There is a consensus that we will run out of oil. The question is, when? Up until the current energy crisis, we’ve heard outlandish forecasts, projecting that we won’t run out of oil for 500, 700, even 1,000 years…with sustained growth rates of consumption and the introduction of new oil discoveries. If I told you that oil consumption rates grew by (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘Sustainability’
Can’t Argue with Arithmetic: How sustained growth leaves an unsustainable planet
Friday, June 26th, 2009Burgerville: Proving how a fast-food chain can be fresh, local and sustainable
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Whether a chain of 39 restaurants or 1,000, incorporating local, sustainable practices in a fast-food business can be accomplished. This is exactly what Burgerville has done. This Pacific Northwest chain of 39 fast-food restaurants has set the bar for “green” fast-food, looking for ways to deepen their commitment to fresh, local, sustainable practices through partnerships with local businesses, farms and producers.
It’s right there in their motto: Fresh. Local. Sustainable. It’s no surprise. To many people, eating fast-food has lost its appeal. Films like Super Size Me, Fast Food Nation and the recent release of Food, Inc. have all exposed the negatives of fast-food dining. For example, where the hell are those 2 (more…)
How to get that perfect, “green” Christmas tree
Thursday, December 25th, 2008For over 500 years, the Christmas tree has been the decorative symbol of Christmas, bringing with it, traditions that last generations. Whether going on a hike in the mountains to chop down that perfect tree or going to a local tree farm, everyone faces the same post-Christmas choice. What do I do with this tree? Some of you are probably thinking to yourselves, “well we have an artificial tree, so we reuse our tree every year and don’t have to deal with the task of throwing our tree out and polluting.”
This brings up another question. What is more “green”, an artificial tree or a natural tree? While it is true that faux-Christmas trees can be reused, which is a common “green” theme, they are not nearly as eco-friendly as natural trees, since they are mostly made of PVC. Even worse, lead is used to stabilize certain PVC products, which is why artificial trees have a label printed on the box, cautioning you to avoid inhaling or eating bits of lead that may fall from the “branches”. Not so “green” now, is it?
Of course, the “greenest” option is to avoid a tree, fake or real, but if you must have a tree, go to a local Christmas tree farm…more specifically, an organic Christmas tree farm. They have sustainability built into the business. When you find a tree, cut it, and haul it off, they will plant another one to sell a few years down the line. In the meantime it’ll be turning carbon dioxide into oxygen and providing a habitat for many animals. This is a “green” option, only if you go to an organic tree farm, because many tree farmers use harmful pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
The key to making your Christmas tree as harmless as possible (more…)
The next “wave” of sustainable energy…
Monday, November 17th, 2008
The PowerBuoy
The beauty of today’s technology, aside from the daily consumer goods like the iPhone and the G1, is the ability to utilize the resources in our own backyard to produce the energy that powers our own homes. Our rooftops can capture the Sun’s rays through solar shingles and power the entire house…and more. Wind turbines in the Altamont Pass produce enough electricity to power 200,000 households annually. And now, the next “wave” of sustainable energy is taking place in Hawaii. Let’s put the pieces together. Hawaii is home to some of the most powerful waves in the world, buoy’s are constantly jostled by these waves, and where does that energy go? Well traditionally, researchers have used these buoys to measure wave height and water pressure for tsunami warnings, to mark dive sites for divers, and buoys have even been used to assist in yacht racing. Not to take anything away from the vital service that buoys provide in yacht racing, but Hawaii is now using these offshore buoys as an energy producer.
The company that makes these energy buoys, called the PowerBuoy, is Ocean Power Technologies. On the surface, these buoys resemble an ordinary ocean buoy, about 12 feet wide and 55 feet long. As the buoy is jostled by naturally occurring offshore waves, it moves a piston-like device located at its core up and down. The electricity generated by the system, which is typically placed in about 100 to 150 feet of water, is then sent back to shore via a standard submarine transmission cable along the ocean floor (CNET).
The Ocean Power Technologies system.
The buoy is full of onboard sensors and communications tools that allow it to be monitored and instructed from the company’s headquarters. The buoy can autonomously adjust the way it pumps to accommodate changes in ocean waves, thus maximizing its production.
This is a perfect example of how different cities can use one of their most abundant resources to produce energy that powers local households and businesses. This “wave” technology is valuable, as over half of the current U.S. population is living on or near a coast…and over the next century, that number is projectd to increase exponentially. This buoy project could be operational by the end of 2009.
“Nice fleece.”…”Thanks! It’s made from pop bottles.”
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008We are all constantly reminded and encouraged to recycle nearly everything we get rid of…tin cans, plastic bottles, Coke cans, newspaper, cereal boxes, glass Carlo Rossi bottles, motor oil, etc. If you’re like me, you sort all of these things into crates or bags and take them to the local recycling center, or if you live in the city, the city picks up your recycling from your curb or from that large dumpster behind your apartment complex. But what happens next? Most people have no idea how these things are recycled. We assume that our plastic bottles are just turned back into plastic bottles and our Lucky Charms box is turned back into a Lucky Charms box. Recycling opens up opportunities for other industries to create new products that look nothing like the plastic bottle or tin can it is made from. You will be surprised at some of the innovative and creative methods in which our weekly “recycling” is being…well, recycled. (more…)