One Planet Living and Masdar City

Visit http://www.oneplanetliving.org/

If everyone lived like an average North American we would need five planets.

If everyone lived like an average European we would need three planets.

If everyone lived like an average Emirati we would need eleven planets.

Our global footprint grew by 150% between 1961 and 2003. It is now 25% above the planet's biological capacity to support life on earth.

The WWF has developed an initiative called One Planet Living. It has ten guiding principles.

Masdar is going to be developed using these principles.


· Explain the ten guiding principles using your own words.


1. Zero carbon:
Applying the energy efficiency in buildings or supply the energy from one site renewable resources in order less of carbon dioxide is produce in the atmosphere.

2. Zero waste:
Get free waste flows and burn them, and reduce the waste generation by recycling to reuse in other manufacture.

3. Sustainable transport:
Traveling by car or airplane can cause air and noise pollution. Reduce the trust on vehicles and achieve less of carbon dioxide and provide transport systems to reduce the dependence on fuels.

4. Local and sustainable materials:
Use local materials which reduce the transport production and encourage the investment in local natural sources and improving in local economy.

5. Local and sustainable food:
Change the supply of food and support the local and low effect of food production that provides healthy food quality and decrease pollution that occurs from transportation.

6. Sustainable water:
Freshwater can be in short supply in humans need due to pollution and disruption of hydrological cycles. Reusing and recycling decreases the water extraction and pollution by creating a sewage management system.

7. Natural habitats and wildlife:
Loss of biodiversity is due to development in the natural areas. Protect or generate existing natural environment.

8. Culture and heritage:
Local culture and heritage is being lost all over the world because of globalization.
You must save your local identity in life style.

9. Equity and fair-trade:
The governments encourage equity and fair-trade relationships to make sure that everyone have stable life.

10. Health and happiness
All people live in this earth must have good health and happiness in his life.


· Which principles do you think will be difficult for Masdar City to maintain?

1. Zero carbon
2. Zero Weaste
3. Sustainable Transport


· What are the three goals of the One Planet Living programme?

1. Build a world-wide network of One Planet Living communities and other exemplary projects to demonstrate One Planet Living in action.
2. Establish one planet living centres in each one planet living community as a focus for education.
3. Promote the imperative for one planet living and its guiding principles to catalyse change with governments, business and individuals.

· Masdar is one of the Emerging One Planet communities, where are the others?

1. OPL London in UK.
2. Montreal.
3. Panyu Jinshan in China.
4. Sibaya in South Africa.


· Where are the Officially Endorsed One Planet Communities?

1. One Gallions in UK.
2. Sonoma Mountain Village in Canada & USA.
3. Mata de Sesimbra.

PhotoStory: Global Warming

Cool Cities

Charlotte North Carolina

The government has changed the fuel of cars to a hybrid gas.

Washington DC

Has changed their buses to natural gas which is less than the diesel fuel to improve air pollution and cut global warming pollution.

St Paul Minnesota

Providing electricity by using a renewable resource as its primary fuel.

Houston – Texas

The government has started to reduce emissions by using hybrid vehicles. By the year 2010 they will have no petrol cars. A hybrid vehicle is produce about 43 tones of carbon less than the average of other cars.

Seattle

They have replaced old vehicles with a “clean and Green fleet and have sett strict rules about CO2 emission. They have already reduced green house gases by 60 percent.

Fort Collins

Fort Collins uses renewable energy wind to reduce global warming and has reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 472,000 tons.

Waverly Lowa

Waverly Lowa municipality has used wind energy to reduce the emission of CO2 in the city. This method who helps provide local economic development.

Twin falls-Idaho

They reduce energy costs and cut pollution by increasing the energy efficiency of its 11 schools. This include the lightning, ventilation and air condition systems by this the city saved $3.5 million in energy savings.

A conversation with a friend about Global Warming

Carbon Footprint

Introduction:

Carbon footprint is a way to measure our effects on the climate by indicating the amount our activities produce (CO2). I answered the quizzes and I was very worried to know about the result, but didn’t expect that my score was 2.61 earths. It was shocking. That means I did many bad things in my life to cause damage to the environment. My results for food category were less than what I expected. But for the stuff, travel and home I got a high score. I live in big house and I travel by car. In the following I will be state the problems and the solutions.

Problems:

Firstly, I live in a big house where the electricity is used for the lights and air conditioner unnecessarily for a long time even when we don’t need it. Secondly, the products for daily use are different types of soaps and shampoos which content many type of dangerous chemical. Thirdly, I travel daily to my work or other places by myself in a big car which spends more fuel than others.

Solutions:

The first solution is to save the electricity by moving into a smaller house where the power supply is less released or used less. Another solution is that products like soaps and shampoos which effect atmosphere can be solved by substituting to green environmental or herbal soap and shampoo which does not harm our environment. Yet another solution is use small car which need less fuel or use different type of fuel which does not effect our environment and the climate.

Conclusion:

In my opinion carbon footprint is a good indicator to the world, so the people can know their measurement in different activities in which CO2 is produced. I hope people could use friendly environmental products so that it doesn’t effect our climate and environment and it’s better for the future.

Introduction to “cool cities”

I am going to write about the huge problem the world faces these days. It is called Global Warming. It is caused by pollution for example factories and cars which produce CO2. Because of that the temperature is becoming higher and higher. That will effect the environment, humans and plants. Many countries now are thinking to find some solutions to avoid this problem as is the UAE. We will build the first cool city in the world in Abu Dhabi. The green environmental is called “Masdar”. I hope all countries will work together to help Earth!!! In this project I will research with critical thinking to find good solutions for this disaster.

An Inconvenient Truth

In this movie Al Gore illustrated the issue to the people what was happening in the world. He gave some information about Global Warming to let people know more about it. Al Gore talks about increasing in the temperature by many harmful industries that produce CO2. As a result, damage is melting ice by the heat in the world which causes rise in the sea levels. The high temperature it gets causes the ice to melt to provide fresh water for irrigation and domestic uses, animals and plants. The effect which causes global warming is the increasing amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) exposed in the atmosphere from the industries which make harmful chemicals, and including fuel pollution. the effects which have taken place in global warming can be successfully avoided by releasing less (CO2) and planting vegetation to extract existing (CO2). In addition the film covers many categories such as politics, economy and personality. This maybe my third time I saw documentary movie. Amazing!!

My reaction

My reaction towards An Inconvenient Truth I was shocked by what Al Gore said about this situation and the dangerous truth. He used amazing way to explain the problems to the people. He is a great person and he opened our minds to a big different thing what will happen in the world and to be aware of the changes of global warming. Interesting!!

Why is it called “An Inconvenient Truth”?

Because most of people don’t want to believe this truth to avoid any change in the life style. Also, there are some people who don’t have any idea about global warming and how it will effect.

What should be done in Abu Dhabi to make people more aware of the situation?

I think we have to make people more aware about global warming to know the situation in this time by many ways. For instance, make a advertisements in all media such as TV, radio and newspaper. Also, you have to do some programmers to talk about how you can prevent the environment from this effect.