Sometimes, US citizens have a hard time thinking globally. We get caught up in local politics and are less likely to read sources of world news. As the home of innovation centers like Silicon Valley, Americans also tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to recognizing the contributions to big ideas by non-Americans.

This is not to discount green energy efforts spearheaded in the States. Americans can easily find information on energy-saving efforts such as EVgo.com. People can easily find charging stations for electric vehicles and infrastructure for other conservationist ideas.

That said, there are a lot of people doing great things all over the world. Their efforts need to be recognized and applauded. Here are a handful that come to mind:

The ECO Bible

When one thinks about environmentalism, one seldom conjures the Hebrew scriptures to mind. Many only know of a few stories from the Torah that have been immortalized by Hollywood, and that few people accept as literal truth. They would be shocked to know that the Torah is also the inspiration for environmentalists. As reported by Karin Kloosterman in, “Eco Bible gives ethical green compass to the woke generation”,

A pair of eco-rabbis in Jerusalem have taken the Bible, also known as the Torah in Hebrew, and found hundreds of passages in it relating to ecology, animal rights, regenerative agriculture, the 3Rs and more, and have found a way to make old ideas relevant to us all in modern times.

From Jerusalem to Tel Aviv – From the Bible Belt to Baghdad, people of faith are recontextualizing their religion in terms of eco-friendly frameworks that are more inviting to younger adherents. Environmentalism begins with an idea. And the idea is extremely portable across all religions and geographies.

Offshore Wind Power

Wind power has always been an exciting source of energy. It has a certain WOW factor not shared by other types of power because you can actually see it. You can be driving along a lonely 2-lane highway and encounter row after majestic row of windmills. They are a glorious sight to behold. They are also clean, efficient, and relatively inexpensive sources of energy.

The only way to make them even more interesting is to put them out to sea. Being surrounded by the ocean, the UK was a natural candidate for offshore wind power. And they have invested heavily in the technology.

They currently have 10.4 GW installed with another 4 GW in the works. Britain is the leader in offshore wind power. And they intend to have 40 GW in 10 years. Ranking third in capacity, China is not far behind. They began a 12 GW construction 2 months ago. When considering the onshore muscle, China is a 236 GW power house. The winds of change are blowing throughout the world.

Investing in an Emissions-Free Future

If you want to know where a company’s priorities are, follow the money. In the case of Spanish utility, Iberdrola SA, 75 billion euros ($88 billion) is going to make them emissions free. Their goal is to triple their renewable energy capacity over the next 10 years.

In the States, there has been a race to carbon neutrality among the tech giants. It started with Apple declaring their intention to achieve it in a decade. Their competitors quickly followed with announcements of their own. Instead of competing for the share of $1,000 smartphones, the tech giants are now out virtue-signalling the others to see who can spend more money to get to carbon neutrality the soonest. In such a race, everybody wins. It almost makes those $1,000 smartphones worth it.

Regardless of the motives, US companies do a lot for the environment. It is good to know that other companies and nations around the world are equally, if not more committed to clean energy. Let us take a moment to recognize the efforts of leaders of world religion to give their people even more reason to value the planet. Let us raise a mug to the UK for reminding America and the world that the answer is blowing in the wind. And let us recognize Spain for putting their money where their heart is. With such efforts all over the planet, a better world is inevitable, and much closer than we thought. 

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The ‘Tour de Salah’ challenge, organized by MADE in Europe, forms part of a wider campaign called ‘Green Up My Community’ supported by the City Bridge Trust and aimed at increasing awareness of environmental issues, as well as sustainable practice within the Muslim community.

MADE is a grassroots organisation serving to empower young Muslims to make change within their communities, through campaigns and education.

The Green Up Campaign is targeted towards Mosques, promoting awareness of climate change and its effects, as well as working with the Mosques to become beacons of environmental justice through efficient waste management and water and energy consumption.

One of the Mosques looking to take an active role on the issue is the London Central Mosque in Regents Park, which co-hosted the first Muslim-led Eco Fair with MADE.

As the third ‘Salah’ stop on the map, this was an opportunity for people of all ages, family and friends, Muslims and non- Muslims, to gather for a day of fun and activities, and learn something new about the environment that we all share.

With Mosques like Harrow Central, Kingston Muslim Association and the Palmers Green Mosque taking an active part in the cycling challenge, the future looks promising as more follow suit.

Environmental sustainability has become a topic of great urgency in the last few decades, and was cited as ‘one of the most serious threats we face’ by UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron.

