Nov 21, 09
Where are New Green Cities and How Can They Curb Asian Greenhouse Gas Emissions?
by Warren Karlenzig Masdar Headquarters, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesIn my previous post, I highlighted how growing Asian urbanization is expected to contribute more than half of the world's growth in greenhouse gases over the next 20 years. Now I will review what's being attempted in Asian cities and elsewhere in order to positively alter that disturbing forecast.The US and other Western nations are by no means immune from culpability in global...
Will the Recession Derail China’s Slow Train to Sustainability?
Or could it spur a surge in green innovation which will see the country become the world’s leading cleantech hub? Sam Geall investigates. Over the last year, something strange has been happening on the mainline platforms of China’s vast eastern cities. In normal times, they’re the site of mass seasonal migrations, as millions of migrant workers catch the train back home for the holidays, returning in equal numbers when work resumes. Since 2008, though, the stations have also seen...
What is a City of the Future?
by Bill Becker The choice: Will they use the money to become cities of the past or cities of the future?The question: What is a city of the future, anyway?The choice should be simple. A city official’s first responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of the people in his or her community. Insofar as stimulus funds are available to repair failing bridges, dams, roads and vital infrastructure, that’s where they should be invested. But as more funds are available -– for...
Earth Day: 10 Big, Really Hard Things We Can Do to Save the Planet
Traditionally, this is a day devoted to making green accessible to all. It's a day when each of us is invited to take small, individual steps toward reducing our carbon footprints, limiting our waste, or restoring the environment. See how easy it is – and how fun – to do your part to save the planet? Whether Earth Day does any good is a subject of some real debate around here. Admittedly, this year's goals from the Earth Day Network (EDN) show that the holiday might be heading in the...
Worldchanging's Best Foreign Correspondents
This article was written by Alex Steffen in December 2007. We're republishing it here as part of our month-long editorial retrospective. We have a global network of writers, but a handful of them are regular columnists and contributors. For instance, Mara has done a great job as Worldchanging's China correspondent, with a number of terrific stories, including Revitalizing China's Dust Bowl Western China is turning into a massive dust bowl. Desertification now affects fully one-third of...
Chinese Eco-Cities
This article was written by Mara Hvistendahl in August 2007. We're republishing it here as part of our month-long editorial retrospective. In 2005, green architect William McDonough and British engineering firm Arup separately announced plans to build ambitious eco-cities housing up to 500,000 inhabitants on the mainland. For a few months following these announcements, coverage was enthusiastic (we have written about these cities a number of times, with earlier articles here and here). Much...
Averting the Climate Crisis, Ethically
This article was written by Alex Steffen in August 2007. We're republishing it here as part of our month-long editorial retrospective. "We must all hang together," Ben Franklin is alleged to have said after signing the Declaration of Independence, "or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." A similar predicament faces us in regards to climate change. The effects of catastrophic climate change may fall more heavily on some than others, but they will not be light or pleasant for any...
Worldchanging Retrospective: Day 5
Five years ago, on October 1, we launched Worldchanging as a venue to find, discuss and imagine the world's most innovative solutions to the planet's most pressing problems. Since then, we've found a great and diverse global community of readers, won prizes and awards, put out a best-selling book, and published 8,500 stories about how to change the world. In the process we've not only grown substantially (becoming the second largest sustainability site on the web, according to Nielsen online)...
Greening China and the Dongtan Project
This article was was written by Alex Steffen in May 2006. We're republishing it here as part of our month-long editorial retrospective. The single biggest uncertainty on the path to a bright green future can be summed up in one word: China. By most measurements, China's impact on the planet is now second only to that of the U.S., and China's coming on strong: China is expected to have more cars that America in fifteen years, has built the second largest freeway system in the world and is...
Proudly Made in China: NEST Collective
By Erica Lee Schlaikjer A group of foreigners doing business in Shanghai recently hatched a new idea to bring "design with a conscience" to the China market. NEST, as the retail collective is called, aims to unite "intelligent design" with "responsible manufacturing" through collaboration among eight different brands selling sustainable products, including Wobabybasics organic baby clothes; AOO recyclable furniture; and Jooi Design home decor and fashion accessories. The project is sponsored...
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