Today was a particularly cold day. And a wet one too. That is what makes it different from the recent past.

Lately, it’s been all dusty and really hot. The Meteorological Department has predicted El Nino rains in coming months. Where I live, it was all dull and foggy today.

The last time these rains pounded our country, it was all chaos. People and animals drowned, property was damaged and it took years to repair the road network. In this regard, we are guilty as charged in failing to prepare for such disasters.

Water Harvesting

Speaking of lack of preparedness, this country is still suffering from a water shortage, which has resulted in scheduled water rationing in Nairobi and other urban areas. The question that begs asking is this: “Are we ready to harvest any of the rain water, or we’ll let it all drain to the oceans, carrying with it all our top soil?”

On July 14, Mike Fairhead wrote in the Daily Nation that water harvesting is the only way out. Unfortunately, some archaic colonial laws that the City Council of Nairobi adopted prohibit water harvesting for Nairobi residents. Almost half a decade later, no effort has been made to rectify this situation.

What to Do

The onus is upon those of us who can collect rain water to do so.

Elsewhere in Green Kenya, there is a post on local solutions for Harvesting Rain Water for Irrigation. In lieu of such cautionary measures, perhaps the eventual insufficient rain, lack of pasture, water and poor crop yields will bring us back to sanity.

Learn, live and do the needful once the rain starts falling.

There has been much talk about adverse changes in the climate, the Mau complex, the drying Mara river and other unpleasant things.

I have just come across another very unpleasant human activity – an emerging dump site just behind the Moi International Sports Complex in Kasarani.

The Moi International Sports Complex – Kasarani

From Thika Road, The Kasarani Sports Complex looks marvelous.

Pete’s Stroll

This morning, I took a stroll down ICIPE, towards the Kasarani Sports View estate. My walk was initially wonderful, as I walked down the cool boulevard along ICIPE . . .

Eventually, all that changed when I found myself in an open tract of land just behind the Kasarani stadium.

The dump site

My only question is . . . Is the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the local authority in Kasarani aware of this growing eyesore?

Following are photos of what lies behind Kasarani:

What to Do?

My take is that both the local and environmental authorities in this area are still paying some people who are sleeping on the job. Additionally, the residents or whoever dumps waste in that area is being quite irresponsible.

A cleanup exercise should then be carried out because unchecked, this will surely become a smelly and environmentally harzadous dump site. Those dumping there should also cease and desist.

The time is now. Otherwise, this situation will surely get out of hand.

Learn, share and live responsibly.

Waste from home toilets can and should actually be used to generate cooking gas.

In the UK, waste from Manchester’s loos will help contribute to local gas supplies.

According to this article at Oddstuff,

Toilet power is the fuel of the future in the UK where waste from Manchester’s loos will help contribute to local gas supplies.

Manchester’s toilets will soon be contributing to the local gas network under a green energy project planned by United Utilities Group and National Grid.

In a UK first, the two companies plan to turn a by-product of the wastewater treatment plant at Davyhulme in Manchester, northwest England into gas for the local network and fuel for a fleet of sludge tankers.

Fuel for the future

Biogas is produced through a process called “anaerobic digestion” when wastewater sludge is broken down by the action of microbes. Unlike electricity generated from wind turbines, biogas offers a steady stream of green energy.

Biomethane is a renewable fuel.

How viable?

Since sewage treatment is a 24-hour process, there should be an endless supply of biogas.

Learn, share and reuse waste products for a more sustainable future.

A green house is defined on Wikipedia as

a structure with a glass or plastic roof and frequently glass or plastic walls; it heats up because incoming solar radiation from the sun warms plants, soil, and other things inside the building faster than heat can escape the structure. Air warmed by the heat from hot interior surfaces is retained in the building by the roof and wall.

All greenhouses make use of the greenhouse effect. This is very well explained both here and here.

For anyone interested in building their own greenhouse, please read Chris Pratt’s article – How to Build an Inexpensive Greenhouse.

Learn, share and grow.

The United States House of Representatives just voted on a bill looking to slash carbon dioxide pollution blamed for global warming, with the Democrats narrowly winning the victory.  With the recent influx of information relating to the global climate change and subsequent global warming that is occurring, the United States has attempted to curb further damage to the atmosphere by instating many energy-efficient bills.  The United States ranks second to China in terms of energy emissions and while carbon emissions have drastically decreased, the House hopes that the passing of this bill will “open the door to a new energy economy” (as quoted by President Obama).

The recent “green movement” that has swept the globe has resulted in many eco-friendly endeavors, even including a zero-emissions city in the UAE.  This new stance on environmentally-friendly actions has caused the general public to be better informed as to what our modern-day activities are doing to the planet.  This legislation will impose limits for the first time on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution from power plants, factories, and refineries.  The Democrats maintain that this law will help industries transition over to a clean energy economy and overwhelmingly promote domestic emission reduction efforts.  Additionally, it also will cause most companies to shift from coal and other fossil fuels to renewable and more efficient forms of energy.  However, while the House has passed this bill, the Senate still has to act on it in order for it to become law, which may prove to be a bit of a struggle.

Opponents of this bill maintain that it will cause many Americans to lose jobs, as companies will be forced to transfer jobs overseas in order to cut costs due to the new emissions policies.  Additionally, many legislators have contended that this will be a large tax increase for the American citizens.  Proponents of the bill argue against these statements, stating that the impact on taxpayers would be offset by other provisions within the bill, allowing certain credits to low-income consumers.  The underlying impact of the law will not be noticeably visible until 2020, when legislators hope it will reduce gas emissions by 17 percent at this date, and by 80 percent by the next century.  Most House Representatives view this bill as a way to preserve the planet for future generations, as carbon dioxide emissions rise about 1 percent a year and are continually increasing due to a lack of mandatory caps.   While this bill has yet to be passed into law, the fact that one of the powers of the modern world is actively trying to reduce its emissions is a beacon of hope and a promise for an eco-friendly future.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the Nursing Colleges. She welcomes your feedback at Meg.Jones0310 at gmail.com

In this post, I share some wonderful recycling and reusing initiatives I have come across on the web. Here we go:

Bricks from cow dung

These are building bricks made from cattle waste. They are greener, stronger and up to 20% lighter than regular clay bricks.

