Wisconsin leading the nation in retaining "green space"

Wisconsin now has more forestland than at any time since the first forest inventory in 1936,

MADISON – Wisconsin currently has 16 million acres of public and private forests, accounting for 46 percent of the state's land area, according to a recently finalized inventory of the make-up, productivity and health of Wisconsin's entire forest resource.

 

"These numbers, which have held steady since the last survey in 1996, indicate the state now has more forestland than at any time since the first forest inventory in 1936," says Paul DeLong, Wisconsin's chief forester and head of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. In addition, he notes, the inventory found tree growth continues to outpace removals due to harvests.

 

"We're gratified to see these latest data because they indicate the commitment to sustainable forestry, which provides environmental, economic and social benefits to us all," DeLong says. "

 

"Given the importance of forests to our Wisconsin economy, environment and quality of life, it is imperative that we take stock of their condition and work collectively to ensure the ability of our forests to continue to provide an array of benefits for future generations."

 

More information available on the DNR Web site.

 

Also checkout your state at: www.americanforests.org

Rechargeable Battery... Doesn't Wait for a Charge

From NY -Times: While rechargeable batteries can be more economical than their disposable counterparts, they do have drawbacks. A new one usually requires a long period of initial charging before it can be used. Rechargeables are also notorious for their inability to hold a charge over time, even when sitting idle.

Various batteries (www.hybriousa.com) are ready to use right from the store and the company says that even after one year they will maintain 70 percent of their charge. Uniross estimates that once charged, Hybrios will run devices for up to four times longer than alkaline batteries. However, other brands are on selves at most menards (I bought them there ;-)

Hybrios, which the company says can be recharged up to 500 times, are available in packages of four AA- or AAA-size cells for $12. A kit with four AA batteries and a charger is $20, but any existing charger can do the job. RechargeablesOnline.com.

Solar Cell Achieves 40% Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Energy website news of a breakthrough in solar energy efficiency. From the article: "...with DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance."

 

This page, linked from Wikipedia's article on solar energy, calculates the land area that would need to be covered by solar collectors at 8% efficiency to meet the world's energy needs (using 2003 figures). At 40% efficiency, it looks like a square 265 miles on a side in the American southwest would do it.

(Thanks slashdot.org ;-)

GRIST: The numbers behind ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel in the U.S.

In America we devour oil like no other country in the world. Representing 5 percent of the global population, the country consumes fully a quarter of the world's oil. Every year, to move ourselves and our goods around, we burn 140 billion gallons of gasoline and 40 billion gallons of diesel -- enough to propel the average U.S. car around the world 1.6 billion times. But rising prices, climate change, and seemingly endless crises in the Middle East have sparked a reckoning.

Corn as Food or Fuel

"The grain required to fill an SUV tank could feed one person for one year," says Lester R. Brown, a MacArthur "genius grant" winner with impeccable environmental credentials.

As it is, farmers currently do not grow enough food to feed the world's population.

The Growing conflict between the 800 million automobile owners who want to continue driving their vehicles and the poorest 2 million people in the world who simply wish to stay alive.

Awsome! - Engineer Poet's X-thousand word look at energy independence, sustainability

Word for word I have to agree with autobloggreen.com on this...
To try and condense this lengthy article on energy independence and sustainability by the Engineer Poet would do it (and him) a disservice. The EP tackles issues of biofuels, PHEVs, hydrogen fuel cells, carbon sequestration, electricity from coal and lots more in a few thousand words, and deals with the political and scientific challenges needed for the U.S. to generate truly green energy for vehicles and home use. Instead of trying (and failing) to break the article down for you, I'll just offer some choice quotes:

