Read the rest of Low-budget School in Africa is Made from Earth Bricks Fabricated On Site

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Post tags: Africa, Architecture, Dogon Education, earth, earth bricks, green materials, green resources, Joop and Jurriaan van Stigt, local materials, local people, mali, recycling / compost, social design

Work on the world’s largest hydropower plant is expected to start in October, 2015 following commitments from the World Bank and other development agencies to finance its construction. South Africa has also agreed to buy more than half of the energy that would be generated at the 4800 MW Inga 3 plant at Inga Falls on the Congo River. Preliminary reports show that a series of dams on this section of the river would have a relatively small environmental and social impact, but International Rivers and other non governmental organizations warn that virtually none of this power would improve the lives of local residents in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Read the rest of World’s Largest Hydropower Plant on Track for 2015 Groundbreaking in DR Congo

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Post tags: Africa, African Development Bank, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Environment, hydropower, International Rivers, News, off grid solutions, renewable energy, South Africa to buy DRC energy, world bank, world's largest hydropower plant

Read the rest of Strange “Fairy Circles” Appear in the Middle of Africa’s Namib Desert

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Post tags: Africa, Animals, Botanical, Circles, Fairy Circles, Namib Desert, Norbert Juergens, Psammotermes allocerus, sand termites

The African Rhinoceros evolved over millions of years, and despite living on earth for eons, it has not been able to survive the greed of human beings. Conservationists have announced that the last 15 of the animals were killed by poachers last month in Mozambique’s section of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. Slaughtered for their horns, which fetch higher prices than gold on the Asian market for their supposed cancer-curing and aphrodisiac properties, rhinos in neighboring areas are also in peril. To add to the tragedy, authorities believe that the poachers were aided by the park rangers sworn to protect them.

Read the rest of Poachers Completely Wipe Out African Rhinos in Mozambique

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Post tags: Africa, african rhinoceros, black market, Conservationist, game ranger, great limpopo transfrontier park, horn, international fund for animal welfare, kelvin alie, kruger, mozambique, poacher, South Africa, Telegraph, wildlife trade, Zimbabwe

The Roof of the World has long been associated with notions of adventure, beauty, and the majesty of some of the tallest mountains on earth. However research has shown that amidst the stunning landscape of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas lie dangerous, toxic chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). As carbon-based compounds, they are highly resistant to degradation and they find their was into the ecosystem through electronic waste, burning fossil fuels, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. Other chemicals found lurking in the environment include DDT and Agent Orange – substances which can cause cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects, and reproductive damage.

Read the rest of Report Shows Persistent Organic Pollutants are Accumulating in the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas

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Post tags: Africa, agent orange, Beijing, china, ddt, dehradun, east rongbuk glacier, Europe, hch, himalayas, India, institute of tibetan plateau research, mount everest, pah, peristent organic pollutants, POP, south asia, third pole environment workshop, tibetan plateau, wang xiaoping, xu baiqing

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Post tags: "natural materials", Africa, Claudio Modola, coral, Daylighting, drift wood, eco design, equatorial light, green design, kenya, Lamu, local craftsmen, makuti roof, Manda, Solar Power, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, teak

Read the rest of Stilts: Inhabitat Monkeys Around in Sustainable Kenyan Treehouses

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Post tags: Africa, Andy Barbour, backpackers, Coral Rag Forest, Diani Beach, eco design, eco-tourism, green design, kenya, makuti roofers, natural ventilation, palm roof, solar heated water, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, thatched roof, tourism, Treehouses, Wildlife

What started as the 15,000 Bottle Caps for Africa concept just a few months ago is now an actual built computer learning center and library thanks to architect Charles Newman and the organization Under The Acacia. The Kenya-based project revolved around Newman’s inclusive approach to design, which made it imperative that he work closely with the local Maasai people and give them ownership over the build. More than an architectural feat decorated with colorful bottle caps laid out by Maasai women according to traditional jewelry patterns, the project also creates social cohesion and introduces technology in a non-intrusive way. Newman explains, “In a community that has historically resisted western influence, allowing them to create something unique to their tribe helps them understand that while computers might be foreign, it is an opportunity to further enrich their own culture.” Read on for Inhabitat’s exclusive interview with this revolutionary architect.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: We Talk to Architect Charles Newman About 15,000 Bottle Caps for Africa

