tunza vol. 9.4: the green economy [english]

8/2/2019 Tunza Vol. 9.4: The Green Economy [English]

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Down to business

for young people by young people about young people

The green economy

The mobile revolution

The UNEP Magazine for Youth


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2 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

TUNZA the UNEP magazinefor youth. To view currentand past issues of thispublication online,please visit www.unep.org

United Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP)PO Box 30552, Nairobi, KenyaTel (254 20) 7621 234Fax (254 20) 7623 927Telex 22068 UNEP KEE-mail [email protected]

ISSN 1727-8902

Director of Publications Nick NuttallEditor Geoffrey LeanSpecial Contributor Wondwosen Asnake Youth Editor Karen EngNairobi Coordinator Naomi PoultonHead, UNEPs Children and Youth Unit

Theodore ObenCirculation Manager Mohamed Atani

Design Edward Cooper, Ecuador Production BansonCover image Surbana Urban Planning Group

www.surbana.com

Youth contributors Manuel Aguilar (Guatemala);Anna Collins (UK); Kevin Ochieng (Kenya);Angus Joseph (South Africa); Zhan Hong Low

(Singapore); Nilza Matavel (Mozambique);Patricio Mora (Chile); Sonali Prasad (India);Tipti (India); Robert vanWaarden (Netherlands);Caroline Wambui (Kenya).

Other contributors Mike Barry (M&S); JaneBowbrick; Jason Clay (WWF); Georgina Guilln(UNEP/Wuppertal Institute CSCP); Su Ka humbu(iCow); Annie Leonard ( The Story of Stuff );Kamal Quadir (bKash); Fulai Sheng (UNEP);Wayne Talbot (Kingswood Consultation); RoseySimonds and David Woollcombe (Peace ChildInternational).

Printed in Malta

The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reectthe views or policies of UNEP or the editors, nor are theyan ofcial record. The designations employed and thepresentation do not imply the expression of any opinionwhatsoever on the part of UNEP concerning the legal statusof any country, territory or city or its authority, or concerningthe delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

UNEP promotes

environmentally sound practicesglobally and in its own activities. This

magazine is printed on 100% chlorine-freepaper from sustainably managed forests, usingvegetable-based inks and other eco-friendly

practices. Our distribution policy aimsto reduce UNEPs carbon footprint.

UNEP and Bayer, the German-based multinational involved inhealth care, crop protectionand high-tech materials, are working together to strengthen young peoples environmental awarenessand engage children and youth inenvironmental issues worldwide.

A partnership agreement, originallysigned in 2004 and renewed in 2007

and 2010, runs through 2013. It laysdown the basis for UNEP and Bayerto implement the projects under thepartnership. These include: TUNZAMagazine, the International Childrens

Painting Competition on theEnvironment, the UNEP TunzaInternational Youth and ChildrensConferences, youth environmentalnetworks in Africa, Asia Pacic,Europe, Latin America and theCaribbean, North America and WestAsia, the Bayer Young EnvironmentalEnvoy Program and a photocompetition, Ecology in Focus, inEastern Europe.

The long-standing partnership betweenUNEP and Bayer has become apublic-private partnership that servesas a model for both organizations.

CONTENTSEditorial 3

Welcoming the green economy 4

Yes we can! 6

Going viral 7

Down to business 8

Plan A 8

Starting a new venture? 10

Green enterprise in Africa 11

The mobile revolution 12

Power to the people 14

From metropolis to megalopolis 16

Green feeding 18

Living together 20

Create the change you want 21

Seven innovations 22

Heal the world 24

Keep up with TUNZA on your mobile

http://tunza.mobior on Facebook

www.facebook.com/TUNZAmagazine


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3The green economy

Nearly 40 per cent of the worlds 211 million unemployedpeople more than 80 million are aged 15-24.

In developed countries, one in four of the long-termunemployed are youths.

The world economy has quadrupled over the last 25years, but 60 per cent of the worlds major ecosystemgoods and services have been degraded or used

unsustainably. In 2006, more than 2.3 million people worldwide were

working in the renewable energy sector.

Emerging economies share of global investment inrenewables rose from 29 per cent in 2007 to 40 per centin 2008 primarily in Brazil, China and India.

The recycling industry in Brazil, China and the USA aloneemploys at least 12 million people.

Processing recyclable materials sustains 10 times more jobs than landll or incineration (on a per tonne basis).

Only 25 per cent of the worlds waste is recovered orrecycled. The world market for waste is worth around$410 billion a year.

In Brazil, 95 per cent of all aluminum cans and 55 percent of all polyethylene bottles are recycled, and halfof all paper and glass is recovered. This generates avalue of almost $2 billion and avoids 10 million tonnesof greenhouse gas emissions a year. Waste managementand recycling employ more than 500,000 people in Brazil.

Ecotourism has a 20 per cent annual growth rate, aboutsix times the rate for the rest of the sector. Travel andtourism employ 230 million people 8 per cent of thetotal global workforce.

numbers

EDITORIALThe worlds media bombard us with news of astalling world economy. A visit to the marketreminds us of r ising food prices. Jobs are di f cultto nd, especially i f you are youn g. Then theres the p riceof fuel and the i ncreasing scarcity o f those earth metalsessential to your laptop, tablet and mobi le.

At the same time, we are told the world must get backto growth and many of us are assailed with demandsto buy yet more stuff. But with ever more people inthe world, doesnt there seem to be a disconnectsomewhere? The Ecological Footprint already suggeststhat we are using the resources of 1.5 planets tomaintain current lifestyles and for the majority, thoselifestyles arent too great anyway.

UNEP is suggesting a different way a transition to a

green economy. What does that actually mean? Well,UNEP de nes it as: Improvin g human wel l-being andsocial equi ty, whi le signi cantly reducing environmentalrisks and ecological scarcit ies. In i ts simp lest expression,a green economy can be thought of as one which is lowcarbon, resource ef cient and socially inclu sive. Doesthat sounds fairer?

We must develop ways of accurately measuring ourimpacts on th e environment , then includ e the costs, likethe cost of pollution, in the pri ce we pay for what we use.Facing these real costs will encourage us to reduce the

environmental impact of production and consumption.A lot of people are already working on that, whetherWWFs work on sustainable production or Marks &Spencers determination to introduce sustainabilitythroughout its supply chain (pages 8-9).

Then theres the need to reduce our dependence onfossils fuels. Switching to renewables will involve majornew infrastructure, creating jobs and requiring newskills. But there are also smaller, locally appropriatepossibilities that encourage job creation at a level thatenables us all to get involved.

New technologies will help, too. These are introducingless polluting, less resource-dependent ways of doingthings from bringing products to market, transferringmoney and receiving payments, to raising money to nance your own new green project.

UNEP believes that moving to a green economywill enhance our efforts to achieve sustainability byimproving human well-being and social equity, whilstreducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.Green growth is an opportunity to correct that dis-connect in business-as-usual. It involves all of us, and

it is too important just to leave to governments. We allhave a part to play in our everyday lives, how we chooseto spend our hard-earned money, what we discuss withfamily and friends, and the messages we send, ahead ofRio+20, to the world s pol it icians. Make your voi ce heard.


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4 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

INVESTMENTS IN GREEN ENERGYCHINAis the worlds leading investor in renewable energy, spending $49 billion on it in 2010, and overall the countryis committed to spending $468 billion during the next ve years on key industries including renewable energy, cleantechnologies and waste management. If you exclude the emerging economies of Brazil, China and India, countries in Africahave posted the highest percentage increase of all developing regions in renewable energy investments. In Kenya, forexample, investment climbed from virtually zero in 2009 to $1.3 billion in 2010 across wind, geothermal, small-scale hydroand biofuel technologies.

Welcoming the green economy

WHAT is meant by green economy?You can look at it in two ways, either as an economy thatrespects green principles and is concerned with fairnessand inclusiveness, or as one which increasingly invests in

environmental technologies such as renewable energy, andnatural capital such as productive soil, forests and waterresources. Either way, consumer preferences for environ-mentally friendly, socially responsible goods and services willhelp drive investment decisions.

YOUTH unemployment is high will the green economycreate more jobs or is the focus on new technologies?According to UNEPs 2011 Green Economy report, investing2 per cent of global GDP about $1.3 trillion currently each year until 2050 in the greening of 10 economic sectorswould provide more jobs in the medium and long term than

business-as-usual.In some sectors public transport and renewable energyfor example theres likely to be an increase in jobs, butin others, such as sheries, there may be initial job lossesif we are to prevent a total collapse of the industry. Thekey is to ensure that those affected are given training andopportunities for re-employment.

