Tunisia on Tuesday launched a special “green police” unit aimed at dealing with the proliferation of waste, a scourge that has worsened dramatically since the 2011 revolution. “May God help you — it’s a very difficult mission,” Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said at the launch of the unit, with their new uniforms and GPS-equipped pick-ups. … Continue reading →‘Green police’ to battle Tunisia trash scourge

The Minister of Environment Khaled Fahmy has launched a new national initiative called “Enough Plastic Bags” aiming at limiting the usage of plastic bags in Egypt. The Ministry of Environment has inaugurated the initiative in line with the global efforts undertaken to reduce the consumption of plastic bags for representing dangers to sanitation, environment and … Continue reading →Egypt’s Ministry of Environment Launches “Enough Plastic Bags” Initiative

One in 10 people on Earth lack access to safe water, which is why artist Ap Verheggen has been working so hard to address water scarcity over the last decade or so. He and the rest of the SunGlacier team, invited by the Dutch Ministry of Defense, recently tested their idea of making water from … Continue reading →Desert Twins produce water through condensation in driest place on Earth

When disaster strikes, whether it be man-made or natural, power is the resource people need most. For this reason, Professor Paul Dastoor has been working for decades to develop a lightweight “printed solar” panel that is capable of generating power. Now, the invention is in its final trial stages at the University of Newcastle in … Continue reading →Revolutionary printed solar sheets reach final trial stages in New South Wales

What if your window blinds could power your home in addition to shading its rooms? That’s the idea behind SolarGaps’ new solar blinds. These smart blinds designed to track the sun can be controlled via an app, and the company says their product will slash energy bills by as much as 70 percent. SolarGaps’ smart … Continue reading →SolarGaps’ new solar blinds shade windows and generate clean energy

Around 24.8 million miles of roads crisscross the surface of Earth. And hundreds of millions of barrels of oil have been used for that development. Engineer Toby McCartney came up with a solution to that waste of natural resources and the growing plastic pollution problem. His company, Scotland-based MacRebur, lays roads that are as much … Continue reading →UK tests cheaper, longer-lasting roads made with recycled plastic

Wherever you are in Egypt, the sight of garbage on almost every street has become the norm. Sewage and industry waste is still dumped in the Nile. With a population closing in on 100 million, the waste problem is not going away soon. While it can be a liability, IWEX turned it into an opportunity … Continue reading →Large Hills of Trash on Egyptian Streets are about to Turn into Business Opportunities

Using cargotecture – container architecture – Karim Rafla and Youssef Farag are upcycling discarded shipping containers which would otherwise be left to rot, to create everything from houses to restaurants, to possible governmental projects. “Architecture should speak for its time and place,” Frank Gehry once said. Ours is a time of excess, opulence, a time … Continue reading →How 2 Egyptian entrepreneurs are building incredible houses out of abandoned shipping containers

A pilot project to purchase garbage from citizens would start with two outlets in Cairo this month, the state newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted the governor of Cairo Atef Abdel Hamid. One outlet would be at Ibn Sender Square in Hadaek Al-qoba district and the other at Aswan Street in Heliopolis district, both would be run by … Continue reading →Egypt: Pilot Project to Purchase Garbage From Citizens to Start in Cairo

Researchers at Egypt’s Nile University are developing a way to turn dried shrimp shells that would otherwise be thrown away into thin films of biodegradable plastic they hope will be used to make eco-friendly grocery bags and packaging. Six months into their two-year project, the research team has managed to create a thin, clear prototype … Continue reading →Egyptian researchers turn shrimp shells into biodegradable plastic