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Monday, November 28, 2005
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In 2003, DOE and the Society of the Plastics Indsutry, Inc. (SPI) formed a partnership to identify the potential for plastics manufacturers to reduce their overall energy use, enhance productivity, and save money. They worked on a series of energy assessments conducted by seven DOE-sponsored Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) at 11 SPI member companies. The report and case studies describe the results of these assessments at 11 small and medium-sized plastics plants. Sites that have implemented IAC recommendations are already saving an average of nearly 10% on their annual energy bills.
For the full report and the eleven case studies go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/plastics_manufacturers_save.html. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
12:34:58 PM Google It! 
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Texas Industries of the Future at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University have developed a step-by-step assessment manual that will assist you to identify and screen potential projects at your plant. The manual comes with a calculator which allows you to estimate energy, cost and emissions reductions from potential projects at your plant, based on data you input. The 16 projects included in the manual and calculator cover compressed air, combustion and steam, motors, lighting, and chiller projects. You can download the manual and calculator from the Texas IOF website. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]
12:33:28 PM Google It!
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PITTSBURGH, Pa., Nov. 28, 2005 - A collaborative research team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Cliff Davidson, David Allen of The University of Texas at Austin, and Brad Allenby of Arizona State University are hoping to revolutionize the way engineering is taught. [GreenBiz.com]
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The very characteristics that make nanomaterials so promising are also sources of concern about their environmental and health risks. [Environmental Health News]
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Straw-bale construction is a century-old building practice that's getting renewed attention for its environmental benefits. [Source: Miami Herald]
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BEIJING/NAIROBI, Nov. 22, 2005 - Beijing has announced programs to green the 2006 Summer Olympics in areas ranging from air, water, and noise pollution up to transport, landscaping, and the disposal of solid waste. [GreenBiz.com]
12:01:57 PM Google It!
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Recent green-ouncements from the likes of Wal-Mart and General Electric may have caught some environmental activists off guard, but sustainable-biz experts John Elkington and Mark Lee see such conversions fitting right into a decades-long ebb and flow in the process of greening the corporate community. [GreenBiz.com]
12:00:50 PM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
From the New York Times via the Private Sector Development Blog, news of investment banking powerhouse Goldman Sachs' announcement of a policy "that details how its 24,000 employees - be they bankers, analysts or purchasing agents - should promote activities that protect forests and guard against climate change."
Goldman, which counts paper companies, refiners and car companies among its clients, stopped short of saying it would reject clients with questionable environmental practices. Instead, it said it would "encourage" clients in "environmentally sensitive" areas to use "appropriate safeguards."
It committed itself to investing $1 billion in projects that generate energy from sources other than oil and gas. And it strongly endorsed stringent federal regulation.
Goldman said it would establish a Center for Environmental Markets to study how the free-market system can solve environmental problems. Henry M. Paulson Jr., Goldman's chairman, said the center - which will cost $5 million to set up and will be operating within six months - would help shape public policy.
"We don't have a lot more time to deal with climate change," said Mr. Paulson, an outspoken environmentalist who is also chairman of the Nature Conservancy. "We need the right balance between regulation and market-based approaches." Environmental organizations are applauding Goldman's announcement, and claiming it goes well beyond other recent moves by other financial institutions:
This year, J. P. Morgan Chase set out strict environmental dos and don'ts for each part of its business. And Merrill Lynch now includes environmental issues in the due-diligence checklist its bankers use before underwriting stock issues.
But environmental advocates say that the Goldman policy keeps going where others leave off.
"They are spending intellectual capital and energy on finding market-based solutions to environmental problems," said Michelle Chan-Fishel, program manager for green investments at Friends of the Earth.
Jonathan Lash, president of the World Resources Institute, was more blunt. "Goldman has given us things to measure them by," he said. Congratulations to Goldman Sachs for not only taking a positive environmental move, but also for recognizing the investment potential in sustainability. While it would be nice if they went completely green and did "reject clients with questionable environmental practices," this should go a long ways towards showing those companies the benefits of embracing green business practices.
Categories: business, investment, green, environment, sustainability, Goldman Sachs By noemail@noemail.org (Jeff McIntire-Strasburg). [sustainablog]
11:50:33 AM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
From ENN, an article on the unveiling of a "zero-emissions fuel cell bus" in Palm Springs, CA:
The $3.1 million hydrogen-fueled hybrid-electric-fuel-cell bus was presented at the 2005 Fuel Cell Seminar held this week at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The 40-foot bus, which goes into service in December, emits only water vapor.
