COAL COUNTRY is a dramatic look at modern coal mining. We get to know working miners along with activists who are battling coal companies in Appalachia. We hear from miners and coal company officials, who are concerned about jobs and the economy and believe they are acting responsibly in bringing power to the American people. Both sides in this conflict claim that history is on their side. Families have lived in the region for generations, and most have ancestors who worked in the mines. Everyone shares a deep love for the land, but MTR (Mountain Top Removal mining which has leveled over 500 Appalachian mountains) is tearing them apart. "We tell the compelling story of modern coal mining through the daily activities of working miners as well as those who are battling the coal companies in Appalachia. Their personal stories are the touchstone for our exploration of the true cost of coal and the search for alternatives sources of energy. Are the people fighting MTR really protecting the earth, or do they stand in the way of affordable energy for all Americans?" "We hear so much about the need for oil; politicians debate over wind farms and solar power. But few of us even realize that coal remains
"You thought you got it real nice, and off goes the mountaintop, and decades of mining follow."
an important energy source, and that the methods of mining and processing coal are significant causes of global warming. We need
to understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal”. Are they achievable? And at what cost?"
www.coalcountrythemovie.com “Mountaintop removal is the most devastating peacetime activity in human history — in fact, if the destruction to our nation’s natural and cultural heritage were being perpetrated by a foreign power, it would be considered an act of war — because in a very real sense, it is — it is a war against the Earth. Every week, mountaintop removal coal-mining detonates more explosive force on the land and the
communities of Appalachia than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, to extract the coal that is warming the planet and poisoning the water, air and land. We should all be dedicated to ending this unsustainable, and ultimately suicidal practice. And to promoting renewable energy alternatives and the green jobs they will create." - Woody Harrelson
“No Impact Man” Calls for a Cultural Shift On October 8, Colin Beaven captured the heart of today’s consumption challenge perfectly while sharing with Stephen Colbert the results of his year living as “No Impact Man”: Colbert asked: “Do you look down on the rest of us who are consuming all the time?” Beaven: “No, our whole culture is consuming. That’s the problem….”
pre-diabetes went away, their daughter was less exposed to television (and thus fewer ads and stimulation to consume), and so on.
What I wanted to tell you was that during our experiment we were able to replace consumption with social connections, because that’s the tradeoff that happens in our culture.” The documentary film No Impact Man provides several examples of how Colin and his family replaced consumption with social connections: getting rid of the TV led to more time socializing with the family; eating locally led to working as a family in a community garden and cooking more meals together; and not using fossil fuel-based transportation led to biking together. In the process, the family’s health improved, Colin’s wife’s
Of course, to mainstream this, you’d have to strip away the more extreme actions that the family took but that few people will follow, such as using no electricity or toilet paper. But for many categories of consumption, a large share of the problem could be solved with less extreme measures, such as using much less electricity (and making it renewable), using recycled toilet paper, and even eating less, which for those eating the standard American diet filled with too many calories, refined sugars, and fats, would reduce their ecological impact while making them healthier. JOIN & TAKE THE NO IMPACT EXPERIMENT YOURSELF!
www.
rg o . t c e j tpro c a p noim
Producing Cocoa without negative impact on the environment? Congo is doing it! Find out how in a special slide-show @
www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/07/congo-sustainable-cacao-industryphp.php
Climate Change is real. Here's the top 100 places to go visit before they get lost.
www.planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/100-places/
A young world The number of young people in the world has never been higher. In all, there are about one billion 12 to 18-year-olds. Almost nine out of 10 live in the developing world. The proportion of young people per country is highest in Africa and lowest in Europe. In Uganda 57% of people are under 18. In Italy, Greece and Spain the figure is 17%. Developing countries which invest in their young could see economic growth surge, says the World Bank. Those which fail could see tensions. A quarter of young people live on less than US$1 a day.
