GreenLine Magazine – Summer 2014

INNOVATION FOR THE GREENER GOOD

Ocean

Sustainability Jonathan Knaul and Chris Hadfield visit the only

Sea Floor Habitat in the world

NorthernGateway Eco-Efficient Construction Are Airports Going Green? www.greenlinemag.com

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Blair Watson, Peter Pigott

Plastic Water Bottles Is commercially available bottled water really the worst environmental demon on the planet?

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS /INTERVIEWS

By Chris MacLean

Chris MacLean cmaclean@greenlinemag.com

EDITOR Alana MacLean editor@greenlinemag.com

STAFF WRITERS

Living Aquarius (COVER STORY) Experimental Test Pilot Jonathan Knaul, and International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield, chronicle their experiences aboard the world’s only sea-floor ocean research habitat: Aquarius.

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By Jonathan Knaul and Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield, Jonathan Knaul, Susan Meredith, Trevor Pax

VIDEOGRAPHY Kerry Angus

GRAPHIC DESIGN MacGraphics

ADMINISTRATION

How to “green” your office Attitude is important when making any change. The trick is to start small and make it a habit.

By Susan Meredith

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Leona Gow

ADVERTISING SALES & MARKETING Theresa McVean theresa@greenlinemag.com

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Climate Change / Energy Security Are these issues without economic impact, a basis for energy independence, or just the opposite?

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Airports Go Green Airports are striving to become green through innovative ideas.

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21 The Northern Gateway The issue of oil pipelines continues to be a hot topic. Will proposed safeguards make a difference?

By Trevor Pax

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Green Construction Twelve percent of heat-trapping, anthropogenic (human-made) CO2 emissions in North America come from buildings. Can environmentally friendly construction reduce this footprint?

By Blair Watson

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Environmental demon vs Healthy beverage item

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To many, the reusable beverage bottle is an emblem of a ‘green’ lifestyle. And by choosing water over a flavoured beverage, consumers make a commitment to better health. But to many environmentalists, water bottles are an eco-disaster in the making. Similar to the shot of a polar bear stranded on an ice floe, the picture of thousands of water bottles being bulldozed into a landfill site is an environmental cliché, making the case for action in a single, emotional image.

The reality, of course, is that polar bears can swim, and, according to the Canadian Bottled Water Association (CBWA) retail water bottles accounts for 40% of all plastic beverage container packaging; the rest contain flavoured drinks and juices. “Plastic beverage containers, including bottled water packaging, account for 1/5 of 1% of the waste in the waste stream,” says the CBWA.

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CBWA Executive Director, Elizabeth Griswold, believes Canadian consumers receive misleading information, saying mainstream media often quotes American data. “They are not providing accurate recycling rates for the Canadian marketplace. Recycling rates in Canada are on average from 71 to 72%, so we are doing an incredible job on recycling here, and our goal, as part of the beverage industry recycling stakeholder, is to get that rate up to 90%, and we won’t be happy until we have it at 100% recycling.”

Plastic water bottles have been singled out as a major environmental demon, yet we bring home a plethora of other plastic containers from the grocery store every week, seemingly guilt-free.

This may be because most communities have recycling programs that are steadily improving as voters demand such responsible action from it’s government. And for the most part, we are all very diligent about recycling at home.

But what about when we venture out in public? How many times have you seen a public garbage bin filled with plastic drinking bottles? How many times have we all added to the problem because there were only two options: to litter or to throw it in the garbage? The answer may lie at the local level. Better recycling options in public places are clearly needed.

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Beverage bottles are a large and very visible problem, but plastic packaging in general has increased over the years. Prime examples include leafy greens and berries. The growing trend is to sell strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, spinach and other salad greens in clear plastic bins to keep them from getting crushed in transit. This is the same material as plastic water bottles, so why has there not been a hue and cry over these packages? Is it because we recycle them at home and they do not fill up public garbage cans? Griswold would agree. “There are many other food products and consumer products out there in the exact same type of packaging [as water bottles]. The industry, as one of many stakeholders, feels that this issue needs to be addressed in the broad sense – it is not just the beverage industry – it needs to be looked at from the overall packaging aspect.”

The CBWA works with organizations and governments across Canada to raise recycling rates, and the organization claims significant improvements, primarily in the ‘away from home’ area.

“When people are away from their homes, they are having improved access to recycling,” she says. “That is the intent of the industry, to make sure that the system is appropriate and that as the bottler puts it in place, the quality is very high in the recycled content.”

But even a 100% recycling rate may not be enough to satisfy critics of the bottled water industry. The Council of Canadians, for example, has battled the bottled water industry with a variety of weapons: claims that chemicals in water bottles are unsafe; arguing that bottled water is bad for the environment because many companies ship their products across national borders; and, that bottled water competes with municipal water producers.

“The industry sells water – what should be a shared public resource – for huge profits. Producing and transporting bottled

water requires large amounts of fossil fuels, and plastic water bottles continue to end up by the millions in local landfills,” the Council’s website says. “Bottled water production places huge stresses on increasingly scarce water resources.”

In the end, the Council’s opposition to plastic water bottles seems less environmental than political and ideological. For instance, why are they not vilifying the Coke and Pepsi organizations? They use as much or more water, and produce just as much or more plastic containers. The issue isn’t simply about packaging, says the Council. “Banning the sale and purchase of bottled water in public facilities is a way to reclaim the water commons. By challenging the bottled water industry, we are resisting the corporate takeover of a shared public resource.”

It seems they are against the concept of profiting from the sale of water. It has been proven that some companies bottle the city water, possibly refiltering it, and sell it back to consumers. But really, is that so much different from what Coke and Pepsi do?

Instead of filtering, they add flavouring and carbonation. Is it healthier to drink water rather than empty-calorie carbonated drinks? You bet.

The Canadian Bottled Water Association agrees with this point, and encourages the placement of public water fountains for those who choose to drink tap water when away from home.

“What we have an issue with is, why would a person not be given the same freedom to consume bottled water? When someone prefers to drink bottled water, why would this healthy beverage choice be taken away?”

This tactic is being followed at some large public events, such as the Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, where you can refill your reusable bottle (for free) from on-site water trucks that provide G safe, clean water from the local community. I

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Converting to “green” is a lot like learning to ride a bicycle. , &(& !

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WHEN OUR SON IAN first started riding a bike, he was a bit reluctant. He watched other people do it, talked about it, was interested in how the equipment worked, but wasn’t so sure he was ready. An early incident didn’t help matters. Ian was just starting to feel comfortable when he sailed down a hill, careening on one training wheel as the front wheel wobbled back and forth. He didn’t know how to use his brakes and eventually toppled. He wasn’t physically hurt, but his confidence was shaken. He figured he would leave bikes alone and let other people ride them.

This is a lot like how many of us approach “green.” Watching, listening, talking, interested, but not really pushing off into it yet. Hearing about mercury in compact fluorescent lightbulbs leaves our confidence shaken. Is it going to do us harm? Maybe we’ll leave it alone and let someone else do it.

The old analogy about bike riding is true though; you can read about it, you can watch others, but until you try for yourself, you really can’t gain any benefits.

And there definitely are benefits to greening our businesses – on a personal level as well as organizationally – saving energy saves money.

If you reduce the amount of paper you use, you reduce the amount you have to buy. If you reduce the amount of travel and transportation, you reduce the travel costs. If you improve the efficiency of your light bulbs or turn them off when not in use, you reduce the amount of electricity you have to buy.

We went back to the Chicago area recently to visit family. There were bike riders everywhere – the fit and the flabby, the wildly carefree racers, the white haired retirees and the serious riders on their way to work. The hilly landscape in Austin, Texas is a lot different than the flat streets of Chicago suburbia. It’s different riding on gravel than pavement. The environment makes a difference.

Again, it’s like making the green transition. The weather affects the appropriate solutions for greening your offices and other facilities. For instance, in colder climates you want to use designs, materials and habits that encourage heat to enter the buildings. In warmer climates,

Peer pressure makes a difference. The social environments will impact how accepted and expected a green existence is.

you want to keep the heat out. In all cases, you want to minimize the heat transferring in and out unintentionally.

The social environments make a difference on how accepted and expected a green existence is. Peer pressure makes a difference. Media coverage in your area makes a difference. Attitude is important.

A gloom and doom feeling is not very

inspiring. Focusing on problems and fear freezes action. Focusing on solutions and success motivates and moves us.

The Chicago trip inspired Ian to try it again around his hometown. Starting out with a death grip on the handlebars, he needed a push to get going. He focused on every obstacle within 20 feet, certain he would fall victim to it. But he kept

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going and soon noticed how small adjustments made big differences in how smoothly the ride went. In the end, he was riding leisurely, looking around at dogs, boaters, the lake, confident and proud, truly enjoying the ride. Like anything, it gets easier when you get into motion.

If you’re hesitant about becoming a green business, find someone to give you a push. You’ll find it’s fun to play the game of energy efficiency. “What if we kept the temperature one degree different – would we notice the difference and how much energy would it save? I wonder how few lights we can use? How about if we stagger work hours so employees could avoid rush hour traffic and use less gas on their commute? What if we allowed more telecommuting? How about if we used teleconferencing in place of some of our business travel? How can we reduce paper waste and other waste? I wonder how much energy we’d save if we installed motion sensors in the bathrooms?”

