World Habitat Day: Affordable Housing for One and All

World Habitat Day, observed every year on the first Monday of October, is meant to reflect on the state of our urban areas and the basic human right regarding provision of adequate shelter to all human beings. World Habitat Day (WHD) also aims to remind the planners and government officials of the collective responsibility for the habitat of future generations and a day to encourage grassroots action from civil society organizations to advocate for universal decent housing. Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme chosen by the United Nations based on current issues relevant to the Habitat … Continue reading

التأثيرات البيئية لتحلية مياه البحر

تعتبر عملية التحلية عملية لإزالة الأملاح والمعادن من مياه البحر وتحويلها الى مصدر صالح للشرب. وهذه العملية مفيدة جداً في بعض المناطق التي تشهد طلباً متزايداً على المياه لندرتها والجفاف وازدياد عدد السكان وكذلك زيادة استهلاك المياه. ولأن المحيطات تغطي معظم سطح الأرض فإن توفر مياه البحر يعتبر حلاً مستداماً وطويل الأمد لواحدة من المشاكل التي لن تتلاشى بالوقت القريب. تم إنشاء 18 ألف محطة تحلية حول العالم بحلول عام 2015، وهذه المحطات تنتج 22870 مليون جالون من المياه العذبة يومياً، ويعتقد الخبراء المائيين أن تحلية المياه – بجانب التكنولوجيا المستقبلية – ستشكل مفتاحاً لبناء مجتمعات مقاومة للجفاف في العالم … Continue reading

Why We Need to Use Technology to Fight Climate Change

Climate change is a colossal challenge, and it can seem like individual actions won’t be enough to tackle it, or that we don’t have the resources necessary. But neither of those are true. There are many individual actions we can all take that will help change the course of climate change. Many technologies available at both consumer and industrial levels can play a role, from simple things like switching to LED lights to complex processes such as building wind farms for renewable energy. With so many people consuming our valuable resources, science says humans are a main cause of climate … Continue reading

How To Set Up Your Online Store: 5 Crucial Steps

Market enthusiasts have rightly said not everyone possesses the art of running a business but if you think you can be the one, the recent craze of online shopping has made it easier for you. Now setting up an online business does not cost you your lifetime wealth, time, or even test your technical expertise. The global ecommerce market is expected to reach $4.8 trillion by the end of 2025. So if you are looking for any motivation on how to set up an online store along with your brick and mortar business, now is the time. From creating a … Continue reading

The Key Features of Net-Zero Homes

It doesn’t matter where in the world you live, the time has come to realize the importance of building homes that use zero energy. You don’t even have to believe in catastrophic global warming to realize the financial, comfort, and environmental benefits of net-zero homes. But first, you need to have an understanding of net-zero and zero-carbon buildings and their implications for us all, as well as the elements and features that need to be incorporated into a net-zero home. Net-Zero Homes and Energy Efficiency You could say that a net-zero or zero-energy home represents the best in energy efficiency. … Continue reading

Agriculture, Women and Youth – The Jordanian Perspective

The theme “agriculture, women and youth” deals with three main axes in the development of different societies and key pillars in sustainable development, especially in developing and rural countries. In general, it is known that Jordan is an agricultural country with excellence and that its water resources are limited because it is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, which affects agricultural production, and often depends on the import of foodstuffs in a large proportion and in greater defiance of global price fluctuations. However, agriculture provides important employment opportunities, especially in rural and desert areas, and remains a … Continue reading

الزراعة والمرأة والشباب

يتناول موضوع “الزراعة والمرأة والشباب” ثلاث محاور أساسية في تنمية المجتمعات المختلفة  وركائز أساسية في التنمية المستدامة، خاصة في الدول النامية والريفية .وفي لمحة عامة من المعروف أن الاردن بلد زراعي بإمتياز وأن الموارد المائية فيه محدودة كونه يعد من أكثر الدول فقراً بالمياه في العالم، مما يؤثر على الإنتاج الزراعي ، وغالباً يتم الإعتماد على الإستيراد من المواد الغذائية بنسبة كبيرة وبتحدي أكبر لتقلبات الأسعار العالمية. ومع ذلك فإن الزراعة توفر فرص عمل مهمة خاصة في المناطق الريفية والبادية، وتظل  قطاع حيوي لتحقيق الأمن الغذائي المستدام. وتمثل المرأة نسبة كبيرة من القوى العاملة الزراعية  في العديد من البلدان تتراوح … Continue reading

