S4, E20: Good News: Floating Neighbourhoods, EU Nature Credits, and Ecosia’s Burkina Faso Tree Revival
Gud Neiegkeeten: Schwemmend Quartieren, EU-Naturkreditter an d'Erhuelung vun de Beem am Burkina Faso an Ecosia
Schwiewend Quartieren, Ecosia a Burkina Faso an d'Naturkreditter-Roadmap vun der EU
A short, sharp burst of optimism from the built environment. This episode: how floating neighbourhoods can power and protect themselves; why the EU wants to put nature on the balance sheet; and a hopeful update from Burkina Faso where smart water-harvesting is helping 29,000+ new trees thrive.
LAUSCHTERT AN MANNER WÉI 6 MINUTTEN HEI
Wat dës Episod vun ënner 6 Minutten ofdeckt
Schwiewend Quartieren: Modern floating platforms are typically hollow, creating space for decentralised systems—wastewater and drinking-water treatment, on-board electricity storage, floating solar, even algae/seaweed biofuels. That off-grid setup boosts resilience and, placed offshore, these structures can also reduce wave energy to help protect coasts during storms.
“Floating structures… offer opportunities to become more self-supporting and off-grid—more resilient.” Rutger de Graaf, bluexnumx
Kuckt Iech déi ganz Episod un – Schwiewend Zukunft hei
Mat frëndlecher Erlaabnes vum Rutger de Graaf Schwimmpavillon
EU Nature Credits: Brussels is sketching a roadmap to value nature directly—turning restoration outcomes into investable credits. As discussed in the episode, the aim is to mobilise private finance, reward those restoring ecosystems, and align business with biodiversity that underpins much of the economy.
„Mir mussen d'Natur an d'Bilanz setzen ... Naturkreditter kënnen de Privatsecteur mobiliséieren, fir ze investéieren an ze innovéieren.“ Brian MacSharry
De komplette Feature kënnt den 9. September eraus. Späichert dës Säit fir de Link.
Ökosie a Burkina Faso: In 2016, with partner Hommes et Terre, Ecosia planted 29,328 trees on a degraded savanna using traditional “half-moon” pits to capture scarce rain. Six years on, trees and grasses are back, soils are recovering, and wildlife is returning—funded in part by everyday searches.
Dës Neiegkeet koum vun Ecosia op LinkedIn.
Mat frëndlecher Erlaabnes vun Ecosia Trees Burkina Faso
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W.e.g. notéiert datt dëst digital generéiert ass a Feeler enthalen kann.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: This is Jackie De Burca for the Constructive Voices Good News podcast. A short, sharp burst of uplifting stories from the built environment with a dash of biodiversity. Now we’re all about highlighting positive solutions that have the potential to improve our world. Today we feature floating developments, the EU’s proposed nature credit System and and Ecosia’s work in Burkina Faso.
[00:00:33] Spriecher A: Dëst ass Constructive Voices.
[00:00:35] Rutger de Graaf: Ee vun de faszinéierenden Aspekter vu schwiewenden Strukturen ass, datt dëst normalerweis huel Strukturen sinn, well se ganz liicht musse sinn. Mir bauen zum Beispill Fundamenter aus Stol oder Beton oder Kompositmaterialien. Et gi verschidde Materialien, déi mir benotze kënnen. Mee dacks schafen dës Strukturen vill Plaz.
An de Raum kann fir dezentraliséiert Technologien vun der Ofwaasserbehandlung benotzt ginn.
Si kënne fir dezentral Drénkwaasserbehandlung benotzt ginn. De Raum an de schwiewende Plattforme kann fir d'Späichere vun Elektrizitéit benotzt ginn.
So floating structures by nature, they offer a lot of opportunities to become more self supporting, to become more off grid. We have also done for instance, a floating solar study. Floating solar is a great technology also to have floating energy generation.
We all know about the floating offshore wind. Of course we can also use floating algae and seaweed systems to produce floating biofuels. So floating urban development creates a lot of opportunities to implement decentralized concepts for water and energy.
An an deem Sënn ass et net néideg, e schwiewende Quartier mat engem Kanalisatiounssystem un d'Ufer ze verbannen.
Also ech mengen, datt dat u sech eng Form vu Widderstandsfäegkeet schaaft, well dës méi kleng Strukturen méi selbstdroend sinn, si sinn manner vulnérabel wéi déi riseg Netzer.
If you have a power blackout or something, it has a big impact. But if neighbourhoods create their own, have their own system, it’s more redundant and more resilient.
