Meet Africa's first playground lit by means of power generated from footfall kinetic energy. In other words, when players, runners or other people step on the tiles installed on the ground, electricity is generated and it is used to light up the field. It means that the more players hustle for the goals, the brighter the light shines inside the pitch.

Production of electricity from waste has the potential of providing up to 83.8 TeraWatt hours, which is about 20% of the electricity needed in Africa by 2025. This is according to a study co-authored by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. However, this requires stringent waste management policies to be put in place, and today Africa lacks the adequate infrastructure needed to install these environmentally friendly methods.

Urbanization in Africa is still a critical issue that preoccupies a good number of governments and getting enough resources is also a big challenge. Solutions are coming in the form of green building solutions -  STRAWTEC has recently built factory in Rwanda that produces strawboards panels and the factory has more ambitious projects to improve urbanization in the country with carbon-negative-footprint building materials.

A common characteristic of informal settlements in Cameroon is the lack of indoor lighting during the day. To carry out any productive activities, households have to turn on the lights – for those who can afford electricity - or use kerosene lamps or candles adding to their electricity consumption and accompanying energy-related expenses as well as indoor air pollution. This gadget is an innovative passive lighting technology based on a transparent plastic bottle filled with clean water. It is fitted into the corrugated iron roofs of houses without ceilings.

Sustainable construction techniques present an opportunity for developing countries to lower carbon emissions, lower energy consumption, and from the outset, reduce housing deficit and the cost of living. Many techniques that help lower the cost of building have been tried and tested and proved successful. Green building is slowly but surely being accepted in developing countries.

Chris French manages GHD’s Water Technology Group in the Melbourne office. As a Principal Water Engineer and Project Director, Chris has led or contributed to a wide range of water, sanitation and hydropower projects in Australia, China, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Lindsey Beck recently interviewed Chris to discuss water and its role in a cleanleap.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Attributed to King Nebuchadnezzar II and described by writers of the time as a pensile paradise. Resembling large green mountains constructed of mud bricks; these gardens were the pride of the ancient Babylonians. Legend has it that the King created the gardens for his queen who missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland. Who would have thought that this gesture of affection would set the trend for modern agriculture today? Vertical farming, the act of growing food in high-rise buildings, could change the way we produce food in the future.

Tony Weber is an Associate at BMT WBM with over 25 years experience in the water industry. In his role, Tony has focussed on improving the management of stormwater, river basins and environmental management across the world, with a particular focus on the UK, Australia and China. Lindsey Beck recently interviewed Tony for Cleanleap to get his perspective on water’s role in a developing country’s journey to sustainability.

Water is one of the great human challenges of our time. As an essential resource for human life, it is staggering that so much of the world should exist without the basic potable water and sanitation services that we know in the developed world. Making a Cleanleap in urban water management practices could facilitate greater access to water for millions of existing city dwellers in developing countries.

The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) project launched in December 2011. The rail is a first in clean initiative in the horn of Africa to enhance public mobility. The light railway of Ethiopia is the first urban metro light rail scheme to be built in a sub-Saharan country outside of South Africa.