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Vauban – A Town with No Cars

Saikat — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:00:04 +0000

A town sans the luxury of wheels could be common phenomenon in any part of the world. But in Germany it’s almost an anachronism. After all isn’t Germany all about cars and the autobahn?

Vauban is a fact of lifestyle choice as much as it is a fact of brave experimentalism. It is almost a car free community. And no it does not conjure up images of flowing haired environmental extremists. In fact Vauban is just like any other suburban town of middle class people. Located close to Freiburg, this town of 5000 does not even have grey paved roads. Instead you will find mostly cobbled paths amidst playgrounds and gardens. Citizens are prohibited from owning and driving cars and garages are absent.

But then how do people go from Point A to Point B?

Andreas Delleske, one of the brains behind the Vauban initiative says –

“If you want to get around in Vauban you walk, ride a bike or hop on the ultra-efficient tram service that connects us to Freiburg in 15 minutes. If you want a car to go on holiday or to shift things, hire one or join one of the town’s car-sharing schemes.”

Figures indicate that the citizens are following the model. 70% of households have given up the luxury of a private car and 57% actually sold their cars when they moved to Vauban.

It is not only about automobiles. Vauban is a social experiment in entirety. The concept was to build a town which was partially removed from the dependency of the grid. Ecological sustainability being the theme, houses where designed and constructed from the ground up.

Windows of all the homes are triple-glazed. Ventilation systems have heat exchangers which circulate fresh air at room temperature, even when the windows are shut. The walls are well insulated and 35cms thick. Solar panels alternatively provide some part of the energy and homes are heated through smart co-generator engines that run on wood chips. In fact it’s an example that Vauban gives back its surplus energy to the national grid. Human waste is reduced to compost in special biological toilets and shower and water is filtered for re-use in the garden.

Vauban is a model example of passive housing. It is a success on a small scale. A four bedroom unit in Vauban with all the trappings of passive housing costs €250,000. The cost not the idea could be the only deal breaker for mass market adoption. But yes, Vauban categorically proves that with commitment and vision, a sustainable lifestyle is possible.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sustainable Dog Collar Options

Marina Hanes — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:00:21 +0000

Pick a Green Dog Collar

When you’re trying to find the right dog collar, it can be overwhelming since there are so many styles and materials to choose from. Some even seem too complicated to buy. As a responsible pet owner, a collar with ID tags is on the top of the list. However, as a compassionate pet owner, you also have to be concerned about the fit as well as the eco-friendly quality of the product’s production.

There are three main styles of dog collars, and each of them serve a different purpose. This includes high fitting collars, harnesses and halter-types. Depending on how much training your puppy or dog requires with regard to walking and socializing with other animals, you might be mostly concerned about the design. For instance, halter-type collars can give you more control over your dog while walking, and this style can also be purchased in a natural and organic material.

Organic Material Benefits

It’s obvious that organic dog collars are more eco-friendly, because the material is biodegradable and free of chemicals. In addition, your dog’s neck will receive less strain, because traditional collars made from manmade materials can sometimes cause unnecessary rubbing and irritation. Natural fibers hug the dog’s neck and are less likely to cause hair loss or mild skin reactions, but this doesn’t mean that they are plain or boring collars. Even if your dog is a fashionista at heart, you can find fitting patterns and colors.

Organic Dog Collar Options

Some organic and natural dog collars are made from bamboo, hemp and cotton, but they are far from being granola. These options are free of pesticides and herbicides, which will make you feel like the best pet owner. In addition to collars, you can also find matching leashes made from the same materials.

The choices in eco-friendly dog collars are expanding, because collars are now being made from recycled plastic bottles, sailboat sails and shirt ties. These are safer and more comfortable alternatives to nylon collars, which are sustainable and effective. Before you know it, you’re dog will barking all about going green.

Lynx Populations May Be Rebounding

VeganVerve — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:30:07 +0000

In Colorado, lynx populations have faced great turmoil over the years. As of the early 1970s, the lynx was no longer existent in their native Colorado mountains. The downfall of the cat was due to a number of causes, including trapping, poisoning, logging and urban development. The lynx is currently listed as threatened under the endangered species act.

Since 1999, 200 lynx have been introduced to Colorado in order to increase population numbers. The lynx were taken from either Canada or Alaska to then be released in Colorado. However, even with this knowledge, scientists are uncertain how many lynx are actually in the state.

However, things may be looking up for the lynx population, as 10 lynx kittens were born this spring. The kittens were not born to the same mother, as each lynx female can only give birth to 1-5 kittens per litter. To be exact, the 10 cubs were found mixed between five different dens. All in all, there were seven males and three females who were born and survived.

