The eighth most populated country of the world, Bangladesh has the highest population density and has around 65% of its demand for energy being met from biomass fuels that are available traditionally. The country has formed its first National Energy Policy where the rules helped to pave the way for the private sector involvement in the development of energy and also management. This gave the stimulation to achieve higher levels of efficiencies in energy and also helped in reducing the GHG emissions. The entire structure promised a sustainable energy future for the remaining energy lacking people of the country.

Today Bangladesh is the country which lacks electricity. Though there is a potential for a lot of renewable energy sources in the country, the amount they have contributed to the supply of electricity is very insignificant. Sustainable energy systems have renewable energy as a very important part as they are seen to emit very little greenhouse gas when we compare them to the fossil fuel related energy systems. But to improve these kinds of sustainable energy systems, it is required that we have proper settings and strategies for the entire world.

There have been efforts wherein the steps taken by Bangladesh to fulfill strategies for renewable development are observed. It is seen that the country could do better in sustainable energy strategies, by having a national sustainable energy strategy. In this matter, the Clean Development Mechanism falling under the Kyoto Protocol is very important as this could help in energy sustainability in the country.

The sustainable development process in Bangladesh is becoming difficult due to the mismanagement of natural resources and also the lack of a correct understanding of environmental issues. Thus the sustainable growth is not much in the country. So if the country focuses more on water issues, land degradation, climate change and the loss of biodiversity then the problems of actual sustainable development would be dealt with. The poor are very badly affected by the way environment is getting degraded and there is absolutely no proper access to natural resources and environment.

The Environment and Sustainable Development Cluster is actually playing an important part in facilitating main line sustainable development in the country. Thus it is integrating the concept of maintaining a balance in the environment as a major feature of policies and development planning. This aspect is maintained by focusing on the natural resource management, conservation of biodiversity, managing land and water, improving urban management and also governing the areas of sustainable development.

Sustainable development in Bangladesh is going to newer scales of late and it will not be long before Bangladesh is able to make a difference in this sector.

The consensus in security of water shows that the water resources in Africa are at great risk. In fact most countries in the world are stressed with a lot of water problems. Any person who takes any decision on water protection has to take into account the factors of rain variation, the dangers caused due to floods and droughts and the basic fact that there is lot of importance to rivers and lakes as they also demarcate the colonial borders.

It is important that the issue of the Illegal Unreported and Unregulated fishing should be firmly held in the spotlight. The World Wildlife Fund South Africa lately showed the dangerous future that the fishing sources for the littoral states of Africa face. There are many South Africa’s marine resources are being considered exploited and over used.

In many other parts of Africa, attention is being paid to the main resources of fish like the lakes, rivers, lakes etc. Thus a lot of importance is being placed on the regulation of fishing and also in monitoring co-operative existence. This would also increase the source of livelihood and protein thus increasing the dependency on fish. In fact Lake Victoria is a classic example of how these areas have to be really co-ordinated and controlled well. Another example is the Nile Perch where the development was encouraged by its introduction but the resultant effect was the fact that the ecology here changed due to past meddling.

Then there is the tiny island in Kenya Migingo in Lake Victoria which became a great point of disagreement between Kenya and Uganda. This difference came due to an uncertainty that existed in the borders and also due to the pressures that existed here due to the process of securing livelihood and food. The island was valued with its good location and the fact that it was on fishing grounds increased its value even more. This was around 500 m from the Uganda waters, so there were lot of allegations as regards poaching. Besides there were other resources which were sharing this region thus increasing the tension?

This shows how the lake was managed in the past and how it continues to have an effect on the condition today. It also meant that there was need for lot of prudence and other related strategies, which are important to avoid any condition of conflict and tension.

There are many people who don’t have safe water for drinking thus shortage of drinking water have resulted in people having a lot of diseases. The main objective of meeting the Millennium Development Goals is still a little tough to get the principle working across the countries in Africa.

There is another concern that is important for the future. Water and its availability. This is important as it is needed to know how water reduces and how water is so important. In fact there is a study that the UNEP or the United Nations Environmental Programme study of 2006 when it studied the lakes in Africa.

The reason for the need to be more sustainable is very crucial and the fact that the planet is facing a lot of degradation of the ecosystem makes it all the more important. The natural systems provide the right kind of essential services and in the absence of these, the planet loses the capacity to sustain life. Hence sustainability has been merged with the process of development at a greater pace.