To really understand the impact, you should track the changes as business process improvement projects. Or not. Just the fact that you play the game will get you saving and improving and making a difference.

No matter what size your business is, everyone can contribute to making a greener office environment by simply starting small. Each small movement will make everyone more comfortable with

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bigger steps. For instance, changing out lightbulbs, in the office or at home, is relatively simple and inexpensive to do. It’s like taking that first push on the bike – you’re on your way. Have a lightbulb smashing party for the old bulbs, signifying the company’s commitment to being a green business.

Don’t smash the new bulbs though!

About that mercury: if a compact fluorescent bulb breaks, treat it like the mercury from those old thermometers – make sure to clean it up thoroughly. Treat broken or burned out bulbs as hazardous waste – put them in a bag and put them out with other hazardous wastes. When you bring those to the hazardous waste recycling center, bring the bulbs, too. It’s really not that big a deal.

Computers generate lots of heat and provide lots of opportunities for energy savings. Make sure defaults are set to standby or hibernate when idle; screensavers still use energy! Encourage staff members to start the habit of turning computers off when going home or leaving the office for an extended period.

Consider using power strips to shut down all electronics completely.

When you’re ready to move onto bigger projects, your computer networks are a good place to look. Get more efficient equipment, energy efficient chillers for data centers and check into computer power management for large networks.

In other areas, think about using solar water heaters, acquiring your own energy storage to take advantage of off-peak electricity prices, and xeriscaping the grounds to reduce the water usage. Use alternative fuels and alternative vehicles for company vehicles. For those with dedicated routes, see if fully electric vehicles will do the job. Share your research with other companies so they can benefit, too.

Knowledge dissipates fear, so by continually to educate yourself and your employees, you will be contributing to the solution. Doesn’t that feel good? Kind of G like riding a bicycle! I Susan Meredith is an engineer, MBA graduate and founder of HumanExcel, an educational firm that helps organizations improve efficiency, reduce waste and save energy. Her forthcoming book, "Beyond Lightbulbs: Lighting the Way to Smarter Energy Management," offers insights on innovative ways to reduce.

No matter what size your business is, everyone can contribute to making a greener office environment by simply starting small.

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Aquarius is the only permanent sea floor habitat in the world.

It provides both a science capability and a space analog capability that are unparalleled. However, due to lack of funding, Aquarius is at risk of shutting down – possibly by 2014.

76-;1-6 6-<4 had the unique opportunity to spend May 2012 as a volunteer dive assistant with Aquarius during a marine biology “saturation” mission.

192: -.02/4. lived aboard the Aquarius for ten days during a NASA mission in May 2011.

GreenLine brings you their incredible stories...

BY JONATHAN KNAUL AND CHRIS HADFIELD WINTER 2014

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Two amazing Canadians, Royal Canadian Air Force Experimental Test Pilot Jonathan Knaul, and fighter pilot/astronaut Chris Hadfield, chronicle their unforgetable experiences aboard the Aquarius.

Major Jonathan Knaul (left) and US Navy Lieutenant Tim “Doc” Bruce, aboard the R/V Sabina, enroute to Conch Reef and the 8<-92<:

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What a unique opportunity – to spend May 2012 as a volunteer dive assistant with Aquarius during a marine biology saturation mission. We are off the Florida coast, 3.5 miles east of Key Largo, moored to the large Life Support Buoy (LSB) aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration (NOAA) Research Vessel (RV) Sabina, in three-foot seas. The ocean current is 1/2 knots (meaning difficult to swim against). As we sit on the rear deck of the Sabina, with our feet dangling in the water ready to dive, U.S. Navy Lieutenant, Tim “Doc” Bruce, MD, and myself are going through our final checks with James, today’s dive supervisor. It is sunny with few clouds, and we are surrounded by inviting, turquoise Caribbean seas.

“You are cleared to dive”, bellows James in his Southern drawl. His words are music to my ears... SPLASH… and for the next few seconds, all I can see and hear are the bubbles. A quick sign back to the boat that we are OK, and Doc and I each dump the air from our buoyancy compensators so we begin to sink. We immediately start kicking against the current, and then, looking down through our masks, there it is! Some 40 feet almost directly below is the top of Aquarius. This has to be my tenth trip to Aquarius (also known as the Habitat) in as many days, yet the “cool factor” has not worn off ... Wow!!!

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About half the size of a school bus, it is a tubular structure, with a box welded at one end, and its base plate firmly planted at 63 feet depth, amidst a sand patch on Conch Reef. The living area starts 13 feet above, at 50 feet depth. The Habitat’s various viewports (windows) are becoming apparent as we descend. I steal a glance at my surroundings as we continue to drop – the visibility is at least 100 feet and there is stunning sea life all around me. It is a busy undersea jungle.

Drawing nearer to the Habitat, I can hear the high-pitched hum of the Chiller, a large cooling system, housed exterior to the Aquarius. And suddenly, all sounds are broken by the Aquarius’ hydrophone (an underwater speaker) as Mark, one of the Aquanauts, announces that the ‘Wet Porch’ is ready to receive divers.

I can hear him as clear as day through the water. I feel as if I am in a James Bond film.

As you approach the Aquarius, you’d think she has been on the sea floor for 100 years, when in fact, it has been less than 20.

She is painted yellow, but almost her entire exterior surface is covered in a myriad of coral and other sea life. The spectrum of colours is awe-inspiring. And the fish! There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of fish (from Parrot and Tiger fish to Groupers and Nurse sharks), of all colours, harbouring in and around the various nooks and crannies of the Aquarius. I look back at the surface and the large vessel bouncing in the waves, and notice

about 50 barracuda hovering – still below the buoy. As we approach the Habitat’s stern where the Wet Porch/Moon Pool (entry area) lies, I see a Stingray gracefully navigating the sandy bottom I roll my whole body 180° and glide facing upward into the Moon Pool so I don’t snag my air tank on the entry frame. Gently placing my flippered feet onto the grate below, I raise my head, and voilá, I am crouched half out of the water, my head and chest sticking up inside the air atmosphere of the Wet Porch.

You may be wondering what keeps the water from entering.

That is the beauty of a Moon Pool – the pressure of the air within the Habitat is the same as the water that surrounds it, and thus the water cannot enter, even though the pool is open to the Habitat.

With fresh air continuously pumped into the Habitat, every so often the pressure within the Habitat builds up, and the Moon Pool literally burps its excess air into the ocean. In a sense, the Aquarius breathes. And with all of its various life support systems, it is a living machine at the bottom of the sea.

Doc and I don’t waste time – we are limited to just under 90 minutes stay at this depth, as we do not intend to saturate (see Aquarius Missions and Saturation Diving). We start by stowing the heavy transport pots we brought with us onto the two designated pot shelves. One of the Habitat technicians will open them later and unstow the contents. (Pots are industrial sized paint cans that Aquarius staff have converted into sealed containers for transporting everything from Oreo Cookies to laptops and medical supplies – they look like huge pressure cookers). We doff our tanks and gear, stowing them on a shelf below the water line, inside the Moon Pool. Like being inside an underwater cave, we cannot fully stand up, lest we bonk our heads on the Habitat’s Wet Porch floor.

We ascend the short steps into the Wet Porch – a metal box with equivalent volume to the inside of a Chevy Suburban – a sort of ‘mud-room’ of the Habitat. The Wet Porch has several small

Astern view of the 8<-92<:, where the Wet Porch is located.

Mark Halsbeck aka “Otter”.

areas for stowing gear, a fresh water shower, and various utility panels. We immediately undress down to our bathing suits only, have a quick shower, and dry off. One of the tougher maintenance requirements of operating aboard the Aquarius is to keep the living area clean, dry and free of salt.

Like a scene out of Star Trek, a large hatchway door slides open and one of the Habitat technicians (also called an Aquanaut) appears to greet us. Mark Halsbeck, nicknamed Otter, is one of the longest serving Aquarius staff members. An extremely competent and calm person, this is his 19th saturation mission. “Welcome aboard gentlemen”, Mark says with a bright smile. I lost count of how many times Doc and I had visited Aquarius, but Mark is always the consummate host. He exudes a very positive, calm and confident air – exactly the kind of person you want to be living with in a hazardous, extreme environment for an extended period of time.

My cheery response is pitched several tones higher than my normal voice, given the pressure that my larynx is under at the 50 foot depth.

The mission I am supporting, by providing maintenance as deckhand and dive assistant, is a marine biology expedition led by Dr. Joe Pawlik of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

There are six Aquanauts living aboard for 10 days. Two are Aquarius Habitat technicians (professional deep sea divers and regular staff) and four scientists (all graduate students of Joe’s). Dr. Pawlik and two other graduate students, remain ashore at night, and join the Aquanauts for day dives only. Joe, his students, and fellow scientists have been coming to Aquarius for 20 years to conduct marine biology missions, with the research focused mostly on coral and sponges. By living aboard Aquarius, they are able to conduct dives lasting up to nine hours a day, and thus collect and process far more data than if they were constrained to conducting surface dives lasting only an hour or two at a time, with requisite long rest periods in between.