Dat ass eng Saach.
Wat mir och duerch eis jorelaang Fuerschung an Wellebeckentester gesinn hunn, ass datt schwiewend Strukturen den Impakt vu Wellen op d'Küst reduzéieren.
Also, soubal Dir ufänkt, eng schwiewend Noperschaft virun der Küst ze schafen, schützt Dir och d'Küst viru Stierm, viru Wellen.
Also, nieft der Tatsaach, datt si selwer un Héichwaasser ugepasst sinn, schützen si och d'Festland virun Iwwerschwemmungen bei extremen Wiederkonditiounen.
[00:02:31] Spriecher A: Dëst ass Constructive Voices.
[00:02:34] Jackie De Burca: Bréissel mécht Schrëtt fir d'Natur an d'Bilanz ze setzen. Wärend d'EU hir Roadmap fir Naturkreditter presentéiert. De Brian McSherry erkläert, wéi dëse maartgedriwwenen Usaz privat Investitioune fräisetze kéint, d'Leit belounen, déi d'Ökosystemer restauréieren, an e grousse Schrëtt no vir a punkto Stabilitéit markéiere kéint. Taucht an déi ganz Geschicht vum 9. September op der konstruktiver Voices Websäit oder op Ärer Liiblingspodcast-App an.
[00:02:57] Spriecher A: Dëst ass Constructive Voices.
[00:02:59] Jackie De Burca: D'Ursula von der Leyen zum Beispill war eng vun de Leit, déi no dëser Situatioun natierlech Meenungsartikelen ofginn hunn. An ech hunn hei en Zitat vun hir, an ech mengen, et ass ganz einfach a kann vun engem Duerchschnëttsmënsch ganz einfach verdaut ginn. Mir mussen d'Natur an d'Bilanz setzen. Dat ass genau dat, wat Naturkreditter maachen.
When well designed, they will provide an efficient, market driven instrument that encourages the private sector to invest and innovate. With investment and innovation, we generate revenue for those who work to protect nature.
[00:03:30] Brian MacSharry: Jo, ech mengen, ech mengen natierlech géif ech mat allem averstane sinn, wat Dir grad vum President gesot hutt, awer ech mengen, et ass ganz gutt formuléiert an ech mengen, et positionéiert wierklech dat, wat d'Stroossekaart wëll sinn. An ech mengen, wësst Dir, datt d'Natur an d'Bilanz ze setzen ass eppes, iwwer dat vill Leit scho laang geschwat hunn.
There’s always been the how. And I think this roadmap is a step in that right direction, a big step, I would say. But for me, statements like that in the op ed I think is very clear. A lot of discussions and it was last September at a conference in Munich, the President said something about this, about nature credits was the first real public discourse about it. And she said something very similar at the time. And for me, when I read this and I listen to those different presentations, it’s very clear what the ambition from the European Union is about. This is put it on the balance sheet, it’s helping and it is really about protecting and restoring and mobilising the market to allow that and put in funding for nature and recognising the importance of nature and how it basically pays for itself. You know, we know nature is the cornerstone of our economy and businesses depend on it. The World Economic Forum, I think in 2020 said half the world’s GDP is moderately highly dependent on biodiversity. The rest of it still is, but maybe to a lower extent. So having any kind of conversation where it connects that business world to the rest of the nature world and the financing I think is to be supported.
[00:04:54] Spriecher A: Dëst sinn Konstruktiv Stëmmen.
[00:04:57] Jackie De Burca: Schlussendlech eng Geschicht iwwer d'Sichmaschinn Ecosia.
[00:05:00] Spriecher A: Dëst ass Constructive Voices.
[00:05:03] Spriecher E: Loosst eis elo e puer vun de super Aarbechten, déi d'Sichmaschinn Ecosia mécht, ophalen. Am Joer 2016 war dës Savann am Burkina Faso bal eidel. Also zesumme mat hire Partner Männer op der Äerd, Ecosia huet 29,328 Beem geplanzt. Reen ass do sporadesch, dofir hunn si Hallefmounde benotzt, eng antik Technik, déi Waasser a Lächer hält, fir jonke Beem ze hëllefen ze iwwerliewen. Sechs Joer méi spéit wuessen d'Beem a Grasland, de Buedem erhëlt sech an d'Déierewelt kënnt zréck. Wann Dir Ecosia benotzt, hëllefen Är Recherchen, dës Beem ze schützen. An dat wäerte si fir Jore weider maachen.