While getting to understand some examples of sustainable development across the world, it is important to know about the sustainable cities, the corporations moving towards this sphere and the eco industrial parks that are coming up in society.

A sustainable city always has the natural environment as a major factor of its design and it always tries to reduce the energy input and takes efforts to minimize the waste generation as also reduces the water input and other resources. Environmental disturbances such as these are taken note of and one example of a sustainable city is the Vitoria Gasteiz in Spain that has achieved the status of being an eco city. Vitoria has succeeded in the implementation of a policy of high density development on its important transport routes and mixed land use. The public transport has been upgraded and this system has given the residents more space to live in, while the green zones are still existent for wildlife and also for the recreational purposes of human beings.

What exactly are eco industrial parks? These are regions where the industries are juxtaposed so that the resources are managed easily and the impacts of environment are thus managed in a co-operative manner. There is an example of sustainable development in the park in Kalundborg in Denmark. This has many businesses that use the by products that are produced by other manufacturers. There is waste that is created by a power station within the park. This waste is utilized by a firm here to make cement. There are other businesses which utilize the heat generated by this power plant for their individual processes. Similarly the cement factory that generates heat is used by this same firm for its processes.

Today corporations are identifying the need for incorporation of a principle for sustainable development and they are merging it with their operations. In fact in America interface Inc. there is a very important producer of carpet tile that has actually improved on its ecological footprint. This firm used recycled products and has thus managed to have a very efficient manufacturing process thus reducing the consumption of energy and water. Waste levels especially the hazardous waste production has also been curbed.

If one adopts the principles of sustainable development, the performance of these firms environmentally has definitely changed. More and More governments, individuals, firms and industries are today incorporating sustainable development thus making the planet a better place to live in.

There are various firms which give a lot of consultation for the sustainable development sector and these indulge in making the future of the planet brighter.

What could we do as individuals?

We could find the necessity to reverse the entire process of emissions that are present in the atmosphere and avoid the irreversible effect it could have on the climate. So it is important that we try to improve on the availability of pure and hygienic drinking water facilities.

It is not enough if we just stop or try to curb pollution. It is important that we actually are able to avoid a great deal of carbon out of the air. All methods and procedures that could lead to a reduction in the carbon in the air are to be adopted and made a way of life. For example we can convert all the dead leaves, organic solid waste and food waste into a form of not exuding carbon into the air. All these masses are called bio mass. So our first aim should be to convert all such biomass into charcoal. This could be done with the help of the plain kilns. This charcoal or biochar is made up of carbon that has been taken out from the air. So if we spread charcoal on the ground then it surely enriches the soil. This is one of the most important and feasible solutions that could avoid climate change to a great deal. Biochar has the capacity to store carbon for millions of years. Biochar is today’s best antidote to the problems of global warming and sustainable development. This helps to filter water and helps the world directly. This is a very cheap and reasonable way of solving problems and all the villagers across the world can strive to produce this biochar. The villages can utilize biochar to filter water, as it removes any kind of chemicals that are detrimental to health. Only that this water has to be boiled so that it is completely disinfected. In fact, WHO reports state that most of the illnesses around 80%of them occur due to polluted water.

When we are on the point of boiling water, then we can make alterations here too. We can use inexpensive solar cookers for boiling and pasteurizing water. Biomass cookers are also a good option. These are not very costly and are the best ways for avoiding carbon content in the air. The inefficient cookers are said to emit more carbon than any other so they are best avoided. Wood burning cookers also should be replaced with these sustainable development friendly bio mass burning cookers. These let out lesser emissions and help in reducing global warming to a great extent.

Rainforests form the wealth of nature. But we have lost most of them due to burning wood, and also because these wood are used for heating and cooking. It is a good idea to use bio mass cook stoves as they don’t need wood and also lay the foundation for avoiding deforestation.

Everyone knows about wind turbines. These produce more than half of our electricity. So these should be used more often these days as they reduce global warming to a great deal, and also avoid pollution. Coal plants these days are built such that they avoid carbon recovery and gasification.

