In this edition of Global 3000: Old tires, glass and used plastic bottles - one man's waste is another man's building material. Matt Paneitz runs a project in the Guatemalan highlands that gets international volunteers building eco-houses out of trash. We also find out how US President Obama wants to help young immigrants legally live and work in the US.
South Africa has a surfeit of fossil fuels and other natural resources but the country's demand for energy is growing fast. Supply problems have become commonplace in recent years.
South Africa is faced with a dilemma: Should it invest in renewable energies or carry on exploiting its extensive reserves of fossil fuels? The country is the 12th largest carbon emitter in the world and continued reliance on coal mining is causing a number of environmental problems, including contaminated groundwater.
Old tires, glass and plastic bottles - much of what lands on the garbage dump could actually be used to build homes. In the small Guatemalan town of San Juan, the NGO "Long Way Home" builds energy self-sufficient schools based on a revolutionary recycling concept.
The town has long been grappling with a waste management problem. Makeshift garbage dumps are scattered through the town, and waste regularly ends up in the groundwater, thereby spreading disease. An American NGO called "Long Way Home" run by Matt Paneitz aims to solve a number of problems at once - boosting young people's opportunities on the one hand and protecting the environment on the other.
With its 3 million cars and 9 million motorbikes, Jakarta has a serious traffic problem. And now, unidentified culprits assailants are making the roads even more treacherous.
Rush Hour is especially dangerous. Commuters end up late for work, children don't get to school on time and accidents are inevitable. In addition, unknown culprits are scattering nails all over the roads. The only way to get rid of the traps is with nail-collecting magnets.
Even though they've attended highschool for years, hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who arrived in the US as children risk deportation every day and have no right to a place at university or a legal job.
President Barack Obama has now pushed through a policy change that means many young illegal immigrants can legally live and work in the US, sidestepping Congress after years of stalemate over the nation's immigration policy. For $465 (about 375 euros), they can apply for residency and a work permit. The new rules apply to people under age 30 who came to the US under the age of 16 and have either a high-school degree or have served in the military.
