PerpetualPlanet

A cost-effective pilot program which uses aquatic plants and creatures to clean wastewater is now the operational sewage treatment plant for the Marine and Environmental Research and Training Station (MERTS) in Astoria, OR.

This facility, a modified greenhouse, is a valuable component of the MERTS campus and its vision, providing a regional demonstration site. Many representatives from small communities and businesses visited this unique installation to learn how to adapt the technology to their own needs.

Such systems can be found in a number of locations around the world. A company based in Taos, New Mexico, provided the final engineering for installation of the aptly-named “Living Machine®” at the MERTS site. Living Machines Inc., estimates that the Living Machine® costs 50% less than a conventional municipal wastewater system.

The MERTS campus Living Machine® system is split into two treatment trains to facilitate operational flexibility and the support of research initiatives. A series of ecological habitats housed in small fiberglass tanks will serve as the main treatment components in the system. The final polishing of the wastewater takes place in constructed wetlands followed by an ultraviolet disinfection unit. All of these processes take place within greenhouse enclosure. Click the picture below for a condensed look at the step-by-step process.

Next time you hear that the Kyoto accord would decimate the US economy, you can cite this factoid for the sake of discussion.

The United States last paid attention to oil during 1977–85, spurred by the 1979 “second oil shock,” which raised prices even more than the 1973 Arab embargo had done. In those eight years, the United States proved it could boost its oil efficiency faster than OPEC could cut its oil sales: the U.S. had more flexibility on the demand side than OPEC had on the supply side. While U.S. GDP rose by 27%, oil consumption fell by 17%, net oil imports fell by 50%, and net oil imports from the Persian Gulf fell by 87%.

If that sounds interesting, read more about the book it came from, by Amory Lovins, Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovations for Profits, Jobs, and Security.

The Economist says in its review:

Amory Lovins has some sharp and sensible ideas. In “Winning the Oil Endgame”, a new book funded partly by America’s Defence Department, this sparky guru sketches out the mix of market-based policies that he thinks will lead to a good life after oil.

First, he argues, America must double the efficiency of its use of oil, through such advances as lighter vehicles. Then, he argues for a big increase in the use of advanced “biofuels”, made from home-grown crops, that can replace petrol. Finally, he shows how the country can greatly increase efficiency in its use of natural gas, so freeing up a lot of gas to make hydrogen. That matters, for hydrogen fuel can be used to power cars that have clean “fuel cells” instead of dirty petrol engines. It would end the century-long reign of the internal-combustion engine fuelled by petrol, ushering in the hydrogen age.

That should catch the interest of conservative skeptics suspecting a treehugger plot. But then they go and save a bunch of trees! The electronic version of the book is free! Download here.

The Christian Science Monitor gave the Portland Chamber of Commerce a lesson in boosterism with this article. The metro area contains most of Oregon’s population and has earned a reputation for its progressive and ecologically sound mindset. The perception from outside has led to immigration by young adults seeking a place that matches their outlook.

As a resident in the countryside nearby, I can attest to the article’s accuracy. However, more can always be done. The water quality of Willamette river which bisects the city has seriously declined in recent years. The urban growth boundary is under constant pressure from developers seeking to make a quick buck on open spaces near the core. Yet, the outside attention forces us to continue to walk the talk and work on those issues.

The Light Up the World Foundation is making promising progress towards their goal of providing solid state lighting for two billion people. With the simple guiding principle that “light encourages human development and facilitates peace”, the foundation’s mission is to put affordable LED lights in the hands of families in the developing worlds for night time reading and study. Many of their users depend on kerosene for lighting. Replacing lanterns in areas without affordable electricity with the new devices will save fuel and avoid the toxins and fire danger.

Students at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business helped design several alternative products that cost $8-10 each and in some cases can be manufactured locally. A power source, such as a photovoltaic panel, adds $90 to the system cost. A villager using 1 liter of kerosene per week ($0.5 - $1) pays approximately $52 a year. In two years the same villager can pay off the cost of an LED lighting system that has a life span of 10-20 years. With some micro-lending solid state lighting appears to be a profitable opportunity. In fact, several of the designers from the Stanford project have formed Ignite Innovations, to pursue solid-state lighting commercially.

I remain skeptical about the possibility of replacing much crude oil with biodiesel. As a way to use existing waste material it seems eco-effective. Anyone trying to dispose of the turkey-fry oil after Thanksgiving can see this makes sense. I still need to comprehend if the energy inputs for creating biological oils get an acceptable return in solar rays stored for future burning. In any case this company is making money on the reuse angle.

Renewable Environmental Solutions LLC is selling an equivalent of crude oil No. 4, produced from agricultural waste products. They are making producing 100-200 barrels of oil per day from the by-products from nearby, you guessed it, turkey processing facility. They claim their process is the first commercially viable method of reforming organic waste into a high-value energy resource. The oil being produced by RES is being sold to a local oil blender and to direct customers who use it as a heat source for their operations. At peak capacity, expected to be achieved by the end of 2004, the first-out plant will produce 500 barrels of oil per day, as well as natural gas, liquid and solid fertilizer, and solid carbon.

The key technology is Thermal Conversion Process, or TCP, which copies the geological and geothermal processes of nature. By-products are natural gas, fertizers and water. The plant has zero waste. Process thermal efficiency is 80%.