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Post tags: 15000 bottle caps for africa, Adele’s Literacy Library, Africa, Charles Newman, Charles Newman Design, Engineers Without Borders, Greystone Aviation, Greystone Learning Center, habitat for humanity, inhabitat, Internet Society, Jess Teutonico, kenya, Loita Hills, low impact, maasai, Maasai culture, recycled bottlecaps, Recycled Materials, repurposed materials, reused materials, social design, traditional techniques, Under the Acacia, Village Earth

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Post tags: adaptation, Africa, Art, assimilation, birds, climate controlled nests, Dillon Marsh, eco-art, Environment, kalahari desert, Nature, nature knows best, Photography, sociable weavers, southern africa, Travel, weaver's nests

For the community of Makoko of Lagos, Nigeria life on the water is nothing new. Prone to flooding, residents have dealt with encroaching waters for generations by building houses on stilts and using canoes as their main source of transport. Now, with the threat of sea level rise from climate change, and developers who want to tear the community down, Makoko is in a state of uncertainty. Nigerian-born architect Kunle Adeyemi has a vision for the city of 250,000 people that involves constructing a group of floating structures that have better access to sanitation, fresh water, and waste disposal. His first endeavor would be to build a three-story school held afloat by plastic drums.

Read the rest of Kunle Adeyemi Designs a Solar-Powered Floating School for the Flood-Prone Coastline of Nigeria

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Post tags: Africa, coastline, community, floating, flooding, kunle adeyemi, Lagos, makoko, nigeria, nle, school, tropical storms, water issues

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced plans to deploy aerial drones to get control of the escalating illegal wildlife trade, which is quickly spinning out of control. Funded by a $5 million Google grant, the unmanned surveillance vehicles will be deployed in either Africa or Asia to track dangerous wildlife poachers from the sky. The first pair of drones will be in place by year’s end and the wildlife conservation group hopes to dispatch another three pairs by the end of 2015.

Read the rest of WWF’s Google-Funded Drones to Track Dangerous Wildlife Poachers

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Post tags: Africa, asia, Biodiversity, drones, elephants, endangered species, Environment, Google, illegal wildlife trade, ivory, News, poaching, rhinos, unmanned surveillance vehicles, wwf

Africa has some of the planet’s most beautiful and endangered species, such as rhinos, elephants, leopards and lions. However, over the decades, poaching has severely impacted on these species seeing many of their numbers plummet to an all-time low. Despite conservation efforts and nature tourism, it is shocking to learn some African countries still allow ‘sport hunting‘. This week, Zambia finally officially banned the hunting of lions and other endangered wild cats such as leopards.

Read the rest of Zambia Finally Bans the Hunting of Endangered Lions and Leopards

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Post tags: Africa, african conservation, botswana, david attenborough, endangered wild cats, hunting ban, kenya, leopards, lions, poaching, sport hunting, wild cats, zambia

When you think of the iconic animals of Africa, the lion is probably on the top of your list. Sadly, according to report by conservation group LionAid, a total of just 640 lions remain in all of western and central Africa. Already extinct in 25 African nations and disappearing in 10 others, the catastrophic decline in lion populations can be attributed to high levels of poverty, an undeveloped wildlife tourism industry, and a lack of political interest in conservation. Countries such as Nigeria have as few as 34 individuals left, making it virtually impossible to rebuild a population from such a small number. Researchers from Duke University have noted that a full three-quarters of savannah habitat has disappeared in the last fifty years, estimating that only 32,000 lions remain on continent. LionAid says they believe that the number is probably in fact far lower.

Read the rest of Conservation Group Reports That West African Lions Are on the Verge of Extinction

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Post tags: Africa, asiatic lions, burkina, cameroon, central africa, central african republic, chad, Duke University, endangered species act, lion, lionaid, niger, nigeria, US Fish and Wildlife Service, West Africa

The cotton industry consumes a pile of water and emits significant greenhouse gases, but new research reveals that growing cotton in Africa exacts a smaller ecological price. Cotton Made in Africa commissioned Hamburg-based Systain to conduct an independent study as part of an Aid by Trade Foundation initiative to determine the carbon and water footprint of African smallholders. It turns out that their cotton plantations emit 70 percent less carbon dioxide and consume 18,000 liters less water per kilogram of cotton lint than conventional operations such as those in Pakistan.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: Africa, aid by trade foundation, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, clothing, cotton, ecological footprint, greenhouse gases, Pakistan, water footprint

A new design for rural schools could revolutionize Kenya’s education system. British architects Jane Harrison and David Turnbill worked with Atopia Research to design the WATERBANK school in Nigare Nyiro, which harvests rainwater and stores it in a reservoir on the school property. In addition to providing up to five liters a day per student, this ingenious system enables girls normally responsible for collecting water outside of the home to attend classes and receive an education.