Teenagers today are the largest generation on Earth. They will very soon determine the future. Their views are different from the views of their parents. The world their inherit is different. And their future is different. Which future will they create? Based on which values? IF given access to the best in education, knowledge, values, opportunities for social change - a new world is at THEIR hands.
www.wwviews.org
ED T S E G G U S :-) ! G N I W E I V
Videos explaining Climate Change
for different regions of the world and of Europe
GETTING RID OF TOXINS IN OUR FOOD CHAIN Pesticide Endosulfan Ruled “Highly Toxic� www.worldwatch.org/node/6299?emc=el&m=315853&l=6&v=da6ef830ab by Ben Block on October 23, 2009 An international scientific review committee ruled last week that endosulfan, a widely used pesticide, is highly toxic to humans and wildlife. The ruling concludes debate on whether the chemical should be classified as a persistent organic pollutant (POP), a decision that could result in a global ban. "Thankfully the science - rather than political and economic interests - has been at the fore, and now there is a clear body of experts who support endosulfan's eradication as a POP," said Juliette Williams, founding director of the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation.
Endosulfan has been linked to mental retardation and death among farm workers, especially in circumstances when the chemical was applied excessively or improperly. Reproductive health effects and kidney failure have also been observed among those exposed at lower concentrations.
Photo courtesy Orbital Joe/Flickr A former endosulfan production facility in Baltimore, Maryland.
In the Arctic, bird, marine mammal, and fish populations are accumulating endosulfan in their fat cells. The chemical is able to travel long distances via wind and water currents, a characteristic trait of POPs. Endosulfan is now one step away from inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the international treaty that enforces bans on poisonous pesticides and other toxic chemicals. Once the review committee evaluates the socio-economic impact of phasing out endosulfan, international negotiators will meet in May 2011 to decide appropriate control measures.
At least 10,000 metric tons of endosulfan are still produced each year and applied on fruits, vegetables, and grains in some 30 countries. The substance is currently being phased out in about 60 countries, including those in the European Union, Thailand, and Niger, according to Karl Tupper, coordinator of Pesticide Action Network (PAN)-North America's environmental monitoring program. "A dwindling number of countries are actively using endosulfan," Tupper said. "The U.S. and Canada are in the midst of a re-evaluation of the chemical.... We're pretty confident the U.S. is going to ban it by the end of this year."
Why has it taken so long to know and decide about this?
There are many ways to go non-toxic, and produce large or larger amounts of good food. Why take the risk?
UK bans Malaysian palm oil advert The Ecologist, 3rd November, 2009
(Demand for palm oil is growing as a source of biofuel) A magazine advert that endorsed the sustainability of palm oil has been banned by the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for making unsubstantiated and untruthful claims. The advert, produced by the Malaysia Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and entitled 'Palm Oil: The Green Answer' addresses the criticisms levelled at the palm oil industry, including deforestation and unfair treatment of farmers and indigenous peoples. It states: ‘These allegations – protectionist agendas hidden under a thin veneer of environmental concern – are based neither on scientific evidence, nor, for that matter, on fact.’ In banning the ad, the ASA said: 'We considered that, in conjunction with claims such as "puts minimal strain on the environment", readers would infer from the claim that palm oil was sustainable and would not have an adverse effect on the environment.' This is the second MPOC advertisement that has been banned by the ASA. The first was a television advert banned in its current form for similar reasons. According to the Adjudication record of the advert on the ASA website, it 'misleadingly [implied] that palm oil plantations were as biodiverse and [sustainable] as the native rainforests they replaced.' www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/348755/uk_bans_malaysian_palm_oil_advert.html
www.atlanticrising.org
Ask Umbra Astute advice to green your life Grist Magazine's Umbra has dozens of tips to make your life and lifestyle healthier, more fun, more responsible on the climate and environment... Anything from toilets, to school lunch, coffee, travel, canned foods, idling cars, bike helmets, ...