The Pawlik group’s research is focused on sponges on Florida coral reefs. More specifically, sponge demographics and their effects on water quality. Their research is critical to gauging the health of our oceans. The Giant Barrel sponge, known as the’ Red Wood of the Sea’, is an animal (yes, sponges are animals) that has been found to live as long as 2000 years. Their numbers are becoming increasingly dominant over coral populations numbers along Florida coasts for reasons that remain unknown. Each sponge’s capacity to filter seawater is staggering, and both coral and sponges serve as harbours for tremendous numbers of marine species. It is easy to see why increasing our understanding of and

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Doc and I suit up, re-don our gear in the Moon Pool, check our air, and head “outside” to help Steve Groover install two internet-feed cameras. A retired United States Marine with three combat deployments, Steve is another highly professional member of the Aquarius staff, and a very focused diver. It’s a pure pleasure to work with him. Once the cameras and cables are installed, we make our way back to the Moon Pool, pick up the two now-empty pots, and bring them back to the surface. For the short remaining time allowed in the dive, Doc and I head back down with wire scrub brushes for cleaning the manually operated valves all around the Aquarius that control her various life support systems. It is an almost daily requirement Chris Hadfield (2nd from left), Andrew Abercromby (2nd from right) and the other to scrape the sea growth off of the valves members of the NEEMO 14 crew, seated at the dining table aboard Aquarius. and piping. The rest of the sea life clinging to Aquarius is left untouched, ability to protect coral and sponges factors significantly in our ability but the valves must remain free and clean to retain functionality. to maintain the health of our oceans.

While we clean, we are surrounded by hundreds of vibrant tropical In our bathing suits now, and mostly dry in the humid air, the fish, the likes of which also insist on protecting their territories around three of us walk through the sliding hatchway door into the first of the Habitat by biting at any exposed skin. With far less hair than I, Doc two Aquarius airlocks, known as the Entry Lock. Similar in size to presents the greater target, surreal insects nipping at a large, exposed the Wet Porch, it is a utility area housing various technical panels, intruder. a small bench/sink area, and a rather tiny toilet. The Aquarius I spent an entire month diving an average of three times a day Habitat, mostly cylindrical, is 43 feet long by 9 feet in diameter. As for maintenance work on the Aquarius, and I loved every minute we move from the Entry Lock into the Main Lock, it definitely feels of it. Notwithstanding, there is no one better to tell you what it is like we’re in a submarine, with communications and systems panels like to live aboard the Aquarius than Chris Hadfield; a former lining both sides of both airlocks. To my left is the Galley, complete fighter pilot, two-time Shuttle veteran, a space walker, and most with a microwave oven (but no open heating sources), and to my recently, the first Canadian Commander of the International Space right is a bank of utility panels and communications gear – Station (launched 19 Dec 2012). Moreover, while missions like Dr. Aquarius receives full internet, telephone and radio access via the Pawlik’s are extremely important to the health of our planet, there main LS Buoy above us. Ahead, on the port side is the dining table, is nowhere on the planet, other than the Aquarius, where NASA which is slightly smaller than a table for two at a restaurant. The can replicate a space mission in a truly isolated and hazardous envidining table is dominated at the wall end by a very large viewport ronment. Chris Hadfield lived aboard the Aquarius for 10 days – like a stunning mural – with all kinds of colourful fish swimming during a NASA mission. Read on for his story. slowly by. Some of the fish peer in, and I wonder who is in who’s fishbowl – an intriguing paradox. Still further ahead, making up the Aquanaut enters the water bow of Aquarius, are the Sleeping Quarters, with three berths wearing the Superlite Helmet, stacked on each side, and another large viewing port right at the as part of pre-mission tip of the bow. training for I greet the other five Aquanauts and quickly make my way NEEMO 14. back to the Wet Porch where I assist with maintenance work. Doc remains within the Main Lock to conduct his daily Sick Call – although, as I glance back, he is grinning from ear to ear as he eats a Double Decker Oreo Cookie and chats with the Aquanauts.

I spend the next 20 minutes emptying the two pots, coiling and affixing some wire, and tightening a few panel screws. It is really simple stuff, and I could not be happier to do it. Doc arrives, having finished Sick Call (and his cookie). A couple of very minor issues required treatment, but all in all, everyone was healthy and happy. Even small cuts and bruises must be immediately treated for saturation divers, as wounds will readily fester and expand in the humid, enclosed atmosphere of an underwater habitat.

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Nighttime aboard Aquarius: it is pitch black on the ocean floor. All of our dives to this point have been during the day, working outside in simulated spacesuits, developing hardware, procedures and techniques that future Astronauts will use on the Moon and Mars.

But now, for the first time, I am climbing out of the Wet Porch in darkness.

I’m not wearing SCUBA gear. To better simulate walking on another planet, all of our research dives have been done wearing a suit and helmet, our bodies weighted down to simulate the right amount of gravity, connected to Aquarius via a long hose supplying air and communications. From the Wet Porch I turn around, bend, and lower myself by hand over the edge, like a kid getting down from a tree fort. My feet feel for the hard sand of the bottom, my hands let go, and suddenly I’m standing alone, blinking and looking into the blackness.

I can’t see anything. The Wet Porch was brightly lit for safety, and it takes a while for my eyes to adjust. Slowly the night world revels itself.

Familiar shapes begin to loom out of the darkness. Even though I recognize them as the legs and belly of Aquarius, a primal fear of the dark makes everything seem ominous and foreboding. I have to consciously remind myself that this is the same place where I have been walking and working for days, and only my perception has changed. It takes a deliberate effort to start walking away from the comfort of Aquarius into the ink of night.

Fortunately, I’m not alone. Andrew Abercromby, a fellow Aquanaut and friend of over 10 years, is with me. We joke and chat to ease our nerves, and decide to walk to the bow of Aquarius, where lights are few and complete darkness is just a few steps away.

With my night vision adapted and comfort level rising, I turn my back on Aquarius and walk into the void. By looking carefully I can see the contrast between sand and coral, and walk along a small valley. I carry a flashlight if needed, but leave it off to let my eyes fully adjust. I start to see details, fish appear as dark, hanging shadows, and the new world around me begins to feel familiar. I wave my hand in front of my helmet’s visor, and it is strangely lit up by small, blue-bright sparkles. “Andrew, look at this!” I exclaim.

“Phosphorescence!” The sparkles are tiny creatures that have adapted to the darkness, and, like fireflies, can emit brief bursts of light. Whether it is for their protection or so they can find each other I’m not sure, but for me it is pure magic. I feel like Merlin the wizard, with sparks and fairy dust trailing every effortless flick of my wrist.

We both stop and play with the new sensation before walking further into the night. I point my flashlight down and briefly turn it on to freeze the nightlife in a strobe of light. Small fish goggle at the sudden illumination. A crawling sea slug is oblivious to me, a thick, fat worm on the ground (no prettier than its name). I spot a spiny lobster, and blink my light on and off to follow him as he scurries from one hiding place to another.

Andrew has climbed onto the Aquariusstructure, and is looking in the window by the dining table, an extraterrestrial being peering in at the Earthlings inside. They talk and laugh at each other, taking pictures. Andrew turns, and his backlit silhouette sends a shadow out into the translucence of the water, a rock star

From L to R: Chris Hadfield, Steve Chappell, Andrew Abercromby, and Tom Marshburn.

on a strange stage. I turn and decide to walk to the limit of my air hose, to truly experience night on the ocean floor.

The darkness and the silence of the environment are profound. All I hear is my breathing, the bubbles rushing away, jostling and popping. It’s as if my inhaling and exhaling is the only sound that exists, and thus my life is somehow the centre of everything. I slowly raise my flashlight to the darkest part of the night, squint my eyes a bit to peer carefully, and quickly turn it on to see what’s there.

A shark. Right at the limit of my light the familiar tapered grey shape and pointed fin is unmistakable. My whole body lurches involuntarily, and I snap my light off (as if that will help).

I’m afraid of sharks. I’m supposed to be. They are ancient, primitive killing machines, powerful bodies driving sharp teeth and crushing jaws, superb predators of less-capable prey. Like me.

My rational mind and my irrational emotions have a quick battle with each other. My gut tells me to turn and run (however pathetic that would be underwater). But at the same time I realize that the shark has been there all along, and my sudden awareness

The Superlite helmet fits very tightly to your head and has a mask that fits over your nose and mouth.

The helmet allows you to breathe normally underwater and has a full communications system so that you can talk back and forth with your dive buddy.

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Chris Hadfield gears up for a training dive aboard the R/V Bond, in preparation for the NEEMO 14 saturation mission.

Since the early 1960s, there have been approximately 65 sea floor habitats, either private or government operated, in various countries around the globe. Some have supported missions down to several hundreds of feet underwater, lasting well over a month at a time.

The Aquarius Sea Floor Habitat is owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and managed by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Originally built in 1986 and deployed in the US Virgin Islands, Aquarius has lived on the sea floor of Conch Reef, 3.5 miles east of Key Largo, Florida, since 1993, except for a one year period between 1996 and 1997 during which she was surfaced for refurbishment. The Habitat has survived several hurricanes and other extreme weather. Today, Aquarius is the world’s only existing permanent seafloor habitat.

