Welcome to the first post on the official ChamSolar blog. The team at the ChamSolar Initiative have asked me to start a blog so that our readers can get clued up and fellow renewable energy enthusiasts can keep up to date with the latest happenings with regards to renewable energy, clean technologies and green living. And what a great time to start this blog. As all my readers in Syria and around the world can't wait to hear about solar energy, wind energy, biofuels, hydrogen fuel cells and all the rest of it, you're going to have to stay tuned. Let's first put things into perspective. We are half way through the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change and there's so much talk in the media about the environment. The overwhelming majority of scientists believe we are soon approaching a critical juncture in our world's history: either we do something drastic and change our polluting ways or the environmental time-bomb keeps ticking. It is easy to see why it is getting worrying and there are those who think everything can be explained by nature and that climate change is coincidental to man's presence on this planet.

I am an engineer with a passion for the environment but it doesn't take a scientist to tell you our 19th and 20th century industrial technologies and increasingly polluting lifestyles need a major overhaul in order to save our planet. The environmental movement is no new matter. Large groups of concerned citizens around the world have been campaigning for a greener planet for many years and to a certain extent they were successful. Around the world, we see countries and governments taking these issues seriously although it has always been the richer developed countries that could afford to give priority to the environment. Don't get me wrong, some developing countries have done well in protecting their environmental resources with the reason being that their economies are heavily dependent on these resources for eco-tourism or agricultural exports. In the process of maintaining economic prosperity, these countries are avoiding environmental degradation. Developing countries might not be so rich in money terms but they are rich in heritage, cultural and can learn from the experiences of the developed world. So what can we do in our lives, our homes, our neighbourhoods and cities? As consumers, we have a choice. For those that are not picking the sustainable choice, hopefully you will soon realise that you are making the wrong choice.

Throughout this blog, I will explore the practicalities of renewable energy and show you how renewable energy and greener living, especially in Syria, will play a major role in our lives for many years to come. Join me on this journey to the future!