Paris bids "adieu" to all pre-1997 cars to curb pollution

Paris is a proud, pretty city. Its unique sensibilities have sometimes been viewed by the outsider as elitist. It is then perhaps fitting that the city government will soon institute a ban on all pre-1997 model automobiles from driving in the city center on weekdays. This ban was conceived not by the fashion police but as part of a comprehensive plan to reduce air pollution and smog in Paris. Despite extensive efforts to alter the city's road activity, Paris remains one of Europe's smoggiest cities. To...

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Temporary Market Hall made from sustainable materials pops up Stockholm

The pop-up Market Hall was created as a temporary home for the vendors of the old Market Hall, which is currently undergoing renovations under the direction of Tengbom. The architects decided to build the temporary food market on Östermalm’s Square, a busy thoroughfare that was once the original location of the old Market Hall until the municipality forced its move in 1888. Though the government’s decision to place the pop-up Market Hall in the square was due to a lack of suitable spaces, the...

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Massive Malaysian marine park will protect endangered species and coral reefs

After over 13 years of negotiation and planning between conservation groups, the government, and the fishing industry, Malaysia recently established a massive marine park. The new one million hectare Tun Mustapha Park, located by the Sabah Province in the Coral Triangle, is home to endangered species such as dugongs and green turtles. About 360 fish species, over 250 hard coral species, and vegetation such as mangroves add to the richness of this ocean space. Unsustainable fishing...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://inhabitat.com/massive-malaysian-marine-park-will-protect-endangered-species-and-coral-reefs
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June 1 Green Energy News

Headline News:

• According to a GlobalData report, China installed 30.5 GW of wind power in 2015 – which accounts for nearly half of all new global wind energy installations. The US installed 8.6 GW, while third place Germany installed 6.1 GW. Brazil and India each installed 2.6 GW. [Inhabitat]

Windpower in China. Image from Wikipedia.

• What state officials say will be Nebraska’s largest solar energy project is expected to begin tracking the sun and delivering some of its power by June 20. The 46-acre Enerparc project will be able to output about 3.6 megawatts, enough to power around 900 Lincoln homes. [Sioux City Journal]
• Solar, wind and hydropower sources were added in 2015 at the fastest rate the world has yet seen, according to the Renewables Global Status Report. Investments in renewables during the year were more than double the amount spent on new coal and gas-fired power plants. [BBC]
• Australia installed almost 1 GW of new solar capacity last year but that was easily eclipsed by rather cloudy nations such as the United Kingdom, which installed about four times as much, according to the REN21 Global Status report on renewable energy. [The Sydney Morning Herald]
• Some Fort McMurray residents are to return home for the first time since a huge wildfire displaced 90,000 people. Alberta’s Premier Rachel Notley said the conditions needed for the return of the residents had been met. Three neighbourhoods, however, are to remain off-limits. [BBC]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

from Green Energy Times http://www.greenenergytimes.net/2016/06/01/june-1-green-energy-news-3/
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Former grain silo is transformed into a community food hall in the Netherlands

Built in 1923, the concrete Zwarte Silo was originally used to store grain as well as salt. To ward off moisture, the outer walls were treated with a layer of bitumen that weathered to create the building’s distinctive black facade that gave rise to the building’s name: ‘Zwarte Silo,’ which is Dutch for ‘Black Silo.’ While the architects preserved the raw industrial character and building elements as much as possible, they also added large glass windows to give the silo a new open and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://inhabitat.com/former-grain-silo-is-transformed-into-a-community-food-hall-in-the-netherlands
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Arctic temperatures are literally off the charts

Related: Arctic sea ice levels hit a new winter low - again Via Gizmodo Images via Wikimedia Commons and Andrew Slater, National Snow and Ice Data Center

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Why these round houses survive hurricanes that destroy traditional homes

Memorial Day weekend may conjure up carefree thoughts of the beginning of summer, but for many people across the country, June first marks the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. With predictions for bigger and deadlier storms this year due to the transition to La Niña coupled with above average sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists are urging inhabitants of cyclone-prone areas to take extra precautions. Unfortunately, due to climate change, this trend towards...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green BuildingInhabitat – Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building http://inhabitat.com/why-these-round-houses-survive-hurricanes-that-destroy-traditional-homes
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