Over the past 20 years, the Aquarius program has supported 115 saturation missions (16 from NASA) and 335 other projects, from which over 400 scientific papers have been published. She has enabled ocean science and marine biology missions, NASA space analog missions, US Navy technical missions, undersea technology development missions and education and outreach programs. These research expeditions were leveraged on the advantages provided by long-duration saturation diving.

Saturation diving implies that the divers’ body tissues are saturated to their maximum capacity with nitrogen. The Earth’s atmosphere consists of approximately 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% other gases. While breathing air at depth underwater, the air is compressed to levels consistent with the depth of the diver – the deeper the diver is, the more compressed the air is.

As that air is breathed, whether from a backpack tank or from within a habitat, the nitrogen within the air is absorbed into the body’s tissues.

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of him doesn’t mean he’s suddenly going to attack me. I stand there, frozen, deciding what to do next.

Not wanting to tempt fate (nor further panic myself), I leave my light off and start heading back to the Aquarius. The necessity to tend my air hose gives me a welcome distraction as I walk back.

As I coil it and work my way around the fragile coral, I suddenly realize what just happened – I had an alien encounter! Even though the shark and I live on the same planet, we exist in different worlds.

Only through human ingenuity and invention have I been able to leave my normal existence and explore his.

The parallel with how walking on the Moon must have felt for Neil, Buzz and the others strikes me full-force – what it is going to feel like when the first of us walks on Mars?

This experience, this incredible NASA/NOAA sea floor habitat, isn’t only letting us see and understand a unique and fragile part of the Earth’s ecosystem. It is letting us see the future. I feel a wave of kinship for explorers past, present and future. And a great sense of privilege to be part of a team that is helping to expand the human experience into strange new worlds. One small step at a time.

I loop my air hose back onto its mount, clamber clumsily back up onto the Wet Porch, pull off my helmet and casually mention that I saw a shark.

But inside, I feel a re-affirmed sense of wonder at our place in the universe, and resolve to be as good a member of this great team of people as I can possibly make myself.

The deeper or longer the dive, the more nitrogen is absorbed by the body. The absorbed nitrogen tends to leave the tissues at a relatively slow rate.

As the diver ascends to the surface, the air he breathes expands, and so does the nitrogen that is still locked within the tissues. If the diver has absorbed a lot of nitrogen (because he dove very deep and/or for a very long period of time) and he ascends quicker than the nitrogen is able to evacuate the tissues, this gas expands and rapidly forms nitrogen bubbles that can lodge within blood vessels or other tissues. This is known as “the Bends” because of the tendency for bubbles in the bloodstream to get stuck around the bends of joints, and it can be significantly debilitating, even leading to death. At some point in a dive, if a diver spends long enough at a depth, his tissues will reach their maximum loading of nitrogen.While the diver remains at that depth, he is safe from the Bends.

After spending 12-24 hours aboard the Aquarius Habitat at 50 feet depth, an aquanaut will effectively be saturated with nitrogen.

As long as the divers do not ascend above 35 feet depth, they are able to conduct dives down to 95 ft that can last up to six hours in a single go, followed later in the day by another 3 hour dive. At the dive’s finish, the divers return to the Habitat to rest.At the completion of their mission, they undergo a 15.75 hour decompression within the Habitat, slowly releasing the body’s trapped gases, following which they can make a safe ascent to surface.

Should they ever attempt to surface without having completed this decompression cycle, the divers risk the Bends and likely death.

In essence, whatever happens on the bottom stays on the bottom. Any problems the Aquanauts may face (medical, technical, etc.), within or outside the habitat, they must resolve them on the bottom. And thus they are truly isolated, another reason why the Aquarius makes a great training and development environment for Astronauts.

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You have just read the enviable stories of two guys with cool jobs who lived and worked under the sea. Are you still wondering what’s so important about the Aquarius Habitat? It is about learning about our home, the Earth.

What do we really know? Jonathan Knaul comments: We know that we live on a planet with a surface made up of 70% water – and that water is critical to most species of life on Earth.

Humans have traveled only twice to the oceans’ deepest depth, within the Pacific’s Marianas Trench, and spent only a few hours there, the second voyage made by Hollywood director James Cameron in 2012. We are still discovering new species of life throughout our seas, and are painfully aware that many marine species are threatened by extinction. We know that our planet is currently going through dramatic changes that greatly effect our oceans, including warming and ocean acidification. And we know that the health of our oceans play a critical role in the sustainability of our planet and therefore human survival.

We know that northern Europeans first discovered North America in approximately 1000 AD, when the Earth’s population was estimated at 300 million people. When Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas archipelago in 1492, we had only just begun to navigate the seas by looking at the stars, and the world’s population was approximately 400 million people. At that time, most of the educated world believed the Earth was flat and the Cosmos orbited around the Earth. We know that in the early 17th century, Galileo Galilei and Johannes Kepler used the first telescopes to describe the orbits of the planets in our solar system. The farthest that humans have traveled from Earth has been to our Moon, and the last mission there was in 1972 (a mere 480 years after Columbus arrived); it took approximately four days to travel each way to the Moon. And the world’s population had grown to 3.8 billion.

In 2013, our planet’s population has surpassed seven billion (double that of the late 1960s). We know that the Earth is one of eight planets (some say Pluto is the ninth), which orbit about a star we call the Sun. Most of these planets can be seen with the naked eye or even better with a good pair of binoculars. We know that there is frozen water on Mars, and we believe there was once liquid water and perhaps even life there. With current technology we can travel to Mars on a trip that will last six months each way. The two Voyageur probes that we launched in the late 1970’s to investigate the outer planets of our solar system have continued to travel beyond. They are the furthest human probes from Earth and only recently traversed the most outer influences of our solar system.

They both still have electrical power and propulsion and we communicate to them almost daily through transmissions that take approximately 30 hours to get a reply from.

We know that our solar system, orbiting around a relatively ordinary star, exists within the Milky Way galaxy (you can see it on a clear night as a cloudy streak across the sky). It looks that way because we are in it, looking across it, but if you could stand above the Milky Way and look down it, you would see a spiral comprised of several arms. We know in 2013 that our solar system sits on

NEEMO 14 crew practice EVA manoeuvres at Conch Reef.

one arm, among an estimated 100-million other solar systems within the Milky Way galaxy, and while we cannot see or even estimate the boundaries of the Universe, we know that the Milky Way galaxy is just one galaxy among an estimated million-million other galaxies within the Cosmos.

To sum up, we now know that we are not the centre of the Universe, that our footprint is the equivalent of one grain of sand in all of the Earth’s beaches combined, and that the Earth’s human population, which lives on only 30% of the surface, has doubled within the past 40 years. We do not know enough about our oceans but we DO know that the health of those waters, and the health of the planet, are in jeopardy.

We also know that on our planet we have only one facility that greatly enhances our ability to study the ocean (and prepare for human space missions) – and that is the Aquarius. Furthermore, the Aquarius comes with a corporate history that would allow us to build more (and to improve) facilities like her.

Florida International University in Miami, the new host institution for the Aquarius, has enacted a new business model that allows the formation of new partnerships with industry and academia which allow the organization to meet the day-rate costs.

A number of these small partnerships help to offset the costs of specific projects, and the University is looking for major sponsors that recognize the incredible global value of such a remarkable science asset and to further stabilize funding. “We are in pretty good shape compared to where we were a year ago”, says FIU’s Aquarius Director, Thomas Potts, indicating a bright future for this G important resource. I

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ARE GLOBAL WARMING and energy security issues fact or fiction, natural or anthropogenic, controllable or uncontrollable, costly or without economic impact, a basis for energy independence or a cause for dependency?

From the first recorded incident of “human-induced pollution” and the warming trends of the 20th century to the current stalemate created by political realities, nationalistic competitiveness and “Climategate,” there has not been a direction that makes sense. These events have set the stage for more confusion with the vast stream of contradictory information provided by believers, unbelievers, fence-sitters, prestigious ecologists, esteemed educators, learned scientists, writers, economists, business leaders and politicians.

These diverging beliefs present a considerable challenge to all sovereign nations. To the extent that these opposing viewpoints exist, the growing chasm inhibits constructive action, should such action be required. Can a common pathway be found for developed and emerging countries to move forward in a collective and constructive manner?

Regardless of whether mankind is responsible for climate change or not, or whether global warming exists or not, what is certain is the mutual desire of all nations for energy independence and security. Profound interest emanates from many continents, including the 28 International Energy Agency (IEA) member countries from North America, Europe and the Pacific, including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The IEA is an autonomous bureau within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD including all IEA countries, Iceland and Mexico. The OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world.

These nations cannot afford to be held hostage by any sovereign government for a commodity such as oil that is so crucial to the overall performance of their society. For this reason, the obvious benefits to any one nation of having an energy economy primarily fueled by domestic resources and not dependent on imported oil cannot be overstated. The building blocks necessary to ensure energy security include: – an abundant resource base; – commercially available technologies; – clean (or cleaner) energy; – stimulation of local economies to create jobs; and – affordability.

