Riverside Lightbulb Exchange saves 66 tons of CO2 emissions!

Posted on August 18, 2009 by aguerin

This past Sunday, August 9th, 24 Community members traveled door to door in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge distributing free energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and efficiency resources to hundreds of homes. These volunteers exchanged a total of Four hundred and forty-two CFL bulbs over the course of four hours, the equivalent of saving 132,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being emitted into the atmosphere per year. A great Success!

This community event, organized by the Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) and the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET) , was held in order to help residents lower their home energy consumption and cut carbon emissions in Cambridge. The HEET organization regularly participates in community barn raising events to help Cambridge residents lower their carbon footprint by implementing efficiency measures in homes with support from volunteers and this Riverside light bulb exchange is a continuation of CEA’s summer canvass program, connecting Cambridge residents to efficiency programs and services. The benefits of this light bulb exchange will stretch further than helping to save the earth- it will help residents save money on their energy bills as well! If a resident were to exchange 20 light bulbs in their home it would save approximately $1,200 dollars over the life span of the bulbs.

The event would not have been possible without the generous donation of the CFL bulbs by TCP, Inc. Metro Pedal Power , a local company that provides delivery services using human powered vehicles, provided for the carbon-free delivery for the CFLs to the Cambridge Community Center, making the light bulb exchange a completely carbon free event! And of course, the event’s success is owed to all of the Cambridge volunteers as well, who donated their time on an extremely hot Sunday to help their neighbors. Volunteers ranged all different ages and canvassing experience levels, and after the canvass, a community party was held at the Cambridge Community Center where they celebrated their outreach efforts together. Among the volunteers were Leland Cheung , and Minka vanBeuzekom , both of whom will be running for Cambridge City Council this coming Fall.

Local recieves Fulbright Scholarship for environmental research in China

Posted on August 14, 2009 by aguerin

Lily in china Cambridge born and raised, 19 year old Lily Saporta-Tagiuri was awarded a Fulbright scholarship this summer to study and conduct research in China. Her project focuses on the Chinese awareness of the environmental repercussions that come along with modernization. After several years of studying the language, Lily was able to conduct her research in mandarin, and wrote her final paper in Chinese characters. She is currently in the process of translating her work into English. I had the pleasure of speaking with Lily about her research experience. Below is a short interview:

Q) Do you think the Chinese government is more or less concerned than the U.S. government about the state of it’s country’s natural resources and climate change?

A) This is a difficult call to make and it really depends on which aspect of environmental protocol you are looking at. Many of the Improvements China is making are similar to the US. However, China’s Development is often still charged as a definite and unrivaled threat to our environment, though the only area where the United States is more progressive is In terms of carbon emissions. The Chinese government is working hard to lower their carbon emissions though they have only recently begun to build with sustainability in mind and only recently had access to wide scale renovation. Many argue that the US already had their chance to experiment with coal and that it is a necessary step in development, but personally I do not think that is an excuse for pollution.

Carbon aside, China’s socialist government has much more power to completely reinvent the way energy is used in China and they have not been hesitant to use that power. A few examples of their heavy handed almost harsh measures are the three gorges damn project where they displaced thousands of families to capitalize on water power, or the one child policy where they firmly enforce a one child per family in cities to reduce the booming population.

Also, China is only allowing wind turbines with a yield of at least 1 megawatt to be installed, which excludes most other countries who only manufacture 700 kilowatt turbines. China’s drive for totalitarian economic control has raised the bar in the renewable energy market where they strive to be on top.

Q) Do you think the Chinese people are more or less concerned than U.S residents about the state of their country’s natural resources and climate change?

A) I think anyone who is aware of the state of the environment ANYWHERE is concerned. The difference is that the general population in China does not know about the state of the environment as extensively as an average city dweller does in the US. Though I am not sure that the people of the United States are all that concerned about the environment either. Any ignorance regarding the environment should be regarded as unacceptable, but an unaware American is much more of a drain on natural resources since our per capita consumption is far larger than China’s. Though they may be equally concerned the older generations of Chinese are more resourceful in their usage of material goods because they endured the communist rise to power during the cultural revolution where they barely had enough food to eat and had to scrounge for all of their few belongings.

Q) What was the biggest shock you discovered during your research?

