Category: Environment

Biogas in Nepal

The World Bank is promoting a program in Nepal that endorses the use of biogas in villages. It’s all about improving the lives of the poor by providing cheaper fuel while helping the environment through lowered emissions.

“The project promotes the use of biogas as a commercially viable industry in Nepal by expanding its use for cooking and lighting in rural households. The biogas units will be sold at a non-commercial price to poor households and displace fuel sources traditionally used for cooking—fuel wood, kerosene and agricultural waste—with gas from the treatment of animal and human waste. Each household biogas unit can reduce almost five tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.”

Gross Bio-diesel

Some Kiwis have found a way to turn sewage into bio-diesel. I wonder how it smells.

“Marlborough-based Aquaflow Bionomic yesterday announced it had produced its first sample of bio-diesel fuel from algae in sewage ponds.

It is believed to be the world’s first commercial production of bio-diesel from “wild” algae outside the laboratory – and the company expects to be producing at the rate of at least one million litres of the fuel each year from Blenheim by April.”

Non-Plastic, Plastic Bags

Around the World nearly on trillion platic bags are produced each year. A vast majority of those bags end up in landfills. Now, more than ever, large companies are noticing how much of an impact they are having on the environment and working to change that. Mountain Equipment Co-Op is one great example. As a company that sells outdoor recreation products it seemed only natural to continue their eco-friendly trend as an organization. So MEC’s national sustainability manager has now helped the company make the switch to corn-based, compostable platic bags in their stores.

MEC alone goes through over half a million bags per year which is a lot especially when you consider that an average plastic bag can take up to 100 years to decompose. The new ones will begin to break down within 2 weeks in a landfill.

Want $10 Million?

Apparently, the White House has launched the H-prize and it is not for a hydrogen bomb, it’s for a hydrogen car!

“This is an opportunity for a triple play,” said bill sponsor Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., citing benefits to national security from reduced dependence on foreign oil, cleaner air from burning pollution-free hydrogen and new jobs. “If we can reinvent the car, imagine the jobs we can create.”

European Cities Pledge to Pass Less Gas

A group of European cities have partnered with indigenous organizations in the rain-forest to combat CO2 emissions. The cities have pledged to cut their 1990 emissions per capita in half. It looks like the cities will concentrate on mainly transportation.

“The Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples is Europe’s largest city network dedicated to climate protection, with more than 1,300 member municipalities located in 17 European countries.

Close to 50 million European citizens live in member cities, which include Barcelona, Berlin, Luxembourg, Munich, The Hague, Venice, Vienna and Zurich. “