SOLAR SCHOOLS SHINE IN NORTHERN IRELAND

NORTHERN IRELAND SCHOOLS

CATCH SOME RAYS

Solar panels and small wind devices are being installed in 19 more rural schools across Northern Ireland. Over £1.3 million is being invested in installing the renewable technologies at a total of 35 schools, creating over 100 kWp of renewable power. 16 schools have already benefited from the technology. An online educational resource will also be developed, designed to teach young people about sustainable energy issues.

The Switched on Schools project is funded by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development through the Northern Ireland Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity, Northern Ireland Electricity and the Education and Library Boards.

A+ to everyone involved.

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. Belfast Telegraph - article
2. Northern Ireland Executive - press release

AIR FRANCE CLEANS UP THE SKIES

AIR FRANCE PLEDGES TO SPEND ALMOST

$3 BILLION A YEAR TO REDUCE POLLUTION

Air France plans to spend €2 billion ($2.93 billion) a year until 2020 on modernizing its airplane fleet in an effort to reduce pollution.

Air France has committed to reducing its fuel consumption between 15% and 20% in the next four years. Over the same period, the airline also wants to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by 20% on overseas flights, and by 5% on domestic flights. It also plans to cut noise emissions.

In addition, Air France is investing €5 billion to replace its entire fleet of 18 Boeing 747 jets with Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft, which are quieter and burn less fuel. It is also replacing its early-generation Airbus A320 aircraft with more efficient A320s and A321s.

Shoutout to Air France for making a solid commitment to the environment, and for backing it up with cold, hard cash. That’s money well spent, y’all… Viva la Air France!

Sources, resources, and discourses:

1. The Wall Street Journal
2. The Canadian Press

CUBA BANS TURTLE HUNT

TOTAL BAN WILL HELP ENDANGERED TURTLES RECOVER

Cuba has completely banned the hunting of marine turtles, including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Turtles are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, and especially from the illegal trade in tortoise shells used to make combs. The ban took effect on January 20, and will stay in effect until it is scientifically proven that the species is recovering.

The phase out of the marine turtle fishery in Cuba is the result of a joint effort by the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries and WWF, with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Two fishing communities that still hunted turtles, Nuevitas in Camaguey province and Cocodrilo on the Isle of Youth, will receive funding to find alternative sources of income and modernize their fishing fleets. Fishermen will also be retrained in the protection of turtles and their nests.

Shoutout to the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries and the WWF for making the ban happen, and to CIDA for shelling out the cash (sorry, couldn’t resist) to ensure that the ban works. Cowabunga, dudes!

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. Reuters - article
2. Prensa Latina - article
3. TreeHugger – article
4. World Wildlife Federation – website
5. Canadian International Development Agency - website

ICELAND’S HYDROGEN FLEET

FOSSIL-FREE ON THE HIGH SEA

Whale watching aboard the world’s first hydrogen-powered ship.

Iceland is set to launch the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger ship, the latest sign that Iceland is working hard to become one of the first nations to break free from the constraints of fossil fuel.

The good ship Elding – Icelandic for “Lightning” – is set to embark on its first run from Reykjavik harbor on April 24. Visitors to Europe’s northernmost capital will get a taste of the future by taking whale-watching tours aboard Elding, or by renting one of the world’s first hydrogen-powered rental cars.

Icelandic energy company Nýorka is engineering the generator on board Elding. The company will replace the oil-powered generator of the 130 ton cruise boat with a version that runs solely off hydrogen. The design is pollution-free and will eradicate vibrations caused by the current engine that might disturb marine life, an appealing benefit for Reykjavik Whale Watching, the eco-friendly adventure company that owns the ship.

Icelanders seem ready to embrace hydrogen as a fuel. One survey showed a 93% public acceptance, a fact attributed to the relatively few negative effects of hydrogen. Two-thirds of electricity in volcanic Iceland is already derived from renewable sources – its plentiful rivers and waterfalls and the geothermal heat that boils beneath its crust.

Big shoutout to Nýorka for the groundbreaking work, to Reykjavik Whale Watching for making a total commitment to eco-friendly vehicles, and to the entire country of Iceland for working hard to break the bad habit of fossil fuels. Godspeed, Elding!