A) I was shocked to discover that among the Chinese that I interviewed, whenever I asked whose responsibility the environmental crisis was,
they all said the government. Nobody considered it their own personal responsibility and they trusted that the government would be capable of handling it.

Q) What aspects of environmental action (if any) should the U.S. adopt from china’s example?

A) The citizens of China are more willing to adapt their way of life to make room for development whereas U.S. citizens are hesitant about anything that could jeopardize their comfort. People would go crazy over human rights if something like the one child policy were adopted here but desperate times call for desperate measures and sacrifices will undoubtedly have to be made.

New college trend: Go trayless

Posted on August 6, 2009 by aguerin

Cafteria tray During the past couple of years, colleges have undertaken a variety of initiatives to promote sustainability on their campuses. Selling local produce and other foods in campus cafes, providing free CFLs, and the option to purchase green energy to power dormitory rooms are just a few examples of the ways in which colleges have sought to be greener. However perhaps the fast growing trend on college campuses is the banishment of the humble food tray, or trayless dining. Now, instead of providing trays for students to load with plates, glasses, and silverware, many cafeterias have done away with the large plastic slabs. Trayless dining discourages food waste, conserves water, and decreases energy use while saving colleges money.

Some campuses have already found that trayless dining cuts food waste up to 50%. The thinking is that, without the convenience of a tray, diners are less likely to get up for seconds or thirds that they won’t be able to finish. Forgoing trays also saves thousands of dollars in energy that would be expended sanitizing trays.

Of course, one might imagine that there would be some resistance to removing the trays from cafeterias; carrying an entree, salad, silverware and beverage without one requires considerable skill. Consequently many colleges have decided to ease their students into the practice by banishing trays from select dining areas, or only on “trayless Tuesdays.” It turns out though, that some students prefer the new system, stating that it creates a less institutional, more “homey” atmosphere in the dining hall.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI), a research organization located in Cambridge, tracks and compares environmental practices at the 300 colleges and universities with the largest endowments. Of the institutions studied, the SEI reports that 126 of them have cut down on the use of trays, if not eliminated them completely.

With increasing food costs, compounded by contracted endowments, the trayless dining trend will most likely become even more popular this fall.

America’s scientific illiteracy is holding us back

Posted on July 27, 2009 by aguerin

american scientist Only 49 percent, less than half of Americans know that human emissions are the cause of global warming. In a time when several countries have already started the race to lead and profit from a new alternative energy system, this statistic means only one thing for America: We are falling behind.

Yes, America’s government has finally begun to acknowledge the importance on creating new climate and energy legislation, but we are still miles behind countries like China, South Korea, and Japan. Lets compare: China is investing 440 billion- 660 billion in its clean energy industry over the next 10 years. Under the Waxman- Markey Bill, The U.S. will only invest about 1.2 billion annually in research and development, and 10 billion in the clean energy sector as a whole. That is less than .1 percent of U.S. GDP. Meanwhile, South Korea is investing 20 times that percentage of their GDP in a Green New Deal.

Not only is the U.S. falling behind in energy investments, but the nation is also becoming increasingly scientifically illiterate. According to the National Academies, only 15 percent of the undergraduate degrees earned in the U.S. are in science and engineering, while in China, the percentile is 50!

There have been attempts to better scientifically educate America’s youth. The National Science Foundation’s IGERT program – Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship – aims to install a broader set of skills to young scientists such as economic thinking, policy realities, and the nature of the modern media. The program attempts to better connect Americans to scientific ideas, and create a better relationship between scientists and the public. President Obama made an attempt to implement another program, RE-ENERGYSE, which was designed to inspire young Americans to pursue careers in clean energy. The program would’ve funded new undergraduate and graduate energy curriculum and research opportunities and aimed to prepare up to 8,500 highly educated young scientists and engineers to enter the field of clean-energy in six years time. However the U.S. Senate and House have recently rejected the proposal.

America must do something about its scientific illiteracy – ASAP! With the “The Asian Energy Challenge” looming before us, America cannot afford to toe the starting line much longer.

Denmark’s gearing up for the Cop15, and dancing while doing it.

