By Maricel Drazer. DÜSSELDORF, Germany, Oct 24 (Tierramérica) - As everyone knows, the wind and the sun produce energy. But now there is also a way to generate electricity by dancing.
That has been happening for the past few weeks at the Watt dance club in Rotterdam, in western Netherlands. The dancers move to the rhythm of the music on a dance floor made from panels that also move up and down -- no more than one centimetre -- depending on the movement and weight of the dancer.

The motion more...

By Mario de Queiroz. MOURA, Portugal, Nov 3 (IPS News) - This small municipality in the south of Portugal is becoming increasingly well-known for its alternative energy initiatives. The latest is the Sunflower project, which also involves communities in seven other European Union countries. The aim of the project is to transform communities in Bulgaria, Britain, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain into what the EU’s Intelligent Energy - Europe programme (IEE) calls a more...

UN-HABITAT and the government of Afghanistan this week signed an agremeent aimed at making education more accessible to the country’s citizens. The agreement was signed by the Afghan Minister for Education Hanif Atmar and the UN-HABITAT Chief Technical Adviser Binod Shrestha while Peter Argo, Acting Mission Director, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Afghanistan witnessed the ceremony.

Speaking during the occasion, Mr. Atmar said that under the programme, known as more...

November 12, 2008. Editorial by Michelle Wyman, ICLEI USA Executive Director. It’s no secret that President-elect Obama has instilled a new sense of optimism in people who are passionate about climate protection, both in the United States and across the globe. In President-elect Obama, local governments have a new partner who has promised to listen to their needs and address their priorities. Throughout his campaign, Obama pledged to address the needs of urban communities. In June 2008, at a s more...

All through November, a local chiva, the traditional Ecuadorian bus, will be travelling to popular neighbourhoods of Quito and inviting citizens to get on for a trip to the closest cybernarium, the capital’s public Internet access centres. Once in the cybernariums, free training courses are to be provided on how to access local government information and use e-government services. This activity is part of UNESCO’s IFAP project ‘E-Government Model for World Heritage Cities - Cartagena de I more...

SAN FRANCISCO—After almost a decade of planning and building, the renovated California Academy of Sciences is scheduled to open its doors to the public on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The long-anticipated museum shows its dedication to sustainable technologies by harnessing energy from sunlight and ocean tides.
“The message and the mission of the institution is to preserve the natural origins of life and the unbelievable diversity of life,” said Dr. Greg Farrington, the museum’s Executive D more...

Oberlin College's new environmental studies center is a working laboratory for environmental education and one of the most advanced examples of ecological architecture in America.
Named the Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center after one of the principal funders, the 14,000 square foot building was designed by William McDonough, dean of the school of architecture at the University of Virginia. McDonough has a worldwide reputation as a visionary green designer. Also contributing to the more...

By Lei Kan. In late 1999, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) embarked on a massive $183 million program to improve the environment in three highly polluted cities in the nation’s leading coal-producing province of Shanxi. Today, the nearly 7 million residents of Taiyun, Datong, and Yangquan are reaping the benefits of the Shanxi Environment Improvement Project through a cleaner environment and a higher standard of living.

The Project, which was funde more...

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - October 2008. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is helping Nepal improve local governance and promote community development through a program grant of $106.3 million. The grant, which will be disbursed in three tranches, will support the active engagement of communities in local governance and improve resource management and service delivery by local government agencies.

The post-conflict Nepal government is moving towards a federal form of government, with the Three-Year more...

Older cities like Cleveland are now being redeveloped, and it is vital that this urban regeneration incorporate advanced ecological design. That is the premise—and the hope—of the Cleveland EcoVillage project.
The project seeks to redevelop a neighborhood around a transit stop on the near west side of Cleveland. The lead project partners are the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and EcoCity Cleveland.

The EcoVillage is:
An innovative partnership involving nonprofit o more...