Urban Green Energy and GE have unveiled the world’s first integrated wind-powered electric vehicle charging station. The innovative Sanya Skypump pairs UGE’s cutting-edge vertical wind turbines with GE’s electric vehicle (EV) charging technology to offer completely clean energy to power electric vehicles. For more news and demonstrations of advances in Renewable Energy technology and systems, visit the Clean Energy Expo Asia in Bangkok 12-14 September. Read More

News from Clean Energy Expo Asia 2012

Impacting the future of clean energy in Asia

Despite the uncertainty over economic growth and policy priorities in developed economies, global new investment in renewables rose 17 percent to a record US$257 billion in 20111.This was more than six times the figure for 2004 and almost twice the total investment in 2007.

In Asia, where some of the fastest developing economies are located, renewable energy presents a viable option to meet ever increasing energy demand. With its abundance of natural resources, governments across Asia are putting in place strategies to decrease reliance on fossil fuel and promote the development of clean energy sources.

To further drive the momentum and enthusiasm in clean energy development in the region, Clean Energy Expo Asia 2012 returns this year, with a bigger showcase from leading players in clean energy financing, project development and technology innovation. From 12 – 14 September 2012, leaders in clean energy will gather at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand for the fourth edition of the premier Trade Fair and Conference for clean energy solutions.

“Renewable and sustainable energy remains a key concern globally and a top priority in the region. Asia is rapidly moving to establish robust energy policies that will drive the future of clean energy in the region. This year, Clean Energy Expo Asia makes its way to Thailand, aligning itself with the flourishing clean energy landscape in the Greater Mekong subregion. Thailand is fast emerging as a hub for clean energy project development and the growing number of clean energy projects in the neighboring ASEAN countries further underlines the nation’s role in advancing clean energy solutions. Staging Clean Energy Expo Asia in Thailand brings participants closer to the rising opportunities in these markets,” said Mr. Michael Dreyer, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Koelnmesse.

“As the government agency operating directly under the Prime Minister’s Office, Thailand’s Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is responsible for promoting Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions. Exhibitions are vital to the country’s economy and industry development. Clean Energy Expo Asia 2012 adds to TCEB‘s success in attracting a major regional show to Thailand for the first time.

Clean Energy Expo Asia’s show profile fits into Thailand’s national agenda in energy and it brings limitless potential to ASEAN. As such, TCEB is working closely as a consultant and partner with the organizer; Koelnmesse to provide full event support. This includes market study support, links to private sectors and government agencies, as well as being part of the buyer appreciation program: Be My Guest. This program seeks to attract potential international buyers to CEEA 2012”, said Mrs. Supawan Teerarat, Exhibition Director of TCEB.

A showcase of leading-edge innovations and opportunities Clean Energy Expo Asia’s Trade Fair continues to attract international exhibitors from countries and regions including China, Germany, Taiwan and Singapore. Leading companies such as Conergy, National Instruments, Phoenix Solar and Versol Solar have confirmed their participation. .

Host country Thailand will be making their debut at the show, with over 15 companies participating independently and in the pavilion hosted by the Renewable Energy Industry Club, Federation of Thai Industries. Among the leading players participating at the Pavilion are Royal Equipment Co., Ltd and Asia Biomass Co. Ltd.

“CEEA 2012 will further accelerate Thailand’s plans of becoming a leader in the renewable energy landscape in Asia. Our collaboration with Koelnmesse combines the expertise of a well-known organizer of global trade fairs and conferences with Thailand’s strong pipeline of renewable energy projects. The Renewable Energy Industry Club of the Federation of Thai Industries and its members strongly support CEEA 2012 through our participation in the exhibition pavilion and conference as well as through the organization of the technical visits and clinics,” said Mr. Phichai Tinsuntisook, Chairman, Renewable Energy Industry Club, Federation of Thai Industries.

China will also be well represented on the Trade Floor this year. Among those exhibiting for the first time at Clean Energy Expo Asia is China’s Yunnan Tianda Photovoltaic Co., Ltd., one of the first and largest professional companies in China that provides solar modules and photovoltaic systems.

Advancing the discussion on clean energy solutions

This year will see the introduction of the Renewable Clinic, a new business segment that facilitates renewable energy and energy efficiency developments in Thailand. Throughout the duration of the event, delegates who are embarking on new clean energy and energy efficiency projects in the country can book a 15-minute meeting slot with an expert of their choice. Over 20 renewable energy experts will be available on-site to provide expert advice on project management, visualization, planning, due diligence, resource assessment, as well as feasibility studies and post-planning considerations to keen project developers. .