Where youth unemployment is exceptionally high, state-sponsored large-scale employment programmes maybe needed. A green army could, for example, engage inresearch and development, the restoration of damagedecosystems and the greening of urban areas.

IS the green economy good for growth? If so, how?Economic growth is the increase in the production of goodsand services, and the income associated with that. Without

growth, there will be no new jobs, and governments wonthave additional revenue to spend on essential healthservices, education and social safety nets.

Growth is generated by investment. Traditionally, this hasfocused on highways, automobiles, oil and gas, buildings,manufacturing, logging, shing etc. A green economypromotes different sorts of investment in public transport,low-carbon vehicles, renewable energy, green buildings,clean technologies, sustainable forestry and the restorationof shery stocks.

WITH natural resources already under pressure, how canwe sustain that growth? Do we have to think differently?Technological development could address some resourceconstraints, while changes to the way society organizes

itself could also reduce such constraints. For example, thedevelopment of renewable energy is picking, up with thecost of solar technology declining by around 7 per cent ayear, making it increasingly competitive. Then there are newtechnologies that could reclaim desert areas as agriculturalland, as has happened in Kabuqi, China.

Growth can be sustained, at least for a time, through invest-ment in green technologies and ecosystem restoration.In China again, a ban on converting natural forests, anda policy of returning farmland to forests, has resulted in anet increase in forest cover, although the new forests hostless biodiversity.

As to changes in social organization, people in developedcountries will have to reduce their personal resourceconsumption though they could increase their service-intensive consumption, for example by hiring a car when they


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5The green economy

WHAT YOUTH CAN DOYOUNG PEOPLEcan lead a green consumer movement by changing their consumption habits. Take public transport,dont use food outlets that waste huge amounts of food, and demand the trade-in of all your electronic gadgets. If you arealready employed, be innovative: explore ways to save energy and other resources in your workplaces, including creatingnew lines of prots and jobs through improving energy and resource efciency. If you are unemployed, volunteer to helpwith ecosystem restoration or assist entrepreneurs to start small businesses that generate jobs and produce green goodsand services.

Its supporters believe that the green economy will improve human well-being and social equity while reducingenvironmental risks and ecological scarcities. TUNZA spoke to UNEP economist FULAI SHENG to nd out exactlyhow it might work, and how we can all help transform our societies.

need one rather than owning one or two or three so thatconsumption in developing countries can grow without anoverall global increase in resource use.

HOW do you persuade the private sector to embrace thegreen economy? And what is the role of national andinternational governance?Corporations are beginning to move investment into thegreening of economies: investments in renewable energy,mostly by the private sector, jumped by 32 per cent in 2010 toa record $211 billion. And there is clear evidence of potentialnet savings and prots to be made from shifting investments,adopting green management practices and making greentechnologies more affordable and available.

Governments have a leadership role to play in setting stan-

dards and providing a level playing eld by, for example,requir ing fuel efciency standards for vehicles and reformingexisting subsidies for fossil fuels, the shing industry andwater use, which currently encourage unsustainable behaviour.

In addition, governments should provide access to education,training, health care and social protection to ensure a fair and just transition for people who are negatively affected by thegreen transformation. At the international level, the trade andintellectual property rights regimes can help by promotingtrade in environmental goods and services and by makinggreen technologies more accessible.

WHAT is the role of building infrastructure such as railwaysor energy systems?Infrastructure is a good transformation entry point. Thecurrent energy and transport systems contribute signicantlyto greenhouse gas emissions and health-damaging pollut-

ants, while many poor people lack access to basic energy andtransport services. Greening infrastructure by promotingrenewable energy, public transport and a shift to low-carbonvehicles could address these problems and generate a

large number of jobs that are urgently needed. China, forexample, expects to create 2.5 million jobs in the wind energysector alone by 2020.

WHAT happens next? How does green economy becomeself-sustaining?Rio+20 has the green economy as one of its two major themes,so governments have the opportunity to consider adopting it asa practical approach to deliver sustainable development andmake commitments to coordinated action, such as reorient-ing investments towards the greening of their economies.

To ensure that a green economy is nancially viable, gov-ernments need to reorganize public spending and allocatefunds to making the transition. This includes shifting the taxburden away from labour and income onto environmentallyharmful activities. In addition, setting up innovative green-nancing mechanisms such as green investment banksshould be explored.

CAN consumers help?When consumers shift to environmentally friendly andsocially responsible goods and services, they send a signalto corporations and consequently inuence investmentdecisions. As consumers, we also have to distinguish be-tween needs and wants. In societies where most of our needsare met, we must control our wants as these can be un-limited, while resources are not. Satisfying wants reduces theavailability of resources required to meet the basic needs ofthe poor in many developing countries.


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C o un c i l 6 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

What should be done about the area YOU live in? Thats the questionKingswood Parks Development Company Ltd and Hull City Councilrecently put to young people aged 13-14 living in the Bransholmeand Kingswood areas of Hull, UK. They thought young people should have a voicein the development of their community. And as the youth themselves put it: Itsreally important to have our input because well inherit this community when webecome adults!

Thirty keen young people, pupils at the Kingswood College of Arts, responded tothe call to represent the younger generation in one of the largest housing estatesin the UK. It was built in the 1960s and 1970s for a population of 26,000, which hasnow grown to 30,000. Cut off from services and opportunities by main roads andelds, the estate is quite run down as well as overpopulated.

The kids took their job seriously. Working as a team, they developed and sent outa survey to 800 of their peers. No one thought theyd get much feedback, but anamazing 25 per cent of young people answered. This was a stunning response

adults had only managed to return 300 questionnaires out of the thousandsdistributed! From the results, the group created an Area Action Plan to bepresented to the City Council.

So whats the younger generations grand vision of its future community? Toeveryones surprise, not pizza joints and video arcades, but carefully considered,community-enhancing improvements: youth recreation facilities and parks,open spaces for wildlife, cycle paths, small neighbourhood shops, and healthierfamily restaurants to replace fast-food joints. Most of all, the kids amazed grown-ups with their desire to see a grocer selling healthy vegetables as well as anallotment for growing their own!

Security was a main theme, too. The kids made it clear that the estates reputationfor antisocial behaviour such as vandalism and drug dealing was exaggerated andmainly caused by a small handful of people, but they nevertheless came up withideas to change both the reality and other peoples unfair perceptions. More openspace will go a long way towards transforming how the area looks and how Hullis branded, they said. Their suggestions included spruced-up parks and streetfurniture, more facilities to give young people fun places to go as well as CCTVand police patrols.

Most remarkably, the young people considered the needs of generations to come.They asked for housing to be affordable, for adult recreation facilities as well asyouth facilities, and for retail space to provide a local source of employment. Wewould like to help make it possible for people to look after their houses moreeasily, they said. Its not only us that will benet, but also the people who will livehere in the future.

The team took their plan to the City Council and spent a morning presenting anddebating their ideas and solutions. Of course, councillors and planners will haveto take all community opinions into account, but having asked for youth feedbackand received such a well-considered and comprehensive reply, Kingswood Collegeyouth voices will be impossible to ignore. As one councillor said: Brilliant; veryimpressive!

Some of the group are already invited to meetings on the next stage ofdevelopment. Theyll join in the conversation equipped with their own results,

informed about planning, and with all the skills to discuss with adults what theyneed now and in the future.

Wayne Talbot facilitated the Kingswood Consultation, helping young people telladults what they need.

Yes we can!


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7The green economy

engagement. I ask people, Whatdo you think you can do? I alwaysget the reply: Recycle, ride mybike, compost all wonderful, butthats being a responsible citizen,NOT how we make change. A lot ofenvironmental groups reinforce thiswith li sts of 10 simple thin gs you can

do to save the planet. There ARE no10 simple things! Its a big, complexproblem!

Nagging is individualization of theproblem, and of course we haveindividual responsibility, but thebroader system rewards environ-mentally destructive behaviour. Weneed to change the system so thatdoing the right thing becomes thedefault. People should have to goout of their way to trash the planet,instead o f vice versa.

What I see missing is peoples senseof collective, systemic change. Instead of incremental things liketurning off the light, how about ifwe coll ectively ban toxic chemicals?

Going viral

In December 2007, ANNIE LEONARDs 20-minute animated documentary called The Story of Stuff which looks athow consumer society affects us and the planet hit the internet. It instantly went viral, generating 50,000 views onday one. Today, its had 15 million views across the planet, and interest seems to be gaining momentum. Theres a

Story of Stuff book, seven more free lms at storyofstuff.org, and more lms in the making. TUNZA spoke to Annie, whotold us the secrets of her runaway success.

