attached link to Greenist vehicle rankings - as well - a link to the biggest gas guzzlers.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6969339/
thanks to MSNBC.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Biogas
the following is from a note I wrote, submitted to the Peterborough Examiner.
I had the great fortune of attending one of those special and almost secret conferences hosted by a working group of academics at Trent University. The Saturday Sept. 16 conference – “Farming for the Future” was attended by academics, scientists, farmers and business people from all parts of Canada, Europe and South America. I had a tremendous jump in my knowledge and awareness about Biogas, from knowing next-to-nothing to seeing the vast untapped potential of using organic waste products and green biomass to create electricity. One fact take-away for me was if all the animal manure in Ontario was fed into anaerobic digesters to create biogas to power mini-turbines to generate electricity, we would create the equivalent power capacity of one-third of a nuclear plant. This doesn’t include the far greater resources of organic waste that currently goes directly to landfills, or gets processed in sewage treatment plants. Farmers can also produce and harvest green crops that are grown specifically to feed Biogas digesters or fermentation units. Our farmers especially the ones with livestock, have the potential to earn much needed second incomes as electrical power producers, using biogas to produce electricity in peak hour time periods. What lacks is education, training, start-up infrastructure, and financing for same. Rather than pumping billions into building new deadly toxic waste generating nuclear power plants, we have the potential to invest this money into our municipal and rural communities to create alternative energy sources. It is not surprising that Canada is lagging far behind what is being done in most of Europe in this area. It was, however, surprising to see conference attendees coming from Europe to learn more about emerging technologies some of which were presented by a small group of experts, residents of the Peterborough region, who are researchers at Trent University. Our local University has some amazing academics, researchers and research activities. The world knows about it more than our local residents.
I had the great fortune of attending one of those special and almost secret conferences hosted by a working group of academics at Trent University. The Saturday Sept. 16 conference – “Farming for the Future” was attended by academics, scientists, farmers and business people from all parts of Canada, Europe and South America. I had a tremendous jump in my knowledge and awareness about Biogas, from knowing next-to-nothing to seeing the vast untapped potential of using organic waste products and green biomass to create electricity. One fact take-away for me was if all the animal manure in Ontario was fed into anaerobic digesters to create biogas to power mini-turbines to generate electricity, we would create the equivalent power capacity of one-third of a nuclear plant. This doesn’t include the far greater resources of organic waste that currently goes directly to landfills, or gets processed in sewage treatment plants. Farmers can also produce and harvest green crops that are grown specifically to feed Biogas digesters or fermentation units. Our farmers especially the ones with livestock, have the potential to earn much needed second incomes as electrical power producers, using biogas to produce electricity in peak hour time periods. What lacks is education, training, start-up infrastructure, and financing for same. Rather than pumping billions into building new deadly toxic waste generating nuclear power plants, we have the potential to invest this money into our municipal and rural communities to create alternative energy sources. It is not surprising that Canada is lagging far behind what is being done in most of Europe in this area. It was, however, surprising to see conference attendees coming from Europe to learn more about emerging technologies some of which were presented by a small group of experts, residents of the Peterborough region, who are researchers at Trent University. Our local University has some amazing academics, researchers and research activities. The world knows about it more than our local residents.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Canadian poll - Greens at double digit %
I love this article from the Hamilton Spectator
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1157580611458&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1112101662670
a recent poll of Canadian voters - Green Party support has doubled since Elizabeth May has been elected leader. Now 10%. Conservative support has dropped.
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1157580611458&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1112101662670
a recent poll of Canadian voters - Green Party support has doubled since Elizabeth May has been elected leader. Now 10%. Conservative support has dropped.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Stephen Hawking Challenge
I often think about the question the brilliant astrophysicist, Stepehen Hawking, submitted to Yahoo Answers this past July.
How can the human race survive the next hundred years?
In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?
I am sure the Yahoo folks were happy to have Dr. Hawking as a celebrity quizzer because this question drew over 25,000 responses on the Yahoo Answers Blog. I like the wording of the question from two perspectives:
1) It gets my mind pondering the multiple issues that are threatening human existence.
- nuclear catastrophe (bombs, or terrorist plots to blow up nuclear reactors)
- pandemic viruses
- environmental collapse ( impacts of climate change - new ice age & massive species extinction, or mass death from toxic water and air....via human DNA disruption, or uncontrollable cancer rates. Combinations of multiple factors that will strip the earth of its protective atmosphere and turn the planet into another Venus.
