Erin Allbritton
4/16/17
BIO103
Professor Van Breukelen
Sustainable City Project-Valeria, Italy
Valeria is a medium sized town in Italy that has a population over 100,000 and it has 10 square miles. The industry for Italy provides many things for people who live there such as tourism, food processing, they use chemicals, and the country has companies that use machinery/iron/steel. But for greenspace, people in this town have rooftop gardens and actual gardens outside of their homes to help provide food for their families. The housing in this city are small houses such as villas and townhomes with lower square footage, but you are still somewhat close to your neighbors in Valeria. However, the infrastructure in Valeria are known to be energy-efficient and have modern elements. In this town, we have a poor transportation system that yet still meets the criteria. But we do have the metro which consists of railroad ways and expressways to take citizens to visit other cities in Italy or other countries in Europe.
The metro is only a 10-minute walk from Valeria and you can easily get a reasonable price for a metro pass. I chose Italy for my city and it relates to sustainability because the country has circular/zero waste economy, there’s green growth and jobs provided, air quality, there’s an energy package, and it has been known to have a EU ETS reform. In Valeria, there are rumors that there are two sustainable/renewable energy sources. But there is only one in Valeria and that is wind power. Wind power saves a lot for Valeria because some areas tend to have wind turbines because it has been known to be an alternative to burning fossil fuels in the city, plus it’s renewable and it is clean. Wind turbines in Valeria only operate on one principle and the wind power energy uses two or three propeller blades around a rotor. But the rotor is connected to the main shaft of the turbine, which causes a generator to spin and conduct electricity.
The wind turbines are made and created from a local power plant in Valeria and it helps create kinetic and solar energy. The Wind Power is sustainable because wind turbines are a conversion to kinetic energy and the wind is mechanical power. But the mechanical power in wind turbines have been used for a variety of things in Italy such as pumping water. The wind power can provide enough power for Valeria, because the wind turbines actually has a backup generator which uses electricity to power homes, businesses, and schools in the area. Wind turbines can have limited or potential problems such as noise disturbance, the wind turbines are located in remote areas and not in the city, and the blades can damage local wildlife in Valeria. The good thing is wind power/turbines can be built in the farms of Valeria, no water is needed for them, there is a high percentage of getting a job in that area, it has a domestic source of energy (which went up to 75,000 MW in the past year), wind turbines are inexhaustible in the city, and it is a domestic source of energy (the number changed drastically and the wind capacity only went up to 10%). Toxic waste is known to be a big problem all over the world; especially in Italy. Some areas in Valeria, Italy have been struggling with toxic waste and the term itself represents a hazard to the civilians.
To prevent hazards with toxic wastes, I plan to do stop the dangerous situations from toxic wastes by organizing a home pickup service to clean the toxic waste, recycle the hazardous wastes, organize the city of Valeria to do a community drop off, and have the civilians use non-hazardous products. If the town of Valeria doesn’t use powerful resources to put an end to toxic wastes, toxic wastes could lead to death and it is one of the things that can cause a high rank cancer in the city and that could be a huge potential problem. Recycle wastes can also be a factor in Valeria, Italy because people in the city always makes sure recycling becomes their first priority. I plan to reduce recycling wastes in Valeria by allowing the citizens to use reusable bags and containers for when they go out shopping or have a job that requires or the other, I will encourage my citizens to shop at some secondhand stores (Some stores in the world make things that hurt our environment and some stores even sell things that are made of actual leather or fur.), and allowing all citizens to have the option to buy things in bulk (Bulk packaging is 30% of the weight and have a volume from trash that is 50%. Buying things such as snacks, water, and juice in reusable containers can save the environment and cause less harm to everyone). Water Sanitation can be a well-known problem all over the world especially in Italy. Diarrhoea is an effect caused by water sanitation and the side effects can include acute dehydration without treatment and you can die from water sanitation; if the water isn’t clean or fresh. But Cholera is the top worldwide problem because of water sanitation and can be prevented only by having access to water that is safe to drink, sanitation, good hygiene, and food hygiene by eating clean/fresh foods.
I would provide water sanitation by allowing schools and small businesses to have a minimum wage investment by providing reliable clean water to schools, hospitals, grocery stores, villages, and companies who use water. But the best way to prevent water sanitation,
I would like to build wells from underground and create a rain-catchment system to help provide clean water. In Italy, it is safe to drink water from the tap and found fountains. But it depends on which city; you visit and Valeria is a city where drastic measures needs to be taken seriously by putting an end to water sanitation.
Works Cited
Italy confirms higher cancer, death rates from mob’s dumping of toxic waste. 2 January 2016. The Washington Post . 17 April 2017. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/italy-confirms-higher-cancer-death-rates-from-dumping-of-toxic-waste/2016/01/02/ecd9b838-b187-11e5-9ab0-884d1cc4b33e_story.html?utm_term=.adddce76aab4>.
ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF WIND ENERGY. n.d. ENERGY.GOV. 17 April 2017. <https://energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy>.
Italy – Infrastructure, power, and communications. 2017. National Encyclopedia . 17 April 2017. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Italy-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html>.
Italy Industry Sectors, Italy Industries. 24 March 2010. Economy Watch . 17 April 2017. <http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/italy/industry-sector-industries.html>.
ReThink Recycling. 2017. ReThink Recycling . 17 April 2017. <https://www.rethinkrecycling.com/residents/reduce/top-10-ways-reduce-waste>.
Waste Disposal and Recycling in Italy. 2017. AngloInfo. 17 April 2017. <https://www.angloinfo.com/how-to/italy/housing/setting-up-home/waste-recycling>.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene. 17 June 2003. UNICEF. 17 April 2017. <https://www.unicef.org/wash/index_wes_related.html>.
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