Biofuel cuts airline emissions 'by 65%'

Biofuel cuts airline emissions 'by 65%'

Updated: 09:50, Saturday May 30, 2009

A test flight of a commercial airliner partially powered by plant oil shows the biofuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 65 per cent, Air NZ says.

During a two-hour flight in December, one engine of a Boeing 747-400 was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from the plum-sized fruit known as jatropha and traditional jet fuel.

The test confirmed that up to 1.35 tonnes of fuel can be saved on a 12-hour flight - saving a little more than one per cent - said the national carrier's chief pilot, Dave Morgan on Friday.

The blend would cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 4.5 tonnes - or at least 60 per cent.

Morgan called the fuel savings 'significant,' though the monetary gain depends on the price of oil.

'At the moment these feedstocks ... are still facing the challenge of reaching cost competitiveness with conventional jet fuel,' particularly when the price of oil is around $US60 ($A76.50) a barrel, Andrew Herdman, director general of the Asia Pacific Airlines Association, told The Associated Press.

Biofuels would become competitive sooner if an emission trading system raised the price of carbon-based fuels, he said.

Air New Zealand obtained the jatropha oil for its test flight from Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and India.

Seeds from the jatropha - a bush with round, plum-like fruit - are crushed to produce a yellowish oil that is refined and mixed with diesel.

Some environmental groups have questioned whether jatropha and other plants used as biofuels are sustainable.

They have expressed concerns about the plants' impact if more land and resources are devoted to growing them on a commercial scale.

Herdman warned that while several airlines are testing biofuels and have shown promise, the 'drop-ins' as they are called still face 'another couple of years' work to demonstrate that it can be certified' as an additive to jet fuel.

'Airlines, we're not too demanding.... It's got to perform exactly the same or better, and it's got to be a competitive price,' he said.

Morgan also cautioned that 'many more steps' were needed before biofuel could become 'a commercial aviation fuel source.'

(Sky News)

Plastic Bag Ban

80% of Aussies want plastic bag ban

Updated: 09:04, Friday May 22, 2009

Eight out of 10 Australians want the federal government to ban plastic bags and stop electronic waste going into landfill, a survey shows.

The poll of 1,000 people by green lobby group Do Something! has been released to coincide with the Environment Protection and Heritgage Council meeting of the nation's environment ministers in Hobart on Friday.

The survey found that 83 per cent of Australians want a national ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags, while 79 per cent of respondents want electronic waste to be barred from landfills.

South Australia is the only state which has banned plastic bags at check-outs.

Do Something! founder and chairman Jon Dee said the Rudd government has failed to honour its election promise to impose a national plastic bag ban.

Mr Dee, who has known Environment Minister Peter Garrett since the early 1990s, said the former Midnight Oil frontman was a more effective advocate as head of the Australian Conservation Foundation.

'Peter Garrett outside politics was a tremendous advocate for the environment,' Mr Dee told AAP.

'He's been in power long enough: he could have brought about change.'

Retailers Target, Bunnings and Ikea have already stopped giving away free plastic bags at their stores Australia-wide, while the electronics industry has lobbied for a recycling program for discarded computers and television sets.

Mr Dee said there was something wrong with the federal government lagging behind industry.

'Peter Garrett and his bureaucrats in Canberra are the ones holding up change,' said Mr Dee, who set up the non-profit environmental group Planet Ark with tennis ace Pat Cash in 1992.

'The public have grown tired of rhetoric.

'They (politicians) talk about how they care for the environment but they're not backing it up with action.'

The poll also found that 96 per cent of respondents wanted a national roll out of South Australia's container deposit scheme, where people are given a 10-cent refund for bottles and cans.

(sky news)

Green Companies

Some companies have gone green. Others are dabbling with adding a green hue. Still others don't see the need.

Green has grabbed the spotlight, whether because of environmental regulations on the horizon, competition for stimulus funds, or in response to pressure from vendors or activist shareholders.

To position itself for greater green awareness, Hoffman York has launched its own environmental marketing group: HY-brid.

Founded in Milwaukee, Hoffman York is a communications, marketing, advertising and public relations firm that employs 82 people in Milwaukee and Chicago.