Technical site visits to demonstrate the importance of renewable energy Another first at Clean Energy Expo Asia is the technical site visit to two renewable energy plants. To be held on 15 September, the full-day site visit to the Gunkul Solar Power Plant and the Dan Chang Bio Energy Plant offers an opportunity for delegates from across the globe to have a glimpse into the state of renewable energy development in the nation, while sharing the opportunities and challenges in renewable energy in Thailand.

Located in Dong-Khon, Sankhaburi in the Chainat province, Gunkul Solar Power Plant, the leading producer of solar energy in Thailand, will showcase its zero carbon emission operation to delegates during the site visit. Similarly, Dan Chang Bio-Energy Co., Ltd will share with delegates how its power plant utilizes bagasse, a byproduct from the Mitr Phol sugar mill situated next to it, to generate steam and electrical power. Dan Chang Power Plant also purchases agricultural waste from surrounding farms to increase the community’s income and reduce waste. In total, Dan Chang Power Plant has successfully saved up to 100 million liters of oil used for power generation and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 250,000 tonnes.

Leading the conversation on renewable energy

This year, the Clean Energy Expo Asia Conference’s three plenary sessions and 25 tracks will delve into the business, finance, policy and commercialization aspects of sustainable energy. Two new tracks this year will focus on cleantech public relations. Targeted at communicators and key business leaders, the sessions, Media Communications for Energy and Environmental Issues and The “Do’s And Dont’s” of Communicating Energy and Environmental Topics will provide insights into how companies can improve their communications strategy for environmental issues.

Clean Energy Expo Asia’s keynote will be presented by Mr. S. Chander, Director General, Regional and Sustainable Development Department of the Asian Development Bank, who will speak on Building the Clean Energy Foundation and the Global Outlook. This will be followed by the opening plenary, Shaping a

Game Changing Business: The Future of Clean Energy in Asia. Featuring a panel of international industry experts, the plenary will be moderated by Dr. Chris Hartshorn, Vice President – Research of Lux Research.

Financing and commercialization of sustainable energy projects are in the spotlight this year with sessions such as, Analyzing and Structuring Energy Efficiency Projects For Greater Positioning, Renewable Project Finance: Mission Critical Success Factors; Mobilizing Renewable Funds: Exploring Financing Sources and Innovative Mechanisms; and Bridging the Finance Gap. These sessions will shed light on developing sustainable energy project plans and ways to ensure the right funding to bring these plans to life.

In total, participants can expect to meet and hear from close to 100 leading players from around the world in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development. These include Mr Alexander Lenz, President – South East Asia & Middle East, Conergy Asia and ME Pte Ltd; Dr Bartosz Wojszczyk, Managing Director, Global Business Growth & Strategy, GE Energy; Mr Carl Kukkone, Chief Executive Officer, VIASPACE Inc; Ms Pauline Chong, Associate Director, Renewable Energy & Environment Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, Mr Terry Fry, Senior Vice-President for Demand Management and Energy Efficiency, Nexant and Ms. Wandee Khunchornyakong, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SPCG Public Company Limited.

Last year’s Clean Energy Expo Asia featured over 170 exhibitors and drew more than 5,200 participants from 62 countries.

Source: www.cleanenergyexpoasia.com.

In Autoblog Green (14 August  2012):

Urban Green Energy and GE Announce First Sanya Skypump Installation

World’s First Integrated Wind-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installed in Barcelona

Urban Green Energy (UGE) and GE (NYSE: GE) have unveiled the world’s first integrated wind-powered electric vehicle charging station. The innovative Sanya Skypump pairs UGE’s cutting-edge vertical wind turbines with GE’s electric vehicle (EV) charging technology to offer completely clean energy to power electric vehicles.

Installed by UGE Iberia, the Spanish branch of New York-based Urban Green Energy, the first wind-powered EV charging station is located at Cespa’s global headquarters near Barcelona. Cespa is the environmental services subsidiary of Ferrovial Servicios, the world’s largest private transportation infrastructure investor.

More Sanya Skypumps will be installed later this year in the U.S. and Australia at shopping malls, universities and other locations.

The integrated system incorporates both the energy production capacity of UGE’s 4K wind turbine and the EV charging capability of the GE Durastation in a single unit, with all required electrical systems located within the tower.

Designed for commercial and government customers, the Sanya Skypump combines environmental benefits with a strong statement to customers and the public.

“Since launching the Sanya Skypump, we have received inquiries from companies around the world that are looking to embrace sustainability,” said Nick Blitterswyk, CEO of UGE. “The Sanya Skypump is one of those rare products that enable institutions to demonstrate their commitment to the environment while providing a really useful service as well.”

