World's First Biofueled Passenger Flight to Launch April 2011

Photo: Willamor Media, Flickr cc-by-sa

Several airlines have over the last two years tested different types of biofuels for experimental flights. The pilots conducting the test flight for Japan Airlines (JAL) reported that the biofuel was more fuel efficient than 100 percent traditional jet-A fuel (kerosene). This indicates that biofuels may not only be a carbon-neutral option, but a more fuel efficient one.

In spite of good biofuel test results from airlines like JAL, Air New Zealand, Continental Airlines and Virigin Airlines, no airline has so far tested biofuels on a passenger flight, until now. 

Germany's biggest airline, Lufthansa, says it will launch the world's first passenger flight using biofuel beginning in April 2011. An Airbus A321 aircraft on daily flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt will be powered with a biofuel blend made from 50 percent vegetable oil. The flights will continue for six months as part of a government-backed study on the long-term impact of biofuels on aircraft performance.

“Daily bio-fuel flights are a significant step forward in our pursuit of a sustainable future for aviation”, Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO.

I'm so much looking forward to seeing the results after the six months test flight period! 
Fingers crossed! :-)

The all electric Nissan Leaf is Car of the Year

For the first time an electric vehicle climbed to the top of the prestigious award "Car of the Year in Europe"!

The jury, consisting of 58 European automotive journalists, has voted Nissan Leaf as "2011 European Car of the Year". The Nissan Leaf was a pre-favorite and won by nine points ahead of Alfa Romeo Giulietta in second place, and thirteen points ahead of the Opel Meriva on third place.

Nissan Leaf takes four people, has a relatively large trunk, comfort and equipment on par with traditional competitors. This includes six airbags, ESP and so on. The Leaf stands out as the first good example of an electric city car. Nissan Leaf is a super green alternative in countries like Norway, where more or less all electricity comes from hydro power.

"It's the first electric car I drive that is almost exactly like driving any other car in the class. Both in terms of ride comfort, safety and the whole package, it is like any other car”, said Roger Korsvoll, member of the jury, Car of the Year.

This cannot be seen as anything but a celebration of the electric vehicle, and that the EV is finally a real alternative to fossil fuel cars. A happy day!! :-)

Isande kall november, men global värmerekord

Vintern har denna veckan tagit ett isande grepp om de nordiska länderna. Men löfter vi blicken, kommer sannolikt 2010 att slå tidigare globala värmerekord.

Det började med en vinter som från januari-april var kallare än normalt i ett band från nord-Europa, genom Ryssland till Kina, samt delar av USA. Samtidigt som det var isande kallt här hemma i slutet av januari 2010, sattes ett värmerekord i Australien. Och Grönland, i Alaska och Canada var genomsnittet för jan-apr 6-7 grader varmare än normalt.  

Sommaren 2010 slog värmeböljor in över södra Europa, Ryssland och delar av Östasien - något som kommer att bli allt vanligare i vårt framtida klimat, allt eftersom den globala medeltemperaturen fortsätter att stiga. 

Den bitande kylan håller i sig till mitten av nästa vecka i landets norra halva, men ser sen ut att släppa ... åtminstone tillfälligt. I söder ligger kalluften kvar fram till slutet av nästa vecka.

Klä gott på er i kylan!

Det enkla är ofta det bästa

Jag älskar grönna succé-berättelser! 

Den här kommer från Cambridge, Ontario, och är om Paul Rak, ägare till VeriForm, ett tillverkande företag med ca 60 anställda. 

I perioden 2006 till 2008 investerade företaget cirka 320.000 SEK i över 42 enskilda energibesparningsprojekt. Resultatet är häpnadsväckande; företages driftskostnader har minskat med mera än 615.000 SEK. Räknar man in höjda energipriser, förväntas en besparning på 9.8 miljoner kroner under de kommande 10 åren. Dessutom har utsläppen av växthusgaser minskat med 233 ton per år, vilket motsvarar utsläppen från cirka 95 bilar.  

Enkla och relativt billiga åtgärder har mao drastiskt reducerat energiförbrukningen, gjort produkterna mer effektiva och konkurrenskraftiga, och gett stora besparningar.

Exempel på åtgärder:

• Bytte till lågenergilampor
• Rörelsedetektorer i alla rum så tomma rum inte är tända utan anledning
• Snabbade upp några av de skärande processerna (så de använder mindre energi )
• Timers på garageportarna i leveransområdet (Att lämna portarna öppna en lång tid, särskilt under de kalla kanadensiska vintrarna, var ett enormt slöseri)
• Sammanställd många icke-programmerbara termostater i en programmerbar modell (Enklare att justera termostaten, och utesluter att människor glömmer att stänga ner för kvällen och helger).

Är du företagare? Arbetar du för ett företag som lätt skulle kunna spara stora pengar? Har ni undersökt dessa typer av förbättringar? Fråga chefen och kom med bra tips och förslag!

