♪ >> hello and welcome to global 3000. today we are looking at ways to limit how modern life harms the environment. and we kick off with a refreshing idea from africa. here's what's coming up -- going green -- bamboo bicycles made in ghana gas guzzlers -- why environmentalists give cruise ships the thumbs down balkan heritage -- on patrol in albania's prespa national park this bike is 100% made in africa.

it has a frame of ghanaian bamboo. and it is built by mechanics who are passionate about their green innovation. a few of their creations have already made it onto the european market where they are sold as designer objects. back home in the ghanaian capital accra their idea is catching on for much more down to earth reasons. the bamboo bikes are affordable, and who knows, with more than half of the population in accra under the age of 24 -- they may soon even set a trend. >> bicycle builders like ibrahim djan nyampong are few and far between in accra, the capital of ghana. people are become more affluent and traffic is a growing problem, despite the price of petrol. but this bicycle is made right here in ghana -- and not out of steel but bamboo! >> it's a bamboo bike and it's very light. it's ten times stronger than a metal bike. it's a smooth ride.

>> ibrahim's workshop overlooks the city. the bamboo takes several months to dry. then it's sawn into pieces and planed before ibrahim and his team start to assemble the frame. his five employees do the preliminary work. then ibrahim talks them through the hard part. the idea for the bamboo bikes originated in the us about 6 years ago. two years ago, ibrahim partnered with an austrian company. >> in the initial stage it was difficult. we didn't have all the tools, we were using our hands in cutting all the shapes. now we have tools that make the work easier. it used to take a week to build one bike but now it takes 3 to 4 days. they help me a lot. they bought me this jig for about $1500.

>> making the steering column is one of the tricky bits. if the drill isn't in exactly the right place, all the hard work is for nothing. the bamboo is stabilized with% resin, which prevents it from splitting or getting damaged by pests. then the actual steering column is put in place and attached to the rear wheel and the parts are secured with a mixture of epoxy resin and fibers. while the glue dries, it's time to pick up the next load of bamboo. first ibrahim has to stop by a store. ibrahim gets his bamboo from this village. a new power supply line has been installed, but for the time being, there's no actual power. the villagers are pinning their hopes for modernization on ibrahim. he's brought along some school

supplies for the children und a treat for the village chief. what he really wants is a school toilet -- and bamboo bikes for the villagers. >> when he brings us more bikes the children will benefit from it, and their families. when they go to their farms far away, they can ride their bikes. >> for now, ibrahim is just collecting more material. not all bamboo is suitable for bike building. sustainability is one of ibrahim's priorities: >> the chief has given us some land where we are about to do a plantation. for every bamboo we harvest, we try to replace it with another one. >> the fresh supply first needs to dry out before it looks like the bamboo stocks in ibrahim's warehouse. a test laboratory in north rhine westphalia has shown that ibrahim's bikes meet german industry standards.

none of the 300 frames he's made over the years has ever fallen apart. >> bamboo together with fiber which also grows naturally in northern ghana, is also a very strong material. it can't break apart. so when you put them together with the epoxy, it becomes stronger. ten times stronger than steel. bamboo bikes range from basic to sophisticated. they can be as light as aluminum but more flexible. there's even a demand for them in europe and the us. that's where ibrahim makes most of his money. his partners pay him nearly 300 euros for a high-end model that retails at 2000 euros.

ibrahim uses the revenue to pay his staff and also to buy glue and spare parts. >> i take the transport off shipping to the us, my profit is left in the remaining balance, it's about $70. >> about 55 euros per frame. it doesn't sound like much but it's not bad business, so long as the orders keep coming in. ibrahim financed his workshop with his earnings and is even planning an extension. but first he has to build a bike for his 3-year-old daughter. >> she sees her father building bikes and every bike she sees she says, yeah, it's for me! so i have to do a little one for her. >> ibrahim's vision is that one day, he'll be mass-producing bamboo bikes -- helping protect the african environment and creating jobs in the process. for now, the obstacles are not only expense.