Additionally, quite a few lakes become seasonally the shore and bottom regions, as ponds feature deep bottom areas not exposed to light. Lake Ecosystem have an extra zone called profundal. You will find bacteria in all areas of lake waters and free living forms are linked with decomposing organic material called biofilm on plants or rocks surfaces. Other forms are linked with lentic animals’ guts as well as bedbugs or in commensal relationships. Algae, including periphyton and phytoplankton are main photosynthesizers in lakes and ponds. Phytoplankton are seen roving in water column of pelagic area.

Macrophytes or Plants found in Lake Ecosystem live in pelagic and benthic areas and can be combined as per their growth of manner. Emergent macrophytes rooted in substrate with flowers and leaves extending into air; floating leaved macrophytes rooted in substrate with floating leaves; submersed macrophytes not rooted in substrate and floating underneath surface; free floating macrophytes not rooted in substrate and floating on surface. These different macrophytes forms mainly occur in several benthic zones with developing vegetation adjacent to shoreline.

Fish mobility, sensory capabilities and size enable them to make use of wide prey base, layering numerous zonation areas. Like invertebrates, feeding habits of fish can be characterized into guilds. In pelagic area, herbivores graze on macrophytes and periphyton. Carnivores include fishes, which feed on zooplankton in water column insects at the surface of water on benthic structures, or in sediment and those, which feed on other fish.

Fish, which consume gain energy and detritus by giving out its organic material, are known as detritivores. Omnivores consume broad array of prey surrounding faunal, detrital and floral material. At last, members of parasitic guild attain nutrition from host species, typically large vertebrate or another fish. Fish taxa are flexible in their feeding roles, altering their diets with prey availability and environmental conditions. Most of the species undergo diet shift as they develop and is expected that all single fished occupy numerous feeding guilds within their lifetime.

The biodiversity of Lake Ecosystem augments with surface area of pond or lake and is attributable to superior likelihood of partly terrestrial species of finding a bigger system. Due to bigger systems usually have bigger populations; the chance of extermination is reduced. Extra factors such as pH, temperature regime, habitat complexity, nutrient availability, competition, predation and speciation rates have been simultaneous to plenty of species found in these systems.

Plethora of high tech and upmarket features; agile handling; vigorous engine; sophisticated ride; well-designed and stylish cabin.

Limitations

Infotainment controls might be finicky to use and learn, annoying shift programming from automatic transmission; rearseat is slightly short on legroom.

Introduction

2012 Ford Focus Electric is the first consumer oriented battery electric vehicle based on redesigned 2012 Ford Focus small hatchback. After a very long wait, American shoppers at last get a world class compact car from Detroit label. You will never require a drop of fuel or oil change. Motivated by new lithium ion battery system, the all new Focus Electric is now offered to reserve at one of the Ford’s Certified Electric Vehicle dealers. Only limited number will be developed for 2012 model year. The Focus Electric comes packed with remarkable technology called Regenerative Braking, which helps you achieve maximum energy efficiency and captures over 90% of energy normally lost as heat while braking and recycles it for recharging the battery. The Focus Electric is propelled by 23kwh lightweight, high-voltage lithium-ion battery system that uses sophisticated active liquid heating and cooling process for regulating battery temperature and helps maximize battery life.

The Ford Focus Electric is a five-door electric hatchback designed and engineered by Ford Motor Company. It will be the first all-electric, full production passenger car of the company. The original United States market roll out is scheduled to be restricted to 19 regional markets starting with California and New York in late 2011 in limited numbers. The European launch will be in the year 2012. The Focus Electric shares the glider of 3rd generation Ford Focus and its electric powertrain utilizes 100mpg equivalent. It was awarded the 2011 Green Car Vision Award at 2011 Washington Motor Show. The concept Ford Focus BEV was launched at 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, while the pre production version renamed Ford Focus Electric was revealed at 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The Ford Focus Electric will be equipped with high level of technical connectivity and new features including exclusive version of MyFord Touch driver connect system adapted for electric vehicles, new value charging feature motivated by Microsoft and smartphone application known as MyFord Mobile which owners can use for controlling and charging their vehicles remotely.

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric gets sharply designed cabin and eye-catching style dressed up with top notch materials. What really sets the 2012 Focus Electric apart are the plethora of new features available here, including plenty of items typically found on expensive models ranging from rearview camera to excellent Automated Parking Assist of Ford that can neatly slip car into curbside spot without driver ever touching steering column. As battery-electric vehicle with no gas backup, the Focus Electric’s direct competitors include Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. It should be eligible for $7500 federal tax credit and its delivery will commence in late 2011 in regional markets such as Chicago; Boston; Detroit; Denver; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Seattle; San Diego; Washington, D.C.; New York; Atlanta; Orlando, Fla.; Houston; Austin, Texas; Tucson, Ariz.; Phoenix; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Richmond, Va and Portland, Ore.