For the past two years the scientists studying the lynx in Colorado had found no kittens. This is thought to be due to the diminishing numbers of the snowshoe hare, which is the main prey of the lynx. Scientists are hopeful that the new cubs are the beginning of a positive trend for the species.

Sahara Solar Project Could Make Germany Masters of the Solar Race

Saikat — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:00:45 +0000

Cars are Germany’s principal employment generator. Come 2050, it could be the solar industry. Germany’s Wuppertal Institute for Climate for Greenpeace and the Club of Rome says that if the right political push is given from now onwards, more than 580,000 jobs in concentrated solar power (CSP) could be created worldwide by the middle of this century.

Concentrated solar power uses mirrors to harness the sun’s rays to produce steam and drive turbines to produce electricity. Solar thermal power still remains more expensive than fossil fuels but political backing and government incentives could see a push in this area. But the project in the line of sight promises to tilt the scales on the side of power generation and employment.

A project envisaged that will link power generated in Sahara to its use in Europe and North Africa could create 240,000 German jobs and generate 2 trillion Euros ($2,822 billion) worth of power by 2050. The study also projects that double that number of jobs could be created worldwide with the right political climate.

Greenpeace energy expert Andree Boehling says,

“Renewable energy could become Germany’s leading industry in the 21st century. And concentrated solar power could become Germany’s next export hit after photovoltaic and wind energy.”

Germany has already got a head start and is now a world leader in the solar industry. The German solar industry employs 214,000 workers. Compare that with the 750,000 working in the car industry which is the largest German sector of old.

The desert project is at the epicenter of any meteoric progress planned by the industry and it is the political leadership which has to push the proposals forward. The concentrated solar power project is arguably massive - use mirrors to harness the sun’s rays in Sahara to produce steam, drive turbines to produce electricity and then supply to markets locally and in Europe. It is just one of six Euro-Mediterranean Partnership projects being planned. The German government hopes 20 gigawatts of CSP - equal to 20 large conventional power plants - could be harvested each year by 2020 by Desertec. The Desertec Foundation has gauged that in six hours the world’s deserts receive more energy than mankind consumes in a year.

The political will could be one of the sideshows during the next G-8 summit. If Germany has to do it then Chancellor Merkel has to keep it on top of her agenda.

Green Bathroom Ideas

Marina Hanes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:00:18 +0000

Adding pieces to your bathroom such as a dressing table or updated sink can be costly and a waste of raw materials. With a little creativity and a lot of ingenuity, you can transform regular pieces of furniture into functional bathroom items. The enhancements can make your bathroom appear like new in an eco-friendly way.

There are a variety of inexpensive routes you can take to recreate your bathroom. For example, you can transform office furniture into multi-purpose pieces. A desk can be cut down to fit against the wall so it serves as a dressing table. The larger drawers can be taken out, and you can soften the look of the furniture by replacing the existing drawers with basket drawers. Although there will still be office like elements, small details and adjustments can detract from this.

Another option is to convert bedroom end tables into single counters. Depending on the size of your bathroom, two counters spaced out from one another can give the illusion of a larger space. If you want the tables to have a sink, some physical modifications will need to be made. However, a vessel sink and gooseneck faucet can give the table a whole new purpose. These tables can also be used as extra storage for toiletries, especially if they have an open nook or sliding drawers.

Even a bookshelf can be appropriate in a bathroom. With paint, tension rods and shelf-sized curtains, you can create a standing cupboard. The shelves with curtains can conceal your makeup, shaving products, etc., and the other shelves can display reading material, candles, knickknacks, etc. Additions like this can make a bathroom feel more welcoming and functional.

Making rounds to local garage sales can give you more ideas, but you can also utilize items you already own. Try to incorporate any old furniture that you have in your attic or basement. If you despise the color or design of a piece, you can always try changing it to meet your needs. The piece you might least expect to be appropriate might actually be the perfect thing you’re looking for.

Dust In Mountains Increasing Snowmelt

VeganVerve — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:30:17 +0000

In the recent edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers reported their findings concerning dust accumulation in the mountains. According to the researchers, increasing dust in mountain areas are disrupting snowmelt.

The co-authors of the study were Chris Landry, director of the Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies in Silverton, Colorado and Heidi Steltzer, a researcher scientists at Colorado State University. The set up an experiment using test plots in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. Some of the test plots were left to accumulate snow and dust naturally, some had additional dust placed on the snow and others had the dust removed.

The researchers concluded that the increasing dust cover is altering the snowmelt timing. The increased dust is attributed to increased human activity in the desert and due to global warming. Global warming has caused some areas to become drier and therefore they contribute more dust.