In the latest report by the UN, the effects of global warming were dubbed to be “severe, pervasive and irreversible”. UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon has called world leaders to mobilise on September 23rd to discuss their commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

UK Muslims will march for the climate

On September 21st, people from different walks of life all over the world, including London, will be taking part in a ‘Climate March’ to demonstrate to their respective governments just how seriously they want their leadership to respond to this imminent threat.

Skirting responsibility, “To some extent, it is understandable that the Muslim community is not leading the Environmental movement simply because the Muslim world in the modern era wasn’t at the forefront of damaging it,” comments prominent Muslim theologian, Sheikh Shams.

He doesn’t mention the Muslim world connection to oil, ironically.

“However, now that we are aware of the issue, given what our deen (religion) teaches us, given the teachings of our Prophet, we need to quickly catch up and get to the forefront because our rightful position is to be leading on all issues of preserving the environment,” he adds.

The UK’s Muslim Eco Fair boasted a range of activities and businesses, ranging from the pedal-your-own-smoothie bike, to organic and eco-friendly soaps and cosmetics, to Fairtrade cakes, solar-powered phone chargers, and upcycling workshops.

The Imam of the Mosque, along with Sheikh Shams who was also cycling the whole leg, both stressed the importance of environmental activism.

“I think this is a much needed event in the Muslim community, because environment and sustainability are among the key principles in Islam yet the average Muslim probably doesn’t think too much about it,“ remarks Mikhail, a Science teacher from Leicester.

“I never realized how much of a contribution bottled water actually has on the environment. Since coming here, I’ve just been thinking that we need to make a change,” commented David Tsan, one of the cyclists upon arriving at the Fair.

“If there is one thing that we all have in common, it is the custodianship of this planet,” remarked Sarah Javaid, co-founder and acting director of MADE. “In Islam, we believe that we have been given the responsibility of caretaking the Earth as Allah’s vicegerents, and so we see no better cause to unite over.

“It is great to be working with Mosques, and to see them leading the way on such initiatives. We hope to continue our work with Mosques and really watch them pioneer sustainable change“

As the threat of global warming increases by the day, such initiatives are a welcome effort and a call for further action from both the faith and non-faith communities to stand united in preserving our planet.

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Cutting the cost of solar energy, PV and CSP is the reason why last year was a record year for solar energy uptake globally – as we reported.

The Sheffield team found that by spray-painting the perovskite they could make prototype solar cells with efficiency of up to 11 per cent. Lead researcher Professor David Lidzey said: “There is a lot of excitement around perovskite based photovoltaics.

“This study advances existing work where the perovskite layer has been deposited from solution using laboratory scale techniques. It’s a significant step towards efficient, low-cost solar cell devices made using high volume roll-to-roll processing methods.”

Experts from the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering have previously used the spray-painting method to produce solar cells using organic semiconductors – but using perovskite is a major step forward.

Efficient organometal halide perovskite based photovoltaics were first demonstrated in 2012. They are now a very promising new material for solar cells as they combine high efficiency with low materials costs.

The spray-painting process wastes very little of the perovskite material and can be scaled to high volume manufacturing – similar to applying paint to cars and graphic printing.

“Remarkably, this class of material offers the potential to combine the high performance of mature solar cell technologies with the low embedded energy costs of production of organic photovoltaics.”

While most solar cells are manufactured using energy intensive materials like silicon, perovskites, by comparison, requires much less energy to make. By spray-painting the perovskite layer in air the team hope the overall energy used to make a solar cell can be reduced further.

Professor Lidzey (pictured above) said: “The best certified efficiencies from organic solar cells are around 10 per cent.

“Perovskite cells now have efficiencies of up to 19 per cent. This is not so far behind that of silicon at 25 per cent – the material that dominates the world-wide solar market.”

He added: “The perovskite devices we have created still use similar structures to organic cells. What we have done is replace the key light absorbing layer – the organic layer – with a spray-painted perovskite.

“Using a perovskite absorber instead of an organic absorber gives a significant boost in terms of efficiency.”

Solar power is becoming an increasingly important component of the world-wide renewables energy market and continues to grow at a remarkable rate despite the difficult economic environment.

Professor Lidzey said: “I believe that new thin-film photovoltaic technologies are going to have an important role to play in driving the uptake of solar-energy, and that perovskite based cells are emerging as likely thin-film candidates. “

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Digital animation “Walking Architecture” (clip above) pays homage to a 1960’s design group while pushing the boundaries of their conjectural vision.

UK-based multimedia studio Universal Everything developed a slowly evolving “video sculpture” that changes form, gradually morphing through an array of architectural structures that include geodesic domes, perforated lattices and pixilated building blocks.  Meanwhile, its core motion, the act of walking, remains constant.