People responded so well toThe Story of Stuff for severalreasons. One was timing: theeconomy was collapsing, and therewas increasing awareness of speciesloss and climate change. It tappedinto a growing sense of unease,telling the truth while mainstream

media kept saying: Theres noproblem. Go shopping!

But it was also the simplicity of thecartoons, an antidote to the serious-ness of the information. Images ofbelching smokestacks and starvingchildren shut people down, andwe needed audiences to remainopen. And SoS provided people aneasy vocabulary to talk about theseissues. One student said typical dis-course around envi ron ment was likea speeding train. She didnt knowhow to board.

We must meet people where they are. When rst developing the SoS talk ,I used the biggest words I couldto make myself sound smart. But Idiscovered that, faced with wo rds orconcepts they didnt know, peoplefelt dumb, so they didnt want toparticipate. I was also told I wasntfunny, didnt smile... No wonder no

one had listened to me fo r 20 years!

Our next lms will be about solutions. The Story of Making Change willbe a call for collective citizen

Make a different metric than GDPby which we can measure success?Share stuff a key to the real greeneconomy so we can use fewerresources. And sharing helps buildcommunity.

What gives me hope? One: its

techn ically possible. Theres a pleth-ora of solutions available. Two:change is inevitable. We are upagainst the limits of sustainability.Three: people already want to bepart of the solution and are takingaction. And the kinds of solutionswe need in order to keep living onthi s planet sharin g, makin g healthyproducts, getting involved in civicacti vities all make life more fun!So why not?


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WWF

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Plan AHOW can big business tackle sustainability? MIKE BARRY,head of sustainable business at the worlds 40th largestretailer, Marks & Spencer, says just do it.

I often hear three attitudes from business leaders aboutsustainability. The rst: Why change? Theres no pressurefrom government or consumers. The second says: I accepttheres a problem, but were in the middle of a recession.Cant it wait ve years? The third says: Yes, we have aproblem. But how in practice do we become sustainable?

In answer to the rst two groups, I say think differentlyabout the planet, not as a nice end-of-the-day activity but asa fundamental part of your business now and in the future.Consumer items including food, clothing, computers andcars all improve lives, but they all need forests, soil, water,energy and waste disposal as well. Business increasinglyunderstands that not only because taking these thingsinto account is better for the environment, but because itunderstands cost. Right now, as environmental pressuresbear down on what the planets got left to give, and as the

developing-world middle class grows and starts wanting theproducts the developed world takes for granted, prices of, forexample, energy, soy, cotton all commodities necessary forour products have risen steeply, and are likely to remainrelatively high and volatile over the next decade.

So how do we get to a more sustainable future? How do

we answer the question posed by that third group of execu-tives who know change is needed but dont necessarilyknow where to start? Its very simple: we plan, integrate,develop partnerships, engage our consumers differently andinnovate. In other words, do what business normally does,but focus on making sure we dont shoot the goose thatlays the golden egg the environment, our most importantfactory. That way, well have enough natural resources tocarry on doing what we do.

Today, businesses are becoming sustainable from theinside, building economically viable sustainability. Launchedin 2007, Marks and Spencers Plan A there is no Plan Bfor the one planet weve got now has 180 social andenvironmental commitments including working with ourcustomers and suppliers to combat climate change, reducewaste, use raw materials sustainably, trade ethically andhelp people lead healthier lifestyles. Our ultimate goal is tobecome the worlds most sustainable major retailer.

We are now implementing these commitments acrossour entire value chain: 3,000 factories, 20,000 farmers,1.7 million workers, thousands of raw material sourcesand 21 million consumers purchasing 2.7 billion items peryear from us. To make that chain sustainable, you need a

strong plan and project management that pursues change,drives factories to run differently and makes thousands ofsustainable buying decisions. And to prove that sustainabilityis protable, we count every cent: last year Plan A delivereda net benet of $100 million in quite challenging times.

Down to businessWhen JASON CLAY of WWF (the glo-bal conservation organization) wantedto change the worlds con sumptionhabits, he had some decisions tomake. With so much being consumed,what do you worry about rst?

Jason identied the 15 most globallyimportant commodities stuff that getsconsumed in vast quantities and hasthe greatest impact on the ecosystemsand species we need to look after.

And then what? How do you appealto the 7 billion consumers of all this

stuff (thats us)? Most of us dont havetime to read the label, even if there isone. Or how about approaching the1.5 billion producers? Thats a hugenumber of skype calls. Maybe thecompanies that buy from the pro du-cers are the best option they control

more than 70 per cent of the trade inthese 15 basics, and there are only300-500 of them. But thats still quitea lot of people to talk to when yourein a hurry.

So how about just approaching 100or so? Would that make a difference?

After all, they still control 25 per centof trade in our 15 commodities....

Now this is where the maths gets a bitfunny: if you can inuence 25 per centof company demand for commodities,that in turn will inuence 40 to 50 percent of the way those commodities areproduced.

Of course consumer demand is im-portant too and we must all dowhat we can but this funny mathsdoes mean that when it comes to thewhole supply chain, corporate demand

palm oil cotton biofuels

sugarcanepulp &papersawnwood dairy

beefsoy fish oil &mealfarmedsalmon

farmedshrimptuna

tropicalshrimp

whitefish

15 key

commodities

7 billionconsumers

1.5 billionproducers

300-500 companiescontrol 70%of trade

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We are not the only ones pursuing across-the-board

sustainability Unilever, Coca Cola, Nike, Walmart and Marsare too but none of us can do it alone. The World EconomicForum has established a platform for chief executives to worktogether, and the Sustainability Consortium is developingscientic solutions so that businesses can take morestandard approaches to carbon and water footprints andwaste management, rather than doing different things andspreading confusion and inefciency.

Guiding consumer choiceWe are also taking consumers on the journey. Ten per centof consumers around the world are environmentally self-motivated, but 65 per cent share many of their concernsbut dont know where to start. They recycle and dont wastefood, but dont want to get involved with complex decisionsabout climate change or factories in China. They want us todo the hard work for them on most of our 180 commitments.However, where they can collectively, in their millions, makea difference (e.g. recycling used clothing or packaging), theywill join the journey if we make it simple and rewarding forthem to do so.

All of this helps the environment, bit by bit. But its notenough to deal with the planetary scale of the crisis. Manybusiness leaders recognize that whatever your morals

or ethics, without the planet, we have no business. So weneed true innovation to come up with radical new businessmodels. Not tomorrow, but by 2020, we need the groundrules of a very different economic system to be put intoplace: one that is a closed loop, ensuring no product ever

becomes a waste, where only sustainable raw materials areused and where human life is improved wherever businesstouches it.

Many of the solutions required to make business signicantlymore sustainable already exist. What we need now though isa commitment to go from piloting these solutions to scalingthem up rapidly. At an intergovernmental level, perhaps if100 business leaders stood at Rio+20 committed to forests,water and social issues, it could galvanize change. Business

can make a difference, and prove within a decade that therecan be a radically different business model better for theplanet and its people. Business may be part of the problem,but its now got a road map to make a big contribution todeveloping a sustainable future.

has much more power to transformmarkets than we do, and it can do itmuch more quickly.

Once you have the interest of a majorcompany it becomes easier to getother people in the supply chainto sit at the same table, as no-onewants to risk losing their place inthe market. Of course it takes somenegotiation, but be fore long you have aroundtable where producers, traders,manufacturers, brands and retailerscome together to agree on stan-dards that can force change in entire

industries all under the guidance ofthe environmental non-governmentalorganizations and researchers who areworking on con serving our world.

There are now a dozen or so suchroundtables, and they are having an

effect. Once a standard has beenset for example for palm oil thecompanies at the table put pressureon others, even on governments, toadopt policies of sustainability. So itdoesnt matter so much if you are toobusy to read the label on your biscuit,or whether the biscuit manufacturer

has even decided to be sustainable ornot, because the palm oil the biscuitmanufacturer buys is ever more likelyto be sustainably produced.

WWF has signed agreements with 40of the 100 companies originally iden-tied as pivotal to changing the waythe 15 key commodities are produced.But this is just a start. There are moreagreements on the way.

The information in the corporate panels is for illus trative pur poses only and cannot be considered accurate.

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Asustainable enterprise is eco-nomically sound and environ-men tally friendly, and has apositive impact on society. It alsoconsiders its impacts on tomorrowssocieties and ways of helping themmeet their needs.

