Fighting against global warming, sorting or reusing waste has become a major challenge that the Mediterranean cannot escape. In Lebanon, bioclimatic architecture reconnects with the wisdom of builders to face the energy crisis. In Marseille, African cuisines inspire a new frugality in the face of the heatwave. In Algiers, office waste becomes a resource. And in Spain, agricultural waste is transformed into high-end cosmetic ingredients.
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Bioclimatic architecture: between heritage and energy innovation
In the face of the energy crisis and climate change, Lebanon is rediscovering the value of its traditional architecture. Bioclimatic architecture, which draws inspiration from ancestral know-how while integrating modern science, paves the way for sustainable, economical, and climate-adapted housing. In a country where power outages punctuate daily life, rethinking housing becomes an ecological gesture as well as an act of independence.
Heatwave in the kitchen: the Mediterranean draws inspiration from Africa
As heatwaves are already reshaping our landscapes and habits, cooking becomes a laboratory of adaptation. In Marseille, the festival Cheffes ! brought together chefs and agronomists from Africa and the Mediterranean to explore new ways of eating under extreme temperatures. From inventive frugality to food sovereignty, resistance is also written on the plate.
An oil engineer transforms office waste into a resource
In Algeria, an office worker generates nearly 2 kilograms of waste per month. Paper, printer toner, plastic bottles and cups, coffee capsules… tons of products end up in company trash bins without being valorized. An oil engineer had the idea to launch a unique sorting and recycling system in the country that allows companies to outsource waste management and be certified eco-responsible.
Cosmetics: rice waste, a green alternative to petrochemicals
In the south of Valencia, in the Albufera region, a young Franco-Spanish company transforms rice residues into high-end cosmetic ingredients. Founded by chemist Jérôme Abrahmi, RB Process relies on supercritical CO₂ extraction technology, without solvents, to produce natural oils with antioxidant and protective properties. Above all, this circular project offers an alternative to hexane, a carcinogenic solvent derived from benzene, still widely used in cosmetics.