Matt Pyke of Universal Everything based the animation, entitled Walking Architecture, on the futuristic imaginings of 1960s architectural group Archigram; they envisioned a city as a living organism whose purposely stride is undeterred by its changing size and form. The title of the video is a reference to Archigram’s “Walking City”.

The original project, conceived by British architect Ron Herron, imagined massive robotic structures, each with its own intelligence, freely walking to wherever their owners wanted or wherever their resources or manufacturing capabilities were needed.

Archigram envisioned an entire series of walking cities, interconnecting when need arose to form enormous walking metropolises, and then dispersing when their concentrated power had served its purpose. Individual buildings could also be mobile.

“The language of materials and patterns seen in radical architecture transform as the nomadic city walks endlessly, adapting to the environments she encounters,” said Pyke. (Note that he recognizes Architecture as female.)

This movie starts with a structure whose massing and proportions are similar to those of a human body.  Over the next seven minutes, it gradually abstracts, transforming into varied shapes that include a cluster of pixilated cubes and a striated mound.

The figure ultimately returns to its original form, poised to begin the transformation anew.

Unlike their contemporary Buckminster Fuller, who worked to build more with less material (recognizing that most matter is finite), Archigram’s fantastical designs assumed a future of limitless resources. Never constructed, their schemes stimulated others to incorporate aspects of their designs into real bricks-and-mortar structures.

Often, hypothetical architecture sparks innovation that catapults significant developments in building materials and technologies. Dream on.

All images from Universal Everything

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The UK Green Investment Bank and the United Arab Emirates Masdar have inked a new agreement that will see the UAE-based company work toward new investment opportunities in the United Kingdom, taking their expertise in renewable energy to Britain.

According to a statement issued by the UK Green Investment Bank, Masdar and the bank will “jointly invest in green infrastructure projects in the UK over the next seven years.”

The ultimate goal is to use Masdar’s success in developing new strategies for energy saving in the UAE, including but not limited to, solar energy and wind power, to the British Isles. Both sides will be tasked with introducing each other to potential investors.

“The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom have already forged a strong bond in the advancement of clean energy,” said Masdar CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, in a statement. “This collaborative investment effort will not only strengthen those ties, it has the potential to pay healthy dividends for both countries.”

Neither side will be forced to pay for introductions and a cost-share arrangement has been made for any potential and future investment agreements signed by either side.

“Masdar is pleased to be contributing to the UK’s renewable energy portfolio through the London Array and we are actively engaged in exploring new investment opportunities in the UK offshore wind and clean technology sectors,” added Al Jaber.

Masdar is no stranger to the UK, having already put forward over 500 million British pounds for the London Array, an offshore wind farm currently the largest in the world.

“This new MoU is a bold and exciting statement of intent. GIB and Masdar are new organisations – the first of their type in the world,” said CEO of GIB Shaun Kingsbury.  “We’ll be working together closely to bring investment to UK clean energy projects and to share our expertise and experience.

“At GIB we are building an enduring institution; one that’s here for the long term. This relationship shows how we can act as a catalyst to bring in additional funds for UK clean energy projects to complement the support we’ve already received from the UK Government,” added Kingsbury.

UK Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker has praised the new agreement and hopes it will help propel the UK into new alternative and renewable sources of energy for years to come.

“The creation of the Green Investment Bank is one of the Coalition Government’s key green achievements. Initially capitalised with a huge injection of £3 billion, we always intended this brand-new financial institution to act as a catalyst to attract other finance into the UK Low Carbon economy.

“This alliance is a big step in that direction, and a huge vote of confidence in the UK clean energy sector.  But this agreement is about more than just money.  Given the pioneering Low Carbon achievements of Masdar, it makes strong strategic sense too.”

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A great collection of short stories inspired by the ecological crisis which are honest, creative and sometimes really funny

I don’t know if it’s just me but whenever someone recommends a book that is for charity or even a song that is ‘worthy’ – alarm bells go off. Alarms that tell me to stay away and to avoid contact at all costs. ‘If they want money, then just ask and don’t put us through the hassle to reading drivel written by virtuous people or music designed for hippies with only the strongest stamina’ I reason. As such, you can imagine my delight when I did actually read a book of climate-inspired short stories which is not only giving all the royalties to the ‘Stop Climate Chaos Coalition’ but is also genuinely worth recommending. This can’t happen often – or I hope not, as I might be missing out on some great stuff.

