Technological Miracles
Insights into innovation: the degree to what extent sustainability problems can be solved by innovative technology.
Thinking Beyond Technology to Ensure Food Security
Food production uses large amounts of water. To be more precise, agriculture accounts for 70 percent of global water use. As the world’s population grows, increasing amounts of food, and therefore increasing amounts of water, are needed. At the same time, there are growing concerns about global and regional water scarcity. The question arises then: » read on
Overlooked at the Forum: Hydraulic Fracturing
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, thinks that World Water Forum organizers should have been ashamed that fracking, the colloquial term referring to unconventional natural gas drilling, was not at the top of the Forum’s agenda. I can understand her frustration. Over six days of panels, I could only find one dedicated » read on
Sustainable Development and Water: Desalination in the Arab World
It is common knowledge that we are unsustainable consumers of water resources. Agricultural, household and industrial use deplete the Earth’s freshwater and experts state that water shortages will cause the next wars. One of the most water sensitive regions of the world is the Middle East. Rich in fossil fuels, but water-poor, the Arab world » read on
Using Low Quality Water to Increase Food Security in the Americas
Low quality water is essentially wastewater that has been treated using high-level technology so that it can be used (or more aptly reused) to irrigate agricultural and industrial crops and recharge aquifers. Why would we switch to using low quality water when we currently use fresh water for agricultural irrigation? Sources of freshwater are steadily » read on
A Subtle Whiff of What is to Come: Geolide Wastewater
Written by Martha Powers and Heidi Travis The large glass geodesic dome pictured on the left graces the entrance to the Marseille Geolide Wastewater Treatment Facility. The interior of the public area of the facility is clean and modern with little hint of what is just underground. The facility is located in downtown Marseille, commissioned in » read on
Measuring Impact: What’s the beef with beer?
Whenever I go backpacking, I choose a flask of liquor over beer, even though I prefer beer. Why? Because the flask is lighter than a few bottles of beer. But in the ecological backpack, beer is among the lighter items you can bring! An ecological backpack, or rucksack if you prefer, measures a product’s impact » read on
Solar, sweet solar
Today I attended a presentation on a very concrete topic: self-efficiency with photovoltaic and hydrogen. Michael Schubert works for Fronius International GmbH, which proposes the model of a self-sufficient house based in Central Europe. One major problem of solar energy is the storage. Here, Fronius International proposes a storage system based on hydrogen gas: » read on
What you didn’t know about Nanotechnology
Thirty out of 60 surveyed participants at the World Resources Forum feel skeptical about Nanotechnologies. 25% feel good and 25% don’t know what Nanotechnologies are. The reality is that we use Nanotechnologies in our everyday life. We eat, wear, or apply on our faces products that incorporate components that have been engineered at the molecular » read on
Resources management: A new platform for counting the assets
As promised, I am bringing some information from the dinner with Jacqueline M. McGlade to you: Actually the last post did not cover at all the various and different research activities of her. Her newest project is just about to be released. It is going to be presented in mid December in Abu Dhabi and » read on
Thinking Beyond Technology to Ensure Food Security
Food production uses large amounts of water. To be more precise, agriculture accounts for 70 percent of global water use. As the world’s population grows, increasing amounts of food, and therefore increasing amounts of water, are needed. At the same time, there are growing concerns about global and regional water scarcity. The question arises then: » read on
Overlooked at the Forum: Hydraulic Fracturing
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, thinks that World Water Forum organizers should have been ashamed that fracking, the colloquial term referring to unconventional natural gas drilling, was not at the top of the Forum’s agenda. I can understand her frustration. Over six days of panels, I could only find one dedicated » read on
Sustainable Development and Water: Desalination in the Arab World
It is common knowledge that we are unsustainable consumers of water resources. Agricultural, household and industrial use deplete the Earth’s freshwater and experts state that water shortages will cause the next wars. One of the most water sensitive regions of the world is the Middle East. Rich in fossil fuels, but water-poor, the Arab world » read on
Using Low Quality Water to Increase Food Security in the Americas
Low quality water is essentially wastewater that has been treated using high-level technology so that it can be used (or more aptly reused) to irrigate agricultural and industrial crops and recharge aquifers. Why would we switch to using low quality water when we currently use fresh water for agricultural irrigation? Sources of freshwater are steadily » read on
A Subtle Whiff of What is to Come: Geolide Wastewater
Written by Martha Powers and Heidi Travis The large glass geodesic dome pictured on the left graces the entrance to the Marseille Geolide Wastewater Treatment Facility. The interior of the public area of the facility is clean and modern with little hint of what is just underground. The facility is located in downtown Marseille, commissioned in » read on
Measuring Impact: What’s the beef with beer?
Whenever I go backpacking, I choose a flask of liquor over beer, even though I prefer beer. Why? Because the flask is lighter than a few bottles of beer. But in the ecological backpack, beer is among the lighter items you can bring! An ecological backpack, or rucksack if you prefer, measures a product’s impact » read on
Solar, sweet solar
Today I attended a presentation on a very concrete topic: self-efficiency with photovoltaic and hydrogen. Michael Schubert works for Fronius International GmbH, which proposes the model of a self-sufficient house based in Central Europe. One major problem of solar energy is the storage. Here, Fronius International proposes a storage system based on hydrogen gas: » read on
What you didn’t know about Nanotechnology
Thirty out of 60 surveyed participants at the World Resources Forum feel skeptical about Nanotechnologies. 25% feel good and 25% don’t know what Nanotechnologies are. The reality is that we use Nanotechnologies in our everyday life. We eat, wear, or apply on our faces products that incorporate components that have been engineered at the molecular » read on
Resources management: A new platform for counting the assets
As promised, I am bringing some information from the dinner with Jacqueline M. McGlade to you: Actually the last post did not cover at all the various and different research activities of her. Her newest project is just about to be released. It is going to be presented in mid December in Abu Dhabi and » read on