Save Eco Destinations

By Jack Lundee

Discovering new ways to lessen our carbon footprint comes in many shapes and forms, from algae-based fuel substitutes to solar energy. Many 21^st-century findings are aimed at long-term feasibility for increased efficiency so as to compete with oil companies.

Meanwhile, who’s looking into short-term attempts to moderate the rate in which we use energy?

According to Energy Bulletin, US Military energy consumption is the single greatest consumer of energy in the world, outputting thousands of trillions of Btu’s (British Thermal Unit) every year. In 2006 alone, the US Military used nearly 900 TRILLION BTUs of Jet fuel, which can be quite costly.

But, looking at the consumption of military jet fuel over time, we can clearly see a steady decline of consumption:

Similarly, municipal fleets, including buses and other forms of city transportation, use a heavy amount of energy every year. Although, much like the military, we’ve seen a steady decline in the rate at which city transportation consumes fuel. Factors include:

• Manufacturing (technology)
• Fewer people traveling
• People living closer to work
• Hybrid transportation

Ultimately, we can say that these slowly declining numbers are part of a systematic attempt to increase fuel efficiency through technology. One particular method of doing so involves fleet route optimization.

The CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) and Doug band are one fine example of a large collaborative unit of corporations, political figures, and non-profits that are helping in the process of route optimization. Route optimization can be defined as an attempt to locate the fastest route from point A to B, similar to the algorithms found in most GPS’s.

In a partnership with San Francisco, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) — a company that specializes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) — and NAVTEQ — which creates digital maps and map content — the CGI and Doug Band provide a commitment to incorporate plans to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from fleets in the San Francisco Bay Area through Fleet Route Optimization Software. This will target anything from public transportation to work force vehicles. NAVTEQ actually makes digital maps and content that drives navigation- and location-based services solutions worldwide, including:

• Auto navigation systems
• Mobile navigation devices
• Internet-based mapping applications
• Government and business solutions

Utilizing GIS mapping software, ESRI also helps the user interpret data, further aiding in transportation-based decision-making, reliant on the best information and analysis. Much of this is similar to what the average consumer finds on his/her portable GPS. Furthermore, it’s important to note that this technology has been around and is widely used.

Most of the time, this feature will be labeled as “alternate routes” and will allow the user to view multiple paths, along with other elements like fuel cost, distance, time, and gas station stops. Similarly, developers incorporate mechanisms that permit users to view weather/traffic in their area.

This is GREATLY beneficial to travelers, as nobody likes to get in bad weather, or a traffic jam for that matter! Typically, users will have to pay a little extra for these features, and may even have to attend to a monthly fee for traffic/weather updates.

Both forces hope to provide powerful solutions for technology companies that enforce municipal transportation efforts. Once a seamless integration of communication and navigation has been implemented, transportation will become much more efficient. Again, this is something that has already taken effect and will continue to improve energy efficiency in regards to transportation fuel costs. As technology progresses and becomes more affordable, individual consumers will begin seeing the GPS as no longer just an option, but rather as an integral part of any vehicle.

Jack Lundee is an avid follower of all things green and progressive. His endeavors have lead him to http://shadesofgreen.info where he’ll talk about the various topics he’s been submitting to the green blogosphere for months now.

Algae harvester

U.S. companies producing algal biofuels may soon rejoice: The U.S. House of Representatives last Tuesday (9/28/10) passed a bill meant to give tax breaks to companies working on algae feedstocks-generated biofuel.

The Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act (HR 4168) was sponsored by New Mexico Congressman Harry Teague and has a corresponding bill in the Senate that was introduced by Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) which is awaiting action after being referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Teague’s HR 4168 modifies the Internal Revenue Coded such that algae-based fuels can qualify for benefits now going to cellulosic biofuel makers. The bill includes a USD 1.01 per gal production tax credit and 50 per cent bonus depreciation for property employed to produce algae-based biofuel.

The bill defines “algae-based biofuel” as “any liquid fuel which is produced from the biomass of an algal organism (in essence, an organism that is primarily aquatic and classified as a non-vascular plant),” said the Congressional Research Service, Feedstuffs reports.

“[…] The House sent an unmistakable message of bipartisan support to the hundreds of companies, scientists, entrepreneurs and government agencies working to accelerate the development of algae-based fuels, which will create jobs, decrease emissions and reduce our nation’s dependence on imported fossil fuels,” told Mary Rosenthal, executive director of the Algal Biomass Organisation (ABO) trade group, reports BrighterEnergy.org. “The passage of this bill is a huge first step towards our goal of creating parity for algae-based biofuels within the tax code and among various other government programmes.”