www.grist.org/column/ask-umbra
Swedes Put First Carbon Labels On Food When Swedes examine the packaging of their food products, they're going to see more than nutritional information--now there's going to be a 'carbon label' right next to it. The labels read 'Climate declared: X kg CO2 per kg of product," so people will know just how much greenhouse gas their food is contributing to climate change. According to the New York Times, it's part of an experiment being pioneered by the Swedish government's Nutrition Department: "New labels listing the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the production of foods, from whole wheat pasta to fast food burgers, are appearing on some grocery items and restaurant menus around the country. If successful, the practice could be adopted nationwide. It's part of the Swede's shifting attitude that climate and health should be given equal weight, as well as environmental and nutritional issues." There are recent precedents for such an idea-the Global Warming Diet used such a label as a satirical conceit to try to get people to pay attention to the carbon footprint of the food and products they buy. Looks like the Swedes may have taken them seriously. This idea is indeed gaining traction here in the US, as well--consider the Wal-Mart Sustainability Index, which will include carbon footprint as a primary criterion in the products it rates. And these sustainability ratings will be seen by anyone who strolls through the retail giant's stores. And this is being done privately, as opposed to the Swedes' governmental initiative. Either way, the phenomenon is undeniable--climate change is already beginning to change the very way we shop and eat.
How the Government could easily fix our food chain www.theecologist.org Kirtana Chandrasekaran, 13th October, 2009 Our growing demand for cheap feed to produce cheap meat is exacting a terrible human and environmental price. But the solutions are clear, and are within our reach Many people are surprised to find out that the meat and dairy industry produces more climate-changing emissions than all the planes, cars and lorries on the planet – and that a hidden chain of destruction links animals in British factory farms to rainforest destruction in South America. Animals in British and European
factory farms are pumped full of highprotein feed to grow quickly and produce high yields. The protein in animal feed is provided by soy, most of which is shipped in from industrial GM plantations created by cutting down rainforest in South America. This releases vast quantities of climate-changing gases, destroys trees, plants and animals and drives out communities that have lived on the land for centuries. The huge soy plantations needed just to feed factory farms in Europe every year cover almost 10 million hectares in South America – and demand is growing fast. In the UK, factory farming is almost wholly dependent on the availability of this cheap soy feed – but at the expense of UK citizens and farmers.
Earlier this year new research from Friends of the Earth revealed that families in England are paying more than £700 million each year to fund the factory farming system through agricultural subsidies, despite the fact it is wiping out rainforests and making climate change worse. Friends of the Earth’s Food Chain Campaign is calling for action to tackle this crisis by fixing the food chain and supporting planetfriendly farming. It is calling for a new law to quantify the global impact of the UK’s meat and dairy consumption and develop a strategy to tackle it. If you wish to know how to create a better food chain, visit
www.fixthefoodchain.com The Hidden Cost of Feeding Farmed Fish - Greed of Feed A major investigation by the Ecologist reveals a host of unreported environmental and social costs linked to the fishmeal production industry in Peru. Largely hidden from view on the other side of the world, consumers will be shocked at the human and environmental price they are paying to put cheap salmon on the table this Christmas. To read the investigation visit
www.theecologist.org/tv_and_radio/tv/268169/greed_of_feed.html
Green-biz pioneer Ray Anderson says sustainability literally pays for itself Ray Anderson set out to make his business sustainable long before green was the flavor of the month. Reading Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce in 1994 literally changed his life, inspiring him to overhaul the world's largest carpet company, Interface, and aim for zero waste and zero environmental impact. Now, with his new book Confessions of a Radical Industrialist, he wants to spur other business leaders to “climb Mount Sustainability.” Anderson recently dropped by the Grist office and we asked him how his own ascent is going so far.
Full interview at www.grist.org/article/2009-10-19-ray-anderson-sustainability-interview-book/
Environmental Trading Card Game 'My Earth' Reaches Sales of 2.8 Million Cards My Earth, a trading card game released by My Earth Projects LLC, had sold a total of 2.8 million cards as of June 2009. The My Earth Projects is a joint venture between Dai Nippon Printing Co., a Japanese full-service printing company, and two students from Keio University.
