Dubai plans “Tower in Motion”

by Abha Malpani on

Nothing phases me in Dubai anymore. Anything and everything is possible in this city, so when I read news like this: “Dubai plans self-powered skyscraper with individually rotating floors,” I’m quite numb.

Opening para: “A $350 million tower to be known as the Dynamic Architecture building is to be constructed in Dubai. The 68-story tower will feature floors that can be individually rotated via voice commands.”

So each floor of this building will rotate individually to create a building that constantly changes shape. (I’ve stopped asking “why” when it comes to such projects.) Also, it will use wind-turbines to generate electricity for itself and another 5 buildings its size — that’s actually pretty neat, not to mention green.

Construction will start this month and word is that a similar project is in plan for Moscow as well.

25 Days to Green Travel Series: The how, when, where and why of traveling green

by Anna Brones on

Traveling isn’t always green. As Iva pointed out, it’s pretty difficult to feel good about the time we spend in planes. And the UN calculates that in 2007 there were about 900 million international travelers; that means travel is having a bigger and bigger impact on the environment. Beyond giving up travel altogether, what can we really do in order to make our favorite pastime greener?

The ladies over at Go Green Travel attempt to answer just that question today as they kick off their 25 Days to Green Travel series. The series will cover the basics; the who, what, where, when, why and how of green travel. Over the next 25 days they will post about green ways to prepare for a trip, green things to do while traveling, and even what do to on your return trip home.

In honor of Earth Day, the series’ first post is entitled 31Reasons to Travel Green: In Pictures. If you have ever had any questions over why to travel green, this gives a pretty poignant visual answer. Do yourself an Earth Day favor and check it out here.

UK introduces movable, recyclable hotel concept

by Abha Malpani on

There seem to be a variety of recycled hotels around the world. New Zealand has a 1950’s Bristol Fighter that has been converted into a motel; The Hague has marine lifeboats converted into floating hotels, and Stavoren (also Netherlands) has 15,000 liter wine-vats converted into hotel rooms.

But the latest in the recycled hotels genre is a recyclable one that can move locations! Budget hotel operator Travelodge has come up with this cheap, quick to construct, and green accommodation solution for large scale festivals and events where they rent out some crates from China and put together a temporary, recyclable hotel in 12-weeks. The pre-built, container-like crates are stacked together and bolted to form an 8-floor, 120-room hotel structure, and come in modules with bathrooms installed; the rest of the furnishings will be added later.

It probably doesn’t get more inventively green, but I’d have safety concerns.

What will they come up with next? Recyclable houses? Cars? Planes?

Eco-Travel Toolkit

by Neil Woodburn on

Now that green is hip and cool, eco-friendly travel has appropriately transformed itself from hippy yurt farms to eco-luxury resorts that help save the planet while also coddling guests with comfort and style.

But that’s not all. Sustainable travel now encompasses the entire travel industry. This is hardly a surprise; those that express an interest in seeing the greater world, tend to also possess the desire to help protect it.

One of the better resources I’ve come across recently to help conscientious travelers seek out the greenest and healthiest travel alternatives is the Eco-Travel Toolkit published in Plenty Magazine (tagline: It’s easy being green).

The Eco-Travel Toolkit breaks green travel down into six categories; Where to Stay, Green Getaways, Up & Coming Destinations, Where NOT to Go, Getting There, and Seals of Approval. Each category is loaded with a bevy of links pointing green travelers in the right “Al Gore” direction–such as towards the very “first five-star green lodge” near Petra, Jordan (due to open in 2009).

While green travel isn’t for everyone, there will come the day that travelers may accidentally find themselves staying in a green lodge without actually knowing it. In the meantime, you may want to check out the Eco-Travel Toolkit and help edge things along.

Is automated personal transport the future?

by Abha Malpani on

No, it’s not a gigantic toaster on wheels nor an alien’s toy car, it’s Britain’s answer to rail-free, time-table free, emission-free personal transport.

Planned for launch sometime after the opening of Heathrow’s terminal 5, these pod-shaped capsules will transport people from the car park to the new terminal, and on demand, will be available within 12 seconds!

The battery run capsules take four people at a time and are pre-programmed. You will be able to pick them up at designated spots where they will be waiting, or you can call for one. You then select your destination on the touch screen and the capsule will mark out the best possible route to take you there. (GPS taken to a new dimension?) They will have their own paths, so congestion and traffic lights will not be an issue.

The main selling point of these Personal Transport Systems (PRT) as they are called, will be their convenience: you will no longer have to wait in queues, nor share transport with strangers, and your transit time from car to airport will be reduced to 4 minutes. The capsules are as green as they can get: they use less than half the amount of fuel used by public or private transport making them at least 50% more energy efficient, and have zero local emissions.

Once tried and tested, the plan is to expand their use as valuable complements to mass transit systems in big cities. I wonder how much a trip in these would cost?

Automated parking systems, and now this, Heathrow seems to be on a roll for setting new standards.