| | | A pathway for global commerce and drainage systems for large scale waste. People around the world are reimagining the world’s waterways in innovating and exciting — though sometimes controversial — ways. As nations slowly begin softening restrictions in the ongoing saga of the COVID-19 pandemic, today’s Daily Dose dives deep into the aquatic innovations making a splash in their efforts to combat climate change, prevent conflict and provide summer fun in new ways — from river surfing hubs to floating camping tents. Jump in, the water’s fine. Featuring reporting by Stephen Starr, OZY Correspondent | | |
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| Agents for Change | | | 1 - Sun Rises on Floating Farms With 73,000 solar panels, a Dutch solar farm built on the surface of an otherwise useless sandpit lake shows the scale at which water can help generate energy — even if it’s not hydropower. Europe’s largest floating solar farm can power up to 7,200 homes, and the Netherlands is planning to replicate this venture to further harness the power of the sun. The cooling effect of the water on the solar panels allows them to yield 20% to 30% more energy than static, land-based solar farms, industry experts say. |
| 2 - No More Sex for Fish Due in part to the practice of jaboya — that is “sex for fish” — nearly a quarter of Ugandans living near the shores of Africa’s Lake Victoria have HIV — while national averages hover around 5 percent for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. That’s because women who sell fish but don’t catch them from the lake themselves are forced to trade sex for their share as the growing population of the region faces food insecurity, says Chris Macoloo of the Oklahoma City-headquartered global nonprofit World Neighbors. Now, East African women have an opportunity to break out of the jaboya trap with the emergence of fish farming initiatives encouraging locals to breed fish in small ponds and tanks. They no longer need to buy lake fish from men. The result? Falling HIV rates and increased household rising. Read more on OZY |
| 3 - Worth Its Salt Better known as a migratory point for flamingos or highway tourist trap, Lake Tuz in Turkey has also become an important salt-producing center for the nation. The lake water evaporates every summer, leaving behind up to a foot of natural salt, a resource that has attracted dozens of companies keen to make a buck. Currently, the salt is exported to more than 60 countries around the world. However, the future of the area’s economy and ecology is at risk – due to industrial pollution and unsustainable groundwater usage, there are significant threats to the region’s flora and fauna. |
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| | | Aqua Adventures | | | 1 - Canal Towpaths Florida and California might be the best-known destinations in America for water-themed fun. But with the pandemic restricting travel for many, Americans are finding new ways to enjoy the waterfront, such as the canals of the eastern U.S. that were used to transport heavy goods in the 19th century. The towpaths running alongside the canals were once used by horses and laborers to pull barges loaded with coal, foodstuff and raw materials, but were quickly abandoned with the advent of the railway. Now paved, these paths serve as an outdoor escape for bikers, joggers and hikers, with visitor numbers at some rising by 50% in 2020. Within a few decades, you might be able to cycle from Washington, D.C., to the Pacific Ocean on a route made of towpaths and trails. |
| 2 - Surf’s Up in the Midwest Hundreds of miles from the nearest sea, the Midwest hasn’t always had the greatest reputation when it comes to its waterways. Remember the pollution-triggered river fires in the 1950s and ‘60s? But a new generation of forward-thinking urban planners and water enthusiasts is driving a burgeoning surfing scene in the region. In southwestern Ohio, Dayton sits at the confluence of three rivers, and its location has turned it into a hub for surfing enthusiasts from as far away as Kentucky and Pennsylvania. “Many people look at Midwestern states as ‘flyover states’ and do not realize all of the historical charm and actual opportunities we have to offer,” Amy Dingle of Five Rivers MetroParks, the authority that oversees local whitewater features in Dayton, told us last year. That’s now changing as the Midwest’s catching a wave. Read more on OZY |
| 3 - Floating Tents Surfing not your scene? Then how about gently bobbing up and down on the surface of a river, massaged by the motion of the current as you sleep in a tent? Indeed, floating tents are now a reality. There are even entire campsites on rivers in parts of the Midwest. At this floating encampment, also in Ohio, you can rent kayaks, canoes, paddles, life jackets and even floating fire pits if you want some smoke on the water. |
| 4 - Floating Pool If the idea of a floating tent wowed you, how about an entire floating swimming pool? Yes, we mean a pool floating on another body of water — in this case, the East River in New York. The $25 million project is no flight of fancy. Organizers have already found a location for it, near Manhattan Bridge in the Lower East Side. The +Pool, as it’s called, will pump 600,000 gallons of water daily from the river and filter it for patrons. Parisians, meanwhile, hope to have parts of the Seine clean enough to swim in by 2024. |
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| WATCH TAYLOR DAYNE Tell It To My Heart!
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| Water Worries | | | 1 - Colorado Crisis With faraway metropolises (looking at you, Los Angeles and Las Vegas) placing enormous demands on its rivers and with less frequent precipitation in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado’s rafting and water sports industries might soon be on the way out. Declining water levels are forcing rafting firms and economically dependent local communities to search for patchwork solutions: from prodding clients to move further upriver to relying on water in high-altitude reservoirs. But these are temporary fixes. And slowly, everyone — from visiting rafting enthusiasts to locals — is getting used to the idea of less adventure and lower incomes. |
| 2 - GERDing For Battle Africa’s largest hydropower project, the proposed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has fueled regional tensions between water-scarce neighbors Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia over who gets to control the power generated from the initiative. But a group of Belgian researchers believes there’s a possible win-win solution: The three countries and their neighbors could agree to invest in large solar and wind farms that utilize the GERD to generate giant amounts of additional power that can be fed into a shared, regional grid. In effect, the sun and wind could literally stop a war. |
| 3 - Watch It, Superyacht! Superyachts sailing down tiny canals? Only in the Netherlands. In some of the more ridiculous photographs you’re likely to see today, a 308-foot luxury ship passes within a yard of people’s bathrooms, portraying just how obscene the demands of the billionaires club have become. Need more evidence? How about Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ planned superyacht, which will come with a support yacht equipped with a helipad to help him actually get to the superyacht – and will require dismantling a historic bridge to get it to sea. |
| 4 - Refugee Disaster-in-Waiting Bangladesh, which won global plaudits some years ago for accepting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees when others wouldn’t, has since moved 19,000 of them to a low-lying island about 35 miles off of the mainland. Cut off from the rest of Bangladesh, the residents of this island are barred from leaving and largely lack education and employment opportunities. And the United Nations is worried that the strong cyclones that frequently hit the Bay of Bengal could overwhelm the tiny island of Bhasan Char, plunging an already displaced community into a fresh fight for survival. |
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| | | COMMUNITY CORNER What’s your favorite form of river recreation? Any other waterfronts you’d like to hear about? Share your thoughts at ozycommunity@ozy.com. |
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| ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. Welcome to the New + the Next! |
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