2nd Green Revolution

I Don’t Understand Parking Lots

In an op-ed a few months back I alluded to the coming diatribe against parking lots. As a form of land use, parking lots make no sense to me. Conversely, ...

The Angry Pedestrian: An Introduction

Let me say first off that I own a car. I drive. I don't drive a ton, I don't drive everyday, I don't drive to my job, but I understand ...

What Will It Take to Make Mass Transit the Norm?

Will people start consistently riding mass transit when gas prices stay above $5 per gallon? $10? What about when we are paying the true cost of driving (i.e. emissions, disposal)? ...

Designing Cities with People in Mind

I'm not a city planner. I took one class in college, so I don't even pretend to be qualified. However, living in a city and trying to commute without a ...

Earth Day 2012

Celebrating the 42nd Earth Day and 4.5 billion years of earth. Image from NASA Johnson Space Center

NAIS Institute for Leadership in Sustainability Starts Today

by Eric Wilson on June 22nd, 2009

Starting Monday in Atlanta, Georgia, Woodward Academy began hosting the National Association of Independent School’s (NAIS) fifth annual Institute for Leadership in Sustainability (ILS). 2nd Green Revolution will attend the conference and report back on news and ideas being shared. The conference will feature speakers across the education spectrum. One of the presenters will be Professor Peggy Barlett of Emory University, mentioned in an earlier post for her role in spearheading the sustainability initiative at Emory University, also in Atlanta. It will run until midday Thursday and bring together school community members from as far as the Hawaiian Islands, as well as international guests from Frankfurt, Germany.

Wynn Calder, president of Sustainable Schools, LLC out of Washington DC, is the event organizer. In an email to participants, Mr. Calder said that the conference “will have an inspiring mix of general sessions run by experts in the field, elective sessions run by our core faculty members, and time with colleagues to share ideas, experience, and advice.”

The Nano Renewable Energy Summit: Denver, CO June 22-23

by Eric Wilson on June 22nd, 2009

National Renewable Energy Summit Denver, Colorado is fast becoming a hub for renewable energy and sustainable development. The Mile High City will host the “Nano Renewable Energy Summit” Monday and Tuesday (June 22nd and 23rd). Thanks in part to the National Renewable Energy Lab in nearby Golden, Colorado, Denver has been at the forefront of clean energy development over the past several years. 2nd Green Revolution has written often about Colorado’s role in the new energy economy. Recent stories range from Vestas Wind Energy’s investment in the state to the new solar company Abound, which was born out of research undertaken at Colorado State University. With some 300 sunny days a year, Denver is the perfect place to implement solar energy projects.

According to the website, “The Nano Renewable Energy Summit is a gathering of world-renowned experts at the intersection of solar energy and nanotechnology, with a specific focus on the business, commercialization, and economic development potential of emerging technologies in the renewable energy and sustainability sectors.” The 2009 summit marks their second year in Denver. This year’s event will be held at the University of Denver’s Cable Center, located at 2000 Buchtel Blvd.

Passion for Sustainability: Oregon Businesses Using The Natural Step

by Eric Wilson on June 21st, 2009

The other day 2nd Green Revolution carried a story introducing “The Natural Step.” In Portland, Oregon, a number of companies and organizations are applying the principles of The Natural Step to their business. Among the companies working toward a green economy is Neil Kelly, a home builder in the Pacific Northwest. According to the documentary Passion for Sustainability, the builder constructed the first LEED certified home in the Western United States. The features of the home include Icestone kitchen surfaces (made of recycled bottles and clamshells), wheatboard (similar to particleboard, but made with the chaff of wheat), thereby minimizing resources by constructing concrete walls instead of multiple layers of materials. Photovoltaic system power a pump which circulates warm water throughout the house (radiant heating). In the windows, low-e glass reflects summertime sun, while allowing winter time sun to come through. Structurally insulated panels (SIPs) are integrated into the roofing materials, which reduces heat loss to the atmosphere, one of the major “energy vampires” in a home.

The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry has begun using the Natural Step as its guiding principle for exhibits

Senate Passes Cash for Clunkers Bill

by Eric Wilson on June 20th, 2009

The long awaited “Cash for Clunkers” bill recently passed through the upper house of Congress as an attachment to a war spending bill. As written, the bill will provide vouchers to car owners who turn in a vehicle that gets less than 18 miles per gallon for one that achieves at least 22 mpg, according to the mileage efficiency ratings that were determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Business Week carried an article stating that the legislation would cost $1 billion dollars and may have the unintended side effect of spurring purchases of gas guzzling SUVs. For those cars or trucks (with a model year of 1984 or later) turned in that satisfy the requirement stated above, owners will receive a $3,500 voucher. The amount increases to $4,500 if the new vehicle being purchased has a mileage efficiency of at least 10 mpg greater than the “clunker”.

Five Friday Facts

by Justin Manger on June 19th, 2009

In San Jose, California, three private partners will produce 900,000 gallons of biogas using German technology and 150,000 metric tons of organic waste generated by San Jose residents (source: New York Times).
Puget Sound Energy, the electricity provider for the Seattle, Washington region, gets 42% of its total electricity production from hydro-power.
New York City unveiled the “world’s first scientifically valid, real-time indicator of carbon emissions” on a giant billboard outside Madison Square Garden. The ticker shows that atmospheric greenhouse gases are rising by 800 tonnes a second.
China’s ban on free plastic bags, imposed in 2008, has “saved the use of an estimated 40 million plastic bags that would have taken 1.6 million tons of oil to produce.”
Sony has announced plans to produce an alkaline battery that contains no mercury, a chemical that is said to be particularly harmful to humans and the environment.

