Sicily and the Spanis…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

For Muslims, tending the land is anamanah, a responsibility, because during their time on earth they are mere khalifah (or vice-regent), and are obliged to use the land with moderation and balance. In Islam, work in itself is an act of adoration, and if the work involves cultivating the land, the benefit multiplies.

See on www.ecomena.org

Waste-to-Energy Industry Trends

See on Scoop.it – Energy Blog

The global market for biological and thermochemical waste-to-energy technologies is expected to reach USD 7.4 billion in 2013 and grow to USD 29.2 billion by 2022. Incineration, with energy recovery, is the most common waste-to-energy method employed worldwide. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Currently, the European nations are recognized as global leaders of waste-to-energy movement. They are followed behind by the Asia Pacific region and North America respectively.

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

Causes of Climate Variability

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Earth’s climate has always been affected by a range of natural factors. It is known to have changed significantly during recorded history, even before gaseous emissions from human activity could ha…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

There is a complex interaction between the two components of climate; the climate variation and change in atmospheric and/or the oceanic circulation pattern. These interactions result in shift in the temperature and precipitation probability distribution functions (PDFs) towards a wetter/drier/warmer/cooler conditions.

See on www.cleantechloops.com

Solid Waste Management Situation in Morocco

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

Solid waste management is one of the major environmental problems threatening the Mediterranean Kingdom of Morocco. More than 5 million tons of solid waste is generated across the country with annu…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

The proper disposal of municipal solid waste in Morocco is exemplified by major deficiencies such as lack of proper infrastructure and suitable funding in areas outside of major cities. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Composting for Beginners

See on Scoop.it – Renewables

Composting can be categorized into different categories depending on the nature of decomposition process. The three major segments of composting are anaerobic composting, aerobic composting, and vermicomposting.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Aerobic composting is the process by which organic wastes are converted into compost or manure in presence of air. In this process, aerobic microorganisms break down organic matter and produce carbon dioxide, ammonia, water, heat and humus, the relatively stable organic end-product. Although aerobic composting may produce intermediate compounds such as organic acids, aerobic microorganisms decompose them further.

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com

A Case for Biomass Energy

See on Scoop.it – Renewables

Biomass energy has rapidly become a vital part of the global renewable energy mix and account for an ever-growing share of electric capacity added worldwide.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Bioenergy systems offer significant possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to their immense potential to replace fossil fuels in energy production. Biomass reduces emissions and enhances carbon sequestration since short-rotation crops or forests established on abandoned agricultural land accumulate carbon in the soil.

See on www.bioenergyconsult.com