he also needs to get the politicians on his side. and a few bicycle paths wouldn't go amiss, either! >> maybe one day he'll even make the bamboo helmet to go with it. now what springs to your mind when you think of going on a cruise. lots of fresh air -- the sea -- sunshine -- luxury food. so no surprise that as cruises become more affordable more and more people are quite taken by this idea. in recent years the number of people who go on board a luxury liner has continually risen by around one million every year -- to around 20 million passengers. that equals the entire population of sri lanka. and every ship is a village on the move with up to 8000 passengers on board. transporting this number of people all at the same time requires powerful and thirsty engines that emit enormous amounts of exhaust fumes. the second critical factor is the amount of waste that is

produced by these huge vessels. we took a look at what happens way below the sun deck. >> it's 7:00 in the morning and the cruise ship is entering harbor after a night in the mediterranean. it's billowing fumes as it docks. 2000 holidaymakers are on board and we have come to see what's going on below deck. first of all, two days worth of garbage is taken out. there's a lot of it. yvonne schulze is the ship's environmental officer. right now, she needs someone to help her translate. 30 tons of glass, paper and scrap metal have accumulated

over the last 48 hours. yvonne schulze needs to rely on her partners on dry land when it comes to disposing of the ship's refuse. to be on the safe side, she writes everything down. >> i make a lot of notes about how much waste we dispose of so we have a record. i compare it to the receipt that we get later, when we're finished. we don't want anyone ripping us off. >> environmental waste management is a matter of course in northern europe, but not in the mediterranean. >> it's difficult. there tends to be a bit of mafia influence in ports in italy. >> the last time she was here, she left some copper. today she wants to be paid for it. but the italians aren't being very helpful. an interpreter is needed. meanwhile, we're put in our place. we are not allowed to go on land.

the only way on and off the ship for passengers -- and for us -- is through the gates. that also applies to visitors from headquarters. the company's new environmental officer wants to familiarize herself with everyday life on board the ship. until recently, she was a marine activist who campaigned against cruise ships. but now she's switched sides -- she wants to change the system from within, she says. with the company's blessing. the cruise ship sector has never been more popular. last year, 20 million holidaymakers worldwide booked a cruise. these days, the aim is to ensure they generate as little waste as possible. yvonne schulze explains that out-of date technology doesn't help. but it's better on newer cruise ships, which genuinely want to

be greener. >> legislation is getting stricter when it comes to which fuel you can use and where, which waste can be disposed of. we can partially dispose of food, for example, at sea, but the laws are getting tighter and the situation on the ship is adapting in order to comply with them. management is changing its strategy and technology is changing too. we're about to get an updated ship which will include technology to deal with waste management. >> there's already a wastewater treatment plant. the staff take a reading every day and record the result in a logbook. we're not permitted to film it -- it's in the engine room, where we're not allowed to enter. but we're assured that the ship only disposes of water that's been purified -- far out at sea. the shipping company wants to be transparent, but we're not allowed to film everywhere on

board. it's midday. new supplies have arrived -- enough for the next three days. ten trucks are being unloaded -- some of them have come from germany. finally, the scrap metal deal is about to be closed. the hygiene officer can speak italian. the language barrier has finally been broken. environmental solutions make economic sense: the italians pocket a hefty charge for refuse - about 2000 euros per port. waste is also a valuable resource that can be recycled. >> we got 854 euros for 5 cubic meters of scrap metal -- copper, steel, a mix of pretty much everything.

>> it's almost 6:00 in the evening. it's rush hour in the refuse room. room service is over for the day and the chefs have finished up too. everybody's responsible for separating the garbage. ultimately, it's in everybody's interest. the proceeds from scrap metal are divided up between the team. that certainly makes the task easier. anything can't be recycled is fed into the shredder. we'll find out later what happens to it. the cruise ships generally sail at night. their carbon emissions are high -- by their own admission.

>> newer ships have potential and we can expect to see important steps taken in the next few years. another factor is that from 2015, there will be stricter carbon limits. we saw with the car industry that the introduction of these limits goes hand in hand with the introduction of the technology that allows them to be met. >> but until that day arrives, cruise ships will continue to have a serious environmental impact. meeting the needs of the passengers comes at a cost to the environment. the cost of installing electrostatic precipitators is a half a million euros. bedtime is approaching, and the ship has left land far behind. we're permitted to film the incinerator, where the contents of the shredder are burnt to cinders. that way, it takes up less space.

the cruise ship sector is keen to better its environmental record. recognizing its failings is a start. >> and now let us sweep you away into an indian fairy tale. we meet the grandson of one of india's last maharajas -- and he shows us his truly magnificent global living room. >> hello. welcome to my living room.

please some. -- come. the gentleman here is my grandfather. he was the last ruler of uniara. after that, the state resumed, in 1956. so now there are no maharadschas here. but he was a really genuine, a proper ruler, i would say. looking after the state, irrigation. part of the people around here. water. made of solid silver. my grandfather had four sons. my father was the eldest, then there were three others, so they would use them. only the royal family was allowed to sit on the chair, the rest of people sit on the ground these are lions, yeah. they are the coat of arms of my state crest. custom, known as the gangor festival, so at that time the lady has been decorated. it's a kind of goddess.

