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Powerland Cairo: Trash Talking

Jon JensenDecember 1, 2011 20:00

Cairo — Hanna Fathy, 28, enthusiastically pushes food scraps into his kitchen drain. When he looks at the pink paste that gathers in a bucket under his sink, he doesn’t see trash, he sees a source of renewable power.

He carries the slop to the roof of his home in a slum east of the city, and pours it into an old storage barrel.

“We can use the same organic waste that we’ve already paid money for when we bought it as food, to make energy and save the environment from using fossil fuels,” Fathy said.

Powerland Buenos Aires: A Recycling Resource

Paul ByrneNovember 25, 2011 18:45

Buenos Aires, Argentina — When the lights go down in this city’s commercial district, an army of workers descends upon the emptied streets. Pushing homemade carts, these cartoneros, or cardboard collectors, scavenge the trash of wealthy neighborhoods for recyclables.

“I was hit by bad luck. I had to go and live under a bridge because I was evicted,” said Maria Julia Navarro. “To be able to feed my children, I had to go out onto the streets gathering cardboard and paper.”

Powerland Beijing: From Fries to Fuel

Jocelyn FordNovember 22, 2011 11:05

Beijing — When Lu Xirou goes to a Chinese restaurant, he’s not thinking about food. The Beijing biofuel executive thinks of gas stations, and climate change.

“China produces 3 million tons of waste cooking oil a year,” Xirou said over a recent meal. “This can be recycled into 3.5 million dons of bio-diesel. This can reduce Carbon dioxide emissions by 7 million tons. That’s a huge number.”

Powerland Medellin: Wheels of Change

Nadja DrostNovember 18, 2011 08:31

Medellin, Colombia — Around the world, discarded tires are piling up in backyards, gullies and landfills. They take decades to decompose unless they are burned, which releases toxic gases.

It’s a global problem, but a possible solution is taking shape in a warehouse outside of Medellín. That’s where Diego Castaño and small team of colleagues at a company called Procellantas are developing a method to recycle tires using microwaves.

Powerland Kuala Lumpur: Green Redesign

Zan AzleeNovember 10, 2011 21:02

Malaysia is one of the fastest developing nations in Southeast Asia. Much of the growth is centered in urban areas, with 70 percent of its residential housing in cities like the capital, Kuala Lumpur. This development is good for the country, but it may be bad for the environment.

“Unfortunately, houses in Kuala Lumpur have never been designed to be environmentally friendly. Many of the houses in urban areas are not designed in a sustainable manner,” said local architect Clement Wong.

Powerland Lisbon: A Greener Education

Lucija StojevicNovember 2, 2011 14:36

With a visionary pilot project in three high schools, Lisbon hopes to be one of the first cities in the world to create carbon neutral schools.

The Smart Urban Energies for Schools project began in 2008 when Parque Escolar, in of the Portuguese Ministry of Education, noticed that recently renovated schools were using a lot of energy. So the government enlisted the help of international companies to try to make them more efficient.

Powerland Issaquah: Sustainable Suburbs

Tim MatsuiOctober 25, 2011 11:31

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — At first glance, the neat rows of houses in Issaquah Highlands seem like those in any other suburb. But look closer, and the differences become clear.

Homes and stores are sandwiched tightly together near a mass transit hub. A newly opened medical center has brought hundreds of jobs to the community. And more than half of the development’s 2,200 acres have been maintained as parks and open space.

Powerland: Amsterdam's Wind Power Push

Suzanna KosterOctober 14, 2011 13:53

For centuries windmills were an essential part of life in the Netherlands, pumping water, cutting wood and milling wheat.

But today’s electricity-producing wind turbines are less popular.

“They look hideous on the landscape. I find they spoil it,” said one Amsterdam woman.

Powerland: New Delhi

Sonia NarangSeptember 28, 2011 16:14

NEW DELHI, India — In this sprawling capital city of 16 million people, solar panels are popping up all over prominent buildings, from the Presidential Palace to sports stadiums and even a historical tomb.

It's all part of the Indian government's plan to install solar panels on high-profile rooftops around Delhi, where space is tight and open land is limited.

Powerland: Fukuoka, Japan

Michael CondonOctober 3, 2011 12:37

In Fukuoka, the most populated city on Japan’s Kyushu Island, the Acros Fukuoka building rises like a mountain from a central park.

The concept was to create a building that, while man-made, seemed to grow organically from the adjacent green space — which was one of the last of its kind in the city center.

As Japan and the rest of Asia look ahead to save energy, they are turning to the Acros Fukuoka building as a possible blueprint for more efficient urban planning.