Sources and resources:

1. Malaya - article

2. Icelandic New Energy - website

3. Reykjavik Whale Watching - website

UGANDA PROTECTS MABIRA FOREST

PROTESTERS FORCE GOVERNMENT

TO SAVE MABIRA FOREST RESERVE

A red-tailed monkey makes his home in Mabira Forest, Uganda.

The Ugandan government has decided to drop its plan to give away a third of Mabira Forest Reserve land for sugarcane plantations. The government bowed to pressure from wildlife activists who feared that the plan would result in the loss of hundreds of endangered species. At least three people were killed during demonstrations for the protection of the Mabira Forest.

The Mabira Forest Reserve covers more than 30,000 hectares, and is globally recognized as an important bird area as it contains over 12% of plant species and 30% of bird species found in Uganda. The Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (Scoul), with the co-operation of the Ugandan government, planned to clear one-third of the forest for sugarcane plantations. The people of Uganda rose up in protest against the move, holding demonstrations, circulating petitions, and setting Scoul plantations on fire. The kabaka (king) of Buganda and the Anglican church of Mukono both opposed the deforestation plan, and both offered alternative land for sugarcane production. In October, the government finally scrapped it's controversial plan, and announced its intention to conserve Mabira.

Big shoutout to the people of Uganda for standing their ground against business and government, even after the protests turned bloody.

Sources and resources:

1. afrol News
2. afrol News
3. BBC News
4. Wikipedia, “Mabira Forest”
5. BirdLife International
6. BirdLife International

ISRAEL GOES ELECTRIC

GREEN CARS:

WHO NEEDS OIL

WHEN YOU’VE GOT LITHIUM-ION?

On Monday, Israel’s government endorsed an ambitious plan to build the world's first electric car network by 2011. The undertaking could be a bold step in the battle against global warming and energy dependency.

The project is a joint venture between Renault-Nissan, which will provide the electric vehicles, and the Silicon Valley-based startup Project Better Place, which will operate the recharging grid. The replacement and charging of the lithium-ion batteries will work like that of a cell phone battery, with half a million recharging stations to crisscross the tiny country.

The Renault-Nissan cars will have a range of up to 160 kms per charge, and will accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 13 seconds and have a top speed of 110 kph - similar to many gasoline-powered cars. The car will cost the same or less than comparable gasoline engine autos and will have a lifetime warranty. The cars are expected to create 50,000 jobs, and be on the road by 2011.

The idea was perhaps not a hard sell: Israel is a small, oil-poor country surrounded by oil-rich enemies. The average Israeli car owner drives less than 72 kms per day, and Israel’s major cities are less than one battery charge apart, making electric cars a feasible option. By going oil-free, Israel hopes to weaken the political clout of their oil-dependant - and oil-providing - neighbors. Israel currently depends on Russia for much of it’s oil.

This is big news. A giant shoutout to the government of Israel, to Renault-Nissan and Project Better Place, and to everyone involved in getting this historic project off the ground. Good luck to all.

Sources and resources:

1. The Jerusalem Post
2. The New York Times
3. Reuters
4. The Canadian Press
5. The Register

EARTH HOUR, 8 P.M., MARCH 29, 2008

LIGHTS OUT FOR SYDNEY, CHICAGO, TORONTO, COPENHAGEN, TEL AVIV, MANILA AND MORE

“Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced,

Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour

to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.”

At 8:00 p.m. on March 29, 2008, cities around the world will shut their lights off for one hour to symbolize their commitment to finding solutions for climate change. The objective of this dramatic gesture: nothing short of changing the world.

The initiative, called Earth Hour, started last year in Sydney, Australia. On March 31, 2007, 2 million people and 2100 businesses in Sydney shut off their lights for one hour. This massive effort reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour. In 2008, the effort has gone global, with such cities as Chicago, Toronto, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Manila and Tel Aviv agreeing to shut off their lights for one hour on March 29.

Even if you don’t live in one of the participating cities, you can still join Earth Hour by visiting the Earth Hour website and joining the 10,000+ other people (including yours truly) who have signed up to participate. It’s remarkably easy to get involved: just turn off your lights for one hour, and spread the word.

