Author Archives: Catherine Hansen

About Catherine Hansen

Catherine Hansen is a returned Peace Corps volunteer and graduate from West Virginia University, where she studied for her Masters in Sustainable Development. She recently returned from a 27-month service in Morocco where she was serving as a Youth Development volunteer designing literacy, health, and environmental programming for youth in collaboration with local associations and volunteers. One of her main life goals is to share her passion for protecting the environment from human harm by bringing awareness to environmental issues that are often times over looked. Through outreach and education, Catherine hopes to inspire a refreshed appreciation for our natural world. She aims to begin her career in environmental services within the year.

Green Roofs in MENA – Prospects and Challenges

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Green roofs are emerging technologies that can provide a wide range of benefits to communities interested in enhancement and protection of their environment. The major benefits of green roofs are reducing energy use as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing stormwater management and water quality, decreasing heat island effect by regulating temperature for the roof and the surrounding areas and providing aesthetic value and habitats for many species. Increased energy consumption in the region is due largely to population growth, with related increases in demand for liquid fuels and electricity for domestic use and devices, heating, cooling, … Continue reading →

إدارة النفايات في المغرب

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تعد إدارة النفايات الصلبة واحدة من المشكلات البيئية الرئيسية التي تهدد المملكة  المغربية. إذ تنتج هذه الأخيرة أكثر من 5 ملايين طن من النفايات الصلبة بمعدل نمو توليد النفايات السنوي وصل إلى 3 في المئة. و يعاني التخلص السليم من النفايات الصلبة البلدية في المغرب من أوجه قصور رئيسية  تتمثل في عدم وجود البنية التحتية المناسبة والتمويل المناسب في المناطق خارج المدن الرئيسية. وقد أبان تقرير البنك الدولي،  على أنه في عام 2008، قبل الإصلاح الأخير  “لم يتم  جمع إلا 70 من المئة فقط من النفايات الصلبة البلدية في المدن وأن فقط  أقل من 10 من المئة من النفايات التي … Continue reading →

Everything You Need To Know About Green Roofs

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Green roofs are emerging technologies that can provide a wide range of tangible and intangible benefits to communities interested in enhancement of their environment. Green roof development involves the construction of a vegetative layer on top of a building adding green space to areas that would otherwise be unused. The major benefits of green roofs are reducing energy use as well as air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing stormwater management and water quality, decreasing urban heat island effect by regulating temperature for the roof and the surrounding areas and providing aesthetic value and habitats for many species. What are … Continue reading →

Waste Management in Morocco

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Solid waste management is one of the major environmental problems threatening the Mediterranean Kingdom of Morocco. More than 5 million tons of solid waste is generated across the country with annual waste generation growth rate touching 3 percent. The proper disposal of municipal solid waste in Morocco is exemplified by major deficiencies such as lack of proper infrastructure and suitable funding in areas outside of major cities. According to the World Bank, it was reported that before a recent reform in 2008 “only 70 percent of urban MSW was collected and less than 10 percent of collected waste was being … Continue reading →

Environmental Impact of Olive Oil Processing

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More commonly known for its popular culinary and medicinal benefits, olive cultivation, olive oil production and oil packaging are a part of the local heritage and rural economy throughout the North African and Mediterranean regions. In 2012, an estimated 2,903,676 tons of olive oil was produced worldwide, the largest olive oil producers being Spain, Italy, and Greece followed by Turkey and Tunisia and to a lesser extent Portugal, Morocco and Algeria. Within the European Union’s olive sector alone, there are roughly 2.5 million producers, who make up roughly one-third of all EU farmers. The olive oil industry offers valuable opportunities to … Continue reading →

مقدمة عن زراعه الاسطح الخضراء

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تعتبر زراعه الاسطح من التكنولوجيا التي توفر مجموعة كبيرة من الفوائد الملموسه وغير الملموسه للمجتمعات المهتمة بتحسين وتعزيز بيئة جيدة.للأسقف الخضراء فوائد عديدة فهي تعمل على تنظيم حرارة المبنى ,فتقوم بتدفئته خلال الشتاء و تبريده خلال الصيف كما تساهم فى تقليل مياه الامطار المتسربة من الاسطح، ذلك لأنها تعمل كإسفنجة ماصة للمياه و في الوقت نفسه تستفيد النباتات من هذه المياه.  كما تقوم الأسقف الخضراء على تقليل التلوث حيث تعمل كفلتر لتنقية الهواء. ومن فوائد الأسقف الخضراء قيامها  بدور هام فى تقليل الضوضاء و التى تعتبر من مشاكل العصر الحديث خاصة فى المدن. كما يجب ان لا  ننسى أن للأسقف … Continue reading →

التأثير البيئي لمعالجة مخلفات زيت الزيتون

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تعد زراعة الزيتون وإنتاج زيت الزيتون جزءاً من التراث المحلي والاقتصاد الريفي في كافة أنحاء منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وأكثر ما يشتهر به هذا المحصول هو استخدامه في الطبخ وفي الاستعمالات الطبية. في عام 2012، قدر إنتاج العالم من زيت الزيتون بنحو 2903.676 طن، وتعد إسبانيا وإيطاليا واليونان من أكبر منتجي زيت الزيتون في العالم، تليها في الترتيب تركيا وتونس ثم البرتغال والمغرب والجزائر. في الاتحاد الأوروبي وحده يوجد حوالي 2.5 مليون منتِج في قطاع الزيتون، يشكلون مجتمعين حوالي ثلث مزارعي الاتحاد الأوروبي. توفر صناعة زيت الزيتون فرصًا قيمة للمزارعين من حيث التوظيف الموسمي بالإضافة إلى توفير فرص عمل مهمة خارج نطاق … Continue reading →

The Harmful Impacts of Tire-Burning Kilns

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Decorative arts such as woodworking, weaving as well as ceramics and other pottery have a long and honored tradition.  In fact, some of the earliest examples of pottery originated from the Middle East from the time of 6500 BC. In order to meet the ceramic industry’s high energy demand, much of the developing world, MENA in particular, is resorting to cheaper alternatives such as fueling kilns by burning tires and other harmful materials. Though modern technology has led to clean and efficient kiln usage in the developed world, these options come with a high price tag when referring to industrial … Continue reading →