Rob Greenfield is an adventurer and an environmental activist. Greenfield went a year without a conventional shower but instead, he bathed in lakes and rivers or sat in the rain. During his natural baths, he sometimes used eco-friendly biodegradable soap. The reason he did this was that he undertook a 100 day bike ride across America without a shower to promote “sustainability and eco-friendly living.” After his ride proved successful, he believed that he could go for an entire year.
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Most of the crude oil extracted from the Alberta oil sands, shale oil from the Dakotas, and corn-based ethanol is transported by rail. This has put tremendous strain on our freight rail capacity and adds to the energy overhead associated with these fuel sources. This article from the Windsor Star reports that the volume of liquid fuel transported via freight rail has exploded since 2005 (On occasion, the fuel actually explodes as was the case last summer when a train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec killed 47 people). This boom in rail transport has created a serious bottleneck in the supply chain for many industries, including the auto industry. The article highlights an ongoing situation where hundreds of new minivans are stranded in Detroit due to a lack of rail cars need to transport them to distribution points.
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2014/04/23/finished-minvans-sit-on-detroit-riverfront-due-to-rail-car-shortage/
The North Pacific humpback whale was removed from the endangered list in Canada over Easter weekend. The federal advisory committee on endangered species claims that the great rise in the whales’ population since commercial whaling was banned in 1966 has justified the reclassification. However, the whales’ classification downgrade also happens to remove a major legal hurdle that stood in the way of the $7.9-billion Northern Gateway pipeline project.
There are number of articles on the recent change, most of which seem more suspect than happy in tone. The image below is from this article.
Sources: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, WWF Canada
Graphic by Matthew Bambach / The Globe and Mail
In this article, published in the New York Times, author Coral Davenport discusses the true importance of the decision facing President Obama on the Keystone Pipeline, its potential effects on the environment and even the relative insignificance of the carbon emissions associated with opening the pipeline.
According to Davenport, “Mr. Obama’s eventual decision on the pipeline will have a marginal impact on global warming emissions” given that “the oil that would move through the Keystone pipeline would add 18.7 million metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere annually” compared to the already “5.5 billion tons” that is produced by the United States (Davenport, 6-8).
The carbon emissions produced by the oil moving through the pipeline “would amount to less than 1 percent of the United States greenhouse gas emissions, and an infinitesimal slice of the global total” (Davenport, 8).
In order to make significant changes in the current levels of carbon emissions produced by the United States, Davenport suggests, “Mr. Obama’s administration would have to enact policies that would force the two most polluting sectors of the nation’s economy – cars and coal plants – to slash their emissions” (Davenport, 10).
Interestingly, Davenport suggests that the 1% total that the Keystone Pipeline would contribute to the United States’ current emissions does not represent a large chunk, which mathematically speaking, it doesn’t. But given that the move to slash emissions for cars is already underway and that cutting coal emissions will be much more difficult, shouldn’t we try to stop ourselves from adding anymore?
In this article, published in the New York times, author Beth Gardiner addresses the various policies that have been adopted by a number of countries to curb wasting. South Korea “is charging for garbage removal by weight” while Massachusetts “is barring large businesses from sending kitchen waste to landfills” and supermarkets in Britain “are improving labels and packaging so that customers throw out less of what they buy” (Gardiner, 1).
The idea is to waste less, especially given the rising global population and with it the number of starving persons in the world. The UN “estimates that a third of all the food produced in the world is never consumed” and that the food wasted by all of the developed countries in the world combined “would be more than enough to feed the world’s 870 million hungry people” (Gardiner, 3-4).
The United States alone tosses away “about 40 percent of all food, worth an estimated $165 billion” (Gardiner, 3).
If we only invested in as much as we could consume and simplified packaging, with the utilization of the correct channels, it might be plausible that we could redistribute the wealth, so to speak, and slow down the mass dumping that we contribute to every year.
In this article published in the New York Times, author Stephanie Strom addresses the various consequences of the three-year drought in California, especially for agriculture, farmers and consumers. Due to the drought, farmers are “forced to make dire choices that could leave as much as 800,000 acres, or 7 percent of the state’s cropland, fallow” (Strom, 5). Because farmers will be unable to harvest water-intensive crops, their decisions on what to plant and how much of it to plant “will translate directly into higher prices at the grocery store” (Strom, 7).
Californians won’t be the only ones affected, however, as “between one-third and one-half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables are grown in California” (Strom, 8). Already, the effects of this drought have been felt by consumers: “Last year…vegetable prices were 3 percent higher and fruits cost 2 percent more” (Strom, 9).
Strom also identifies the difficulties facing farmers and consumers based on a growing population and the inaccessibility of water for crops resulting in uncultivated land.
There are lots of kits and do-it-yourself instructions on-line to convert your diesel car to biodiesel – for example http://www.greasecar.com/products
This recently-released study suggests that the benefits of using corn waste for cellulosic biofuel will be reduced sustantially, due to carbon loss from soil that does not have the residue remain on the field.
According to a 2012 study by DOE, biofuels made with corn residue were 95% better than gasoline in greenhouse gas emissions.
I realize that this is a sensational news story….
