Significance Of The Masdar City Project Environmental Sciences Essay

Significance Of The Masdar City Project Environmental Sciences Essay Masdar is a project developed in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. The core of Masdar is a well-planned city. It is constructed by the construction builder Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, which is a branch of the Mubadala Development Company. The major part of capital finance is given by the government of Abu Dhabi. The project is designed and planned by the Foster and its Partners, which is British architectural firm. Masdar city will sustain completely on sources of renewable sources for example, solar energy and various other resources which has a sustainable, zero-waste and zero-carbon ecology. The city is stretches about 17  kilometres (11 miles) in the east-south-east of Abu Dhabi, alongside Abu Dhabi International Airport. It would be the host for the headquarters of the (IRENA) International Renewable Energy Agency. Masdar has faith in capability of humankind for development of cheaper, cleaner, and efficient sources of energies for usage in order to overpower the climatic and environmental changes in a responsible and effective manner. It was established in April of 2006 as Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, a multifarious organization making development towards the commercialization and full functioning deployment of all possible renewable energy and providing solutions regarding cleaner ecological technologies. It combines the idea of the full renewable sources of energy with a clean technology lifecycle taking it from research point of view to the level of commercial deployment trying to fulfill the ultimate objective of developing a scalable and clean technology of renewable sources of energy. (Masdar Carbon, 2010) Importance of topic: Masdar City Project will not utilize any zero gas or oil resources. Hence it can be said that contribution to causing greenhouse gases would be minimal. Masdar is the central piece of Emirates and Abu Dhabis plans of having a market for renewable energy sources, a measure against the time when the oil wells and resources situated there run dry. An animated depiction of the design shows narrow streets covered with buildings which are modern still capture the essence of an ancient city of Arab. It appears that making plans identical to those of historic designs of ancient times will help designers reach their aim of energy goals they wish to accomplish. Recycling Water The city planners say that 80% of water used in city would be recycled. This needs a change of thinking. According to Peter Sharratt, who is working with WSP a British energy consulting firm, they normally have a linear process. They take in water through the taps, use it. And then it further goes down straight in the drain. In this way it gets to be used once only. But the design of Masdar City would be reusing water for as many times as it is possible. For example, one of the ideas involves capture of the leftover of water of crops which is known as irrigation recovery. The method works like as follows: After irrigation of crops water goes down through the top 2 or 3 feet layers of soil and then meets plants requirements and underground water collection system recovers whatever amount of water is left. This water can then be used for irrigation again on some another occasion or redirected for another purpose. (Masdar Introduction, 2010) Emissions of gases Related to Construction The basic idea behind Masdar City is to construct a place where is no carbon footprint. Owing to the fact a lot of construction site equipment use gas, it can be said that some carbon dioxide would be released into the atmosphere while construction, which will result in having an adverse effect on eco system. This can be an offset putting extra solar energy or by growing trees or back into national power grid of Abu Dhabi. But evaluation of a carbon footprint is more complicated than this according to Liz Darley. She works with Bioregional, the British firm which will be assessing Masdar Citys carbon footprint calculations. She further added that what they are planning to do is deciding where to draw lines for the boundary which in itself is a complex job as it could include the entire expenditure of carbon even when the project team is travelling between Europe and Middle East. Hence it is very tough to estimate the overall carbon cost incurred on building the Masdar city as it will depend upon where you will draw you boundaries. (Palca, 2008) A Goal to Curb Energy Use One of the major goals of Masdar City plan would be to become the first city where emission of carbon is zero. Shaded walks and narrow streets would be helpful in reducing the need of air conditioning. The city will be oriented northeast direction to minimize and reduce the amount of sunlight directed on buildings windows and sides. Solar collectors and solar panels on the roofs and at remaining places would be helpful in generation of sufficient electricity in order to fulfill the requirement of Masdar City. Another aim of Masdar City is to prohibit cars in the city. But city is not small enough for its inhabitants to cover by walking. Hence designers are planning for a system called a (PRT) personal rapid transit system. According to Scott McGuigan of the CH2M Hill, it is really a car. It can be seen as a simple vehicle for six passengers. It is designed in shape of a car, but is powered by solar energy and with batteries. These cars powered by solar power would be running under th e city just in ways like a subway system. But these cars would not run on fixed roads and routes, rather they can be taken anywhere a passenger wishes to go. He further adds that PRTs show an energy-efficient manner of moving around people among 1,500 stations approximately. The passenger can program the station they wish to go and the vehicle will transport them to that station. Handling of Waste Management One of the major aims Masdar City is going to deal with is to become the first city to manage waste in such a manner that waste is converted into energy and is possibly reduced to zero. In real facts, waste could be reduced to be very close to zero, as some material cannot be transformed to energy or be recycled. But as far as human waste is concerned, it would all be repurposed. The nutrients would be recovered and then used to generate soil which can be further used as component of the requirement of landscaping. The part of the sewer sludge would again be processed in waste-to-power plan. This plan to recycle or reuse as much as it is possible would permeate the strategy. According to Mc Guigan, they are constantly in search for materials which can be reused or recycled. He further added that they are looking at recyclable plastic so as to use to it for construction of site fencing. Later on that fencing could be sold to the manufacturer and be again recycled for reselling it agai n. So it has a purpose at the end. Designers