there are a lot of people and they go in a procession. saddled on an elephant. this is the fort uniara. as you can see, all the lady, all the gents, getting ready to go out somewhere. this portion on the left is the oldest portion. when we captured the place, we had only this. after this, my great- grandfathers started to build all this, the fort. this is a ladies vanity case. when they used to go out in the 30s and 20s. that was all for travelling. the ladies to take them.

thank you very much. it was nice having you here. until next time. see you later. >> and if you would like to get in touch with us. it's easy, you can simply find us on facebook and post your comments and ideas. and now we head to a natural treasure in the balkans. the prespa region is a unique landscape of forests and lakes between greece, macedonia and albania. but this area of outstanding natural beauty is under threat. that's why authorities from all three countries are working hard to raise awareness among the locals that prespa is something precious and should be treated as such. we follow the rangers on patrol.

>> the farmers are suspected of chopping down trees in a nature reserve. that is illegal and ranger vasil male is trying to find out what's going on. he tells the farmers to wait but they refuse to cooperate. he tells them he only wants to see their permits. >> these elderly farmers have lived their whole lives in the nature reserve and now suddenly they're being told where they're allowed to fell trees and where they can't. they don't understand that we want the area reforested. they have at least promised to carry permits next time which show that they have permission to fell trees in certain parts of the forest.

>> like the farmers, vasil male grew up here on the albanian side of the prespa region. the parts of the forests where the illegal logging is going on are so remote that they can only be reached by motorbike -- or by donkey. male knows every inch of the woods. here in the heart of the nature reserve, he's familiar with every single tree. >> i get angry when i see this sort of thing. the people responsible aren't impoverished locals. those people come to us and we show them where they can cut down trees. ten years ago, this spot where we're standing only consisted of knee-high undergrowth. the sort of people who destroy an area that's only recently been reforested are not acting out of desperation but because they want to make a quick profit.

>> lake ohrid is on the macedonian side. zoran spirkovski works for the hydrobiological institute. his goal is to protect the unique ecosystem of lake ohrid. >> my job became my dream, that means realization of my dream. i am raised on the lake, i was living 10 meters from the lake, i know how it breathes, every breath of the lake i remember since i was young. we know the value of the lake, which is priceless, you cannot say how much it is worth, it is priceless. we have to keep it for the further generations. >> the lake is about 10 million years old and harbors a wide range of endemic species. but over the years, many of the lake's fish were brought to the brink of extinction due to overfishing.

the hydrobiological institute breeds fish, returning about 2 million to the lake every year. now that its fish stocks have been replenished, fishing is once again permitted here. but zoran spirkovski keeps a close eye on the fishermen. a maximum of 3 kilos per person is allowed and the fish have to weigh at least 800 grams -- in other words, they have to be full-grown. >> this is a prehistoric fish, the ancestor of the ohrid trout. it's existed for 10 million years. >> the closest relatives of the ohrid trout are only found as fossils -- in alaska. wolfgang fremuth from the frankfurt zoological society has been working in the region for over twenty years.

with 3 and a half million euros of funding from the german kfw development bank, he's helping establish a transnational biosphere reserve. >> given the geological past and its long history, the lake has spawned unique life forms which we call endemites. that means they are found here and nowhere else in the world. that's a unique feature. (4'40) the biggest problem here is man-made, namely over- exploitation of natural resources such as the forests, or over-fishing. over-exploitation is the biggest threat. and it goes hand in hand with an increase in waste.

>> it's a hot day and it really stinks round here. even worse, autumn is on its way and that means rain. then all the refuse is washed into the lake and the fish nibble at the plastic. then people eat the fish. so all that garbage ends up being eaten by humans. >> vasil male and a colleague are patrolling the banks of the lake on the albanian side -- where it's easier to spot illegal loggers. >> we're not trying to act like police. our controls are personal, we want to talk to the people. we want them to understand that this is a very special corner of the planet and we want to convince them that its lakes and forests need to be respected. we can't just go polluting them and destroying them.

>> remember how barren it used to be here? now it's lush again. isn't that wonderful? >> i love nature. i come from prespa, it's my home, so for me it's great that when i protect nature i'm also doing something for me and the place i live in. >> and that's all we have time for on this edition of global 3000. but don't forget you can always find us online. but for now from the whole global team here in our berlin studios -- thanks for watching and bye bye! captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--