Barcelona Photoblog: green
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green. Show all posts

January 16, 2020

How Green and Sustainable is Barcelona?





What is Barcelona doing to become greener and sustainable?

After the lack of consensus in many areas during COP25 summit regarding climate change, it is clear that our governments and our citizens still have a long path ahead to mend things up before it is too late to save us from extinction in this planet which by the way will prevail with or without us. So it is quite obvious that every single measure, be it performed by an individual or by the state, counts.

Solving this existential problem is vital and requires every effort. Of course increasing green space in the city, nurturing our natural lungs is not enough if 70 % of the metropolitan area favors cars. 
There is no time for the trees to absorb all that CO2 and it is more practical to cut down on cars than sowing a jungle out there. 

Sometimes, the air in Barcelona is quite good, in some quarters more than others but the yearly average does not meet with recommended measures. It is not that we are one of the most polluted cities in the world, but it is rather stupid to think of the patch of atmosphere above us as an impermeable bubble. We ruin this spot and that will have repercussions all over the globe.

It is necessary that an agreement is reached and that countries stop behaving like kids. Children are often wiser I would say. 

The fact that the car industry is a huge business run by not so scrupulous lobbies, happily sustained by 'greedy' consumers, not too willing to consider the battle to stop pollution as a top priority, does not mean we cannot work on putting some filters in the house in the way of green spaces scattered not only in the surroundings but in the very center of our part of the world, Barcelona in this case.

Barcelona is among the most crowded cities in Europe with a population of 1.636.762 inhabitants in a 101.35 km² surface and so there are a lot of cars. From that huge amount, 570.000 do not carry any label certifying its level of pollution because they simply are highly contaminating vehicles. This is all about to change by decree thanks to local government measures in 2020. Cars like those won't be allowed in the city anymore. 

Besides this important news, there is literally an invasion of personal electric two wheel vehicles and I think things are going to get better. 



But wait a minute, what about the green?! 

25 % of Barcelona is covered or adorned with trees. They tend to last 50 years and there is a sort of 20 year plan, ending in 2037 to improve their quality and quantity. Take the case of plane trees, a traditional species in Barcelona. We keep them because they have been part of our culture for more than a century but they get sick more often and make people sick with their pollen. So not any tree will do. They must resist the new adversities of climate change as well.

Fortunately, we have beautiful green areas in the small hills around and inside Barcelona like Parc del Guinardo (in the pictures), Parc de Montjuic, Collserola Range Natural Park or charming and romantic style Ciutadella Park and Parc del Laberint

Evidently, as we emphasized at the beginning, it is difficult to filter insane proportions of CO2 and other contaminating agents by turning Barcelona into a jungle, and of course not just planting trees
without criteria, that's why we need new plans, plans for the industry and plans for green spaces in a way that we create a balanced urban ecosystem. One of the most outstanding measures regarding the latter is the Greenery and Biodiversity Plan  or the Green-Infrastructure Impetus Plan - Barcelona intends to have an extra 1 m² of greenery per resident by 2030!

Check here for more information on Barcelona environment and sustainability

And on January 15th, 2020 Barcelona has declared a state of climate emergency and a plan of action for the next decade that includes 100 measures and a 563.3 million euros budget. Measures will apply on seven main areas: mobility, urban planning, food, economy, energy, consumption - recycling of waste and culture - education.

These actions add up to a previous strategic plan adopted in 2018 known as the Pla Clima (Barcelona Climate Plan).

As you can see we can work on a better planet for our children. It is yet to be seen whether politicians and social agents, whether we as individuals fulfill our promises.





April 17, 2011

Forest Fire in Collserola Mountain, Barcelona

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Watching a forest fire from your own window is one of the saddest views you could ever have. This afternoon a small fire swallowed part of the woods on this hill at Collserola mountain. Now that I write this, at night, everything seems to be under control, but mother nature is not always that lucky. It is true that many forest fires start by a mere accident, like lightnings on a storm but the great majority are due to cigarette butts, bottles that act as a magnifying glass and outdoor barbecue grills which are forbidden. But the worst cause is forest arson which is probably what happened here. This is not the first time there's a fire around Barcelona, in fact one year several hills were completely devastated by the flames. The wind makes things worse and the fact the city is near is dangerous at least for those living at the slope of the mountain.