- Justin Manger

[image source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art]

2010 Prius

by Justin Manger on June 18th, 2009

2nd Green Revolution has tested out the 2009 Prius and managed to get incredible gas mileage. We’ve also had a guest author review his purchase of a 2009 Prius. Though we haven’t had the chance to drive the new 2010 version, the New York Times is running a series on the new car that we’d like to pass along. The Prius Diary, by Micheline Maynard, gives a good account of the features on the 2010 car and goes over its pros and cons. One of the most interesting, in addition to getting even better gas mileage (51mpg highway) than the previous versions, is the multiple driving modes. From the article:

Along with the standard driving system, which Toyota says will achieve the rated fuel economy average, the Prius comes with three other driving modes

The Natural Step: Using Natural Systems to Develop Sustainability

by Eric Wilson on June 17th, 2009

The Natural Step “is an international not-for-profit organisation (sic) dedicated to education, advisory work and research in sustainable development. Since 1989, we have worked with thousands of corporations, municipalities, academic institutions and not-for-profit organisations (sic) that have proven that moving strategically toward sustainability leads to new opportunities, reduced costs, and dramatically reduced ecological and social impacts.”

In Paul Hawken’s revolutionary 1993 book The Ecology of Commerce, he provides an overview on the historical and biological foundation of the Natural Step.

One of Sweden’s leading cancer researchers addresses the problem of man-made toxins at the cellular level. Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert has been educating Swedish citizens and leaders for many years by creating a consensus on the root cause of environmental damage. His process, called the Natural Step, begins with cellular biology, because it is the basis for all life: ‘The cell is only concerned with conditions necessary for sustaining and propagating life. It also reminds us that we are inescapably part of nature: There is much less difference between the cell of a human and that of a plant than is commonly understood.’

By looking at the relationship between nature and man, Dr. Robert seeks to align the two. The four guidelines of the Natural Step state that in a sustainable society,

Part 4: New Belgium Brewery’s Sustainability Efforts

by Eric Wilson on June 16th, 2009

In working with the engineering sustainability consulting firm the Brendle Group, one of the major goals was to determine what part of the production chain produces the most greenhouse gases. The Brendle Group worked with the brewery on a Lifecycle Assessment of a six pack of Fat Tire, New Belgium’s flagship beer. The Lifecycle Assessment looked at the amount of energy required to produce the six pack from seed to disposal. It was broken down into three main components: Upstream, Brewery, and Downstream energy/greenhouse gas production. The Assessment revealed that a majority of the greenhouse gases are produced off New Belgium’s campus. In fact, of the 3.289 kilograms (7.25 pounds) of carbon dioxide emitted during the lifecyle of a six pack, only 173 grams (6.1 ounces) were produced on New Belgium’s grounds. Approximately 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) were produced both upstream and downstream of the brewery.

New Efficiency Standards for Computers Go into Effect July 1st

by Justin Manger on June 15th, 2009

Energy Star, the government program”helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices,” will put its version 5.0 efficiency requirements into effect on July 1st for desktop and laptop computers. According to the website Electronic House, “For a computer to be listed as an Energy Star model and bear its logo, there are idle, sleep, standby, power supply and power management requirements, as well as on-mode power consumption requirements based on formulae.”

Advances in computer technology are now not just about increasing speed and performance, though those traits are obviously important. Competition among manufacturers has resulted in companies pushing their products to become more efficient and “greener” in order to market themselves as eco-conscious to consumers. If you’re thinking about upgrading to a new computer, take its efficiency into consideration. You’ll most likely be able to get a top of the line machine that does everything you need it to while minimizing its negative impacts on the environment.

- Justin Manger

[Image from: sustainableisgood.com]

Part 3: New Belgium Brewery’s Sustainability Efforts

by Eric Wilson on June 14th, 2009

new-belgium-ad-big Yesterday’s post, Part 2: New Belgium Brewery’s Sustainability Efforts, covered New Belgium’s energy efforts. Today’s post will focus on waste.

One of New Belgium’s major objectives is to decrease the amount of waste it sends to the landfill. This is often referred to as the diversion rate, or the percentage of waste that is kept out of landfills. The diversion rate helps inform companies, municipalities, and individuals on how much material they keep out of disposal sites. New Belgium’s overall diversion rate approaches 100%, a truly astonishing figure. As Ms. Wallace points out though, this number is a bit inflated by the fact that a significant portion of their waste is spent grain (93%), which they sell to local farmers as livestock feed. Including spent grain, their diversion rate is 99.8%, of which 93% is grain and 5% is sludge. The latter is sold to fish farms as food or used as land cover. New Belgium has been able to monetize their waste by selling it to local businesses. When considering material other than the grain and sludge, New Belgium has a 91.5% diversion rate. 88% of their waste is recycled and 3.5% is composted, leaving 8.5% for landfills.

New Belgium’s selling of waste is not a new concept.

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