Towards a greener construction with fly ash bricks

By 2050 the percentage of the world's population living in cities will increase to two-thirds with significant environmental strains. In Colombia, a company called Conceptos Plasticos collects recyclable plastic material, melts it down and moulds it into bricks used to build houses for the local community. Singapore too, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable urban solutions including vertical farms and living buildings.

Respiratory diseases caused by air pollution now account for more premature deaths in people worldwide than malaria and HIV combined. To address increasing contamination levels, particularly in cities, scientists have developed a new kind of cement that absorbs pollutants like CO2. The special cement is being manufactured in Milan, and used around in the world in cities like Paris and Chicago.

With little action happening to reverse or prepare for climate change at the federal level, local communities have taken initiative on their own. From voters in Flagstaff passing a $10 million bond to bolster forest management to the city of Tulsa buying over 1,000 flood-prone properties, across the United States people are taking non- or bi-partisan steps to increase their towns’ resilience. Core to each initiative is not a parachute, one-size-fits-all approach, rather, it’s taking a hyper-local approach, centering community strength, and moving disadvantaged populations to the forefront.

The rapid development of emerging economies across Asia and Africa is lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty - but there is much debate as to how to best structure this growth. If these economies evolve in the same way as in the West - with unchecked, excessive resource consumption and heavy pollution - the planet may be on the fast track to disaster. Earthrise explores how these nations can grow sustainably using improved, eco-conscious technologies like renewable energy and eco-friendly farming practices.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces significant challenges in two areas that previously may have been considered in separate spheres: lack of access to sanitary waste disposal, and a growing need for clean, affordable energy. Now, several companies are scaling solutions for how each of these issues actually solve the other. In Kenya, they are finding ways to turn human waste into fuel and fertilizer, effectively addressing both issues simultaneously.

At the Fujitsu factory in Japan, a significant decline in demand for semiconductor computer chips meant the company had large empty factory space sitting unused. A new business approach allowed them to dually address both the need to evolve their business model with a global decline of viable agricultural space needed to grow the world's food. Now, the factory houses indoor vegetable gardens, soil free and less resource-heavy than traditional farmland.

One Step Greener collects trash from residents of Delhi, India, and sorts the recyclables to be sold to recyclers. This practice keeps trash out of landfills and improves the air quality of the city.

Mason & Greens is a zero-waste store that reduces environmental impact by selling package-free items, from shampoo bars to organic produce. Dry goods and the wines, oils, and kombucha on tap are bought with reusable containers and priced by the ounce, which reduces plastic waste and allows customers to buy only what they need. In addition to minimizing products' carbon footprints, the store has been profitable since it opened and the owners say that, while prices are initially higher for consumers, reusable products may be less expensive in the long run because they don’t have to be replaced as frequently.

To rebuild Gaza, Green Cake manufactures construction blocks out of locally-available ash and rubble. It’s a low-cost and reliable alternative to importing supplies from Israel.

A decades-old principle called “just transition” has made international headway in the fight against climate change and toward equity and sustainability. Fundamental to the principle is transitioning from a capitalist system to a localized one that prioritizes cultural inclusion, local economies, decarbonization and environmental justice, and food sovereignty. But as this idea reaches prominence on the global stage, those that have been involved for years worry that its core meanings, morals, and actions will be co-opted.