By Megan Treacy, Source: Treehugger

A new “eco-city” is being planned in Turkey, and while the idea is still awaiting approval from authorities, how the buildings and homes will be heated has already been decided on — with pistachios, of course.

Turkey is one of the world’s top producers of pistachios, exporting 6,800 tons of the nut last year alone. Gaziantep, the south-eastern region of the country where the new city will be located, produces a majority of the nation’s nuts, exporting 4,000 tons last year.

“Gaziantep’s potential in pistachio production is known, as well as its considerable amount of pistachio shells waste,” said Seda Muftuoglu Gulec, a green building expert for the municipality.

“We are planning to obtain biogas, a kind of renewable energy, from burning pistachio shells,” Gulec told AFP.

Read the rest at: Treehugger