BEIRUT: Green transportation may seem like a dream in Lebanon, where cars clog the road and the thick layer of smog hanging over the capital is visible from the mountains. But Wednesday night, some 30 people involved in the transportation sector as well as local environmentalists got together at the Green Transit+Green Space Meetup at Alt City on Hamra Street to brainstorm ideas about how to get Lebanese out of their cars and onto public transportation and bicycles.

Among those present were a group from the American University of Beirut who are offering a $20,000 prize for one green startup plan.

Some ideas were more feasible than others. In most cases, however, the ideas came up against the reality that any comprehensive plan requires high-level coordination at municipal and national levels.

In the absence of an official action plan to address the congestion and the environmental, economic and social issues that come with it, many participants had already taken it upon themselves to pursue an alternative lifestyle of biking, walking or taking the bus. [Link]