Global

Introduction to the Affordability (originally Bertaud) Model
Jerry Erbach – June 2012

“Meeting the basic human need for shelter is a key component of community resilience, both in the immediate response to a disaster event, as well as long-term recovery and an eventual return to normal economic functionality. The availability of housing that is affordable is a crucial factor, underlying many other community functions, as people must have a stable place to live to be active participants in the local economy as workers or consumers, to send their children to school and to engage in civic activity.” (from “Roadmap to Enhanced Community Resilience – Availability of Housing that is Affordable” – Community and Regional Resilience Institute and City of Gulfpoint; February 2009) 

http://cehi.org.lc - Karen Alleyne - June 1, 2012

ABSTRACT

This project is based on the development, testing and evaluation of lightweight aggregate
cementitious products utilizing shredded Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and High Density
Polyethylene (HDPE) from shredded plastic bottles and crates. The innovation for this project is
twofold. Firstly, thousands of PET and HDPE plastic materials, particularly plastic bottles, are
improperly disposed of each day resulting in large volumes of plastic waste entering and
remaining in the natural environment. This has become a solid waste management challenge in
Guyana since it is estimated that over 10,000 tonnes of waste plastic are discarded yearly, in
Georgetown alone. Secondly, efficient means of re-using waste plastic, particularly PET and
HDPE must be found since in developing countries it may not be economically viable based on
the volumes of plastic produced, to recycle.

(READ COMPLETE REPORT IN LINKED PDF)

by Michael D. Lemonick

reneweconomy.com.au - Climate Central - May 22, 2012

If you grew up in the 1950’s and early 60’s, you probably remember the faint air of existential angst that lingered constantly in the background. With the creation of atomic weapons, and the booming stockpiles of missile-mounted bombs in the arsenals of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., it seemed perfectly plausible that an all-out nuclear war could wipe out a significant fraction of the world’s population — the first time in history that humanity was capable of such destruction.

But as Fred Guterl says in a sobering, important and highly readable new book, those were really the good old days. The nuclear threat has receded, he acknowledges in The Fate of the Species: Why the human race may cause its own extinction and how we can stop it (Bloomsbury: $25), but warns that “the success of Homo sapiens has created new and terrifying risks that didn’t exist a few decades ago.”

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