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| Image credit: www.transsolar.com |
In class I've been designing green homes and choosing the city where my home would be located. This week we read an article about carbon neutral cities and the cities that aspire to that title. This article relates to what I'm learning because a city's carbon footprint should be factored into a decision about the location of a green home.
To become a completely green city, with absolutely no carbon footprint is the ultimate environmental goal for any city. Right now, in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Masdar City is being built to fulfill these requirements, which include using only renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy and relying solely on smart design elements. Abu Dhabi was chosen specifically for develop
ment because the country has made it's fortune on fossil fuels like oil, but the country's officials are well aware that their oil wells will run out and are therefore highly in favor of using their money to invest in the construction of the environment-friendly Masdar City. Because of this development, green city design organizations have decided Abu Dhabi is a perfect place to build a completely carbon-neutral city.
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| Image credit: www.masdar.ae |
However, building a completely carbon-neutral city is a complicated process, with lots to consider. One major consideration for the city planners of Abu Dhabi is the city's heat - they had to come up with dozens of small solutions whose collective impact replaced the need for air conditioners.Another consideration was water conservation, because of Abu Dhabi's arid climate. The solution to the water conservation difficulties was to purify then recycle greywater, or the water left over from washing machines, sinks, baths, and showers. Another solution that helped conserve both water and energy was the decision to replace faucet handles and switches with motion-activated sensors. Another innovation implemented by the city planners, this time to reduce air pollution, is to ask that no cars be used in the city, to be replaced by underground electric pod shuttles. Solving these difficulties was an expensive but effective undertaking, which was only made possible because of the city's oil drilling fortune and determination to "go green."
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As I mentioned, building carbon-neutral cities like Masdar City is an extremely expensive process. This is because of all the practices and renovation that must be implemented citywide for each problem. However, each of these practices could be individually implemented in older cities to make them more sustainable with minimal trouble.
Thge South Australian government has set themselves a new goal - to make Adelaide the world's first carbon-neutral city. Their hope is to remedy the federal Coalition's approach to environmental issues by implementing a variety of different renewable energy projects. These include a focus on transportation, efficiency (for example, a trial of driverless cars) and better waste managements and recycling. These are all excellent ways to make their city energy efficient, and, if successful, will be a role model for green cities everywhere.
