Credit: Bombardier

China Grows High-Speed Rail

Continuing its bid to become the worldwide leader in high-speed rail, China announced this week that it has inked a deal to buy 80 “very high speed” trains (we’re talking top speeds of 236 m.p.h.!) from Bombardier Sifang.

“China has a clear vision of the critical role high speed rail must play in a sustainable transportation system, and is making the strategic investments necessary to ensure that vision is realized,” said Jianwei Zhang, President and Chief Country Representative Bombardier China in a press release. “This country is selecting the most advanced technologies to build the most advanced rail network in the world.”

According to TreeHugger, the order includes 20 eight-car trainsets and 60 sixteen-car trainsets, totaling 1,120 cars. We are officially jealous of our all our friends and FH colleagues in China. If you recall, FH Innovation recently took a look at the United States’ efforts in high-speed rail.

Windows Goes Green

Microsoft is working hard on its rollout of Windows 7, the newest version of its operating system. While operating systems and computer software have always been touted as faster and more useful and secure, this time Microsoft is also touting its green cred. New options allow energy saving from screen brightness to powering down unused hardware ports. While one analyst said the changes are likely to be modest for individual computers, “every little bit helps,” especially when multiplied across the millions of computers in use around the world.

Alternative Energies: What’s Taking So Long?

As President Obama and other U.S. government, business and sustainability leaders focus on the importance of transitioning to alternative energy, the Washington, D.C. chapter of PRSA is asking: What’s taking so long? Next week the public relations association will host a discussion with alternative energy expert Truman Semans, Jr., the former Director for Markets and Business Strategy at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. The talk starts at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the American Institute of Architects Headquarters on New York Avenue. Drop us a comment if you’re attending, too – we’d love to say hello. And we’ll have a full report here for our readers elsewhere in the world.

It is important not to miss the new Ken Burns series on America’s national parks. Burns’ new epic documentary, The National Park’s: America’s Best Idea, was filmed over a period of more than six years and makes the point that our parks are more than a place for spectacular scenery. They are also a place where exceptional people come together to celebrate nature.

Master filmmaker Ken Burns has produced yet another visual and storytelling delight. According to Alex Strachan of Canwest News Service “…by the time it’s over, Burns hopes he will have encouraged more city dwellers and rural residents alike to visit their national parks — not just in the U.S. but elsewhere, too — and to revisit that part of us that resides in nature.”

The 12-hour, six episode series begins Sunday, September 27 on PBS and will air nightly until Friday, Oct. 2.

Pittsburgh’s Progress

This week, the United States will host the G-20 in Pittsburgh. In addition to highlighting efforts to retool its industrial economy for a future of high technology and healthcare, the Steel City also will take the opportunity to showcase its efforts embracing sustainability. The President views Pittsburgh as a model for his vision of a green economy creating millions of new skilled jobs in alternative energy and other sustainable industries. It’s too early to know what our world’s leaders will take away from their visit to America, but as a proud son of the Rust Belt, I am excited to learn more about the positive steps Pittsburgh has taken.

Fans Feed the Hungry

Alternative rock pioneers Pearl Jam have partnered with Target to sell a T-shirt promoting their new album Backspacer, with proceeds going to Feeding America, a hunger-relief charity. The shirts are made from organic cotton and were designed by Loomstate, a green design and clothier. Only 8,000 shirts were made and are being sold at select Target stores. So, buy fast!

Image courtesy Pearl Jam/Target

Green Awards Deadline

The deadline for the 2009 Green Awards was extended until this Friday (Sept.25). The London-based sustainability contest was created to recognize the companies, government bodies, charities or individual campaigners that are tackling sustainability in creative ways. Contest categories include best packaging, best green PR campaign and best green campaigner. Past winners include Cadburys, Nokia and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Get your entry in!

Earlier this month, I ventured home for one last summer hoorah with old friends. After leaving downtown St. Louis and traveling by train for three hours and then by car for one more, I was ready for an outdoor adventure away from motorized forms of transportation, tall buildings, concrete and the noises of construction. The destination? A state park just outside of Normal, Ill., complete with campgrounds, hiking trails, plenty of trees and a lake.

