EkoNews
What Hapened on the Environmental Agenda? October 2022
You can listen to our "Eco-List-October'22" list on Spotify while reading monthly econews!
Business
From Cigarette Butt to Stuffed Toys
A factory named Code Effort in India produces stuffed toys by recycling cigarette butts. About 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are thrown away each year, and 90% of these cigarette butts contain non-biodegradable materials. Taking this into account, Code Effort recycles cigarette butts for products such as stuffed toys and pillows. The company is also the first company in India to recycle cigarette waste.
Cigarette butts or filters are similar to cotton but are made of plastic fibers and can take up to 10 years to decompose. However, when they decompose, they become more toxic and pollute the environment. Considering that only one of every three butts is thrown into the trash, managing these cigarette butt wastes becomes an action that is directly related to the cleanliness of cities and, naturally, public health, as well as reducing the carbon footprint.
Naman Gupta, the founder of Code Effort, says they initially started with 10 grams of fiber but are now reaching up to 1,000 kilograms per day, turning millions of butts annually.
The Most Powerful Stadium Powered by Solar Energy: Galatasaray Nef Stadium
Galatasaray, one of Turkey's important sports clubs, has achieved great savings thanks to the solar power plant built on the Nef Stadium in partnership with Enerjisa. In March, the stadium entered the Guinness Book of Records with the title of the strongest stadium working with solar energy, and the amount of savings realized in the first half of 2022 is approximately 400,000 Euros. Solar energy produced from the panels meets almost 65% of the stadium's electricity needs.
The club, which purchases all of the energy produced from the panels from Enerjisa, sells the rest of the electricity produced in excess of its needs to the municipality since it fully uses the lighting system for only 150 hours a year.
Ren River's Decreasing Water Level Made Trade Difficult
Waterways carry critical importance for companies in international business. Dry weather conditions, which have affected Germany's Rhine River in recent years, put shipping companies in a difficult situation. These companies are operating far below their capacity due to the decrease in water levels of the Rhine River. This crisis forced the shipping industry to adapt. Barges are only carrying one-quarter of their weight.
Politics
The decision to Postpone the Shutdown of Nuclear Power Plants in Germany
The decision of the German Government to shut down nuclear power plants for the purpose of transitioning to safe and renewable energy has been postponed. According to this decision, Germany will keep its 3 nuclear power plants operational until April. The reason for the postponement was explained as the prevention of the energy crisis that may occur due to Russia's implementation of cuts in fuel supply to Germany due to the war in Ukraine.
Climate Activists from All Over the World in Action!
The 11th of the action, which advocates that issues such as investment in the environment, social security and climate justice should be addressed in many countries, was held. Nearly 300,000 activists participated in the action held in 270 cities with Germany's Fridays for Future call. Subjects such as stopping nuclear power plants and the cheapness of public transportation were also mentioned in the action.
200 Families Migrated Due to Drought
The sudden decrease in water levels of marshes in Iraq's Zikar province, one of the poorest regions of Iraq, disturbed the ecological balance. In Zikar, which is announced as the biggest marsh region of the Middle East and added to the world heritage list by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, people are having to leave their homeland due to drought.
Locals making their living by feeding cows had to sell their animals because of the drought, then they left the Zikar where they have born and grew up. Accusing their neighbour Iran with this crisis, Director General of Iraq's National Center for Water Resources Management Hatim Hamid said "The main river feeding the Huveyza Marshes been cut off by Iran for more than a year." It is known that these marshes have been through drying policies in the 1990s by Saddam Hüseyin in order to suppress dissidents hiding in marshes and since then the wetlands on these marshes have decreased by half.
Life
Life Without Electricity in Switzerland: Energy saving or development problem?
The villages in Switzerland’s Bavona Valley are drawing attention with their non-electric/electricity-free lifestyle. The energy is being produced by the dams constructed to high in the valley after the Second World War, but these villages can’t afford the cost of connection to the grid. Only one settlement out of 12 is receiving electricity in the valley. In the Sonlerto village which was never connected to a grid is using solar panels which were installed in the 80s and wood and gas cylinders. 88 years old Bice Tonini who is one of the locals of the village says that they live a peaceful life without garbage. In addition, Bice Tonini states that in the village it is all dark and there is not even a single street lamp. However, there is also someone who thinks there should be electricity in the region. Martino Giovanettina owns a restaurant in Foroglio in the valley. The lack of energy is preventing the development of the tourism sector according to him. Also, based on the statistics the population of the valley has decreased noticeably from year to year.
Local government's sustainability solutions: La Nucía Municipality
La Nucía Municipality, which has three Architizer awards for its ecological architecture, has been following a strict sustainability policy for the last 20 years. The prominent aspect of their policies is that the residents of the town are heavily involved in activities for sustainability in local governments. For example, while electric vehicle charging is free for everyone, the more residents recycle, the less tax they pay. "The first step was to divert traffic away from the old city. Next, several work lines were created. We created new green spaces, replanted all landscaped areas with local pines, creating lungs throughout the town" says Mayor Bernabé. The local government continues to look for new ways to save energy in the town every day.
Electric scooters emit six times more carbon dioxide than the subway!
The benefits and harms of the very popular electric scooters for the planet is on the agenda of the academia and R&D industry. In just a few years, rental electric scooters have conquered Paris, like many cities in the world. A study in Paris showed that they emit six times more than a subway, even if it was three times less than a car. Also it was concluded that only 13% of scooter trips replace trips by car, taxi or bus. Therefore, electric scooters are essentially replacing less polluting means of transportation such as non-motorized modes.
References:
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/10/03/green-galatasaray-turkish-football-giant-saves-almost-400000-from-its-solar-roof https://www.ntvspor.net/futbol/enerji-panellerinden-galatasaray-a-dev-tasarruf-633c57bf735627a6b06fea47
https://www.birgun.net/haber/almanya-nukleer-santrallerin-kapatilmasini-erteliyor-406637
https://www.birgun.net/haber/dunya-iklim-icin-eylemde-403798
https://gazetekarinca.com/kuraklik-yuzunden-bin-200-irakli-aile-goc-etti/
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