Earth Day is an international initiative held on the twenty-second of April every year, in order to raise awareness of the need to protect the globe and preserve a green and sustainable environment.
Public awareness of the factors that pollute the Earth and harm it is important as it leads to a reduction in the use of non-perishable waste, along with an increase in use of products and systems with a high energy rating and savings. However, civilian awareness by itself is insufficient when it is not supported by an orderly policy of local authorities, state authorities, organizations and companies.
Awareness alone is not enough to attain the ambitious goal of protecting the planet from the threats it is facing, among which are climate change and global warming; loss of energy sources; greenhouse gas emissions and ozone expansion; rising sea-levels due to melting glaciers and water volume changes due to global warming and pollution.
Genuine protection of the planet is achieved through legislation; through initiatives undertaken by local authorities; and through using innovative technological systems in a variety of fields.
How can a local authority contribute to protecting the planet and creating a green urban environment?
The local authority is responsible for a variety of measures for protecting the environment, with many tools at its disposal in the treatment of waste and sanitation; in building; in infrastructure and transportation; in education, safety, water resources and in resident services
MIC (Municipal Innovation Center) presents a wide range of systems and tools, which make use of the latest technologies to enable local authorities to improve the resident services, whilst also offering economic savings and maintaining a green urban environment with energy efficiency. Here are some examples MIC offers:
Water economy management
An advanced system from Aquarius Spectrum allows the municipal authority to anticipate and locate leaks and latent leaks, and to evaluate the condition of the pipeline at any time. The system is a “cloud” technology based and enables documentation, storage and comparison of data. The system supports all types of pipework and infrastructure; is designed to locate leaks, even those which originate from holes of a small diameter; and is significantly reduces the costs of water loss and pipeline malfunctions as well as the costs of maintenance and repairs.
Smart transportation
Axilion , an Israeli software company, has developed a quality solution for managing traffic meant for local authorities in Israel, to address the challenges of congestion and traffic jams, and for managing a smart, efficient and safe transportation system. The company develops and implements networks of smart traffic lights that help regulate traffic; identify hazards, congestion and unusual events; and prioritize and manage means of public transportation and optimal pedestrian infrastructure. Axilion’s systems, which are already being implemented in a number of cities in Israel and around the world, boast an increase in safety of tens of percent, a significant reduction in traffic jams, and a reduction of travel times in urban areas of nearly fifty percent. This translates to a reduction in fuel and energy use, reduced pollutants and gas emissions from vehicles and improved quality of life for residents.
Public health
Israeli RADGREEN company has a smart system for monitoring noise, abnormal radiation levels and air pollution in educational buildings and education centers which enables rapid treatment of any problem and helps to maintain the health of citizens and residents. The system combines a large number of sensors for monitoring a variety of factors and is already prominent in its efficiency and contribution to the urban environment, in Israeli cities and abroad.
Waste disposal
The ECOCAL system from Maskal operates smart underground waste containers within the municipal framework. This service provides savings and increased efficiency, using sensors monitoring the containers’ weight, level of acidity and temperature, while transmitting the data in real time to the municipal control center. The authority’s sanitation department receives a guidance for efficient management, through the help in creating routes for the prioritization of waste disposal; leading to a saving in manpower and prompt removal of bins that emit toxins and constitute a sanitary hazard; and maintaining transparency and full control.
The question often arises as to what is the responsibility of the local authority in the field of preserving the environment. What is meant to be its contribution to global ecology; and what is its impact on the interactions between the man-made systems, and the existing natural systems. Over the last decade there has been a growing understanding that these interactions are mutual and co-exist in synergy: The municipal and local authorities, by making the right choices and investments in systems and infrastructure developed with an environmental vision, can, not only to preserve a green and sustainable environment for next generations, but also to increase residents’ level of happiness and satisfaction and make savings on expensive operating costs.
