Corn Stalks Can Affect Biofuel Price Per Gallon
As the world embraces biofuels with
growing vigor, it seems an appropriate moment for me to lay out their role in a
clean energy future. For the sake of simplicity, let’s group these fuels into a
pair of types, BioDiesel (designed for modern diesel engines) and ethanol
(formerly known as Gasohol and designed for modified gasoline engines).
Are these fuels practical? Can they
help wean the world off fossil fuels? Are they a boon to agriculture? Are there
significant pitfalls?
The answer to each of the questions
above is yes. The follow-up which my mind begs to have answered, then, is
“Should we embrace them?” The answer also is yes but our byword must be “sustainably.”
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More on topics: Biodiesel Expansion | Biofuel Price Per Gallon | Biofuels | Ethanol | Global Warming
BioDiesel Expansion Aided By Economies Of Scale
A key argument against BioDiesel as
a replacement for petroleum diesel is that the organic version costs too much,
sometimes twice the price. If one includes the billions of dollars which the
governments of the world spend defending oil production fields and subsidizing
retail prices, the price per gallon is about even. However, that argument is
beyond the scope of this column.
If we perform an apples-to-apples
comparison between the two fuels, we find that BioDiesel expansion is aided by
economies of scale. It works like this: the mechanism for extracting petroleum
from the earth, shipping it, refining it, shipping it again and delivering it
has existed for decades. Most of the kinks in the supply chain not only have
been resolved but function smoothly.
Such is not the case with BioDiesel.
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More on topics: Biodiesel Expansion | Biodiesel Prices
BioDiesel Prices Can Rival Petroleum
The supply chain for BioDiesel
which can bring us retail prices to rival those of petroleum diesel only needs to
differ from the conventional model in two ways:
1) The source is used kitchen grease and other such
cooking waste rather than a viscous goo from the ground; and
2) The entire process can be contained within a
single community.
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This Summer’s Global Warming Pictures were Nightmarish
Even though the 2007 hurricane
season will be with us for a few more weeks, the autumnal equinox has passed.
It’s fall! From the perspective of another record-breaking summer, it couldn’t
come a moment too soon.
After the unspeakable loss of life
of Hurricane Katrina, I have developed a habit of fearing the month of August.
Before 2005, my fear was derived mostly from what Florida’s oppressive heat
index would do to my cooling bill. I intend to install a solar electric array
next summer to keep the numbers steady and now, I get butterflies every August
when I access the National Hurricane Center website for predictions.
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More on topics: Alaska | Global Warming | Global Warming Pictures | Hurricane Dean” | Hurricane Felix | Hurricane Katrina | Katrina | Polar Melting
Recycled Footwear Illustrates Intensity of Oil Consumption
In the coming weeks, I will
introduce you to Mr. Justin Sutton, inventor of the Interstate Traveler, the
hydrogen superhighway of the new millennium. His technology is revolutionary and
that’s no hyperbole. As amazing as it is, though, Justin is firm in his
assertion that he is out to supplement the asphalt motorways of North America
with new avenues, not replace them.
I have seen Justin give his
hydrogen superhighway presentation many times and he emphasizes the fact that
shutting down petroleum companies is not among his goals. It is mine but not
his. Justin does aspire, though, to help America’s domestic oil industry return
to profitability by redirecting their material into the production of durable
plastic rather than fuel and soft plastic.
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More on topics: Hydrogen Superhighway | Interstate Traveler | Justin Sutton | Oil | Petroleum | Recycled Footwear
Aviation Pollution Statistics Can Astound
The climate, of course, is the main
reason I love living in Orlando, Florida. One of the benefits of the climate is
tourism. Central Florida is the tourism capital of the world, in fact. One main
gateway for tourists is Orlando International Airport, just a 20-minute drive
from my home. More than 40 million passengers travel through OIA every year. In
fact, it is the busiest airport in Florida.
The enactment of the Open Skies treaty has resulted in a marked expansion of
non-stop international flights to and from OIA. This is great news for our
community and economy. My wife is German by birth. Her immediate family still
resides in Germany to this day. Up until the treaty, there was only one airline
which offered non-stop flights home for my wife. Now that we have more, she is
developing butterflies to hop a plane and see the family.
I will not stand in Catrin’s way
but the other day I learned a fact about air travel which gave me pause. I was
so taken aback that I now proclaim that aviation pollution statistics can
astound.
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More on topics: Global Warming | Hydrogen | Pollution Statistics | Transatlantic Flights
What Causes Air Pollution? Here’s an Example
I could write an entire month of
posts about the topic of bottled water. In the United States, there should be
very little need for such a product. If you live in an area with municipal water
which is less than tasty, as I do, I understand the quandary. After all, if you
calculate it by the gallon, many of us pay more for bottled water than we do
gasoline!