The Sanya Skypump delivers power through a GE DuraStation EV charger, which enables faster charging using higher voltages.

Charles Elazar, marketing director of GE Energy Management’s Industrial Solutions business in Europe, says, “GE is launching a family of electric vehicle charging systems in Europe offering domestic and commercial users a range of easy-to-use, flexible systems to help make electric vehicles a practical, everyday reality.”

GE is a keen supporter of electric vehicles and has announced plans to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for use as company cars and to lease to corporate customers through its Fleet Services business.

About Urban Green Energy

With installations in over 65 countries, including installations for several government agencies and Fortune 100 companies, UGE is changing the face of distributed renewable energy. UGE puts users in control of their energy source by designing and manufacturing more versatile wind turbines and hybrid wind/solar systems for use in applications ranging from residential to commercial, from suburban US homeowners to off-grid telecoms towers in rural Africa. Visit www.urbangreenenergy.com today to learn how together we can create a greener tomorrow.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.

GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

Source: www.green.autoblog.com

A new research facility was recently set up at the University of Sydney to study ways to improve energy consumption at homes and workplaces in Australia and internationally. Australia’s first comfort laboratory aims to find the balance between optimum indoor condition and energy required to achieve that. And with developments from a Queensland University of Technology researcher, the energy required may turn out to be negligible with a solar cooling and heating system that is designed to run independently of the electricity grid. Read more

In Sustainability Matters (31 August 2012):

University of Sydney researchers will be looking for ways to slash one of the world’s biggest single sources of energy consumption – the heating and cooling of buildings – at a state-of-the-art new laboratory.

Australia’s first comfort laboratory, a research facility that will also improve homes and workplaces in Australia and internationally, was opened today by Greg Combet, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and Minister for Industry and Innovation.

Professor Richard de Dear, Director of the laboratory, said: “We now spend an average of 90% of our time indoors. By helping us understand how humans react to temperature, light and sound in an office or at home, this laboratory will let us improve the quality and comfort of that time.

“While there is a widespread belief that the ‘optimal temperature’ for human productivity is 21.5°C, a figure that has been enshrined in many tenancy contracts, there is no scientific basis to this belief.”

He added: “By understanding the most efficient way to provide comfort, we can also lower energy and other resource costs. This has significant impacts on the sustainability of Australian businesses, drives productivity and increases our competitiveness in the low-carbon future.”

The laboratory consists of two rooms fitted with a multitude of sensors and controls, allowing researchers to control indoor conditions such as temperature, ventilation, airflow and direction, acoustics and lighting level, direction and intensity. As these conditions change, researchers will monitor occupants’ impressions of comfort.

The comfort laboratory is the cornerstone of the University of Sydney’s research into indoor environmental quality (IEQ), a field of architecture and design science that combines psychology, physiology, sustainability and architecture to investigate how sustainability and human experiences influence productivity at work and comfort at home.

The laboratory is located at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning. The Dean of the Faculty, Professor John Redmond, said: “The comfort laboratory will draw on the faculty’s expertise in architecture, lighting, acoustics and sustainable design. This facility presents a unique opportunity for Australian research and a competitive edge in the global market.”

Professor de Dear is an internationally renowned expert in IEQ and thermal comfort. His work forms the backbone of national and international energy-efficiency and building standards.

In Sustainability Matters (30 August 2012):

A Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researcher is developing a solar cooling and heating system for the home that will run independently of the electricity grid and generate domestic hot water as a by-product.

Paolo Corrada, a PhD student in QUT’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, said the system he has designed cuts energy consumption by 90%.

“My target is to make it 100% so that the system is self-sufficient to run off the main grid, costing the homeowners nothing to run,” Corrada said.

“Heating and cooling account for about 65% of energy consumption in a house, whereas cooking accounts for only 6% so it is easy to see why air-conditioning devices are the main targets to reduce our energy consumption.”

He said the system is based on the use of an absorption chiller which is a well-proven, efficient technology.

“An absorption chiller uses a chemical process to reject heat and, when using waste heat or heat generated by renewable energy, is more effective than the more common mechanical process of vapour compression at deflecting heat.

“By using renewable energy from the sun we are providing an excellent technology to slash power consumption and the peak demand, especially in subtropical remote areas.

“The design is revolutionary because it incorporates also a desiccant wheel to remove moisture from the air and it uses the rejected heat from the absorption chiller to regenerate itself and to produce hot water for the house.”

Corrada said the combination of the two technologies together increases the unit’s efficiency by 40% when compared with the current solar cooling systems on the market.

He added that the system’s innovative design meant it was also much quieter because it used a small pump instead of a compressor like the standard split systems.

