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Rather than plunder resources, however, the Romans set about using them wisely. One such resource was the hot springs to feed public baths and underfloor heating.  Back then, the result was a beautiful form of bathing on a chilly winter's day. Nowadays, the result is tourist drawcard in the English county of Somerset known all over the world as a place called Bath. Sitting in a lovely warm bath on a cold winter's day back then, few Roman citizens would have contemplated the idea that the same concept used to heat their baths - a concept now called geothermal energy - would be widely used around the world and would be considered a serious part of a solution to stop the whole world from getting too hot. Today, however, such is the reality. In 2005, according to a GeoHeat Quarterly Bulletin published by Origin Institute of Technology, a total of 73 countries around the world produced a total of 273 petajoules (PJ) of energy using geothermal techniques. With the renewed push to achieve carbon emissions reduction in Australia, some engineers believe geothermal technology should be used more widely here.

When moving towards a sustainability goal in the architecture and construction industry, eco-technologies are often the first choice that builders and designers make. While these additions are successful in decreasing, or even eliminating, excess carbon emissions expelled during the construction or running stages of a building's life, there are much simpler organic processes that can be used to simply decrease a reliance on brown energy use. Orientation Planning is a prime example of a simple, zero technologically driven sustainable building concept. Through the careful positioning of a building, its reliance upon technologies, green or otherwise, to control the interior climate can be dramatically reduced, or even eliminated entirely.

Architecture has traditionally incorporated a number of fields in its complex processes. From mathematics to the arts, architecture involves a highly varied skill base. But one area that has not been incorporated into architecture is biology. Until now. In recent years, the correlation between biology and architecture has aligned and the two are increasingly become more intertwined. In light of increasing carbon emissions and the rise of the green building sector, architects are becoming increasingly more innovative in their design schemes.

Urban farming, vertical forests and sky garden design concepts are currently seeing a huge amount of global attention. The reason being is that they offer to answer a huge question for most living in city spaces: How can we live a greener lifestyle in the city? That question is answered through these incredible designs. Urban farming offers to cater to the food needs of cities in a way that is sustainable and doesn't involve high levels of carbon emissions through transport processes, vertical forests add extensive green spaces in areas that are space short and sky gardens add a sense of community and a greener lifestyle to otherwise 'brown', boring living spaces.

European researchers developed a new software and sensor system to lower carbon emissions and energy costs in airports, while SITA planned to deploy its AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker in India for efficient aircraft tracking.

The Clean Sky Joint Undertaking is one of the largest European research programmes, developing new technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and noise produced by aircraft.