The Green Blog

U.S. Now World Leader in Wind Power Production

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:49:22 -0500

Environmental Finance, 7 August 2008 - US wind capacity is expected to increase 45% in 2008 although Congress' failure to extend the production tax credit (PTC) for the renewable energy industry threatens to derail further development, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Total US installed wind power capacity now stands at 19,549MW, up 2,726MW from the end of 2007, making the US the world leader in wind electricity generation, according to the AWEA's second quarter 2008 market report. Germany has installed generating capacity of about 23,000MW, but the US produces more electricity because of stronger winds, the AWEA said.The AWEA projects 7,500MW of new capacity will come online in 2008, a 45% increase over 2007. �The increased cost of fuel, particularly natural gas, has had an amazing impact on the industry��, said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher.

The rapid growth of the wind energy industry, however, is being threatened by the inability of Congress to pass legislation to extend the PTC for renewable energy projects, he said. The PTC is set to expire at the end of 2008, and many projects are being rushed to completion by the end of this year, Swisher said.

Investment in new wind energy projects beyond 2008 has stalled due to the failure to extend the credits, Swisher said. �If there is a great deal of uncertainty in the market and in policies in the market, that investment capacity will be deployed elsewhere��, he said. �It's just ludicrous that the Congress is letting this opportunity slip away.��

The AWEA also reported a strong increase in domestic investment in wind turbine and wind turbine component manufacturing facilities over the past 18 months with at least 41 new or expanded facilities creating more than 9,000 jobs when operating at full capacity. But uncertainty about the PTC also threatens that investment, according to the AWEA.

Inexpensive Rain Barrel Ideas

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:46:13 -0500

Barrels for collecting rainwater from roofs can get expensive. There are a few other cheaper options worth looking into if you are tight on cash like me.

1. Municipalities and Water Utilities
Many municipalities these days are encouraging water saving devices like rain barrels, and as a result, often give them away for free. They probably have a limited supply or may only offer them on certain days or at specific events. They may refer you to the water utility company.

2. Non-profit Organizations
If your municipality has no advice, then check out non-profit environmental organizations. They may have giveaways or know of places where you can get free or inexpensive rain barrels.

3. Car Wash
I�ve heard that car washes may have 55 gallon barrels that can be retrofitted as rain barrels but have never investigated it myself. I�ve also heard that they recycle them back to the supplier, but it never hurts to ask.

4. Feed Supply Store
If you live in a rural area, then another resource to try is the feed supply store where grains might be sold in large containers suitable for rain barrels.

5. Food or Beverage Manufacturing Facility
I�ve heard that in Atlanta, GA people can get 55-gallon drums from the Coca-Cola bottling plant for free. This may hold true for other food and beverage manufacturing or bottling facilities.

Top 5 Polluting Countries

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:32:06 -0500

Note: Please keep in mind that these are just estimates and that these figures are going up and down each year.

1. China - Probably not a surprise. China comes in at #1 among developing countries and #2 worldwide (new reports show that China may actually be #1 in both categories). At 18.4% of global CO2 emissions, no one even comes close to China (except for the United States). The next country to even begin to offer a challenge is Russia, at a mere 5.6%. China also accounts for almost 20% of the worlds population with 1,325,507,000.

2. India - Pumping out 4.9%, this quickly developing country is home to roughly 1,136,665,600 (over 17% of the global population). Including developed countries, India still ranks 4th.

3. South Korea - earns a Bronze with 1.7% of global emissions, and 9th when factoring in the developed world. With a population just slightly larger than South Africa, at 48,224,000 people. #3,4 and 5 are all pretty close in terms of CO2 emissions, though Mexico has double the population of South Korea or South Africa.

4. Mexico - Also 1.6% of global emission (slightly higher than South Africa if you look at actual tons), the roughly 106,682,500 people of Mexico are 11th in the world when you include developed countries.

5. South Africa - Responsible for 1.6% of global CO2 emissions, South Africa has a population of 47,850,000 people. Cheers to South Africa for recently announcing its plans to stabilize and reduce CO2 emissions by 2025. (#12 in the world if you include developed countries).

How Green is Your Favorite Electronics Company

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:36:04 -0500

With expanded and tougher criteria on toxic chemicals, electronic waste and new criteria on climate change only Sony and Sony Ericsson score more than 5/10 in our latest Guide to Greener Electronics. Nintendo and Microsoft remain rooted to the bottom of the Guide.
The Greener Electronics Guide is our way of getting the electronics industry to face up to the problem of e-waste. We want manufacturers to get rid of harmful chemicals in their products. We want to see an end to the stories of unprotected child laborers scavenging mountains of cast-off gadgets created by society's gizmo-loving ways.