• "But most of us can't afford cars with $30,000 battery packs just to run on electrons. Fortunately, most driving is within a few tens of miles of home; some estimate that a car which can run its first 60 miles on electricity before switching on a conventional engine can eliminate 80% of liquid fuel demand."
• "Transferring energy demand from gasoline to electricity might add as much as 800 billion kilowatt-hours per year to grid consumption. The US also uses about 43 billion gallons/year of diesel, supplying perhaps 1400 billion kWh of work to the wheels of vehicles from medium trucks to freight trains; supplying half of that via the grid would add another 700 billion kWH/year of load. The sum of these two is roughly equal to the estimate of the electric yield from the carbonization process. If half of the energy was supplied from electricity and the other half from biodiesel, it would take about 22 billion gallons of biodiesel. The biodiesel fraction could be largely supplied by step 3 above; a slight improvement in either biodiesel production or truck efficiency would make up the difference."
• "Last is the effect of eliminating carbon emissions. The eliminated motor fuel contains about 660 million tons of carbon, and the eliminated coal contains roughly another 600 million. We'd replace that with perhaps a half-billion tons of carbon removals. If we subscribe to the Stern report's social cost of CO2 emissions at $85/ton, the net savings would be another $155 billion/year. It looks like we could lay out $370 billion plus maybe $50 billion/year, and save ourselves $287 billion a year in imported oil and natural gas, another $15 billion a year in coal costs, and perhaps $155 billion a year in social costs from climate change and its knock-on effects. Unless I've missed something very important, it's not a question of whether we can afford to do this. It's a question of whether we can afford not to."

As for analyzing the piece, I think the comments being left on the site are a better critique than I'm able to give. So this truly is one of those times where the best thing I can say is to just go check out the original.

[Source: Ergosphere, h/t to James of Alternative Energy Blog]

Crunching the numbers between ethanol, cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel

Sometime soon there has to be a focus on alternative fuel production, or at least a realization that one fuel has more potential than the other. The country can't afford to fund every research project, plant expansion or infrastructure revolution with each change in the political winds.

MIT graduate has written an in-depth, easy-to-understand overview of three alternative fuels and their economic potential and impact, especially when considering costs for planting, cultivating, harvesting and transportation concluding... ethanol may be the "fool's gold" of alternative fuels and biodiesel is a "no brainer."

Haase Comments: While this study concluded “cellulosic” ethanol as a as the best contender… I must strongly disagree, as the return BTU loss of ANY ethanol to diesel will be nearly 50% regardless of the derived source. Furthermore, the same arguments that “cellulosic” ethanol attractive can be made for Bio-Diesel. Is MIT in corn lobbyists pocket? [Source: autobloggreen.com]

The Truth about Household Toxics By ENN.com

Biggest myth or misconception about household toxics (Great Piece ENN!)

Toxic mold is largely a media creation. In the 1990s a study by the CDC drew an association between black mold and lung bleeding in infants in Cleveland. This study was widely reported, and started a panic that mold was a toxic insult to the lungs. What hasn't been reported is that this study has since been retracted. Once an impression is publicly on the loose it's hard draw it back in... (read more here)

ENN: On the flip side, is there anything out there that you feel presents a greater danger than we're generally aware?

G & T:Most people don't pay enough attention to their drinking water. Private wells can present big issues and problems can sneak up on you suddenly. Lax industrial practices in the past can have an adverse impact on well water for decades. Some water-soluble chemicals live for a long time in groundwater and move into neighborhoods gradually over time. You also have to consider what's going on in your neighborhood. If the guy down the street spilled a little gas on the ground as he was refilling his lawnmower that alone can be enough to cause problems in your well water... (read more here)

ENN: How does bottled water hold up under scrutiny?

G & T: People shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security about bottled water because it's often just urban tap water or from a public water supply that has been distilled or filtered. There can be bacteria, trace levels of organics and metals. In fact, less testing is required of bottled water than city water, so it's not necessarily any better for you than tap water. By getting a carbon filter at home for your water intake, you're just as safe refilling your own water bottle and saving yourself some money! ... (read more here)

ENN: If you could identify a few relatively simple things that homeowners could do to reduce their exposure to?