Sustainability is an ideal, but the

emergence of standards and certi-cations to inform consumers andsup port them in their decision makingis a sign that more individuals arebecoming aware of sustainability.Economic performance is normallymeasured by protability, while anenterprises environmental perform-ance can be measured by its use ofnatural resources and the impactof its activities on the environment.The social aspect of sustainability is

harder to quantify, but thinking aboutways your business could contributeto the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) is a start.

With that in mind, ask the followingquestions:

What are my consumers expecting?Understanding the consumers per-spective provides valuable insights.Most sustainable businesses startedas creative solutions to consumersneeds. William Kamkwamba startedbuilding windmills using scrap mater-ials to provide light to homes in hisvillage in Malawi. Mohammed Yunnusmicro-credit scheme enabled poorpeople to borrow small amounts tostart their own businesses.

What impact will my business have?Will society benet?Besides consulting the MDGs, ask suchquestions around social equity as: What

will this community look like in years(you set the period), and what will mybusiness do to contribute to this vision?To understand whom your business islikely to benet, you may also want to

Starting a new venture?Of course the rst step is making a business plan, working through nancialviability and technical feasibility. But what does creating a sustainableenterprise mean? GEORGINA GUILLN, a consultant for the UNEP/WuppertalInstitute Collaborating Center on Sustainable Consumption and Production andPhD researcher in sustainable innovation, offers a few crucial questions to askyourself as you develop your business.

ask: Who could help me to make thisvision happen, and why?

What impact will my business have onthe environment?What does your products life cyclelook like? InterfaceFlor, a pioneer ofsustainability, realized its possible touse fabric from old carpets to create

new ones. Their take-back programmenot only saves on raw materialsthrough recycling, but also reducespollution and landll. Such initiativescan help generate other types ofbusinesses, like carpet collectingservices.

Does offering sustainable productsimply higher production costs?No matter what some consumerscurrently think, the answer is no.

If your value chain is sustainablefrom the start, operating costs couldbe lower. And as both national andinternational regulations tighten andconsumer demand grows, being un-sustainable will be the biggest risk forany business.

How do I avoid accusations of green-washing and insincerity?Transparency and accountability arevital, but more than a glossy report,consumers want tangible results. Butcommunications are still crucial talkto your customers and understandtheir views on sustainability, listen towhat their needs are, and youll knowhow to engage with them.


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11The green economy

O ne of the greatest challenges of the greeneconomy is the need for regionally appropriatesolutions. There are many excellent, po tentiallyworld-changing, locally grown and sustainable businessideas in Africa, especially coming from young people, buttoo often they are dropped for lack of nancial backingwhen the young people graduate and face the reality of having to earn a living.

Thats why an IT team and I are creating an online platformto attract investment and promote access to markets forstarter businesses and projects in the green economy.Our aim is to connect young African entrepreneurs withresources through an open online call for support orcrowdsourcing not only in terms of suggestions forimproving projects, links with similar projects and feedbackfrom professionals and experts, but also in terms of funding.

Crowdfunding the practice of asking for small sums of money from large numbe rs of pe ople to fund projects hasbecome extremely popular in recent years, and makes a lotof sense, as literally anyone can invest. There are millionsof people who can contribute $50 to a project, and voteon the best project with their dollars. Sites like Kickstarter.com focus on funding art projects. But while art is great,the world really is crying out for green ideas! On our site,these ideas can be uploaded, carefully and continuouslydocumented to moderate progress, voted on andcontributed to . Youth- led green enterprise will be mapped

across Africa, making it easy to nd projects geographically.

Our main users will be young social entrepreneurs andproject leaders and their networks of friends (starters),small-scale philanthropists and global investors (backers),and general visitors. Starters will be able to upload projectdocuments, photos and video s to a home page, with a spaceto gather ideas and opinions from site visitors, linked toFacebook and Twitter. There will also be a funding statusbar to indicate the amount of money raised, and a projectstatus-repo rt function. Backers will have access to updates,project news and information, and a rating system wherethey can see how site users are responding to projects,helping to gauge project viability and credibility. Theyllalso have a way to create a support community around theprojects they back.

Were focused on projects that can really take off as self-sustaining businesses because self-sustaining social entre-preneurship is the future of the green economy. The siteis still in its early stages: weve nished the design and willsoon begin coding. My great hope is that Greenstarterinspires action among African youth and an investmentcommunity to promote locally generated solutions topressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges.

Once this takes off, I hope to expand this idea beyondAfrica. We are, after all, a global community in need of solutions that accommodate each other. Africa cannot doit alone.

Green enterprise in Africa

KEVIN OCHIENG former Tunza Youth Advisory Councilmember is hard at work on Greenstarter.net, an inno-vative online platform that will provide young African inno-vators with the resources to launch environmentally andeconomically sustainable projects. He tells TUNZA all about

how he hopes Greenstarter will contribute to the greeneconomy in Africa and beyond.

Y O U R p r o j e c t sManuel Aguilar, GuatemalaQuetsol provides micro-scale solar power systems to ruralvillagers in Guatemala to power lights and charge mobilesand laptops at less expense than the long-term cost ofcandles. Customers pay around $240 but can take out

micronance loans through partner organizations. Peopletend to take care of what they own and we need prots toreach more people more than 1.5 billion around the worldare without electricity. Quetsol is also making its knowledgeopen source, so others can join us. www.quetsol.com

Zhan Hong Low, SingaporeQLoov makes t-shirts from 100 per cent recycled PET bottles.One shirt uses up to 12 bottles, and our production processuses up to 70 per cent less energy with 30 per cent lowercarbon emissions than making cotton t-shirts. All Qloovshirts carry an environmental message: designs come fromfans online, and people vote for their favourites. Wearingone says theres a cool alternative to cotton. Prots aredonated to sup port ECOSingapore and other environmentalorganizations. www.qloov.com

Patricio Mora, ChileProyecta Memoria reuses and recycles rubble created bynatural and manmade disasters to build parks, pedestrianareas, play grounds, street furniture and other public struc-tures, saving money and energy on building materials,reducing landll, and reha bilitating and beautifying damaged

spaces, but most importantly preserving a communitysmemories and identity. Were currently developing our pilotproject an open-air chapel in Arauco built with the remainsof a local church destroyed in the earthquake of 27 February2010. www.proyectamemoria.cl


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12 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

MOBILE PHONEShave emerged as an important economic tool for millions living in less developed, rural or remoteareas, with little or no access to traditional bank infrastructure or the internet. This is a prime example of technologicalleapfrogging allowing rapid change. In developing economies, mobiles are most famously being used as an alternativeto traditional banking, enabling people to send and receive money. Theyre also used to buy and sell goods, disseminateinformation and help people nd work. TUNZA spoke to Kamal Quadir and Su Kahumbu, two entrepreneurs who are usingmobile phones in innovative ways, improving lives and helping the environment.

P robably the best-known mobile banking phenomenonis Kenyas M-PESA, operated by Safaricom, an afliateof Vodaphone. Users visit corner shops far more commonthan banks to purchase a card with cash and enter a codeinto their mobiles, and can then transfer the money to any

other mobile user, who can withdraw the cash at a bank,ATM or their local shop. M-PESA accounts are also used topay bills, purchase airtime and buy goods at participatingmerchants. M-PESA has been rolled out in Tanzania, SouthAfrica and Afghanistan, a large country with challenging

terrain and far-ung settlements, where its operator,Roshan, additionally used the system to transfer wages ofgovernment employees. Now Vodaphone plans to launchthe platform in India and Egypt. In the Philippines, similarm-banking solutions include Smart Communications Smart

Money, which through a tie-up with MasterCard doubles asa debit card, and Globe Telecoms Gcash. A Kenyan ser-vice called Pesapal, which emerged after M-PESA, allowsKenyans to accept Visa payments from abroad, furtherexpanding opportunities for selling goods and services.

Themobile revolution

MARKETS AND MONEY

KAMAL QUADIR, the World Economic Forums 2009Young Global Leader, has engaged mil lions ofpeople in Bangladesh through CellBazaar, a mobile-commerce site that allows people to buy and sell goods,look for jobs and check commodity prices by phone. He isnow working on bKash, a mobile-banking platform.

Bangladesh has a population of 160 million people, most ofwhom do not have access to the internet or regular media,and 60 per cent of whom dont have electricity. At the sametime, Bangladesh is one of the best-networked countries inthe world: nearly all Bangladeshis have mobile phones. Yetfewer than 10 per cent of people have access to conventionalbanks! So how can we help bring all these people into the21st century economy? With bKash (in Bengali, bikash meansblooming or prosperity), which Ive been developing since 2008in partnership with BRAC Bank, we are bridging the gap bycreating nancial services for the other 90 per cent.