Features

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric is an all-electric car and comes equipped with standard features and equipments, which include MacPherson strut front suspension, Remote trunk release, Retained accessory power, Rear view, Cargo area light, Pre-wired for phone, 12V front and 12V rear power outlets, Sirius satellite radio, Split-folding rear seatback, Front and rear stabilizer bar, Sony premium brand speakers, Auxiliary audio input and iPod/iPhone integration, Front and rear floor mats, Front reading lights, Clock, Trip computer, 6 Months of provided satellite radio service, Heated mirrors, Front door pockets, Multi-link rear suspension, Rear parking sensors and Intermittent wipers.

Also standard on 2012 Ford Focus Electric include Four-wheel independent suspension, Dual illuminating vanity mirrors, Cruise control, Dual zone climate controls for driver and passenger, Front cupholders, Speed sensitive volume control, Tilt and telescopic steering wheel, Turn signal in mirrors, Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror, Bluetooth wireless data link for hands-free phone, External temperature display, Rear window wiper, Mast antenna, Universal remote transmitter, Front seatback storage, Compass, Memory card slot, Rear defogger, Front console with storage, Electric speed-proportional power steering, Hard drive based display w/voice activation and directions navigation system, Low fuel level warning, nine-speaker AM/FM in-dash single CD player with CD MP3 Playback stereo, Leather steering wheel, Interior air filtration, Power mirrors, USB connection, 4 one-touch power windows, Telematics, Leather trim on shift knob, Remote power door locks and Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel.

Performance and Powertrains

Powering the 2012 Ford Focus Electric is an electric motor with maximum output of 123 horsepower with 181 pound feet of torque. It has a range of 100 miles per charge and offers the top speed of 84 miles per hour. The sophisticated battery system utilizes active liquid cooling and heating thermal management system for preconditioning and regulating temperature in the battery system. This feature helps in maximizing driving range and battery life and the active liquid system chills or heats a coolant before pumping it via battery cooling system.

Safety Features

Standard safety features on 2012 Ford Focus Electric include antilock brakes on all four wheels, rear and front head airbags, front side mounted dual airbags, child seat anchors, remote anti-theft alarm system, solid rear disc and ventilated front disc brakes, rear door child safety locks, engine immobilizer, auto delay off headlamps, dusk sensing headlights, xenon high intensity discharge headlamp, two front headrests, three rear headrests, passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation, rear center three-point belt, front seatbelt pretensioners, turn signal mirrors, stability control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency interior trunk release, front and rear height adjustable headrests and tire pressure monitoring.

Special Features and Interior Design

While the handsome exterior of 2012 Ford Focus Electric might be what originally sets the hook. The cabin inside is quiet and attractive, while the materials are best-in class. Ford collaborated with Mapquest for providing custom routes. With features like can I get there and EcoRoute, you will have confidence of always knowing how far you are capable of going at existing charge levels and most economical way to get there. SYNC with MyFord Touch Technology in Focus Electric provides you with same great connectivity for music, favorite and navigation devices, which you get in other Ford models, while providing distinctive level of customization.

The MyKey feature of 2012 Ford Focus Electric allows you to allocate separate keys for additional drivers and is engineered for helping parents to encourage teenagers to drive responsibly, by programming certain limits like restricting top vehicle speed to 80 miles per hour or stereo volume to 44% of max volume.

Driving Impressions

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric gets all of its power from the highly developed lithium ion high voltage battery system, which means you will never require even a single drop of gas. Its electric motor is engineered to help reduce heat generation and energy loss, further reducing carbon footprint. For charging lithium-ion high-voltage batteries of Focus Electric more rapidly, you can have optional 240-volt charging station installed, which provides you the full charge in around 3 to 4 hours. It comes with standard 120-volt convenience cord that enables you to charge batteries in your own garage, using standard 120 volt household outlet. Overall, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric is the result of years of research and development.