Big shoutout to the WWF and the organizers of Earth Hour around the globe for raising awareness and for taking direct action.

March 29, y'all.

Sources and additional information:

http://www.earthhour.org/

http://www.wwf.ca/NewsAndFacts/NewsRoom/default.asp?section=archive&page=display&ID=1567&lang=EN

http://www.thestar.com/earthhour

JAPANESE GARBAGE POWER

BURNING TRASH FOR ELECTRICITY

Plasma turns garbage into gas that powers a turbine at a Japanese facility

This is from Discover Magazine:

What could be better than a power station that eats up dirty landfill and churns out clean electricity? One facility in Utashinai, Japan, has been doing just that since 2003, using plasma to process up to 220 tons of municipal solid waste a day. Now a bigger and better $425 million plant is scheduled for completion by 2009 in Saint Lucie County, Florida. The operator, Atlanta-based Geoplasma, expects it to generate 160 megawatts of electricity—enough to power 36,000 homes—from a daily diet of trash.

At the plant, garbage will be superheated to more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit—about the temperature of the sun’s surface—by a NASA-developed plasma torch. Organic components will be gasifed by the heat; the inorganic remainder will be melted and removed. Syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, will be extracted from the gas output and used to drive turbines and generate electricity. Gases from the plant will be processed to remove dangerous compounds like dioxins, and the company pledges that emissions will be well under state and federal environmental limits. Heavy metals from the inorganic dross will be collected and sold as scrap.

The Florida facility will be built right next to a large landfill, which the company will dig into at a daily rate of 1,000 tons—along with 2,000 tons of brand-new trash to be trucked in. Geoplasma is negotiating contracts to sell three-quarters of the electricity generated by the plant to a utility company.

Let’s review: a power station that reduces garbage and creates enough “clean” electricity to power 36,000 homes… why aren’t there one of these facilities next to every landfill?

Shoutout to Geoplasma for helping to pioneer the alchemy of turning garbage into gold.

Click on the links for more information:

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/may/the-ultimate-garbage-disposal

http://bioconversion.blogspot.com/2006/10/geoplasma-answers-trash-vaporization_14.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071207001203.htm

NEPAL TO SAVE VULTURES

GOVERNMENT SAYS BREEDING PROJECT

IS FOR THE BIRDS

Nepal will open its first vulture breeding centre to try to save the birds from extinction. Of the eight species of vultures found in Nepal, the white-rumped and slender-billed vultures are critically endangered.

The new centre’s plan is to capture 10 breeding pairs for each species and keep them in aviaries in Chitwan National Park, located 80 km southwest of Kathmandu. It will take at least 3 years before the young can be released into the wild.

The numbers of both species have plunged from 50,000 nesting pairs in 1990 to about 500. The 97% decline is attributed to the vultures eating dead cattle treated with diclofenac, a drug used to treat inflammation. The drug has recently been banned in both Nepal and India.

Bird Conservation Nepal says it’s not too late for the vultures. The prompt ban on diclofenac, along with local conservation initiatives, can bring Nepal’s vultures back from the brink of extinction.

Shoutout to the government of Nepal for taking action, and to Bird Conservation Nepal and the Chitwan National Park for nursing the vulture population back to health.

Sources:

http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/29302

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/news-asianvultures.html

TOTAL PAYS FOR FRANCE'S WORST OIL SPILL

THE VERDICT:

TOTAL-LY GUILTY

PARIS (AP) — A court on Wednesday convicted Total SA in France's worst oil spill and ordered the petroleum giant and three other defendants to pay $285 million in compensation — the first time a French court has awarded damages for harming the environment.

The ruling found Total guilty of maritime pollution for shipping fuel in a rusty tanker that broke apart in a 1999 storm and stained 250 miles of coast with oil. Compensation was ordered paid to 101 civil parties, mainly associations involved in the clean-up or ecology groups.

Read the entire AP article here.

Total should have done some cost analysis: $9 million USD for a brand new oil tanker, or $285 million in compensation for sinking an old rust-bucket and coating 250 miles of French coast with oil. Poor Total... it just doesn’t pay to cut corners anymore.

