Fuel Efficiency & Electric Cars Get the Green Light

New Scientist summed up 2009 as a good year for the electric car, with some researchers looking at ways to convert gas guzzlers to electricity. The Australian says manufacturers are certainly heading in the right direction in terms of making our cars more efficient, but there’s still a huge distance to go on CO2.

By Colin Barras in New Scientist (26 December 2009):

Although the world’s governments meeting in Copenhagen struggled to agree on a plan of action to curtail carbon dioxide emissions, the green technology innovations reported by New Scientist during 2009 suggest reasons for optimism.

Transport continued to be a big target for green ideas despite tough economic times. In the US the sector is the second largest contributor to emissions, responsible for 28 per cent of the country’s total.

Of those, 60 per cent are from road vehicles – indeed, a study this year concluded that the average fuel efficiency of the US vehicle fleet has risen by just 1.3 kilometres per litre (3 miles per gallon) since the days of the Ford Model T.

That looks set to change soon though. A wide range of possible solutions were on show in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the teams competing in this year’s Automotive X Prize were announced. The prize challenges teams to make a production-ready vehicle able to travel 100 miles on the equivalent energy of a gallon of petrol. See a gallery of teams taking part,

It’s been a good year for the electric car. Governments bailed out the largest auto companies with the proviso that they pump resources into battery-operated vehicles, and as a result 2009 was the year that battery chemistry became cool. Such is the buzz around electric cars that some researchers are even developing ways to convert gas guzzlers to electricity.

Hydrogen or methanol?

Elsewhere, the quest to power transport using hydrogen continued. One team showed that existing gas power stations could be easily modified to pump out hydrogen, but transporting and storing hydrogen still pose major technological hurdles.

Perhaps the methanol economy is more achievable – the alcohol is a liquid at room temperature, like petrol, so the existing infrastructure could be easily adapted, according to some.

Ways to make the aviation industry leaner and greener were also on show in 2009. They included the suggestion that aircraft wing tips could morph mid-flight to give extra lift and cut fuel consumption.

But greening air travel is also about land operations. Plane manufacturer Airbus started to investigate if robotic trucks to tow aircraft could reduce the $7 billion and 18 million tonnes of CO2 that result from using jet engines designed for flight to trundle from runway to terminal and back.

Of course, finding ways to avoid travel – videoconferencing, for example – will also cut transport emissions. A system to project your animated features onto a blank-faced dummy was one method suggested to make virtual travel closer to the real thing.

Internet footprint

But sending data through the internet has a carbon footprint of its own. Spam is not only an inconvenience to the individual, but globally produces emissions equivalent to burning 9 billion litres of petrol annually. Yahoo’s proposed email postage stamp system could take a chunk out of the net’s carbon footprint – if users can be persuaded to start giving money for charity for every email they send.

IBM and Google also unveiled plans to cut the environmental damage done by internet infrastructure, but individual web users could have their own part to play in creating a green internet. One of the world’s biggest manufacturers of routers is trialling a system to store some web data in the homes of broadband subscribers to cut the power use of the huge data centres on which the internet currently relies.

Source: www.newscientist.com

Andrew Main in The Australian (4 January 2010):

AS the developed world winces over the woolly and inconclusive outcome of the Copenhagen climate summit, there’s some modest consolation to be had in looking at the opposite end of the resource use spectrum: hugely improved technical efficiency, with more certainly to come.

Take the pace of development of low-consumption automobiles. This isn’t the motoring column but such an issue is an economic one and as of early December, Ford announced in Australia a new diesel-powered, four-cylinder Fiesta. Its officially tested fuel consumption is 3.7 litres per 100km. As the television adverts enjoy pointing out, that pips the Toyota Prius hybrid’s 3.9.

Independent of whatever emissions trading scheme we may end up with, our cars are gradually consuming less, and emitting less, because of technical advances.

Just by way of comparison, the original Leyland/BMC Mini’s consumption figure, back in 1959 admittedly, was 6.49 litres, or almost twice as much.

There were many endearing features about the original Mini, not least its small size, but what is quite startling is that the older car had less than half the engine power output (25 kilowatts against 66) of the new EcoNetic Fiesta, which is a much bigger and heavier car all round. The Fiesta’s had a number of technological tweaks, such as low-resistance tyres, but in design terms it’s still fairly conventional.