These bricks do not smell at all. Additionally, they are fired up using Biogas, which further reduces carbon emissions.

They are manufactured by an Indonesian organization called EcoFaeBrick . More details on the EcoFaeBrick web site.

Worm poop

Worm poop is produced by earthworms through vermicomposting. This is the process by which earthworms eat, digest and excrete castings, which are known as worm poop.

Water is then mixed with the worm castings to produce a nitrogen rich ‘tea’ prized by gardeners who believe the mixture makes plants grow faster and healthier than chemical fertilizers.

These fertilizers are manufactured by Terracycle using free raw materials—organic waste. More details on the Terracycle web site.

Fertilizer from Single Use toilet bags

The Peepoo bag is a personal, portable and low-cost latrine for all the people who don’t have regular access to a toilet. It is designed to for use sitting, squatting or standing, the single-use, biodegradable plastic bag measures 14 by 38 cm and is lined with a urea-coated gauze layer that disinfects all waste.

Used bags are odour-free for at least 24 hours and are safe for burial underground. Within two to four weeks after use, however, their contents get converted to high-quality fertiliser—something that’s also rare in many areas and so could become a source of income and further enrichment for an individual or village.

It is worth noting that field tests were done last year in Kenya. Consequently, mass production begins this Summer. Get more details on the Peepoople web site.

Learn, share and purpose to recycle and re-use. There’s so much more to gain, than just renewable energy.

Be edified:

Learn, share and stay healthy.

Segway Inc., in collaboration with General Motors Corp, has announced the Segway P.U.M.A. It is a new ground-breaking means of transportation that addresses today’s challenges in mobility. On the P.U.M.A. prototype web site, it is even touted as a digital solution to an analogue problem…

Segway’s P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility & Accessibility) prototype represents the shift that’s needed for the future of transportation. It values less over more; taking up less space, using less energy, produced more efficiently with fewer parts, creating fewer emissions during production and operation, all while offering more enjoyment, productivity, and connectivity.

Key Features:

• Dynamic Stabilization
• Electric Propulsion
• Advanced Sensing
• Intuitive User Interfaces
• Drive-by-wire
• Smart Battery Management
• Digital Dashboard

Introducing the Segway P.U.M.A. on the Last Mile blog,

the prototype truly does expand upon the exhilarating riding experience.  It increases capacity to two passengers in a seated position; capable of carrying them up to anywhere between 25 and 35 mph (40 – 56 kph) for anywhere between 25 and 35 miles (40 – 56 km) on a single charge.*  It does so while taking advantage of the unparalleled maneuverability and advanced control you get through Segway’s use of dynamic stabilization (balancing technology).  Add in know-how with large format lithium-ion batteries and you have something that’s zero emissions during operation – likely only costing about $.60 in electricity to recharge.

Videos

Watch the Segway P.U.M.A. in action on Youtube:

• The GM and Segway PUMA ‘car’
• Segway two-seater prototype vehicle
• Project PUMA: New York Debut

Learn, share and embrace the future, today.

According to French auto engineer Guy Negre,

“Hybrids are only marginally less polluting than the most efficient combustion engines. Hydrogen power is expensive and impractical. Fuel cells are expensive and unproven and electric cars are reliant on expensive, unreliable battery technology.”

AIRPod

The Gurdian reports that the AIRpod,

is a car powered by compressed air: one that produces a fraction of the carbon emissions of a standard engine, reaches speeds of 30mph-plus, that can travel 65 miles on a one-minute recharge and, best of all, costs from just over £3,000.

Developed by Guy Negre, the AIRpod is a cute and easy to drive automobile with a joystick instead of a steering wheel and pedals. The three-wheel transport weighs around the same as a touring motorcycle at 220kg, so it only needs 5 1/2 horsepower from its lightweight air engine to reach top speeds a little over 40mph. Best of all, cheap compressed air refilling will take as little as 90 seconds and cost about EU1.10 for the AIRPod’s expected 220km range.

It is intended both as a personal 3-4 seater city commuter and as a getabout for airport, train station and municipal workers.

Capacity

A three-wheeled minicar, the AIRPod seats 3 adults and a child – although it looks much more comfortable as a 2-person vehicle, with back-seat passengers facing the rear to conserve space.

Other Features

• The large glass door opens from the front of the pod
• The driver controls the vehicle using a joystick instead of a full steering column, so vision ahead is pretty much unhindered.
• Despite the pod’s fairly large interior volume, the chassis is all made from sandwiched fiberglass and polyurethane, so it’s super light.
• The tiny motor can make about 5 1/2 horsepower, which, combined with the low weight and aerodynamic shape of the AIRPod, allow it a top speed around 70kmh.
• Refilling the air tanks can allegedly be achieved in 1.5 minutes for a cost of EU1.10
• The AIRPod’s steering is controlled by driving the rear wheels at different speeds.

Additional Information

The Guardian: On the road with the Airpod air-powered car

Gizmag: AIRPod: tiny air-powered commuter costs half a Euro per 100km

Motor Development International: Air compressed cars – sustainable and environmentally friendly

Let us learn, share and embrace the future, today.