Copyright My Earth Projects LLC
"Environmental issues are all interconnected," Yuta Okazaki, the creator of My Earth from Keio University Graduate School at Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC), explains. "A trading card game allows us to explore these connections. I created My Earth, thinking that the causes and connections of environmental issues illustrated with trading cards could make the learning process enjoyable, so that elementary and junior high school students, among others, can learn
about them more easily." Principal Kazuhiko Komasa, who took up My Earth as a material for its environmental education at Yokohama City Tsutsujigaoka Elementary School, elaborates. "Because environmental education t e n d s t o s ta r t b y c o v e r i n g background knowledge, children can feel as though they are being forced to memorize facts. This game allows children to see environmental issues through voluntary participation." My Earth has the scalability and variability that are signature characteristics of trading card games, allowing users to create unique, original combinations. The company plans to introduce a second set of cards before the end of 2009 in order to gradually improve and expand the card line-up.
www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029442.html
Zarah Rosewater . The purest rose fragrances and products. Organic, non-pesticide rose harvest in Iran
Join the Fight for Climate Justice! listen to the song - view the video - join the movement
Countdown to Kopenhagen - the DECEMBER 2009 UN conference for a new global agreement on reducing CO2 emissions
The Youth Employment Network
YEN works to engage, educate and motivate actors to provide improved employment opportunities for youth. It is a platform and service provider focusing on policy advice, innovative pilot projects, knowledge sharing, and brokering partnerships. YEN makes use of its core agency partners’ know how and resources and ensures youth participation in delivering its services.
The Professional World is Changing. Making a living is changing every few years. Job chances are changing. Employment models are changing. While social standars rise in some places, they fall in others. Will low income agrarian countries step up to a higher quality of living, social and work standards? Will rich, industrial countries be able to keep their social, economic and cultural standards of living? We see them crumbling all over Europe. We are in the post-industrial world, and the old models will no longer work. Where are the new models?
The Environmental Aspects of Sustainability require a radical shift from old methods of extraction, production, consumption, waste, recycling, business, client and customer relations.
" DO UNTO OTHERS LIKE YOU WISH TO BE DONE UNTO YOU. " is the new rising star in the world of business. Let's find out how to do it! And Dream our own Dream of Making a Living - having a good time with our colleagues, producing valuable gifts for the world we are proud of.
LET'S FORGET EVERYTHING WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT THE WORLD OF BUSINESS. Companies are already doing it! Now it's on all of us to catch up with the Future!
Teekampagne : Paying high wages, delivering the finest quality Black Tea, growing to the biggest sales company worldwide... by selling directly to consumers and seeing their producers and clients as COMMUNITY. www.teekampagne.de
American Apparel - Producing Fair T-Shirts IN the U.S.A. American Apparel has decided not to outsource its labor, paying factory workers an average of over $12 dollars an hour. Garment workers for similar American companies in China earn approximately 40 cents per hour. It claims to have the 'highest earning apparel workers in the world'. American Apparel bases its manufacturing in an 800,000-square-foot (74,000 m2) factory in downtown Los Angeles, California. The company also owns and operates its own fabric dye house, garment dye house, and knitting facility, all based in Los Angeles. The company uses "team manufacturing" which pools the strongest workers towards priority orders.
Each team functions autonomously and determines its own daily production schedule, giving them control over their own hourly wages. After its implementation, garment production tripled and required a less than 20% staff increase. The factory claims to have the capacity to produce 1 million shirts per week and manufacture 275,000 pieces a day.
