Shrimp shells

Food and fuel meet again; shrimp shells increase the efficiency of bio-fuel production.

The conventional method of turning soybean or canola oil into valuable fuels requires a single-use catalyst like sodium hydroxide that needs to be neutralized by lots of water. Despite making a “greener” fuel than gasoline, all this polluted water isn’t doing anybody any favours.

Scientists in Wuhan, China have done what they always knew makes a dish better- they have added shrimp. Not only is shrimp a cleaner catalyst, but it can be reused, and is much more efficient at rendering plant oil into bio-fuel.

The shrimp shells are composed mainly of chitin. That’s significant, because it’s a material that when heated, becomes very porous. That makes the process much faster. In only three hours, 89 per cent of the batch can been successfully converted.

The researchers at Hua Zhong Agriculture University heated the shrimp shells beforehand, making a framework material that is then mixed with potassium fluoride. The goal was to find an environmentally friendly way to make an environmentally friendly fuel.

Certainly the scientists were happy with the result. By adding shrimp shells to the process, there is less waste and pollution, less energy required due to its efficiency and no wasted water to neutralize. Additionally, there is less cost associated with this method, as the shrimp shell catalyst can be used again, and shrimp are cheap to acquire. The results are a sustainable process and a cleaner fuel.

That’s a deliciously good solution for all.

Wal-Mart to put eco-ratings on products

In its most recent attempt to clean up its image and save the world, Wal-Mart announced plans to place eco-ratings on its all product labels. Wal-Mart plans on getting all 10,000 of its suppliers to answer a 15-question survey about their practices. Sounds great, but Wal-Mart’s raison d’être is discount prices and cheap goods manufactured in places like China. One has to wonder whether this is a good or even workable idea.

Are they sure they want to know? Are they comfortable honestly reporting the results, never mind putting it on all of their labels? Is this information even going to make a difference to the average Wal-Mart shopper, just looking for deals?

President and CEO Mike Duke believes this approach will push their suppliers to change their practices, which may affect the entire industry. They’ll use a green index that would be very similar to the nutritional info on food packages.

Questions in the survey are divided under the headings “Energy and Climate,” “Material Efficiency,” “Natural Resources: Producing High Quality, Responsibly Sourced Raw Materials,” and “People and Community: Ensuring Responsible and Ethical Production.”

Is it even feasible to ask these questions of all of their suppliers? Many of its suppliers may not have good answers to “do you know the location of 100 percent of the facilities that produce your product(s)?” or “Have you set publicly-available water use reduction targets?”

Even if they do get an answer, is it something that Wal-Mart can put on their packaging?

Eco ice cream

Is carbon-counting the next big food trend? Unilever is introducing a new low-carbon “ambient” ice cream. You read that right.

In an effort to reduce their carbon footprint, the company responsible for other successful ice creams such as Ben & Jerry’s, has developed an ice cream that need not be frozen until the consumer takes it home.

Freezing is an incredibly carbon-intense process when done on such a large scale.  By omitting the frozen storage and transportation, Unilever hopes to see huge savings. The company is also making changes to their bases of operations, installing more energy-efficient appliances and making other carbon-smart energy upgrades.

Low-carbon ice cream sounds like a great place to start. But the company is less confident about how the product will be received, and even how it will taste. If you’ve ever let a bowl of ice cream melt, and tried sticking it back in the freezer, you’ll understand why.

A spokesperson for Unilever says “when the ambient ice cream is frozen at home it will have the right microstructure to produce a fantastic consumer experience.”  But will the product taste any good after it’s been frozen in an uncontrolled environment?

So far, it looks like taste has taken a back seat to carbon-conciousness. But as any carb-counter will tell you; if it tastes good, it must be bad for you – and may be bad for the planet too!

Green makeovers of office buildings

West-facing, 32^nd floor, and green; sustainability and eco-friendly are becoming a major selling qualities for commercial leases.