"I'm told you can drink the water from the tailpipe," C. Mikel Oglesby, [Sunline Transit Agency's] general manager, said at a news conference attended by local officials and seminar participants....
Adorned with the image of a water droplet, the three-door bus seats 30 passengers, hits a top speed of 65 mph and can travel 350 miles before refueling. The chassis' estimated life span is 12 years or 500,000 miles, the same as gasoline-powered buses, according to SunLine. Of course, at this price, we won't be seeing many of these buses on the road. I have to ask the standard question, too: where's the hydrogen coming from? I'm guessing it's from fossil fuels, which means that "zero emissions" isn't exactly correct.
11:49:02 AM Google It!
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Via sustainablog:
From Treehugger, an innovative idea on producing disposable solar panels made from paper.
Researchers at the University of Cape Town SA have developed a protoytpe method for printing solar panels on paper.... The method seems to involve printing with modified color printers, using three or four separate print runs with black, blue, yellow and magenta inks containing tiny silicon particles. They print the metal contacts, then the semiconductor structure, then more contacts. The voltage and power output of the solar cell is determined by the size of the poster. An "A2-sized poster" will deliver up to 100W of power, enough to charge a cellphone, power a radio or provide five hours of lighting, according Prof David Britton. News coverage from SA outlets mentions that 'Shops could stock rolls of solar panel posters, and cut it to meet a customer's needs. The poster could be mounted behind a window or attached to a cabinet'. Writer John Laumer points out that the poor will really benefit from such a development, as these cheap solar panels make electricity (in small amounts) affordable. John also notes that commercialization of this development could really drive the prices down on solar technology. Great find!
11:47:36 AM Google It!
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New book from the National Academies Press.
Description: Through innovative design, creation, processing, use, and disposal of substances, the chemical industry plays a major role in advancing applications to support sustainability in a way that will allow humanity to meet current environmental, economic, and societal needs without compromising the progress and success of future generations. Based on a workshop held in February 2005 that brought together a broad cross section of disciplines and organizations in the chemical industry, this report identifies a set of overarching Grand Challenges for Sustainability research in chemistry and chemical engineering to assist the chemical industry in defining a sustainability agenda. These Grand Challenges include life cycle analysis, renewable chemical feedstocks, and education, among others. [New from the National Academies Press]
11:35:22 AM Google It!
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High fuel prices aren't keeping farmers from tilling fields this fall, but more producers are abandoning plows and V-rippers. [ENN Business Headlines]
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I've just been given a sneak peek at the findings of the 2005 Green Gauge Report, and it has implications for anyone seeking to promote sustainability, climate action, green consumerism, clean technologies, or any other worldchanging product, service, or cause. [Joel Makower: Two Steps Forward]
10:59:13 AM Google It!
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Among the many solutions to hurricane power outages, one that has gotten little attention is the use of solar energy. [Source: Associated Press via Bradenton (FL) Herald]
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After the doughnuts are fried and the chicken wings made golden and crispy, what do you do with old cooking oil, the smelly and nasty-looking stuff that remains? Why, make fuel out of it.
That's what a group of scientists at the Waste Management and Research Center in Champaign are doing. They're collecting waste oil from the University of Illinois dining halls, whipping up batches of biodiesel and fueling up the center's Ford F-250 pickup truck. [Source: Champaign-Urbana (IL) News-Gazette]
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Abstract: The present invention provides a method of efficiently reforming an automotive fuel and producing hydrogen continuously at high selectivity and high yield even under conditions of low A/F ratio in the reforming of the automotive fuel using autothermal reforming, and the like., can efficiently reform and produce hydrogen even under conditions of low A/F ratio by using oxygen-enriched air and water vapor in reforming reactions of an automotive fuel and adjusting the molar ratio of the water vapor with respect to the carbon atoms in the automotive fuel to reform the automotive fuel. [FreshPatents.com: Notable Patent Applications - 11/24/2005]
10:35:48 AM Google It!
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DOE and the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) have built a Web page on the ASE site about new federal tax credits for energy efficiency, and have joined with others to build a separate Web site on the same topic. ASE has also launched a new State Energy Efficiency Index that tabulates state incentives. [EERE Network News]
10:31:25 AM Google It!
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As the new Mercury Mariner Hybrid begins appearing in dealer showrooms, Ford has geared up production of the new vehicle at its Kansas City Assembly Plant to full speed. The new hybrid achieves a combined fuel economy of 31.1 mpg and costs $29,840. [EERE Network News]
10:28:52 AM Google It!
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The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has launched a new free e-bulletin, the "EERE Progress Alerts," to announce new and significant developments in EERE's programs and research. The new e-bulletin will be issued as needed. [EERE Network News]
10:26:39 AM Google It!