The bKash scheme is all about empowering people withmoney. I always say that the beginning of saving is the endingof poverty. When you save a dollar, you are making provisionfor your future, rather than living hand-to-mouth, which ismere survival. A service like bKash is especially empoweringfor Bangladeshi women. When they earn money from workingat, say, a textile factory, they typically give it to their husbands,brothers or fathers because they dont have a place to save.With their mobile phones and bKash, such women are givencontrol over their own money, and therefore their own lives.

Giving people control was also my aim with CellBazaar, amobile virtual marketplace. Using various platforms, fromsimple SMS through 3G wireless to web browsers and voice,users may log into the system to buy and sell all manner ofgoods, from appliances and vehicles to IT and photographyservices, clothing and real estate and jobs are advertised

here, too. Farmers, even those in remote areas, can use thesite to sell their produce.

Services like bKash and CellBazaar serve people at differentincome levels, and its important to remember that not all ofBangladesh is in dire poverty. In fact it boasts a fairly largemiddle class, particularly among the developing countries.So the level of poverty bKash addresses is a level abovestarvation, a level at which, if you apply technology, peoplecan be helped to rise to higher prosperity.

Sustainability should be the key for any socially motivated

initiative. Even small-value creations, when accumulated,can generate a meaningful impact. One of our strategies isemploying thousands of people to go door to door, teachingmillions of others how to use mobile banking. Theres a two-fold benet here: we create employment, and offer peoplehands-on experience of the technology, the fastest way ofteaching and learning.

In Bangladesh, one initiative may engage millions of people.Though it may only generate one dollar per person, it gene-rates a million dollars of value, which is deeply satisfying.


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13The green economy

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LIVESTOCKSKILLS

Farmer, agriculturalist and social entrepreneurSU KAHUMBU works in Kenya. Her iCow text- andvoice-based mobile app helps livestock farmers carefor their cows, reminding small-scale dairy farmers ofimportant points in their cows gestation information theyused to have to get by contacting specialists. iCow suppliesthis information to registered farmers, prompting them onwhat to do and when. But, as Su explains, its potential ismore far-reaching.

As farmers continue telling us what their needs are, wevedeveloped more features, such as a livestock and producemarket. Farmers may post details of animals for sale oniCow, and the platform also helps small farmers who havesmall amounts of produce such as goats milk aggregatetheir goods for sale to bulk buyers. It also acts as a searchservice for vets and articial-insemination providers, andoffers tips and information on feeding practices, diseasecontrol and so on.

iCow doesnt just serve farmers, but gives many stake-holders in the agricultural sector access to farmers. The

app is being used to gather and pass on crucial informationabout disease outbreaks, for example, so that local ofcialsand farmers can react quickly. iCow also offers otherinformation to farmers, such as vaccination availabilityor details of nancial services, agricultural eld days andexhibition events.

I originally got the idea of putting agricultural informationon mobiles as a way to get information to young peopleinterested in farming. The average age of farmers all overthe world is high in Kenya, its 48 and its crucial that wenurture a new generation of farmers. There is rising interestin agriculture among the young, many of whom are notborn into farming, and so dont have the knowledge. Mobilephones are an excellent education platform, as its a widelyused technology.

Right now iCow has about 5,000 users across Kenya,but were reaching out to more, planning a mass roll-out across mobile networks. We hope to have more thana million farmers on the platform within the next twoyears. iCow, which won rst prize in the 2010 Apps4Africacompetition, is actually a small part of a much largeroriginal idea mKulima, a voice-based agricultural ency-clopdia accessible via mobile. This is still in development

but will now be launched under the iCow brand. A millionfarmers may seem a lot, but remember Kenya is a nationof 14 million people, of whom 70 per cent are involved inagriculture. So its a target that should be easily surpassed.


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D e s e r t e c

14 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

Theres bad news and good news. The bad newsis that we still rely primarily on fossil fuels forenergy which accounts for around 60 per cent ofall greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that theworld is making real and increasingly rapid progress intransitioning towards renewable low-carbon alternativesfrom sun, wind, water and biomass. Separating economicgrowth from inexorably rising emissions will go a longway towards making development truly sustainable andraising living standards for all.

It is already technically possible because we have theknow-how. And it is inevitable because the cost of fossilfuels is rising while stocks are limited and increasingnumbers of people need energy almost 40 per centof us still rely on traditional biomass for cooking and

25 per cent do not have access to a reliable supply ofelectricity yet the potential for renewable technology isunlimited. According to a May 2011 report released by theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2010 saw17.5 gigawatts of solar energy installed a 130 per centincrease over one year and photovoltaic installations areprojected to rise to 50GW around the globe, generatingthe equivalent power of 15 nuclear reactors. Interestingly,more than 50 per cent of renewable energy technologiesare being installed in developing countries, a phenomenonknown as leapfrogging, where developing economies movestraight to advanced technologies, skipping less efcientand more polluting ones.

Accidents like the post-earthquake Fukushima meltdownhave recently reminded people of the dangers of nuclearpower. Nonetheless 440 nuclear power stations are working

around the world, 60 new plants are under construction,155 are planned and 339 are proposed. However, a nuclearpower plant takes up to 15 years to build and a coal-redpower plant ve years, while a mid-sized solar plant cannow take just three months, so where there is immediateneed, renewables can win out over traditional energysystems despite their lower capacity.

So if we must and we can, whats the problem? The mainobstacles are political will and fossil fuel subsidies, and like it or not change takes time. Still, at the rate weregoing, renewables could, if backed by public policy, provide

80 per cent of the worlds energy supply by 2050. Under theright circumstances and with enough government support,its possible for the world to get on the road to substantialsavings in greenhouse gas emissions up to more than athird by 2050.

But as ever, its up to all of us. The best thing ordinarycitizens can do is invest in renewable energy wheneverpossible whether its buying power from a company thatoffers it or installing systems of our own, or encouragingour schools or workplaces to do so and getting behindlocal, national and international initiatives and leaders whocan push for change at a higher level.

If theres one thing Africa has plentyof, its sun. The Sahara desert whichmeasures 9 million square kilometres

receives as much energy from the sunin six hours as the entire world uses ina year. Why not harness this power?Desertec, rst announced in 2009, is an

ambitious plan to build an internationalnetwork of solar thermal power systemsacross the desert, creating enoughgreen electricity not only to meet NorthAfrican and Middle Eastern needs, but

construction in Morocco, near the cityof Ouarzazate. Algeria has also signedon to participate.

Power to the people

to export it to Europe via high-voltagedirect current power lines. The hope is toprovide at least 15 per cent of Europeselectricity by 2050.

Desertec wont be based on photo-voltaic solar energy, which directly

creates electrical current. Instead, thetechnology uses parabolic mirrors toconcentrate heat, which turns turbinesto generate power. In 2012, the rstsolar farm of the network is beginning

A SLICE OF SUN TO POWER TWO CONTINENTS

Carbon dioxide(CO2) 74%Methane (CH 4)17%

Nitrous oxide (N 2O)8%

Halocarbons(e.g. chlorine) 1%

The most important greenhouse gases...

Energy supply26%

Residentialand commercialbuildings 8%

Transport13%

Waste andwastewater 3%

Industry 19%

Forestry 17%

Agriculture14%

...and where they come from

Source: IPCC


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15The green economy

No power? No problem! Hereare a few green solutionsthat people have implemented asalternatives to a standard gridinfrastructure.

Solar salt-to-freshwaterIn the Maldives and other off-gridisland communities, brackish watercan be a health hazard. Now solar-driven pumping systems, powered by asingle 100-watt solar panel measuring

just 1 square metre, can daily draw500 litres of water up and through a

reverse osmosis process to removecontaminants, using a fth of theenergy required by standard equipment

powered by diesel.

Mini-hydroDont have power, but have a riveror creek running by your property?

Micro-hydro could be the answer toyour problem. In the Philippines, forexample, over 10,000 villages cannotbe reached by the power grid. Thesolution is micro-hydro installations.With a capacity of up to 35 kilowatts,they typically straddle small rivers andcan be owned and operated by localcommunities.

Sun lightsBus stops, streetlights and parkingmeters: all small, but all necessary and

requiring energy. European cities aretrying out solar-powered replacements

as a step towards a greener infra-structure. In South Holland, a provinceof the Netherlands, bus stops are nowbeing tted with solar-powered digitalinforma tion signs, making assembly andreplacement easy because of the lackof cables.

