Campus commuters to lower carbon emissions
June 18th, 2009
div class=image style=float: right; padding-left: 8pximg alt=Richland College height=228 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/amorylovins/amorylovins-235645480-1245109066.jpg?ymK9GbBDWzs7E0XN width=300 /br /emShovel Ready: RMI’s Sally DeLeon and br /Elaine Adams visit green science buidling br /at Richland College. (Photo: RMI br /campus climate project 2008-2009)/embr /br //divpRobert Morris,
student body president of Richland College, is facing a challenge at his
school. Â A commuter school in Dallas Texas, with 24,500
students, Richland
College has nobly committed to achieve carbon neutrality under the American
College and University a href=http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/Presidents Climate Commitment/a. Â /ppThe problem? Students have no access to public
transportation./ppRichland does
have energy efficient buildings on campus, but the transport contributes the
most to the school’s carbon footprint, making up 66 % of campus greenhouse gas
emissions. /ppRichland students face the same issue many commuters find. When
there is limited access to public transport and when it may not be practical to
ride a bike 20 miles each way to school or work, how can individuals reduce
their carbon footprint?/ppMorris, one of
36 participants in a href=http://www.rmi.org/Rocky Mountain Institute/a’s
recent Accelerating Campus Climate Initiatives Workshop, now has a few ideas
about how to tackle the transport issue. The workshop, which convened in Denver from June 2-4, brought
together representatives from 12 campuses to share information and war stories
and inspiration to help create effective programs and projects that will reduce
carbon emissions. /ppMorris discussed
his school’s climate initiative challenges with sustainability experts at RMI,
who put on the workshop in collaboration with the a href=http://www.aashe.org/Association
for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education/a (AASHE).
As a result, Morris goes back to Texas with some
possible solutions, such as arranging carpooling and making it web-based so
people can find rides easily and instituting web-based learning, telecommuting,
and videotaping of classes. These telecommuting and carpooling options, of
course, could work for business as well as schools that want to reduce carbon
emissions./ppThe first
thing I will do when I get back to my school is set up a meeting with our
college president and present some of the ideas we learned about here,
says Morris. Morris may find his president attentive since Morris will also
return to his campus with a seed grant to study and implement alternative
transportation options. /ppRMI, through an anonymous donor, is offering the grants ($35,000-$50,000 per
institution) to provide each participating campus with an opportunity to
implement a high priority project that advances its climate program. Each
school will use this funding to launch an important greenhouse gas reduction
project or contribute to solving a thorny or significant barrier to climate
neutrality. /ppFor more
information on the Accelerating Campus Climate Initiatives project, visit a href=http:/bet.rmi.org/RMI’s
Built Environment Team website/a. /p
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Recycle Guys in the Supermarket
June 17th, 2009
Author: RecycleGuys
Keywords: supermarket recyclable plastic bags grocery store recycled content North Carolina recycling recycled Recycle Guys
Added: July 2, 2007
Tuna at risk of extinction due to overfishing.
June 17th, 2009
Author: jinnder123
Keywords: Tuna overfishing extinction Be Veg Go Green
Added: June 17, 2009
DIY solar iPhone charger
June 17th, 2009
pThe electricity consumption at the average U.S. household has skyrocketed in recent years, in part because we’re building new homes so much bigger than we used to, in part because we have more televisions, computers, and other electronics in more rooms — and in part because we’re charging so many personal portable electronic devices that are wholly new to the market./ppWell, the DIY-enthusiasts among us can at least knock the last off the list, thanks to Jerome Kelly, Instructables.com and Earthjustice./ppKelly is the winner of the groups’ a href=http://www.earthjustice.org/energyefficiency/instructables-winner.html target=_blankUnited States of Efficiency contest/a. His invention? A solar-powered charger designed for the iPhone and Ipod Touch, but useful for many devices that charge using a USB./ppThe best part? You can make it yourself — in less than an hour (if you’re as handy as Kelly, that is)./ppAmericans love a challenge, Kelly said, recalling a conversation with his son about the Apollo moon mission. We possess the intelligence, technology and spirit to accomplish whatever we set our minds to. How we rise to this challenge will define our generation. It is now the responsibility of all citizens to challenge themselves, to become makers, inventors, conservationists and political activists in order to achieve our goal. It is the responsibility of our leaders, political and industrial, to spearhead our efforts to achieving our goal. We only get one shot at this./ppGet the complete instructions and even watch a video on a href=http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-solar-iPodiPhone-charger-aka-Might/how to make your own solar power iPhone charger/a./pp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/solar-panels-reviews-460304?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHome Solar Panels Reviewed/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/green-products-reviews-50100608?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgGreen Products from A to Z/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/safe-green-investments-47091801?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgSix Safe Investments That Maximize Your ROI/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg23 Breathtaking Natural Swimming Pools/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg45 Amazing Homes and Offices Made From Shipping Containers/a/li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/p
