Monaco Goes Green
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.19.06
When mention of Monaco comes up, one thinks of Grace Kelly, casinos, tax-evading millionaires and Formula One Car Racing. The new heir to the throne, Prince Albert II, has a scandalous playboy past. But he also has some new world-changing ideas. He has announced the creation of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for the Environment. Its priorities are to fight global warming, boost the protection of endangered species and improve the supply of drinking water in parts of the Third World where unhealthy water causes 8m deaths each year. He witnessed the effects of global warming on an expedition to the North Pole earlier this year and has attracted scientists and explorers to his foundation to help highlight the threat to the planet. He says he will make a financial contribution from his own considerable fortune to “set the ball rolling”. He drives a Toyota Prius and a Lexus hybrid and is urging citizens to walk or drive greener cars. Elevators and escalators are being built into the cliffs to encourage walking and decrease traffic. He is also putting a height limit on new office buildings to protect the views. Prince Albert said, "Monaco may not be the biggest country in the world, but I am determined to show it can be among the most innovative in its approaches to the environment." :: Palais Princier de Monaco
Height limits may "protect the views", but they won't help the environment. By decreasing density, they increase the energy spent on transportation (a huge part of total energy spent), and by decreasing the surface-volume ratio of buildings, even decrease the efficiency of temperature control in those building, another large part of energy usage.
tree hugging makes you feel good.i might try to alter my life to make it mor green.i travel by train rather than car so i am doing something