The Water/ Energy Link

Major investment is flocking to the world’s water resources, with tycoons referring to water as the new oil.  Originally a clean water discussion, water for energy production is beginning to receive main-stream attention.

While the energy side often receives much of the publicity, individuals and business are becoming aware of the link to water.  Most people understand that it takes energy to produce water and that water can produce energy (hydroelectric power); however, the complexity of the relationship can be seen in just about every aspect of our society.

•    Water and energy are essential to every aspect of life: social equity, ecosystem integrity, economic and business sustainability.

•    Water is used to generate energy; energy is used to provide water.

•    Water and energy are used to produce crops; crops can in turn be used to generate energy through biofuels. 

Recent growth in eco awareness has accelerated research to expand within technical circles towards framing the water and energy related issues and searching for solutions. A report by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development discusses the complexities and interrelationships between water, energy and climate change.

The report comments: “If we truly want to find sustainable solutions, we must ensure that we address all three in a holistic way.  They are pieces of the same puzzle and therefore it is not practical to look at them in isolation.”

Leading businesses are beginning to understand the implications of the water/energy link and are improving business sustainability through the implementation of best practices.

•    Reduce water and energy consumption through improved operations

•    Treat and recycle own water and waste water (with associated energy costs)

•    Recover and reuse water and energy (e.g., using steam or heat, recycle other industrial and municipal waste water)

•    Develop new markets for water and energy-saving technologies and services

•    Engage with local communities to reduce water and energy consumption

As a sustainability consultant, I encourage clients to examine their energy and water consumption.  Through greater eco awareness of the links between water and energy, businesses and individuals can make internal improvements and be advocates for change within their communities and industries.

Recycling and Conserving tips from Susan Saint James | 3BL Media

Susan Saint James, actress and activist shares some of her recycling and conservation tips with Melissa McGinnis and GreenopolisTV. Known for TV roles like Kate and Allie, Susan has also been known to being a bit “green”. She says she has been carrying a re-usable tote around since she named her children Sunshine and Harmony over 30 years ago. Susan hopes to inspire another generation to do the “right thing” by sharing her tips…Thanks Susan!

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Fat is Back in Fashion…as Fuel! | 3BL Media

Fat burns, literally. Now before you run off and take the propane torch to that beer gut or those cute love handles of yours, wait just a second. It‘s got to be processed into fuel first. Sometimes it’s simple. Olive oil, right from the bottle, can light a simple wick lamp.

Biodiesel requires a little more processing, but it can be made from virtually any kid of fat, including used cooking oil, oils past their expiration date, oil from animal fats, even oils from algae grown in sewage- a real waste to resources story. I suppose you could collect fat from liposuction clinics and literally burn off the pounds as you drive down the road, but that’s too gross to even think about. Sorry I mentioned it.

Rudolf Diesel’s first model engine ran on nothing but peanut oil during its first demonstration on August 10, 1893. Most biodiesel available commercially in the US comes from canola or soybeans, although biodiesel from chicken fat and fish oils is being made.

Algae is the most promising in the long term, as it can utilize other wastes to grow it, doesn’t divert food  into fuel, or take up valuable farmland.

For local usage, waste vegetable oil like Yellow Brand is a good bet. I run my John Deere 1050 tractor on 100% Yellow Brand in the warm months, and a 20/80 blend with conventional diesel in the cold season. Both are significantly less polluting and the local 100% biodiesel adds no net carbon in its use. I can sit there and smell just a slight a sweet aroma from the exhaust when I mow my fields on a warm fall day.

I also pestered my local oil company about carrying a biodiesel blend for home heating oil, and talked them into including me on their route when it became available. It’s just a 5% biodiesel blend, but that 5% makes a much cleaner burning fuel all around. If you use oil for home heating, see if a local dealer can supply you with a bioblend.

Yellow Brand also has a heater that we saw at the Garlic and Arts Festival that will run on straight vegetable oil. The heater is partly made form reclaimed materials to boot.

Not all biodiesels are created equal, though. Some commercial biodiesel production uses food crops that drive prices up, or destroys habitat like palm oil plantations that are endangering orangutans in Indonesia and other places. Local biodiesel from waste oil or from non food crops are best. Try to get it as locally produced as possible- shipping creates more waste and emissions. Make sure you aren’t creating more problems than you are solving.