Horizontal-axis wind turbines, like the one pictured above, are the most common and are used most for utility-scale energy needs. They can tower as much as 442 feet and are often seen grouped together in wind farms in order to combine power output. SOURCE: www.commercialwindturbines.com/

But I couldn’t seem to get away from large, manufactured structures, though these were a breath of fresh air; as we started to unpack and pitch our tents, I couldn’t help but notice the seemingly massive wind turbines towering over the forest from across the lake. They looked gigantic, even though (I’m guessing) they weren’t very close. And because they’re a form of alternative electricity, I automatically thought, “Great!” And then I realized that I didn’t know much else about them. So, I did a little research and would like to share the facts….

FUNCTIONALITY

A wind turbine is a man-made structure that acts as an energy conversion system that changes the kinetic energy of wind energy – a type of solar energy – into mechanical or electrical energy for practical use.  The towering mammoths are made of steel, with blades made of fiberglass-reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy (www.awea.org). Wind turbines are often seen grouped together to form “wind farms,” which allows for the power they produce to be combined.

HISTORY

The process of using the wind to generate power is not a new concept, though it has gained significant traction as a newer alternative energy option. Wind energy has been converted into mechanical energy for centuries. Sources suggest their most primal use was for pumping water or grinding grain. (Think windmills). Their use is estimated to date back to at least the 12th century, used by both Europeans and Persians.

LOOKS

With two basic styles, modern wind turbines are both land and air behemoths, towering up to 442 feet. The vertical-axis style – or “egg beater” style – is less common than the horizontal – or “propeller” style. In fact, the horizontal turbines account for almost all of the turbines used for larger needs (www.awea.org).

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), as of 2000, horizontal-axis wind turbines have grown in both size and power rating. The year 2000 models had a rotor diameter of 71 meters – or approximately 233 feet. Compare that to the horizontal-axis models of 1981, which had a rotor diameter of 10 meters – or approximately 33 feet. However, AWEA states that as of 2005, there are wind turbines with rotor diameters of 90 meters – or nearly 295 feet, with towers of approximately 135 meters – or 442 feet.

But wind turbines aren’t all looks; both models contain similar parts that make up their system, allowing the turbine to function correctly and for energy conversion to take place. Both styles of wind turbines include a form of blades, a gearbox – though not always, a generator, a tower and electrical equipment such as cables and controls.

OUTPUT

The amount of electricity a wind turbine is capable of producing is dependent upon its size as well as the speed of the wind. Wind energy from turbines is often collected from wind farms, making it possible for multiple wind turbines to contribute. Currently manufactured turbines can generate up to five MW (megawatts). Just how much is that? Well, just one megawatt can create enough electricity to power 225 – 300 homes (www.awea.org). The year 2000 models that had a rotor diameter of 71 meters were capable of producing a power rating of 1,650 KW (kilowatts).

I know what you’re thinking; but the wind doesn’t blow all the time, right? What then? This is true. Because there isn’t always wind, it is estimated that “modern utility-scale wind turbines typically operate at 65 to 90 percent of the time….” And these turbines’ availability – or the reliability of the machine – is more than 98 percent, “higher than most other types of power plants,” according to AWEA.

INTERESTING FACTS (AS PROVIDED BY THE AMERICAN WIND ENERGY ASSOCIATION):

• Utility-scale wind turbines worldwide total over 30,000 megawatts of generating capacity, but this is only a fraction of wind’s actual potential.
• Forty-six of the 50 states have some wind resources that could be developed.
• Development of 10 percent of the wind potential in the 10 windiest U.S. states would provide more than enough energy to displace emissions from the nation’s coal-fired power plants and eliminate the nation’s major source of acid rain; reduce total U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide by almost a third and world emissions of CO2 by 4 percent.
• An operating modern wind farm at a distance of 750 feet to 1000 feet is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator.

One of my favorite movies is Wall-E, an animated film about two robots who help save humanity in a distant future where the Earth has been abandoned because of over pollution. In the movie, sterile spaceships scattered across the universe are humanity’s refuge from an uninhabitable planet. A deep environmentalist message is woven throughout the storyline – overconsumption of resources can choke out natural life on Earth.

For some critics, the story was far-fetched. There is no real way humans could render the planet uninhabitable, right? Science or government would step in and save the day, right?

Well, recent news and events have made me wonder if Wall-E’s premise is so fantastic after all.

America has become accustomed to the cycle of wildfires burning in the West and Southwest every year. Changing weather patterns and rising temperatures have reduced winter snow accumulation, extended the warm dry season, and reduced river and lake levels, turning much of the country into an tinderbox. A recent segment on 60 Minutes revealed the true cost of these new megafires – some burnt land may never recover, and up to 50% of the nation’s forest could convert into other types of ecosystems.