First launched in August 2006 the Guide is now on its 8th edition. It ranks the top market leaders of the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console markets according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals and take-back. It has been a key driving force in getting many of the companies to make significant improvements to their environmental policies. New to this edition are criteria to assess the impact of electronics companies on climate change.

Companies are scored on disclosure of their greenhouse gas emissions, commitment for absolute cuts in their own emissions and support for the mandatory global emissions reductions that are needed to tackle climate change. On energy efficiency, a selection of each company�s product range is assessed to see how far they exceed the current de-facto global standard, the US Environmental Protection Agency�s Energy Star. Energy Star sets minimum standards for energy efficiency for many types of electronic products. The overall percentage of renewable energy in a companies total energy use is also assessed.

What it really boils down to is not a single major electronics company, at the time being, is making the appropriate strides in environmental consciousness that they need, too. Hopefully, we can see a green Wii in the future!

Benefits of a "Green" Office

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:20:05 -0500

There are some very good reasons for making your office an energy-efficient, environmentally friendly place.

First, buying and using energy-effecient equipment saves you money. It can provide enormous savings in electricity use alone, saving you up to $180 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy and cutting up to 80% off your electricity bill. It can also cut 20-30% off your air-conditioning bill because you are reducing the amount of heat that your equipment generates and that needs to be cooled.

Paper costs can be almost halved simply by printing double-sided, and you can save $100 on toner and $30 on ink by refilling your cartridges. You can also save on waste disposal costs because the amount of waste you generate is reduced.Second,the environmental benefits of using energy-efficient equipment are tremendous.By reducing the electricity you use you are reducing air and water pollution from power stations and saving a tonne of greenhouse gas for each 1,000 kilowatt-hour of electricity you save.

Refilling, reusing, and recycling the materials you use reduces the amount of waste and pollution you generate. In addition, making equipment from recycled metals, plastics, and other materials saves at least 2 kilograms of greenhouse gas per kilogram of product.

Using recycled paper saves trees. Every 100 reams of recycled office paper that is printed double-sided saves 2 trees, more than a ton of greenhouse gas and almost a cubic meter of landfill space compared to 100 reams of paper that is not recycled or printed double-sided.

Third, making you office a "green" one will involve your staff in doing something for the environment. Knowing that their actions can really make a difference will enhance a natural motivation to act in an environmentally responsible way. Since motivated staff are productive staff, you can expect an increase in productivity. Since most office-based workplaces spend about 100 times as much on wages as they do on energy, small increases in staff productivity can have a major impact on profitability and your company's bottom line.

Water Turbine for Home Use

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:55:26 -0500

What if every time that you flushed your toilet you could generate just a little bit of power? That is the idea behind the Benkatine Turbine by Leviathan Energy, which aims to get power from any pipe that water rushes through. So not only could you install this within a municipal system, but according to the company, you could get power from the water rushing down your gutter drains!There is nothing really new here, after all, rushing water is the basis of all hydroelectric power. It is the location and scale of this system (ie. in your toilet!) that makes it such an innovative product. According to the company, the turbine is intended to be scalable, meaning that it can work well in both municipal water and sewer systems, as well as in smaller pipes such as residential drainage and guttering systems. It is meant to be used in conjunction with other turbines in order to maximize the efficiency of the system.

This opens yet another renewable source of energy. Solar and wind energy are great but will never meet our needs in an significant manner. Combined with the ability to turn any flowing water into power renewable energy can make its stand.

Harrison Ford Speaks Out on Deforestation

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:17:43 -0500

Doonesbury's Take on Bottled Water

Sun, 18 May 2008 17:18:09 -0500

Contribute to Carbon Offset While Surfing Online!

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:03:42 -0500

ecocho

Everyone should check this out. This search engine uses some its profits to buy carbon credits on behalf of its users and for every 1,000 searches done they contribute to the growth of 2 trees. They offset their own carbon emissions, as well. Of course, they are powered by Yahoo and can't keep them from polluting.

HTTP://WWW.ECOCHO.US

Fun Stats for the Day

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:04:02 -0500

America uses an average of 2.5 million plastic bottles an hour!
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2 Billion disposable razors are landfilled every year.