PermaKent Permaculture Ideas of J. Kent Hastings

This remains my favorite of the TED talks (except maybe Ray Kurzweil).

William McDonough, co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, discusses sustainable design in architecture and ends with his astounding plans for twelve new cities in China. Quite a contrast from the toxic hell that is Beijing. From Wikipedia:

Air pollution levels on an average day in Beijing are nearly five times above World Health Organization standards for safety. China’s extremely inefficient use of coal - the country’s main source of energy - results in much of the pollution. Despite promises to stage a green 2008 Summer Olympics, Bejing has had persistent air pollution - thus city officials are planning to reduce its motor traffic by half during the Games to improve air quality. In February 2008, the Chinese government announced that it would close 144 gas stations in Beijing, which amounts to about 10% of such stations in the city, to improve air quality in preparation for the Olympics.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 1:48 pm and is filed under Energy, Health, Permaculture, Pollution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.