Update: April 18th: The police identifies three 14 year old teenagers as the authors of the fire yesterday Collserola Fire News in Spanish

November 19, 2010

Alternative Energy: Hybrid Car and Barcelona Solar Panel

Barcelona Solar Panel and Hybrid Car [enlarge]

It is no secret that the relevance of the word green has grown exponentially in the last years. At the beginning, it was basically a nice label to stick on many products, just another manipulated concept like bio, healthy, all-natural, organic or reduced-fat and companies, by nature reluctant to invest extra money in more expensive technology just to save the planet, grew richer while doing nothing. Lately, the trend slightly changes due to their own clients' pressure, the growing awareness that something must be done to find alternative ways, alternative products, alternative energies and so they started paying attention, just when somebody kicked them in the place that hurts them the most, their pockets. Who would have thought some years ago that the car industry was going to make hybrid cars? Yes, they would play with some concept car, show us very futuristic projects that ended up in the paper shredder. Not that they are greener than Al Gore now but something's cooking in the market. So as you can guess, the moral is that it is our duty to exert more pressure on monopolies so they respect environment, invest in alternative energy sources and make greener products. Of course we could get rid of monopolies, but that's another story. Our picture today, a contrast in appearance between solar panels and cars, is not so, as this happens to be one of those new hybrid cars. In fact, they were filming this spot to promote the brand and I took profit of the situation. With a little luck I've found the car model: Honda Fit Hybrid. I think this video is more illustrative: World Debut of Honda Fit EV. But I am sure that what the industry is making for our planet is still as little as this vehicle looks in comparison with the solar panel in the Barcelona Forum area.

May 07, 2009

Nerves

Leaf Nerves or Veins [enlarge]

A detail of the nerves on some leaf. The original plant I found in a greenhouse. The light coming through the glass on the roof. I am afraid I can't say much about it except I like the texture and shape of it.

September 04, 2008

Curly Endives or Chicory Detail at Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain

Curly Endive or Chicory Detail at Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain[enlarge]

Resuming my previous post a couple of days ago about La Boqueria market at Las Ramblas, I wanted to share some green with you. Salads are not my favorite. I am more of a carnivore, meat lover, red fan. Nevertheless I reckon the other half of the world goes crazy about chewing up leaves, gnawing on stems and grazing in one way or another which is totally respectable. Here is a detail of a curly endive or chicory that we call escarola. This might lead to confusion cause escarole in English is a plant with broader leaves. Escarola is a rather common green salad in Catalonia, some people love it. I don't. It tastes bitter and is beyond my crunching noise limit. Anyway, the serrated leaves are beautiful and carry lots of healthy minerals, or so they say. I have accentuated the colors using lab color effect. I digress. I hope vegans and vegetarians don't take me too seriously today. I recommend this site (Notes from Debbie's Kitchen) with lots of veggie recipes classified by key ingredients and clearly illustrated with pictures. And I forgot to say that La Boqueria market is just the right place to quench your green thirst.

June 14, 2008

Pickled Green Tomatoes in Barcelona

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These pickled green tomatoes caught my attention at a street market. The bowl I found among other kinds of pickle products like olives or onions. It is not very common here to see green tomatoes prepared that way, at least not for us in Barcelona city. I was standing there preadjusting my camera settings and I had the opportunity to listen to some customers talking to the man in the stall. "Are these olives?" - they asked with surprise. "No, those are green tomatoes from Valencia" - said the stall man. It's a rather ridiculous story but I found the comparison between olives and green tomatoes rather ackward. Here is a green tomato pickle recipe.

October 17, 2007

Corn Cobs: An Ackward Design by Mother Nature

Corn Cobs: An Ackward Design by Mother Nature [enlarge]

Feeding human kind from time immemorial, corn or maize, from Spanish maíz, is the largest crop in all of the Americas. Ears are female inflorescences. The tufts of hair are stigmas known as silks. Young ears are edible even if raw but once the cob grows in the summer it becomes tougher and the silk dries so you innevitably have to cook it before it dries. Maize is used as a biomass fuel, such as ethanol, to reduce fuel costs. Such practice has caused an increase in food costs and results in extremely profitable crops for farmers who obviously reject other products. The use of hybrids has grown substantially and big extensions of forest soil have been cleared up for the sake of money at all cost. Little by little, who knows, we will have "greener" cars on an emptier stomach. Talking about green and ecology, Mr. Al Gore, the Nobel peace laureate, received the prestigious Prince of Asturias award in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo.