You can make your own biodiesel in your basement, kitchen or garage if you are inclined to do so, from your own used cooking oils or that old gallon of Mazola that smells a little off.

So “stick a sunflower in your tank” instead of a tiger. Biodiesel made from waste oil is one part of a renewable energy and waste to resources strategy. Then kick back and smell the French fries!

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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CSR Minute: LEED’s Status in China Construction; Home Deport Foundation Award to SC

Corporate Social Responsibility News: LEED’s Status in China Construction; Home Depot Foundation + Sustainability Institute of South Carolina’s Sustainability Award to North Charleston.

Top 10 EASY Ways To Conserve In 2010 | 3BL Media

Count down the top EASY ways to conserve in 2010 with Melissa McGinnis and GreenopolisTV! There are now 6.8 billion of us and we are connected like never before. The human population continues to expand by more than 200,000 people every day. The latest UN projections have the global population reaching 9.2 billion by the middle of this century. Since we are all in it together lets make this year a new beginning for conserving and reusing….

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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CSR Minute:12/11/09 – Dawn’s Wildlife Charity; Larry’s Beans’ Organic Growth

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Dawn’s Wildlife Charity; Larry’s Beans’ Organic Growth

Let’s Get Wild! | 3BL Media

Let’s Get Wild!

Have you ever been to a wildlife habitat? I have, and I love them. It’s incredible to be surrounded by nature, with the opportunity to see hundreds of animals, insects or fish literally at your fingertips.

But here’s the issue: there’s not enough of them. (No, really, there isn’t.) And that’s a major problem.

Check it: “The amount of viable wildlife habitat has been declining at a fairly rapid pace over the years. Although scientists can point to a number of individual reasons for the decline, it is the cumulative impact of these environmental stresses that has exacerbated the problem. Among the most significant reasons for the decline in wildlife habitat is the effect of urbanization. As urban and suburban boundaries expand, and as available open space is consumed, there is an obvious decrease in the quantity and quality of habitat and its ability to perform the life sustaining functions…

“It is not only the development pressures that has had an impact, but also agricultural operations that reduce cover, the draining of wetlands for development or agriculture, and the construction of new infrastructure that has combined to reduce productive habitat lands…” (source)

Ouch. That’s not good. When our wildlife doesn’t have a place to reside, they are forced to find new locations —such as our backyards, cities, etc. And yes, those weird “and that coyote just wandered into our backyard during the picnic” stories are real—a prime example of habitat reduction.

But there is hope, and Waste Management (WM) is making it a point to be at the forefront of the wildlife habitat revolution. According to WM’s Wildlife Habitat Council, “Waste Management’s sustainability goal is to earn Wildlife Habitat Council certification at 100 sites and preserve 25,000 acres by 2020. The “Wildlife at Work” program preserves land as wildlife habitats by providing food, water, shelter, cover and space “suitable to animals” needs. “A site must be actively maintained and monitored for a year before it qualifies for certification.”

I’m not going to downplay it—I’m impressed, because that’s a whole lot of acreage. And WM is well on its way to making good on its promise. Case in point: GROWS, the first WM site to be certified. “Located in Falls Township, Pennsylvania, this landfill has been in operation since 1970. It is located near freshwater tidal wetlands of the Delaware River, an ecological treasure. This river is the primary source of drinking water for many surrounding communities, including the City of Philadelphia to the southwest. Several rare or endangered species call this area home, including the New Jersey chorus frog, southern leopard frog, red-bellied turtle, short nose sturgeon, and Atlantic sturgeon. These factors make meticulous environmental management crucial.”

Now, WM is clearly doing something on a grand scale, but you can do something too. How? By creating your own wildlife habitat in your own backyard.  Want a good place to start? Check out this link.

by Gingerly Green of Two Girls Go Green

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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Gifts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future | 3BL Media

Gifts of Christmas Past

Mistletoe, Yule log, stuffing stockings with treats and gifts and bringing an evergreen inside to decorate in midwinter are pagan rituals that go back millennia to the Romans, Druids and ancient Saxons. Most of these customs have been recycled in meaning and practice into today’s Christmas holiday.