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This discussion will not delve into each. But it is important to understand that adoption of renewable or sustainable energy solutions must utilize some or all of these criteria to have both shortand long-term impact on the economy. The basic tenets presented in this discussion apply, to varying degrees, to any and all OECD nations.

Another common concern is the health-related aspects of using coal, oil, petroleum, diesel and methane (CH4) as fuels.

Recent announcements by several environmental agencies identify greenhouse gases as a danger to public health. With the everincreasing cost and uncertainty of health care, improvement in the overall health of our society is as much a concern as the source and nature of our energy needs. During combustion, these fossil fuels (coal, petroleum or natural gas) emit carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxides (NOx) and other particulate matter. It is well known that CO2 and NOx absorb infrared radiation reflected from the planetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface and trap that radiation in the form of heat in the atmosphere. For this reason CO2 and NOx have been classified as greenhouse gases (GHG). Supporters and opponents of GHG-induced global warming theories remain steadfast. Nevertheless, all agree that fossil fuels emit material into the environment - which is at least a source of pollution and adverse medical conditions and diseases.

This brings us to a common ground - we must find a way to reduce our reliance on oil, and in particular, foreign oil from OPEC and other hostile nations. This becomes as much a national security as an economic issue.

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To put the issue into proper perspective, a few statistics may provide some insight on CO2 emissions by country and human activity. The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) for the United Nations ranks China (6.1), U.S. (5.7), Russia (1.56), India (1.51), and Japan (1.3) as the top carbon dioxide-producing nations (total CO2 emissions in billion metric tons per year). From another perspective, on a per capita basis, U.S. (18.67), Canada (16.08), Saudi Arabia (13.30), Russia (11.03), and Japan (10.14) are the primary producers of CO2 emission (metric tons per person per year). China and India, which are listed as top CO2 emitters on a per country basis are well below the other countries in terms of per capita CO2 emissions, i.e., 4.57 and 1.29 metric tons per person per year, respectively. The data clearly show the U.S. to be the No. 1 contributor of GHG emissions as a fossil fuel dependent nation and population.

In contrast to these figures, a recent Fox News poll surveying what Americans consider to be the most important single issue for immediate government action placed global warming at the bottom of the list at 2%. The top two selections were fixing the economy (27%) and creating jobs (26%). The remaining issues included reforming health care (10%), handling Iraq and Afghanistan (8%), reducing the deficit (7%) and cutting taxes (6%).

Concurrently, there is a growing sentiment around the world that global warming and climate change from fossil fuels is not real. A study by the Pew Research Center found that the percentage of people who believe there is solid evidence that the

Earth is warming has plummeted from 77% to 57% since April 2008. And those who believe that global warming is a very serious problem fell during the same period from 44% to 35% (The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press ).

The question then becomes how can IEA countries become unified in taking immediate and proactive action to move away from an oil economy. While many of the IEA nations have taken concrete steps to reduce their reliance on carbon-based fuels, from 2008 to 2014, the U.S.is projected to show a 3% increase in the consumption of liquid fossil fuels during this time frame (EIA Forecasts and Analysis ).

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Since economics is a key driving force behind many changes, it is important to understand the price we pay for fossil fuels in a holistic view. Does the current at-the-pump price of about $2.50 USD per gallon in the U.S. represent its true cost? If not, then what is the true cost of petroleum and what are the ramifications of a potentially deflated price? The price of petroleum in the U.S. is used in this discussion due to the fact that the cost of fossil fuels is relatively low in comparison to other OECD countries and any change in demand would have an effect on GHG emissions throughout the entire world.

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On the surface this question seems readily answerable, rather simplistic and naive. However, an in-depth look reveals many hidden costs not included in the U.S. daily commodity price quotes.

Excluded are the entire life cycle and financial costs of the commodity. Outside of carbon credits and the implications of the proposed cap-and-trade program, other underlying costs may include the short- and long-term impacts on the environment, the contribution to the trade deficit, and the tax exemptions awarded to Big Oil. The financial ramifications of the national debt and the rapid decline in foreign investment in U.S. Treasury bills are most likely excluded from the commodity’s price. Let’s not forget the added health-care costs due to environmental pollution.

Furthermore, there are the costs to protect our overseas oil supply lines by the Department of Defense and the tendency of “the power of oil” to adversely alter the economies and politics of the petroleum-producing countries, some of them petro-oligarchs with regimes that may conflict with OECD’s interests. If all of these unaccounted costs were included, the true cost of petroleum would be substantially higher than the current at-the-pump price, which is highly dependent on global macroeconomics and speculation. At this true price, the cost to further develop and commercialize many renewable energy technologies becomes economically feasible.

This question, “What is the real price we should pay for petroleum?” was proposed to about forty international “LinkedIn” energy-related groups, including globally based oil and gas industry professionals. For those who even ventured a number, the at-thepump price ranged from $10 to $110 USD/gallon to “virtually incalculable.” Nevertheless, when the price of petroleum spiked throughout the OECD community in 2008 a pain point was reached. Globally, behaviors, lifestyles and purchasing practices were changed to conserve energy. The prospect of future budget deficits caused the public and private sectors of the economy to scramble for alternate forms of energy. Many renewable fuels and the associated cost of conversion made economic sense by municipal, commercial, industrial and residential users of petroleum. In addition to the life-cycle cost benefits of alternate energy, cost justification was aided with interim tax incentives. Regardless of what the price should be, when the at-the-pump price of petroleum sank to $2.00 USD/gallon in the U.S., complacency set in and plans for alternate energy where frozen or cancelled.

Outside of the unlikely event that petroleum would lose its subsidies, we seem to take a wait-and-see attitude for the price to

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Nuclear

20.0

$0.08

Coal

20.0

$0.16

Gas (Natural Gas)

45.0

$0.25

Renewables

15.0

$1.50

Price of renewables is unsubsidized.

Renewables include [gas (methane), wind and solar].

rise again. Be it a natural catastrophe to cripple supply; an outbreak of violence in an oil-producing nation; or another price increase by Big Oil due to high demand, short supplies or to make excessive profits; eventually the fuse will be ignited to blast into action those in OECD who were asleep-at-the-switch.

What can be done to simultaneously reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and clean up the environment? Theories range from the esoteric to the pragmatic.

A 2009 paper published by Timothy J. Garrett at the University of Utah, takes a thermodynamic approach to economics and energy modeling. Though highly controversial, the paper provides projections for future climate warming by using a wide variety of highly sophisticated CO2 emissions scenarios as input, each based on four emissions drivers: population, standard of living, energy productivity of efficiency and energy carbonization.

An interview of Dr. Garrett by ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2009) concluded: 1. “...rising carbon dioxide emissions – the major cause of global warming – cannot be stabilized unless the world’s economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day.”

2. “Energy conservation or efficiency doesn’t really save energy, but instead spurs economic growth and accelerated energy consumption.”

3. “Throughout history, a simple physical “constant” – an unchanging mathematical value – links global energy use to the world’s accumulated economic productivity, adjusted for inflation. So it isn’t necessary to consider population growth and standard of living in predicting society’s future energy consumption and resulting carbon dioxide emissions.”

4. “Stabilization of carbon dioxide emissions at current rates will require approximately 300 gigawatts of new non-carbondioxide-emitting power production capacity annually....”

5. “If society invests sufficient resources into alternative and new, non-carbon energy supplies, then perhaps it can continue growing without increasing global warming, ....”

TOTAL OECD FINAL CONSUMPTION BY FUEL (%) Fuel

1973

2007

Oil

56.2

49.7

Gas

18.4

19.6

Coal / Peat

10.2

3.6

Electricity

11.5

21.1

Combustible Renewables

3.0

4.1

Other

0.7

1.9

Renewables comprises solid biomass, liquid biomass, biogas, industrial waste and municipal waste.

resulting cost show nuclear-produced electricity is the lowest and renewables the highest. Also, 65% of the utility’s total electrical output is derived from fossil fuels and only 15% from renewable sources of energy. (Fuels and fuel costs differ country-by-country and region-by-region.)

Outside of satisfying government mandates requiring the use of renewable fuels, utilities are therefore reluctant to further increase renewable energy due to its high cost and erratic supply stream. For this reason, gas is placed in two categories, i.e., primary and renewables. The gas denoted at 20% is reliably furnished on a continuous basis from suppliers of underground natural gas. The gas denoted as “renewable” is derived from landfills and water/sewage treatment facilities. Natural gas from these sources is discontinuous and unreliable for use in gas-fired power plants.

Electricity includes hydro and nuclear energy Other includes geothermal, solar, wind, heat, etc.

Every so often, a fundamental solution is proposed that just makes common sense. Such is the case by Ross McKitrick, an economist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. John Tierney reported, “Trusting Nature as the Climate Referee,” New York Times, Dec. 14, 2009 : “Dr. McKitrick proposes to end the political and global stalemate on carbon emissions by calling each side’s bluff. He suggests imposing financial penalties on carbon emissions that would be set according to the temperature in the earth’s lower atmosphere.