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/17/us/oregon-teen-urinates-into-water-supply/
This video profiles the 258 sf living space of a Barcelona-based photographer. The single room physically transforms using pullout furniture and built-in cabinets to provide the functionality and amenities of a standard apartment. While this exact set-up would not work for a family with kids, it does provide an interesting option for single folks and childless couples. The concept of micro-apartments simultaneously addresses the supply/demand imbalance of housing in many booming urban areas, the need for more affordable housing, and the need for housing with lower environmental impact. The supporting article describing the apartment is provided here: http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/lego-style-apartment-transforms-into-infinite-spaces/
In 1958, Disney put out a documentary on the US highway system title “Magic Highway USA”. It is fascinating, and frequently disturbing, to see the perspective being promoted in the film toward highway construction and the potential future of the highway system. The film also provides an interesting snapshot of how policy makers and planners viewed transportation infrastructure and human mobility shaping society.
The really wacky stuff starts at the 39 minute mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0q_oP9TPD4
If you know the first thing about beer, you know that beer is made from grains. Grains are used for everything, whether it’s food for people or livestock. Spent grains go straight to the dump or used as animal feed, but they can also make great compost, baking ingredients, and cultivators to grow mushrooms. Brewing companies across the country are currently turning their trash into useful materials, and even ethanol at a Coors site in Colorado. Read this “sustainable blog” for an in depth explanation of the process. Cheers!
http://www.sustainableamerica.org/blog/sustainable-suds/?fb_action_ids=10202297793979593&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582
The Keystone Pipeline Project is basically a plan to build a pipe from Canada’s Alberta tar sands to PA in the U.S in order to transport crude oil more efficiently.
President Obama has extended his review of the Keystone Pipeline Project indefinitely. The reason for this hold up is due to a Nebraska judge ruling one of the state’s laws, allowing the pipeline to be built, unconstitutional. As the pipeline must pass through Nebraska, this will pose a major challenge.
The companies in Canada which are working on the pipeline are not happy with this and many other political hold ups in the U.S.
What do you think of the pipeline project? Is it sustainable since it would increase efficiency and produce jobs, or is it not since it would increase the use of fossil fuels?
It wasn’t the earthquake or flood that caused the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant to explode and release toxins, it was the subsequent failure of the cooling systems due to the power shutdown.
A new location for the plants has been proposed, and NIMBY isn’t a problem. They are in the process of designing a nuclear floating platform to put in the ocean miles from the coast and at 100 meter depths. This would diminish all tsunami and earthquake concerns if the platform is far enough away from land. “The biggest selling point is the enhanced safety.” The ocean plants would use the surrounding water in case of an emergency cooling shutdown.
The article only lists advantages to the offshore nuclear plants, but I’m sure there is an equal amount of disadvantages such as transferring the energy to land…what else would dissuade people from investing in this alternative?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140416112956.htm
At this moment, only ~11 states are bottle deposit states. In another words, you would be charged 5 cents extra per plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans (10 cents for Michigan). And once you take them to the recycling machines to return these bottles/cans, you’d get a refund of that five cents (ten for Michigan). I personally think that all 50 states should be bottle deposit states and 5 cents is not enough. Maybe ten or even twenty might be reasonable. When people are being charged more, they will be more motivated to have a more sustainable mind, even if they choose to buy bottles.
To be more specific, a higher unit price may reduce the number of people who purchase the products. In addition, people who choose to purchase the products would at least save up the used bottles so that they can bring them to the recycling machines, which would not only pay them back but also that it motivates them to recycle significantly more. To make things even better, this would reduce the amount of littering from cars, bodies of waters and in public and private properties. Less littering would mean more beautiful landscape and protecting children and animals from the ultimate consequences like glass lacerations and the Great Pacific Trash Island (whereas birds and fish mistake plastic for food).
Named Keplar 186f and located 500 light years away the first Earth “twin was found by NASA’s Keplar planet-finding mission. Is it possible that we can one day utilize the resources of another planet. The technology needed is far more advanced than where we are now but knowing what is out in space is very exciting.
I attended Thomas White’s presentation on dolphins. He is a strong advocate for the protection of dolphins and their rights as intelligent individuals. He started by asking why humans have “human rights.” This was answered with a description of defining human characteristics, some of which include self-awareness, self-control, emotions, individual personalities, and respect for one another. It was then shown that dolphins are also believed to have many similar characteristics, based on studies done over the past few decades. If it is unethical to treat humans in a poor manner due to these characteristics, then it makes sense that dolphins should also be treated with respect; not kept in captivity or hunted.
Thomas White mentioned his website which, you can see in this link.
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/unexpected-loose-gas-from-fracking/950/
A survey of hydraulic fracturing sites in Pennsylvania revealed drilling operations releasing plumes of methane 100 to 1,000 times the rate the EPA expects from that stage of drilling, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Natural gas as an energy source for electric-ity production is less of a contributor to global warming than coal only if less than 3.2 percent of methane escapes during production. Recent measurements estimate that between 2.3 percent and 17.3 percent of gas escapes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/science/paying-farmers-to-welcome-birds.html?ref=science&_r=0
In California, a area that was once wetlands is now 95% farm land and the result was a dramatic decrease in migratory birds. Conservationists have found an innovative way to preserve these birds. By using a smartphone app to record bird locations, scientist have determined the key areas to be preserved for the birds. Now instead of buying the habitat from the farmers, conservation organizations just pay to irrigate certain areas for a few weeks at a time.
As public pressure builds to dig up coal ash from waste lagoons in North Carolina, Duke Energy is facing a potentially massive cleanup bill that the Charlotte electric utility has been trying to dodge.
Early indications suggest Duke’s price tag could approach $1 billion, based on ash removal expenses in South Carolina. Deciding who pays the bill – Duke’s customers or its shareholders – would pose another challenge.
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/08/3682139/duke-energys-1-billion-cleanup.html
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