G & T: Radon is one of most significant – but most preventable – household hazards. Exposure does cause lung cancer. But it's easy to test for and easy to fix.... (read more here)

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Comments by Haase

Great piece guys! - How did you miss the biggest one on the list???

Household Chemicals & Hazardous materials (chemicals,batteries, paint, cleaners, aerosols)

With all the non-hazardous alternatives and local hazardous waste drop off stations... This is as tragic as it is preventable ;-(

I hope you cover this in your book. Can't wait to read it!

Quick facts on Household Chemicals & Hazardous materials (Need more? just ask ;-):

• Nationwide, more than 32 million pounds of household cleaning products are poured down the drain each day (EPA).
• OSHA estimates that 30 and 70 million U.S. indoor workers and approximately 37 percent of the population suffers from chemical sensitivities, skin rashes, or allergies due to poor indoor air quality...
• A U.C.L.A. study indicates that "adverse health effects have been identified regarding common chemical ingredients found in 222 cleaning products."
• The Average American Uses about 25 Gallons of toxic, hazardous chemical products per year in their home... A major portion of these can be found in household cleaning products.
• The toxic chemicals in household cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. (EPA)
• 150 chemicals commonly found in homes, have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer, and psychological abnormalities. — Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Consumer Products emit about 267 tons per day of VOCs during 2000 in California alone (ABR.gov)
• Cleaning products were responsible for nearly 10 percent of all toxic exposures reported to U.S. Poison Control Centers in 2000, accounting for 206,636 calls. Of these, nearly two-thirds involved children under six, who can swallow or spill cleaners stored or left open inside the home.

Seriously, if you need more information on household hazards please contact me.
haase@neutralsolution.com

Do Fat kids cause Global Warming by a 25-30% increase in consumption?

Energy gap factors into child obesity. Many children are gaining too much weight because they are overeating or under-exercising by about 110 to 165 calories a day, a study reports Monday in the journal Pediatrics... full read linked here

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Haase Comment - Hopefully all the riddlin and Prozac will keep em happy or were all in trouble!

Inquiry turns to humans on pollutant, hormone tie.

A decade ago, the very idea that pollutants could interfere with a body's chemical messages was near the fringes of science. But now, it is an urgent topic for lawmakers and researchers around the world... full read from Washington,com

China must pay pollution debt now

New Straits Times: FOR a decade, the world has wondered when China's leaders will recognize the staggering environmental crisis confronting their country. This year, we got an answer: A new Five-Year Plan that makes environmental protection a priority. A storm of green propaganda has followed, and the government now talks about using "Green GDP" to measure development. But will all this talk amount to real progress? While the central government admits to some of the environmental ...  Link 

 

Source :  EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry) on pollution policy

Gas-to-electricity step in Sustainability

Progress From the Engineer-Poet

"It looks like my spec for 50% efficiency in the gas-to-electricity step in Sustainability may have been pessimistic; Fuel Cell Today had an article last year which claimed the possibility of 80% efficiency"

Further, this is not from a SOFC, it's with a turbine-compounded MCFC. With this sort of efficiency, it would be feasible to dispense with SOFC's entirely. This is the sort of backup technology which practically guarantees that the concept is viable. The one element I cannot pin down is cost.

In other news, LiFePO4 cells are heading toward commodity status.

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Comments from Haase

Oh, how I wish more people would "read" your information... I DO not read many "blogs" as the VAST majority are "marketing" scams and misinformed self indulgent rants. But, I always read yours.

Thanks for making "math" & "science" make $ence to the masses.

Happy Holidays!

Chris ; -)

The ecogeek.org questions using "Eco-Bunny" to sell travel packages???