Shoutout to the courts of France for holding big business accountable for their actions, and to the ecology groups who cleaned up the mess.

Wonder what happened to other companies guilty of oil spills? Check it out here.

RWANDA SAVES HISTORIC FOREST

THE RWANDA NATIONAL CONSERVATION PARK:
AFRICA’S MOST AMBITIOUS RESTORATION PROJECT EVER.

Gishwati Forest in northwest Rwanda has seen better days. Deforestation, soil erosion, resource exploitation and human conflict are some of the ravages the forest has endured for the past quarter century. But today the forest has a new lease on life, following the creation of the Rwanda National Conservation Park.

The park, a joint venture between the Rwandan government, Great Ape Trust of Iowa, and Earthpark, is one of Africa's most ambitious forest restoration projects ever. The park plans to restore the forest’s ecosystem by improving water quality and reducing soil erosion. The natural biodiversity of the area will be restored with special emphasis on chimpanzees as a keystone species. Humans, too, will have a role in the new venture – local Rwandans will generate income through ecotourism, investment opportunity, and local employment.

The future wasn’t always so bright for the beleaguered forest. The Gishwati was deforested in the 1980s by agricultural development, and in the 1990s during the resettlement of people following the civil war and genocide. Human encroachment, deforestation, grazing, and small-scale farming resulted in extensive soil erosion, flooding, landslides, and reduced water quality – as well as the isolation of a small population of chimpanzees. The Gishwati, the second-largest indigenous forest in Rwanda, once extended 100,000 hectares, but by the late 1980s it was reduced to one-fourth its original size. Further resettlement by returning refugees reduced the forest to only 600 hectares. As a result, Rwanda has been losing some 500 tons of soil annually per hectare.

Happily, this trend is being reversed. Reforestation and agroforestry methods, using techniques like radical terracing, progressive terracing, and live mulching are being implemented to regenerate lost forest cover on the steep mountainous slopes. At this rate, the Gishwati Forest has a good chance of regenerating within the next five to ten years.

A big shoutout to the government of Rwanda, Great Ape Trust, Earthpark, and everyone else who is working hard to return the Gishwati to it’s natural splendor.

Sources:

http://www.greatapetrust.org/save/rwanda.php

http://allafrica.com/stories/200801150508.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080115085344.htm

STOCKHOLM'S PEOPLE POWER

ENERGY FROM HUMAN COMMUTERS

WITHOUT A SINGLE GIANT HAMSTER WHEEL

I found this at Independence Online…

Stockholm - A Swedish state-owned firm has found a cheap, eco-friendly source of energy to warm one of its offices: body heat from 250 000 commuters steaming through Stockholm's central train station.

Body heat already warms the station itself but the surplus, currently let out in thin air, will be redirected to provide as much as 15 percent of the heating in a planned 4 000 square metre office building, real estate firm Jernhusen said.

"We had a look at it and thought 'We might actually be able to use this'," said Karl Sundholm, project leader at Jernhusen, which also owns the station. "This feels good. Instead of just airing the leftover heat out we try to make use of it."

Jernhusen markets the building as "environment smart" and aims for its energy consumption to be half of what a corresponding building usually is.

The bodily warmth from the central station will be redirected to heat up water. The investment will be around 200 000 Swedish crowns, Sundholm said.

(Reuters)

Powering 15% of a building’s energy from body heat seems like a clean, efficient way to conserve energy. And at a reasonable cost, too: 200,000 Swedish crowns equals less than $32,000 (U.S.). So the question is, can this innovation be used on a mass scale wherever large numbers of people gather? In stadiums, shopping malls, or universities, for example?

A big shoutout to the good folks at Jernhusen for thinking outside the box.

OWENS VALLEY GETS ITS RIVER BACK

100 YEARS AFTER LOS ANGELES

STOLE THE WATER FROM OWENS VALLEY,

THEY'RE FINALLY GIVING IT BACK

Owens River is flowing for the first time in nearly a century.