Source: www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au

Sustainable development and eco-tourism are getting a welcome boost from two quarters: the Banyan Tree Group and the Eco Flores Network. Nina van Toulon is the driving force behind the first ever Eco Flores Congress will be held from 26-29 September in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, providing a forum to stimulate sustainability efforts throughout the island group. And Banyan Tree has renewed its partnership with EarthCheck, to achieve the highest level of sustainable operations, incorporating scientific reporting to an international standard. Read More

Media announcement (31 August 2011):

Banyan Tree Group, a leading developer and manager of premium resorts, hotels, spas, galleries, and golf courses signed two key agreements today, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable tourism development.

The commercialised arm of Banyan Tree, GPS Development Services (GPS), which provides development and technical expertise internally within the Group as well as to external parties, signed a memorandum of understanding with EC3 Global, the international environmental management and certification company that owns and manages the EarthCheck program.

As the first Singapore-based company to officially partner with EC3 Global, GPS is now able to deliver end-to-end sustainable tourism development services and expertise to external parties, overseeing the entire process.  Through their successful implementation of sustainable projects for Banyan Tree’s portfolio of properties, GPS will leverage on their expertise in project planning, development management, green technical advisory and engineering technology, while EC3 Global will contribute its expertise on engaged destination management, building and precinct planning and design standards, community and destination master planning and certification.

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Stewart Moore, CEO of EC3 Global and EarthCheck, said, “The sustainability challenges of tomorrow will demand a new set of professional design skills and innovation. The partnership with GPS will offer our clients an integrated set of planning and design solutions.”

This partnership represents a key milestone for Banyan Tree as it enables GPS to leverage on EC3 Global’s extensive portfolio of over 1,300 hospitality and travel clients in 73 countries, bringing additional revenue streams to the Group. “With this alliance, GPS is able to ramp up its pipeline of external clients in new markets and work together with EC3 to offer a multidisciplinary team that can provide end-to-end solutions for our clients,” said Ms. Lim See Bee, Executive Director of GPS. She added, “This partnership also enables GPS to provide confidence to development approval agencies that all aspects of the project have been considered through an independent assessment of sustainability performance.”

In the second agreement signed, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts renewed their partnership with EarthCheck, confirming an ongoing commitment to the highest level of sustainable operations with year-on-year performance measurement verified by a third party and scientific reporting to an international standard. EC3 Global owns and manages the EarthCheck benchmarking and certification program that assists businesses in the travel and tourism sector to monitor and reduce their environmental impacts in the core areas of energy, water, waste, community, paper, cleaning and pesticides.

Building on its existing sustainability programme, Banyan Tree will continue extending the Group’s participation in EarthCheck, with a view to have Banyan Tree and Angsana branded resorts certified and supported by expanded capacity building frameworks. As of August 2012, 16 resorts are already part of the EarthCheck program.

In April 2012, Banyan Tree Lijiang became the first resort in China to achieve EarthCheck Gold Certified status. Five resorts have achieved Bronze Benchmarked status (Banyan Tree Ungasan, Banyan Tree Ringha, Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Angsana Velavaru, and Angsana Ihuru) and are pursuing Silver Certification.

Seven more resorts are working towards achieving EarthCheck benchmarked status including Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Mexico, Banyan Tree Bintan in Indonesia, Banyan Tree Madivaru in Maldives, Banyan Tree Seychelles, Banyan Tree Bangkok, Angsana Bintan, and Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel in Laos. Additionally, Banyan Tree Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket, and five other elements of Laguna Phuket are pursuing EarthCheck Benchmarked status as part of the precinct of Laguna Phuket’s sustainability efforts.

Proudly commenting on the renewal of the partnership, Mr. Abid Butt, CEO, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts said, “We are encouraged by the performance of our resorts respective to industry baselines and best practice levels, and are proud of their dedication to bettering the community and environment in which each resort resides.  We are enthusiastic about the market intelligence EarthCheck’s data provides which allows us to continue working to be a leader within sustainable tourism.”

“This collaboration reinforces our commitment to engage stakeholders of all levels within the development process, and deliver sustainable solutions regardless of the project’s scale or the level of local regulatory infrastructure supporting sustainable development, “ summed up Ms. Claire Chiang, Co-Founder of Banyan Tree Holdings and Chairperson for Banyan Tree Global Foundation.

Congratulating Banyan Tree on their continued commitment to sustainable development and triple bottom line reporting, Stewart Moore said, “Banyan Tree is regarded as a market leader and we are proud to maintain our partnership with the company and have more properties certified with the EarthCheck program.”

