May 15, 2007
May 14, 2007
Toyota 2006 47 mpg hybrid minivan...
While the Union of Concerned Scientists say the technology to build a fuel-efficient family vehicle that can meet future emissions standards is already in some of today's vehicles. And the best answers government mandates with lawyers and lobbyists, they say is 35 mpg by 2020?
I would contend that ANY vehicle can be modified to run "bio-fuels" and reduce emissions 50% for $1,000 - 3,000 per vehicle (the same blank check given to hybrids).
Seriously, my car gets a solid 36 mpg and Toyota has been selling a 36 mpg hybrid minivan (Estima) in Japan since 2006. This is the type of vehicle that really should be used more often in the US... http://toyota.jp/estimahybrid/
How can't we do better by 2020?
China's environmental movement: The East is Green - Boing.boing!
Boing.boing: "The China Experiment" is a fascinating read, a sweeping look at the many ways in which China is reducing its emissions and cleaning up its environment:
The mass adoption of solar power—the Chinese have purchased 35 million solar water heaters, more than the rest of the world combined—is only part of the equation. China is also encouraging investment and research in wind farms, bioenergy, and fuel cell and hybrid vehicles, and aiming to improve energy efficiency by a sizeable 4 percent annually. "It's historic," says Kishan Khoday, head of the United Nations Development Program's energy and environment program in China. "It's going to take efforts on all angles of the issue to get it done."
The mass adoption of solar power—the Chinese have purchased 35 million solar water heaters, more than the rest of the world combined—is only part of the equation. China is also encouraging investment and research in wind farms, bioenergy, and fuel cell and hybrid vehicles, and aiming to improve energy efficiency by a sizeable 4 percent annually. "It's historic," says Kishan Khoday, head of the United Nations Development Program's energy and environment program in China. "It's going to take efforts on all angles of the issue to get it done." Environmental conditions are already approaching apocalyptic in a country where coal provides 70 percent of the country's power. Chinese scientists have predicted that the Yangtze River will die by 2011, and with two-thirds of other rivers polluted, more than 340 million Chinese lack access to clean drinking water. An estimated 400,000 Chinese die of pollution every year. By the government's own estimates released in December 2006, climate change is occurring in China at alarming rates, with temperatures due to increase by 1.3 to 2.1 degrees Celsius by 2020. China is unveiling forward-thinking policies and pushing alternative energy because it has no other choice.
SEED Magazine's article Link
Very little progress since 1930's
TreeHugger has a post quoting Popular Science from 1934 on solar power.
"
SUNSHINE, our greatest source of potential power, is now largely wasted. It is highly probable, however, that a few years hence science will find a way to harness the mighty energy of the sun's radiation. Solar engines and solar heating apparatus will then make it economically practicable for us to use at least a small portion of our now-wasted sunshine to run our factories, light our streets, cook our food, and warm our houses. In the United States we use, each year, something like a half billion tons of coal, a half billion barrels of oil, and fifty billion horsepower hours of water power for heat, light, and power.
If it were possible to convert all this energy into power—which of course it isn't—it would produce seven trillion horsepower hours. If it were possible to convert completely into power all the solar energy that each year falls on the United States in the form of sunshine, it would amount to seven thousand trillion horsepower hours. Of course, some of the sunshine that comes to us through 93,000,000 miles of space is needed for the general heating of the earth and for the growing of plant life: but above those fundamental needs, solar radiation provides a potential supply of power many thousand times as great as the amount now supplied by other sources".
That the use of solar radiation for power is no vague dream of the far-distant future is shown by the fact that at present a solar power plant with a thermal efficiency of 4.32 per cent —over one third of the efficiency of the best steam engine—has been built and is being operated.
Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the world's leading authority on solar radiation, says that before long we shall find a commercially practicable method of harnessing sunshine. "Financial success probably awaits the solver of the problems of collecting solar heat for power purposes," he says. "With our present outlook it seems to me likely that within another generation or two power demands will lead to the sun as the most available source of supply."
