"Green" Flights

Taking small steps towards a more sustainable future?
How about taking a flight?
It has now become possible to power an airplane with a 100% bio-fuel.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130115-plant-powered-planes-show-promise

Instead of using kerosene, the polluting fossil fuel, the plane is fuelled by a rapeseed oil derivative.
There are also multiple possibilities to use algae, flax and even used cooking oil to power the "green" flights.

The reason why these fuels are said to be 'green' is that the plants from which they are derived are absorbing CO2 as they grow, removing it from the atmosphere. when they burn as a fuel they release the CO2 back, but without the net addition.

Currently, aviation is responsible for 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, and considering the future use of the bio-fuels this can be reduced to 0%

The trial flights on the mixture of bio-fuel and normal fuel have been conducted since 2008.
There have been many researches and trials since that time and, fortunately, everything goes well.
And in 2011 the first flight with 100% bio-fuel happened between Amsterdam and Paris.

GMO and our food

-How would you like your steak?
-Genetically Modified, please.

Will we ever happy to eat genetically modified meat?
My first answer would be "Never"
But what if we look at the Genetic Engineering as a science that actually helps us to be more sustainable?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150309-will-we-ever-eat-gm-meat

In 2012, the AquAdvantage salmon, could become the first GM animal approved for human consumption. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the fish is safe to eat and poses no threat to the environment. The approval was on the way, even though it met the opposition of environmental groups, but unfortunately the FDA stalled.

The AquAdvantage Salmon is genetically engineered to grow twice faster than typical farmed salmon, containing a growth-hormone gene from Chinook salmon and DNA from an eel-like species. It could potentially boom the market, reducing the environmental damages of salmon farming, but it is not yet approved to get to the market.

Genetic Engineering can resolve the issue of growing population, and particularly the issue if feeding people. There is a need to produce more food with less land and water resources used, in order to not degrade the environment for future generations.

There is strong resistance however from environmental groups. Whereas, in past few year, the Genetic Engineering industry has advanced greatly in making very precise changes to DNA, altering specific genes without changing other parts of an animal’s DNA

It can be described as the future of selective breeding, considering that genetic engineers are no longer mixing up different species' genes, but selectively adjust DNAs of the same species.

Does that mean the technological era will change pur minds about the GMO? Are they really safe and is that the only solution for future generations?

Building tomorrow

Urban lifestyle creates threat to the environment by using more resources and increasing green house effect. Unfortunately, nowadays building are mostly designed to accommodate people, purely functional as a building, without any consideration to promoting sustainability.
In order to sustain our environment and to reduce levels of pollution building design has to re-thought and the new, improved model of building design has to evolve.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130624-architecture-for-a-changing-world

The article above introduces Lars Lerup's theory of how the traditional way buildings affect our lives needs to be outmoded. Lerup suggests using new building materials to achieve more fluid structure and strongly states the the role of architect and architecture has to be re-thought.

One example of the new way of thinking is integrating life like bacterial elements that replicate natural processes. The material is said to be very flexible and can be printed suing desktop 3D printers. and installed into building façades. Protocells, which are most effective in water, could help buildings perform better in wet conditions.
In Britain, the first algaeponics unit on top of the School of Architecture, Design and Construction is installed, generating a sustainable oil, used as fuel.

Moreover, people are moving away from the fixed idea of building construction material being imported from somewhere else and they are exploring more and more options to use already available materials, reducing overall building's footprint.

The proposals and innovative ideas may seem as something very different and futuristic and unachievable, but we are not to eliminate any ideas at this stage.
Starting by rethinking the nature of building fabrics, we are slowly moving towards a better response to climate change.A flexible approach to architectural design will make us think more about sustainability and biodiversity.

Megacities: Can they get too big?

Megacities. What are they?  Generally the first thing that comes to mind is just the normal city x100.
A city that is big enough to be home for more than 10 million people. The growing areas and growing number of people does affect the way of life in those cities.

Can a city be too big? Is there a limit to which a city can grow, until it cannot sustain itself and function as a city any more?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-can-cities-become-too-big


Megacities may have the benefits of developed infrastructure, increased opportunities and advanced people interactions, but it also means with the increased \population, the problems get bigger as well.
It most definitely means more sustainability and economy challenges.

In the article above, there are evidence of Megacities struggles, that are actually appearing alongside with the increase in population. Air pollution, transport congestion and high house prices are among the challenges discussed
But here is the example of the Megacity fighting its way through global warming and rising sea level:

Jakarta, Indonesia

Suffering from all sorts of environmental problems from deforestation to global warming. The intensity of these issues is so high that the capital could one day become uninhabitable.