- global economic depression that will lead to global war
2) Dr. Hawking puts a time frame (100 years) on the time we could have left if we don't reverse the current trends.
Prior to submitting the Yahoo question, Dr. Hawking was at a conference in Hong Kong, where he floated the idea that we should be working on sending people to the Moon and Mars to set up new colonies. Reason - we need to preserve humanity. Life on earth is in peril. Dr. Hawking didn't think humans would be able to survive beyond 100 years.
I think we need to prove Dr. Hawking wrong.
How can the human race survive the next hundred years?
In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?
I am sure the Yahoo folks were happy to have Dr. Hawking as a celebrity quizzer because this question drew over 25,000 responses on the Yahoo Answers Blog. I like the wording of the question from two perspectives:
1) It gets my mind pondering the multiple issues that are threatening human existence.
- nuclear catastrophe (bombs, or terrorist plots to blow up nuclear reactors)
- pandemic viruses
- environmental collapse ( impacts of climate change - new ice age & massive species extinction, or mass death from toxic water and air....via human DNA disruption, or uncontrollable cancer rates. Combinations of multiple factors that will strip the earth of its protective atmosphere and turn the planet into another Venus.
- global economic depression that will lead to global war
2) Dr. Hawking puts a time frame (100 years) on the time we could have left if we don't reverse the current trends.
Prior to submitting the Yahoo question, Dr. Hawking was at a conference in Hong Kong, where he floated the idea that we should be working on sending people to the Moon and Mars to set up new colonies. Reason - we need to preserve humanity. Life on earth is in peril. Dr. Hawking didn't think humans would be able to survive beyond 100 years.
I think we need to prove Dr. Hawking wrong.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Google picks up my Blog
A smile on my face today, searched "Knighter's Knotes" and Google found it on the search listing. Very cool. I have tried the Google search various times with no luck until today. Technocrati picked up my blog after two days with the reference to the Green Party.
I am as far as I know, the only one reading my blog. Another challenge. But it is fun to journal, and I don't mind if the world wants to read my eco-journal.
John
I am as far as I know, the only one reading my blog. Another challenge. But it is fun to journal, and I don't mind if the world wants to read my eco-journal.
John
Our Environment
missed a week of posting. A few notes:
1) I finished reading Varda Burtsyn's book - Water Inc. - B+. At the 65% point the book became very interesting "couldn't put the book down". One of the those fiction novels that rings true on several levels - geography/real places, real life world issues/history ( same model as Dan Brown's DaVinci Code). Only challenge I felt in reading the book was the character development.
2) Watched with interest Elizabeth May's "whistle-stop" tour in Western Canada to Toronto and on to Ottawa.
3) Went to a local presentation to listen to John Seed, Australian eco-activist. Very interesting. Many take-aways for me, the best one for immediate implementation is to stop referring to "the environment", it is "our environment". Our environment is not separate from living life forms, replace 'the" with "our". Unless I can find some magical way of not breathing air, drinking water or eating nutrients. Death at this point is not magical.
1) I finished reading Varda Burtsyn's book - Water Inc. - B+. At the 65% point the book became very interesting "couldn't put the book down". One of the those fiction novels that rings true on several levels - geography/real places, real life world issues/history ( same model as Dan Brown's DaVinci Code). Only challenge I felt in reading the book was the character development.
2) Watched with interest Elizabeth May's "whistle-stop" tour in Western Canada to Toronto and on to Ottawa.
3) Went to a local presentation to listen to John Seed, Australian eco-activist. Very interesting. Many take-aways for me, the best one for immediate implementation is to stop referring to "the environment", it is "our environment". Our environment is not separate from living life forms, replace 'the" with "our". Unless I can find some magical way of not breathing air, drinking water or eating nutrients. Death at this point is not magical.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Earth Charter
One of the resolutions passed at the recent Green Party of Canada (GPC) convention was an endorsement of the Earth Charter. The Charter has meaning for those who value sustainability, peace, social justice, building a better future and maintaining a global perspective - all six billion (plus) of us are in this together.
A good overview on the Charter can be found on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Charter
A good overview on the Charter can be found on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Charter
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