There are 21 stories in ‘Beacons – Stories For Our Not So Distant Future’, one of which is a graphic short story, with contributions from the UK’s greatest short story writers. There’s a story with a time machine, one with a Scottish Chief, a story about a vanilla sundae with hot chocolate sauce, one about suicide-inducing TV presenters, Marco Polo, about children, death, unfulfilled love and loads more about people navigating a quickly shifting landscape where the norm is no more.

Here’s what you need to know (in a format inspired by the short stories):

1. You need to read more stuff by Adam Marek, David Constantine, Liz Jenson and A.L.Kennedy. Holly Howitt and Jem Poster were pretty good too. They all have great stories in the collection, but that’s obvious isn’t it.

2. There are only two, maybe 3, stories which are duds which isn’t bad considering there are 21 stories in the collection.

3. The editor has done a great job. It also seems that all the writers all have taken the theme seriously and thought hard about the issue of climate change before putting pen to paper/hand to keyboard(?).

4. I have been informed by a reliable friend that my criticism that most of the authors mention the weather is unfair as this collection is about climate change.

5. I love short stories and also happen to know the editor Gregory Norminton so I might be a tad biased. But only a tad.

6. Helen Simpson, who has written a great short story collection on climate change titled ‘In Flight Entertainment’, is missing from the collection. Maybe she was all out of climate stories. Who knows.

7. All the stories are new commissions. No reprints, no nothing – all in all, you get your money’s worth.

8. The editor decided to put together the book to support the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition back in 2007. The collection has been a long time coming but I think the final product was worth the wait.

9. It’s only £8.99/ $14.99 and you can buy Beacons – Stories For Our Not So Distant Future here.

10. If want to read another great collection of environmentally inspired stories after you’ve read this collection, you could do worse than to read Verso’s ‘I’m With The Bears’ which was reviewed here.

Title: Beacons – Stories for our not so distant future
Editor: Gregory Norminton
ISBN:9781851689699
Publication Date: 07/03/2013
Binding:Paperback
256 pages

For more book reviews see: 
A No-Nonsense Guide To Climate Change by Danny Chivers
Book Review – I’m With The Bears
Earth Architect Nader Khalili’s Book: Racing Alone

The post ‘Beacons – Stories For Our Not So Distant Future’ Are Climate Shorts appeared first on Green Prophet.

A UK-based scientist has removed trees from world famous works of art to highlight the threat of deforestation

In the field of climate change, we are constantly asked to imagine nightmarish scenarios. Situations where water may run dry, where mass migrations are provoked by food shortages or where extreme weather events on the rise. These are all, however, future events we have to conjure up and not our present or past. But what if you had to edit the world’s history to reflect its future? What if there were no more trees? What would our past look like? What would world famous works of art look like without trees? An Edinburgh University scientist has used photo-editing software to imagine just that.

 Dr Iain Woodhouse has recreated famous paintings without trees and woodlands to draw attention to the threat of global deforestation and highlight the values of woods and forests. He photoshopped the trees out from Constable’s The Haywain (below), Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte (above), and Van Gogh’s Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun.

He told the BBC: “Trees are a vital global resource, providing fuel, shelter, clean water and food for many species including people, and helping to maintain a healthy atmosphere by harvesting carbon dioxide… It is crucial that trees do not disappear from our landscapes.”

Writing on Forest Planet, Dr Woodhouse explained that the project came about as an attempt to visually represent loss. “It’s one of the themes that I’ve been working on with the artist Alice Ladenburg,” he explained. “It is relatively easy to represent the importance of something that is present, but how do you capture or express the importance of something like deforestation that is all about the absence of something? It is not easy to focus a viewer’s attention on something that is not there!”

Well, I think he did a pretty good job of presenting loss. The Van Gogh piece is a particularly stark reminder of what we have to lose.

For more arts and culture with an environmental slant see:
‘Rain’ and Qatari Folktales of Nature
‘Wadjda’ – A Saudi Girl & Her Green Bike
‘Solar Mama’ – A Film About Jordan’s Solar Women
Film Review: The Blessed Tree – An Interfaith Meeting Under The Shade of Nature

The post Imagine… A World Without Trees appeared first on Green Prophet.

In no particular order:

1. Senad Hadzic. The Bosnian man (above) who walked 3,600 miles and crossed six borders over 314 days to get to Mekkah in time for Hajj. Putting aside the agonising blisters, seriously cold European weather and having to slum it for almost a year, this actually sounds like a lot of fun… wait a minute. Yep, you got to hand it to Senad Hadzic for the dedication.