Although some clients don't yet sense any need for a green communications strategy, HY-brid co-directors and agency vice presidents Tim Wirtz and Marlaina Quintana have found other clients on the opposite end of the spectrum: that already were green but didn't know it.

Many large companies have made environmental commitments. But others are finding that reducing energy costs can help lower operating costs.

And more companies are finding demand for green coming from suppliers, vendors, competitors and distributors.

"It's ultimately being driven by the consumer," Quintana said.

But isn't it more important to be green than to shout about how green you are?

For companies that have earned the right - by building a zero-energy building or eliminating the use of fossil fuels - talking up their green attributes can be a competitive advantage.

But one of the challenges for companies going green is coming on too strong and being accused of "greenwashing" - marketing themselves as green when they're not.

"Very few large companies can go out there with a real, true green message," Wirtz said.

HY-brid takes those concerns head-on on its Web site: "Let's be clear here. We're not in business to help anyone greenwash. That's not what we're about. We're here to help organizations recognize the ways they're already green, identify opportunities to be greener and help them gain a competitive advantage by promoting their honest efforts to be environmentally friendly."

Barbara Haig and her partner, Jeff Jackson, formed a small marketing firm two years ago with a sustainability focus. Most of their work is spent on issues linked to sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

"There really are different shades of green," Haig said. "Obviously, more and more people are interested in green and sustainability. Everybody knows that. But to the extent which you can make the connection real and legitimate and not forced - having a reason for it to be green and not just say, 'Hey, we're green!' - the more successful companies are going to be."

Electric Bus

Proterra UQM Electric Bus

Buses account for a significant amount of air pollution and have always been known as notorious fuel users,  but all of that could change if a company called UQM Technologies Inc. gets the chance the install their Power Phase electric propulsion system into buses of the future.

UQM Technologies is a developer of alternative energy technologies.  They specialize in power dense, high output electric motors, generators, and electronic controllers for several fields including automotive and industrial uses.

Recently, UQM installed a PowerPhase system in a 35 foot Proterra FCBE Transit Bus.  The bus is capable of carrying 72 passengers and has a fully loaded weight of 36,680 pounds.  With the help of the UQM system, the bus was able to obtain up to 29.23 miles per gallon throughout the course of a typical commuter bus stop schedule.  The bus also achieved 21.35 mpg in a congested urban setting, and 17.55 in a suburban setting.  Electric vehicles use a converted fuel usage number that takes into account the fuel used to provide the electricity needed for charging it.

The PowerPhase system produces peak torque of 650 N-m and 201 horsepower from a 150kW motor.  Moving a big bus is all about torque and the UQM system provides plenty.  The entire system can be charged to capacity in only 10 minutes through a newly designed fast charge system called the TerraVolt Energy Storage System.

The fuel mileage numbers are indeed impressive.  Recent tests between the UQM bus and a traditional lightweight transit bus reveal that the UQM system shows improvement over diesel versions of more than 400%.  This allows the bus to travel further along routes while using less fuel and creating less pollutants.

The UQM system looks promising, but suffers from one fault that all hybrids do.  If you turn the air conditioning or heater on in the bus, fuel mileage drops by about 30%.  A small problem, but UQM is working on a solution.  Even with the heater on full blast, it will still provide a 370%          advantage over its diesel counterpart.

Green Techie

Eco-Update: New e-waste study

Submitted by jsteers on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 09:37.

Related Causes:

• E-Waste, 
• Environment

A new study on e-waste is out, and all you techies can relax about your gadgets getting a bad rap -- it's good news!

Pike Research conducted the study and reports that they “expect to see a leveling out of the amount of e-waste heading to landfills by 2015.”

This is in large part due to the measures the European Union has taken to regulate e-waste, so America needs to get with it and maybe we’ll even see an actual decrease in e-waste by 2015.

The hope is also that by then companies will have figured out how to use the inside of the old tech gizmos to make new ones, something they’re not doing yet.

To give you an idea of just how much e-waste is floating around out there: Between May and December of 2007, Staples recycled 2 million pounds of e-waste. Between 2006 and 2008 Dell recycled 255 million pounds of its computer products. In 2007 Apple collected around 21 million pounds of e-waste.