If the skeptics are right and the earth isn’t warming, then the penalties for burning carbon would stay small or maybe even disappear. But if the climate modelers and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are correct about the atmosphere heating up, then the penalties would quickly and automatically rise.

Either way we get a sensible outcome. The only people who lose will be those whose positions were disingenuous, such as opponents of greenhouse policy who claim to be skeptical while privately believing greenhouse warming is a crisis, or proponents of greenhouse gas emission cuts who neither understand nor believe the IPCC projections, but invoke them as a convenient argument on behalf of policies they want on other grounds even if global warming turns out to be untrue.”

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GO NEW AND BE SMART Renewable sources of energy derived from solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass are making headway in the public and private sectors of most OECD nations. Adoption is limited by what is called “reliability,” i.e., having a steady supply of energy when and where needed. Furthermore, to ensure a reliable supply of energy during times of peak demand, it is necessary to incorporate a means to store energy during off-peak hours. This enhancement drives up the cost of renewable energy.

To illustrate this issue, data from an electric utility that operates several power plants fueled by different energy sources, is given below. By fuel, the breakdown of total energy output and the

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conditioning, ventilation, water heating, refrigeration, powering equipment and other sources of wasted energy. By investing in improvements, OECD countries can realize a 200% return on investment by 2020 – which is considered sound in any industry.

IEA’s 2009 Key World Energy Statistics shows the total OECD consumption of fossil fuels declining by 16% from 1973 to 2007 and the use of renewable sources of energy moderately increasing from 3.7% in 1973 to 6.0% in 2007.

While renewable energy is projected to show continued growth, it is unlikely to have significant near-term impact on diminishing the role of fossil fuels.

Underneath all of these constraints and impediments lies an energy savings approach, which is pragmatic, immediately adoptable and impactful. Call it better utilization of resources, best methods, smart living, waste reduction or environmental stewardship; sustainable energy practices may be the starting point to measurably reduce our use of carbon-based fuels. Aside from renewable energy, energy sustainability is that part of the equation that is justifiable and immediately accountable through bottom line return on investment. Energy savings is no longer only a smart way of doing things but a necessity for companies wanting to improve their balance sheet, compete worldwide and reduce overhead expenses. Households similarly benefit from lower utility costs through energy efficient techniques. Dedicated and properly designed energy-savings methods can reduce energy costs and provide both short- and long-term financial benefits. Sustainability also brings education and forges a platform for lifestyle changes and continual improvements.

Advanced sustainable energy technologies such as smart metering, connectivity of appliances and electronic devices with the Smart Grid, electrical sensors and controllers, standby power reducers, and LED lighting are being brought to market, and many energy-efficient measures are available today. These rely more on common sense approaches to the home and work environment and less on technological breakthroughs. Adoption of straightforward energy savings methods will facilitate the unification of people, planet and profit. Learning that improvements bring savings will serve as a jumping board for continual improvements benefiting the individual, the economy and the environment. A report by McKinsey’s Global Energy and Materials Division says industrial and commercial sectors can save 40% and 25%, respectively, in end-use energy by investing in energy-efficiency technologies designed to improve leaky buildings, lighting, air

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Forget about global warming, melting ice, rising seas and smogblanketed cities. Focus instead on our position in the global market and the financial implications of using fossil fuel and foreign oil.

In 2008, according to Key World Energy Statistics for the IEA, 25% of the major OECD oil importing nations spent about $1.3 million per minute, $1.8 trillion per day and over $650 trillion a year on foreign oil. This alone should be a sufficient warning that business-as-usual no longer applies.

Viewing the use of petroleum as a major security and economic concern will bridge environmentalists and economists, allowing OECD nations to work to make significant gains toward energy savings and a cleaner environment, regardless of whatever impact fossil fuels may have had in causing global warming and climate change. Therefore, governments committed to democracy and the market economy should work in a mutually collective manner, forgetting politics, and banding together to ensure continuance of our financial, technical and manufacturing prowess.

In closing: it’s about us, humanity and our future. To ensure for our national security and economic strength and to provide for a cleaner and healthier environment, we need to resolve to become energy efficient and self-sufficient. By necessity, this will lead to significant energy savings and the adoption of clean and domestically produced energy sources. Only through these actions can we, as nations, ensure that our children and future generations will have any measure of opportunity in a rapidly-shifting global landscape. It requires leadership, enlightenment, courage and common G sense to move forward. I The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author Dr. Barry Stevens, an accomplished business developer and entrepreneur in technology-driven enterprises. He is the Founder and President of TBD America Inc., a global technology business development consulting group serving the public and private sectors in energy and fuels industries, specializing in shale gas, CNG, waste-to-energy, wastewater, and renewable energy, with a focus on technology development, program management, feasibility studies, technology transfer and training.

GOING GREEN

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INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS MAKE IT HAPPEN

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The Atlanta Airport is taking cleanliness and staff time into consideration by installing this high-tech trash can.

Airports are striving to become green through a variety of means.

Vancouver Airport’s “green walls”.

%#"%'& % !"' # & that we linger at. Noisy, dirty and crowded, they are stressful to be in, and infamous for their overpriced parking and fast food concessions. By using miles of land for runways and car parks, airports destroy local wildlife habitat and with the noxious emissions from aircraft and runoff from sewage are bad neighbours. They suck up huge amounts of power from the electrical grid to light their runways, heat or cool their terminal buildings and move, feed and entertain passengers. Many (like Ottawa) have no mass transit connections with the cities they serveother than fossil fuel powered bus, taxis and private vehicles.

Airports are the last places one would expect any form of environmental stewardship and energy efficiency. But held in Chicago from November 4-7, 2012, the 5th annual “Airports Going Green” Conference demonstrated that airport and airline professionals have collaborated with contractors and environmentalists to plan, design, construct and maintain strenuous programs toward long term environmental sustainability. In Europe, North America and Asia, airports are attempting to reduce their carbon footprint with the use of nonpolluting renewable technologies. More information is available at www.airportsgoinggreen.org.

Since July 2008 for example, passengers at Boston Logan International Airport have curiously watched miniature wind turbines on at the edge of the rooftop of the airport’s headquarters.

All are at a unique angle to capture the winds that gust through Boston Harbor. The 20 turbines generate about 100,000 kilowatthours annually, equal to 3% of the building’s energy needs.

Less visible is Logan Airport’s “warm mix” asphalt. The airport spent $6.3 million repaving Runway 4R/22L with so-called “warm mix” asphalt which is heated to between 250 and 275 degrees, some 75 to 50 degrees less than traditional “hot mix” asphalt. This resulted in the reduction of nearly 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide, the savings of about 200,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and produced an energy savings of about 26.4 billion BTUs. Approximately 18% of the new asphalt was made from recycled content.

Boston Logan Airport is one of many airports worldwide that generate on-site electricity using either wind turbines or by roofmounted or building integrated photovoltaic panels or solar-electric systems. Solar powered signage and solar thermal water heating are in use at a number of airports. In Nordic countries, airports use solar energy to heat either a concrete wall or an air gap between an interior wall and a dark-colored exterior surface, as means to preheat intake air. On very cold days, the heating system can condition preheated air rather than putting the additional energy in heating cold outside air, thereby realizing an energy savings. In some cases, the wall may also have a photovoltaic component that generates electricity.

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Green technologies offer myriad ways for large mass transit building owners to save on their energy costs. Covered by climbing plants, Vancouver Airport’s “green walls” reduce wall surface temperatures, resulting in significant air conditioning savings.

Lighting is another source of electrical savings available through green technology. LED lighting throughout terminal buildings of some airports use up to 90% less energy than incandescent light sources and have a longer lifetime, greater durability and reliability.

Looking at reducing other resource requirements, buildings and runways are increasingly made of readily recycled materials like glass, marble, stone, etc. that can be obtained locally and don’t require the excessive processing of virgin materials.

In a process called “rainwater harvesting”, rainwater collected from the many roofs at an airport provide a large source of clean, non-potable water. Connected to rainwater harvesting is permeable pavement. The amount of pavement at an airport makes permeable pavement an attractive application for the management of storm water. While runways, taxiways and apron areas cannot include permeable pavement, there is a significant amount of nonaviation related pavement areas. Using permeable pavement, permeable asphalt or concrete, contributes to the sustainability of a project because these materials can contain high recycled content materials that are locally available, and may reduce heat island effects for non-roof areas, in addition to their storm water management aspects.

And it is not only the infrastructure that is going green. To encourage airport employees not to use their fossil-fueled cars to commute (also reducing parking needs), the two Chicago airports provide secure bicycle racks within 200 yards of a building entrance and also offer shower and changing facilities. Other airports offer incentives to employees to use low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles by installing electrical receptacles for charging of the electric vehicles. Preferred parking closer to the terminal for carpools or vanpools is another incentive.

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At 170,000 square feet, the new FedEx Cargo Facility green roof at the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is the largest free-standing building vegetated roof in the central United States. This project required utilization and coordination of an uplift-resistant and rapidly executed green roof design due to the active runway status of the O’Hare facility.