Melissa is following this ancient custom of rebirth, renewal and recycling, as she incorporates the cards, ribbons, and handmade ornaments from her own Christmas Past into her Christmas Present. She adds fresh flowers and strung cranberries and popcorn, and uses low energy LED lights to help conserve Christmas Future.

What she‘s doing is a beautiful practice of taking what has meaning from the past, adding what’s fresh and beautiful from the present and passing it all on as a legacy for the future. Whether Christmas season is a deeply significant religious event or just a fun holiday for you, creating your own customs, festivities and gifts from the reused, handmade, and locally grown can add layers of meaning and message. It beats plastic schlock from a big box retailer hands down.

Reusing the gifts of Christmas Past, and conserving the gifts of Christmas Present, ensures that there will be a lovely Christmas Future! What will you do this season to conserve joy to the world?

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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CSR Minute: 12/8/09 – Bombardier’s CSR Report; Cisco’s Sustainable Cities w/ San Fran and Amsterdam

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Bombardier’s CSR Report; Cisco’s Sustainable Cities’ with San Francisco and Amsterdam

Passing Water Without the Water! Waterless Urinals Save H20, Dollars | 3BL Media

Al Gore has put his money where his, uh, urine is. The former VEEP and current environmental leader has invested in waterless urinals as a way to save energy and fresh water. I’ve used them, and I assume that Al tested them before investing as well. It’s something we have in common. These flushless, odor free urinals are a seemingly small step, but a significant one.

A recent article in Christian Science Monitor lays out the benefits of passing water without passing it through water. We all know that fresh water is a strained resource all over the world. Every drop counts. According to a report for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, a waterless urinal saves one to three gallons of fresh water per flush, compared with a normal model. Take a big office building or university campus with 10,000 men in it, peeing several times daily. That represents a savings of nearly 16 million gallons a year.

Waterless urinals have been installed everywhere from ballparks in the USA to the Taj Mahal in India. Still, less than 1% of the world’s urinals are waterless. With fresh water resources stressed all over the globe, pardon the pun, that should piss you off.

Some people think the idea of waterless urinals is gross. But they are well designed to let the stream flow, so to speak, while using special sealants and designs to keep odors out. Regular urinals, which are wet all the time, actually grow biofilms of growing organisms. And flushing creates a spray that lands on the rim, floor and as I can attest, sometimes the user, creating a breeding ground for bugs and germs.

Human urine is sterile and can be captured and made into fertilizer – it’s full of nitrogen. This waste to resource approach saves dollars and avoids petroleum based fertilizers, as well as avoids flushing nitrogen rich water into streams and oceans where they create algal blooms that suck the oxygen out of the water killing fish. And you thought peeing on your mother’s bushes was a killer.

A green-product company Ecovita in New Bedford, Mass has a urine diverting toilet and a waterless urinal that can be directed to a self-contained planter. This waterless urinal can also be used by women and is available on their website. Ornamental plants use the nitrogen in the urine- don’t tell the neighbors why the flowers are so fragrant!

Al Gore’s investment, Falcon Water Free Technologies has models that come in several styles and true to “guy stuff”, come with snappy names, from the F-1000 on the left, to the slimmer F-7000 and the sleek stainless F-9000SS! Why pee in an old plodding urinal when you can use one of these sleek models named like a jet plane?

The Benefits of a waterless urinal:

1. Cheaper to buy than flush urinals

2. Cheaper to maintain – no moving parts to break or leak

3. No water costs to operate

4. No more teenage boys stopping them up and flooding the men’s room

5. Water savings – one urinal can save up to 40,000 gallons of fresh water annually

6. Energy savings from water that does not need to be pumped, piped, or treated

7. Odor free

So men, stand up for waterless urinals! I mean, you’re standing anyway, right? Take matters in hand, so to speak, and hold your water until there’s no more water in your urinal! Ok, enough for now. All this writing and drinking coffee has gotten to me. I gotta go “water the garden.” And when you gotta go, you gotta go. Here, watch this video until I get back.

Falcon Water Free Urinals

Related Greenopolis posts:The Old Man and…the Urinal?

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.