At the other end of the climate change spectrum are rising sea levels. Estimates put the actual level of sea level rise by the end of the century at anywhere from low of 90 mm to a high of 1.3 meters, all pegged to different climate change models. But the data cannot be ignored – sea levels have risen an average of 1.8 mm per year per year over the past century, and this trend will continue as glaciers melt and sea water thermally expands. Given that much of the global population lives near water, any rise in sea levels holds consequences for many of the world’s financial and population centers. While the effect of rising sea levels may be hard to envision, a recently-released Google Maps simulation uses NASA data to create a scalable simulation of how rising seas may affect every corner of the world.

So we are faced with the paradox of America getting hotter, drier, and soggier, all at the same time. I’m left wondering how it will affect our lives, how much it will cost our government to cope, and how our economy will carry on?

A recent study by the United States Global Change Research Program found that climate-related changes are already underway in the US and are projected to grow, but that an array of choices at the federal and state level may help mitigate threats. Other recent scientific studies have pegged the cost of adapting to climate change at anywhere from $170 – $500 billion per year. Doubting government action, some scientists have even begun to tout geoengineering as the last, best way to fight climate change.

But I’m not that pessimistic. The UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference is rapidly approaching in December, and many countries have pledged some kind of action. Indeed, Japan and Europe’s recent emission reduction pledges are increasing pressure on other major economies to take action. I’m still hopeful that the United States Senate will pass some form of a cap-and-trade system this year, and many major corporations are working to reduce their footprints.

What do you think? Is humanity destined to one day live in sterile spaceships, or will we realize that we can affect change, and prevent this dire scenario before we reach a tipping point?

The Garden Cottages at Ruth's House, part of Portland's Build It Green! Home Tour

Portland hosts the eighth annual BIG! Home Tour and Info Fair Saturday. This year’s tour includes 18 green remodels and new homes from throughout the Portland area. Homeowners and contractors will share personal insight into their sustainable projects, which range from solar panels to green roofs and rain water harvesting.

The Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference and Exhibition runs through Thursday in Syracuse, New York. This 9th annual international meeting, which is hosted this year by Syracuse University, brings together researchers, academics and business leaders to discuss creating sustainable environments. Don’t forget to follow the conference on Twitter!

I don’t know about you, but I plan on making it out to next month’s Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where universities will offer their vision of sustainable homes for the future. Last week, Treehugger teased the event with some pre-event gamesmanship between Penn State and Virginia Tech. Check out VT’s excellent teaser for their LUMENHAUS entry.

This is the time for hope and heroes – a perfect time for optimistic strategies and actions that can make a positive difference in the outcome of our collective future. On Labor Day, I spent time shopping in a crowded REI and in a packed art market on a city sidewalk. Just about everywhere I turned I heard people talking about signs of new life in my community and the importance of positive thinking. The people that I encountered were literally craving optimism like ice cream on a hot summer’s day – an honest, fitting analogy for the end of the season.

I must confess, I am craving optimism too. This compelling need got me to thinking: perhaps a deep and growing hunger for optimism is offering companies and organizations a unique opportunity to build share of heart along with consumer market-share. Perhaps there is no better time than now to reach people in a meaningful way with products, messages and promises that are heroic.

In his book, Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, Dacher Keltner talks about our pursuit of happiness. He says that “Our everyday conversations about happiness are filled with references to sensory pleasure – delicious Australian wines, comfortable hotel beds, body tone produced by our exercise regimens. [But] what is missing is the language and practice of emotions like compassion, gratitude, amusement and wonder.”

Keltner studies emotions and he talks about the power of awe. He believes that positive emotions play a great role in delivering on the goodness of things. As his book jacket suggests, “… perhaps survival of the fittest is not a matter of who is fittest, but rather who is kindest.”

That is an interesting idea in these Darwinian economic times.

So I say, “Marketers sit up and pay attention!” There is no better time than now for your hopeful messages, your heroic brands and your good corporate deeds.

Vancouver’s 6 Acre Living Roof – Growing Cities Series from Dave Budge on Vimeo.

There is something magical about green roofs. They are curious and beautiful, like art in the sky. The gorgeous video above features one large project in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I’m going to call it a living roof as opposed to green roof because it really is living in the sense that it is an ecological habitat,” says Bruce Hemstock, a landscape architect. The Vancouver roof aims to connect the city to its environment, creating scenes that are beautiful to look at but also important ecologically, serving as habitats for displaced wildlife.