Och maila mig vilka energieffektiviseringsåtgärder ni har gjort.

Go green by black numbers! :-)

In Malawi, a New Design for Sustainable Schools

In Malawi, a New Design for Sustainable Schools – Clinton Hunter Development Initiative

In Malawi, where 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas and farming is the main income generator, communities struggle to meet basic needs and have few resources left over for schools or other public services. To address this issue and spur sustainable infrastructure development, the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) partnered with the John McAslan Family Trust to design a new generation of low-cost, low-energy, high-quality schools in Malawi.

In 2007, CHDI and the McAslan Trust began designing and testing a prototype and, a little more than a year later, the first schools were built and put to use. The schools improve upon existing designs by increasing light and ventilation, so classrooms are both brighter and cooler and make best use of their natural environment. The structures also utilize local raw materials in their construction, are relatively simple to build, and cost less than current designs — meaning they can be easily replicated and scaled up by local governments. In 2009, the Ministry of Education in Malawi adopted the improved design for use in constructing primary school classrooms across the country.

Moving forward, CHDI hopes the design can serve as a model for sustainable school buildings not only in Malawi, but throughout Africa and India as well. The schools project is part of a broader CHDI effort to implement solutions that can be sustained locally, without reliance on foreign aid. While the new school design will ultimately need to be tailored to meet the unique needs of each community, it has already proven that, when organizations and local governments share resources and innovations, sustainable solutions to even the biggest challenges are possible.

Tesla, Maria Wetterstrand och jag

Höll föredrag på Hållbarhet 2010 på Göteborgs Universitet förra veckan. Spoken-word artist Lennart Bång inledde dagen med en miljösatir, innan det var dax för Maria Wetterstrand och mig. 

Jag kan varmt rekommendera Lennart till olika företagsevenemang. Kolla gärna in Lennarts miljösatir – gjord specifikt för Hållbarhet 2010.

Maria påpekade i sitt anförande det positiva teknologiaspektet i mitt föredrag, och hänvisade bland annat till bilden på el-bilar, var Maria och jag ärhelt överens om att en Tesla Roadster står högt upp på önskelistan. 0–100 km/h på 3.9 sec ... ljudlöst. :-)

Compost – Applications

Finished compost can be sold or given away to agriculture. Compost utilized in agriculture industry reduces the dependency on petrochemical fertilizers and reduces water consumption by providing a healthier soil, and help to sequester CO2, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Vineyard managers apply compost after the harvest to return nutrients to soil. Hundreds of vineyards in Northern California now apply compost because organic growers have demonstrated the practice elevates soil quality and vine health.

From an article pointing out the advantages of composting; “Growers and researchers alike are finding compost and mulch to be indispensable aspects of vineyard floor management programs. In addition to recent evidence that use of compost may reduce root rot associated with phylloxera damage, growers are using compost and mulch for erosion control, soil moisture retention, nutrient content, and as a contribution to overall vineyard health.”

EXAMPLES OF AREAS OF APPLICATIONS FOR COMPOST:

• Continuous maintenance of the soil in connection with the planting of shrubs and trees, and new lawns
• Soil improvement to land with poor soil structure
• Combined soil and fertilizer (such as vegetables, flower beds og lawns)
• For pots and flower boxes (mixed with topsoil)
• Rooftop landscaping

From Table to Earth

From Table to Earth

• Compostable liquid and solid waste can easily be transformed into fertile soil that can be used as a fertilizer of lawns, potted plants and flower beds.
• The composting process reduces the waste volume by up to 90%, limiting the need for waste disposal, and hence reduces emissions of carbon dioxide and particulate matter from transport.
• By composting your food waste you take responsibility for the environment.

Click to view a larger (pdf) format of the From Table to Earth: www.green-solutions.no/press/uploads/Lifecycle_English.pdf

Why Compost?

In terms of the soil ecosystem, intensive cultivation practices used to produce mass quantities of food and fiber have (in many cases) left soils depleted of organic matter and vital nutrients, thus making them less naturally productive and more vulnerable to erosion. After humans consume the commodities, by-products of their decomposition often are not returned to the soil. Instead, they become part of the voluminous wastestreams which modern societies are having difficulty handling.

The composting of organic materials can help remedy this situation by capturing the energy and matter released in the decomposition process. Composting transforms organic "waste" products into a nutrient-rich soil amendment capable of improving depleted or disturbed soil environments. By the intentional act of composting, humans participate in what has been called nature’s "Law of Return" because a vital link is established for the return of organic matter to soil systems. By including composting in human-devised waste management systems, they become more reflective of natural patterns, and more sustainable in the long run. The organic matter resource is conserved, and problematic wastes are converted into a beneficial product that can be sold to help finance the composting operations.