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Real estate agents in the United States want the federal government to make it easier for solar PV systems to be integrated into buildings. [Source: Refocus]
10:24:16 AM Google It!
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SCOTS scientists have discovered methane gas extracted from seaweed can be used to power cars. Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) at Dunbeg, Argyll, are working on a way of extracting the gas in commercial quantities. Scientists made the discovery after they started using seaweed on fish farms to absorb nitrogen produced by waste. [Source: Sunday Mail via RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
10:22:55 AM Google It!
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It's rare that plans call for an ethanol plant that incorporates biodiesel production with a substantial tilapia fish farm / processing facility. But with new investors in a large malting facility, residents in Wisconsin may get the best of both worlds. Following are excerpts from the release from the Watertown Daily Times: A total of 70 million bushels of corn and other grains are expected to be processed at the plant annually, with expectations of producing 140 million gallons per year. Byproducts of the process will include 325,000 tons per year of liquid carbon dioxide.... One new project at the plant will be the tilapia fish farm that will complement the ethanol production: more than 8 million pounds of tilapia per year will be processed into fillets at this site, and the byproducts will be turned over to the biodiesel fuel production operation. Other food waste such as fryer oil will turn into biodiesel fuel, with up to 20 million gallons of fuel per year expected and the byproduct turned into animal feed. [Source: Watertown (WI) Daily Times via RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
10:20:58 AM Google It!
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New York Governor George E. Pataki announced a major initiative to increase the production of biofuels in New York State, part of a comprehensive plan to develop and expand markets for ethanol and other biofuels, and help reduce the state's dependence on foreign energy sources. [Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
10:18:29 AM Google It!
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Through his state's Energy Harvest Grant Program, Pennsylvania Governor Rendell announced the investment of $5.9 million to support 34 projects, almost all of which are new deployments of renewables. [Source: RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
10:17:20 AM Google It!
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For decades, California has bucked the US trend of gobbling ever more electricity. But can the state pull off an even more ambitious goal and slash its greenhouse-gas emissions? Charles Petit finds out. [Source: Nature]
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A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher has come up with a method designed to improve the energy efficiency of water chillers that cool the nation's large commercial buildings, according to a Nov. 17 announcement. The NIST theory and research also is described at http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/pdf/NISTIR7132.pdf. [Source: Environmental Protection E-News]
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Citing higher energy costs and the need to diversify the state's electricity generating mix, the Governor of Texas issued an executive order on October 27, 2005, that will require state agencies to submit energy conservation plans and set percentage goals for reducing their usage of electricity, gasoline and natural gas, submit quarterly reports on progress toward their conservation goals, and develop new ideas to conserve natural gas, electricity, and gasoline. The first versions of the plans are due December 1, 2005.
The order also directs the state's Public Utilities Commission to educate consumers about retail electricity provider choices, requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to prioritize and expedite the processing of environmental permit applications that protect public health and environment while proposing to use Texas' natural resources to generate electricity, and requires the State Office of Administrative Hearings to expedite hearings of contested applications for permits for electric generating facilities. The Governor noted that Texas is a leader in developing wind energy sources and clean coal technologies, two sources that can help reduce the state's dependence on natural gas to produce electricity.
The executive order is available at http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/exorders/rp49/view
The governor's press release is at http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/pressreleases/PressRelease.2005-10-27.5533/view
10:11:23 AM Google It!
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The National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology Fellowship Program offers an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to pursue their vision of an ecologically sustainable future. Through tangible projects to green their campuses and communities, environmental research, and organizing on key conservation issues, fellows gain experience in the conservation field and first-hand knowledge of the challenges inherent in successful conservation efforts. Fellows receive grants of up to $2,000 per project period. All applicants must identify and work with an advisor for the duration of the grant period. Undergraduate, graduate, and law students from any college or university in the United States may apply. The application deadline is December 20, 2005.
10:08:36 AM Google It!
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Disney Minnie Grants, administered by Youth Service America, provide support for young people (ages 5-14) to plan and carry out service projects for National and Global Youth Service Day on April 21-23, 2006. Grants of up to $500USD each are available for youth-designed service projects that respond to a community need. Projects should be branded as National and Global Youth Service Day projects, but they may take place as part of a school or local service event. Applicants must be children or youth between the ages of 5-14, or schools and organizations that work with youth (ages 5-14). Both U.S. and international applicants are invited to apply. The application deadline is January 13, 2006.
10:05:57 AM Google It!
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© Copyright
2005
Laura L. Barnes.
Last update:
12/2/2005; 9:58:45 AM.
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