The 10 Cities That Are Leading The Way In Urban Sustainability

Salman Zafar:

Take all of the best qualities of these municipalities–effective road management, cap and trade, sustainable energy, excellent public transportation, a zero waste program, and so on–and you have an urbanist’s dream city.

Originally posted on Master in Regenerating Intermediate Landscapes:

Cities are the laboratories where the most innovative ideas for surviving in the future can be tested. These 10–from New York to Tokyo to Bogota–were just awarded City Climate Leadership Awards for their work.

With a few exceptions, national governments aren’t going to make a big dent in climate change and associated environmental problems. They’re too big, slow, and in many cases, don’t even want to acknowledge a problem that’s so politically inconvenient. Over the past half decade or so, it has become increasingly apparent that cities are leading the way–and ultimately, have the greatest chance at boosting our chances for survival in the face of declining resources and rising seas.

This week, Siemens and C40 (the Cities Climate Leadership Group), announced the 10 winners of the inaugural City Climate Leadership Awards, given to municipalities around the world that have demonstrated “excellence in urban sustainability and leadership in the fight…

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Impact of Transportation on Overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Food Waste Recovery Systems

Salman Zafar:

571 miles is approximately the additional one way transit (collection and long haul) before waste to energy and composting are of equal value from a greenhouse gas emissions perspective.

Originally posted on Resource Strategies Blog:

Q: How many additional miles can a ton of food waste that will ultimately be composted travel before there is no longer a net greenhouse gas emissions reduction compared to the existing MSW disposal option?

A: 571 miles is approximately the additional one way transit (collection and long haul) before waste to energy and composting are of equal value from a greenhouse gas emissions perspective.

Municipalities considering implementing organics recovery programs often ask about the greenhouse gas emissions of composting, waste to energy, and landfill and generally how to think about trade-offs in transportation distances between the options.

To help with understanding the relative magnitude of the emissions, here’s a back of the envelope calculation along with some additional variables to keep in mind should your municipality or business be wrestling with the same questions.

Based on national averages, U.S. EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery have developed…

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Environmental Cleanup by Microbes

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

Ecosystems are permanently challenged with the abundant release of toxic compounds into the environment due to a wide range of anthropogenic activities. Apparently, contamination with oil spil…

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Bioremediation of polluted environment using an environmental-friendly, versatile and cost-effective technology such as microbial bioremediation will reduce the health risk, rescue the biodiversity heritage and restore the damaged ecosystem naturally. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Environment and Peace

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development

The unprecedented demand for natural resources is fuelling ethnic conflicts, causing large-scale displacement and is a severe threat to the lands, livelihoods and the way of life of indigenous people. Infact, many of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa and Asia in recent years have been fuelled by profits from the exploitation of natural resources, including diamonds, timber and minerals.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Environmental cooperation can be initial building blocks for increasing confidence and enhancing trust between communities, hence, reducing uncertainties and mitigating tensions. Cooperative sharing of resources encourages common goals, and establishes recognized rights and expectations.

See on www.ecomena.org

Exploring Life in the Dead Sea

See on Scoop.it – Water Board

For the majority of mankind’s history and from the anthropocentric view, the Dead Sea has been considered the model of an absolutely lifeless body of water. However, this concept was proven inaccurate with the discovery of halophylic Archaea, the native flora of the Dead Sea. An example of a well-adapted and widely distributed halophylic microorganism is Halobacterium sp [HS].

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Halophiles have recently been targeted for their potential use in environmental and biotechnological applications. With few exceptions, little is known about the applications of extremophiles that can be a great source of novel commercial applications. 

See on www.ecomena.org

Islam and Sustainability

See on Scoop.it – Fostering Sustainable Development
Islamic beliefs, traditions and values provide an effective and comprehensive solution to the current environmental challenges faced by the human race. Islam has a rich tradition of highlighting the importance of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources.

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

According to Islam each man is the custodian of nature, and must live with harmony with other creatures. It is the duty of all Muslims to respect, nurture and care for the environment.

See on www.sharnoffsglobalviews.com

Trends in Recycling of Polystyrene

See on Scoop.it – Waste Waste Everywhere

Despite the attractiveness of polystyrene, municipalities and organisations are facing a growing problem in disposal of polystyrene packaging and products. Being large and bulky, polystyrene take up significant space in rubbish bins which means that bins becomes full more quickly and therefore needs to be emptied more often. 

Salman Zafar‘s insight:

Polystyrene is lightweight compared to its volume so it occupies lots of precious landfill space and can be blown around and cause a nuisance in the surrounding areas. 

See on www.ecomena.org