Posted on July 20, 2009 by aguerin

Denmark, the country hosting the United Nations climate change conference this coming December, recently held Roskilde, the largest Music festival in northern Europe. Here, musicians such as coldplay, Kanye west, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, gathered for four days to play for one hundred thousand fans. Each year Roskilde Festival donates any profits from the festival to humanitarian and cultural purposes. This year the festival collected it’s largest humanitarian donation ever – to climate change! Although the concert has had somewhat of a green profile for many years, because of the COP15 coming up later this year, the Music festival decided to make climate change the main focus.
The gate to the CO2-neutral ‘climate community’ was shaped as the international recycling sign, a large green arrow. Inside the festival, several different groups set up base to encourage festival goers to join the anti climate change movement. There were stationary bicycles that could charge mobile phones and cameras when concertgoers connected their electronics and peddled. Some Bicycles pressed plant oil, and were used to power a large colorful ferries wheel. There were also DIY solar panels and wind turbines installed that provided electricity for the camps. Other campaigns included MTV’s “kiss for climate”, where each kiss on camera donated one Euro to the Bellona Foundation (which invents environmental technology), and also, a quite successful clothing exchange shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_BO9UhbkrQ

Thanks to festival profits, and 1580 people who took the ‘green footstep’ to donate 23 Euros each, Roskilde has raised 306,000 Euros for the Climate change cause.

China, play fair…

Posted on July 15, 2009 by aguerin

china, wind-power As it becomes increasingly more clear that the future of energy usage lies in sustainable technologies, countries all over the world have been trying to get a leg in the front door. Lately, China has been on a roll with it’s green projects, so much so that foreign companies have been complaining about being excluded. China has been taking all sorts of measures to protect it’s own alternative energy industries, hoping to insure that it will soon dominate the market globally.

This spring, The Chinese government authorized it’s first solar power plant and took bids for 25 large contracts to supply the wind turbines. Six of the submissions were multinational. Europe, especially Germany, which has held a reputation for being the leader in efficient and high-quality wind turbine machines, was excited to get in on the project. However, one of the requirements for the bid contest was that at least 80 percent of the equipment be made locally, in China, and another was that the turbines have a capacity of more than 1,000 kilowatts. These requirements put European manufactures at a large disadvantage, as the popular design for a European turbine has a 850-kilowatt capacity. Also, with the 80% Chinese equipment rule, Non-Chinese manufacturers had to relocate to build their own factories in China.

When the wining contracts were announced, China chose seven domestic companies, and disqualified every multinational submission, on the basis of technical grounds.

It is clear that china is trying to be strategic in it’s green industry goals. While the World Trade Organization rules demand that countries not instate local content requirements, China is off the hook because it has still not signed the WTO side agreement on government procurement. Manufacturers are frustrated, and as this situation, and the earth, continue to heat up, it’s safe to say we can expect the alternative energy industry to encounter some interesting challenges.

Population, Cities, and Design

Posted on July 13, 2009 by aguerin

cities This past Saturday was World Population Day, but I do not know anyone who was celebrating. It is a daunting subject for the many people aware of the problems regarding future population growth. At the end of the 20th century, the world population was passing 6 billion, and now it is estimated that by the end of the 21st century, the world population will reach 8-12 billion. This is certainly an issue that we must take seriously and prepare for. As our numbers increase, so does the concern and discussion about population growth.

However, what is often unacknowledged is the impact of population growth on our cities. Half of the world’s population currently resides in cities, and every week, across the globe, one million people migrate to cities. If this current trend continues, and there is no reason to believe that it will stop, by 2050 an estimated 6 billion people, or more than two-thirds of humanity, will reside in cities.

Growing population pressures will require us find new sustainable ways to develop cities. Edward Mazria, who was featured on the E2 Design, an informative series on PBS (narrated by Brad Pitt) about the economies of being environmentally conscious, has developed his own plan to work towards this sustainable cities goal. He calls it “Architecture 2030”. Below is the behind the scenes Podcast for his Architecture 2030 E2 Design episode. What do you think?

Wacky Weather

Posted on July 6, 2009 by aguerin

dryfrield This June, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, we experienced one of the worst, wettest, stretches of summer weather that any of us can remember. By the end of the month, Boston.com was even jokingly providing instructions on how to build an ark.