are even beginning to plan, how could the concrete, used for building Masdar City, be recycled so as to reuse it the for purposes such as construction of road when the city is torn down. (Masdar Carbon, 2010) Achieving the Reality According to some skeptics reducing total carbon contents and footprints to zero would not be easily possible. They also say that Masdar will not cover the huge amount of guzzling gas of the United Arab Emirates. Khaled Awad, person in charge for making the plans into a real city say he has heard such people but is sure of its success. But he invited the suggestions on how to improve the City and what can be done. He also explained saying that they are serious about the city and its aspirations and are putting lots of resources to build it correctly and make it right. He expects it to be an ideal place at a meaningful scale. The intended plan is also to complete the Masdar City in a record time. Literature Review: The Masdar City project is being steered by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC). It was started in 2006 and the project was estimated to cost about US$ 22 billion and expected to take about 8 years to complete construction. The first phase of building was scheduled to be completed and would be habitable by 2009. Due to the effect of the economic crisis, now the Phase 1 of the Masdar City would be finished by 2015 and the completion of whole complex by 2020-2025. The estimated cost of complex has been reduced by 10 to 15 percent, hence the complete development cost ranging from US$18.7 and 19.8 billion. Masdar city is projected to cover an area of six  square kilometers (2.3 sq  miles) and would provide residency to about 45,000 to 50,000 people and home to 1,500 businesses, majorly manufacturing and commercial facilities having expertise in the environment friendly and eco-friendly products, and an expected to have around 60,000 workers. It would also be having university , (MIST) Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which would be helped by (MIT) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Automobiles and vehicles would be prohibited within the city. Transportation would be carried out with the help of personal rapid transit and public mass transit systems with the already existing railways and roads providing connection to outside. As there are no vehicles and automobiles inside the Masdars perimeter wall, it is planned such as to prevent the hot desert air to enter the complex along with shaded and narrow streets allows suitable condition funnel cooler breezes across the Masdar City. (Palca, 2008) Masdar City is thought to be the most advanced technology among the small number of well and highly planned, technology-intensive research specialized municipalities that also assimilate a living hospitable environment as those of Tsukuba Science City, Japan or Novosibirk, Russia. (Masdar Carbon, 2010) Masdar Clean Tech Fund is a diversified vehicle of $250 million venture capital. It used to create a portfolio of joint venture investments, clean technology funds and direct co-investments. Others partners of Clean Tech Fund include Siemens Venture Capital, Credit Suisse and Consensus Business Group. CH2M HILL is the company responsible for constructing the first phase of the project. Construction of infrastructure of the city is being managed by Al Jaber Group. The central headquarters of Masdar City are being by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture. As pointed out earlier, the Fund is having commitments with the from the following organizations: (i) Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC), (ii) Credit Suisse (CS), (iii) Consensus Business Group (CBG) and (iv) Siemens AG. (Masdar Introduction, 2010) It is expected to develop a portfolio of investments in funds and having a commitment of around $60 million to 3-5 fund managers. Rest of the Fund capital would be invested in co-investments beside fund managers and in the direct investments by companies which are being sourced by the Fund. The Fund would invest in organizations that have technologies which are favorable for commercialization in U.A.E. Credit Suisse, one of the leading organizations for managers of co-investments and private equity fund of funds and also the General Partners will handle the Fund along with its partners. The Fund will take to advantage Credit Suisses and its partners expertise on investment along with Credit Suisses vast investment banking and private equity platform for sourcing, adding value and selecting investment opportunities in favors of the Fund. Moreover, the Fund will also take an initiative towards Abu Dhabis larger alternative energy resource, also known as the Masdar initiative which was started in March 2006. The Masdar initiative is response of Abu Dhabi to the global requirement of conservation of diminishing resources and the need of alternative energy sectors. It is planned to make sure that in the long-term Abu Dhabi retains its energy resources and flourishes even more, and also maintains its share in the global energy market. The main focus of the Fund would be on the commercialization and development of technologies involving renewable energy, their energy efficiency, management of carbon and its monetization, desalination and usage of water. It is the hope of the government of U.A.E. that Masdar initiative and other governmental organizations should be used to support portfolio managers, joint venture participants and companies of Fund and participants who are wish for the commercialization of products in the UAE. (Masdar City, 2010) Conclusion and Recommendation: Masdar City is going to deal with is to become the first city to manage waste in such a manner that waste is converted into energy and is possibly reduced to zero. In real facts, waste could be reduced to be very close to zero, as some material cannot be transformed to energy or be recycled. According to some skeptics reducing total carbon contents and footprints to zero would not be easily possible. It is very tough to estimate the overall carbon cost incurred on building the Masdar city as it will depend upon where you will draw you boundaries. Despite all the speculation being, it could be said that all these are worth a try so as to conserve the ecological system. It can be seen as a an innovative effort making development towards the commercialization and full functioning deployment of all possible renewable energy and providing solutions regarding cleaner ecological technologies. It combines the idea of the full renewable sources of energy with a clean technology lifecycle taki ng it from research point of view to the level of commercial deployment trying to fulfill the ultimate objective of developing a scalable and clean technology of renewable sources of energy. The key recommendation for the city is to create awareness among the people towards the waste and carbon issue so that the project can figure out as a classical example of green energy and waste management using technology.

Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

In the summer of 1850 Melville purchased an eighteenth-century farmhouse in the community of Pittsfield in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Berkshire was then home to a number of prominent literary figures such as Fanny Kemble, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and, in Lenox, less than six miles from Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne. The two authors met for the first time in Stockbridge on August 5, 1850, on a picnic excursion hosted by David Dudley Field. Hawthorne was forty-six and was familiar with at least a portion of Melville's work, having favorably reviewed Typee in the Salem Advertiser (March 25, 1846); Melville was thirty-one and had just written or was about to write an exceedingly warm and enthusiastic piece on Hawthorne's Mosses From an Old Manse, a copy of which had been given to him by an aunt a few weeks before. Early in the course of the excursion, a sudden thunderstorm forced the party to take shelter, giving Melville and Hawthorne an opportunity to become better acquainted. The two men took to each other at once, and as their conversation continued were delighted to discover a growing bond of mutual sympathy and comprehension. Two days later Hawthorne wrote to a friend "I liked Melville so much that I have asked him to spend a few days with me." This would be the first of a series of visits, supplemented by written correspondence, that would continue until the gradual cooling off of the friendship late in 1852. In the beginning the relationship was a great source of comfort and intellectual stimulation to Melville, who believed he had finally found the soul mate for whom he had been yearning. As Sophia Hawthorne observed, "Mr. Melville, generally silent and uncommunicative, pours out the rich floods of his mind and experience to [Nathaniel Hawthorne], so sure of apprehension, so sure of a large and generous interpretation, and of the most delicate and fine judgment." Hawthorne's influence, in fact, is credited as the prime catalyst behind Melville's decision to transform what originally seems to have been a light-hearted whaling adventure into the dramatic masterpiece that is arguably the greatest American novel of all time. In August of 1852 Melville wrote to Hawthorne about the true story of a New England woman who had taken in and married a shipwrecked sailor only to be abandoned by him. "The Story of Agatha", Melville thought, would be a perfect subject for the application of Hawthorne's talents; the older man, however, felt little enthusiasm for the project and after a few desultory attempts suggested that Melville write the story himself.

