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

From Renewable Fuels to Sustainable Ones

by Eric Wilson on July 31st, 2011

The conflating of “renewable” with “sustainable” is not a perfect pairing. Consider the definition of sustainable, “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” While renewable fuels offer the possibility of renewed sources of energy, they do not automatically represent a sustainable option.

Many biofuels demonstrate this principle. The input of resources needed to convert corn into ethanol is not sustainable. Ethanol, while renewable, has less energy per gram or gallon than oil and natural gas. Any oil used in the production of ethanol results in a decreased availability of energy. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics tells us as much. Using one source of energy to generate another (as in the case of electricity) always results in less energy available after converting from the original to the “secondary” source.

The reason any of this matters is that while there is no energy crisis, it is often said that there is a crisis in how we use energy. I would extend this and argue there is a problem with the types of energy we use.

We’re On Our Way to a Greener World

by Justin Manger on July 30th, 2011

Several articles and events recently have reinforced the optimism I sense in our switch to lower pollution, lower consumption, and more sustainable lives. The hope springs forth in part because there is not just one group or sector or even one reason why society is shifting to more sustainable options. Rather, the change is spread out across individuals and groups, companies and organizations, and society at large. Government and the private sector are both taking steps in the right direction, even if the steps they take are not necessarily in lock step with one another. Perhaps most importantly, the tipping point is arriving where changes are being made for a variety of reasons, all of which are sensible with their respective rationales: to save money, to get votes, to feel good, to take responsibility, to compete in markets, to brandish an image, to change behavior, and to lead.

Two articles in particular stand out as evidence of this trend. One is about how something as simple as changing the size of waste baskets people have at work influences the amount of waste that gets generated. The other deals with a very complex issue: staying relevant in the brutally competitive automobile industry.

Five Friday Facts: Land and Water (Continued)

by Eric Wilson on July 29th, 2011

Last week’s Five Friday Facts came courtesy of Lester Brown’s Plan B 4.0, which was published in 2009. The following facts come from the same chapter, “Population Pressure: Land and Water” as last week’s. The book is available in print or as a downloadable PDF from The Earth Policy Institute’s website. For previous Five Friday Facts from Plan B 4.0, click here.

In China an average of 600 square miles turned to desert each year from 1950 to 1975. By century’s end, nearly 1,400 square miles (3,600 square kilometers) were going to desert annually.
It takes 14 tons of water to produce one ton of steel, where as 1,000 tons are required to grow 1 ton of wheat.
In 2009 roughly one-fourth of the US grain harvest was to be converted into fuel for cars. In Europe, some 2.1 billion gallons of biodiesel was expected to be produced in the same time frame. In order to meet quotas, the European Union is increasingly turning to palm oil imported from Indonesia and Malaysia, which depend on clearing rainforests for oil palm plantations.
The grain required to fill and SUV’s 25-gallon tank with ethanol just once will feed one person for a whole year. If the entire US grain harvest were to be converted to ethanol, it would satisfy at most 18 percent of US automotive fuel needs.
The (May 2009) decision to raise US auto fuel efficiency standards 40 percent by 2016 will reduce dependence on oil far more than converting the country’s entire grain harvest to ethanol could.

Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Rainstorms, Runoff, and Repaving Roads

by Eric Wilson on July 28th, 2011

Summer storms have ripped through Colorado over the past several weeks leaving the landscape decimated. The picture associated with this post was taken in Denver at a newly completed hospital with a retaining wall, catchment system for snow melt and storm waters, and landscaping which can help prevent soil erosion. Walking down the street reveals numerous areas where heavy rains have washed away soil and rock used to cover bare land.

In the case of the hospital parking lot, part of the fence sunk, the retaining wall washed away, and the plantings were uprooted. The parking lot covers what looks to be 2-3 acres. What happens to all of the rain that falls on that cement? A look at the picture reveals the answer. There is another option though. Pervious pavement, sometimes known as permeable pavement, allows for water to run through, not off, the pavement and return to the groundwater. This provides several benefits, especially during times of heavy rains. For a video demonstrate, see below.

Antonio Gaudi: Organic Architecture

by Eric Wilson on July 27th, 2011

Green building has several connotations such as being expensive, unattainable, and too modern in its styling. However, people having been incorporating “green” techniques for centuries. Many of these are low or NO cost options, such as building orientation, trees for shading, and thick exterior walls for insulation during hot and cold weather.