I’ve been looking in vain for a CO2 emission number for the older car, probably because they hadn’t thought of such things back in those days, but one clue is that the car had to cease production (after about five million Minis) mainly because of tightening emission control rules. For the uninitiated, there’s a direct correlation between fuel economy and CO2 output. According to Australia’s National Transport Commission, one litre of petrol will produce 2289 grams of CO2 and a litre of diesel will produce 17 per cent more CO2, about 2695g.

On those numbers, the old Mini had a CO2 output of about 148g per kilometre.

The new Ford is one of the first cars available in Australia to produce less than 100g of CO2 per kilometre. Its 98g output isn’t as low as the Toyota Prius hybrid’s 89g, but they’re both measurably lower than the cars of just 10 years ago. They knock everything else in Australia into a cocked hat since the Smart C451, the boxy two-seater, was by a narrow margin the best performer in Australia in 2008 with 103g/km.

Which means the new Ford, with its common-rail diesel engine and tall gearbox ratios, is particularly frugal.

By comparison, the current-day six-cylinder Falcon produces 256g, an improvement of about 9 per cent over its 2005 equivalent, while the Holden Commodore produces about 272g.

Toyota’s new hybrid Camry, which will hit showrooms in March and will be locally made thanks to a $35 million grant from the federal government’s $1.3 billion Green Car Innovation Fund, is a product that doesn’t get close to the Fiesta or Prius’s low emissions, but in the words of the old saying, it’s a major improvement. Both fuel consumption and CO2 output from the hybrid will be “35 per cent lower” than the all-petrol Camry, according to the manufacturer.

We’ve found an official CO2 number of 229g for a conventional Camry and the manufacturer says CO2 output will be “less than 150g” per kilometre.

There are all sorts of macro arguments against building cars in Australia that make up a separate debate all of their own, but it’s common knowledge that every major manufacturer in Australia (now only Toyota, GMH and Ford) has had hefty subsidies from the government at different times.

A scary conclusion that emerges from a recent study by the NTC is that the average car in Australia may have reduced its consumption (and CO2 output) significantly in recent years but it still uses significantly more fuel than the average car in Europe.

For instance, Australia’s average CO2 output per car in 2008, the latest date when full figures were available, was 215g per kilometre, which is 55 per cent higher than Portugal’s average (138g) and 23 per cent higher than the highest European average, Sweden’s, which is 174g.

That is quite startling because although Australian motoring conditions are different, the long distances and straight roads that we have should if anything lower our average consumption, not raise it. All those jokes about Swedes wasting fuel as they drive around in big solid Volvos are looking very sick: they’re simply not true.

The killer applications, according to the NTC, are that the high fuel prices in Europe, caused by higher fuel taxes, encourage consumers to buy fuel-efficient cars and the fact that diesel fuel is cheaper in Europe than petrol (unlike in Australia) is a further inducement to European car buyers, who proportionately buy many more diesel vehicles than we do.

Conclusion?  Australian manufacturers are certainly heading in the right direction in terms of making our cars more efficient, but there’s still a huge distance to go on CO2.

Source: www.theaustralian.com.au

Rare Earths & Waste-to-Energy from the Middle Kingdom

Unusual elements called “rare earths” can drive green technologies: Tiny quantities of dysprosium can make magnets in electric motors lighter by 90%, while terbium can help cut the electricity usage of lights by 80%. China is the primary source, where there are also unbounded opportunities for waste to energy projects.

Keith Bradshe for Business Day (27 December 2009):

SOME of the greenest technologies of our time – from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to large wind turbines – are made possible by a group of unusual elements called rare earths. The world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast.

Just one problem – these elements come almost entirely from some of China’s most environmentally damaging mines, in an industry dominated by criminal gangs.

Western capitals are suddenly worried about China’s near monopoly, which gives it a potential stranglehold on technologies of the future. In Washington, Congress has just ordered a study of potential alternatives to the Chinese rare earth materials that are crucial to the US military.

In Guyun Village, a small community in south-eastern China fringed by lush bamboo groves and banana trees, the environmental damage can be seen in the red-brown scars of barren clay where emerald rice fields once grew.

Miners scrape off the topsoil and shovel golden-flecked clay into dirt pits, using acids to extract the rare earths. The acids wash into streams and rivers, destroying rice paddies and tainting water supplies.

There are 17 rare-earth elements, some of which, despite the name, are not particularly rare. However, two heavy rare earth elements, dysprosium and terbium, are in especially short supply, mainly because they have emerged as crucial ingredients of green energy products.

Tiny quantities of dysprosium can make magnets in electric motors lighter by 90 per cent, while terbium can help cut the electricity usage of lights by 80 per cent. Dysprosium prices have climbed nearly sevenfold since 2003, to $53 a pound. Terbium prices quadrupled from 2003 to 2008, peaking at $407.