"
SUNSHINE, our greatest source of potential power, is now largely wasted. It is highly probable, however, that a few years hence science will find a way to harness the mighty energy of the sun's radiation. Solar engines and solar heating apparatus will then make it economically practicable for us to use at least a small portion of our now-wasted sunshine to run our factories, light our streets, cook our food, and warm our houses. In the United States we use, each year, something like a half billion tons of coal, a half billion barrels of oil, and fifty billion horsepower hours of water power for heat, light, and power.If it were possible to convert all this energy into power—which of course it isn't—it would produce seven trillion horsepower hours. If it were possible to convert completely into power all the solar energy that each year falls on the United States in the form of sunshine, it would amount to seven thousand trillion horsepower hours. Of course, some of the sunshine that comes to us through 93,000,000 miles of space is needed for the general heating of the earth and for the growing of plant life: but above those fundamental needs, solar radiation provides a potential supply of power many thousand times as great as the amount now supplied by other sources".
That the use of solar radiation for power is no vague dream of the far-distant future is shown by the fact that at present a solar power plant with a thermal efficiency of 4.32 per cent —over one third of the efficiency of the best steam engine—has been built and is being operated.
Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the world's leading authority on solar radiation, says that before long we shall find a commercially practicable method of harnessing sunshine. "Financial success probably awaits the solver of the problems of collecting solar heat for power purposes," he says. "With our present outlook it seems to me likely that within another generation or two power demands will lead to the sun as the most available source of supply."
May 12, 2007
Chinese Water: A picture is worth a million words
Beijing, China: Xu Jiehua (r), the wife of the detained Chinese environmental activist Wu Yilong, sits behind water samples collected by Wu Yilong from Chinese urban rivers and lakes.
Photograph: Teh Eng Koon/AFP/Getty Images
Via - The Guardian
May 10, 2007
"Name me one government leader who can articulate a plan for solving the energy crisis. The silence is deafening."
LEE Iacocca, "I've figured out nine points I call the 'Nine Cs of Leadership.' They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have."
From http://kauaian.net (Thanks always!)
Greenpeace: Biofuels - green dream or climate change nightmare?
There is an advert in several of today's UK papers warning the government about the environmental risks of biofuels as an alternative to petrol and diesel. » original news
May 8, 2007
Fed-OSHA Levies Maximum Fines in Milwaukee Plant Blast
Fed-OSHA fines a Milwaukee company and a mechanical contractor nearly $73,000 in total penalties related to a propane explosion that killed three workers and injured four dozen more last December. Go to the Full Story...
OSHA Quote of day: "It's not some carcinogen where you get cancer 30 years from now or something. The people are dying right in front of you. You can't wait until you have all the evidence. You have to regulate it."
OSHA Quote of day: "It's not some carcinogen where you get cancer 30 years from now or something. The people are dying right in front of you. You can't wait until you have all the evidence. You have to regulate it."
David Michaels, of George Washington University's department of environmental and occupational health, on Fed-OSHA's responsibility to regulate the artificial flavoring chemical diacetyl Go to the full story in the Washington Post
May 7, 2007
Bused kids breath pollutants up to five times dirtier than the air outside...
On the Net:
Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4777224.html
Group Against Smog and Pollution: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4777224.html
Clean Air Council: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4777224.html
NAVY EXPERIMENT GIVES BOOST TO COLD FUSION
Navy scientists claim that slices of CR-39 plastic. . . have recorded the passage of atomic particles emitted during successful cold fusion nuclear reactions. New proof that cold fusion works could fuel additional interest in generating power from low energy nuclear reactions
Cold fusion, the ability to generate nuclear power at room temperatures, has proven to be a highly elusive feat. In fact, it is considered by many experts to be a mere pipe dream - a potentially unlimited source of clean energy that remains tantalizing, but so far unattainable.
