Eco-Friendly Travel Destinations in France
The fourth-largest Mediterranean island is a perfect choice if you want your holiday green and healthy!
France
Oil fracking protestors in Algeria rise up against their regime, Total and Shell
Big demonstrations have spread from the Sahara to Algiers, after Algerian authorities announced the drilling of the first shale gas well in the country. With world’s oil prices plummeting people are starting to wonder: why frack? Can the environmental cost outweigh the benefits of energy security now that prices are falling and renewables within reach. […]
Bernard Pras: Spot the Upcycled Objects in this Art
Using only upcycled objects, French artist Bernard Pras reinterprets iconic images through the art of anamorphosis. Relying on old trash gathered near his installation sites, Bernard Pras from France assembles clothes and rags, wood, old record albums, dishes, broken toys (and anything else he can grab) to re-interpret pop-culture images. It’s far from ad hoc: […]
Look “Fly” in Hubert Duprat’s Jewelry Made by Insects
A French artist has stumbled upon a real-life alternative to Cinderella’s ball-gown-sewing mice: spectacular jewelry crafted by bugs. Hubert Duprat employs insect craftsmen – a species of small, hairy-winged critters called caddisflies. These cousins of moths and butterflies, sometimes called “sedge-flies”, have a genetic predisposition towards waterfront property: their habitat includes streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, […]
France Says “Oui” to Masdar Renewables Deal
Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber signed a joint declaration with the French government, paving the way for new collaboration on advancing clean energy projects in France. The deal facilitates co-development of new technology and allows for easier transnational exchange of expertise and experience. In also underscores existing cooperation on the Global Atlas of Renewable […]
Mediterranean’s Worst Eco-Debtor Not in the Middle East (Yet)
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says that the Mediterranean’s biggest eco-debtor is Italy, meaning that nation uses more resources than it generates. Does that mean Middle Eastern nations bordering the sea are environmentally savvy consumers? Mama Mia, no! The medium is the message, said Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan. And the message is skewed by the words. […]
Abu Dhabi’s Shams 100 MW CSP Solar Power Plant To Switch On … Soon
Shams 1 will displace 175,000 tons of CO2 per year and its power output will be enough to power 20,000 homes. Abu Dhabi’s push into clean energy is to get a massive boost by the end of the year with the Shams 1 Concentrated Solar Power plant going live in the emirate and will begin supplying solar power […]
Leap-second Bug Consumes Megawatts of Electricity
Was it the leap-second bug that pushed America’s power plants beyond their capacity? A 61 second minute was added to clocks around the world on June 30, 2012 at 23:59:60 UTC in order to compensate for slight variations in earth’s rotation speed. This triggered a number of software bugs one of which caused a spike […]
Arabs Undressed, Artfully
Paris art exhibit tackles Islamic taboos in a show aimed at broadening Western views of Mid East culture. Oooh la la…The Body Uncovered, at Paris’ Arab World Institute (AWI), presents two hundred controversial paintings, photographs, sculptures and videos that tackle variations of a provocative theme: the naked body. A mix of art forms created by […]
The Weird Science of Pedestrian Behavior Might Help Hajj
Math helps us understand how people flow, and just maybe it could help Hajj pilgrims stay safe. A Californian jogs to the beach. Coming towards him on the sidewalk is a Texan. Unless one steps aside they’ll collide. Quick: which way does the jogger move? If this is in Europe or the USA, heavy odds he […]
Morocco to Build Cars in Zero Carbon Factory
Morocco’s zero-carbon car factory opening earlier this month, via NY Times. The CEO of Renault–Nissan alliance Carlos Ghosn and Moroccan King Mohammed VI inaugerated French automaker’s one-billion-euro plant in Tangier which is set to boost Morocco’s automobile industry.The plant will build several new ‘low cost’ vehicles with an annual capacity that could reach ups 400,000 […]
IUCN to Make Nature’s Solutions Central to the World Water Forum in France
A leader in conservation, IUCN aims to demonstrate that nature has the solutions to our upcoming water crisis. Thousands of people will gather for the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France between the 12th and 17th of March, 2012 in order to address the escalating challenges presented by water shortages, pollution, and population growth. […]
Stop TGV Campaign Challenges Morocco’s Controversial High Speed Rail Project
This graphic shows other ways to spend the $2.4 billion planned for what critics call Morocco’s luxury high speed rail project A group of Moroccan Non-Government Organizations have launched the Stop TGV campaign in protest of Morocco’s $2.4 billion high speed rail project. The TGV line is expected to link up Casablanca with Tangiers by […]
Nanosolar’s Ultra Thin Solar Panels Could Go East
By being longer, Nanosolar’s solar panels are less costly to install Advances in solar energy panel technology is reaching a stage where it is now possible to purchase DIY home kits to create solar powered electricity on the roofs of your home. And solar array panels are even being installed on the roofs of chicken […]
Canada, Japan, Russia and France Bid to Build Jordan’s First Reactor
There’s no stopping Jordan: it will build a nuclear reactor outside of Amman despite risks. In an unstable situation in good times, it’s surprising to learn that Jordan (with its plentiful sun) is intent on building its first nuclear reactor, for what it believes to be a source of nonpolluting, sustainable energy. In the wake […]