China mines more than 99 per cent of the world’s dysprosium and terbium. Most production comes from about 200 mines in Guangdong and in neighbouring Jiangxi province.

Half the heavy rare earth mines have licenses and half are illegal. Western importers don’t know where the minerals they buy have come from.

”I don’t know if part of that feed, internal in China, came from an illegal mine and went in a legal separator,” said David Kennedy, president of Great Western Technologies in Michigan, which imports rare earths.

Source: www.businessday.com.au

Susan Kraemer for Reuters World Environment News (30 December 2009):

Here’s an opportunity to wisely spend some of the $100 billion that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised at Copenhagen to cut the greenhouse gases of developing nations by aiding in the development of renewable energy infrastructure to by-pass fossil fuel dependence.

Apparently one in four Chinese cities and seven out of 10 counties are without sewage-treatment plants, according to the People’s Daily. While there are many ways to treat sewage or municipal waste; one of the newest is the use of municipal solid waste to make renewable energy.

Converting waste to energy is done in several ways. One is making bio-gas from sewage (human or animal) to run gas-turbine driven electric power plants.

Another is to create a biofuel, such as that used by nearly every vehicle in Sweden’s fifth largest city Linkoping. Greenhouse gas emissions there were reduced as much as 90% with the technology. It helped Sweden achieve a 9% below-Kyoto emissions cut with simultaneous 44% economic growth.

This presents an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone; by building the infrastructure in the developing world that uses municipal solid waste to make renewable energy. This would cut the greatest source of the rise expected in greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use in the next decades: from fast-developing nations like India and China.

The developed world evolved water treatment technologies well before our knowledge of climate change drove us to invent uses for municipal solid waste as a source of renewable energy with no greenhouse gas emissions.

But now, nations that do not already have any sewage treatment infrastructure in place are well placed to leapfrog the developed world, which is only just starting to tap into waste-to-energy from municipal solid waste, or sewage.

For all kinds of municipal waste-to-energy companies, this presents a huge opportunity. The developed world has pledged $100 billion to develop renewable energy in the developing world. As I noted here, that money is not charity – as it is incorrectly framed in most media reports (previous story), but it will go to the renewable energy companies from those nations that get there first. This waste-to-energy plant pictured is from a New Zealand company that has apparently already built numerous large facilities throughout Asia.

Source: www.planetark.org

GreenBiz.com Gets Excited About Green Initiatives

“Thinking about your company’s green initiatives for 2010, what are you most excited about?” GreenBiz.com, the US-based business voice of the green economy, asks its business friends and partners. Anticipating another year of innovation and forward-thinking, GreenBiz.com shares the tricks some 16 enterprises have up their sleeves.

By GreenBiz Staff

Oakland, California — “Thinking about your company’s green initiatives for 2010, what are you most excited about?”

As the sun began to set on 2009, we asked that question to some of our friends and partners, who were nice enough to share their innovations, commitments, and passions for the coming year. Much like their answers to our earlier question about their greatest green achievements of 2009, this one offered a chance for sustainability leaders to boast a little — or, in some cases, a lot.

That’s a good thing. These individuals — and many of you — have a lot to be proud of. It’s a shame to relegate those achievements to a corporate report or the occasional press release. So, in anticipation of another year of innovation and forward-thinking, we’re pleased to share the tricks some of your colleagues have up their sleeves.

Michelle Mann, SVP, Human Resources, Adobe Systems:

In 2010, one way Adobe will expand its commitment to environmental sustainability is by investing in alternative energy sources. Adobe will install 20 Windspire vertical axis wind turbines at its downtown San Jose headquarters. The energy produced will be used to help power the buildings. Adobe is also exploring the use of natural gas-fired fuel cells. The fuel cells would generate electricity on site from natural gas. Adobe would purchase an equal amount of methane from dairy farms in the Central Valley of Calif. Capturing that methane would keep it from going into the atmosphere and it would then be put it back into the Pacific, Gas & Electric pipeline in the Central Valley, effectively making the energy generated by the fuel cells carbon neutral.

Lynelle Cameron, Director of Sustainability, Autodesk:

Autodesk will be expanding the Clean Tech Partner Program beyond North America to Greater China and potentially parts of Europe in 2010. In North America, the program has granted $150,000 of software to almost 100 early-stage clean-technology companies that are solving some of the earth’s most pressing environmental challenges. The question is whether clean-technology companies will effectively learn from past sustainable design blunders of other industries. Our goal in 2010: to accelerate smart design for “sustainable clean tech.”

