by Justin Manger on August 28th, 2010
As part of Georgetown University’s Social Impact Week, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. will hold the 2010 Georgetown Energy & Cleantech Conference. The student led Energy and Clean Tech Club initiative brings together students and alumni “from across the many schools of Georgetown University interested in issues of energy (traditional and renewable sources), climate change, cleantech, and sustainability.”
2nd Green Revolution has decided to sponsor the event and will also be attending the conference on Saturday September 11th. The welcome message on the conference’s homepage is largely in line with our views:
Our society is at a major energy crossroads. Continuing with the same policies that subsidize fossil fuels forces us to rely on imported oil and dirty coal; alternatively, we must fundamentally change the sources and uses of energy. Our nation’s economic competitiveness and security will be determined by the energy choices we must make soon.
We are planning to blog live from the conference and hope to see some of you there.
by Justin Manger on August 27th, 2010
Is the urea – also called carbamide – found in urine a waste that may be too precious to waste? NewScientist hints that it might be a new source of fuel for producing renewable energy. “An adult produces enough urine each year to drive a car 1678 miles (2700 km) on energy from the urea it contains, according to calculations by Shanwen Tao, who develops urea-powered fuel cells at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK.” Dr Shanwen Tao and his research partner Dr Rong Lan have developed a prototype (diagram below) that does just that. Dr. Tao explains how he came upon the idea:
by Eric Wilson on August 27th, 2010
The Athabasca oil sands (as known as tar sands) are the largest of its kind in the world. They produce oil, much of which is exported to the United States. In fact, the US imports more oil from Canada than any other country.
- Heated water from the Athabasca River is used to separate oil from tar sands. It can take up two tons of tar sands and four barrels of water to produce one barrel of oil. (Source)
- After the process, the water is too dirty to go back in the river, and it’s stored in vast “tailings ponds,” which can be as big as the mines.
- Since the 1960s, energy companies have been digging open-pit mines to get at tar sands.
- 1,600 ducks died after landing in a tailings pond run by a company called Syncrude.
- Oil companies burn vast amounts of natural gas to boil the water to steam the oil sands. At its Christina Lake facility, Cenovus uses about 750 cubic feet of natural gas for every barrel of oil it steams out of the ground.
Source
Here’s a bonus five Friday facts:
by Justin Manger on August 26th, 2010
We’d like to take a minute to thank all of you who have contributed to the growth of 2nd Green Revolution with your guest author posts, your tips and news tidbits, your feedback, and your encouragement. Our readers also deserve a special shout out. You have the real collective power to push us to a sustainable society.
A final note of gratitude goes to the sponsors listed below (advertising rates can be found here), who help support the site and the shift to sustainability.
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Paladin Freight Services: An entrepreneurial and ambitious company based in Memphis, Tennessee that provides transportation services throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Creative Armada: A leading design agency based in the Washington, DC area specializing in branding, web, print, and interactive work.
[Japanese "Thank you/Arigatou" Image
Credit]
by Eric Wilson on August 26th, 2010
A few months ago we profiled Washington D.C.’s Green Map. That city’s map is part of a greater movement spearheaded by Green Map, which is based in New York City. According to their website, Green Map “has engaged communities worldwide in mapping green living, nature and cultural resources since 1995.” Green Map can be found in “over 600 communities in 55 countries.” Green Map’s mission is “to spur inclusive participation [to empower] communities worldwide to chart their progress toward a sustainable future.”