The six-acre green roof sits atop the Vancouver Convention Center, a stunning building that truly takes its cues from the wondrousness of its setting. This community found common ground at the intersection between sustainability, creativity and commerce.

Atticus Finch in a scene from the 1962 movie adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird

That was then: You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. – Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee

This is now: Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table. – Comments at a town hall meeting, by Rep. Barney Frank

I wonder how Atticus, the selfless public defender in To Kill A Mockingbird, would fare in today’s polarized discourse and in this age of the sound bite. (Then again, he didn’t need much income; Scout, after all, was fine being shoeless.)

But just when you want to give up on the whole idea of finding a common ground, along comes sustainability. We don’t agree on sweeping topics, like global warming. But we will agree to recycle bottles and lower our thermostats. We won’t get on the same page about public welfare, but we will drop our dollars into the Salvation Army kettle. National healthcare, no. Taking walks, yes.

Sustainability is where the actions can have universal appeal, but the participants associate them with different goals. When a supermarket installs an aluminum can bin, very few of us will consciously walk past it to throw a soda can into the trash. We’ll use the bin. But why did the company put the bin there in the first place? To be socially responsible, or to keep the parking lot from looking trashy? Or to get some income from the recycling company? And why do we use the bin? To save the planet? Or to avoid waste and conserve resources? Your personal slant on the world will determine the answer.

And yet your viewpoint really doesn’t matter, because sustainability has you doing the same things as other people with whom you would never agree.

And from this viewpoint, promoting sustainability might just be the most unifying activity an organization can ever take.

The Amazon Kindle DX; Photo credit: Amazon

X

Even though I’m no longer a student myself, I can’t help but get a little bit excited this time of year, when back-to-school sales pop up everywhere and shiny new school supplies beckon – I miss those school supply lists! The start of school always heralds new beginnings and fresh starts – notebooks and pencils included.

A few weeks back, Breanne Reynolds wrote a great post about higher education’s role in advancing sustainability. So with the approaching fall season and back to school on my mind again, I started wondering what other sustainable, scholastic endeavors were being implemented.

Forbes reports that Amazon has selected seven schools to participate in a Kindle DX pilot program. The Kindle, Amazon’s popular electronic book reader, will be given to 40 to 60 students at each school. These students will use the device instead of textbooks in their courses. The participating schools are the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University, Princeton University, Reed College, Pace University and University of Washington.

The Kindle DX was unveiled earlier this year, and the target market has always been educational institutions – the larger screen, increased storage and wireless connectivity are designed to appeal to academic textbook publishers.

What’s particularly interesting is that during the course of the pilot project, two of the universities will be studying the impact of the device on students and faculty. Case Western will compare learning experiences of students with Kindles against students using textbooks. And Princeton University says the program’s core mission will be an exploration of environmental sustainability: “Sustainability is the driving force behind Princeton using the Kindle,” said Lauren Robinson-Brown, the assistant vice president for communications. Robert Carraway, an associate dean of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, expressed similar goals – saying that the Kindle could help the school achieve its goal of becoming “carbon neutral” by 2020.

Princeton has dabbled with electronic materials before – offering “E-readings” through their course management system. But while the school hoped that students would read the material on their computers, thus saving paper, what they found is that the students ended up printing multiple copies of the files and reading them on paper: “Last year, according to the university, 10.5 million sheets of paper were used in campus computing clusters. That’s equivalent to 100,000 reams of paper, or about 5,000 trees. By participating in the Kindle program, Princeton hopes to see whether an e-reader can change students’ printing habits.”

But other concerns, beyond mere reading preference, have been raised about whether or not students are ready for digital textbooks. Mashable’s Josh Catone writes that a number of hurdles still remain, including the need for greater cost savings (as compared with traditional textbook prices), compatibility issues (how soon will the hardware become obsolete – what about upgrades? Will e-materials become inaccessible?) and questions of ownership (the recent controversy involving Amazon remotely deleting books from Kindle readers still looms large).

How green, really, is a “plastic gadget filled with batteries, polymers and resins?” Perhaps more sustainable than the constant printing of textbooks – which are so frequently outdated, then updated – but what is the environmental impact of the production, shipment and eventual disposal of these electronic devices? Should we worry about the potential for greenwashing of the Kindle?

What do you think? Will the Kindle and other electronic reading devices make for a more sustainable academia? Or is this another short-sighted solution? Will the Kindle soon be the lone request on those familiar school supply lists?