Leo Raudys, Senior Director, Environmental Affairs, Best Buy:

I’m eager to see our ambitious consumer electronics recycling program grow, and grow, and grow. We kicked off the program in February of 2009 and feel great about the progress we’ve made so far. By the end of 2009, we collected over 50 million pounds of electronics for recycling. And, it’s been a hit with our customers. 2010 will be even better: more recycling, more innovation, and most importantly, happier customers.

Michael Meehan, President & CEO, Carbonetworks:

Because Carbonetworks provides sustainability management software, all of our initiatives are green — but we are most excited about the market itself in 2010. We have seen an inflection point in the way companies are dealing with carbon and energy reductions, and we are excited to see demand grow very rapidly in our space. For 2010, we have a number of product releases planned that will help our companies achieve their sustainability goals more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever.

Bill Morrissey, VP – Environmental Sustainability, The Clorox Company:

1. LEED certification of our general office building — hope to get this by summer 2010

2. Setting public goals for water and waste reductions — targeting February 2010

3. Issuing our first formal Sustainability report — slated for September 2010

Fred Roselli, Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Enterprises:

We’re most excited about continuing the engagement with our stakeholders, but expanding it up our supply chain. Like most companies, we’re looking to see how we can work better with all of our business partners to green our business, not just the end-users.

Jeff Rehm, Sustainability Manager, Grainger:

As a leading supplier of Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) products and services, Grainger is excited about plans to provide even more sustainable solutions to our customers in 2010. Since the start of 2009, we’ve more than doubled the number of green products we offer and acquired Alliance Energy Solutions (an energy services company) to help us better meet our customer’s sustainability service needs. In addition, we continue to train our sales force on the topic of sustainability as they deliver solutions to those who keep workplaces safe, efficient, and functioning.

Mac Agan, Director of Marketing Corporate Affairs Group, Intel Corp:

There is so much to be excited about! We will see continued Intel investment in energy efficient performance products, measured sustainability gains in operations and innovation in Clean Tech. Our new environment site has rolled out on Intel.com (www.intel.com/intel/environment) – check it out and come back often to find out about the cool things going on at Intel!

Kathy Gerwig, Environmental Stewardship Officer, Kaiser Permanente:

I’m excited about the opportunities with both climate change and safer chemicals. Related to climate change, we will use 2010 to craft a long-term strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in our buildings through both demand (energy efficiency) and supply (renewables) actions. To promote the use of safer chemicals in the products we purchase, we will more broadly apply a robust supplier disclosure mechanism that will help us embed environmental considerations in our product selection.

Marcus Chung, Director, Corporate Citizenship, McKesson Corp:

McKesson will be introducing a companywide paper-reduction campaign to help all our employees connect their daily work with sustainability. With 32,000 employees worldwide, even small changes in behavior can have a huge impact and we’re using this campaign to engage employees at every level of the company. This is a particularly exciting initiative because so many employees want to get involved in our corporate citizenship work, and it’s not always possible for them to play a role. By using a creative, humorous campaign, I hope that we can start to shift all our employees’ mindset to realize that no action is too small and we each play a part in preserving our planet.

Adam Lowry, Co-Founder and Chief Greenskeeper, Method:

Our revolutionary new laundry product, which launches on January 11th. The product is the purest expression, not just of method’s greenness, but of our ability to delight people with truly amazing product experiences. I can’t share the details quite yet, but this product is going to shake up the laundry category in a big way. It is the most innovative and green product we have developed to date.

Kim Marotta, Vice President Corporate Social Responsibility, MillerCoors:

We’re looking forward to building on the environmental priorities we established in 2009, particularly in regards to water. We’ll focus our efforts on making more beer while using less water and will work with our local communities to protect our water resources through investments and volunteerism. We’ll be sharing our environmental story on our new corporate responsibility Web site: GreatBeerGreatResponsibility.com.

Dennis Salazar, President, Salazar Packaging:

In our Globe Guard product line we have accomplished much in the past with 100% recycled content corrugated board, but in 2010 our focus will turn to “reuse” as the forgotten “R” in sustainability. As recycling programs are stalled, underused and undervalued, we believe extending the usable life of some packaging products may be the best way we can contribute to an environmental solution.

