2nd Green Revolution - Part 8

January 2012 Clean Energy and Sustainability Events

by Eric Wilson on January 2nd, 2012

In the world of clean energy and sustainability conferences, 2012 begins much as 2011 ends. There are only a few conferences and events listed on 2nd Green Revolution’s events calendar. Many universities are out of session until after Martin Luther King Day. However, Emory University in Atlanta is hosting a workshop focused on sustainability in the curriculum. In addition, a smattering of domestic events include an intriguing one day conference in Minnesota on “Green Chemistry” (details below) and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, California. A more detailed post will follow shortly about the festival.

Perhaps the most intriguing conference this month is a one-day symposium in Minneapolis on “green chemistry.” The general idea is creating chemicals that are non-toxic. This field could have vast implications in the arena of Cradle to Cradle design. There is another event in Minneapolis this month. One of three forums, the Green Biz Forum is holding one conferences in San Francisco and New York City as well. The New York event is listed below.

Let us know of any conferences, events, or festivals in your area. We will gladly add them to our green events calendar. Please send us an email with the event’s name, date, location, description, and website.

Here are a few of the events happening around the U.S.:

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Balance: the Human Body, Economics, Evolution and the Link to Sustainability

by Justin Manger on January 1st, 2012

I’ve talked before about the way running “jogs” loose all kinds of thoughts and allows for connections to be made between seemingly disparate ones. The latest brain buzz came almost two months ago but I’ve only now gotten around to writing it up in some “official” form. So here goes.

Sustainability can be thought of as maintaining balance. There is a happy medium to be reached in being able to use the bounty of resources this planet is endowed with, and yet not go so over the top as to destroy our modern way of life or the health of our species and others through unbridled consumption. We are pretty darn good at using our bounty of resources, but have to work on not going overboard.

Look around and you’ll see other grand examples of the concept of balance.

For one, take the human body. An absolute marvel of time-spanned engineering, you sweat if you’re hot and shiver and get goosebumps if you’re cold in order to maintain a balanced body temperature. Your body regulates levels of sugars, salts, and hormones so that – on the average – you don’t have too much of one chemical racing through your body upsetting the way a balanced system works. There are many more ways the body regulates itself to maintain homeostasis, but let’s leave the examples there and move on to economics.

The market economy, for all its faults, is still the best system we have largely because it strikes a balance. Ideally, it moves money from those who have it to those who don’t (loans, investment, buying and selling of products) and it reaches equilibrium between consumers and producers, and supply and demand. Even the huge fluctuations between economic booms and busts will eventually

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Not Your Average Bus Trip: How “Green” is that Green Bus? Part 3

by Heather Perry on December 31st, 2011

I should take a moment to describe the Lovecraft Biofuel conversion done on our bus.  To safeguard against any particles that might bypass the filtration system, an additional inline fuel filter causes the engine to stall when clogged, preventing potentially irreparable engine damage.  This inline filter came in handy when we broke down in Utah and merely needed to clean it to continue to Colorado.  Additionally, the fuel filter was replaced with a heat exchanger, tapping directly into the coolant line, utilizing waste heat to preheat the vegetable oil.  Other than changing out a couple of supply lines, the only other significant changes were the addition of an inline fuel pump to improve efficiency when the engine started from cold, and a return line to pump excess fuel back into the tank, further heating the cold oil by mixing it with already hot oil.  This conversion allowed for the use of biodiesel, petrodiesel, or waste vegetable oil.

In addition to our objectives of designing and operating our filtration system, recycling waste vegetable oil, and exploring our country, we volunteered at music festivals, allowing us free admission and a chance to continue our green footprint.  Our first music festival was Rothbury 2008, in Michigan, designed to be one of the first environmentally friendly, sustainable festivals.  We were part of the “Green Team,” in charge of ensuring as close to zero-waste as possible by directing people where to toss their respective refuse as either compostable, recyclable, or landfill.

Our journey from Boulder to Rothbury took about three days, exceptionally longer than anticipated due to underestimated oil-collection stop times, further refinement to our system, and a few scenic stopovers in Omaha, Nebraska, Davenport, Iowa, and Kalamzoo, Michigan.  We enjoyed a rinse off in the largest bath of the summer, Lake Michigan.  We were even graced with the unforeseen delivery of free, hot coffee drinks fresh to our bus door one morning after an overnight stop in York, Nebraska.

