A Danish company named KiteX has developed a wind turbine for those seeking an “off-the-grid” lifestyle. Collapsible and portable, the turbine can be carried in a car to generate power even in remote locations.

Constructed with fiberglass rods, the turbine weighs only 10 kg and is easily transportable. When needed, users simply unpack, assemble, anchor it to the ground (using a set of high-strength nylon tension straps), and begin capturing wind energy. The company estimates that 15 minutes is enough for one person to set up all the components.

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Exponential population growth versus a lack of affordable housing is a challenge affecting urban areas worldwide. To address this issue, the Italian firm Mario Cucinella Architects proposes a new circular housing model: a 3D-printed home made from organic materials.

The prototype uses regionally sourced materials, such as local clay, making it the first printed house of its kind. This reduces emissions from transporting materials and also ensures the building process is zero-waste.

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An impressive building has risen in Rudrapur, a village in northern Bangladesh. Local techniques and materials were used to shape a space designed to meet a critical need. Named the Anandaloy Center, its first floor functions as a care center for people with disabilities.

The project won the 2020 OBEL Award, an international prize that honors outstanding architectural contributions to human development worldwide.

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Solar energy is officially the cheapest way to generate electricity today, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its newly released annual World Energy Outlook 2020 report. “With sharp cost reductions over the past decade, solar PV is consistently cheaper than new coal- or gas-fired power plants in most countries, and solar projects now offer some of the lowest electricity costs ever seen,” the document states.

Sesc São Carlos, in upstate São Paulo, has launched a short video series on how permaculture works in practice. Produced by Associação Veracidade, the entire series will be available online for free.

Over six episodes, various social technologies will be presented, such as composting toilets, composting, solar ovens, and rainwater harvesting, among others. Viewers can explore the various ecological possibilities that can be integrated into a sustainable home—even in urban spaces. 

In August 2019, Eternit presented its photovoltaic solar tile at Intersolar South America. This first-of-its-kind product in the country has just received Inmetro certification for production. The model had already been approved by the institute, and with this certification, the first concrete tile capable of generating energy—developed in Brazil—can now be marketed.

Those who install these tiles on their homes will be able to capture sunlight to produce electricity—without the need for additional panels. This technology became globally known through Tesla's solar tiles.

Indian architecture firm Manoj Patel Design Studio has designed several award-winning projects that make creative use of clay roof tiles. In one of them, named Ridge Clay Roof Tile Plantation, a vertical garden was created using these tiles.

Earth, straw, and wood are some of the construction materials used by a rural community in the Republic of Cameroon. Beyond being low-cost, the project's main asset is its respect for the local landscape, building homes in harmony with their surroundings. 

Called Warka Village, the hamlet is based on vernacular architecture. This means traditional construction techniques and locally available materials, such as stone, bamboo, and natural fibers, are used. 

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While modern metropolises have verticalized our way of life, creative solutions are continually emerging to reclaim and redefine urban space. Rooftops are already widely used for events and leisure, and now, growing plants and crops on them is becoming increasingly common. In Paris, a massive 14,000 m² urban farm has just opened on a building's rooftop. Although cultivation does not yet cover the entire area, once fully completed, it will be considered the largest in Europe and, perhaps, the world. 

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In 2017, the city of Salvador, Bahia, established its Urban Afforestation Master Plan and, as part of this initiative, released a comprehensive guide for anyone wishing to plant in urban spaces.

Which species are most suitable and how to plant trees on sidewalks are some of the questions answered in the document. Although titled the “Salvador Technical Urban Afforestation Manual”, the guide can be used by residents of any city, especially those living in the Atlantic Forest biome.

The small sovereign state of Luxembourg has a population of about 560,000. However, its vehicle count is disproportionate to its size: 662 for every thousand people, according to The New York Times. This represents the highest car-to-population ratio in the entire European Union. To address this issue, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, reelected for a second term, promised free public transit for all residents.

Cities that absorb rainwater and allow it to follow its natural course. It should be simple, yet we chose to channel our waterways, preventing nature from doing its part: absorbing and purifying. For Chinese architect Kongjian Yu, this is the key to solving one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary major urban centers: flooding. 

Since 2017, the extraction and sale of asbestos has been banned in Brazil by the Supreme Federal Court (STF). However, this ruling did not prevent the state of Goiás from authorizing the extraction of chrysotile asbestos last Tuesday (16). The law stipulates that the extracted material must be used exclusively for export.

C40 Cities, a global coalition of cities, launched a competition to select the best solutions for transforming underutilized urban spaces into resilient, carbon-neutral developments. Named Reinventing Cities, the competition selected 15 innovative ideas poised to "reinvent" the future of cities. 

One of Italy's most important culinary hubs, Bologna is aiming to encourage its residents to adopt cycling, public transit, or simply walking as their primary means of transportation—leaving their cars at home. To achieve this, the city has launched an incentive program. 

When it comes to sustainability, the Netherlands has always been at the forefront. In recent news, Zwolle, one of the country's "greenest cities," implemented the world's first bicycle lane composed of post-consumer waste that would normally be discarded or incinerated. 

To create the material, Zwolle used old, plastic bottles, festival beer cups, cosmetic packaging, and plastic furniture. Still, in the pilot phase, the bike path contains 70% recycled plastic in its 30-meter pathway. Although, the city hopes to create a bike path made entirely of recycled plastic in the future.