According to The New York Times it is the largest single garment factory in the United States and employs over 4,000 people across two buildings. Do we (still / yet) have a similar company in Europe? www.americanapparel.net
Hydrogen Economy. Shifting to a clean energy future. The hydrogen economy is a proposal for the distribution of energy using hydrogen. Hydrogen (H2) releases energy when it is combined with oxygen; however in practice, production of hydrogen from water requires more energy than is released when the hydrogen is used as fuel. Free hydrogen does not occur naturally, and thus it must be generated by electrolysis of water or another method. A reduction in carbon dioxide emission connected with hydrogen fuel is directly achieved only if the energy used to make hydrogen is obtained from non carbon-based sources. Nowadays (2009) the majority of hydrogen produced on earth comes from fossil fuels. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_economy
World's Largest 'Hydrogen Town Project' Starts in Japan A ceremony to celebrate the first installation of a residential hydrogen fuel cell system was held on October 11, 2008, as part of the "Fukuoka Hydrogen Town" model project, which has been in progress in Minakazedai and Misakigaoka Danchis (residential housing communities) in Maebaru City, Fukuoka Prefecture, in southern Japan. These two bordering communities were chosen as demonstration sites for the project in order to promote the use of hydrogen energy, particularly for fuel cells. Under the project, the systems are to be installed at 150 houses in the communities. This will be the world's largest demonstration project of this kind. From the end of fiscal 2008, the feasibility test will continue for about four years in order to examine the energysaving effects of the system.
www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028694.html
Universal Phone Charger Approved, Could Save 13.6 Million Tons of CO2 Earlier this year we caught word that the EU might force universal cell phone chargers onto manufacturers. "Force" is a little rough...more like "require them to be environmentally responsible and simply logical and quit manufacturing planned obsolescence and exclusivity into piles of plastic and wires." Last week, a universal charger was approved by the International Telecommunication Union that, while not being "forced" upon manufacturers, is available for them to adopt as they roll out new phones. The BBC reports that the new charger has a micro USB connector, and is energy efficient. "We are planning to launch the universal charger internationally during the first half of 2010," Aldo Liguori, spokesperson for Sony Ericsson told the BBC. "We will roll it out with new products as they launch." The ITC states, "Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model. In addition to dramatically cutting the number of chargers produced, shipped and subsequently discarded as new models become available, the new standard will mean users worldwide will be able to charge their mobiles anywhere from any available charger, while also reducing the energy consumed while charging." According to the GSMA, 51,000 tons of redundant chargers are manufactured each year, and this universal charger could displace many of those...if they are adopted by cell phone manufacturers. With companies such as LG, AT&T, DoCoMo, Samsung, Nokia and many more partnering with GSMA on a universal charging solution, we're optimistic that this will be a solution implemented over the next couple years. Not only will we see a reduction in e-waste and GHG emissions, but the GSMA also predits it will cut standby power consumption by mobile phones by 50%.
Innovation of the Week: Policy Formulation and Action Planning for Urban Farming Farms are also innovative. Backyard gardens or roof top gardens, exposed directly to the sky, maximize water supply where there is often poor access to irrigation. Plastic buckets, tires, and other “trash” can be used to contain soil for smaller gardens. Integrated fish farming has even been used in some areas just outside of cities to both treat human waste and provide fish for human consumption. While encouraging urban agriculture could help to improve nutrition, sanitation, and resource management in cities, there is often little institutional or official support for farmers in large cities. Resource Centres on Urban Agriculture & Food Security (RUAF Foundation) introduced a program called Cities Farming for the Future in Accra, Ghana, in 2005, to promote “collaboration between urban authorities with citizens, farmers, civil organizations, private sector companies and other governmental entities in the preparation, implementation and evaluation of policies and related action plans.” The result has been a general increased awareness of the role urban agriculture can play both in providing food and in creating a more sanitary and sustainable urban environment; increased and improved education regarding urban farming; increased government incentivizing of urban agriculture; a farmers’ association and recognition from the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union; revised agriculture bye-laws; and policy maker outreach.