Five hot green jobs available today
June 17th, 2009
div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Namaste Solar Electric height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-333449165-1245173276.jpg?ymcoWbBDY28Sn29b width=300/br /emTechnicians from Namaste Solar Electric br /install a new system in Colorado. br /(Photo: Courtesy of Namaste Solar Electric)/embr /br //divpemThe following is a guest post by Ezra Drissman of a href=http://www.GreenCareersGuide.com target=_blankGreenCareersGuide/a/em/ppIt seems that most Americans have been affected by the economic downturn, in one way or another. It can be difficult to find any good things that have come out of such a crazy climate. /ppHowever, a href=http://www.greencareersguide.com/ target=_blankgreen careers/a have emerged as a shining light in a generally bad economy. While other corporations are struggling, green companies are looking forward to a better year. /ppOne need not look further than Ford Motor Company, which had been ridiculed in recent memory by opponents for its stated commitment to hybrid vehicles and developing greener technologies. Yet Ford has survived the downturn better than GM and Chrysler. /ppGreen is not only emerging, it will be sustained for a long time. These next few years will give people an opportunity to join in on the ground floor of a booming industry. It’s an industry that will stretch across all economic lines. /ppHere are the top five industries that are likely to be major players in the green economy, according to a href=http://www.GreenCareersGuide.com target=_blankGreenCareersGuide.com/a:/ppstrong1. Landfill gas plant operator/strongbr /Anything within the renewable energy market is a great green career.
Try this one on for a quick turn around into a green opportunity: a landfill gas plant operator. Turning gas into energy is big right now and this can be a great fit for someone who only has a GED or high school diploma. /ppstrong2. Solar panel installer/strongbr /The solar field is heating up, and offers many opportunities in panel installation and sales. More colleges, technical schools, and extension services are offering programs in the sector. The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) offers certification programs that will train you in solar installation. If you would like to become a solar salesperson, start by contacting some of the solar panel makers. This field is also prime for the entrepreneur. /ppstrong3. Wind turbine machinist/strongbr /The market for wind energy continues to grow, so much so that a href=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/29/wind-now-employs-more-peo_n_162277.html target=_blankwind power now employs more Americans than the coal industry/a. A bonus is that if you already have a degree or background as a machinist or engineer you may be able to turn that into a job as a wind turbine machinist or wind turbine installer. /ppstrong4. Green engineer/strongbr /There are likely to be many opportunities to help design a cleaner, greener society, from waste treatment and recycling facilities to transportation systems. Soon America will also be transitioning to a a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/cars-transportation/smart-grids-china-460409smart grid/a, requiring much work for engineers. (Unemployed car engineers in particular should stay alert for these fields). If you want to start in these areas, make sure to get an engineering background in college. /ppstrong5. Green builder/strongbr /The federal and local governments continue to require more certification and higher energy efficiency on all buildings. Green building, with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, will likely become a standard in construction. /ppThere will be many careers available within these industries. Take the time to get the training and schooling that will be needed. /ppSee job listings for these fields and apply now:/pullia href=http://www.greencareersguide.com/Wind-Power.html target=_blankWind jobs/a/lilia href=http://www.greencareersguide.com/Solar-Power.html target=_blankSolar jobs/a/lilia href=http://www.greencareersguide.com/Green-Careers.html target=_blankGreen jobs center/a/li/ulbr /br /pemThe Daily Green’s Community News section is a forum for our audience to get the word out about issues that matter to them, enlist support, get help and advice, celebrate successes, or share humor. The best submissions are personal (why I started this venture) short and to the point (400 words or so) and written in a style that speaks directly to the audience as peers (not like an ad or press release). Email submissions to a href=mailto:news@thedailygreen.comnews@thedailygreen.com/a and include community news in the subject line. Photos are also welcome, provided the submitter has rights to publish the image. Be sure to include credit and caption information./em/ppemSubmissions to The Daily Green are subject to our a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/privacy target=_newPrivacy and Terms of Use policies/a./em/pp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/10-greenest-colleges-460708?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 of the Greenest Colleges in America/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/save-money-megaflip?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg30+ Ways to Save Money by Going Green/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/safe-green-investments-47091801?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgSix Smart Green Investments/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/win/?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgWin Free Green Stuff!/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/personality-quiz-going-green-460109?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgWhat’s Your Green Personality?/a/li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc /em/p