Reports from Energy Star suggest that a CFL uses 66% to 75% less energy compared to a traditional incandescent bulb. Energy Star has also reported that CFLs last 6-10 times more than the traditional lighting equipments. Light outputs of the CFLs are measured in lumens. Wattage scale of a compact fluorescent light differs from that of the incandescent bulbs; for instance: incandescent bulbs of 40 watts generate 450 lumens while the same amount of brightness is produced by CFLs of 9-13 watts.

The unit used for measuring color temperature of CFLs is Kelvin; color temperature of these eco-friendly light bulbs range between 2,700 and 6,500 Kelvin. When the temperatures are low, the color of the light appears to be yellow; higher temperature results in emission of blue of white lights.

Every CFL bulb contain mercury in small amount (around 5mg), as a result of which these lights must be handles with extreme care. The CFL lights must be screwed at its base so that the glass parts of the bulbs are avoided. These bulbs should never be fitted into a socket forcefully.

• Use ceramic tiles for the walls (those surrounding the shower and tub), countertops and floors. These tiles are not easily damaged by moisture contact. Moreover, the manufacturing procedure of ceramic tiles does not cause too much harm to our environment. There are also some tiles that are manufactured using recycled products like discarded glass bottles. The other environment friendly flooring options for your bathroom include floorings made out of bamboo and natural linoleum.
• Go for the low-flow version of shower heads. This will allow you to save a lot of money on electric bills and water. Unlike the conventional models of shower heads, which used to use up 6 gallons water in every minutes, majority of the modern showerheads uses up only around 2 gallons in a minute.
• You will be saving even more water if you install the ultra-low version of flush toilet in your bathroom. These toilets use only around 1gallon water in every flush. However, make sure that you are buying it from a top brand; otherwise you may experience clogging issues. A pressure assisted toilet will also help you saving a lot of water; flushing in these toilets is done utilizing compressed air. The only difficulty with a pressure assisted toilet is that it can be extremely noisy.

• Buy a wheat board bathroom cabinet; these are cabinets made using wheat straws and nontoxic binders. The commonly used cabinets like the ones made from medium-density fiberboards and conventional particleboards might emit harmful toxic chemicals like formaldehyde. Thus it is always recommended to avoid using such cabinets. A cabinet made using supportive harvested timber is also an eco-friendly option.

• Often a lot of water passes through the leaky toilets and faucets; the first step of water conservation is looking for such leaks and fixing them immediately.
• You can replace your older toilet with a new low-flush model. The toilets manufactured before 1992 are generally less efficient and use up a minimum of 3 gallons water with every flush. The toilets of today have much higher efficiency; the ones that come with ‘WaterSense’ written on them use a maximum of 1.28 gallons water in every flush.
• Every faucet in your household must have aerators. Have a look at your showerhead. If you find that the shower is filling up a 1 gallon bucket within 20 seconds, you should change your showerhead and use any of the low-flow versions.
• Many of us end up wasting a lot of water while watering our lawn. Installation of drip irrigation systems can stop us from doing so. This system delivers water to the grasses directly; as a result the amount of water wasted because of evaporation or wind gets minimized significantly.
• While performing actions like shaving or brushing the teeth never forget turning off the faucet. Every faucet of your household must stay turned off when they are not used actively. Statistics offered by EPA suggest that turning off the faucet while brushing can conserve as much as 8 gallons water in a day.
• Instead of taking baths, take showers. You will need almost 70 gallons water for filling a bath, whereas a 5-minute shower will only make you use 10-25 gallons.

Lighting

• Instead of using regular light bulbs, use their energy efficient version. Currently, many top brands are manufacturing energy efficient bulbs.
• Remove all the non essential or decorative lighting.
• The rooms in the office that are used rarely should have automatic motion detecting lightings.
• Switch off the lights if they aren’t required.

Heating (the same rules apply for air conditioning machine)

• Offices should never be heated above 19°C.
• Make sure that the heating equipment is not unnecessarily used for lifting the temperature of unused areas like store cupboards and corridors.
• The heating system must be timed according to the office timing; it should not be used at any other time other than the actual office hours.
• When the system stays on, the windows and doors of the office must stay closed.

Water

If the taps in your office are dripping, mend them immediately. At least once every week, check whether the urinals and toilet cisterns are working in the right way.

Fuel

Try to arrange video conferences and teleconferences for reducing use of fuel. If you are visiting another place for a business meet, make sure that the meeting is not cancelled before starting for the place.