Wow, what a crazy time 2020 has been! So many layered crises, layered on smouldering climate change. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the vulnerabilities of our society and economy, while the events following George Floyd's murder have further ignited and exposed...
climate action
Morocco Desert and Oases
I had a desire to experience the desert of southern Morocco, in a way that's low-impact on the environment and local communities. So, I found a locally owned horseback tour, which truly exceeded my expectations. The horses literally have a small footprint of course,...
The Quiet Revolution of Vitoria-Gasteiz
Stepping off the train from Madrid in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a city of 252,000 in the Basque Country, northern Spain, felt like stepping into an alternate universe. The doors of the station opened to a cool December evening. I walked down a wide street lined with...
Smart Grids to Smart Cities
Scaling up climate solutions The urgency of acting on climate change is abundantly clear to all - all except a “handful of fanatics that deny the science”, as Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez put it at the opening of the COP 25 conference this week. The effects are...
Barcelona
Steps toward the car-free city I haven't posted in a while because, frankly, I'm finding it difficult to make myself sit down and write, or even just stay indoors, in a city with so much going on, especially when it's sunny and up to 20 degrees out! So, I'm...
Montpellier urban form
Modern architecture, transportation and nature Shifting attention from the old to the new, and turning on my “Planner” antennae, Montpellier seems to have achieved a nice balance of density and livability, at least in the neighbourhoods close to the centre. The...
Offshore wind does the heavy lifting
A peek at the industry from a shipping engineer's perspective I was hosted by friends of my family in the Amsterdam area, including Boudewijn van der Garden, who works for Jumbo Shipping, a heavy-lift shipping company, as the Regional Commercial Manager specialising...
Geothermal energy and carbon capture in Iceland
I visited the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant, to learn more about the climate-friendly system that supplies Reykjavik and surrounding area with hot water as well as power. They are also pioneering a method for capturing CO2 and storing it permanently in the form...
Medina Life
Fes and Marrakech My first couple of days in Morocco, in the medina of Tangier, were a bit of a shock. Coming from a city where people hardly even make eye contact or speak to strangers, it was a very different experience being stared at, called out to, sized up, and...
COP25 – my thoughts
Going to Madrid during the COP 25 conference was, in a few words, inspiring, depressing and frustrating. Inspiring to attend a few “side events” with excellent speakers deeply involved in implementing the TOTALLY DO-ABLE solutions we need to to turn the corner and...