Source: www.banyantree.com

Gaia Discovery (26 August 2012):

Turning big dreams into reality is never easy particularly when you’re talking about the complex subject of sustainability. One lady who’s not letting this deter her from her mission to build a more sustainable future for Flores, Indonesia is Nina van Toulon. Sam Tyers reveals the story behind this inspirational change-maker.

Entrepreneur, mother, long term environmental campaigner, Nina is the inspiration and Founder behind The Eco Flores Network. She is no newcomer to advocacy and humanitarian work, having previously founded an orphanage fund in Ningbo, China 1993-1997, and organized educational and green initiatives in her hometown in Enspijk, Netherlands. So it comes naturally for her to follow her dreams and start The Eco Flores Network to inspire a sustainable approach to the future of Flores.

When you dream big, realists, with every good intention, try to steer you away from failure, by reminding you of the difficulty, the risk, and the customary ways of doing things that ought to be followed. Since Nina began the groundwork for Eco Flores in 2011 she has listened carefully to these voices of concern and calmly replied, “Yes, but we just do it.”

Nina’s dream began when she first visited Indonesia over 20 years ago as a traveler. In awe of the beauty and nature she found she began dreaming of someday moving to Bali. Over time her vision changed after feeling disappointed with South Bali’s urban sprawl and her focus shifted to the more remote location of Flores.

Located in the Indonesian archipelago, the island Flores is part of the eastern islands, Nusa Tenggara Timur and offers a stunning ecosystem of mountains, jungle, sandy beaches and a vibrant and world renowned underwater world. With a rich cultural history and breathtaking natural wonders Flores is blessed with innumerable options for the development of eco tourism.

In 2010 Nina bought land along Waecicu Bay on Flores, with the hopes of building a small eco-hotel with twelve rooms that could support her and provide employment to young people from Indonesia who have come to call her “mom.” But as she planned to move to Flores from the Netherlands, she became concerned as she watched Labuan Bajo rapidly develop from a small fishing port to a tourist hub.

Many people were moving there with the hope of benefiting from the growing opportunities from tourism, but sadly rapid development was leading to concerns about waste management (particularly plastics), health care, and education. Instead of constructing a small hotel, Nina moved her attention and focus to establishing the Eco Flores Network. She hopes to build two or three family cottages on her land instead so as not to put the heat on the already fast moving tourism development on Flores.

Not one to sit back and just watch this happen, Nina began working with local community organiser Papa Joe to publicize his work with Plasticman, a volunteer initiative works to recycle Labuan Bajo’s growing plastic waste, and raise the profile of some of the challenges faced by the development of tourism.

While this partnership was making a difference, it wasn’t enough for Nina, or for Flores. She knew there needed to be coordinated action on a broader scale to change the course of development in Labuan Bajo, and Flores more broadly, hence the founding of the Eco Flores Foundation.

The aim of the Foundation is to promote networking, share expertise, and facilitate a coordinated approach for the long term sustainability of Flores. Nina’s vision was to achieve this through two main goals. The first, to identify and address the immediate issues that have emerged out of modern development on the island. The second, to promote a green movement based around ecotourism, which as the backbone of the island’s economy will underlie the extent to which sustainability is achieved on Flores in the future.

In the last year The Eco Flores Network evolved out of the Foundations work to promote and connect those interested in the long-term sustainability of the economy, environment, and cultures of the island of Flores. The Network now not only links hundreds of local individuals, communities, projects, organizations, businesses, and government offices, but also connects this local community with growing numbers of relevant Indonesian and International academic, research and technical experts.

While this was an incredible achievement over such a short space of time, Nina was very aware that she didn’t just want the Network to just be another talking shop, she wanted it to produce action. And so the Eco Flores Congress was born.

The Eco Flores Congress

The first ever Eco Flores Congress will be held from September 26-29, 2012 in Labuan Bajo to catalyse and officially facilitate the coordination of the work of The Eco Flores Network. The Congress hopes to provide a forum to mobilize green efforts on Flores by facilitating sharing of information, cooperation, and transparency about sustainability efforts.

To deliver this event Nina rallied support from individuals locally and internationally who love Flores and share in her commitment to sustainable development. Through this she has established volunteer support, sponsorship from the New Zealand Aide Program and World Wildlife Foundation, and added support from a range of corporate and international NGO’s, including SwissContact. And Gaia Discovery will be the events partner in media.

Approximately 200 local and international participants are now set to attend this event, let’s hope it’s the first step towards bringing Nina’s dream of a sustainable Flores to life.

Nina’s enthusiasm and relentless commitment to building a more sustainable Flores is incredible, especially when circumstances do not allow her to currently be based in Flores. Her ability to reach out, connect and engage with people is inspiring. As is her passion to not only conserve and protect nature, but also to empower the people of Flores to shape the long term sustainability of the island and ecosystem they live in.