Over the last two decades or so,
Americans have allowed the consumption of bottled water to pervade. The
environmental impact of doing so is huge and, sadly, offsets many of the strides
made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by individuals, companies and
governments. How big of an offset are we talking? What causes air pollution to
worsen even as cars and trucks run cleaner than ever?
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More on topics: Bottled Water | Fiji water | What Causes Air Pollution
Congratulations, Al Gore!
Call it fortunate happenstance.
Call it karma. Call it providence. Call it what you will. The year 2007 will go
down in history as a turning point in the world’s understanding of and response
to global warming. We saw record polar melting. We saw record hurricane
acceleration and the first time a pair of category 5 storms struck the same
general area in the same year.
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More on topics: Al Gore | Global Warming | Inconvenient Truth | Nobel Peace Prize | Nobel Prize | Polar Melting
Recycled Garbage Should Not Include Water Bottles from Other Continents
In my October 15th thread, I raved
about the ecological impact of drinking water from Fiji which is shipped to
North America. I do not wish to target a particular brand because it is part of
a much larger (and very global) problem. We, humanity, must break the bad habit
of using the world’s transportation system to move water over great distances as
part of consumer marketing.
Billions of people around the world
do not have regular or easy access to potable water. As an environmentalist, I
dislike the international bottled water market on account of its great
contribution to air and water pollution. As a person who cares about the
suffering of others, I dislike it even more because of the great inequity it
emphasizes.
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More on topics: Bottled Water | Clean Water | Dehydration | Plastic Bottles | Potable Water | Recycled Garbage | Water Rights
What Trees Make Good Firewood? Dead Ones
Earlier this month, Jim Griffin of
Global Green Alliance and I began in earnest our promotion of the Green Earth
Expo coming up in May of 2008 here in Orlando, Florida. The response so far has
been decidedly positive. My favorite part has been hearing Jim Griffin discuss
his inspiration for creating the Expo. His answer always begins with the issue
of reforestation in the US. I love that! It’s one of my top priorities.
For Jim, having worked as a
carpentry specialist for many years, the tremendous waste of trees used in
construction was very disturbing. He is right, of course. It’s a big problem
which the building and trade industries have begun to address. They need to do
much more and I look forward to working with them on the issue.
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More on topics: Bald Cyprus Trees | Green Earth Expo | Hydrogen Superhighway | Interstate Traveler | Justin Sutton | Reforestation | What Trees Make Good Firewood
Solar Energy Works
When I was growing up in New
England, I used to chuckle at neighbors and members of our church who wintered
in Florida. These snow birds struck me as not being fully in tune with their
surroundings. I was wrong! The opposite was true!
Simply put, living comfortably in
Florida involves climate control technology about half the year, much as it does
in New England. By alternating halves, people can reduce their energy
consumption significantly. Recently, I told you about Nonnie Chrystal and her
husband Mark, creators and builders of Florida's Showcase Green Envirohome.
Nonnie and Mark seek to continue living in Florida year-round, just as my wife
Catrin and I do.
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More on topics: Flexi-pave | Florida’s Showcase Green Envirohome | Nonnie Chrystal | Solar Energy | Solar Energy Works
Urban Heat Islands Can Be Repaved
The term megacity is defined as a
metropolitan center with at least 10,000,000 people. In the year 1950, the world
had a single megacity, New York. Today, we have 15 and are headed for a great
many more. This is significant to the question of global warming because the
average city dweller uses 3 units of energy for every 1 unit produced whereas
your average farmer who does not use an excess of mechanized equipment lives at
roughly a 1:1 average.
In the United States, the average
city dweller consumes 5 units of energy for every unit produced! In other words,
we Americans do not live efficiently and the world is following our lead – not a
good trend! It is for this reason that environmentalists point to reforming city
lifestyles as one of the best ways to begin reversing the climate crisis. I
concur fully but we must do more than teach the people to live greener and
retrofit buildings to use less energy. We must control urban heat islands, too.
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More on topics: Flexi-pave | Global Warming | High Caloric Heat Transfer | Megacity | Urban Heat Islands
Global Warming and Al Gore Now Inexorably Linked
Since global warming is the
greatest threat of our time (yes, it’s more dangerous than terrorism – I explain
how during my interview on the Keyboard Culture Podcast section of this site),
it is eminently appropriate that global warming and Al Gore are inexorably
linked.
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Excellent Website Answers The Question: How Does Global Warming Affect Animals?
If you want to learn more about
global warming and living green, an excellent website is
www.TreeHugger.com I cannot
recommend it highly enough. It recently was acquired by the Discovery Channel.
That was a telling purchase.
As good as TreeHugger.com is, if
you wonder “How does global warming affect animals?”, I recommend the Resources
section of
www.TargetGlobalWarming.org
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More on topics: Global Warming | How Does Global Warming Affect Animals | National Wildlife Action