And that’s just the tip of the technological iceberg. So do your part to help get America on track and recycling our e-waste. Find out how you can decrease e-waste here.

Wondering if the first family knows how to recycle their old computers and cell phones now that they’ve upgraded at the White House? Tell the Obamas how to recycle.

First Animal to become victim of global warming..

Pika may need US protection

Updated: 19:10, Thursday May 7, 2009 (Sky News Article)

A mammal that can't handle warm weather could become the first animal in the continental US to get Endangered Species Act protection because of climate change.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service said on Wednesday that listing the American pika may be warranted because of climate change. Federal officials will now launch an in-depth review of the species and submit findings by February 1, 2010.

The pika - a furry, big-eared relative of the rabbit - dwells mostly in high, rocky mountain slopes in 10 Western states. Even brief exposure to temperatures of 25 degree Celsius or warmer can be deadly to the animal.

As the West warms, scientists say some pikas have tried to move upslope to find cooler refuges but have run out of room.

http://www.greendemon.com.au

Drink responsibly in more ways than one...

Plastic wine bottles 'cut emissions'

Updated: 19:36, Tuesday May 5, 2009

The Foster's-owned winemaker claims the plastic bottles produce 29 per cent fewer emissions, compared with conventional 750ml glass bottles.

Wolf Blass engaged a sustainability consultancy to assess emissions generated by its Green Label products across all phases of production, from grape growing, winemaking, wine packaging and bottling, product use, disposal and recycling.

It found the plastic PET bottles came out on top, given they were recyclable, could be reused for other purposes and were much lighter and therefore less energy-intensive to transport.

Katie Patrick from the environmental publication Green Pages welcomed the innovation and said it should be adopted across the Australian wine industry.

'This is an example of taking green mainstream,' she said.

'The main source of carbon emissions are in the bottle and the simple solution from going to PET from glass is an elegant means to cut nearly 30 per cent carbon emissions.'

The bottle can be dropped, thrown and hit without shattering but there's no promises about losing your wine if an open bottle is knocked over.

Although the wine only has a shelf life of 12 months, Wolf Blass says the quality and taste haven't changed.

Oliver Pratt, the winemaker's global brand director, said the plastic bottles were aimed at satisfying the growing number of environmentally conscious consumers.

'We see Green Label as an ideal solution for a more sustainable alternative packaging choice presenting a lower greenhouse footprint,' he said.

http://www.greendemon.com.au

(article from sky news)

Melbourne to have Eco Suburb (SMH)

Plan to build stadium in eco-suburb

• David Rood
• May 1, 2009

What does a State Government do when its thinking about putting a "boutique" 40,000-seat stadium and an eco-suburb of the future on the same inner-city site?

It entertains both ideas but doesn't actually commit to either.

Next week's Victorian budget will commit $2 million to a feasibility study into the stadium, which would be located at E-Gate, just off Footscray Road in the Docklands.

But in February, Major Projects Minister Tim Pallas announced the Brumby Government would consider building an environmentally friendly suburb that would reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent on the same site.

Yesterday, Sports Minister James Merlino said the feasibility study would examine putting social and residential housing on the site as well as a new football stadium.

"There's a strong argument for a boutique stadium for Melbourne," he said.

"One of our great strengths is when we host major events ... you don't have to drive an hour away from the CBD."

But can an eco-friendly suburb, which has been proposed with a ban on cars, be built alongside a sporting stadium?

"That's what the feasibility study is going to look at," Mr Merlino said.

When launching the proposal for the eco-suburb in February, Mr Pallas said ecologically sustainable development "is no longer considered an optional extra but a necessity".

Located close to Ehitad Stadium, the 20-hectare site is owned by the Government body VicTrack, which owns the state's rail assets. The lease expires in 2014.

The feasibility study will be managed by Minister Pallas and is expected to take up to two years.

Updated Site: www.greendemon.com.au

Green Demon has been updated! NEw page functionality and new products gone up!

Now you can see brief product explanations instead of visiting the product page - save time and browse quickly and efficiently!

Happy Shopping, 

The Green Demon Team!

http://www.greendemon.com.au

New Kids Funtainers coming next week.....http://www.greendemon.com.au/household3.ht

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