2nd Green Revolution

Are Cities Really More Sustainable?

In the most recent Five Friday Facts, Justin provided information on the growth in cities outside the developed world. He points out that increasing populations pose challenges for sustainability. How ...

Growing Up in LA

A few weeks ago I was talking with another transplant from Los Angeles who also became interested in environmental sustainability. She asked what it was that got me interested in ...

Happy Birthday, 2nd Green Revolution

It has been three years to the day since our first post at 2nd Green Revolution. From that beginning, the number of visits to the site has tripled each year, ...

52 Japanese Municipalities Now Energy Independent

Given the dearth of natural resources, new concerns over nuclear power, and a "mottainai" mentality, it seems natural that Japan should look to put in place policies and develop technologies ...

Efficiency is not the Key to Sustainability

Justin has written a few posts about the importance of getting outside; one titled "Encroachment" and the other "The Set Aside". This post follows up, but takes the idea in ...

Five Friday Facts: United States Using Less Water than 35 Years Ago

by Justin Manger on November 20th, 2009

The United States is using less water than during the peak years of 1975 and 1980, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report of 2005 water use estimates.

In 2005, Americans used 410 billion gallons per day, slightly less than in 2000. Nearly half (49 percent) of that was for producing electricity at thermoelectric power plants.

California is one of four states—joining Texas, Idaho, and Florida — that accounted for more than one-fourth of all fresh and saline water withdrawn in the United States in 2005.

Irrigation accounted for 31 percent and public supply 11 percent of the total. The remaining 9 percent of the water was for self-supplied industrial, livestock, aquaculture, mining and rural domestic uses.

Electricity generation and irrigation together accounted for a massive 80 percent of American water use in 2005,

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior

The Race For A Clean Energy Future: Is China Our Only Hope?

by Eric Wilson on November 19th, 2009

Over the past month, American Public Radio’s Marketplace has aired a series titled “The Climate Race“. Yesterday’s installment focused on the role that China is playing in the clean energy economy. According to the story, China is churning out solar panels and wind turbines and “it produces more alternative energy than any other country.” However, they are also the top producer of greenhouse gases. Due to the abundance of coal in China, the possibility of carbon capture sequestration (CCS) as a way to reduce emissions has gained traction. During the normal burning process for turning coal into electricity at a power plant, carbon dioxide is captured instead of being released into the atmosphere.

Systems-Built Homes: They’re Prefab(ulous)

by Eric Wilson on November 18th, 2009

While the image many people have of modular homes are double wides and trailer parks, the centralized construction offers some unique advantages. By taking these benefits (namely waste reduction and efficiency gains), systems-built homes are moving pre-fabricated homes into the forefront of the second green revolution. As a result of their centralized production, all materials can be reused or conserved on a project, eliminating waste and unnecessary expenses. According to Louisiana System Built Homes Inc, “Site-built homes and systems-built homes generally appreciate in value over time.” Time magazine included pre-manufactured homes on their list of the Top 100 Green Products, written about earlier this year on 2nd Green Revolution.

Taking Advantage of Urban Wind with Rooftop Wind Turbines

by Eric Wilson on November 17th, 2009

By now wind farms, the large collections of towering wind turbines, have become a familiar site in parts of California, Iowa, the Dakotas, farm land in the Northeast, and across Texas. In order to generate electricity locally from wind, the next step may be looking to wind power that comes from turbines on the roofs of buildings downtown or on individual plots of land. Several months ago 2nd Green Revolution wrote about the need for locally produced renewable energy. Several companies have developed wind turbines that are designed to sit atop structures and spin a generator regardless of the wind’s direction.

The Eliica: A Futuristic Eight-Wheeled Electric Car from Japan

by Justin Manger on November 16th, 2009

At first look, it seems like something out of a science-fiction movie. With and 80 horse power engine in each of its eight wheels 80 horse power engines in all eight of its wheels and a top speed of 230 mph, the car is turning heads. Even given its radical design, there is potential for the car to make an impact in the commercial car market. Currently, however, the Eliica (or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car) is only a concept car. It was designed by a team lead by Keio University professor Hiroshi Shimizu in Tokyo. According to Wikipedia, “the 5.1 m (17 ft) car runs on lithium-ion batteries (4 tracks of 80 batteries underneath its platform) and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds (faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo). The Eliica’s official site (with slide show of car on homepage) says that the unusual design and eight wheels gives it several advantages over standard cars (video and another picture after the jump, too):

Conventional Vs. Green Building Costs

by Eric Wilson on November 15th, 2009

In 2003, Gregory Kats (of Capital E) conducted a thorough study of cost differences between conventional and green building techniques. The study served as the source for the Five Friday Facts post on October 23rd. (Click here for the PDF). He found that the differences range from no extra cost for basic and silver level LEED certification to more than 10% above building structures using traditional construction methods. Some additional expenses result from regional variations, but Kats found that the upfront price for green building has come in line with traditional costs over the past few years.

A Bright Idea: Solatube – Innovation in Daylighting

by Eric Wilson on November 14th, 2009

Many internal corridors of buildings do not have natural lighting due to a lack of windows. Skylights have provided natural lighting for years, but light tubes (or solar tubes) offer a new option for bringing outside light into buildings. The technology, discussed briefly in a post earlier this year as part of the Science Channel’s Ecopolis series, allows the units to have a smaller physical footprint than skylights and can subsequently fit into more confined spaces.

On a recent visit to a school in the Denver area, I had a chance to see these devices in action. In a dark interior hallway, bright white natural light streamed down from above. The contrast was stark compared to the rest of the passageway.

Five Friday Facts

by Eric Wilson on November 13th, 2009

Figure Five

13% of homes purchased in the US are 2nd homes
The United States has more cars than licensed drivers
Self-storage has become a $17 billion dollar annual business (larger than the motion picture industry)
Buildings generate as much pollution as autos and factories combined
A study at Georgetown University found that even if the students, teachers, and educational approach remained the same, improving a school’s physical environment could increase test scores by as much as 11 percent.
A study in Pittsburgh’s MontefioreHospital, surgery patients in rooms with ample natural light required less pain medication, and their drug costs were 21 percent lower, than their counterparts in traditional rooms.

These facts come courtesy of Daniel Pink’s 2006 book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. As an extra, we have included a 6th fact from Pink’s book. (Note: The first four pertain specifically to the United States.)

- 2nd Green Revolution

[image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art]

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Are Cities Really More Sustainable?

Growing Up in LA

Happy Birthday, 2nd Green Revolution

52 Japanese Municipalities Now Energy Independent

Efficiency is not the Key to Sustainability

Five Friday Facts: United States Using Less Water than 35 Years Ago

The Race For A Clean Energy Future: Is China Our Only Hope?

Systems-Built Homes: They’re Prefab(ulous)

Taking Advantage of Urban Wind with Rooftop Wind Turbines

The Eliica: A Futuristic Eight-Wheeled Electric Car from Japan

Conventional Vs. Green Building Costs

A Bright Idea: Solatube – Innovation in Daylighting

Five Friday Facts

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