Brandi McManus, Vice President of Energy Solutions, Schneider Electric:

I continue to be excited about Schneider Electric’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions, both for our customers and for our own business. Schneider Electric has made the commitment to reduce our annual CO2 emissions by 30,000 tons per year by reducing waste, energy consumption and international freight. That is the equivalent to planting 5 million trees!

Angela Nahikian, Director, Global Environmental Sustainability, Steelcase:

Maybe I’m a hopeless optimist, but I’m most excited about the innovation potential around sustainability within the company — and in general. History has shown that meaningful innovation often follows constrained, sub-optimal conditions. Conditions could not have been much more constrained or sub-optimal for business than during the past couple of years. I see glimpses of things to come and get very excited.

Albe Zakes, Vice President of Media Relations, TerraCycle:

I am most excited about our international expansion. After great success with our Upcycling programs here in the U.S., we are excited to bring our concept to Mexico, Canada, Brazil, the U.K. and soon Europe. It will be exciting to see if we can turn TerraCycle into a worldwide phenomenon. Also, our newly refined ability to turn wrappers into plastic and pouches into cement really mean the sky is the limit.

Stephen H. Wenc, President & Managing Director, UL Environment:

I am most excited about the development of UL Environment’s standards for sustainable products and the companies that make them — the first sustainability standards in Underwriters Laboratories’ 115-year history. We expect to publish standards for products like wallboard, ceiling materials and systems, insulation, roofing materials, doors and windows. I am looking forward to working with industry, retailers, consumers, regulators and other key stakeholders like the U.S. Green Building Council to create standards that will help define what makes a product green, reduce confusion and greenwashing in the marketplace, and encourage innovation.

GreenBiz.com™, Business Voice of the Green Economy, is the leading source for news, opinion, best practices, and other resources on the greening of mainstream business. Launched in 2000, its mission is to provide clear, concise, accurate, and balanced information, resources, and learning opportunities to help companies of all sizes and sectors integrate environmental responsibility into their operations in a manner that supports profitable business practices.

Source: www.greenbiz.com

Carbon Pricing for  Energy Efficiency &  Cutting Emissions

Singapore announced a more ambitious plan to cut carbon emissions growth by 16%, based on levels projected for 2020 and by 2030, 80% of all buildings will be energy efficient, with energy consumption cut by one third. But author Tim Harford says until there is a broad-based, credible carbon price as the foundation of any successful policy on climate change, we will all have trouble deciding how we can make a difference.

By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia (26 December 2009):

Singapore introduces key measures to fight climate change

SINGAPORE : 2009 has been called the Year of Climate Change by the United Nations. And in Singapore, major initiatives were introduced to tackle global warming.

Blame the heavy monsoon rains on climate change, according to the weatherman. A warmer climate traps moisture in the atmosphere, bringing more intense rain and a higher likelihood of floods.

For residents of Bukit Timah, the problem of climate change hit home – literally – in November, when a freak downpour caused a canal to spill over, resulting in severe floods in the area.

One resident said: “The water does not go through, so the water has come all the way up, going into the restaurant. There is no solution.”

But there may be a way out.

In April, authorities unveiled a billion-dollar blueprint to map out how Singapore can develop in a sustainable manner. By 2030 for example, 80 per cent of buildings here will be energy efficient, and energy consumption will be cut by one third.

In December, the government announced a more ambitious plan to cut carbon emissions growth by 16 per cent, based on levels projected for 2020.

Professor S Jayakumar, Senior Minister and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change, said: “The measures which we will take to reduce our emissions growth will entail both economic and social costs and will require considerable domestic adjustments.”

At the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on developed nations to take the lead in reducing carbon emissions.

He said: “They must also ensure adequate means to help developing countries to implement urgently needed adaptation measures without compromising sustainable economic growth.”

But some observers said Singapore should do more.

Associate Professor Shreekant Gupta, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, said: “Its total emissions are small, but in per capita terms, its ecological footprint is actually quite heavy. Singapore emits on average 10 tonnes per person, which is as high as the EU.

“It should be focused on promoting carbon markets and in general reducing the ecological footprint of the country – more of reduce, recycle and re-use.”

Professor Gupta wants to see bigger investments in green technologies, like solar power.

City planners have begun a S$31 million pilot programme to install solar panels in 28 public housing estates. And they too hope that it could shine further light into how the sun’s energy can be better tapped to power up our homes. – CNA/ms

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

By Tim Harford in Financial Times (2 January 2010):

Those of us resolving to lead a lower-carbon life in 2010 could do worse than acquire a copy of Prashant Vaze’s new book, The Economical Environmentalist, in which the author picks over the fine details of his life. He works out how much CO2 he could save by driving more slowly, installing loft insulation or becoming a vegetarian. The result will be a little dense for some, but it is delightfully geeky and has the virtue of being right more often than not.

