Inhabitat

$555 Billion Sahara Solar Energy Belt Takes Giant Step Forward

A giant step has been made in what will be the world’s largest renewable energy project. While previously just a grand vision for the production of clean energy in the Saharan desert, the project now has a core group of backers and a signed agreement between 12 companies wanting to move forward with the $555 billion renewable energy belt. The 12 collaborators signed articles of association last week for the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative (DII), which will work to bring more companies and groups on board as well as focus on regulations and conditions to get the project successfully completed and generating pure power from the sun.

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Savior Bud Device Produces Drinking Water from Tree Leaves

by Ariel Schwartz, 10/29/09

Drinking water is all around us — if we know where to look. The Giving Tree-inspired Savior Bud designed by Seol Ah Sun and Kim Hyo Jin is a portable device that attaches to tree leaves and slowly collects water. After four hours, a full cup of water is ready for drinking.

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The End of Oil Art Exhibit: Ed Kashi in the Niger Delta

by Moe Beitiks, 06/20/09

In the Niger Delta, oil turns the rivers rainbow. Surrounding communities are engulfed in the emissions from constant natural-gas flaming. Generations that used to survive on fishing are now jobless and wandering — some have joined local militant guerrilla groups in an attempt to defend their land against the pillage of the oil industry. Ed Kashi has documented all this destruction in his stunning photographs, currently on view at Exit Art’s exhibition, The End of Oil, part of a series called Social-Environmental Aesthetics (SEA).

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Ethiopia Announces Largest Wind Farm in Africa

by Jorge Chapa, 10/15/08

When faced with the need to develop additional sources of energy, the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation recently decided that its best option was not to build conventional power plants. Instead, the electricity provider opted to fulfill its energy needs by building Africa’s largest wind farm! The 120 megawatt Ashegoba plant in north Ethiopea will provide for 15 percent of the nation’s present energy capacity.

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Green Building in Zimbabwe Modeled After Termite Mounds

Biomimicry’s Cool Alternative: Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe
The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, typifies the best of green architecture and ecologically sensitive adaptation. The country’s largest office and shopping complex is an architectural marvel in its use of biomimicry principles. The mid-rise building, designed by architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, has no conventional air-conditioning or heating, yet stays regulated year round with dramatically less energy consumption using design methods inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean masonry and the self-cooling mounds of African termites!