Since 1913, Owens Valley, California has been nothing but sand and scrub and dusty horse trails. In 2008, there’s mud hens and blue herons and songbirds and catfish. For the first time since the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power stole the valley’s water, the Owens River is once again winding through 62-miles of Inyo Country, bringing all kinds of fish and birds with it.

The Lower Owens River Project is one of the biggest river restoration projects in the United States, resulting in a permanent water supply for the creation of nearly 2000 acres of wetland and riparian habitat. Songbirds, water fowl, bass, carp, catfish, and possibly a couple of river otters have already moved back into this formerly-parched region.

The water is being re-diverted from the Los Angeles aqueduct by court order. The Owens River was originally diverted during the infamous “California Water Wars” to supply L.A. County with irrigation and drinking water, leaving Owens Valley dry.

Enjoy your water, Inyo County! 100 years is a long time to fight the good fight. Your perseverance has been rewarded with cool, clear water - and fishing and kayaking and bird watching! I'm sure the whole valley knows how precious their water is, and I hope they'll take good care of it.

A big shoutout goes to the LADWP, Inyo County, the California Department of Fish and Game, the State Lands Commission, the Sierra Club, the Owens Valley Committee, and everyone who helped make it happen.

Sources:

http://lorp.info/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/us/12water.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1200165191-GId8QKml6ZxOhb9pvCH7FQ&oref=slogin

CHINA BANS PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS

Chinese authorities announced that they're outlawing plastic shopping bags because of pollution and energy concerns. This is from the CBC website:

China's State Council said the ban will start June 1. Firms that continue to sell, make and distribute bags thicker than 0.025 mm thick will be given fines and authorities may seize goods and profits, the State Council said.

"Our country consumes huge amounts of plastic bags every year. While providing convenience to consumers, they have also caused serious pollution, and waste of energy and resources, because of excessive use and inadequate recycling," the government said in a statement, according to Reuters.

"We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, using baskets for their vegetables."

So will it make a difference? According to Worldwatch Institute, consumers worldwide toss about 500 billion plastic bags annually. Furthermore, it takes these bags over 1000 years to dissolve.

It's hard to visualize 500 billion plastic bags, so instead let me break it down for you: here in the Wintergreen house (2 human occupants and 2 feline occupants), we recycle our plastic bags. Each month we use enough plastic bags to fill one large garbage bag. Our household, therefore, produces approximately 12 garbage bags full of plastic bags per year. It's easy to visualize 12 garbage bags full - it's enough to fill my kitchen with plastic bags.

How much energy would it take to recycle 500 billion plastic bags per year? That's a lot of trips to the recycling depot. It occurs to me that recycling these bags does not even begin to solve the problem. The solution, then, is obvious: stop using plastic bags.

This idea seems to be catching on. In March 2007, San Francisco became the first North American city to ban non-recyclable plastic bags. In April 2007, Leaf Rapids, Manitoba, became the first Canadian municipality to ban plastic bags. And here in the Wintergreen house, we have purchased two sturdy reusable bags for our shopping.

A big shoutout to the great nation of China, the beautiful city of San Francisco, and the forward-thinking community of Leaf Rapids for not being afraid to let go of the convenience of these pesky bags.

Here are a few links:

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/01/08/china-bags.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/04/02/manitoba-bags.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/03/28/sanfrancisco-plastic.html

WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION

Hello!

My name is Nigel Wintergreen. Welcome to my blog.

Like many of y'all, I've been listening to the news about global warming with a growing sense of helpless dread. In book after book, in newspaper after newspaper, in report after report, we are told of an imminent environmental collapse. The problem seems so vast, the statistics so crushing, that the future seems very bleak indeed.

My friends, I assure you that hope is not lost.

Using this blog as my soapbox, I will attempt to persuade you that it is still possible to save our sorry asses from impending apocalypse. I will show you, using evidence from a wide range of sources, that there is a growing number of like-minded people around the world who are working hard to ensure that this bleak future is never realized. Though their efforts often go unrecognized, buried beneath the avalanche of bad news, these efforts make up the tiny jewels of good news that I will present here because I am convinced of the righteousness of their cause, because I am convinced that victory is possible, and because I believe that direct actions, no matter how small, can and will change the world.

This, amigos, is the revolution. Everyone is invited.