But as terrible as we had it here, halfway across the world, Uganda was having it even worse. Instead of praying for a bit of sun each morning, the Ugandan rainmakers held sheep sacrifices in an effort to appease the rain god, Ekipe. This has been the fourth consistent year that there has not been enough rain for Nassapir’s harvests – and millions will go hungry. While the locals describe the weather as “very strange”, others would identify it global climate change.

Global aid agency Oxfam reports that all over the world, impoverished communities are being hit hard by the effects of climate change. Farmers from 15 different country’s in Africa, Asia and Latin America have reported seasons to be shrinking in number and variety. Because there is not international funds to help these communities cope with the challenges climate change will bring, millions of the world’s poorest people will soon find themselves in an even tougher situation.

While the United States is certainly not an impoverished nation, this does not mean that American citizens need not worry about the reality of bad harvests reaching our shores as well. With the layering problems of water scarcity, climate changes, and the economic crisis, U.S. Fields, too, are going dry.

Cambridge, MA – The 6th Greenest City in America

Posted on July 1, 2009 by aguerin

MIT Stata Center

Although there is not an official EPA ranking system to determine the “Greeness” of a city, The Mother Nature Network has measured and compared several important aspects of sustainability in American cities, and has declared Cambridge the sixth greenest city in the country. This puts our small 7.13 square mile city higher in the ranks than large cities like Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; & Austin, TX. Cambridge even ranked higher than the famously green/progressive city of Berkeley, CA!

Portland, OR, was awarded the title of greenest city in America for its dedication to bicycles, sustainability education efforts, and local businesses. San Fransisco came in second for its emphasis on solar power, its new recycling program, its plastic bag ban, and its plan to divert 75% of its landfill waste by 2010. Cambridge’s neighbor, Boston, was awarded 3rd place for the Down2Earth conference, and it’s emphasis on alternative energy vehicles. Boston Mayor candidate Michael Flahrety has recently released a YouTube Video that explores the possibilities of providing green collar job training and opportunities to the city’s at-risk youth.

Winners of 4th and 5th places, are Oakland, California, and Eugene, Oregon. Oakland wins for it’s clean tap water, local and organic food, hydrogen-powered public transportation, and its growing oil independency (17% of the energy is received from renewable sources and the city plans to be oil-independent and produce zero waste in ten years time). Eugene is another friendly bicycle city, with an impressive Hybrid Public Transit system too!

All over the country, cities are stepping it up in the name of sustainability. While many of the cities that are investing in new alternative technologies and sustainability programs are big cities with big budgets, Cambridge is an excellent example of the possibility for all cities – no matter how small they may be – to embrace sustainable development. Recent Sustainability developments in Cambridge include Bicycle programs , Climate protection programs such as the Cambridge Energy Alliance and the Climate Protection Action Committee, as well as a growing number of renewable energy systems to power our businesses and homes.

Masdar: The World’s First Zero Carbon City

Posted on June 29, 2009 by aguerin

masdar1

Despite the fact that it is one of the largest steps taken forward in alternative energy history, Abu Dhabi’s city of Masdar is still a relatively unknown subject to most people. Set into motion in 2006, the Masdar initiative is expected to provide the world with the first zero-carbon, zero-waste city, and serve as an international breeding ground for sustainable technology.

The Masdar initiative to pursue “solutions to some of mankind’s most pressing issues: energy security, climate change, and the development of human expertise in sustainability ” includes plans for a research institute to develop environmental technologies, an investment arm to commercialize and deploy them, and an eco-city to provide housing for students and business’s and to serve as a test bed for their ideas. With this, CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber intends to turn Abu Dhabi’s Masdar into the silicon valley of clean technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovly1dQGKH4

But even with extensive efforts to monitor carbon expenditure, some critics are still skeptical. Most attacked, is the fact that while Abu Dhabi may be building the worlds largest and most extensive eco-center, just next door there are several energy intensive projects simultaneously being developed. This includes the worlds biggest aluminum smelter, which will include an on site gas-power plant, and an indoor ski slope within a nearby mall, like the one in Dubai.

Despite the fact that Masdar may not be the absolute perfect model for the future of our cities, the project can be acknowledged as an incredible step forward towards a future of alternative energy solutions that we desperately need. This is the first time an entire city has been dedicated to the international collaboration of sustainability efforts, and it presents a wonderful opportunity for the world’s nations to reassess their fossil fuel dependence in alliance.

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Sustainability begins at home

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