This bipartisan bill did not cause controversy and passed without objections and without a roll call vote. It also received backing from Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Brian Bilbray (R-CA), among others.

“Algae to produce green crude can be grown on non-arable land, in salt or brackish water and using carbon dioxide and sunlight as its primary feedstocks,” Teague’s statement said.

“Therefore, algae has not presented the same land use concerns as other biofuels and does not have any of the ‘food versus fuel’ implications that plague some other biofuels. Green crude derived from algae can be refined into drop-in transportation fuels, such as jet, gasoline and diesel, that are entirely compatible with existing infrastructure and engines. Algae can also be used to produce ethanol and biodiesel,” it noted.

His bill received endorsement from the Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO), ABO, the Southwestern Biofuels Association, Sapphire Energy, and Algenol Biofuels, Dairy Producers of New Mexico and Farm Credit Services Southwest plus various regional business, civic and economic development organisations in his district.

The bill’s passing coincided with this year’s Algal Biomass Summit in Phoenix, Arizona, last Tuesday.

Fly green with British Airways

(Okay, as green as you can fly.) British Airways is taking a revolutionary step as it commits to build Europe’s first facility “to produce jet fuel from waste matter” within the next two years.

You’ll be able to support British Airways’ efforts and fly green by 2014.

The company will take 500,000 tons of crap (probably not literally) annually in its United Kingdom plant to produce 15 million gallons of fuel for its airplanes. As many as 1,200 people will gain work from the operation and countless others will be able to fly green.

Although the company’s plant will produce twice the amount of necessary fuel for all its flights leaving from London City Airport, this will allow just 2% of customers leaving from Heathrow to fly green. At the beginning, the facility will likely not work at full capacity.

But hey, it’s a start – and a kickass one at that!

The idea is that by reducing the amount of waste with high carbon content that reaches landfills by 500,000 tons a year, less methane will be released into the atmosphere. Note: methane is more harmful than carbon dioxide. Speaking of which, cough, don’t eat meat, cough.

United States company Solena Group will construct the plant and British Airways will purchase its output so its customers can fly green and clean (I’m a poet and I didn’t even …).

Here’s how it will work:

The waste is fed into a high temperature “gasifier” to produce BioSynGas.

A chemical process called Fischer Tropsch is then used to convert the gas into biofuel.

Waste products from the process can be used to power the plant as well as supply 20MW of electricity to the national grid.

A solid waste product can be used as an aggregate in construction.

Sweet. That’s a biofuel I can be happy about.

Um, ironically, the fuel is not currently certified for use in the UK, although it is certified in other countries. But fear not! British Airways is positive it will acquire certification so you can fly green by 2014, when Solena Group will begin producing the waste-matter fuel.

The fuel will be used alone or mixed with traditional kerosene.

Hey, I’m excited! I always feel guilty when I fly (and drive, and … a lot of things). Now I’ll be able to fly green, baby! (“Baby” is so silly. But what’s a good alternative? I hesitate to say “dude.” Maybe “sistah”?)

Thoughts? Are you as excited as I am to fly green?

A saltwater pond with algae - photo by Charles G. Summers, Jr.

LiveFuels Inc, a developer of renewable algal-biofuels, is working on turning algae into biofuels in a way that is 1) scalable, 2) sustainable, and 3) faster than previously employed methods.

The Texas-based developer has just launched a new pilot program to research ways to boost algae productivity and the rates of biomass conversion into renewable oils – that is, turning the algae into biofuels. The project is taking place at LiveFuels’ new facility in Brownsville, Texas.

“By harnessing the power of natural systems, we hope to achieve what has eluded the biofuels community for decades – cost effectiveness, scalability and sustainability,” said LiveFuels CEO Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones.

The plan is to then implement the findings all along the coast of Louisiana. This will be a full-scale, commercial operation. Sounds great to me.

Red tide off the Floridian coast - photo by SeaWiFS

Red Tide

And you know how agricultural runoff teeming with phosphates and other nutrients gets into rivers and streams and causes the dreaded red tide (a.k.a. algal bloom)? LiveFuels will remove a lot of these harmful nutrients from the Mississippi River and use them as fertilizer to grow their algae.

This method will lower the amount of phosphates in the river that eventually flow out into the Gulf of Mexico and hopefully mitigate the red tide notorious for plaguing the southern coast of the U.S. every summer.

The logistics

LifeFuels cheaply grows native algae in its open saltwater ponds. Conversely, other companies have grown monocultures of algae – sometimes genetically modified – within expensive quarters. This has precluded algae-based biofuels from entering the market as a salable alternative.