 EcoBunnies?  Uh...I don't even know... Apparently Travelocity has partnered with the Conservation Fund to provide carbon offsets to it's customers. And they're advertising it with am absurdist bunny cartoon that I cant decide whether I like or not. I mean, I guess I like it, because I've watched it four or five times now, so now I'm making it available to you, the EcoGeek reader, to puzzle over yourself. Oh, and you might want to consider carbon offsets too, though I'd go here (http://www.carbonfund.org/site/), not to Travelocity to do it. (Hey it worked for the Brits!)

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Comments by Haase

Thanks ecogeek for including one more thing "green

 

 washing" is doing to get YOUR "Green" backs... take back the environment, invest your money in "greening" your home.

 

Important NOTE: Eliminating ONE extra "flight" a year can offset and LIFETIME of household emissions. 

When you read "green" news, the truth between often "lies" between the lines.

Sooo erroneous... "It is not even wrong."

ECO-FRAUD IN SCIENCE: You believe them, because they give you answers you want to hear (not that you NEED to hear).

It is not unethical to be wrong. Every scientist will at times be wrong, but we assume that authors of science papers THINK they got it right. The rewards of success are so high in certain areas, however, that it must be tempting to guess the answer without doing the research. The report urges scientists to give special attention to research results that are especially visible or influential. (image from http://fergus.wordpress.com)

Alternative evolution filled with myth & misconceptions

New York Times: One of the misconceptions about weaning ourselves from dependence on petroleum-powered vehicles is that there will be a "Eureka!" moment of discovery when someone discovers a quick way to extract hydrogen from the air to propel the world's vehicles. "Not so fast," said Robert J. Natkin of Ford Motor Co. at the fourth annual AltWheels Alternative Transportation Festival held at City Hall Plaza and Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline recently. "It's not happening ...Link (VIA- EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry ;-)

If you care to read the "Weekly Death Toll In The American Workplace"

With workplace safety knowledge, every American needs to know when to work and when to walk...

Here is the Weekly Toll: Death In The American Workplace By Tammy of www.spewingforth.blogspot.com

GM tests "100% bio-derived diesel-like fuel"

General Motors vehicles will soon be used in tests of a "100% bio-derived diesel-like fuel" run by the school and GS AgriFuels Corporation, part of the GreenShift Corporation.

The fuel comes from biomass gasification and gas-to-liquids systems developed by Clarkson professor Dr. Philip Leveson and ZeroPoint Clean Technology. GS Agrifuels says these systems "allow a wide range of biomass feedstocks and municipal waste streams to be converted to carbon-neutral transportation fuel." Also: the technology "can gasify virtually any plant-derived material and convert the resultant gas into electricity, valuable fuels and other chemicals."

GreenShift deals in biodiesel, ethanol and biomethanol, so the carefully worded "100% bio-derived diesel-like fuel" strikes me as interesting. Odd, but interesting. Scanning other news stories and press releases about this project, no one says it's biodiesel, so there must be a technical difference between this new fuel and traditional B100. Anyone have any insights?

[Source: Renewable Energy Access / VIA-www.autobloggreen.com]

Biofuels skeptics make case at Oregon farm show

Despite the promise of higher crop prices and more jobs, alternative fuel production isn't for every area of the country. In eastern Oregon a businessman and scientist were poking holes in the ethanol balloon at a farm show. Their numbers show a problem with growing enough canola seed and dealing with the byproducts. A plant producing 5 million gallons of biodiesel would create 242,000 pounds of canola meal every day. More than 40,000 cows would have to eat six pounds a day to eliminate the byproduct. The energy balance is also a concern of the scientist, who is a self-described "biofuels skeptic." He suggests looking toward other bioproducts such as biobutanol to help replace jet fuel.

[Source: Dean Brickey / East Oregonian/ VIA www.autobloggreen.com]

Here come Vampire Hybrids!

