Some packaging companies make one feel much better about our “throw-away” side — StalkMarket Products, for instance. In September, this Oregon-based producer of compostable food service products, became the first company in the North American packaging industry to gain Carbon Trust Certification for the carbon footprint of its sugar cane plates and bowls.
Presently StalkMarket is one of a few U.S. based companies to gain this certification. The Carbon Trust was set up in 2001 by the UK government as an independent company , with a mission to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy. Read more of this >>
These notes come from the World Bank Press Review on rising CO2 emissions coming from 40 industrialized countries:
“Carbon emissions by industrialized nations increased one percent in 2007, a ‘worrying’ rise ahead of a crunch climate summit in Copenhagen in December, the UN climate agency said Wednesday. Emissions in 2007 by 40 industrialized countries with reporting obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were around four percent below 1990 levels, the UN Climate Change Secretariat (UNCCS) said….” [Agence France Presse/Factiva]
AP adds that “…EU countries did cut their emissions year-to-year, by an average of 1.6 percent, led by Denmark’s 6.1 percent reduction. But the US, the biggest emitter in this group, increased its emissions by 1.4 percent, and the output of heat-trapping gases by Japan, Canada and Australia also rose, the data show….” [Associated Press/Factiva]
Greenwire reports that “…emissions in 2007…were around 4 percent below 1990 levels, the secretariat said. However, from 2000 to 2007, emissions rose 3 percent….Much of the decrease in CO2 emissions from 1990 levels is due to the economic decline of countries in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of communism….” [Greenwire (US)/Factiva]
Even at the risk of preaching, it is critical for all to comprehend what is happening with carbon on this planet and learn how we might better manage output. GRM
Auto graveyard - Nebraska farm Photo: Glenn Meyers
The following clips come from Matt Cawood, writing on a study from the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists at farmonline:
“Agricultural land could be the focus of an “economic opportunity of unparalleled scale”, according to the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, which has called for a re-write of emissions trading legislation to properly recognise “terrestrial carbon”.
“In a discussion paper released earlier this week, the Group argues that by focusing on terrestrial carbon sequestration as a solution to climate change, Australia can simultaneously address many of its most pressing environmental challenges.
“Terrestrial carbon includes carbon stored in forests, woodlands, swamps, grasslands, farmland, soils, and derivatives like biochar and biofuels.
“We’re about to create a multibillion dollar terrestrial carbon market, and that has the potential to radically change our rural landscapes,” said Wentworth Group director Peter Cosier. “We have to maximise the benefits and minimise the consequences.”
Carbon Sciences (CABN), reported last week on Green Streets as a promising developer of technology to recycle CO2 emissions into fuels, has posted a video on its website and YouTube explaining its technology and nano-engineering innovations that CEO Byron Elton believes will lead to an industrial-scale process to produce fuels. Read more of this >>
News on the fourth annual Solar Decathlon from Environmental News Service . (NOTE: previous link does not work; use DOE site. ) I would love to be there and see the many solutions.
from Environmental News Network: “More than 800 students in 20 teams from the United States, Canada, Spain and Germany will compete all week in ten contests that evaluate the architecture, engineering, comfort, marketability, appliances and lighting of the solar houses. The teams will perform everyday tasks, such as cooking, laundry, and washing dishes, to test the energy efficiency of their homes.”
After developing a promising technology to recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) into gasoline, Santa Barbara, CA – based Carbon Sciences, Inc. has announced developing key enzymes that will accelerate its biocatalytic process and significantly lower the cost of fuel production.
One potential large supplier of such captured CO2 might be coal-fired electrical power generating plants. The impact could be significant, said Carbon Sciences CEO, Byron Elton. “We strongly believe we are developing the most efficient and viable renewable fuel technology in the world. We estimate tat that with less than half of the the CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, we can produce 30 percent of the world’s fuel supply.”
The conversion of captured CO2 to liquified fuels Source: Carbon Sciences
President Obama spoke at the United Nations today about climate responsibilities. This post comes complements of Consequence09.org:
Join the National Youth Climate Call Day on Thursday
President Obama is right: This is OUR battle
President Obama spoke on Tuesday at the UN Summit on Climate Change, and his words perfectly encapsulate what we have at stake:
“Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it–boldly, swiftly, and together–we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.”
Washington, DC — A major new national youth organizing campaign on clean energy and climate will launch with a national press teleconference on Wednesday. The new effort, called Consequence, will organize young people across America to demand urgent Congressional action to unleash investment in clean energy sources like wind and solar, increase energy efficiency to save consumers money, and set firm limits on the carbon pollution that causes global warming.
The Consequence campaign, a new national grassroots organizing effort, kicked off today with a nationwide online advertising campaign, print and radio advertisements in targeted states, and the launch of an innovative social networking site, www.consequence09.org, that will lie at the heart of the youth-focused campaign. Consequence will organize young people in states across America to demand urgent Congressional action on a comprehensive clean energy and climate plan that will unleash investment in clean energy sources like wind and solar, creates millions of clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on oil and place firm limits on the carbon pollution that causes global warming.
“Young people have an incredibly important role to play in demanding a clean energy future,” said Jessy Tolkan, Energy Action Coalition Executive Director. “They understand that we must pursue a ‘Yes We Can’ approach to our nation’s climate and energy challenges and that there are real consequences—for our economy, our security and the future of our planet—if Congress fails to act. Through an intensive effort to organize and mobilize these young people, the Consequence campaign and its partners will ensure that our elected officials know that young people demand a commitment to a clean energy economy that creates millions of clean energy jobs, reduces our dependence on oil and curbs dangerous global warming pollution.”
Consequence will include a major national online advertising campaign commencing this week, as well as radio and print advertising in Arkansas, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Fresh tomatoes from this aquaponics system. Photo: Deb Dorband
LOVELAND, CO – They are innovative, inexpensive, pleasant to look at, and sustainable. Called, sustainable aquaponics, these compact systems can be used by families worldwide, producing fish and vegetables to feed individuals on an ongoing basis.
Developed by Mountain Sky Group (through its WorldWide Aquaculture subsidiary), in cooperation with the Institute for Ecolonomics, the system combines traditional agriculture and aquaculture methods without soil, producing a healthy culture system for fish, herbs, fruits, vegetables and ornamentals to thrive. The only additional material required is water. Fish are fed some of the plants growing in the system, and their waste fertilizes the plants. Read more of this >>