2. Water Portraits by photographer Peter Holmes in which he basically dumps the amount of water a person uses in an hour on them based on the national rates of water use. And all in the name of water conservation too. The Moroccan guy above got splashed with 4.5 litres which is actually nothing compared to the literally eye-watering 32 litres the average person from California uses. There were however no second takes which I am sure the subjects appreciated!

3. Rafea – Solar Mama.  An award-winning documentary has being made about the inspiring  woman from Jordan who travelled to India to learn to become a solar engineer. Back in 2011, I spoke to Rafea Abdul Hamid who is the focus of the film, so you may recall that she is in fact still struggling to establish solar power in her village. But you can help by donating via the Barefoot College website. Seriously, you have to consider it for an Xmas present or an new year’s gift (‘cos they really do exist), or maybe for someone’s  birthday…

4. Easkey Britton, a surfing champion and passionate environmentalist, became the first women to surf the Iranian waves. That’s all you need to know.

5. Muslim Beekeepers Start Project in London Mosque. When Kingston mosque in London introduced between 10,000 and 15,000 bees onto its premises last summer, the congregation was naturally quite concerned. Would it be safe? Would bee swarms gather at the mosque? Would it be dangerous for children? However, once local beekeeper Munir Ravalia explained that the beehive wouldn’t be a health and safety risk on the roof, they were pretty eager to find out more…

My top five shout out also goes to some truly inspiring people including: Mario Cucinella and all those working on Gaza’s green schools, the newly formed Arab Youth Climate Movement, the award-winning Iraqi mud architect Selma Samar Damluji, the Jordanian campaigners who worked to stop nuclear power and also Comet-ME for all their hard work under very difficult circumstances. Keep your heads held high.

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Years after it was first announced, the Cambridge eco mosque has finally received planning permission.

Back in 2010, we reported that the Cambridge Muslim community was planning to build Europe’s first eco mosque which would minimise carbon emissions and maximise the role faith has to play in environmental protection. Years on and the plans which were drawn up by Marks Barfield Architects have finally been approved. The mosque committee is now in fundraising mode and has already raised 19% of the money needed to build the mosque – or as they put it, 67,832 of the 350,000 bricks needed to construct the mosque have been paid for.

The Muslim Academic Trust, the UK charity promoting the new mosque development said they were delighted that their plans had been approved. “This is wonderful news for Cambridge,” said Tim Winter, Chair of the Trust, who has been leading the project since the site was bought in April 2008. “Cambridge is one of Britain’s great international cities, welcoming thousands of overseas students and academics every year, many of them of Muslim heritage. It’s tragic that there is still no significant purpose-built mosque to accommodate this community… Now a solution is in sight.”

The mosque will incorporate many green features including a large community garden which will be created by world-leading landscape designer Emma Clark. As Tim Winters explains, this will be a much needed green lung and oasis for the run-down part of Cambridge.

The mosque will also include a teaching zone for the entire community, a cafe with a garden terrace, an art exhibition space and a performance area.

The Trust added: “Reflecting Islam’s contribution to contemporary debates over sustainability, the mosque will incorporate significant design features which will minimise carbon emission and emphasise the role of faith in promoting responsible management of the earth’s resources.” These include heat pumps, water recycling, natural ventilation and lighting and a sedum roof. They will also be dedicated areas to support the nesting of local bird species and facilities provided for cyclists.

To support this project and donate, go to Cambridge Mosque is Moving.

For more on Eco Mosques see:
5 Spectacular Eco Mosques Of the World
The Eco-Mosque Checklist: 7 Steps To A Greener Mosque
All New Mosques In Qatar Will be Eco-Mosques

The post Cambridge’s Eco Mosque Finally Granted Permission (PHOTOS) appeared first on Green Prophet.

None of Egypt’s pyramids existed.  Khafre wouldn’t commission the Great Pyramid of Giza for another 1500 years.  But some time around 4000 BCE an Egyptian artist discovered the secret. This secret was the wonderful alchemy which transformed sand, ash, calcite lime, copper and fire into a lustrous blue-green gem worthy of the pharaohs.  Faience, also known as Egyptian paste, is the basis for the world’s first glazed ceramic.  The faience recipe improved and spread to Persia,  Turkey and througout the Indus valley.  Now researchers from the University of Western England believe faience may also be the key to better 3D printing.

“It is fascinating to think that some of these ancient processes, in fact the very first glazed ceramics every created by humans, could have relevance to the advanced printing technology of today. We hope to create a self-glazing 3D printed ceramic which only requires one firing from conception to completion rather than the usual two.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0TQKm5ciY0[/youtube]

Photo of Shawabti of Lady Sati (1390-1352 BCE) by David Liam Moran via Wikimedia commons.

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