GreenProphet reports that students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, have designed a solar powered modular home to compete in the Solar Decathlon next year. However, the upheaval of the Arab Spring has led to new leadership in Egypt, and funding to enter the competition next fall in Spain may not be available. This will be the first time a Middle Eastern country has been asked to display eco-architecture and green tech at the Decathlon. Without financial or moral support from any governmental agency, the students and their professor have developed this project on their own. Their ultimate goal is to develop modular housing for sustainable living in Egypt, without having to import the skills and materials from other countries, as they have in the past. It will also increase the stability of the nation as resources are used up and the climate changes. In a country where women are marginalized, about half of the students working on the project are female.
(Photo credit: GreenProphet)