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Composting is performed at the landscape shop located at the former Northwest Airlines hangar. The process combines nitrogen from the green materials (flowers, grass clippings) and carbon from the brown materials (dried leaves and straw). These materials are turned regularly and eventually break down into decomposed organic matter known as compost. All of the materials are derived from routine work at the airport (e.g. grass cutting, raking leaves in the fall, recycled flowers). The materials are added to the compost pile throughout the year. The compost is used as a soil amendment in the various seasonal color beds and containers throughout the Airport property. "&'"! " ! !' %! ' "!

(BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS)

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Boston Logan International Airport is undergoing tests on energy-efficient moving walkways. The walkways are equipped with EcoStart, which contains a motor efficiency controller that soft starts an electric motor, bringing it from rest to full speed. Once at full speed, the EcoStart monitors the motor and improves its efficiency when operating. Initial test efforts are estimated to conserve approximately 60,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. % !" ' " !' %! ' "!

(RENO, NEVADA)

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The new airport baggage check-in building at Reno-Tahoe International Airport was designed with an efficient HVAC system, in addition to utilization of energy-efficient entryways to reduce heat/cooling loss.

These systems help the airport monitor and reduce overall energy use.

welcome

change 4 times quieter than its competitors, the CSeries family of aircraft is surpassing the industry noise restriction standards. Its advanced structural materials, optimized design and new engines make it light and efficient, leading to a 20% fuel burn advantage and 20% less CO2 emissions* â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the greenest aircraft in its class. Which all makes the CSeries aircraft as responsible as it is profitable. www.cseries.com

Bombardier, CSeries, CS100 and The Evolution of Mobility are trademark(s) of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. * 4 times quieter, 20% fuel burn advantage and 20% less CO2 emissions vs. average in-production aircraft of 110-seat & 135-seat categories @ 500 NM. The CSeries aircraft program is currently in development phase and as such is subject to changes in family strategy, branding, capacity, performance, design and / or systems. All specifications and data are approximate, may change without notice and are subject to certain operating rules, assumptions and other conditions.

The actual aircraft and configuration may differ from the image shown. Š 2013 Bombardier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Over 8,000 tons of food waste produced each year at the Los Angeles International Airport is being used to produce methane gas which is then recycled and turned into electricity. This complex process involves food being ground up and mixed with water, creating slurry, which is then heated to produce methane gas and carbon dioxide. Eventually this is transferred offsite to an adjacent power generation plant and converted into electricity. ' %"* !' %! ' "!

(LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM)

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London’s Heathrow Airport collects the food waste from it on-site cafes and restaurants and sends them to a recycling factory where the scraps are converted into fertilizer.

In November 2008, airport staff began pouring used coffee grounds, collected from Airport tenants, on fire ant mounds to assist with controling the pesky insects. Within a few months, the grounds had successfully eradicated 15-20 very large fire ant mounds that had been encroaching on airfield lighting and had become a safety concern.

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The Port of Seattle implemented a program where a local composting company collects used coffee grounds from the more than 55 specialty coffee shops, restaurants and lounges at the Airport. The grounds are then mixed with lawn cuttings and yard waste. The Port purchases the compost from the composting company for use in airport landscaping, and as grass fertilizer. ! ' & ! "& !' %! ' "!

(SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA)

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The Winnipeg Airports Authority was a recipient of the 2011 Airports Going Green award from the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). The new Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport was designed and built in accordance with LEED® Green Building Rating System Standards.

High-performance energy efficiency software manages the San José airport’s HVAC system, coupled with an addition and an upgrade to the facility’s array of chillers, have yielded more than $35,000 in savings from utility costs in the first five months of operation. The measures have also saved 235,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and reduced the carbon footprint for the facility by almost 300,000 pounds of CO2 during the same period, according to Optimum Energy, the provider of the software solution, and the airport.

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Hangar 25 at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, is a $17 million structure designed to be a model of green construction, and was built for what a traditional aircraft hangar would cost, according to Andy Meyers, president of Shangri-La Construction. The hangar features solar panels, skylights, artificial grass, low-flush toilets, and massive aerating fans. Situated on a former industrial lot with a cement slab, the hangar property now houses a state-of-the-art green aviation hangar minimizing the 51,000-square-foot building’s carbon footprint. In addition to providing power to run the tools and machines to maintain the planes, the energy from the solar panels on the roof powers the building’s offices, copiers, computers and coffee machines. The building generates 110% of the energy it needs and then gives the surplus energy to the municipal grid. !) % !' %! ' "!

(DENVER, COLORADO)

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At Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), they are committed to complying with statutory air quality criteria, understanding and managing their own air emissions and minimizing these where practicable. Amongst other initiatives, HKIA provides the cleanest diesel and gasoline in the airfield area, they are replacing the entire vehicle fleet with electric or fuel efficient/ hybrid vehicles and they have enforced the vehicle idling engine shutdown mandate since June 1st, 2008. Hong Kong International Airport endeavor to maintain a healthy environment for their passengers and staff by monitoring indoor air quality. The air inside Terminal 1 (T1) and Terminal 2 (T2) has received a Good Class certificate from the Environmental Protection Department.

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Watch the next edition of GreenLine G for more green airport reports. I

greenlinemag.com Denver’s second large-scale solar power system became operational in December 2009. The 1.6 MW Sharp solar power array powers the airport’s fuel-storage and distribution facility. Just a year prior in 2008, the airport introduced the first solar power array that consisted of a two megawatt solar panel system designed to generate over three million kilowatt hours of clean electricity annually. These cost-effective energy systems were developed by a public-private partnership utilizing tax credits and incentives. This initiative demonstrated that airports can embrace renewable energy in a financially viable way and increase the overall sustainability of their operations.

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Innovation for the greener good

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Environmentally Friendly Design and Construction '

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DURING THE ELEVEN MILLENNIA between the end of the last Ice Age and the start of the Industrial Revolution in the early 18th century, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere remained at an average of 270 parts per million (ppm). Since the invention of the steam engine nearly 300 years ago, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has increased almost 45% to 390 ppm (due to the burning of fossil fuels in engines, furnaces, and other combustion devices). Atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to reach 450 ppm by 2030 unless emissions worldwide are reduced significantly. The last time the Earth’s atmosphere contained a CO2 concentration of 390 ppm for a sustained period was one million years ago – when the Antarctic ice and snow cap was non-existent and sea levels were 25 to 40 metres higher than they are today.

In North America, 12% of heat-trapping, anthropogenic (human-made) CO2 emissions come from buildings. Natural gas, heating oil, and other fossil fuels are burned to heat water and warm homes, offices, stores, and other structures. In Canada, buildings consume 30% of all energy and 50% of natural resources, emit 35% of greenhouse gases, create 10% of airborne particulates, and use 12% of non-industrial water. Canada’s commercial and residential buildings generate 149 million tons of CO2 emissions annually – equal in weight to 1,146 Toronto CN Towers.

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Many Canadians are unsure of what “green building” means. A 2008 report of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) – an international organization set up by the governments of Canada, the US, and Mexico – described green building as “the use of environmentally preferable practices and materials in the design, location, construction, operation and disposal of buildings. It applies to both [the] renovation and retrofitting of existing buildings and construction of new buildings, whether residential or commercial, public or private.” The main objectives of green building are saving energy, reducing emissions, generating less waste, improving water usage, and enhancing human health and productivity.

In April 2007, the Harper government committed to reducing Canada’s total emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG), relative to 2006 levels, by 20% by 2020 and 60 to 70% by 2050. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recommended that industrialized countries like Canada cut emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 to limit the increase in global temperatures to tolerable levels. For the rest of this century (at least), green building will play an increasingly important role in reducing GHG emissions worldwide.

The CEC report, Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges, notes: “By continually improving how we locate, design, build, operate, and retrofit buildings, North American leaders can significantly improve the well-being of North America. Advanced energy-saving technologies applied in buildings can result in enormous reductions in demand for fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases. Better design and building practices can also help address environmental challenges such as natural resource depletion, waste disposal, and air, water, and soil pollution. Green building can also help achieve gains in human health and prosperity.”

The advisory group on green building for the CEC report was chaired by Jonathan Westeinde, co-founder and CEO of Vancouverbased Windmill Development Group, “a group of companies dedicated to designing, developing, and building only the best green urban environments.” Westeinde said that the building industry in North America has “a much greater potential to have an impact on climate change” than transportation and the oil and gas sector. In

THE LEWIS AND CLARK BUILDING Jefferson City, Missouri, United States

March 2008, Westeinde told the news media: “The carbon savings, if we started building all buildings to a higher standard by 2030, would be equivalent to all carbon emissions of the transportation sector in the United States.” According to the US government’s “Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2008” report, transportation generated 2.13 billion tons of CO2 emissions for the year. The world’s largest office building, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, was constructed using 680,000 tons of sand and gravel. With only bare concrete structures (no paint, furnishings, etc.), 3,132 Pentagons would equal the weight of transportation carbon emissions in the USA annually.

Green building incorporates a variety of design, construction, operation, and maintenance practices that reduce environmental impacts and provide healthier living and work environments. A whole-building systems approach that brings together the key stakeholders and design professionals is employed. The parties work together collaboratively on a building project – from the early planning stages through construction to final acceptance by the owner – to ensure that the structure meets the owner’s requirements as well as green building standards.

