A Green City: Masdar

      Far, far away, in the land of a desert named Abu Dhabi, a green city, powered 100% by solar energy, is being constructed.  The aim of this ambitious project is to go, simply put, completely green.  This city, Masdar, scheduled to be completed in 2016, is being built on a humongous cement platform that's made of 60% recycled waste.  As you can already see, the city is obviously striving to be as energy efficient and environmentally aware as possible.  Although it costs approximately 22 billion dollars to construct, the project is well worth it. Here's why...

      First of all, all cars are banned in the city. In lieu of using them, everyone uses the PRT system, or a personal rapid transit system.  The PRT system basically consists of about 3,000 electric cars that operate on recyclable batteries instead of gasoline, which is better for the environment.  Solar thermal farms use the sun's heat to supply Masdar with a quarter of its needed energy.  More carbon-free power comes from photovoltaic plants that utilize sunlight by turning it directly into electricity.  In addition, biofuels are grown in urban farms that are all irrigated from the city's wastewater.  The average temperature of Masdar is expected to be around 20 degrees cooler than the surrounding desert.  The world's first 100% solar powered office building, being built in the green city, will produce at least 3% more energy than it uses.  The building is eight stories tall and three blocks long.  A layer of glass on the outside of the building reflects the sun's heat but allows natural light.  Further, the way it's built protects inhabitants from too much sun.  Amazingly, the office is built entirely of 85% recycled steel!  All around Masdar, lush, beautiful gardens provide more than a pretty picture.  They keep the environment cool and absorb carbon dioxide to release more oxygen.  Most importantly, the city will use 60% less water, 75% less electricity, and 98% less landfill space than a city of a similar size.  


      When I found the article, A Green City Blooms in the Desert, I was immediately intrigued by it and quickly flipped to the page it started on.  After I was done reading, I was amazed at how environmentally conscious the people of Abu Dhabi were.  In my opinion, their city will make a big effect on the world.  It will probably become the role model of what future green cities should be like.  Masdar will save A LOT of energy and will definitely make a difference.  It will create more jobs by just being there since a city needs people to run it and offices need people to work in it.  Plus, the city will be an incredibly healthy environment to live in because of its non-smog-y atmosphere, organization, and order.  I now want to visit Masdar one day and see for myself how energy efficient the city is.  Global warming may be able to be slowed by this small but huge step toward a cleaner world.  However, America contributes the most to global warming so if we can change our ways and build or fix cities so that they use more alternative fuels and solar power like Masdar, we could slow the process of global warming  down considerably.  Hopefully, soon, many more cities just like this one will be constructed so that we can correct our mistakes and let the environment breathe. 


My article was from the Fortune magazine, Volume 158, Number 11, page 133.  The first picture was from here, my second picture from here, and my third picture from here.  An internet link to the article I read can be found here.


~Starflower794!