Obviously the advent of air conditioning, space heating, and artificial lighting has led to buildings consuming more energy. Before cooling large space was an available technology, architects and builder employed materials that reduced heat gain in the summer. In addition, nature provided inspiration for structures. Today referred to as biomimicry, the concept was just plain old good design practices over a hundred years ago. One of the prime examples of using nature to guide design can be seen in Africa. By modeling the building (Eastgate Centre) after termite mounds, this structure remains at a fairly constant internal temperature without an HVAC system. Air flows through the building, preventing stagnation.

In the Western world, Antonio Gaudi often elicits images of the unfinished Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family, seen in the picture to the left) which is located in Barcelona.

Magic Hat Brewery Tips Its Brim to Energy Conservation with Biogas

by Justin Manger on July 26th, 2011

In a bid to use the tons of grain waste produced during the brewing process that would normally go to waste, Magic Hat is going green. 21 tons of grain waste are produced per day at its South Burlington, VT factory. Instead of simply disposing of this “waste,” Purpose Energy is helping Magic Hat install a 492,000 gallon digester that combines grain waste, water, and yeast to make usable biogas.

More than a year in the making, $2.7 million has been invested in the project, which just came on line several weeks ago. Use of the biogas will ramp up as the project builds out. It would take 100 cubic feet of gas per minute to make beer. Currently, the digester pumps out

Emory University Sets Temperature Policy

by Eric Wilson on July 25th, 2011

Americans seemingly love their air-conditioning. While countries like Japan have set standards for indoor air temperature at comparatively balmy levels (82 degrees F or 28 degrees C), many in the United States scoff at not being able to crank up the AC. However, all of the electricity required to cool massive amounts of hot air comes at a price, both economic and environmental.

More often than not, air conditioning usage is highest during the middle of the day, the peak hours of consumption. These times require more energy and many utilities charge more for this electricity as compared to off-peak, such as late night. In addition, in order to generate this electricity, coal and nuclear are two of the most reliable sources of energy, but both fraught with environmental concerns.

With all of this in mind, Emory University’s (in Atlanta, GA) new policy for heating and cooling offices, classrooms, and common spaces – which was implemented on July 1st of this year – sets a new precedent.

More Roads Makes More Traffic

by Eric Wilson on July 24th, 2011

In a recent study out of the University of Toronto comes the startling revelation that “if you build it they will come.” While the line comes from Field of Dreams, the study’s findings say as much. The study’s official title, The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion: Evidence from US cities, demonstrates that increasing the volume of roadways will increase the volume of traffic, not ease congestion by adding lanes.

What then about public transportation? There is no evidence “that the provision of public transportation affects [vehicle-kilometers traveled]. We conclude that increased provision of roads or public transit is unlikely to relieve congestion.” What can be done then to relieve congestion? Is incentivizing public transit the answer? An NPR story points out that many places have taken to charging fees. “Cities like London, Singapore and Stockholm . . . have adopted ‘congestion pricing’”, which may be the best solution to reducing traffic.

New York Tops List of Most Walkable Cities

by Justin Manger on July 23rd, 2011

With its dense neighborhoods, apartment complexes, public transportation, and mega-city layout, most residents of New York City don’t need a car to go shopping or run daily errands. The list of most walkable cities in the U.S. is thus led by the Big Apple. Put together by Walk Score, which we have written about before, the website provides a walkability score on a scale of 1 to 100 (with 100 being the most walkable) for any address you type into the search field. For cities, researchers graded them block by block, with scores weighted by population density. After New York, with a score of 85.3, were the following most walkable large cities:

Five Friday Facts: Land and Water

by Eric Wilson on July 22nd, 2011

The following facts come from the second chapter – “Population Pressure: Land and Water” – of Lester Brown’s Plan B 4.0, which was published in 2009. The book is available in print or as a downloadable PDF from The Earth Policy Institute’s website. For previous Five Friday Facts from Plan B 4.0, click here.

On close to one third of the world’s cropland, topsoil is eroding faster than new soil is being formed by geological processes, slowly reducing the land’s inherent productivity.
The world’s irrigated area tripled from 1950 to 2000
Worldwide we drink on average 4 liters (~1 gallon) of water per day, either directly or in coffee, juice, soda, wine, etc. However, it takes 2,000 liters of water to produce the food we consume each day.
40 years ago Haiti was largely self-sufficient in grain. Since then it has lost nearly all it’s forests and much of its topsoil, forcing it to import over half of its grain.
Mongolia – a country three times the size of France, but with a population of only 2.6 million – imports nearly 70 percent of its wheat as a result of soil degradation.

Image source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

1
2
3

New from the TXU Energy Blog
Texas Renewable Energy
TXU Energy is committed to the community and helping the environment. Find a renewable energy plan today.
Texas Wind Energy
Renewable energy is considered the cleanest form of power generation. Browse our plans that include wind energy today.