While this most recent project further demonstrates Denver Zoo’s commitment to reducing its footprint, it is only the latest step in the zoo’s ongoing greening. Among the employees, Denver Zoo has a full-time Sustainability Coordinator on staff. “This coordinator guides purchasing decisions, deciding which industries, vendors and products best support the Zoo’s mission. That includes being environmentally, socially and economically responsible.”

In 2008, the zoo was accepted into the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment’s Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) as a Gold Leader. As part of this honor, the zoo developed an ISO-14001 Environmental Management System, becoming the first Zoo to achieve this international standard in every facet of its operations. It is this level of achievement that supports their claim as the greenest zoo in the country.

Additionally, the zoo has converted all of its holiday lights to LEDs, “saving 70-90 percent more energy than regular incandescent holiday lights.” The Zoo Lights installation runs during the winter holidays and closes shortly after the new year. Further energy savings were realized by having Xcel Energy conduct an energy audit of the facilities.

The zoo also promotes alternative modes of transportation. In addition to a bus stop located in front of the grounds, all employees are eligible for an Eco Pass, which “allows employees to ride public transportation for free, both for commuting to and from work as well as taking care of personal errands and travel.” Walking, biking, and carpooling are also encouraged. Located in the city’s largest park, there are bike and walking paths that make navigation easy. Lastly, “the Zoo also implemented a transportation logging database to collect the usage of the Eco Pass to prove and continue to improve its usage.” Using this system, zoo employees tallied 146,000 commuter miles using the various modes of alternative transport. Furthermore, a $2 discount is given to guests who use mass transit. Unfortunately, the only route that services the zoo directly has been reduced in its frequency and inexplicably no longer runs on the weekend. While the zoo may not control mass transit decisions, they have supported various modes of transportation both among their employees and patrons.

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Smart meters have been in use since 2006 in the United States and have gained wide penetration in some areas and caused backlashes in others.  In the near future  many utilities will be switching their customers over to this technology.  So what exactly are smart meters, why are they sometimes controversial, how do they help consumers and utilities save money, and who is the industry leader in the field?

A smart meter is a device that collects electric consumption data from a home or business and communicates that data back to the utility.  This communication is accomplished by the use of Radio-Frequency (RF) technology.  Smart meters provide several advantages to the customer as they allow the customer to monitor their energy use in real time and allow for the customer to receive real versus estimated electric bills.  For the utilities there are several major benefits as well.  Primary among these is that smart meters allow the utility to adjust its billing policies to entice customers to use electricity during non-peak hours.  This is vital as during peak electric usage periods the utilities must bring on-line less efficient energy methods or purchase power from other entities.  Both of these methods increase costs to the utility.  Incentivizing customers to adjust their energy use to off-peak hours helps the utilities keep costs down and potentially produce electricity using more environmentally-friendly methods.  A good example of this approach can be seen with TXU Energy’s Free Nights program which is designed to encourage customers to change their electricity usage habits and as a reward not be billed for electricity usage between 10 PM and 6 AM, non-peak hours for the utility.   Another use of smart meters is that they allow utilities to more quickly respond to power outages or problems as they are now receiving almost real time information from customers.

The level of penetration of smart meters in the United States varies dramatically by region of the country.  PG&E just recently announced that it had installed its 9 millionth unit in Northern California while other areas of the country have almost no units in place.  Current levels of penetration in the United States are estimated at 35%.  In some areas there has been a backlash against smart meters due to health concerns regarding the RF technology used to communicate between the readers and utilities as well as concerns about customer privacy.  Although the use of RF technology has been approved and deemed safe by the Federal Government, fears still remain.

The global leader in the smart meter industry is Itron (Nasdaq: ITRI) with 8,000 customers in 130 countries.   With energy consumption continuing to grow and regulatory initiatives aimed at increasing energy efficiency being put in place around the world, the market for smart meter technology seems destined to continue to expand.  Per Itron estimates, there are 2.8 billion meters in use around the world with only approximately 10% being smart meters.   One significant risk facing Itron is that they are almost totally dependent on utility industry capital spending.  The recent slowdown in the global economy has had a direct effect on Itron’s fortunes as such slowdown reduces the industry’s capital spending.  However, with its strong financial results and healthy cash flow, Itron seems well positioned to take advantage of the growth in smart grids and smart meters in the future.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative and should not be construed as personalized investment advice. You are responsible for your own investment decisions.

Disclosure: The author has no position in Itron and no plans to initiate a position in the next 72 hours.

Image Source: whatisworking.com

• The WTC central chiller plant will circulate 30,000 gallons of Hudson River water every minute – enough to flush about 15,000 toilets.
• The electricity generated by the 1 WTC’s fuel-cell plant will be able to continuously light 52,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• At least 75% of 1 WTC construction waste is recylced.
• Everything from the gypsum boards to ceiling tiles at the WTC contains a minimum of 20% post-industrial recycled content.
• At least 50% of the wood for 1 WTC comes from Forest Stewardship Council certified sustainable harvested forests.

To accomplish these goals, the SunShot Initiative announced last month it would focus on making solar installation “as easy as plugging in an appliance.” The program says it hopes that plug-and-play technology—similar to that used in many printers, webcams, and smart phones—will be applied to PV systems. The idea is that these systems can be plugged into a “PV-ready circuit to initiate an automatic detection system that would connect your system with your local utility.” Ultimately, the goal is that plug-and-play technology will allow PV systems to be purchased, installed and begin to generate electricity all in one day, rather than today’s ideal time frame of two to four days. This streamlined process will effectively simplify and reduce the cost of installing a PV system, which currently represents more than half the price of a residential solar unit.

Through the SunShot Initiative, the DOE will fund up to $25 million over five years to aid the development of PV plug-and-play technology. An initial $5 million will be invested this year for up to two projects that will develop plug-and-play prototypes through partnerships with universities, utilities, and other entities. The DOE will request an additional $20 from congress to spend over the remaining four years. If you are interested, application instructions and deadlines can be found here.

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The company describes itself as “a green technology firm that manufactures, markets and sells composite rail ties and structural building products such as boards, pilings, I-beams, and T-beams. Using patented technology, our products are made from 100% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled plastics and industrial scrap.”

The process for producing these beams is described by Fortune in 5 steps:

1. Bales of No. 2 plastic (detergent bottles, milk jugs, and the like) and industrial-grade plastics (scrapped car bumpers) arrive at the Axion plant for processing.

2. The plastics are put through a heavy-duty shredder and turned into snowflakes. Axion says each pound of an I-beam uses the equivalent of eight plastic bottles.

3. The flakes are combined with fiberglass and fed into a manifold, where the mix is heated but not melted — and readied for molding into I-beams.

4. The softened polymer is extruded — or forced into molds of different sizes based on the specifications of the project — pressed into shape, and then cooled.

5.  The beams are assembled into lightweight but strong bridges. How sturdy? An Axion structure at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg supports tanks weighing 60 tons.

With thousands of small bridges around the country aging and in need of repair and railroads in need of new ties, there may be a large market for Axion’s products. Though it is not clear how energy intensive the process is for producing the beams, the business is a great example of reusing existing items instead of propagating the throw away society to which we’ve unfortunately become accustomed. Each mile of ECOTRAX™ ties that is laid keeps tons of plastic bottles from going into landfills while providing a cost effective and durable alternative to traditional products.

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