This virtue is underrated. Environmentalists have been slow to realise that the fashionable eco-lifestyle is riddled with contradictions. The one that particularly exasperates me is the “food miles” obsession, whereby we eschew tomatoes from Spain and roses flown in from Kenya, in favour of local products grown in a heated greenhouse with a far greater carbon footprint.

Other less-than-obvious truths are: that pork and chicken have substantially lower carbon footprints than beef and lamb (yes, even organic beef and lamb); that milk and cheese also have a substantial footprint; that dishwashers are typically more efficient than washing dishes by hand; and that eco-friendly washing powders may be distinctly eco-unfriendly because they tend to tempt people to use hotter washes.

My conclusion is that a well-meaning environmentalist will make counterproductive decisions several times a day. I don’t blame the environmentalists: the problem is intrinsically complicated. Over a vegetarian curry in London recently, Vaze ruefully described to me the “six bloody months” he spent trying to research an eco-renovation of his home.

Even the experts can tie themselves in knots. Duncan Clark, author of The Rough Guide to Green Living, unveiled “10 eco-myths” in a Guardian podcast in November. Many of them were well chosen, but unfortunately his number one “myth” was not a myth at all: that switching off lights will reduce CO2 emissions. Clark’s logic is seductive: some European carbon emissions, including those generated by electricity, are subject to a cap. Clark is right to say that conserving electricity will allow other sectors to take up the resulting slack, because they will be able to buy permits to emit more cheaply than if we left our lights blazing.

Where Clark goes wrong is in assuming the cap will remain fixed forever. If we all turn out our lights, the price of permits will fall and politicians will find it politically easier to tighten the cap. So, keep installing those energy-efficient light bulbs. (Another less-than-obvious truth is that it’s not worth waiting for your old bulbs to burn out before you fit the new ones.)

After picking through the ideas of Vaze, Clark, David MacKay (a Cambridge physicist) and others, my view is that it is hopeless to expect that volunteers will navigate this maze of decisions.

That is why a broad-based, credible carbon price will be the foundation of any successful policy on climate change. The price would affect the cost of every decision we make; it would take away the guesswork. Current carbon pricing schemes, such as the European emissions trading scheme, are a good start, but they leave out too many sectors, and permits are too cheap.

And a final admission: not every feature of the low-carbon lifestyle is impossibly obscure. I felt rather smug when I realised I could stop drinking cappuccino in favour of espresso, saving 90kg of CO2 a year. Then I totted up my carbon footprint from air travel in 2009. It is the equivalent of almost 50 tonnes of CO2 – or more than the entire footprint of a typical British family of three. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how to shrink that particular footprint. This year I shall do better.

Tim Harford’s latest book is ‘Dear Undercover Economist’ (Little, Brown)

Source: www.ft.com

Greenhouse Shows Woodford is More than a Folk Festival

The extremely efficient and insightful GREENhouse program at Woodford Folk Festival from 27 December to 1 January involved 43 sessions and more than 50 speakers, including scientists, authors, intellectuals, environmentalists, inventors and politicians. Ken Hickson joined Dr Mike Smith and Ulrike Schuermann to discuss Business’s Role in the Future on 31 December. 

Here’s the essence of Ken Hickson’s paper. A pdf of the Powerpoint is available on www.abccarbon.com and most of the presentations at Greenhouse can be found on www.greenhouse.org.au

Where’s the climate change strategy? Ken Hickson asked in his presentation in the Greenhouse session on Business’s Role in the Future.

1. Carbon and climate are on a collision course and there’s been a serious communication breakdown in developing and presenting climate change awareness and action. Therefore it cannot be left to the scientific community or Governments. In his book The ABC of Carbon as well as through abc carbon express he regularly draws attention to climate change impacts on countries and companies. What is essential is corporate sustainability and greening of the workplace. All this must be directed towards creating a low carbon economy.
2. Cartoon showing a Noah’s Ark positioned on the top of Mount Everest, surrounded by rising seas! The sign board says: Climate Change Summit 2040 Mount Everest. The keynote speaker announces: “We finally have a binding international agreement to control greenhouse gases!”
3. Dr David Susuki, Canadian environmentalist, geneticist , broadcaster and author says:

“We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends… the signs of change have accelerated alarmingly.

“The vast majority of the world’s scientists will only admit to being 90% certain that our carbon emissions are causing global warming on such a scale that we face global catastrophe if we fail to change our ways.