Native windsIn the United States,Native American tribesare increasingly turningto wind power as asource of energy anda route to economicdevelopment. Many ofthe countrys 700 tribesand Native Alaskanvillages are located onlands with excellentwind resources anddevelopment potential.Some tribes, such as the RosebudSioux in South Dakota, have alreadytaken the plunge. They erected a

750-kilowatt turbine that powers acasino and the excess clean energygoes to an electric company for localuse. A 30-megawatt wind farm is nowunder development.

Small is beautiful

Across 751 villages in India, more than 14,800 xed solarenergy units have been created, installed, repaired andmaintained, lighting thousands of households and schoolsand beneting hundreds of thousands of people. Who doesall this work? Foreign volunteers shipped in by a power fulnon-governmental organization? No, its the Barefoot SolarEngineers people from poor rural communities, mostlyilliterate, often women and unemployed youth, who aretrained in solar energy installation by community-develop-ment project Barefoot College.

Founded in 1972, Barefoot College offers rural communities

a chance to meet their basic needs such as energy, healthcare and water by training experts from among their people,giving them ownership and empowering even the poorestindividuals and communities to be self-sufcient.

Inaccessible, remote and off-grid villages are selected andintroduced to the concept of solar lighting. If the villageagrees to participate, a committee is formed to help identifyhouseholds that want solar lighting. These households paya small monthly fee, to give a sense of ownership, and thevillage donates a building to serve as a Rural ElectronicWorkshop, where components can be stored. The Collegeselects village members to be Barefoot Solar Engineers responsible for installation, repair and maintenance whotravel to the Barefoot College campus in Tilonia, Rajasthan,to be trained. They then return to serve the village, earningextra income usually for a period of at least ve years

on top of their normal occupation, whether its farming,animal husbandry or craft. This helps to keep skills withincommunities and prevents urban migration. Engineers alsohelp replicate the programme in other communities.

BAREFOOT COLLEGE SOLAR ENGINEERS


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Peru Brujo

Richard J. Andersen, www.luximages.co.ukKris Ablan

Bringing life toabandoned buildings

When members of the Invisible Circus a per forming arts group in Bristol,UK, that specializes in staging wildand colourful shows in abandonedbuildings began squatting in adisused car showroom, they took itupon themselves to transform thisneglected, run-down space into ashowcase of local art and a pub-licly accessible venue for lm nights,workshops, talks, rehearsals and, ofcourse, jaw-dropping live per for-mances. The community res pondedwith enthusiasm and, in partnershipwith Bristol City Council and others,

the team formed Artspace/Lifespace,an artist-led organization that trans-forms underused and problem pro-perties into vibrant, self-supportingcreative centres.

Ancient buildingtechniques

The beautiful mud-brick buildingsof Djenn, in Mali, demonstratehow building with earth includingadobe, rammed earth and so on remains a tried and true, eco-friendlyway to create shelter in arid regions.The bricks, called ferey , are made ofsand, clay and organic materials suchas rice husks, then baked in the sun.Coated with mud plaster, they createthick walls that naturally provide

insulation from heat during the dayand keep interiors warm at night. Thecity of Djenn, with its spectacularmud-brick Great Mosque, is protectedas a UN ESCO World Heri tage site.

16 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

From metropolis to megalopolisCentres of cultural activity, engines of wealth and technological innovation,but also of poverty and environmental degradation, cities embody both theworlds greatest hope and its greatest challenge to sustainable living.Why? Cities consume 75 per cent of the Earths natural resources while occupying just 2 per cent of the planets terrestrial surface. And in an astonishingly shortperiod, weve become a world of city dwellers: in 1950, a third of the worldspopulation lived in cities; by 2000, the proportion had grown to half; and by 2008the majority of us had become urban citizens. This trend is projected to continue:two-thirds, or 6 billion people, will be living in cities by 2050.

Cities are getting bigger, too: the number of cities with more than 1 millionpeople went from 11 in 1900 to 378 in 2000. By 2025, experts expect the numberto increase to around 600, of which almost 500 will be in developing countries.

So greener cities will become an ever more important focal point for human andenvironmental well-being and development. The good news is that emerging

cities have the opportunity to develop more efcient buildings, systems andinfrastructures than the older ones essentially learning from past experience,whether positive or negative. Meanwhile, our older cities are not standingstill. They, too, are seeking ways to green themselves. Here are a few creativeexamples addressing some of the many possible qualities that might help makea city more sustainable.

Better biking

In 1999, Marikina, one of the 17cities that make up the Manilametropolitan area in the Philippines,began developing a bike networkalong riverbanks as well as roadwaysto provide an alternative to motorizedpublic transport. With the help ofa grant from the World Bank, 52kilometres of cycle paths have beenbuilt so far, connecting residentialcommunities with schools, marketsand workplaces. With the help of agovernment-sponsored education andbike-loan programme, the network hashad the effect of more than doubling

the number of bicycles in Manilatrafc. Half of all households nowown at least one bike, and cyclinghas become accepted and popular as

journey times are cut.


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17The green economy

YOUTH AND THE CITY

Young people make up nearly 40 per cent of the worldsunemployed, but if the collective energy and creativityof youth could be harnessed, think how much couldbe accomplished! Around 85 per cent of young peoplelive in developing countries, and many from rural areasmigrate to cities seeking opportunities. Once there, theynd fewer job openings than job-seekers, so many areforced to work informally at whatever they can nd, and livein slums, particularly in countries such as Benin, BurkinaFaso, Central African Republic, Chad and Ethiopia. If theselarge numbers of unemployed youth go unaided, they arelikely to become trapped in poverty, are at risk of beingexploited, and have little access to education and health

care all of which can fuel political unrest. Policy makersare trying to help, and the need to create employmentopportunities for young people is specically addressedin the Millennium Development Goals (MDG 1, Target 1b).The Youth Employment Network (YEN) a partnershipbetween the UN, the International Labour Organization andthe World Bank advocates prioritizing youth employmenton development agendas, works with young people to pilotentrepreneurial projects, and supports such strategies asmicrocredit schemes, vocational and entrepreneurshiptraining, and information and com munication technologyskills training. With perseverance, such efforts will helpmake cities hubs of hope for young people.

Rurbanism

What if we were to take the greeningof urban spaces even more seriouslyand bring together urban and rurallife, closely interweaving rice paddies,sh ponds and vegetable gardensinto high-efciency, densely packedand ultra-modern urban apartmentblocks? Its a plan already in theworks for Panjim, the capital of Goa,India. In 2001, a team made up ofdesign, sustainabil ity and developmentexperts undertook a research projectto transform an existing city into asustainable city, settling on Panjimbecause it already has a high qualityof l ife and a strong enough institutionalbase to support the transformation.Research into the citys natural re-sources and its demographic, socialand economic structure showed thatthe transition could be made in 30years, and that the better-designed citywould lead not only to fresh air, locally

grown food and the regeneration ofsurrounding landscapes, but wouldsave its citizens precious time, leavingmore for work, childcare, educationand leisure activities.

New urbanism

One way out of smoke-choked city

trafc jams is to live in a neigh-bourhood packed compactly witheverything you need homes, shops,schools, workplaces, recreation andcivic facilities all ideally withina 10-minute walk. Thats whatsenvisioned by the urban designmovement new urbanism, whichemerged in the 1980s. It proposesmixed-use retail/residential properties,town squares or centres, increasedhousing density, more green space forwildlife and recreation and, above all,pedestrian-friendly city design. In thenew urban vision, parking lots wouldbe turned into parks, bicycles would beeasily accessible and foot trafc wouldhelp local businesses thrive. There arehundreds of new urban projects beingbuilt or planned in the United States.The most famous completed project isSeaside, Florida, featured in the lmThe Truman Show , while examplesin Europe where the correspondingmovement is called urban village

include Poundbury, England andJakriborg, Sweden. Elsewhere in theworld, new urbanist developmentsinclude Melrose Arch in Johannesburgand Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.

Caring construction

PassivHaus is a construction standardthat produces such well insulatedbuildings that they dont need air-conditioning in summer or heatingduring the winter, even in regions withextreme temperatures. Developed inthe 1980s in Europe, where the tech-nology is most popular, Passive-Haus designs use passive solartechnology such as windows orien-ted towards the sun, walls that absorband distribute heat, and roof over-hangs designed to shade win dowsfrom heat, depending on the needsof the site. Houses are air tight andtypically tted with double- or triple-glazed windows and insu lated doors,but are often equipped with a specialventilation system that captures heatfrom inside the building and uses it towarm fresh air coming in. Buildings

certied to PassivHaus stan dard in theEuropean Union and United States canconsume up to 90 times less energyto cool, heat and light than standardnew buildings.