Read the rest of WATERBANK School Harvests Rainwater for Underprivileged Students in Kenya

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Post tags: Africa, Atopia Research, David Turnbull, eco design, education, green design, Jane Harrison, kenya, locally sourced materials, PITCHAfrica, rainwater harvesting schools, sustainable design, water catchment, WATERBANK Schools

Biomimicry’s Cool Alternative: Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe
The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, typifies the best of green architecture and ecologically sensitive adaptation. The country’s largest office and shopping complex is an architectural marvel in its use of biomimicry principles. The mid-rise building, designed by architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, has no conventional air-conditioning or heating, yet stays regulated year round with dramatically less energy consumption using design methods inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean masonry and the self-cooling mounds of African termites!

Read the rest of BIOMIMETIC ARCHITECTURE: Green Building in Zimbabwe Modeled After Termite Mounds

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Africa, african termites, arup engineering, biomimetic architecture, Biomimetic Design, biomimicry, biomimicry in architecture, Biomimicry of Termite Mounds, building modelled after termite mounds, construction, Eastgate Center, Eastgate Centre, eco building, green building modelled on termites, Green Building With Termites, Harare, Mick Pearce, natural cooling, natural ventilation, sustainable design, termite mound, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe green building

Read the rest of MASS Group Wins Zumtobel Award for Locally-Constructed Hospital in Rwanda

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Post tags: Africa, butaro hospital, Design for Health, eco design, eco hospital, green architecture, Green Building, green design, hospital, humanitarian design, local labor, local materials, mass design group, rwanda, sustaianble architecture, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly socially conscious, “conflict minerals” are to electronics what blood diamonds are to jewelry. A new report released by Enough Project, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., gave top marks to Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. on its annual list of companies striving to deliver electronic products without using conflict minerals as raw materials in the manufacturing process. The group also singled out video game juggernaut Nintendo Co. as a company that lags significantly behind industry competitors in its efforts to avoid the use of minerals linked to conflict.

Read the rest of New Report Lauds Intel, HP, Apple for Manufacturing with Conflict-Free Minerals

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Post tags: Africa, Apple Computers, conflict free, conflict minerals, consumer electronics, Democratic Republic of Congo, hewlett packard, intel, nintendo, Securities Exchange Commission, sustainable design

Although we may ride them every day, we don’t often think of our bicycles as life-changing tools of empowerment. In Africa, however, access to a fully-functional bicycle opens up a world of transportation and employment opportunities that would have previously been impossible. Wheels of Change (WOC) is an international non-profit that collects donated bicycles in the United States to be shipped overseas to Africa. In September, a representative of the Wuparo Conservancy in Namibia will visit Montana to give his blessing to a shipping container of some 300 donated bikes that will travel from Billings to his homeland.

Read the rest of Wheels Of Change Sends a Shipping Container Filled with 300 Bikes to Namibia

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Post tags: Africa, bicycles, eco-tourism, economy, green transportation, montana, namibia, Wheels of Change

Green Africa Directory, the first online pan-African sustainability directory and network, was recently officially launched in Cape Town, South Africa. This green networking ‘hub’, which is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, already showcases over 800 environmental and sustainability-focused organizations from across Africa. The website also offers users access to comprehensive listings for green events, green jobs and tenders, green specials and competitions. In the context of Africa’s predicted population growth and urbanization, vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters, wealth of biodiversity and natural resources, expanding infrastructure and growth in ICTs, the Green Africa Directory aims to contribute towards building a resilient and sustainable future for the continent. The network is well placed to provide a central role in promoting and mainstreaming green options and development alternatives throughout Africa.

+ Green Africa Directory

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Post tags: Africa, Cape Town, environmental issues, environmental organizations, Green africa directory, green design, green networking hub, South Africa, sustainable design, sustainable global development