I look forward to seeing Nina again at The Congress in September and also to hear more about her plans for the land in Waecicu Bay, which she now tells me will be kept mostly natural. Driving change and choosing a different way of doing things is not always the easiest path, Nina provides an inspiring example of how to follow your dreams and find a better way, let’s hope it pays off for Flores.

More Information

To find out more about the challenges faced in Flores take a look at the Eco Flores website, follow Eco Flores on Facebook and Twitter @ecofloresorg.

Source: www.gaiadiscovery.com

Waste products are turning out to be a goldmine for researchers at the City University of Hong Kong, with their newly developed biorefinery that utilises enzymes secreted by fungi to transform coffee grounds and food waste to essential ingredients for the manufacture of various everyday products. Additionally, Airbus recently announced a partnership with Tsinghua University in China to transform used cooking oil to aviation biofuel. Read more

In Waste Management World (30 August 2012):

A new ‘biorefinery’ intended to transform biowaste into key building blocks for the manufacture of renewable plastics, laundry detergents and scores of other everyday products has been successfully tested using waste from Starbucks in Hong Kong.

A report on the project – launched in cooperation with the Starbucks restaurant chain (NASDAQ: SBUX), which was seeking a use for spent coffee grounds and stale bakery goods – was made the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

“Our new process addresses the food waste problem by turning Starbucks’ trash into treasure – detergent ingredients and bio-plastics that can be incorporated into other useful products,” explained Carol S. K. Lin, Ph.D., who led the research team at the City University of Hong Kong.

The idea took shape during a meeting last summer between representatives of the nonprofit organisation called The Climate Group and Lin at her laboratory at the City University of Hong Kong.

The Climate Group reportedly asked Lin about applying her transformative technology, called a biorefinery, to the wastes of one of its members – Starbucks Hong Kong. To help jump-start the research, Starbucks donated a portion of the proceeds from each purchase of its “Care for Our Planet Cookies” gift set.

A new kind of biorefinery

According to Lin her team already had experience in developing the technology needed to do it – a so-called biorefinery, which can convert plant-based materials into a range of ingredients for biofuels and other products.

“We are developing a new kind of biorefinery, a food biorefinery, and this concept could become very important in the future, as the world strives for greater sustainability,” added Lin.

“Using corn and other food crops for bio-based fuels and other products may not be sustainable in the long-run. Concerns exist that this approach may increase food prices and contribute to food shortages in some areas of the world. Using waste food as the raw material in a biorefinery certainly would be an attractive alternative,” she continued.

Lin went on to describe the food biorefinery process, which involves blending the baked goods with a mixture of fungi that excrete enzymes to break down carbohydrates in the food into simple sugars. The blend then goes into a fermenter where bacteria convert the sugars into succinic acid.

Succinic acid topped a U.S. Department of Energy list of 12 key materials that could be produced from sugars and that could be used to make high-value products – everything from laundry detergents to plastics to medicines.

Added benefits

In addition to providing a sustainable source of succinic acid, the new technology could have numerous environmental benefits, said Lin.

For example, Hong Kong produces nearly 5000 tonnes of used grounds every year. Currently, this waste is incinerated, composted or disposed of in landfills. Lin’s process could potentially convert these piles of foul-smelling waste into useful products.

Additionally, Lin claimed that the carbon dioxide that is produced is reused during the biorefining process, and that because succinic acid and its products (such as bio-plastics) are made using bakery waste as a renewable feedstock, they are sustainable alternatives to products made using petroleum.

The method isn’t just for bakery waste – Lin said she has also successfully transformed food wastes from her university’s cafeteria and other mixed food wastes into useful substances with the technology.

According to Lin the process could become commercially viable on a much larger scale with additional funding from investors.

“In the meantime, our next step is to use funding we have from the Innovation and Technology Commission from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to scale up the process,” she said. “Other funding has been applied to test this idea in a pilot-scale plant in Germany.”

The scientists acknowledged support from the Innovation and Technology Commission in Hong Kong, as well as a grant from the City University of Hong Kong.

Source:  www.waste-management-world.com

In Waste Management World (30 August 2012):

Airbus Partnership to Develop Biofuels from Waste Cooking Oil in China

Toulouse, France based aircraft manufacturer, Airbus – a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS.PA) – has teamed up with Tsinghua University in China to complete a sustainability analysis for converting a number of feedstocks, including waste cooking oil, into aviation fuel.

According to the aircraft manufacturer the project will evaluate how best to support the development of a value chain to speed up the commercialisation of aviation bio-fuels.