Cold fusion has gotten the cold shoulder from serious nuclear physicists since 1989, when Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann were unable to substantiate their sensational claims that deuterium nuclei could be forced to fuse and release excess energy at room temperature. Spawar researchers apparently kept the faith, however, and continued to refine the procedure by experimenting with new fusionable materials. . . Read more & more
Cold fusion, the ability to generate nuclear power at room temperatures, has proven to be a highly elusive feat. In fact, it is considered by many experts to be a mere pipe dream - a potentially unlimited source of clean energy that remains tantalizing, but so far unattainable.
Cold fusion has gotten the cold shoulder from serious nuclear physicists since 1989, when Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann were unable to substantiate their sensational claims that deuterium nuclei could be forced to fuse and release excess energy at room temperature. Spawar researchers apparently kept the faith, however, and continued to refine the procedure by experimenting with new fusionable materials. . . Read more & more
THE BOTTLED WATER CON
America's best-selling bottled water and one that claims to be "pure water" with a "perfect taste." The label doesn't mention that the Aquafina sold in Michigan comes from the city of Detroit's water system. Corporate watchdogs and environmentalists are pressuring water bottling companies to disclose the source of their water. Critics accuse companies like Pepsi (Aquafina) and Coke (Dasani) of hypocrisy by promoting bottled water as a healthier alternative to tap water when those products are, in fact, purified tap water. . .
"People are paying a very high premium for the luxury of having a carry-along water bottle," Kuhn said. "I tell people that I can sell them 748 gallons of water for $1.40."
To put it another way, homeowners in Muskegon could spend $1.40 and fill 4,787 20-ounce containers with Muskegon tap water. Or they could buy one 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina, Dasani or Ice Mountain water for about $1.
Read more here
http://prorev.com/2007/05/bottled-water-con.htm
"People are paying a very high premium for the luxury of having a carry-along water bottle," Kuhn said. "I tell people that I can sell them 748 gallons of water for $1.40."
To put it another way, homeowners in Muskegon could spend $1.40 and fill 4,787 20-ounce containers with Muskegon tap water. Or they could buy one 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina, Dasani or Ice Mountain water for about $1.
Read more here
http://prorev.com/2007/05/bottled-water-con.htm
May 3, 2007
Work-Related Asthma: Preventable, But Growing
Work-related asthma is the fastest growing occupational disease, costing employers 18 million working days annually; however, almost all cases of occupational asthma can be prevented. Workplace Law (U.K.)
Go to the Full Story...
Go to the Full Story...
A second wave of nuclear construction, starts 30 billion in debt
NUKE IS CLEAN & FREE ENERGY (Read more by - Allison Gorman of Business Tennessee magazine)
Not so, says David Freeman, the former TVA chairman largely credited with putting the brakes on the utility's nuclear construction in the 1980s. "We had to shut them down, even though they were under construction, because they cost too much," he recalls. "We didn't shut those plants down on account of their being unsafe. That should have been a reason, but it was the economics."
Some 20 years later, as TVA still carries most of the debt from its first nuclear program, the nation's largest public utility is poised to incur further debt to launch a second wave of nuclear construction...
Not so, says David Freeman, the former TVA chairman largely credited with putting the brakes on the utility's nuclear construction in the 1980s. "We had to shut them down, even though they were under construction, because they cost too much," he recalls. "We didn't shut those plants down on account of their being unsafe. That should have been a reason, but it was the economics."Some 20 years later, as TVA still carries most of the debt from its first nuclear program, the nation's largest public utility is poised to incur further debt to launch a second wave of nuclear construction...
Nationwide, utilities that had invested in the promise of clean, relatively inexpensive nuclear energy instead faced spiraling cost overruns compounded by stricter federal regulation... The result was a $27.7 billion debt—most of which is still with TVA, and the cost of which has been shouldered entirely by the utility's ratepayers, who don't have stockholders to share the burden. Most utilities are heavily indebted, with an acceptable debt load averaging 50% to 60% of assets, says economist Dennis Logue. And while changes in TVA's reporting methods complicate a direct comparison of its 1997 and 2007 balance sheets, they indicate a decrease in the utility's debts-to-assets ratio from 80% to about 73% over the past decade.
