Waste is threathening to choke our planet. But it could help save megawatts of energy, tons of CO2, and valuable resources, if used properly.
Most people see the stuff they throw away as ‘waste’—smelly, ugly, toxic junk they want removed. The citizens of the Swedish city of Malmö, however, don’t see waste, they see resources.
Allianz has successfully encouraged employees in the City of London to recycle and reduce waste, using some imaginative tactics. Education is the key, says Ian Ranger, who has guided Allianz to gold in the ‘Clean City Awards’ for four years running.
Without the millions of rag pickers that search for recyclable garbage, India’s cities would drown in waste. But the general public still shuns them as outcasts, criticizes film maker Parasher Baruah.
Buildings gobble up almost half the world’s energy and spew out nearly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Making them greener is the quickest, easiest way to avoid a climate catastrophe.
The Empire State Building is a 20th century icon. But she’s showing her years, so it’s time for a 21st century facelift. The world’s best-loved skyscraper is going green, helped by the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Caroline Fluhrer.
Donnachadh McCarthy refurbished his nineteenth century London home so efficiently that he now sells electricity back to the British national grid. How did he do it?
The European Union is banishing conventional lightbulbs. The move will save tons of CO2 and lots of money. Critics complain that the alternatives are costly, not bright enough, and contain harmful substances, but the end is nigh for lightbulb jokes.
Emily Wadhams of The National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States explains how the preservation of historic sights and the idea of sustainable building go hand in hand.
It will never rival the beauty or fame of the Taj Mahal, but the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad may be more important to India’s future, kick-starting a green building revolution. Allianz Knowledge took the tour.