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Green feedingAdiscussion of green economy wouldnt be complete without considering agriculture, which has massive impacts on ourecosystems: deforestation, pesticides and fertilizers, livestock emissions, to name just a few. The good news is that forthe last 20 years, leaders in various agricultural sectors have set up ecolabels certication standards that help make anyagricultural commoditys supply chain from farmer to consumer more sustainable. As time goes on, increasing numbers ofagricultural certication programmes as well as those for energy efciency, sustainable manufacturing and so on have beenlaunched, covering everything from fair trade through sh to forests and beyond.

It can be overwhelming to stay aware of what these are and the standards they set, but its worth doing research so thatyou know what youre buying, as consumers play a key role in the green economy. Meanwhile, here are a few of the majorglobal ecolabels to seek out as you make your choices.

Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)Aquaculture is too often demonized as having a negativeenvironmental effect, but carried out responsibly, it can playa major role in providing a sustainable alternative to wild sea-food as human populations grow and sheries are depleted.Established in 2009 by WWF (the global con servationorganization) and IDH (the Netherlands Sustainable TradeInitiative), the ASC is currently still developing its standards including those for the production of tilapia, salmon,shrimp, bivalves, freshwater trout and abalone. It aimsto increase the availability of certied sustainable shproducts, while creating a consumer label that will helppeople enjoy it free of guilt.www.ascworldwide.org

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)We rely on forestry not only for ecosystem health, butalso for some foodstuffs, and for our supply of wood usedto create packaging, building materials, charcoal, paperand many more products. The FSC sets standards forsustainable, economically viable and socially benecial

management of the worlds forests. Look for this label tomake sure your wood products came from legally logged,sustainably managed forests that have done no harm to old-growth forests or the people who live in them.www.fsc.org

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)Nutritious, delicious and rich in energy, palm oil, grownprimarily in Southeast Asia, is in many everyday products,from crisps to breads, ice cream and cereals where itsdescribed as vegetable oil to cosmetics and soaps. Itsalso in demand as a biofuel. But growing oil palms typically

involves clearing rainforest and peatland, which contributesto biodiversity loss and carbon dioxide emissions. WWFestablished the RSPO in 2004 to promote the growth anduse of sustainable palm oil products through credible globalstandards. It convenes stakeholders from seven sectors ofthe palm oil industry producers, processors or traders,consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks andinvestors, environmental or nature conservation organi-zations and social or developmental ones to develop andimplement global standards for palm oil that ensure theleast harm possible to the environment.www.rspo.org


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19The green economy

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)Food from the sea is healthy, renewable and an essentialfood source for billions around the world. But demand isincreasing, and more than 70 per cent of sh stocks arealready overharvested and depleted, while poor shing

prac tices such as trawling the seabed damage marineecosystems. The MSC works with sheries, seafood com-panies, scientists, conservation groups and the publicto promote the best environmental choice in seafood byrewarding sustainable shing with its shery certicationprogramme and seafood ecolabel. Fisheries must operateat a level that permits shing to continue indenitely withoutoverexploitation, must be managed to minimize impacton the structure, productivity, function and diversity of theecosystem, and must meet all local, national and inter-national laws.www.msc.org

The Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS)Soy is a very common crop and valuable to humans as afood source, as fodder for livestock including pigs, poultryand cattle, and as an oil widely used in processed foods.Soy oil is also used to produce biofuels. Similar to theRSPO and also established by WWF, the RTRS certies soy,its derivatives and products, all along the supply chain. Itsstandards include prohibiting soy cultivation in areas of high

conservation value like forests and savannahs, monitoringwater pollution and soil erosion, and eliminating the mosthazardous pesticides from soy farming. It also seeks toprevent social conicts over land and labour rights.www.responsiblesoy.org

Smallholder farmers the majority of them women providemost of Africas food, typically with few resources and littlegovernment support. Hoping to help empower smallholderfarmers and lift them out of poverty and hunger, the Alliancefor a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) an organizationchaired by former UN Secretary-General Ko Annan worksacross Africa to support food security and prosperity by trans-forming smallholder farming into a productive, sustainableand competitive system, all whi le protecting the environment.

In partnership with African governments, farmers organiza-tions, research scientists, the private sector, civil society andmultilateral organizations, AGRA works with farmers to im-prove soil, test and improve crop varieties, encourage use ofunderutilized seeds, and collect and conserve crop biodiver-sity. It works with communities to involve and train youth inagriculture, and gives farmers access to healthy seeds, soils,markets and education, and advice on cl imate-change adap-tation, nancing, storage and transport.

The aim is ambitious: to reduce food insecurity by half in atleast 20 countri es, double the incomes of 20 mi ll ion families,and put at least 15 countries on track to attain and sustain ahome-grown, Afri can-led African Green Revolution by 2020.www.agra-alliance.org

An African Green Revolution

Produce doesnt get any fresher or more delicious than out

of your own garden. Some say try to eat something youvegrown yourself every day. That includes herbs and spicesgrown on a window ledge or balcony. But for those of uswho lack horticultural skills, farmers markets if you cannd one in your area are increasingly popular and a greatalternative. Your hard-earned cash goes straight to the farmer,you support local food production and you get to meetthe person whos feeding you, helping to create vital com-munity links.

If youre an adventurous cook, another option is to sign up fora box scheme also known as community-supported agricul-ture where a local farm or pool of farmers delivers a selec-tion of in-season produce to your door by subscription. Thishelps guarantee a stable market for and builds communityinvestment in local agriculture.

Of course, eating locally might get boring if you dont live ina climate that allows for lush year-round produce, and manyof us have come to depend on foods sourced from abroad. Inthose cases, look for sustainably produced and/or fair-tradeproducts to help ensure these treats are having as positive animpact, both environmentally and sociall y, as possible.

Its also important to keep in mind that local doesnt always

have a lower footprint, as the footprint depends as much onproduction as on transport. A local strawberry, for example,grown using lots of pesticides and fertilizers in heated green-houses may have a heavier environmental footprint than anorganic strawberry shipped in from a sunny country.

Eating for the green economy


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21The green economy

OCCUPYis a grassrootsm o v e m e n twith no obvious leaders, so itsdemands are difcult to pin down.However, many people appear to beunited in their dissatisfaction with thecurrent distribution of wealth and aglobal economic system that seemsto be more concerned with prot thanhuman and environmental well-being.

Its message hit a nerve: in the wakeof Occupy Wall Street, New York, 750or more Occupy movements eruptedin cities around the world during thelast months of 2011, forming a looselyconnected global movement that isstill going. Points of discourse varydepending on location, but the move-ment has encouraged worldwide de-bate about failures in the nancialsystem, corporate behaviour, environ-mental deg radation and the way we live.

atmospheric space to absorbtheir emissions. And we act asif there are strict and immo-vable limits to what is actuallybountiful the nancial resources tobuild the kind of society we need. The task of our time is to turn thisaround: to challenge this false scarcity.To insist that we can afford to build adecent, inclusive society while at thesame time respecting the real limits towhat the Earth can take.

Im not talking about regulating thebanks and increasing taxes on therich, though thats important. I amtalking about changing the underlyingvalues that govern our society. Its hardto t that into a single media-friendlydemand, and its also hard to gure outhow to do it. But it is no less urgent forbeing difcult.

Create thechange you WANT

Its overriding message is clear: if youdont like the way things are, its yourown responsibility to create the changeyou want. Writer and radical thinker NAOMIKLEIN spoke out in support of theOccupy movement. Unfettered greed has trashed theglobal economy. And it is trashing thenatural world as well. We are over-shing our oceans, polluting our waterwith hydraulic fracturing and deep-water drilling, turning to the dirtiestforms of energy on the planet, like theAlberta tar sands. And the atmospherecannot absorb the amount of carbonwe are putting into it, creating dang-erous warming.

We act as if there is no end to whatis actually nite fossil fuels and the

I am here because Im a global citizen and I really care aboutthe Earth. One part of me feels I should forget the UNFCCCprocess. Lets just retreat into our own communities, gureout how we can grow our own food, take care of ourselvesand forget about this larger structure because its not goingto change. But every singleday emissions and pollutionare compromising our abilityto produce our own food, tobreathe and to be able to live.

