oil

Bioplastics Making a Comeback

- Adam Clare

In order to make this post understandable to 210 million people, this needs to be said: plastic is made from oil.

Petroleum based plastics take forever to biodegrade whereas soy based plastics biodegrade a lot faster – thus making bioplastics friendly to our planet. The International Herald Tribune has a good article outlining the benefits of bioplastics and the current state of the industry.

Apparently Henry Ford loved soybeans! Maybe he knew that oil was a limited resource our something crazy like that 😉

Much of the early research on bioplastics was supported by Henry Ford, who believed strongly in the potential of the soybean. One famous 1941 photo shows Ford swinging an ax head into the rear of a car to demonstrate the strength of the soy-based biocomposite used to make the auto body. But soy quickly lost out to petrochemical plastics.

“In those days you had a lot more oil around,” Tao said. “You didn’t have to wait until the growing season.”

Building a Green Home in the Land of Oil

- Adam Clare

Calgary is absolutely flush with oil and oil-related wealth, it is also the last place in Canada that you’d think you would find a green huose being built.

Well, the Ramsay House Project is a project that a family of Calgarians are undertaking to live in a sustainable way. It’s great to see that in a province that hates the Kyoto Accord that people are still caring for and about the environment. You can follow the Ramsay House Project at their site and they also include information on how to build green into your house (if you have one) too!

Try Living Without Oil Before You Have To

- Fono

Peak oil is coming, probably soon than you think. We sort of all know this, but we never really talk about it. What are we going to do when it actually happens? Will we be caught totally unawares?

A new alternate reality game (read: online story-driven community-based game) aims to make people think about this unthinkable topic. World Without Oil is being funded by a number of media companies and being produced by a team of experienced game makers. Their goal? To simulate a global oil shock, applying “collective intelligence” to the problem in advance, and create a record that can help people anticipate the future. The means to accomplish all this is player-contributed blogs, videos, etc.

Tell us your story. Fuel prices are sky high and the ripple effects are pulling at the seams of our society. Everyone’s life has taken a hit – but how much of a hit are you taking? How much pain are you in? No one will know if you don’t add your voice to the collective shout. And who knows? If enough people speak up, maybe the force of collective truth will help prevent this crisis from ever happening again.

For more information, start at the official homepage.

Chavez Helps Poor Eat

- Adam Clare

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has launched programs that subsidize things that poor people need using oil sales from the oil generated in Venezuela. Chavez wants to use the oil wealth for positive social change that will help the country develop. People living in poor parts of Venezuela seem to agree with Chavez. The above link points out some of the weaknesses of Chavez’s plan and at the same time shows how his plans are helping those in need.

“Drawing on billions of dollars in oil revenues, Chavez has started a long list of social programs, called “missions,” which offer everything from job training to cash assistance for single mothers.”

New Diesel Laws in USA Will Clean Air

- Adam Clare 5 Comments

Diesel fuel in the USA will have to contain a lot less sulfur thanks to a new law that just went into effect. This cleaner diesel is being compared to the removal of lead from gasoline in terms of its potential impact on air quality.

“The agency estimates that by 2030, when most old engines will have been replaced, 20,000 premature deaths, tens of thousands of illnesses, and more than 7,000 hospital visits will be prevented every year.

Officials said cleaner diesel fuel will immediately cut soot emissions from any diesel vehicle by 10 percent. But when combined with new engines hitting the road in January, it will enable emission reductions of up to 95 percent. ”

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