blogs.worldwatch.org/innovation-of-the-week-policy-formulation-and-action -planning-for-urban-farming/
Re:Vision Dallas - - - - - Building a sustainable living block. Co-Op Canyon: Ecotopia Inspired by Anasazi Cliff Dwellings Standard’s design for the Dallas sustainable block was inspired by the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi Indians and their strong connection to nature. The structure resembles a terraced canyon with housing units tucked into the canyon wall. On the canyon floor, community gardens are ripe with organic fruits and vegetables that residents grow to use themselves or exchange within the others as part of a cooperative community. Each residential unit also has its own garden and yard space. The sustainable city block can house up to 1,000 people, and in addition to its strong community aspects it is a zero carbon and structure that wastes no water. On-site power from solar panels will meet the energy demands of the community, while waste and rain water will be collected for use in landscape irrigation. Overall Co Op Canyon is a well thought out community with an appealing design - Standard has clearly thought outside of the box with their entry. The Re:Vision Dallas challenged architects and designers to create a residential complex within one city block that could live up to a LEED-ND rating, carbon neutrality, zero waste water and no run-off, all while reducing construction waste by 75%. The city block has already been set aside and the winners of the competition will have a chance to sell their idea to the Dallas developers. The co-op is not only centered around the production of food, but also on community, with the aid of a community kitchen, open space, picnic areas, child care, fitness center and retail space. The community kitchen is the center of the co-op and functions as a wellness center, providing cooking classes, food tastings, and nutritional education. Retail space and small live/work units allow some of the residents to remain local for their work and shopping.
Israel says goodbye to oil, hello to mass-produced electric cars (Video) Israel will become the first country to mass-produce electric cars in an ambitious new scheme with Better Project Place, and carmakers Renault and Nissan. Watch the video to find out how Israel could be oil free within 20 years.
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1019516.html
Panasonic Develops Energy-Saving Simulation Technology for Factories Panasonic Corp., a leading Japanese manufacturer of electronic products, announced on June 29, 2009, that it had developed a unique simulation technology that enables each factory to identify suitable energysaving solutions to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from operations. The new optimization technology can be used to accurately calculate efficient operating conditions of energy-consuming equipment. The company plans to adopt this technology in its group factories to reduce CO2 emissions and improve productivity in the following three processes. High-speed drying process of a furnace: By predicting the drying conditions based on estimated internal temperatures, humidity and air currents of a furnace, the new technology can determine final drying characteristics and the optimal operating conditions for each furnace. Air-conditioning process in a clean room: The new technology makes it possible to predict the air currents, temperatures, humidity and pressures of the overall factory including air-conditioning equipment and the clean room, with higher degree of accuracy than conventional levels, almost identical to actual conditions, maximizing energy conservation. Supplying process of high pressure air: High pressure air is usually supplied through a complex channel of pipes linked to several compressors in a factory. The new optimal design simulator can find the optimal piping layout that minimizes pressure loss, improving energy conservation.
Green 'Curtains' of Plants to Climb School Walls across Japan Copyright Ichinomiya City, Konobu Nakajima, Elementary School Ecobank Aichi, a Japanese non-profit organization (NPO) based in the city of Ichinomiya in Aichi Prefecture, has published a booklet entitled "Green Curtains: A Teaching Manual" for elementary and junior high schools. The NPO started distributing copies of the booklet in May 2008, free of charge to schools within the city, and will send it across the nation upon request. The organization intends to promote environmental education through the project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to ease the summer heat using "green curtains" formed by climbing plants covering the walls and windows of buildings. Members of the NPO, including education experts, compiled the 20-page manual on how to create a plant curtain and the contents comply with the curriculum guidelines for each grade at elementary and junior high schools. The manual lays out monthly procedures to be carried out from April to September and specific teaching points for actual classroom situations, including methods of utilizing school properties and providing water effectively during long summer holidays. A spokesperson from the group said, "We expect the manual will help children grow green curtains appropriate to the circumstances of each school. We also hope that the use of green curtains will eventually spread to local communities through our support for the eco-activities of school children." The organization intends to revise the manual annually over the next few years based on feedback from schools. It also plans to produce versions of the manual for households, kindergartens, and nursery schools.
www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028728.html
Grameen Shakti - Bangladesh has the highest rate of solar roofs in the world - now 250,000 - and the highest growth rate "Bringing sustainable light and power to thousands of Bangladeshi villages, promoting health, education and productivity". Grameen Shakti, under its Managing Director Dipal Barua, has installed more than 110,000 solar home systems in rural Bangladesh. It has shown that solar energy applications can be scaled up massively and rapidly to provide an affordable and climate-friendly energy option for the rural poor.