But even the most ambitious initiatives won't fulfill TVA's future generation needs, Kilgore says. Its five working nuclear reactors operate near capacity, its hydroelectric potential is finite, and according to TVA, the high ratio of cost to output doesn't justify large-scale use of ultra-green solar and wind power. Clean-burning natural gas is currently triple the cost of coal, and Kilgore says clean coal gasification technology still needs to be refined. With 57% of its current generation from fossil fuel plants, TVA has spent $4.6 billion just to stay in line with the EPA's tightening air pollution controls requirements and almost certainly faces more restrictive legislation in the future. While retrofit technology will stretch the lifetime of some coal-burning units by decades, Kilgore says, about 10 of TVA's 59 coal units are candidates for decommissioning within the next 10 to 20 years. Already, TVA meets peak demand with $1 billion annually in purchased power, which in 2006 translated roughly to 1.26 million homes worth of power. (Kilgore says that cost necessitated its two most recent rate hikes.)
Assuming other generation sources remain constant, TVA could increase its percentage of nuclear generation from 29% to 41% of its energy portfolio within a decade. TVA's stated goal is to have the largest nuclear generation capacity of any utility in the United States.
Industry advocates point to heavily nuclear France and Japan as evidence that nuclear technologies can operate reliably and safely on a large scale. Currently, TVA's nuclear generation is highly reliable, operating at about 90% capacity. Twenty years ago, Pulsipher says, 60% was considered optimal.
"TVA will almost single-handedly have revived the nuclear industry in America if this works. If it doesn't, and we have another Three Mile Island, then the nuclear industry is dead in America for generations. So there is a tremendous amount at stake in Browns Ferry, and apparently soon at Watts Bar."
Freeman questions the wisdom of investing in "a second nuclear era that has no legs to it... The only thing new is the history we forgot."
But even the most ambitious initiatives won't fulfill TVA's future generation needs, Kilgore says. Its five working nuclear reactors operate near capacity, its hydroelectric potential is finite, and according to TVA, the high ratio of cost to output doesn't justify large-scale use of ultra-green solar and wind power. Clean-burning natural gas is currently triple the cost of coal, and Kilgore says clean coal gasification technology still needs to be refined. With 57% of its current generation from fossil fuel plants, TVA has spent $4.6 billion just to stay in line with the EPA's tightening air pollution controls requirements and almost certainly faces more restrictive legislation in the future. While retrofit technology will stretch the lifetime of some coal-burning units by decades, Kilgore says, about 10 of TVA's 59 coal units are candidates for decommissioning within the next 10 to 20 years. Already, TVA meets peak demand with $1 billion annually in purchased power, which in 2006 translated roughly to 1.26 million homes worth of power. (Kilgore says that cost necessitated its two most recent rate hikes.)
Assuming other generation sources remain constant, TVA could increase its percentage of nuclear generation from 29% to 41% of its energy portfolio within a decade. TVA's stated goal is to have the largest nuclear generation capacity of any utility in the United States.
Industry advocates point to heavily nuclear France and Japan as evidence that nuclear technologies can operate reliably and safely on a large scale. Currently, TVA's nuclear generation is highly reliable, operating at about 90% capacity. Twenty years ago, Pulsipher says, 60% was considered optimal.
"TVA will almost single-handedly have revived the nuclear industry in America if this works. If it doesn't, and we have another Three Mile Island, then the nuclear industry is dead in America for generations. So there is a tremendous amount at stake in Browns Ferry, and apparently soon at Watts Bar."
Freeman questions the wisdom of investing in "a second nuclear era that has no legs to it... The only thing new is the history we forgot."
May 2, 2007
People, Prosperity, and the Planet.
Sustainability in the developed and developing world requires scientific and technical innovations to create designs that enable the Earth and its inhabitants to prosper. The Expo and the EPA's P3 Award are demonstrating the possibilities of innovative designs to simultaneously benefit people, prosperity, and the planet.