Genetically engineered blood protein can split water into oxygen and hydrogen  The researchers AT Imperial College London have combined a protein called albumin with porphyrin to create a molecular complex that can absorb light energy, to allow it to split up water molecules. Porphyrin is the molecule that carries oxygen around in the blood-stream. The albumin is genetically engineered to improve the efficiency of the whole process. Sooner or later scientists will find a process that allows for simple localized production of hydrogen. Since hydrogen is the most common element in the known universe, and obviously reacts and combines with so many other elements, there is bound to be a way to reverse the process efficiently.

[Source: Imperial College London - VIA http://www.autobloggreen.com/]

Since 1932 Everyone has know Carbon Dioxide Causes Global Warming

 

Global Warming is nothing NEW - Dahhh!

A magazine from 1932 with some details about warning is a little shocking. But look at this one from a 1953 magazine; "Earths ground temperature is rising 1-1/2 degrees a century as a result." Those numbers are not bad for a half a century ago!  » original news (Thanks hugg.com! ; -)

The Russian NUKES are coming

 

 

" Russia will build 42 nuclear reactors by 2030 as part of an ambitious program to revive its atomic power industry." "Russia now has 31 reactors at 10 nuclear power plants, accounting for 16-17 percent of Russia's electricity generation, and President Vladimir Putin has called for raising the share to 25 percent." » original news (VIA-http://www.hugg.com)

Wal*Mart 'bad guy' to be head of the class?

Would you believe Wal-Mart is out to make the world a greener place…through radically altered business practices. And their looking for just the right person to help them do this (via two steps forward)

Turns out, Wal-Mart engaged Environmental Defense about a year ago, when the company embarked on a new environmental initiative.

 

Lee Scott, Wal-Mart's CEO, had just given a speech on "twenty-first century leadership" (download - PDF), where he acknowledged that:

"As one of the largest companies in the world, with an expanding global presence, environmental problems are OUR problems."

 

He set forth three ambitious environmental goals: that Wal-Mart be supplied 100% by renewable energy, that it create "zero waste," and that it sell products "that sustain our resources and environment."

 

The job, formally titled "Corporate Partnerships Project Manager - Wal-Mart," symbolizes a sea change in environmental activism. Environmental Defense is positioning someone in Bentonville — not to confront or watchdog Wal-Mart, but to work with the company as a kind of sustainability consultant.

 

The ideal candidate, says Environmental Defense, is someone who would never have imagined moving to Arkansas, but who understands the potential for this job to influence a $315 billion retail behemoth and its 60,000 suppliers — arguably, to have as much direct environmental impact as any activist or consultant ever could.

 

By Ken Stokes kauaian.net/blog

Will green TV get a green light

There's an upcoming wave of green TV shows, Sundance is launching "Channel Green," and then there's "E-topia," an eco-reality series with Leonardo DiCaprio.

 

What we're seeing is the greening of Hollywood, according to Joel Makower (via worldchanging).

Check this out: "E-topia" will chronicle the eco-friendly reconstruction of an American town as it is transformed into a "'green' utopia of tomorrow."

 

You get the idea. There are others, several with a green building, "This Old Green House," sensibility.

As Makower avers, "It's unclear whether any of these shows will actually get greenlit. But I'm rooting that at least one of them catches fire and helps to build a new green meme."

 

By Ken Stokes on joel

Fighting the "feel good" fight

"The happiest excitement in life is to be convinced that one is fighting for all one is worth on behalf of some clearly seen and deeply felt good."

Quote - Ruth Benedict

Chemical in everyday products can be found in humans.

Perfluorochemicals are found in floor waxes and shampoos, fast-food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags. They coat pizza boxes, carpets and frying pans. And they're in people. Their effect on health is not definitively known.