The company added that the value chain aims to produce and to promote the use of aviation biofuel in China, the world’s fastest growing aviation market.

In phase one, the partnership said that it is assessing suitable feedstocks that comply with ecological, economic and social sustainability criteria. The sustainability analysis is managed by Airbus and involves close collaboration with Tsinghua and leading European institutions.

In phase two the partners will narrow down the most promising alternative fuel solutions. The first results are expected to be analysed in the second half of this year.

The partners’ stated goal is to select a number of feedstocks including used cooking oil (which would otherwise be waste) and also algae. By the beginning of 2013, the full sustainability analysis should have been completed.

Following this the partners said that they will look at scaling up the alternative fuel production process to achieve sustainable quantities of aviation fuel for commercial use.

“The commercialisation of alternative fuels is one of the essential ingredients in our quest to achieving ambitious environmental targets in aviation,” explained Frederic Eychenne, Airbus New Energies programme manager.

“The project will help us improve the understanding of the nature of aviation biofuels commercialisation in China, identify the opportunities and challenges, and evaluate the possibility of social, economic, market and technology change and its cost, obstacles and challenges,” added Project manager, professor Zhang Xiliang, director of the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy at Tsinghua University.

The partnership agreement is one of the initiatives to develop a complete sustainable aviation biofuel production capability in China, using only sustainable resources, and is part of the Airbus goal to have in place a value chain in every continent by 2012.

Airbus said that thus far it has value chains in Latin America, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and with the Chinese value chain, Asia.

Source: www.waste-management-world.com

This adage has been taken to heart by the Asian Development Bank in its launch of a multi-million dollar rural water project in Sri Lanka, which made it a requirement to place women in key positions. Women have been recognised to play key roles in dealing with environmental challenges – from water management in Sri Lanka to forestry management in Indonesia and rural land management in China. Read more

By Amantha Perera for AlertNet (2 August 2012):

In 2006, when the Asian Development Bank (ADB)  decided to launch a multi-million dollar rural water project in eastern and north central regions of Sri Lanka, there was one overriding requirement – women would be placed in key positions.

As a result, experts say, the $263 million program, aimed at providing drinking water to over 900,000 people by 2011, has been a particular success.

In the village of Talpothta, in the rural north-central Polonnaruwa District, the village women’s association is now central to the proper functioning of the new water supply plant provided under the ADB programme. Its members visit the over 200 users, read meters and more importantly advise beneficiaries on water usage when drought sets in.

“We know how much is needed. Women do most of the household work like cooking (and) washing clothes. We ask our members to limit use when we have problems,” said Sheila Herath, an association member.

Kusum Athukorala, one of the country’s leading experts on water management, agrees that women are key to adapting effective measures to deal with water challenges and changing climate patterns.

“Women are the foot soldiers of climate change adaptation,” said Athukorala who heads the Network of Women Water Professionals, Sri Lanka (NetWwater) and the Women for Water Partnership.

NetWwater’s efforts to create awareness among rural women on climate change, adaptation and water management have won support from Brandix, one of the island’s largest garment. That allows Athukorala to now travel the country, educating women on water management.

“One sixth of our water supply is from rural programmes managed by community-based organizations. If we don’t recognize the impact of over half of the population, these programmes will never succeed,” she said.

INDONESIA, CHINA AND FORESTS

In other Asian countries women also are playing crucial roles at the grassroots level in preserving the environment and making sure human-inflicted damage remains controllable.  Avi Mahaningtyas, an Indonesian expert on forest management and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) told AlertNet that it was rural women who knew intimately the forest’s value to their lives.

“They know it by heart and by birth,” said Mahaningtyas, who heads the Environmental and Economic Governance Cluster of the Kemitraan-Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia, a national body that works on good governance.

The same sentiment is true in rural China, says Xiaobei Wang, a China gender specialist with Landesa Rural Development Institute, an international organisation that works on poverty and land rights. Wang told AlertNet that as men increasingly migrated to cities looking for jobs, it was women, left behind in the villages, who took care of the land and the forests.

“In China most of men from areas near forests have left as migrant workers, making women the major labour force. About 60 percent of
those working in forests and farm land are women. If their rights are not protected and enforced, there will be lots of issues in reducing poverty in forest areas and ensuring the sustainable management of forests,” she said.

Indonesia’s Mahaningtyas said that if a forest is to be preserved, like any other natural resource, it needs to carry a value. “A forest with a value will not easily be cut down. And it is the people who work within it who will know intimately that value.”

However, despite their importance, women are still being largely left out of the decision making, according to a new report by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The report – The Challenges of Securing Women’s Tenure and Leadership for Forest Management: The Asian Experience – found that gender discrimination is still rampant.