Washington, D.C. –George Gray, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development, today announced the winners of EPA's 3rd Annual P3 Awards – People, Prosperity, and the Planet. Six student teams from Appalachian State University, Lehigh University, Northwestern University, of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Virginia, and Western Washington University won the awards by competing at EPA's National Sustainable Design Expo. [Read More]
"Few things are less environmentally friendly than kids."
Good comments for "green parenting" on this post from GRIST
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/3/113543/7240
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/3/113543/7240
Haase Comments... While I don't agree with any one point to this article, I did find the comments on the topic entertaining ;-)
Quote from article "Few things are less environmentally friendly than kids."
Please don't blame your kids or parents... you are responsible for your actions and the actions of your children.
No Really.
Sorry - No posts last week!
It's true I posted nothing last week as me and the fam were in Florida. I don't publish "when I am going on vacation"... otherwise it wouldn't be.
A big THANKS to Bill & Chip for filling in while I was out!
And yes... we went to Disney as,
"Nothing happens unless first we dream." --Carl Sandburg
Attend the 2007 H2E Environmental Excellence Summit
Celebrate environmental achievements and learn about emerging environmental issues in health care!
May 14-15, 2007
Minneapolis, MN
Online Registration closes May 7th
Presented by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment
May 14-15, 2007
Minneapolis, MN
Online Registration closes May 7th
Presented by Hospitals for a Healthy Environment
H2E Environmental Excellence Awards
H2E's Environmental Excellence Awards celebrate healthcare's environmental leaders, who are engaging in pioneering environmental initiatives and helping build momentum for environmentally responsible healthcare. One hundred and twenty eight organizations will receive a total of 146 awards across five categories for their outstanding work! This year also marks the inauguration of H2E's new "hall of fame"—the Environmental Leadership Circle. More details here.
Pharmaceutical Waste Management Workshop
Effectively managing pharmaceuticals in your facility means reducing waste and improving compliance while providing a safer environment for patients, staff, and the community. Learn about the newest best practice developments and how to make positive changes at your facility by attending the Pharmaceutical Waste Management Workshop. More details here.
Keynote Speaker Pete Myers
The Environmental Excellence Summit's keynote speaker, author Pete Myers, will discuss the emerging science on low-level chemical exposures, hormone disruption, and efforts to reduce the effects of synthetic chemical contamination. Myers' compelling analysis of what is at stake if we fail to address low level chemical exposures underlines the need to minimize the use of toxic materials in health care delivery. More on Pete Myers here.
Networking Opportunities
See the list of current registrants to find friends, or use our networking/travelshare tool to connect with people who share your interests in advance of the event.
Trash Flower Contest!
Win an eco-gift basket by developing the wackiest (or loveliest!) flower arrangement you can out of your facility's trash. This annual event brings out the artist in all of us—and tells a story about the many ways to employ materials after use! More on the contest here.
Register Today!
Online registration closes May 7.
Texas Refinery Will Pay $2.9 Million to Resolve Air Violations - Company Will Take Significant Steps to Reduce Harmful Emissions
Texas Refinery Will Pay $2.9 Million to Resolve Air Violations - Company Will Take Significant Steps to Reduce Harmful Emissions
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/2429C6557018E506852572CE00474B27
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/2429C6557018E506852572CE00474B27
FOX "STORY" - DOWNSIDE OF CFL (Grist & Treehugger set story straight)
The $ 2000 CFL Cleanup: Where Urban Myths Come From
Compact fluorescents are controversial, and their mercury content is a concern. We have had a number of commenter's note that it costs thousands to clean up a room if you drop a bulb; one demanded "real scientific responses only, please" which counted me out, but Helen Suh Macintosh answered it here yesterday. But where did this $ 2000 cleanup idea come from? The myth started with an article by Steve Milloy published on Fox News ...FOX - Tells Stories??? ;-)
STEVEN MILLOY, FINANCIAL POST, CANADA - How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent light bulb? About US $4.28 for the bulb and labor -- unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about US $2,004.28, which doesn't include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health. . . read more here
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