Does Prejudice Still Exist Today? Essay

Does racism and prejudice still exist today? Officially there is no racism in the United States in the sense that all kinds of racial discriminations are prohibited by law. But racism still exists to some extent in the hearts of the people. In general, there is a reduction in the prejudices people have about others based on their race or other similar social background. But these prejudices have not completely died down. A large portion of US citizens still appear to have racial prejudices to different degrees. Although the public commentary describes the United States as post racial, racism and prejudice continues to exert a very real and persuasive influence on institutional policies and processes, interpersonal interactions, neighborhood infrastructure, socioeconomic opportunities, and media imagery in the world today. Racism The core of racism is the belief among people or a position taken by them that people of some races are essentially inferior to people of some other races. â€Å"When people of different races believing in or supporting such racist views come in contact with each other, they are likely to engage in racist behavior† (Davis, 2012). Racist Behavior Racist behavior can influence discrimination among people of different races, with an intention to put the people of other races at a disadvantage, or to avoid interaction with them, or both. Such discriminatory behavior can be explicit and performed without any attempt to hide. This behavior can also be subtle, that cannot be detected or pinpointed easily. Racist behavior may include many kinds of activities carried out secretly. â€Å"In spite of the laws against racist behavior, people do continue to behave in racist ways to some extent. Frequently this behavior is unintentional and difficult to pinpoint. In other cases the behavior is intentional but cannot be detected and punished by law for various reasons† (Garry, 2011). Stereotypes Stereotypes evolve out of fear of people from a minority group. Stereotypes are generally developed by a series of isolated behaviors by a member of a group that was unfairly generalized to be viewed as a character of all members of that group which in turn formed prejudice and racism. â€Å"When we judge people and groups based on our own prejudices and stereotypes and treat them differently, we are engaging in discrimination† (Thomas, 2013). Conclusion All of us face peer pressure when confronted with a joke which puts down a certain minority. It takes courage to raise objections to these jokes and belittling names and to actively fight the prejudice and bigotry which they foster. It is important to stand up against injustice, and fight the discrimination, stereotypes, and racism which have served as the precursors to persecution and violence. References Garry, K. (2011, March 11). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://kgarry. wordpress. com/2011/03/11/prejudice-in-the-united-states-today-a-problem-that-we-may-never-resolve/ Davis, S. (2012, January 4). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://blog. ctnews. com/mixingitup/2012/01/04/does-racism-still-exist/ Thomas, J. (2013). Teaching race and racism in the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/way_5192208_teaching-race-racism-21st-century. html.

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay - 1622 Words

Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley didn’t know when she began it that her â€Å"ghost story† would become an enduring part of classic literature. Frankenstein is an admirable work simply for its captivating plot. To the careful reader, however, Shelley’s tale offers complex insights into human experience. The reader identifies with all of the major characters and is left to heed or ignore the cautions that their situations provide. Shelley uses the second person narrative style, allusions both to Coleridge’s â€Å"Rime of the Ancient Mariner† and the legend of Prometheus, and the symbols of both light and fire to warn against the destructive thirst for forbidden knowledge. Frankenstein’s tale is narrated†¦show more content†¦Indeed, Shelley’s several allusions to Coleridge’s poem and the parallel plots that Frankenstein’s tragedy shares with the mariner’s tale are intentional references meant to expose her warning purpose. The mariner’s tale is a mirror image of Frankenstein’s—identical yet backwards. The mariner is punished for killing a Christ figure, Frankenstein is punished for vitalizing a demon—both offenses concern the illegitimate use of a godly prerogative and a disregard for the sanctity of life. Captain Walton—the warned—of course, is also a mariner; however, he sails north and the Ancient Mariner—the warner—sailed south. Walton himself is the first to allude directly to the rime saying that he goes â€Å"to the land of mist and snow,† yet he swears that he shall â€Å"kill no albatross† nor, says he, shall he return à ¢â‚¬Å"as worn and woeful as the ‘Ancient Mariner’† (33). His vows are ironic, however, because he is saved from that ancient fate only by listening to Frankenstein’s tale which warns him against his hubristic quest for knowledge. Toward the end of the book, Captain Walton weighs his chance for discovery and glory against the lives of his men noting, â€Å"It is terrible to reflect that the lives of all these men are endangered through me. If we are lost, my mad schemes are the cause† (181). Happily, Frankenstein’s mariner-like caution proves effective for the captain who heeds the warning and turns back. The second-personShow MoreRelatedMary Shelleys Frankenstein1689 Words   |  7 PagesGreat Expectations Fathers and Son, Frankenstein. The novel I have chosen to discuss is Frankenstein. Written in 1818 by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein is classified as a gothic novel, however, Shelly uses both realist and non-realist techniques. I will be looking at her reasons for writing the novel and what influenced her, as well as the realist and non-realist techniques used. 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