“If nine out of 10 doctors said your child needed an immediate operation, would you wait until all 10 agreed?”

1. Case studies – best practices by business globally and in Australia
2. I is for Interface, the largest carpet manufacture in the world, with Seven Steps to Mission Zero:   Zero Waste , Benign Emissions , Renewable Energy , Close The Loop, Resource Efficient Transportation, Sensitivity Hookup  & Redesign Commerce.

Run by Ray Anderson, Time Magazine Environmental Hero, interviewed on ABC and Sky News and occasional visitor to Australia.

InterfaceFLOR’s Mission Zero™ is simple – it is our pledge to leave zero footprint by the year 2020.

1. N is for News and News Corp – the world’s largest media organisation – Fox, News Limited and many more.

Rupert Murdoch announced March 2007 that News Corp would be carbon neutral by 2010.

News Limited to save around 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases across Australia.

In its first year, One Degree campaign had exceeded targets – reducing own carbon footprint, inspiring staff and community to take action.

News Limited has so far identified around 125 new initiatives to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, to be carbon neutral by 2010.

1. V is for Virgin – Sir Richard Branson and his Virgin empire.

The profits from his five airlines and train company – US$3 billion through the next 10 years -  be invested in developing energy sources that do not contribute to global warming.

Virgin Group of 200 companies are seeking ways to save energy or produce fuels, including aviation fuel, not derived from coal and oil.

“It is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world. We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment.”   Branson

1. W is for Wind and Wave Energy

More people employed in wind energy business than in coal industry in the US.

In Western Australia, Carnegie Corporation is developing the most innovative wave energy project, combined with a desalination plant.

Wave energy can generate at least 35% of Australia’s power needs.

The southern coasts have a potential wave energy resource of up to 171,000 MW, four times the total capacity of power generators currently installed nationwide.

1. Climate Change/Carbon New Business Categories:

Ken Has identified 18 new categories of business which have developed on the past 2 years:

1.  
   1. Investment advisors & brokers – Carbon Value, Macquarie
   2. Carbon offset providers/facilitators – Carbon Planet, Climate Friendly
   3. Educators/trainers– Sustainability Challenge, Change2
   4. Carbon trading for voluntary & mandatory markets – GCX, FEX, ACX
   5. Providers/organisers of carbon credits – Prime Carbon, Carbon Conscious
   6. Renewable energy initiators – Carnegie, Ceramic Fuel Cells, Ausra
   7. Commercialisation & financial investors – Austrade, Banks
   8. Building & property advisory services– Ecospecifier, FWR Group
   9. Adaptation advisors and engineers – Climate Risk, Arup, Hatch
   10. Management consultants (adaptation & mitigation) – KPMG, PWC, EY
   11. Energy efficiency advice & audit services – Fieldforce, Govt agencies/assessors
   12. Measurement & reporting software providers – EnviroChart, CarbonView
   13. Communication advice & services – ThomsonReuters, Carbon Market
   14. Clean energy providers – Origin, AGL, Energex, Ergon
   15. Clean transport & infrastructure providers/advisors – Better Place, EcoMotion
   16. Green products & services – ecoKinetics, Envirofriendly, eNerwise
   17. Specialist media – Green Pages, Eco Voice, abc carbon express, ecogeneration
   18. Carbon farming/biosequestration – BDM, Soil Carbon, VRM
2. Is it pie in the sky for Australia to achieve a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020? or do we have to settle for a pathetic 5%?

What can business do to prevent disastrous warming, extreme weather & greater climate risk?

1. Ken sets out his proposal for a 5 x 5 = 25 strategy (also illustrated in pie graph form):

CPRS as simple as ABC. As each of the five sectors is responsible for approximately 20% of the nation’s emissions, each sector is required to produce emissions reductions of 25% in each sector which amounts to 5% of the total emissions reductions, making a national 25% reduction is emissions quite feasible.

a.    Industry emissions reductions

1. Buildings & energy efficiency
2. Switching to renewable energy
3. Land use, farming & forestry
4. Transportation comes clean
5. a.     Communication/education is the key
6. b.    Opportunities to work with business
7. c.      Develop good green best practices
8. d.     Partnerships will prosper
9. e.      Business must provide leadership
10. f.       Positively promote sustainability