Clean Coal plants receive tax credits

To cut pollution and boost U.S. sources of power, the Energy Department has started awarding tax credits to build clean-burning coal plants, including one in Trimble County, Ky. Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities were awarded a $125 million federal tax credit Thursday for building a 750-megawat plant that burns pulverized coal at higher temperatures and pressure than older units to create more electricity and less air pollution. The credit, part of $1 billion ...Link (VIA-EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry)

Water recycling dominates climate change forum discussions

An ACT and New South Wales government funded forum has been told more needs to be done in the way of water recycling if the region is to tackle climate change. The three-day Capital Region Climate Change Forum is made up of ACT and interstate residents who are discussing ideas and policy directions with a number of experts in the field. Chris Reedy from the Institute for Sustainable Futures says there has been a suggestion of subsidies for solar power and double-glazing for all ...Link (VIA-EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry)

RMI discuss the future of energy.

Haven't heard Amory Lovins speak before? Then you owe it to yourself to watch the CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) discuss alternative fuels and the future of energy.

Lovins veritable goldmine of knowledge, optimism and wit and data-based strategy will leave you wondering why, if this makes so much sense, is our national energy policy so far from making sense.

Perhaps you knew that Lovins authored RMI's Pentagon-cofunded 2004 study, "Winning the Oil Endgame" which provides a roadmap for eliminating U.S. oil use by the 2040s and revitalizing the economy, all led by business for profit.

Post VIA Ken Stokes on feats

Renewable energy truth from the auto industry

From the head of GM: First, electricity offers outstanding benefits... beginning with the opportunity to diversify fuel sources upstream of the vehicle. In other words, the electricity that is used to drive the vehicle can be made from the best local fuel sources Maybe the industry (and the nation) won't drop the ball...  Read more by Engineer-Poet Renewable energy and the auto industry

EPA Employees Petition Congress for Scientific Free Speech Protection

Leaders of 22 union locals representing some 10,000 EPA employees have asked Congress to protect them from reprisals for speaking out on the science of global warming and environmental health. The Bush administration forbids agency scientists to speak to news media without press office "minders" supervising what they say.  VIA - sej.org

EPA Backs Down Halfway on Toxic Data Cutbacks

EPA seems to have backed down halfway on its threat to cut the amount of information the U.S. public gets about toxic substances that industry puts in their air, water, and soil. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson wrote two New Jersey senators that he had decided not to switch the agency's Toxics Release Inventory from annual to every-other-year reporting. But EPA still plans other changes that would leave more than a thousand U.S. communities with no data -- despite a 231-187 vote by the House against the plan in May 2006.  Associated Press in the Washington Post 11/30/06 VIA - sej.org

Report on Chlorinated Solvents in US Groundwater

Chlorinated Solvents in Groundwater of the United States Michael J. Moran, John S. Zogorski, and Paul J. Squillace  (Article) DOI: 10.1021/es061553y

Drink up Johnny!

Coffee drinkers show lower diabetes risk...Researchers found that among more than 12,000 middle-aged adults, those who drank four or more cups of coffee each day had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who rarely had a cup.

Broken promises on coal plants cost PSEG unit.

After failing to comply with a 2002 agreement to install pollution-control equipment on two coal-fired power plants in New Jersey, PSEG Fossil will now have to pay $9.25 million in penalties.

Cattle produce more global warming gases than cars

A single dairy cow produces about 120 pounds of wet manure per day, which is equivalent to the waste produced by 20–40 people. That means California's 1.4 million dairy cows produce as much waste as 28–56 million people. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Mongabay.com: Livestock-rearing generates more greenhouse gases than transportation according to a new report from the United Nations (U.N.), which adds that improved production methods could go a long way towards cutting emissions of gases reponsible for global warming. "Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems," said Henning Steinfeld, a senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official and lead author of the report. "Urgent ...Link (VIA-EcologicalInternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry)

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Comments by Haase:

Wow, it's like someone at the UN listened to 20 year old reports by vegans and the EPA ;-)

Seriously, most people would have a far greater impact on the environment by going "vegan" than goin "hybrid"... The key is to live a lifestyle that is respective to all this that have a "Eco-Impact". But, if we all do "something", together we can make a difference.