Our carbon footprint & zero carbon cities

Today, global warming is a major threat to us all; we should all take up certain measures to reduce our carbon footprint. In case you do not know what a carbon footprint exactly is, it is the direct impact our activities have on our environment, as every resource we consume, leads of an emission of CO2. Right from the car we drive to the manufacturing of the clothes we wear.

There are several plans, ideas and inventions people have come up with and proposed in order to reduce the global carbon footprint. One of such ideas is the concept of having zero carbon cities. A zero carbon city runs entirely on renewable energy and in no possible way hurts the planet. There are two such cities that have been proposed at the moment. One is Masdar City in Abu Dhabi and the other Dongtan, which is situated in China.

Masdar City will accommodate 50,000 people and will run completely on renewable energy like solar and wind power. This carbon and waste free city will be powered by a large central photovoltaic power plant. Masdar City promises the highest quality of life with the lowest carbon footprint. All automobiles will be banned in this city and instead a mass public transit service will help people commute. The city’s wall will keep out the hot dessert winds and ensure the circulation of cooler winds across the city.

Dongtan is situated at the eastern end of Chongming and plans to house 80,000 people by 2020. This will be the second project for a zero carbon city, and the entire city will be linked by a self sufficient zero greenhouse gas emitting transport system. People will walk or cycle and use sustainable public transport vehicles for longer distances. Waste will be a major resource as everything in the city will be recycled.

The concept of zero carbon cities marks a way forward and could help us save the environment which we have ourselves destroyed. If these cities are a success it could make a significant difference in our battle against global warming.

Wind powered rotating skyscraper

In today’s world where global warming is the biggest concern on everyone’s mind, the only way forward is to sustain what we have and try and find alternate forms of energy which would be less harmful to our environment. One form of alternate energy which has become quite popular is solar energy. People have realized that the sun is our biggest form of free energy and we shouldn’t miss out on it. Hence there are lots of people opting for solar energy to power their homes, cars etc.

The proposal of building a wind powered rotating skyscraper is a big step forward for the future of being energy self-reliant and less dependency on external sources. This concept was proposed by Dr. David Fisher, an established Italian architect.

It is an amazing concept supposed to be built in the beautiful city of Dubai and involves a central concrete core which would be surrounded by 59 different independent rotating levels. What would set this building apart from every other is the fact that it would generate its own electricity with the help of the gigantic horizontal wind turbines which would be placed in between each floor.

Imagine if this project becomes a reality with the building not needing any external power source, it will push global warming way back. On the lighter side, you can have a different view everyday from your house depending on your mood J as it rotates.

Article by Jitesh Parekh 

Welcome to the official blog of Grundfos India

Welcome to the official blog of Grundfos India, one of the nation’s leading pump manufacturers. Grundfos group produces over 18 million pump units annually, from circulators for heating and air-conditioning to centrifugal pumps for Building services and industry water supplies.

We at Grundfos believe that our future depends on our adapting to energy saving initiative and use of new forms of non-conventional energy for a sustainable world. Hence, we have invested a large part of our time and resources in innovating new products and solutions and promote them to all our stakeholders that primarily include our customers and our business partners.

Further, with the drastic changes in climate (due to greenhouse gas emissions) and depleting natural resources, our only way forward is to develop climate friendly solutions in order to deliver earth in its original splendor to the future generations.