So I am here because some-thing desperately needs to bedone and I will do whatever Ican to speak out.Tipti, India

I am here because inside they are talking about my future,and they are talking about issues that affect each and everyone of us, but they are doing it without us. They claim torepresent the world but they are not listening to what theworld has to say. So I am here to raise my voice and try tobe heard, but also to listenand learn from everyonewho is here today. It is thesepeople that I put my faith infor creating something new

and beautiful, something thatwill change the paradigm andbring about the global shift weso desperately need.Anna Collins, UK


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22 TUNZA Vol 9 No 4

Even after death, we pollute: theembalming process uses toxicchemicals, and cremation requireslarge amounts of energy. Even buriedcorpses release toxins accu mulatedover a lifetime into the environment.MIT-based artist and designer JaeRhim Lee wants to make corpsedisposal greener with mushrooms famous for their ability to break downeverything from organic materialsthrough oil to plastics, pesticides and

other pollutants. Shes experimentedwith various burial suits embeddedwith mycelium spores, which wouldaccelerate the process of de compositionand help remediate the toxins stored inour bodies. She hasnt yet found theright fungus for the job but, with thehelp of scientists, she is cultivatingcertain mushroom species known tobreak down environmental toxins toadapt to eating human body tissue.http://innityburialproject.com

Mushroom death suit

TV monitors that roll up for storage,wallpaper that lights a room, videodisplays embedded in clothing. Allthis may be possible with stretchable,bendable OLEDs organic light-emitting diodes. OLEDs are made

of organic light-emitting molecules,thinly layered between two conductors,which emit light when an electriccurrent is passed through. Paper-thin, more energy-efcient than LCDsand producing higher quality images,OLEDs are already used in high-end TV

screens, billboards, light-generatingwallpaper and electronic gadgets. Theyare more eco-friendly to produce thanLEDs or uorescents as they requireless energy-intensive processing anddont need such toxic chemicals as lead

or mercury, and they are less expensiveto make. If researchers succeed incurrent efforts to create more exibleOLEDs, the possibilities are endless,including embedded biomedical devicesthat can move and stretch along withhuman tissue.

Elastic electronics

The world has too many plastic bot-tles and not enough affordable eco-friendly construction materials. Nosurprise, then, that in the last decadebricks made from plastic bottles haveboomed. In Nigeria, sand-packed bot-tles are stacked on a concrete founda-tion and bound with mud, while in

post-earthquake Haiti, they are lledwith rubble and rubbish and used torebuild homes. Bottles lled with mudor sand are said to be more durable

than brick, they are not brittle and socan absorb shock loads, and they saveon the energy and materials requiredto produce brick and concrete. Perhapsnext, bottle makers should designspeci cally for after-use as beerbrewer Alfred Heineken did in 1963with his prescient World Bottle, ab-

bre viated to WOBO, a glass beer bottlethat acts as an interlocking brick.Only 60,000 were made and they arenow a collectors item.

Bricks from bottles

7 innovationsSeven new ideas and technologies that point the way to embedthe green economy in everyday life. It is the future...


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23The green economy

What to do about plastic waste? Wecan certainly produce less, but we canalso recycle it as fuel. The pro cess of

thermal denaturing con verts plasticsback into oil, but has been inaccessibleto most consumers. Now a Japaneseinventor, Akinori Ito, has created asafe, easy-to-use tabletop machinethat converts three kinds of commonplastic polyethylene, polystyreneand polypropylene into oil. The Blest

machine melts plastic into oil withoutburning it, avoiding CO 2 emissionsand toxic fumes. Every kilo of plastic

generates a litre of oil, which can beused directly in generators or stoves,or rened into petrol. The machine isportable, so fuel can be generated fromplastic waste anywhere. It may provemost useful in countries where plasticlitter is a problem, helping people toreclaim pollution as valuable fuel.

Plastic fantastic

Sustainable materials companyEcovative is literally growing mat-erials to replace everything frompetroleum-based foam packagingto particle or cardboard. It is usingmycelium the thread-like fungalnetworks that comprise the roots ofmushrooms. Low-value agriculturalby-products like seed husks and plantstalks are inoculated with mycelium,packed into packaging moulds andleft in the dark. In just one week,

the mycelium digests the feedstockand binds it like glue, creating arigid material that can have varioustextures and densities, depending onthe processes used. Best of all, it canbe home-composted at the end of itsuseful life. Ecovative is also furtherdeveloping this technique, hoping topioneer new sustainable materialsfor clothing, scientic equipmentand more.www.ecovativedesign.com

Growing packaging

In Tanzania, smallholder farmerseither traditionally shell maize by handto remove the corn from the husk, orhave to pay for mechanical shelling.Seeking a bridge tech nology, socialentrepreneur Jodie Wu developed abicycle-mounted, bicycle-run maizesheller. Realizing that smallholder far-

mers wouldnt require a normal maize-shelling machine for long enough perseason to warrant investing in one,she designed one that could attach

to a functional bicycle and worked onpedal power. Jodie hopes to pioneera new economy with bike-mountedgadgets: equipped with a sheller andbike-mounted cell-phone charger,young entrepreneurs have the tools tostart a business. In the off-season, theycan use the bike as a taxi or courier

service, and Jodies enter prise, GlobalCycle Solutions, is dev eloping moremountable gadgets such as a rice-thresher. http://gcstz.com

Pedal power

We religiously recycle ofce paper, thenbuy recycled lavatory paper. A Japanesecompany skips the middleman with amachine that shreds paper, dissolvesit in water and forms it into toilet paper.It takes 40 sheets of ofce paper tomake a roll, and each roll costs about10 cents saving money as well asreducing waste and transport costs.With a massive price tag of $100,000,

the machine called White Goat isntsuitable for homes or small ofces, butit could prove efcient in such settingsas recycling centres and supermarkets,where students could shred a few termpapers and go home with practicallyfree loo roll or at universities or bigofce buildings, which generate largequan tities of waste paper. And if itcatches on, it should get cheaper.

Documents in, loo roll out


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WORLD

Remember Heal the world. Make it a better place. For you and for me and the entire human race? MichaelJacksons song still plays in minds and thoughts about how we should treat each other with respect anddignity, and live in harmony.These words deliver a special message to todays youth as the world is confronted by unprecedented environmentalchallenges and is struggling to cope with the damage and destruction that can be seen everywhere: oods,droughts, landslides, tsunamis.

At the rst Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), in Innsbruck, Austria, UNEP teamed up with the International OlympicCommittee (IOC) to spread the message of environmental sustainability amongst young people: our future, our hope.

UNEP and the IOC have been working together for nearly 20 years to make the worlds largest sporting events asgreen as possible and to educate young people about the importance of sustainable development. In Innsbruck,young athletes thronged to the UNEP booth part of the Culture and Education Programme to gather information,participate in activities and post memos on the athletes wallboard.

The board was ooded with messages, from simple calls to cycle, recycle, plant trees and respect the environment,to action-oriented slogans calling for environmental sustainability: The future is ours, embrace it, Trees are ourfriends, respect them, and even Its now or never. These messages and thoughts from the young athletes showthat our generation truly cares. And we arent alone. The President of Hungary Pal Schmitt double Olympic goldmedalist and Chairman of the IOCs Sport and Environment Commission wrote Higher, stronger, swifter andgreener! All these will be shared with youth networks and other partners by the IOC and UNEP to promote a senseof urgency in the lead up to Rio+20 and beyond.

UNEPs Tunza booth was a huge draw, with information on the wonder and fragility of mountain ecosystems, thegreen economy and youth employment, and the chemicals in our bodies. Visitors also had the chance to calculatetheir own ecological footprint. But it didnt stop there. The importance of the environment the third pillar ofOlympism was underlined right across Innsbruck 2012, with even an energy-saving competition in the YouthOlympic Village which allowed young athletes to show how aware they were and see which of the 375 apartmentsused the least energy during the Games. The spirit of competition red the young athletes to take shorter showers,recharge mobiles and other gadgets during training sessions, and switch off un-needed lights.

The booths at the Youth Olympic Games are a way of reaching out to young minds and leaving a mark. Activitieslike these do produce tangible results. In the words of the rst man on the moon, Neil Armstrong: A small step forman, a giant leap for mankind.

As world leaders gather in Rio this June, lets rekindle the spirit of Rio 1992 to halt the assault on our only planet,and work as a team to make it a better place for present and future generations. Lets heal the world together.

Sonali Prasad is one of 15 young people, aged between 18 and 24 from the ve continents, chosen to t