Global warming causes extreme floods in the area and scientists are predicting to have more. According to Owen Cooper, who works at the Earth Systems Research Lab in Boulder, Colorado, the sea level in Jakarta rise 6-9 mm per year which is faster compared to the rest of the globe.

In order to fight the floods, the city’s government has decided to build a 32-kilometre seawall and a chain of artificial islands. The project is expected to take 30 years to complete.

Sustainable restaurants?

The basic human needs are food/water/shelter. We need food to survive. No doubt food culture is one of the biggest in our lives. It surrounds us everywhere, it is so naturally integrated in our life that we dont even notice that it is there. But what is happening behind our food consumption?

With the example of a simple potato in the following video:
https://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_potts_dawson_a_vision_for_sustainable_restaurants#t-507458
Arthur Potts described the cycle our food go through before we get it on the plate. It goes from being grown, harvested, packed, transported, sold and processed to being consumed. But what are we missing is the waste that incorporates in every part of a cycle. It includes a waste of time, energy and waste of the actual waste.

The idea behind the sustainable restaurant is to minimise any waste throughout the process.
Arthur's restaurant is run entirely on sustainable energy. He is all about the idea of reuse and recycle. Every single aspect of the construction, design and service is taken care of, so there is no waste.
Even the menu is made in a way that the customer can vary the amount of food that goes on the plate.

I think there is a huge potential in these ideas as the food culture is strong all around the world.
If such a natural and essential activity affects the amount of energy wasted around us, we might think about how to reduce it. How to be more sustainable even with something so simple.

A credit card to offset your individual carbon guilt

Have you ever been offered any kind of rewards when using your credit card?
I'm sure the answer is 'Yes'. Every one has been trapped in some kind of a reward scheme, whether its the cash back promotion, discounted price on some items or some sort of gifts or vouchers.
But have a look at this:

https://sustaingreen.com/credit-card

Sustain:Green came up with the idea to bring the reward system to the next level. Now, every time you use your card, you fight against global climate change.Your carbon footprint (or the carbon footprint of the item you purchased) is reduced with the funding to reforestation projects.
 Sustain:Green hopes to use the rewards systems toward purchasing certified carbon offsets.

The company's CEO Arthur Newman states that there was always a lack of transparency involved in all sorts of fundings like this. people did know where the money are going. Also, some companies do have an option of offset after the purchase but with extra costs, which is ridiculous and does involve some kind of second though after the transaction has been finalised. His goal is to make the offsets free and easy.

The offsets aren’t free for Sustain:Green, but they have gone as far as they can to make purchasing offsets free for its customers.

I think its a very interesting project. People do not have to do anything to make a difference. there are no extra fees involved and no charges. People just live their lives, spend money and offsetting.

There is also a sector of community involvement. The website provides information on more projects by Sustain:green and people can vote for them, discuss and even make their own suggestions.

Another extra sustainable feature is that the card is biodegradable. According to Newman, the amount of credit cards being thrown away each year is highly underestimated - it’s about half a billion credit and debit cards every year.

Gardening in a polluted paradise: Is it safe?

Gardening in the city is today's popular solution to urban greening and biodiversity. But, taking into account the pollution levels we experience living in big cities, is it really safe to grow vegetables in the city?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150515111628.htm

In the article above, it is explained hoe vegetables take up different soil contaminants.

The researchers from Kansas State University grew tomatoes, collard greens and carrots in different type of soils. They also looked soil compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are potentially cancer causing and are believed to be found in urban environment soils.
The research then showed that the amount of compounds in the vegetables was safe. it was only the root vegetable causing concern, because they generally take up higher levels of lead from the soil.

However, the researches stated even with the small amount of this dangerous cancer-causing compound, the vegetables are still absolutely safe to eat. Even though, I found it a little bit disturbing, I would not  be happy to know that the food I'm eating contains potentially dangerous compounds. Surely, I will not be able to consume the amount of vegetables that it takes to actually make the compound dangerous, but the fact that it is there is just a little bit concerning.

Reflecting on those worries, the researches also tested different ways to decrease the chance of consuming the soil particles. the tests showed that while washing the vegetables in the lab with the soap was most successful, simple thorough wash with water would still be enough.

So, even though there are some dangerous compounds in the urban garden soils, it is important to know what are the other benefits and to evaluate risks. The small amount of soil compounds will not harm you, and overall urban gardens  do provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables right while living in the urban jungle.