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Last Year Denver International Airport Added Another 1.6 MW of Solar

by Eric Wilson on December 31st, 2011

Although the project was completed last year, the addition of 1.6 MW of solar panels to the 2 MW system that provides roughly half the energy needed to power the Denver International Airport (DIA) tram system demonstrates the role solar can have in a carbon economy. The large array partially “offset[s] the environmental and monetary costs of its jet fuel storage and distribution facility, generating approximately 2,450,000 kilowatt hours of clean electricity in the first year of operation and approximately 47 million kilowatt hours during the system’s lifetime.” Yesterday as I flew in from the east, the array could be seen to the north and east of the airport and jet fuel tanks.

MP2 Capital, a leading developer, financier, and operator of solar projects throughout North America, unveiled the project. According to the video from Denver’s Fox 31 (available below), the entire system consists of nearly 7,400 panels. When the panels produce excess energy, the electricity is sold to Xcel Energy, the local utility.

Much like natural gas is seen as a bridge fuel for wind and solar energies, this solar installation primarily provides power for the jet fuel facility. Until biofuels prove viable (which may be sooner than later), here is an opportunity for renewable energy to partner with and help reduce the impact of fossil fuels.

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Five Friday Facts: Aluminum Recycling

by Justin Manger on December 30th, 2011
  • Nashville, Tennessee’s Evermore Recycling is North America’s largest purchaser of used aluminum cans for recycling. It is a joint venture between Novelis and Alcoa.
  • 60 days = time period from when you recycle a can until it reappears on the store shelf
  • 68% = the recycled content in every aluminum can
  • 73% = the amount of aluminum that has ever been produced that is still in use today
  • 95% = the energy and greenhouse gas savings from recycling vs. new aluminum production
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Apple Working on New Battery That Could Be Charged Once a Week

by Justin Manger on December 29th, 2011

News has surfaced again that Apple is planning to release a hydrogen fuel cell battery that could power iPhones, iPods, and iPads for at least a week without recharging. Submissions (below) with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, first reported by Apple Insider in October, describe a lighter and more environmentally friendly battery that could keep Apple at the front of technological advances.

A switch from standard batteries that use toxic chemicals to a hydrogen fuel cell that produces water and electricity, would potentially allow for devices that are able to operate for days on one charge, while also making devices lighter. “Such fuel cells and associated fuels can potentially achieve high volumetric and gravimetric energy densities, which can potentially enable continued operation of portable electronic devices for days or even weeks without refuelling,” the filings state. Apple goes on to talk about why such a shift to the new battery would be beneficial not only for consumers but also have environmental and political advantages:

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2012 Light Bulb Efficiency Standards Delayed until September

by Chris DeArmond on December 28th, 2011

By passing the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, congress established efficiency standards for light bulbs that were slated to go into effect in at the beginning of 2012. However, due to a provision included in the massive year-end spending bill that eliminates funding to carry out the standards, the date has been pushed back to September 30th. The standards will be introduced in phases over the next three years and set limits on the amount of energy a light bulb can consume to produce a given amount of light (measured in lumens). Since many traditional incandescent light bulbs cannot currently meet the requirement, they will progressively be eliminated from store shelves after existing supply runs out. The Energy Information Administrationpredicts the new standards will save Americans nearly $6 billion in 2015 alone. Here is a rundown of the regulations:

  • Phase 1 (effective 2012): 72 watt maximum for lights producing between 1,490 and 2,600 lumens. Traditional incandescent light bulbs affected: 100- and 150-watt.
  • Phase 2 (effective 2013): 53 watt maximum for lights producing between 1,050 and 1,489 lumens. Traditional incandescent light bulb affected: 75 watt.
  • Phase 3 (effective 2014): Sets two standards. 43 watt maximum for lights producing between 750 and 1,049 lumens, and 29 watts for lights producing between 310 and 749 lumens. Traditional incandescent light bulbs affected: 40- and 60-watt.

When incandescent bulbs are eventually phased out, you’ll still have several options to choose from. For those who want the same color light emitted by incandescent bulbs, you’ll want to buy

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Toyota’s New 83MPG Hybrid Goes on Sale in Japan

by Justin Manger on December 27th, 2011

Toyota’s smallest and most environmentally friendly hybrid, the Aqua, hit the Japanese market earlier this week. The $22,000 car is 2 feet shorter than its well known cousin the Prius and gets more than 83 miles per gallon. To be named the Prius C when it eventually crosses the Pacific and goes on sale in the U.S., Toyota is expecting to sell 12,000 units per month in the Japanese domestic market according to Main Nichi Shinbun.

The car is manufactured in Iwate prefecture, one of the areas hardest hit by the March 2011 tsunami. Made by Toyota’s subsidiary Kanto Auto Works,

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