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As mentioned, buildings in Canada use 30% of all energy in the country. Several technologies exist that reduce the amount of energy consumed by buildings, including solar water heaters, photovoltaic cell arrays, micro-turbines (for power generation and water heating) that use landfill gas, sensors that automatically turn off lights when rooms are not occupied, compact fluorescent lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, high-efficiency heat pumps, high-performance insulation made from recycled cotton or hemp, rain water collectors, and wastewater cleaning and recycling systems.

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According to the CEC report, less than four% of new buildings in Canada meet North America’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards in relation to reducing emissions and saving energy, environmental impacts, and human health effects of building materials. Thanks to the work of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), and similar organizations, significant progress has been

VANCOUVER ISLAND TECHNOLOGY PARK, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

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Dockside Green is the largest devel-opment of city land in Victoria’s history. The first phase of Dockside – known as “Synergy” – is the highest-scoring LEED® Platinum Certified project on record.

made in the past few years to advance green building in North America and educate architects and other professionals about LEED standards.

At the RAIC’s annual convention in May 2005, the international architecture community was challenged to take the lead in the fight against global climate change by designing buildings that generate fewer emissions, use less energy, and are healthier for occupants. The result was 16 of the world’s leading architectural institutions signing the Las Vegas Declaration, which recognized “the great responsibility placed on the architecture profession to do all it can to influence a major reduction in the level of carbon emissions that result from the creation and life-cycle of the build environment.”

The AIA’s 2030 Challenge, which has been well received by Canadian green building organizations, calls for energy usage reductions of 77% and 46% by 2030 for the residential and commercial building sectors, respectively. In terms of reduced CO2 emissions, meeting the 2030 Challenge’s objectives would mean 112 million fewer tons of carbon released each year in Canada.

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Approximately one quarter of the garbage in Canadian landfills is discarded building materials – pieces of drywall, old carpets, broken wood frames, electrical wiring, rubbish from construction sites, and more. Per capita, Canada lags 16 industrialized nations, including the US (again) in terms of building waste material in our landfill sites. Organizations such as the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) educate architectural firms, construction companies, and other parties about recycling building materials, disposal

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costs, and the environmental impacts of building materials at landfill sites. Reportedly, as much as 30% of demolition debris and excess construction materials can be recycled. For example, crushed old pavement and concrete can be used for fill material.

#%") ! * ' % (& There are various design features and technologies that improve building water usage. Rain falling on homes, warehouses, and other structures can be collected and piped through a filtration/cleaning system and used again. Last year, a 20,440 square metre manufacturing plant in Guelph, Ontario was modified to catch and use rainwater for production and irrigation. Collecting and cleaning grey water – dirty water from washing, laundry, and other non-toilet activities – also reduces municipal water usage.

Three years ago, a BMW car dealership in Richmond, B.C. opened its new, $17 million facility designed with green features such as grey water recirculation and irrigation (saving thousands of litres of fresh water annually), geothermal heating and cooling, and a green roof system involving 30 types of plants.

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According to the CEC report, “poor indoor air quality exacerbates asthma, allergies and the spread of flu, and is the cause of sick building syndrome and illnesses such as Legionnaire’s disease [a respiratory illness caused by bacteria that thrive in poorly ventilated and moist environments]. In the United States, the annual cost of building related sickness is estimated to be $60 billion. According to researchers, green building has the potential to generate an additional $200 billion annually in worker performance improve-

Battery Park City, New York, United States

ments by creating offices with better indoor environmental quality, including air and natural light.”

Research has shown that using green building features such as natural air ventilation, day lighting, moisture reduction, natural fibre carpets, and low-emission glues and paints improves occupants’ health and productivity. Design features of the award winning C. K. Choi Building on the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey campus in Vancouver include fresh air circulation, air venting from photocopier rooms, low emission building materials, and natural lighting. Other green features of the Asian Studies building include composting toilets and urinals (reduces water consumption by up to 1,000 litres daily), a grey water management system (treats wastewater on-site via a biofiltration network of soils and plants), rainwater harvesting (for irrigation), heavy timbers (salvaged from a nearby building that was demolished), and recycled bricks (from Vancouver roads).

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The mission of the Canada Green Building Council, which was founded in 2003 and has chapters in many parts of the country, is to “Lead and accelerate the transformation to high-performing, healthy green buildings, homes and communities throughout Canada.” The CaGBC’s main objectives are: – Change industry standards; – Develop best design practices and guidelines; – Advocate for green buildings; – Develop educational tools to support members in implementing sustainable design and construction practices

According to its website, the CaGBC “has embarked upon a multiyear development project to introduce the next generation of LEED in Canada through the LEED Canada Initiative. In parallel to this effort, the CaGBC also launched GREEN UP – Canada’s Building Performance Program (formerly called Green Building Performance Initiative), a focused effort to develop an affordable and easily accessible tool for energy and environmental management for new and existing buildings. Both initiatives will enable large scale reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, energy savings, and other environmental benefits for all building types and communities across Canada.”

LEED is “a third party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. It provides building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.”

Assisted by the US Green Building Council, the CaGBC launched its first LEED Canada Initiative, LEED Canada for Homes, in March 2009. Five months later, a second initiative, LEED Canada for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance 2009, was started.

For more information about green building, visit the Canada Green Building Council website at www.cagbc.org. Natural Resources Canada’s website has details about federal financial incentives related to improving building energy efficiency. Lastly, the Canada Revenue Agency provides information online or by G telephone about tax credits related to green building. I Blair Watson is a freelance writer who has written for Canadian, American, and British trade publications since 2005. He is a member of the Professional Writers Association of Canada and lives in Kelowna, BC.

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OIL PIPELINES remain a hot topic, and the Northern Gateway pipeline is one issue that has businesses and organizations arguing. On the one hand, you have business analysts and government officials hailing the pipeline as a key infrastructure for economic success (both domestically and internationally), as well as a tool to improve international relations with countries such as China. On the other, you have environmental protection groups demanding a stop to the project over fears of contamination of local water supplies, land, and ecosystems that may arise from mishaps, spills, as well as construction of the pipeline itself.

The Northern Gateway pipeline is a $5.5 Billion project that would run two pipes from the Alberta oil sands (north of Edmonton) to a seaport in Kitimat, British Columbia. Its purpose is to transport unrefined petroleum to oil tankers that will then ship it to refineries in Asia.

Although there are clear short-term economic gains, the final question becomes: Is this pipeline worth the environmental risk?

An oil spill along B.C.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pacific coast would harm marine life and potentially damage fisheries.

The $5.5 Billion Northern Gateway pipeline would run two pipes from the Alberta oil sands (near Edmonton) to a seaport in Kitimat, British Columbia.

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– An Enbridge pipe spilled 20,000 barrels (3.2 million liters) of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in 2010.

Technicians had twice reset a pump, and continued to send oil before noticing the leak, which continued for 17 hours.

– The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board discovered that Enbridge had known about damage to that particular section of the pipeline since 2005 and failed to make repairs.

Environmental costs – An oil spill on the mainland would be absolutely devastating to the diverse species and ecosystems of the area.

– An oil spill along B.C.’s Pacific coast would harm marine life as well as potentially damage fisheries.

– Drinking water and land contamination could cause illness to residents living near the proposed pipeline route.

– Pipeline construction will disrupt the environment.

Financial Cost – Taxpayers would be responsible for covering cleanup costs that exceed $1billion from oil spills.

– Coast Guard would need further funding to increase protection around the harbour’s shipping route.

Political response – Federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair openly denounces the pipeline, believing it is too high-risk for the environment

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Financial benefits – Provincial and federal tax revenues will be $2.6B over 30 years ($36 million of that will be local property tax revenue).

– Northern businesses will be used to transport materials during the 3 years of construction.

– 5,500 person-years of on site employment will be needed.

– 1,150 long-term jobs created to monitor/maintain pipeline.

Environmental safeguards – High-tech leak detection technology.

– Working with Transport Canada to assess marine terminals, shipping routes, as well as many other marine safety concerns (TERMPOL assessment).

– 199 conditions have been proposed by the federal government to safeguard against environmental damage and degradation include: inspections every two years, escorts for tankers leaving Kitimat with bitumen, and liability for nearly a billion dollars in oil spill clean-ups.

Economic benefits – Lasting local investment, tax revenue, and employment in Northern Alberta and British Columbia.

– Skills Training opportunities for local workers.

– $270 Billion in GDP growth over 30 years, which includes $41 B in labour Income and $81 B in Government revenue.

Political benefits – Improved trade relations with China and other Asiatic nations.

– Improved relations between Federal government and Aboriginal communities by including Aboriginal concerns into the assessments and ensuring economic benefits for Aboriginal workers and businesses.

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Are the concerns of Environmental groups realistic? Is Enbridge a trustworthy organization that can promote trade while upholding environmental and safety standards? Many elected officials seem to have the utmost confidence in this project and its potential benefits, asking us to embrace this proposition in the name of the G economy. What do you think? I Trevor Pax is a Social Sciences student at the Unversity of Ottawa, specializing in Political Science.

For related articles and additional information on this topic, visit the greenlinemag.com web site.

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