1. Ken also proposes setting up a one stop shop for climate change consumer education & energy efficiency, modelled on Choice, the national consumer organisation. He has also been instrumental in setting up a new global NGO for communicators – GECO – Green Earth Communicators Organisation.
2. Ken has suggested to Queensland’s Minister of Climate Change and Sustainability Kate Jones that he bring together all the enterprising innovators in the State to showcase its green capability. This will happen in February. The enterprises will include: the FWR Group, eNerwise, Q solar, Little Green Genie, Climate First, Wind Power Queensland, eco-Kinetics, My Clean Sky, Envirofriendly, Greenfest, Prime Carbon, Ecospecifier, Super Green Me, and Sustainable Insight. (More will be invited and others are welcome to propose participation.)
3. Ken sums up his presentation thus:

Source:   www.abccarbon.com

Many Walls & Roofs Make Light Work

Wall lighting that is two and a half times more efficient than energy saving bulbs could make a big contribution to meeting Britain’s target of cutting carbon emissions by 34% by 2020, while the Sunshine Coast Environment Council announces an initiative to launch the 10 000 solar roof challenge together with Maleny Credit Union and Ingenero.

Ben Webster, Environment Editor, The Times (30 December 2009):

Organic LEDs could kill off the light bulb, first created by Thomas Edison

Light-emitting wallpaper may begin to replace light bulbs from 2012, according to a government body that supports low-carbon technology.

A chemical coating on the walls will illuminate all parts of the room with an even glow, which mimics sunlight and avoids the shadows and glare of conventional bulbs.

Although an electrical current will be used to stimulate the chemicals to produce light, the voltage will be very low and the walls will be safe to touch. Dimmer switches will control brightness, as with traditional lighting.

The Carbon Trust has awarded a £454,000 grant to Lomox, a Welsh company that is developing the organic light-emitting diode technology. The trust said it would be two and a half times more efficient than energy saving bulbs and could make a big contribution to meeting Britain’s target of cutting carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020. Indoor lighting accounts for a sixth of total electricity use.

The chemical coating, which can be applied in the form of specially treated wallpaper or simply painted straight on to walls, can also be used for flat-screen televisions, computers and mobile phone displays.

As the system uses only between three and five volts, it can be powered by solar panels or batteries. Lomox, which will use the grant to prove the durability of the technology, believes it could be used in the first instance to illuminate road signs or barriers where there is no mains electricity.

Ken Lacey, the chief executive of Lomox, said that the first products would go on sale in 2012. “The light is a very natural, sunlight-type of lighting with the full colour range. It gives you all kinds of potential for how you do lighting,” he said.

Although organic light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been available for several years, Mr Lacey said that concerns over cost and durability had prevented further development. He said that Lomox had developed a much cheaper process and discovered a combination of chemicals that were not vulnerable to the oxidation that shortened the operating life span of other types of organic LEDs.

Mr Lacey said the technology could be used to make flexible screens that could be rolled up after use, or carried into a presentation, for example.

Mark Williamson, director of innovations at the Carbon Trust, said: “Lighting is a major producer of carbon emissions. This technology has the potential to produce ultra-efficient lighting for a wide range of applications, tapping into a huge global market.

“It’s a great example of the innovation that makes the UK a hotbed of clean technology development.”

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Maleny Credit Union supports SCEC Solar Challenge

The Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC) announces an initiative to launch the 10,000 solar roofs challenge (over 3 years) to residents on the Coast together with Maleny Credit Union and Ingenero.

Maleny Credit Union (MCU) throughout its 26 year history has been a strong supporter of financial initiatives to preserve our precious environment through its design of innovative loan products linked to environmental loan purposes.

Greg Stevens CEO Maleny Credit Union said “MCU was thrilled to be approached by the Sunshine Coast Environment Council (SCEC) to participate in its initiative to launch 10,000 solar roofs challenge (over 3 years) to residents on the Sunshine Coast together with Ingenero, a locally based solar provider.

“Together with Ingenero, the Credit Union designed the MCU Solar Loan, designed to have power savings to contribute to loan repayments over a 10 year loan term. The MCU Solar Loan was designed to be a low cost loan to assist householders obtain a loan for either or both the installation of PV and/or Solar hot water.”

The key features of the MCU Solar loan are:

•           Unsecured Personal Loan;

•           No application or ongoing or exit fees or early repayment penalties;

•           10 year loan term;

•           Attractive variable loan rate of 7.99% p.a. (comparison rate 7.99% p.a.);

 “The Credit Union is proud to be associated with this Solar initiative to increase the use of renewable energy”, said Greg Stevens CEO Maleny Credit Union.

Source: www.viewnews.com.au and www.ingenero.com.au