The seven weirdest car fuels
June 17th, 2009
pThere’s no single answer to the fuel of the future, at least certainly not at this time. Part of the solution lies in reclaiming waste streams that now mostly end up in landfills. Some of these — like diapers — we don’t even want to think about, but it’s about time we did. And scientists are on the case, given the strange-but-true examples cited here./ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/cellulosic-ethanol-47020701Cellulosic ethanol/a (made from sugar cane, wood waste or sweet sorghum) is probably the wave of the future, but here are some other ways we can — and probably will — make fuel from bio-materials./pp /ph2The really fast chocolate car/h2div class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=chocolate bio-racer height=175 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-865607790-1244570258.jpg?ymSaDZBDkfJFgjFl width=300/br /em(Photo: Courtesy of University of Warwick)/embr /br //divpIs it possible to run a car on chocolate? Well, maybe not wholly on chocolate. /ppYour Hershey bar won’t get you home in an emergency, but a team from the University of Warwick in Britain a href=http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/an-eco-racecar-that-runs-on-chocolate/has built and is track-testing a Formula 3 race car/a, running on 30% biodiesel derived from chocolate waste. /ppThat’s not all; the steering wheel is partly made of carrots, and the mirrors and aerodynamic front wing are formed with potato starch and flax fiber./ppAccording to James Meredith, who heads the project at Warwick, Anything with a fat in it can be turned into diesel, and that’s what we’ve managed to do. The chocolate is waste from bad batches at Cadbury’s in nearby Birmingham. The researchers have managed to keep their fingers out of the chocolate vats. It’s waste, so I assume it’s no good to eat, Meredith said./pp /pp /ph2The coffee grounds car/h2div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=coffee grounds height=212 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-295690305-1244570258.jpg?ymSaDZBDnyV3A_ts width=300/br /em(Photo: Raychel Deppe / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpCoffee grinds are an unwanted waste product that fills up landfills and takes a long time to biodegrade. In Europe, however, household food scraps are considered a fuel source. /ppIn Germany and Switzerland, for example, a company collects and then ferments those scraps, producing both a natural gas fuel and compost. So could we actually power cars on biodiesel from coffee grounds? It’s a distinct possibility./ppYou know how coffee can sometimes look (and taste) slightly oily? That’s because it contains 10 to 15% of usable oil that can be refined into a biofuel. A study says a href=http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/20/coffee-biofuel.htmlused cappuccino scraps can offset our imported oil/a — as much as 340 million gallons a year from the world’s 15 billion pounds of annual coffee production. /ppIt’s a simple two-step process, says Susanta Mohapatra, a University of Nevada, Reno, researcher who is a co-author of the study. Her team raided Starbucks to find the feedstock for the coffee fuel. We can definitely make a big impact on our environment with fuel made out of nature, she said./pp /pp /ph2The used diaper potential /h2pIt was bad enough when scientists figured out how to reclaim paper pulp from used disposable diapers, but they’re also saying they can make diesel fuel from them using a pyrolysis process. /ppA Canadian company called AMEC a href=http://www.thestar.com/article/271380is in the process of building a pilot plant in Quebec/a that will process the plastics, resins, fibers, and poop into a predictable mix of gas, oil, and char. /ppNow adult waste would work just as well, but we don’t collect it in handy sealed containers as we do baby waste. The great advantage, says AMEC, is that the raw material is not contaminated with anything else — it’s a rich, if aromatic, source of fuel. /ppThe company hopes to take in 180 million diapers a year — a quarter of Quebec’s output — to produce 11 million liters of diesel. Considering that diapers can take 100 years to decompose in a landfill, turning them into domestically produced fuel seems a good alternative./pp /pp /ph2Sawdust, wood chips, nuts?/h2div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=sawdust height=235 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-435105567-1244570259.jpg?ymTaDZBDFDISEGeT width=300/br /em(Photo: Max Blain / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpYes, we will soon be able to make gasoline — and diesel and jet fuel, too — a href=http://asiacleantech.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/japan-makes-biodiesel-fuel-from-grass-wood-chips/from everything from wood chips and sawdust to switchgrass/a. /ppCompanies around the country are doing this on an experimental basis, using a variety of methods, but the embryonic technology got a huge boost when the Obama administration a href=http://www.ngfa.org/print_this_article.cfm?story_id=http://www.ngfa.org/cache/story_40F817F4C646CA5B0760D7619F514936.htmlrevised the biofuel standards earlier this month/a to include a billion gallons of diesel fuel from biomass by 2022./ppBiomass gasoline won’t be much, if any, cleaner out of the tailpipe than current fuel, but when the lifecycle carbon reductions from growing the feedstock is taken into account, it’s a big winner./ppa href=http://www.allpowerlabs.org/ target=_blankAll Power Labs/a in Berkeley, California, is competing for the illustrious a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/automotive-x-prize-contestants-461208Auto X Prize/a with a car that runs on wood chips. Specifically, we’re making carbon-negative, open-source fuel from basically garbage, says team member Tom Price. /ppThe process itself isn’t new: During World War II, when gasoline was unobtainable in Europe, there were more than a million cars using gasification technology — turning coal and wood chips into gas for internal-combustion engines. /ppPrice envisions using waste walnut shells, which normally release the potent greenhouse gas methane. We can crack the hydrogen out to run an Accord, Price says, then put the leftovers on the ground to grow more walnuts, which suck more CO2 out of the atmosphere, and the cycle continues./pp /pp /ph2Styrofoam cups in your tank?