How a Vegan Diet Can Drive Sustainability in the MENA Region

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) faces a stark paradox that becomes clearer every dry season: its population is young and expanding, yet its freshwater supply is disappearing faster than in any other region on Earth. Climate models warn that average summer temperatures could rise by another 4 °C by mid‑century, and renewable freshwater resources have already fallen to one‑tenth of the global average. Meanwhile, supermarket shelves in Cairo, Dubai, and Casablanca still overflow with imported beef, chicken, and dairy—foods that consume thousands of litres of water and depend on millions of tonnes of soy and maize shipped from abroad. This article examines … Continue reading

7 Unique Ways the World is Adapting to Limited Resources

Globally speaking, we use 30 percent more of the earth’s non-renewable resources than is sustainable. Unsustainability means using resources at a quicker rate than they can regenerate, therefore limiting their availability for future generations. Resource limitations include deforestation, degraded soil, polluted air and water sources, water table depletion, acidic oceans, and declines in biodiversity. One of the most impactful ways for the consumer goods industry to help the planet is to play a part in adapting to the decreased availability of resources and sustainability. This means redesigning consumer products and production systems to use fewer environmentally harmful or resource-depleting raw … Continue reading

دور الشركات الناشئة في التعافي المستدام في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا

أوشكت العديد من الشركات على الانهيار بسبب جائحة كورونا. في عالم ريادة الأعمال، تجد العديد من الشركات الناشئة والتي لا تمتلك شبكة أمان اجتماعي نفسها فجأة معتمدة كليًا على مدخراتها. وحيث يركز العالم الآن على مرحلة التعافي من آثار الجائحة، يدرك أصحاب الأعمال أهمية بناء نماذج عمل وهياكل أكثر مرونة ومنعة لمواجهة أزمات مشابهة ولتجنب أي صدمات اقتصادية. التكيف مع الواقع الجديد تسعى الشركات الناشئة الخضراء إلى تطوير حلول مبتكرة تهدف إلى استغلال النفايات أو إعادة استخدامها، وتقليل تكاليف التصنيع، وتخفيف الضغط على نظامنا البيئي الطبيعي وموارده. علمتنا جائحة كورونا كذلك أهمية الاستعانة بسلاسل الامداد المحلية أينما كان ذلك ممكنًا، … Continue reading

Historic Vertical Axis Wind Machines: Lessons for Sustainable Energy

Most people are familiar with horizontal axis wind machines. These include the charming Dutch and Danish water pumping machines, the smaller sail windmills of Portugal, Greece and other areas, the iconic multi-blade water pumpers of the American west (millions sold), and the ever larger and more expensive three-blade wind turbines being used around the world to generate electricity. Hundreds of different wind machine designs have been proposed, built and tested and innovation continues to this day. The vertical axis wind machines are less well known. These had been invented and refined hundreds of years before the horizontal axis machines. Two … Continue reading

Persian Wheel for Lifting Water – Another Ancient Innovation

Lifting water can increase the area that can be farmed, improve agricultural productivity, and provide drinking water. A Persian Wheel lifts water with animal or human power when there is insufficient flow for a noria. The animal energy was often supplied by a team of oxen. The Persian wheel may have been invented in Persia, Egypt, Kush (Sudan), Nubia, India, or even China. The earliest reference is found in the Panchatantra (c. 3rd century BCE), where it was known as an araghaṭṭa a combination of the words ara (spoked wheel) and ghaṭṭa “pot” in Sanskrit. Early Mediterranean evidence of a … Continue reading