The company’s web site is circumspect about the profitability of the plant, saying that projections are being met and future plants of larger scale are planned. Giant corporation ConAgra is a partner in the venture.

Using above-ground organic waste streams to produce a new energy source reduces global warming by reducing the use of fossil fuels. It also contributes to energy independence.

If you have the opportunity to hear William McDonough speak, take it. He visited our city last night to discuss intentional design for society and to share some of the projects his architectural firm has created. The man is somewhat a modern DaVinci, though he stresses he always works with a huge multi-discipline team. Whether designing carpet, the Ford Model U, Nike European Headquarters or fighting diabetes, his designs adhere to this goal:

“We hope for a delightful, safe and healthy world, with clean water and renewable power, economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.”

It’s not enough to recycle something after use if it or the process to create it is toxic or depends on unfair treatment of people. While at first it seems overly idealistic, the logic of the goal is inescapable. Skepticism lessens when you see in practice - actual products sold at a profit and buildings that save their owners money.

McDonough contends that we are on the cusp of another industrial revolution in which companies and countries that become eco-effective will thrive while others wither. If a $170 billion a year company like Ford is buying in, it can’t be too hippie-dippie.

A good book for finding out more is Cradle to Cradle (printed on plastic!) by McDonough and his chemist partner, Dr. Michael Braungart.

China’s president Hu Jintau outlined his country’s economic goals for the coming 25-50 years in an exemplary speech before the APEC CEO Summit this past November in Santiago, Chile.  He noted that his country has a sustained annual growth rate of 9.5%, a result of the strategies defined 25 years ago and executed with continuous discipline.  That a country so successful at implementation of a far-sighted plan is now laying out its next set of goals ought make Europeans and Americans take notice.  The U.S. rate of growth is 3.5%.  China, now fully capable of feeding, clothing and sheltering its own, seems on a course to become the leading economic power on the planet by appropriate means.

“In a word, mankind is faced with both grave challenges and rare opportunities for development. Given the circumstances, the only right option for us to take is cooperation geared to a win-win result, and the only goal for us to endeavor towards is sustainable development. Our own experience with development tells us that every country must go through an evolving process that today’s development is the continuation of that of yesterday and the groundwork of that of tomorrow. When a country lays down its plans, chooses its strategies, decides on its approaches and implements its measures towards its long-term goals of development, it should take into account both its present and future needs of development and address both the current concerns of the people and the interests for their long-term development.”

It’s heartening to hear that sustainability is at the core of the plan, even if it is a disappointing reminder that our leaders in the U.S. are still planning for faster consumption of finite resources and the war machine required to secure them.

If your business is growing food or garden stock or you farm for a hobby, you should read Living at Nature’s Pace, by Gene Logsdon. Those folks interested in Permaculture will love it too. Logsdon takes us inside the operations of successful small-scale farms and convincingly challenges the inevitability of their demise. The best passage in the book describes a barn raising in an Amish community that begins with bare ground in the morning and concludes with animals eating hay in their new home that evening — all without power tools. In his P&L for the typical Amish farm, it turns out buying a tractor is a poor alternative to a horse-drawn plow and using pesticides would beg financial doom. Someone selling produce to McDonald’s might not get it, but if you define your success to include your family’s development and sustainability as well as profitability, then some of the techniques described are optimizations rather than compromises.

I’ll confess up front. I love the game of golf. Yes, I know golf courses are looked at with scorn by champions of sustainability. Those dismissing this as golf propaganda will be forgiven.  But any environmentally-minded golfer who understands my dilemma will read on with great hope that indeed great courses have their place in sustainable recreation.

The Shark from Down Under, PGA professional Greg Norman, has created a masterpiece course near Shannon, Ireland.  Doonbeg Golf Club, I think, will rank as one of the must play courses of the world with Bandon Dunes, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews.

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Norman and his firm designed the course with minimal disturbance to the site.  Very little earth was moved in comparison to modern courses.  The native grass fairways maintain most of the bumps and rolls originally present, and wind around off-limits ancient grey dunes.  In addition, all construction and future maintenance had to comply with EU Habitats Directive that protects an endangered species of snail in the area.

The course began operations in 2002 and seems likely to host a future Ryder Cup competion.  The effect it will have on the local economy is guaranteed to be dramatic.  Future impact studies will show if the serious reservations by some about the ecological impact were warranted.

These days, when purchasing vehicles for your company fleet or for your family, fuel economy and environmental costs probably gaining weight in your decision process. The folks at GreenerCars.com are making it easy to select what is friendliest to the planet and economical.

Based on official emissions and fuel-economy tests, and other specifications reported by auto manufacturers, they calculate a Green Score for each car, minivan, pickup, and SUV on the market. The Green Score falls on a scale of zero to 100. A higher score implies a greener car, meaning a vehicle having a lower environmental impact. The top performers in 2004 appear here (you need to register to see far enough down the list to find an American or European model).

For a typical commuter, buying a car that gets 40 mpg instead of 25 will result in gas savings of 300 gallons in a 20k mile year or about $700. That’s almost like getting your car insurance for free!

GreenerCars.com charges about nine dollars for a month’s subscription, but that gets you the impartiality that comes with not relying on advertising. You will also learn as much as you want to know about emissions standards and maybe more.