/h2div class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=styrofoam cup height=300 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-429054399-1244570259.jpg?ymTaDZBDCF7gWT6q width=203/br /em(Photo: Ochelly)/embr /br //divpAccording to Robert Malloy of the University of Massachusetts, a href=http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17066-plastic-cups-could-boost-auto-performance.html target=_blankused polystyrene coffee cups will make a great fuel component/a. Polystyrene (used to make disposable foam plates and cups) is very lightweight but also bulky, so it’s difficult and expensive to send out for recycling. /ppBut it could make a very effective fuel additive, a href=http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef801110j target=_blanksays an Iowa State study last April/a. This study demonstrated that polystyrene-biodiesel blends could be successfully used in diesel engines with minor modifications to the fuel system and appropriate adjustments to engine operating conditions./ppAccording to Song-Charng Kong, a co-author of the Iowa study, polystyrene melts quickly in biodiesel, and fuel that is as much as five percent coffee cups does quite well. /ppAt higher concentrations (they tried up to 20%) it gets too thick. Right now emissions are a problem, but they’re working on it./pp /pp /ph2Turkeys: Lots of guts, plenty of glory/h2div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=turkey height=300 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-245716730-1244570259.jpg?ymTaDZBDCSkOKB.k width=250/br /em(Photo: John Cairns / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpAmericans consume an estimated 45 million turkeys on Thanksgiving, raising the impolite question: What happens to all the turkey guts? /ppA bunch of entrepreneurs in Carthage, Missouri, not only asked that question, they answered it, too, by a href=http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2921opening a plant that could process turkey waste/a (including feathers, using up everything but the gobble) into a fuel oil that could be processed into diesel, gasoline, or jet fuel. /ppThe process, known as thermo-depolymerization (TDP), is well known, and it works, The turkeys’ private parts break down under very high heat and pressure, yielding natural gas, fuel oil and minerals. The company says it could also produce light crude from hog and chicken waste — or onion byproducts and Parmesan cheese rinds, for that matter./ppThe big problem, however, is that the plant stinks, and it’s close to a residential area, prompting withering complaints. The company, Changing World Technologies, may seek greener pastures./pp /pp /ph2Cow power: High-octane gas/h2div class=image style=float:left;padding-right:8px;img alt=cow height=225 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_driving/daily_green_driving-258042391-1244570258.jpg?ymTaDZBDmEaDKbLH width=300/br /em(Photo: Gloria Dawson / The Daily Green)/embr /br //divpWow, according to the United Nations, the livestock industry (including the growing of all the cattle feed, the transportation to market, and energy for factory-farm operations) is responsible for 18% of global warming emissions — more than transportation worldwide./ppAnd it will get worse: Current projections show meat production more than doubling to 469 million tons in 2050. /ppOne of the main culprits is methane, a global warming gas that is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The world has 1.5 billion cows, and they produce methane out of both ends (belching more than flatulence). An estimated two thirds of the planet’s ammonia comes from cows, too. In New Zealand, livestock accounts for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions./ppPartly because they’re eating grain instead of the grass nature intended, cows can produce 50 to 130 gallons of methane every day. Suppose we could use that as a fuel, since methane burns very well. Eureka! /ppDairy farms such as Blue Spruce Farm in Vermont a href=http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3510src=are putting their cow waste in anaerobic (no oxygen) digesters for three weeks/a, producing methane, and then burning it in generators to produce electricity. This cow power is being sold to a nearby college, and it can also be fed back into the grid. The process also generates useful fertilizer./pp /ppYahoo! Green is now on Twitter! Follow us at a href=http://twitter.com/YahooGreenhttp://twitter.com/YahooGreen/a.  /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/micro-cars-mpg-460409?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Hottest New Cars Prove Small Is Beautiful/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/fuel-efficient-cars-47102201?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars of 2009/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/save-gas-47031702?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Simple Ways to Save Gas/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/electric-bikes-460209?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgElectric Bikes: The Fun, Green Way to Get Around/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgWhat Do Recycling Symbols Mean?/a /li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/p
