Book 3 Videoscript

Life
Unit 5

Recycling Cairo

Narrator Down here on the streets of Cairo, it’s a busy, noisy cosmopolitan
city. But up here on the city’s rooftops, it’s a quieter world. Egyptians use this
space for water tanks, satellite dishes—even goats. And instead of throwing
away their trash, they re-use it. Cairo went green a long time ago.

One person who has helped to develop recycling in Cairo is Thomas Taha
Culhane. He’s been helping some Egyptians build solar-powered water heaters
on their roofs. These heaters are partly made out of recycled trash.

Thomas Taha Culhane People will come to this community, and they'll look
on the rooftops and they'll say “Why is there so much trash on the roofs?" But
if you talk to the homeowners, they’ll say “What trash? I’m saving this for the
future when I can figure out a good way to use it.” So there is no trash. And
that is, I think, the message that inner-city Cairo and the informal communities
of Cairo have for the world. Forget this idea that there is garbage. One man’s
garbage is another’s goldmine.

Narrator The water heaters use Egypt’s great natural resource—the sunshine.

Thomas Taha Culhane You’re good. You are good. You know what you're
at? 39.9 degrees. Whoa. Whoa. Narrator The solar panels heat up the water,
and this gives a family a lot of hot water.

Thomas Taha Culhane This is a hand-made solar hot water system.

Narrator The system is made out of local recycled materials and garbage. It
shows how cheaply you can make hot water from renewable energy. The new
heaters provide hot water and reduce energy costs. As Culhane says: “One
man’s garbage is another man’s goldmine.”