Arvind Khare, RRI’s senior director of country and regional programmes, said that women’s roles should not only be recognized but should also be enforced. He took the case of land rights in rural China, where women often find themselves losing land, due to cultural and social norms, despite laws that are gender neutral on paper.

“How can we look at climate adaptation and food security when those who do most of the work at ground level have no say?” he asked.

Indonesia’s Mahaningtyas feels that the continuing lack of recognition of the crucial role women play could be due to lack of scientific studies. “Gender documentation is quite low and we are still to quantify the impact of the role.”

Sri Lanka’s grassroots worker Athukorala sees a much more practical reason: lack of women in decision making positions.

“They are the foot soldiers, but how many female generals do we have in our countries fighting climate change?” she asked.

Amantha Perera is a freelance writer based in Sri Lanka. He can be followed via Twitter on @AmanthaP

Source: www.trust.org

Modern human activities have wreaked havoc upon our natural environment, changing the way the climate behaves and degrading the quality of land and sea, contributing to a lower quality of life for us and our future generations. Yet, the pervading attitude is one of apathy and deliberate ignorance – akin to the proverbial frog boiling in a slowly heating pot of water. However, sports is now seen as an excellent avenue for changing attitudes – by adopting sustainable technologies in sporting venues and as an outreach mechanism to spread the message of conservation and sustainability. Read more

By Leigh Steinberg for Forbes (31 August 2012):

How Sports Can Lead The Way In Combating Climate Change

If we don’t want to be the first generation in American history to hand down a degraded quality of life to our children and grandchildren, urgent action needs to take place to roll back the effects of climate change. As polar ice caps melt, oceans are rising around the world which wreaks havoc with weather patterns and threatens low lying areas. The ice packs on mountain chains around the world are melting and clean water supply is threatened. Tornadoes, hurricanes and other harmful dramatic weather systems are increasing. The ozone layer is dissolving with unprecedented greenhouse gases.

Politicians can be dismissive of the threat, but the science is real. The earth is one eco-system and pollution from China travels to Southern California. Our species has shown a remarkable capacity to ignore physical reality and embrace demonstrably false facts. Galileo was sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest for asserting that the sun rather than the earth was the center of the universe. People were put to death for the heresy of suggesting that the earth might be round instead of flat. Today’s attitudes echo the old story of the frog who is dropped in boiling water and jumps right out, but when put in tepid water which gradually heats up unnoticed, he boils to death.

Sports can play a leading role in changing attitudes. We have been working on a plan called the Sporting Green Alliance to take sustainable technologies in wind, solar, water, resurfacing and recycling and incorporate them in stadia, arenas and practice fields at the professional, collegiate and high school levels. If golf courses are included, this represents a substantial amount of real estate. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs. It is possible to actually have these venues serve as producers that can sell energy back to the grid. These facilities can also act as educational platforms so that the hundreds of millions of fans who attend games can see a solar panel or waterless urinal in operation and think about how to integrate them into their own homes and businesses. The more demand that exists for these energy saving technologies, the more that American industry can retool and provide products that the world wants to buy. If America starts to dominate the sustainable energy field it will force China to compete and respond.

Sports can be a vibrant source of content supply, which will help stimulate attitudinal change. Imagine Saturday morning cartoon shows or comic books with sports super heroes fighting for the environment. Owners of teams could establish local nature preserves to teach children the value of conservation. This green orientation could stimulate green energy companies to compete for naming rights and signage.

Warren Moon and I were employed as spokesman in sports themed public service announcements for the Sierra Club. Some of my clients participated in Laurie David’s v million person virtual environmental March on Washington. I gave an address several years ago in Lausanne, Switzerland to the United Nations Convocation on Sports and the Environment. Many of our yearly Superbowl Parties have been environmentally themed. In Scottsdale, then Governor Janet Napitalano of Arizona released an endangered hawk into the wild to kick of the party. We are planning on using a new energy system for the party in New Orleans next year which has the capability of powering the event by converting trash into energy.

There have been promising developments in combining environment and sports. The National Football League has an especially active head of their environmental program, Jack Groh, who has worked zealously to get the League to carbon neutrality. Martin Tull heads the Green Sports Alliance and has been creative and determined in pushing the agenda. That organization is holding a convention in Seattle September 5th-7th that can be invaluable for anyone who wants to get involved.

Certain issues seem so overwhelming and insolvable that apathy and powerlessness is the natural reaction. But my father used to say “you cannot depend on THEY or THEM to tackle major issues or you may wait forever. The THEY is you son, and the THEY is me”. It’s time for sports to help lead the way.

Source: www.forbes.com