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Great examples of cities a bit greener

Hey, guys :) After last week showing you some great examples on how to green a city, here are some more, as promised:

Air Trees

Located in Madrid, at the suburb of Valleca, the air-trees are said to “climatically transform” the urban architecture. They cool the surrounding environment, reducing the heat island effect, and generate clean energy. Made of recycled materials, those self-sufficient structures use photovoltaic cells and produce  a substantial amount of energy, used to power the sprinklers and so on plant maintenance needs, and then the excess energy is sold to the local electric companies.

The Science Barge A sustainable urban farm and an educational center in one? Meet the Science Barge, a fully functional prototype of renewable energy in support of sustainable food production. The barge is fueled by solar power, wind and biofuels and thus has zero carbon emissions. The vegetables on it – tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers – are grown hydroponically, meaning they get all the nutrients they need not from soil, but water. It is docked close to New York City. Vertical Street

Not just a vertical garden, a whole street! The first one in the whole wide world will be in Melbourne, looking to establish itself as a truly green city, looking at the future. This will actually be a 35-storey building which every 6th floor will have gardens growing huge trees, up to 10 meters in height; of course the building will incorporate the very latest in sustainable technology. “While roof gardens and landscaped balconies have been constructed in the past, this is the first time that five high-rise communal gardens have been attempted in the same building. To achieve this feat, purpose-built planter boxes allowing tree roots to grow in the confined 120-square-metre gardens, and structural supports that hold the weight of the soil and trees will be used. Heat-reflective glass and solar-powered lighting will also be incorporated. Heating and cooling systems are designed around the gardens. Conventional buildings either use individual air-conditioner systems, or long pipes that pump hot or cold water down the entire building. Both systems are inefficient, either wasting energy by heating one apartment at a time, or losing heat as water is moved great distances.”, project architect Robert Caulfield of CK Designworks, Melbourne, says

Car Sharing

But not just cars, electric cars. The program implemented in Oslo, Norway, reminds us once again that, yes, sharing is caring. Move About is the program`s name; customers pay about 17 USD for a monthly membership which gives them all-access pass to a fleet of electric vehicles. For another 17 USD per hour everyone can use the car as long as they need to. So simple for the people, so good for the environment. What an inspiration for a more sustainable urban future, hah?

Wishing you a lovely  week and come back next Wednesday for more on sustainable city development.