Researchers then get “filter-feeding” fish to eat the algae. Once digested, the algae turns into valuable oil that is hosted within some of the fish’s organs. The fish are then killed and squeezed for the oil (yikes!). The oil will then be fed to a refinery.

The oil’s by-products, like protein, will be sold to pet food manufacturers.

“Current approaches to generating algal-biofuels are resource intensive and face fundamental science and engineering hurdles,” noted David Kingsbury, former chief program officer for the Science Program of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and chairman of the LiveFuels scientific advisory board.

“LiveFuels’ approach is ingenious in its simplicity. By turning natural food chains into productive systems, LiveFuels eliminates many of the costs and risks plaguing other approaches to using algae for biofuels,” he added.

Bicyclists and a bike counter in Malmo - photo by 2headedturtle

What a surprise – we’re again looking at Scandinavia! This post focuses on Malmö, the home of almost 300,000 Swedes in the southern province of Skane, Sweden.

Oh, Malmö, let me count the ways that you are green:

• Between 2008 and 2012, you are cutting your CO2 emissions by 25% (!), essentially giving the Kyoto Protocol the finger as you obscenely surpass the Protocol’s meager 5% goal
• You lead the way in green electricity practices
• You consist of eco-friendly neighborhoods that contain hundreds of smart energy homes!
• Western Harbour runs on 100% renewable energy (solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels from organic waste)
• Your buildings are energy-efficient and were built with sustainable, recyclable materials
• Your streets encourage walking and cycling instead of driving – and it works: about 35% of the population travels by bike
• The restoration of Sege Park will power the neighborhood with solar (photovoltaics*), wind, and biofuels power
• Malmö, you renovate shipyards and industrial areas, transforming them into green residential communities
• Your district known as Augustenborg uses green roofing that reduces runoff and insulates buildings
• Augustenborg has the first-ever emissions-free electric steel trains (swank!)
• Another one for Augustenborg: more than a dozen recycling houses process 70% of collected waste

Brilliant.

The largest photovoltaic project in Scandinavia in Malmö's Sege Park

Malmö, oh, Malmö – your vibrant dedication, your grass-stained fingers, your cool, clean breath, your practical ingenuity – you are so wonderful I would give up certain sweets for you.

Oh, Malmö, with your canals, beaches, parks, and your harbor you remind me of the aesthetics of the Middle Ages and the distant future in spirit.

My love, oh, Malmö, is yours.

And I’m not the only one raving about this city: check out this BBC article on Sweden’s eco-awesomeness.

* What the hell are photovoltaics? I’m glad you asked. Why, they’re a solar energy technology. Photovoltaics cells transform solar light directly into electricity. Learn more here.

A castle in Kalmar

Not sure where to go for your next overseas vacation? Let me help you: consider the beautiful and eco-friendly city of Kalmar in south-east Sweden on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Kalmar and Kalmar County (total: 236,501 people) are currently working on eradicating their use of fossil fuels and permanently replacing them with biofuels–and all this with the Swedes’ support. Residents’ standard of living remain, as they aren’t having to endure cold inside their houses in the winter or give up their cars. Essentially, the only change Kalmar will be making is its choice of fuels.

Specifically, Kalmar is switching from oil, gas, and electric furnaces to recycled energy. They call it district heat and it’s made from timber companies’ by-products, sawdust and wood waste. Ninety percent of the electricity at Kalmar comes from hydro, nuclear, and eolic (wind) power.

The busses and cars are publicly owned and most of them-you better sit down for this one-run on biogas (produced from waste wood, chicken manure, or 85% ethanol from Brazil). Read about their alternative fuels. There are more bicycle lanes, trucking firms are teaching eco-driving, building codes must now meet insulation standards, street lights use low-energy bulbs, and fuel-efficient and hybrid cars are all the rage.

Naturally, the switch to biofuels is not only making local Swedes happy because they’re increasingly eco-friendly, but also because of how much money they get to save in fuel and their opportunity to preserve jobs in these rough times worldwide. Kalmar has managed to make a drastic and fantastic change toward environmentalism without slowing down its economic growth. Visit Kalmar in 2030, and you will find no trace of fossil fuel use.

We can do it, too! Push for change in your cities!

Uteservering in charming Kalmar. (Click for more pictures of the city of Kalmar and its nightlife.)

The Svenssons, a couple of municipal workers in Kalmar, have taken to bicycling to work, buying locally produced food, don’t use a clothes dryer, and have other tricks up their sleeve. “We wanted to do something so we could look [our daughter] in the eye in 20 years’ time and say, ‘We tried,’ ” Sara Svensson told the Chicago Tribune.

What will you tell your kids and grandkids 20 years from now? They probably won’t buy it if you tell them you were too busy to make small changes.