Reinventing the wheel
Cynthia Koenig launched Wello Water Wheel, a social venture that manufactures and distributes plastic water barrels that can be easily rolled on a variety of head-carried 2.2-gallon waterpots with a 24-gallon plastic drum resembling a fat wheel with a very long U-shaped handle that can be pushed as if the contraption were a shopping cart. That’s ten times more water and much less effort at transporting it over several times.
The water-energy nexus
Cities also stand a better chance of getting the water they need if we become more mindful about the role of water in energy production. We need water to extract, wash, and sort raw materials and fossil fuels, cool thermal power plants, cultivate biofuels, and power hydroelectric turbines. But what happens when energy needs and the need to preserve water supplies collide? Pollution of aquifers because of mining or hydraulic fracturing is on the rise. Climate change will be a disruptive force as well. Policymaking and planning need to take into consideration the constraints and the risks inherent in the increasing demand for both water and energy from a growing urban population. Thus there is a “water-energy nexus,” as well as a “water-energy-food nexus,” according to Ralph Exton, chief marketing used, abused, and underpriced resource in the world.
Farming inside a shipping container
In cities are the main source of carbon emission and the most heavily affected by climate change and water shortages, perhaps we should think laterally and bring to the city some of the things that make the countryside so much more environmentally friendly. The concept of “vertical farming” is taking hold in the most developed countries. “which ensures uniform distribution of sunlight, proper air circulation and irrigation for all plants.” The breakthrough is the efficient use of resources. Vertical agriculture has the potential to help revitalize cities in decline. Farmers are coming up with unusual ideas for meeting Africa’s food needs. They are farming in a shipping container. It is much more efficient in its use of water and solar panels provide the power. One step at a time, Africa is edging closer to addressing the food-related challenges of its population growth to 2030 and beyond by developing urban agriculture techniques.
2030 by Mauro.F.Guillen: 139–142