The actual mechanism impacting the snowmelt involves the dust darkening the snow. Snow without dust reflects the sunlight. However, with the dust darkening the snow, the sun’s rays are absorbed rather than reflected. This causes the snow to melt at an earlier and faster rate.

The exact results of the researchers study reflect this. The plots which had the dust removed experienced snowmelt 11 days later than the plots which were left to their own devices. When the researchers increased dust on particular plots, the snowmelt began 7 to 13 days earlier than the plots left to their own devices.

The dust levels in the mountains are approximately five times greater than before 1850. Amongst the concerns of earlier snowmelts are the change in alpine meadows. The snowmelt may cause a decrease in some plant species who are unable to grow due to the changing timing. However, other species may take advantage and increase.

Vertical Farming Could Be the Future Trend of Agriculture

Saikat — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:00:55 +0000

With ever increasing population, there is only one place to grow and that is up.

Dickson Despommier, a professor of public health at Columbia University in New York defines the problem –

“In another 40 years, there’ll be another three billion people. That’s the problem. We have to find another way to feed them.”

One solution has proposed itself. Use skyscrapers as vertical cultivation centers. Skyscraper farming may soon be a common sight in urban cities where space is finite and mega-cities expand horizontally and vertically. Scientists and researchers are seriously looking at skyscrapers to be the new agricultural zones. The other problem it might mitigate is that of carbon emissions. Food grains need no longer be shipped and tucked across large distances thus reducing the carbon footprint.

Agriculture has already gone hi-tech with climate controlled greenhouse. Hydroponics, the science of growing crops in smaller spaces using nutrient-enriched water instead of soil is also in common use in many parts of the world.

But for now vertical farming remains a Utopian idea. Practical problems like how to design the greenhouses so that each part gets sufficient light remain. Using artificial light can turn out to be an energy hog. Critics like Bruce Bugbee, a crop physiologist at Utah State University in Logan point out the economic unfeasibility of the whole idea.

“We’re talking gigawatts of power, just huge amounts of power (to grow crops indoors), compared to free sunlight outside.”

As he says, office light is merely a percent as intense as the full sunlight needed to grow crops. Pointing out the difference he says,

“People get confused about the amount of light needed to get plant yield versus the amount of light needed to keep people happy and productive and healthy. They are roughly a hundred-fold different.”

Of course, the solution could lie in an advanced design. The Eco-Laboratory, created by Seattle, Washington-based architectural firm Weber Thompson is an example. It is a concept design that would be just 12 stories tall and would mix residences with gardens that produce food for the local neighborhood. The farming model would involve local residents who would own equity in the farms. They could tend the crops themselves or outsource it to an agricultural firm.

Eco-lab mixes a community model with an agricultural and architectural one. On paper at least it is commercially viable. But to what extent can the idea be adopted for larger projects…that remains open to conjecture.

Image: Wikipedia

A Look Inside an Incinerator

Marina Hanes — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:00:27 +0000

Can waste be burned efficiently and carefully? Well, the Heritage-WTI Incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio strives to achieve this goal. This particular incinerator is one of the eight commercial incinerators in its county and 25-30% of the waste it receives comes from businesses and homes within a 100-mile radius of the plant. However, they do receive waste from places as far as California and Puerto Rico. Every employee has completed 40 hours of OSHA Hazwopper Training, and they work toward maintaining an environmentally friendly plant.

WTI primarily deals with organic waste and hazardous waste. The hazardous waste is industrial waste, which is waste that cannot be land filled (pharmaceutical rejects, reactor bottoms, reactor residues and sludges). On Earth Day the plant has local residents bring down household wastes such as paint and pool chemicals. So how is waste incinerated?

Ten Step Process

The rotary kiln incineration process consists of ten steps. First the waste is fed into the front wall or rotary kiln, which is 16 feet in diameter and is heated between 1,800 and 2,200 degree Fahrenheit. The kiln is a cylinder lined with brick that rotates slowly. Once this break wears down by 12 inches, it must be ripped out and replaced. At this point, time, temperature and turbulence help incinerate the waste.

Next the exhaust from the incinerator enters the secondary combustion chamber, and the combustion produces slag, which is collected at the bottom of the chamber. The slag is eventually taken to a hazardous waste landfill. Gas from the chamber moves into the boiler and this steam is used to heat buildings and the warehouse on the WTI property. The spray dryer cools the gases down to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the excess water is evaporated, creating a reduction in volume. The cooling down process produces salt, which is eventually taken to a landfill as well. Also, the scrubber water needs to be neutralized and sent to a landfill.