Links to the kind fellow bloggers that have tagged me recently: Budapest Daily Photo by Zsolt, Flagstaff Daily Photo and this one goes to Sydney Daily Photo by Sally for all I owe to her :)

October 12, 2007

Stink Bug on Pumpkin: Mimetism

Stink Bug on Pumpkin: Mimetism [enlarge]

A stink bug trying to mimetize on the surface of a pumpkin is not related to Barcelona unless we recall that Halloween is coming and pumpkins are omnipresent in this magical time of the year. But let's face it the star of the picture is what I think is the nymph of a Southern Green stink bug or Chinche Verde in Spanish (scientific name: Nezara viridula (Linnaeus)). An amazing image of the same bug here: Nezara viridula nymph by Joaquin Portela. The peculiar name is due to the fact that when crashed or in case there are a lot of them together a foul smell can be felt. We can easily spot them on top of this smooth surface under the light of the afternoon sun because we know that such "lump" shouldn't be there but surely on first sight mimetism does the trick with birds or other predators. Now that I popped in the bug issue on today's post what better than a beautiful set of insect macros by Manuel M. Almeida (mmeida) at Flickr who also runs Imagina Fotolog

See also Insect Macros in my Barcelona Photography swicki or perform a specific search following my photography customized Google searchbox on the top right corner of the blog if you wish.

July 25, 2007

Cactus Buds, Not Just a Way Full of Roses

Cactus Buds, Not Just a Way Full of Roses [enlarge]

It is odd that such strange a plant, like a cactus, considering the aspect, the habitat and even the name, provokes so much admiration and inspires that many people. I am happy that my tiny set of cactii pictures grows since these images are one of my favorites when it comes to capture capricious forms,attractive textures and vivid green hues. Look at those buds make their way to substitute the withered ones. See how the thorny or "hairy" stem crawls through the other cactus searching for the light. Try to forget it is just a mere succulent plant and concentrate on the pattern and the lines that nature so stubbornly has woven for us. Isn't it amazing?

June 13, 2007

Succulent Plants: Cactii Family and Friends

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From the animal realm in last post into the succulent plants: the cactii. Not specially related to Barcelona unless you speak about Mossen Costa i LLobera Gardens, which contain one of the largest cactii collections in Europe, and what's best, out of a greenhouse, due to the peculiar microclimate next to the cliff wall of Montjuic mountain. The peaceful place is facing Barcelona port so you have a privileged view of the city and at the same time a comfortable blend of blue sea and green cactii to enjoy. As to the image, partipation to identify this particular cactus is open. I love succulent plants not just because you have Agave from where you get Tequila but because they make quite a good subject for a photograph, not only from the point of view of textures but of composition as well. Take this case, would you say I am crazy if I said I see a family here, a group of imaginary people whispering among themselves. As you see they have some hallucinogen effects too. Don't worry I'll call the shrink myself

April 30, 2007

Green Veggies at Ninot Market in Barcelona

Green Veggies at a Market in Barcelona


Just a curious way to dress up the stall at Ninot market in Barcelona. I am not fond of veggies and low carb vegetarian diets but have to admit they make a market stall quite more attractive.

July 31, 2006

Barcelona Green Tomatoes



If you liked the previous flower maybe you like the green color of these tomatoes picked up at some friends' vegetable garden in Bellaterra, just outside the city of Barcelona. Tomorrow I finally start my summer holidays, but I promise I will do all I can to post at least once a week, or even more. Maybe I publish two or three pictures the same day. This situation will last till September when I will be here strictly "daily". Have a nice summer and run away from the heat! It is so hot in Barcelona I should have called the post Fried Green Tomatoes.

July 04, 2006

Barcelona Forum: Under the Solar Panel

Barcelona Forum: Under the Solar Panel


No, it is not the stairs scene from Battleship Potemkin by Einsenstein. This is the scalinata that leads to the base of the big solar panel in the Barcelona Forum area. So many tons of concrete, the stern, sober, majestic style reminds me of Socialist or Stalinist Architecture somehow. Check this other picture with my wife and my daughter on top of the stairs so you get a better idea.

Here is another post on the Barcelona Solar Panel.

April 16, 2006

Universal Forum of Cultures: Solar Panel

Universal Forum of Cultures: Solar Panel

Today as I promised I post a new picture of the Universal Forum of Cultures, a place I highly recommend if you come to Barcelona. The photo voltaic cell is located in the Forum Esplanade and consists of a 10,500-m2 surface that captures solar energy and delivers it to the electric public utility system. From under the structure the view is simply breathtaking. You can see it from a lower angle here.

See Picture on the Map

March 15, 2006

A Touch of Green

A Touch of Green: Click to resize


Today I felt in the mood for green so I went to Palau Real a beautiful park near Diagonal Ave. and the University of Barcelona . I took a whole series of pictures and wandered through the many paths crawling across the unusually exuberant vegetation. This aquatic plants were delighted with the few sun rays that we could enjoy today in Barcelona.

March 05, 2006

The Hanging Gardens of Barcelona

The Hanging Gardens: Click Here


This is not the seventh wonder but it is definitely a building full of life near La Illa shopping mall on Diagonal Avenue. In your way towards the center of the city coming from Tarragona and on your left you have a wide promenade for people and bikes with trees alongside, from where you can enjoy sights such as this.

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