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July 2016 - page 2

Morocco converts fog into drinking water!

in Sustainable development by

Since 2014, these black nets provide water to five villages. Their secret? They capture the millions of micro droplets in the fog! At first glance, these big black nets stretched vertically in the middle of nowhere have no reason to be. Yet, they perform a task as surprising than essential: they transform the fog … drinking water! Focus on an invention that changes the life of entire villages.

This funny installation is 1225m above sea level on mountain Boutmezguida. This is where in Morocco that water harvesting from fog is carried out since 2014!

The principle is surprising but it is nevertheless very basic. Nets (with a total area of 600m2) capture micro-droplets present in the mist, with a pipe; carry them one by one in a large basin. Once the water is collected, it is filtered and then piped to 5 small villages at the foot of the mountain!

This is not the first time that such a system is used. The idea was born in Peru in 2006. Aissa Dehrem, the president of the Dar Si Hamed for development, education and culture association, who originated the project, told National Geographic: “I immediately thought that the concept could be imported here. Especially when I saw the TV antennas installed in Botmezguida collecting mist of water condensed in the air. ”

Nets capture micro-droplets present in the mist

It was well seen. Adapted to the Moroccan climate, these nets now provide the daily needs of 500 people! “Before, women and children had to walk more than three hours a day to fetch water. And when the well was dry, they had no choice but to buy water at a high price. ”

Water for all and for all time! A remarkable initiative that reminds us how the precious liquid is rare and should be cherished.

India plants 2 billion trees along its highways

in Sustainable development by

Inde arbre

In India, the government identified two major problems: youth unemployment and poor air quality. Fortunately, they found an innovative solution that kills two birds with a stone. The government has thus devised a plan whereby 300,000 young people will be recruited to plant 2 billion trees on the edges of highways.
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USA: the first green city out of the ground in Florida

in Sustainable development by

babcock-ranch-floride1

Syd Kitson is a former professional American football player and has now converted into a real estate developer. He decided to embark on an environmental project in Florida, building the first US city solely powered by solar energy named Babcock Ranch.

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Salt provides energy to 75 000 families in Nevada

in Renewable Energy by

75 000 homes are being powered by solar energy in Nevada 24/7 without the sun. This is a first in the world and has been made possible through the Crescent Dunes project which is a revolutionary plant using molten salt to store energy.This technology is also Read more

Organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers

in Agriculture by
Photo: Peter Lüthi, Biovision
Photo: Peter Lüthi, Biovision

Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Kenya has undertaken a 10-year research showing that organic agriculture produces similar yields like the traditional methods but is more profitable. (Article published on the website of FiBL, June 30, 2016)

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The ‘Three Amigos’ vow 50% clean energy by 2025

in Renewable Energy by

trois amigos

United States, Canada, and Mexico will join hands to use greener and cleaner energy like wind, solar and other carbon-free sources of electricity, in order to generate at least 50 percent of its energy from “clean” sources by 2025. This promise was made at the ‘three amigos’ summit in Ottawa last week. (Article appeared in Chicago Tribune on June 28, 2016) Read more

Iceland transforms carbon dioxide into limestone

in Renewable Energy by

iceland-geothermal

It has no climate-related worries. However, Iceland, land of ice and fire, is the first to have created an efficient and inexpensive system of burying carbon dioxide emissions. This ingenious and revolutionary system would convert carbon dioxide into stone quickly, and possibly (surprisingly) .
This is not the first time that researchers are trying to find a solution to get rid of carbon dioxide emissions. However, according to representatives of Reykjavik Energy, who are behind this project called CarbFix, this new method of pumping the CO2 which has been dissolved in the water is crucial to the ecology.
Once pumped from the volcanic rocks of the country into basalt, carbon dioxide was transformed into limestone in a lapse of two years. The researchers themselves were surprised by the speed of this process where the gas was changed to a solid body in just two years. This transformation could have taken thousands of years, if left unattended.
This test took place 25 kilometers east of Reykjavik. The researchers injected 220 tons of CO2 in volcanic layers of up to 800 meters below the surface of the earth. They also added water which has reacted with the gas to form a key factor in mineral reactions, carbonic acid. Samples were taken at several intervals from nearby wells.
“We must fight against rising carbon emissions and it is a technique to store permanently shaped stone,” said Juerg Matter who is the head of this project, at a function at the University of Southampton, UK.

We must fight against rising carbon emissions” – Matter

A potential challenge for the new technique is that it requires large amounts of water; that is, 25 tons for every ton of CO2 buried. However, Juerg Matter considers that sea water could be used, which already abounds on coastal sites.
“In the future, we may consider using it for power plants in places where there are a lot of basalt and there are many of these places,” said Martin Stute, part of the research team at Columbia University, US.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that storing carbon dioxide is extremely important in the fight against climate change at a very effective and inexpensive way.

Human and plants coexist in a self-sufficient house in Sweden

in Sustainable development by

In the south of Sweden, close to Lake Vättern, the architects of the Gothenburg office ‘Tailor Made Arkitekter’ have designed a self-sufficient house.

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