Insight into the green heart of Canada
May 27, 2009
The newest Honda, 2010 Insight, has people talking…not about the car but about green living
Alberta urged to take lead on carbon
May 27, 2009
The drive for clean energy in the U.S. could be a boon to Albertans as it provides the chance to become leaders in carbon capture and storage technology
Pig farm turns waste into fuel source
May 27, 2009
“When pigs fly.” It’s an expression that means “never,” or at least – “don’t hold your breath.” Pigs aren’t likely to take flight anytime soon – but what if their waste can make things fly? What?
Well, maybe not fly, per se – but a pig farmer in England is using pig waste (a euphemism if ever there was one) to make electricity. In many respects, that’s just as good, and at least as useful.
John Ibbett’s plant north of London traps methane emissions from food and farm waste in giant vats. It’s then burned to produce electricity. Burning the methane has the added benefit of preventing this greenhouse gas from reaching the atmosphere.
What’s the difference?
It’s estimated that Ibbett’s pigs emit one-third less carbon than others. Not only is the methane trapped and burnt, but the electricity produced replaces high-carbon power. Finally, the final product is a soil fertilizer, less energy-intensive than the nitrogen variety.
More plants could have a real effect. Farming contributes as much to global warming as all the planes, cars and trucks in the world combined. That will increase as the world tries to feed an extra three billion people by 2050.
Luckily, they might just be on the way. The U.S. Senate is debating a bill to clear some of the regulatory red tape that currently impedes livestock biogas operations. If it passes, the timing might just be perfect – President Obama has pledged $150 billion in stimulus for renewable energy sources.
Pigs keep making waste – lots of it. So that qualifies as renewable.
Greenhouse gases in Arctic stir concern for permafrost
May 27, 2009
Usually it’s good to break the ice but as permafrost thaws in the Arctic, experts are concerned about the amount of greenhouse gases that could be released
Full Story [Surfersvillage.com]
Yellow Pages takes it one step at a time
May 26, 2009
“Let your fingers do the walking.”
It used to be Yellow Pages’ slogan, an allusion to browsing through the directory to find the right business number. Now, Yellow Pages is talking about steps again – but for a very different reason.
Yellow Pages Group (YPG) has launched its Changing the World, One Step at a Time campaign. It’s designed to encourage ethical and environmentally-sound decisions for individuals and organizations. Equiterre and Green Communities Canada are supporting YPG’s campaign.
There are already 12 steps listed on YPG’s site, in the following categories: Sustainable Transportation; Fair Trade and Ethical Consumption; Ecological Agriculture; Energy Efficiency; Waste Management; and Social and Community Involvement. YPG lists its own corporate actions and details for each.
YPG is no Johnny-come-lately to eco-friendly business practices. Its directories are already 100% recyclable. They’re composed of post-consumer fibre from Canadian suppliers, vegetable-based ink and hot-melt glue. Additionally, YPG uses only 100% recycled office paper at all its offices.
Their corporate actions include short, medium and long-term objectives. Some initiatives for 2009 include: offering the option to consumers to customize their directory order, reviewing the employee business travel policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, implementing a more efficient energy-saving policy and offering fair-trade products.
YPG says it will publicly report its progress on the various actions and programs. This will keep them honest, of course, but it will do something else. It creates a resource and database. By revealing the efficacy of its programs, the public and other companies can evaluate and compare.
Some companies talk a good game, but Yellow Pages is walking the walk – fingers and all.
New players, services to grow carbon trading
May 26, 2009
Voluntary carbon trading has more than doubled from 2007 to 2008 but with the exponential growth of this burgeoning market comes new challenges
Editorial – To end the quarrelling on GHGs
May 26, 2009
Here are some thoughts on some of the drivers that could shape the Copenhagen conference this year
Full Story [Winnipeg Free Press]
Energy certificates for buildings likened to nutritional labels
May 25, 2009
Many of us label shop at the grocery store to know exactly what we are buying. We look at calories, nutritional values, fat content and ingredients to determine which products best meet our needs.
How about label shopping buildings? That’s what a new Energy Certificate program in the European Union is intended to allow consumers to do. Label shop the buildings they buy, rent or otherwise occupy.
Think about your car. Chances are know how much it costs you. Insurance, maintenance, gas – you could probably estimate a total monthly cost, and be reasonably accurate. Could you do the same with your building?
The European Union aims to figure that out. Part of a directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings launched in 2006 is issuing Energy Certificates. The certificates profile the energy performance of existing and new buildings.
The program is mandatory for EU member states, and is intended to create transparency. It’s all well and good to promote energy efficiency in construction. But if an otherwise well-designed building has construction flaws – how would you know?
With certificates, renters, buyers, owners, operators and policy makers have access to data on the energy efficiency of the buildings around them. The program is exacting in detail – it aims to leave no (corner)stone unturned. Each building is assessed and inspected by energy performance experts.
The assessment is not system-specific. It includes boilers, heat pumps, heating elements, windows, wall insulation, air infiltration and more. Anything that influences energy efficiency. Computer software then analyzes the data, and assigns a ranking.
Does this sound like too much bureaucracy? Consider this: researchers believe Europe wastes up to 20% of its energy. European leaders believe there is a building energy savings potential of 28% if this program is followed through.
If correct, that would reduce EU total energy use by about 11%. The hope is that efforts such as the Energy Certificate program will help recapture that lost energy.
Friday Facts
May 22, 2009
A wind turbine produces enough clean electricity in six months to offset all of the greenhouse gas emissions emitted in its manufacture – and it will produce clean electricity for another 20-25 years.
Source: Canadian Wind Energy Association
Carbon tax beats cap-and-trade for curbing emissions
May 22, 2009
To tax or to trade? That is the question explored in this editorial on the carbon pricing debate, written by the CEO of Spectra Energy Corp.