In order to make spaces more attractive, many buildings are undergoing green retrofits. This trend has become popular, not only because of positive effects on the environment, but also because it saves tenants money.

Hey, times are tight – why not look for ways to save?

In Toronto, the TD Centre will undergo renovations that will eventually help them apply for LEED status. They’re doing this not for philanthropy; they believe this will make them more competitive in the leasing market. In a city with an 8.4% vacancy rate, that makes sense.

This isn’t an isolated case.  Avison Young reports that most tenants are looking to reduce costs in any way they can. Rather than constructing new buildings, a lot of the focus in Toronto is to retrofit older buildings with more efficient features.

As a result, spaces in green buildings rarely stay vacant for long. The tenant is happy to save money; the owner is happy to be making money again, and the environment is “happy” too; everybody wins.

In British Columbia, a partnership between B.C. Hydro, the Ministry of Energy and BOMA are prepared to make 17,000 commercial buildings more energy efficient. B.C. wants to see a 1/3 reduction of greenhouse gasses by 2020.

Projects like this are a cornerstone of the plan. Because commercial buildings make up about 5% of B.C.’s emissions, the goal is to reduce energy demand by 9% per square meter of commercial space.

Trends don’t always last, but wanting to spend less and make more money is hardly a “trend.” The green retrofit trend is expected to gain momentum as those with buying and leasing power demand lower costs and thus, more eco-friendly action.

Back to school green tips

You’ve heard the jingles. For retailers, back to school season is the second most wonderful time of the year. 

According to a Retail Council of Canada survey, Canadians planned on spending about $350 on back to school items from pencils, to lunch boxes, to laptop computers. That’s a lot of coin, especially if you are feeling the financial pinch. 

It could be less – and better for the environment.  This back to school season, by thinking green, you might just save some cash as well as resources and, yes, the environment.  Eco expert and writer Lauren Maris has some advice to share. 

Before you go back to school shopping, think before you spend. Make a list of items you need; then check it twice: make sure you really do need them before buying them brand-new. Many items purchased for the previous school year can be used again. 

Forget about brown bags.  Pack lunches in reusable lunch boxes, along with reusable cutlery and containers. Don’t worry, your kids will remember to bring them back home. Try buying food in bulk; it’s cheaper and uses less packaging. 

A new back to school wardrobe can be the most important thing to kids. Try hosting a clothes swap, or hunting down bargains at consignment shops. If brand-new is the only thing that will do, try to limit them to a single new and versatile outfit. 

If at all possible, walk your kids to school and back; organize a large group of your community’s kids to do a “walking school bus.” If the school is too far for walking to be an option, see if car pooling works. Remember not to idle when dropping them off or picking them up. 

 Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle this back to school season. It’s elementary!

I’m Fantastic Bioplastic

The latest in eco-friendly attire to make its way down runways and bike trails in all the hottest fashion houses of New York, Milan and Hoboken: potato raincoats. That’s right. Soon you too could be the proud owner of your own spud duds. 

We’re assuming that it takes a heck of a lot of energy to manufacture plastic, so this eco-friendly alternative is right up our hiking path. This waterproof coat is made entirely of potato starch bioplastic and other natural resources, which makes it a 100% biodegradable and compostable. 

But don’t worry: it won’t mean that the coat will start biodegrading right off your back at the sign of the first heavy rain; it only starts biodegrading under very specific conditions. And this coat is more than just a pretty face: it educates every passer-by on bioplastics by telling them “I was a potato”.

Not all ‘biodegradable’ products are compostable and those with oxodegradable additives are frequently labeled improperly. That means that when the plastic disintegrates, its harmful components go into the earth.

But wait! There’s more: the coat can be planted once it’s no longer needed! The seeds are contained in a small clay ball which is integrated right into the raincoat.

The coat’s seeds contain Mediterranean herbs, flowers, trees and bushes. The product is a real European collaboration: produced in Spain with German bioplastic made out of more than 20 varieties of French potatoes.

Ah oui, oui. Be good to the Earth: plant a raincoat.