- Installing renewable energy technologies in rural villages - Involving the local community - A role model for rural electrification Grameen Shakti has built up a network of 390 village unit A woman engineer demon strating a Solar offices, in all of Bangladesh's 64 districts, reaching out to the rural areas where 70% of the country's 135m inhabitants Home System live. In these areas, there is no electricity grid and the population therefore often has no access to electricity. Through the village unit offices, Grameen Shakti promotes renewable energy technologies - especially solar home systems, which typically consist of a small 30-100 W photovoltaic panel connected to a battery for storage. By June 2007 Grameen Shakti had installed more than 110,000 solar home systems, with a capacity of about 5MW peak, covering 30,000 villages. The installation rate is growing exponentially, with plans to reach 1 million installations in 2015. Currently, more than 4000 solar home systems are being installed per month. In addition, 4 wind energy plants, 1000 biogas plants and 3 solar thermal projects have been installed, and 9 solar-powered computer training centres have been created. The biogas programme is linked to the emerging poultry and livestock industry in Bangladesh with a focus on market slurry as a replacement for chemical fertiliser.
Niagara Falls Bans Plastic Beverage Bottles to follow the best knowledge in sustainability matters. Reducing waste, promoting clean, community tap water, eliminating risks of chemical impact on the beverage, assuring communalk contorl of precious water resources and more. Similar initiatives are taking place in Canada and Australia. What is your country doing?
Forests and oceans more effective than carbon capture technology The Ecologist, 14th October, 2009
Two new reports say existing forest and ocean systems offer the most cost effective way to capture and store carbon - far cheaper than industrial Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology There has been a recent surge of interest in CCS, with climate change minister Ed Miliband saying this week that he was, 'determined to make sure it happens quickly'. This followed a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that said 100 CCS plants would need to be fitted to fossil-fuel driven power stations built by 2020 and 3,000 by 2050 to bring about needed carbon emission cuts. However, research led by University of Michigan has shown that there is more potential than we realise for forests to act as carbon 'sinks'.
The study looked at 80 forests in the developing world over 15 years and found that local ownership rather than government control of the land was the best guarantee against misuse. The research suggested this is because local communities were dependent on the forests for their livelihoods, and so valued its preservation more highly. 'The urgency of the global need to increase carbon storage in forests and local reliance on forests for continuing livelihood benefits through extraction of forest biomass make it especially important that scientists better understand the relationship between carbon storage in forests and their contributions to livelihoods,' said lead author Professor Arun Agrawal.
'We show that larger forest size and greater rule-making autonomy at the local level are associated with high carbon storage and livelihood benefits,' he said. Blue carbon In a separate development, a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has estimated that marine ecosystems are storing carbon equal to half the annual emissions of the global transport sector. It says that 55 per cent of the biological carbon captured in the world is removed from the atmosphere by marine organisms, producing so-called 'blue carbon'. Unlike carbon capture and storage on land, where carbon may be locked away only for decades or centuries, that stored in the oceans remains for millennia. 'We already know that marine ecosystems are multi-trillion dollar assets linked to sectors such as tourism, coastal defense, fisheries and water purification services: now it is emerging that they are natural allies against climate change,' said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director. 'Indeed this report estimates that halting losses and catalysing the recovery of marine ecosystems might contribute to offsetting up to seven percent of current fossil fuel emissions and at a fraction of the costs of technologies to capture and store carbon at power stations,' he added. UNEP Report : www.unep.org/pdf/BioseqRRA_scr.pdf