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The Green Edit Monday 16th OctoberAs one wise man said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” That is how we feel and we welcome you to come along for the ride as we explore, discover and get blown away by all that is green on the continent and of course, a peek at developments beyond our continent.CARBON-SUCKING SKY HIGH HOTELMountain Forest Hotel in guizhou, china’s wanfeng valley, is “a carbon-sucking, sky-high marvel” that has been designed by architect firm, Stefano Boeri Architetti, China. This unique and mind blowing hotel is said to be so green that it is expected to improve the air that surrounds it. The mountain forest hotel, which includes services such as a gym, lounge, vIp area, bar, restaurant and conference room, is due to open its doors mid-2017. Stefano Boeri said in an interview that buildings have to take care of nature. the 31 200 square-meter development’s design is aimed at restoring the landscape, through the reconstruction of a former existing hill, flattened many years in the past.
LIVE GREEN, WORK GREEN AND PLAY GREENGreen villages are gaining recognition globally. According to the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), an ecovillage is an “intentional community using local participatory processes to integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability holistically in order to regenerate social and natural environments.” There is no hesitation that local participation is important in developing a green village. There are several success stories of green villages in the world, but most strikingly, on the African continent. Rwanda, our ISSUE 04 Country Focus, with its capital (Kigali) rated in 2015 by the UN as the most beautiful city in Africa, is home to several green villages. These include Gashaki, Muyebe and others. Muyebe, for instance, adopted simple technologies that transformed the village into what the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) calls an inspirational model ‘of how to integrate economic development with environmental sustainability.’ Some of the technologies that were used include rainwater harvesting, biogas systems and tree planting. Residents in these green villages in Rwanda, for instance, have seen a vast improvement in their quality of life. Living in these eco-friendly villages is likened to settling into urban areas, for they do access all the basic amenities that urban dwellers do, e.g. clean water and safer forms of energy. In agreement with a report by the UNEP, Rwanda's experience is a model worth emulating - especially for developing African countries with similar backgrounds. ReadmoreFeatured Product: Load Control/Switch with appWhilst for many, there is always a challenge with managing and controlling non-essential loads, such as geysers, pool pumps and lights for example, the load switch provides an effective solution to control and manage usage of energy remotely, ie via your phone. Using an app that is built on android, the device can be turned off and on from anywhere you may be. You can have a set schedule and adjust this from the comfort of your office or whilst travelling via the app if required. The app is free. Life can be simpler and more affordable, with a small investment on these smart products on your part. Interested, ask for free assessment or quote here.
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