Tag Archives: current environmental issues

Sustainable City Masdar

The sustainable city of Masdar, designed to house 50,000 people and covering an area of 7 sq. km. on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, will be the world’s first carbon neutral city.

Whilst we in Australia are still debating how to tackle Climate Change and implement policies to shift from carbon-guzzling fuels to alternative energy, in a most unlikely place in the world, the United Arab Emirates is well on its way to making this shift. Based on policy decisions made years ago, the UAE already has real programs for a carbon neutral sustainable city at an advanced stage of implementation.

The State of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, launched their Masdar ‘Carbon Neutral’ City Plan and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (‘MIST’) in 2007. Four years later, sustainable city Masdar, with MIST (associated with USA’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology) at its centre, is under construction.

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Image Solar Panel Roof MIST

Sustainable City Solar Panel Rooftop

MIST, with onsite student accommodation facilities, solar, geothermal and construction prototype practice facilities was designed by Lord Foster (Foster & Partners Architects UK) has been completed. Abhu Dabi’s Future Energy Company (FEC’) Headquarters, also designed by Foster, is now under construction.

Sustainable City Promises

Image of model Masdar Sustainable City

Residential Quarter Model by Aedas Int'l

The water use savings for Masdar are huge. For a city of 50,000 people the sustainable city designers promise 8,000 cu m3 of desalinated water use compared to 20,000 cu m for a conventional city: a saving of $2 billion in oil use over 25 years.

Additionally, the design offers 99% recycling of city/construction waste and a car-free person-mover automated transport system with 200m maximum  walking distance from domicile to public transport.

Whilst China’s Dong Tan Eco-City has yet to get off the drawing board, the Masdar development is in its second stage.

Alternative Energy Companies Hub

Construction of a hub of 1,500 alternative and sustainable energy and associated technologies companies, including company giants like Siemens, are taking space around the administrative core of the city.

Benefitting From Results

It is the FEC management and the Masdar Institute that methodically plot the technological space and the standards that define this carbon neutral city. Their aim is to develop methodologies, intellectual property and hardware which Masdar FEC’s management will sell to the rest of the world:

Reproduce Masdar Elsewhere

The management of MIST distils the results of field testing from their various initiatives, including the use of materials and their  industry applications to define guidelines based on these results.

Abu Dhabi intends to leverage the knowledge gained in developing this sustainable city with a minimum carbon footprint, by building other sustainable communities elsewhere.

The Masdar project is developing through a six-pronged development structure consisting of:

1.    Masdar Institute of Science and Technology,
2.    Masdar Research Network,
3.    Innovation and Investment,
4.    Special Projects,
5.    Carbon Management and
6.    Masdar Zone Development

What Australia Can Learn From Masdar

There are lessons here for Australia, specifically ‘how to implement and quickly achieve real results,’ in a situation where we are running out of time.

This article written by Sasha Ivanovich FRAIA

SIA Architects Pty Ltd

sasha@slaarchitects.comlau

http://www.slaarchitects.com

Sasha recently returned from a four week study of the City of Masdar as the recipient of the Commonwealth Endeavour Award and hosted by Aedas International in UAE and supported by RISE.

Supporters of Carbon Tax Australia

Action group GetUp reported on supporters of carbon tax Australia who joined a rally in Melbourne, Australia, mid-March where 8,000 supporters of the carbon tax Australia initiative demonstrated agreement with Julia Gillard’s government on the introduction of a carbon tax.

Check out the video showing supporters of carbon tax Australia to see what happened that Saturday and learn how your support can continue to win the fight for a price on pollution.

The 8,000 crowd supporters of carbon tax Australia was in response to and far outweighed, the 1,500 person crowd where representatives of the major energy companies joined an anti-carbon tax rally outside Parliament House, Canberra, to (according to GetUp) “convince polititians that they should be able to pollute for free and avoid responsibility for our kids’ future.”

Join supporters of carbon tax Australia.

 

 

 

Sustainable energy re-building Queensland.

The floods in Queensland have brought tragedy for some, and heartache and disruption for many, but can also bring opportunity for renewal for all, says the Sustainable Energy Association of Australia (SEA).

‘While towns and communities will have lost much, they will also have the opportunity to rebuild,’ says Prof. Ray Wills, SEA Chief Executive, and Adjunct Professor with The University of Western Australia.

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Cancun Climate Change Targets

Solar-e.com is a member of and supports the work of The Sustainable Energy Association of Australia  (‘SEA”).

SEA is a chamber for all enterprises from all industries supporting sustainable energy and the fastest growing energy industry body in Australia.  SEA is bringing you the Energising South East Asia Conference 23-26 March 2011, Perth, Australia.

View SEA’s  recent press release on Cancun.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet in Cancun is reported to have said that the credibility of the UN process is in danger if progress is not made.

“It is imperative for the credibility of this process that we’re able to make progress here at this conference,” Minister Combet said.

The Sustainable Energy Association of Australia (SEA) is keen to see how Australia might indeed contribute to the credibility of the process.
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