Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the Globe

Play Now -->

DATE : Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:30:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2009-11-26 16:30:00
length : 14577566
Link to the Show / Show Notes

This week on Living Planet we go shopping for a sustainable mall, learn why heating with wood can be both good and bad, and take a trip south to see how the island nation of Jamaica is trying to go green to save the environment and bring in money.
Sustainable shopping mall could change design ideas in Germany

Massive shopping complexes are one of the last places anyone would probably put on their list of eco-friendly buildings. A German design firm is hoping to change that.

The end of November means the opening of Christmas Markets in Germany, while across the Atlantic in the US, it means Thanksgiving. Both signify the official start of the holiday shopping season. And as the spirit of giving comes to the forefront for many at this time of the year, there’s one Christmas hallmark that can’t be denied: the shopping mall.

This American retail concept is becoming increasingly popular in Germany, a country where outdoor pedestrian shopping zones are still the norm. But what does this have to do with the environment? The industrial city of Duisburg in the state of North Rhine Westphalia has put a sustainable spin on the concept by building an environmentally-friendly retail complex.

Report: Laura Schweiger

Wood can be a sustainable, eco-friendly way to heat your home. It can also be horrible for your health.

In many parts of the world, heating with wood is nothing out of the ordinary. But in industrialized, Western countries, relying on wood for heat has been seen as old-fashioned for a very long time. That has been changing in recent years, though, as climbing oil and gas prices have brought wood back into vogue – and back into fireplaces.

Ideally, burning wood for heat would also be more environmentally friendly than using oil or gas, since wood releases only as much carbon dioxide as it takes in. However, burning may also release environmentally toxic methane gas, which is 21 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

There is also a second problem with wood, albeit a microscopic one. Burning wood releases an ultra-fine dust that can give people cancer or lead to lung disease. But the answer to that problem could be as simple as a modernized fireplace.

Report: Richard Fox

Jamaica is hoping that their plan to go green will manage to both save the environment and bring in money from tourists.

Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean has long been a tourist paradise. Tourism is the country’s number one industry, so it is not surprising the land of rum and reggae was one of the first Caribbean countries to realize they were caught in a Catch-22.

Tourists bring in money, but tourism can also destroy the natural beauty that draws in so many people in the first place. Recently awareness has been growing and Jamaica has committed itself to a cleaner, more sustainable brand of tourism.

Now recycling and reef cleanup are the new buzz words and “green teams” made up of school children are heading up a government-backed initiative to make sure the beaches and back roads retain their pristine beauty.

Play in your Iphone