Then the electrostatic precipitator has positively and negatively charged plates to collect particles (1 micron particle size), and these particles are collected in a hopper along with the residual salt from the spray dryer. The four-stage wet scrubber’s purpose is to remove acid gases and submicron-sized particles through scrubbing beds and spray jets. In this step, the water used is recycled and sent to the spray dryer to be evaporated so there isn’t any wastewater.

Next, is the induced-draft tan step where a negative air pressure is maintained to draw air into the incinerator. Afterwards, a re-heater heats up the scrubber gas to 190 degrees Fahrenheit so the in-stack monitoring equipment works properly; HCl, opacities (light passing through), carbon monoxide and SO2 are monitored.

Second to last is the activated carbon step, which is when carbon is injected into the gas stream. The carbon causes dioxin and furan compounds to adhere, and these gases are removed by the particulate emissions control system. Finally, the gases that are clean and scrubbed flow out of stack.

Before any wastes can go through the process described above, they must be accepted. A one-quart sample along with a waste profile must be submitted to WTI before a hazardous waste is accepted. After acceptance, a truck delivers the waste to WTI where they fingerprint the waste to make sure it corresponds to the sample that was cleared. Some wastes are stored before they go through the incineration process, but they can only be stored for up to one year. Solid waste remains in hoppers that can hold 1,500 cubic yards; liquid waste is stored in storage tanks in the tank farm that hold 284,000 gallons; and drums and containers can be used to store up to 510,000 gallons of waste.

Although the incineration process does put some pollutants in the air (nitrogen and trace metals), WTI is making an effort to maintain an efficient and eco-friendly as possible plant. Who knew that so much was involved just to burn our waste?

United States Grants First Ever Wind Farm Licenses

VeganVerve — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:30:01 +0000

The United States recently announced the first ever licenses for offshore wind farms. Five different leases were given to four different companies last week. The wind energy development would occur offshore of New Jersey and Delaware. The farms would be placed along the Outer Continental Shelf.

Unfortunately, until this point there have been no wind farms built in the United States. There have been numerous proposals of such farms, but none have been built as of yet. These leases are allowing for companies to attain information to determine the future of wind farms in particular areas. Meteorological towers will be placed in the proposed areas, anywhere from 6-18 miles offshore.

The companies given leases were: Bluewater Wind New Jersey; Bluewater Wind Delaware; Fishermen’s Energy of New Jersey; and Deepwater Wind (granted two leases). The entirety of the information attained from the meteorological towers will be used by the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service in order to determine the placement of the wind farms.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar stated: “We are entering a new day for energy production in the United States — a time of clean energy from renewable domestic sources on our Outer Continental Shelf. Other nations have been using offshore wind energy for more than a decade.”

Delaware is expected to be able to produce up to 5,286 megawatts of energy. This amount of energy could power 1.2 to 1.5 million homes. In addition, New Jersey is hoping to become a leader in wind energy. The state is hoping to have 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind power by the year 2020.

Is There Hope for the Environment?

Marina Hanes — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:00:13 +0000

Reading one book can encourage you to see things in a different perspective, and Thomas Berry’s The Great Work provides a brighter side to humanity’s future. When it comes to predicting the outlook of the environment, it seems as though there are more predictions for gloom and doom than anything else. However, Berry reminds us that we have the power to change the future.

The seemingly unending path of consumption that society is on is sure to lead us into trouble, especially when it comes to our natural resources. However, Berry makes a point that this path doesn’t have to continue. Individuals as well as businesses change their looks, thoughts and actions continuously, so we just need the nudge to reinvent ourselves as a society. Reinventing certain aspects of our current lives to secure the best interest of the earth will be a difficult task, but Berry predicts that this reinventing will take place in a “time-developmental context.”

As word spreads and ecological obstacles awaken us to the more threatening problems ahead, Berry has hope that people will unite and bond together to solve or at least minimize the situation. The few who make these realizations will extend these realizations to others, because like Berry states, “the entire universe is bonded together in such a way that the presence of each individual is felt throughout its entire spatial and temporal range.”

Regardless of how many distractions we face on a daily basis, it’s imperative that we look outside of ourselves and realize our greater responsibilities we have to preserve and protect our natural resources. Berry says, “Alienation is overcome as soon as we experience this surge of energy from the source that has brought the universe through the centuries.” Overcoming alienation will enable us to overcome anything as long as we (all sentient beings) stand united.

As we begin to experience some of the consequences of society’s wastefulness and frivolousness, Berry has an optimistic point of view, which is that we will realize the importance of coming together as one united force. When or if this will happen is uncertain, but it at least gives those eco-friendly individuals who are trying to make a difference some hope.