Gore: Trinidad & Tobago can be Green Center of Caribbean

Al Gore, the 45th US Vice President says Trinidad and Tobago has an abundance of natural resources that would allow it to engage in alternative and renewable energy development as part of the country’s diversification and economic thrust, while assisting to reduce adverse environmental effects.

Gore, a Nobel Laureate and one of the world’s most influential voice on climate change, advised T&T that now is the time to maximize on these resources as the country’s major revenue earner gas and oil would not last.“You have unparalleled resources of sunlight and good wind resources and I know you also have cheap energy,” he said.

He added that since T&T was geographically located just a few kilometers from the world’s best supplier of pure silica, the country could take advantage of this proximity by purchasing the silica to create solar cells. Gore explained that T&T could gain the potential competitive advantage in the production of solar panels due to its manufacturing capabilities, low-cost energy environment and its strategic location.

He stated that the country had the potential of becoming the green center of the Caribbean and in the northern part of South America if it had the will to do so.“If you choose...you could create a centre for manufacturing, research and development for solar panels throughout the Caribbean and the northern part of South America creating new jobs...if you chose to do so, you can also become one of the country’s best known for wind power,” he said.

Gore was speaking on Thursday night on the topic of climate change titled “Thinking Green: Economic Strategy for the 21st Century” at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).The event, hosted by the T&T Manufacturers Association, was aimed at providing practical guidance to the business community, Government and the population as to how they can make choices to save the earth, while stimulating sustainable economic growth by meaningful engagement in the pursuit of alternative energy.

This is his first visit to T&T and he complimented the country for being so dynamic. He also stated that he has never been in an auditorium as lovely as NAPA in the Caribbean and some countries in which he has spoken.

Gore said climate change presents a time of danger and opportunity and he said he believed that the world was entering an era of consequences but it was also a time to act. Blaming mankind for its own destruction, he said, “We continue to put 90 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and everyday it keeps growing.”

He said, according to scientists, this was contributing to the rise in sea level, increase in heat/drought and stronger hurricanes which have begun to result in the emergence of climate refugees. Gore called on Trinidad & Tobago to become a leader for change as it possessed the power and influence in the Caribbean to take that lead.

“We are facing a climate crisis that people would like to ignore. You are a leader of great influence and I want to recruit you...I need you,” he said. But being an advisor to leaders in the US Congress and global Heads of State, he was asked by a patron during the question and answer segment, why the US has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, (which is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

He said he was greatly disappointed in his country but would continue to do what he can to influence minds and change hearts because about 60 per cent of the US citizens supported the law while some independently embraced the protocol.   read full story


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Verizon, UPS Expand their ‘Green’ Fleets

Verizon and UPS are both expanding their hybrid fleets in the U.S. While Verizon plans to add more than 260 hybrid vehicles in New Jersey, UPS is rolling out 160 additional hybrids in New York, New Jersey and California. Freightliner also launches its next-generation of all-electric walk-in delivery vans.

Verizon’s new hybrid vehicles are part of the 1,600 alternative-energy vehicles that the company plans to add to its fleet across the country this year. These will include Toyota hybrid sedans, Chevrolet hybrid pickup trucks and unique “mild hybrid” aerial fiber splicing trucks.

The Chevrolet hybrid pickups will be used by FiOS and traditional telephone customer-service technicians and are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 43 percent compared to the vans they will replace.

The aerial fiber splicing trucks are equipped with an aerial lift device, or “bucket,” for aerial line work and an environmentally controlled body compartment for splicing fiber-optic cable. The lift, splicing equipment and climate controls are powered by lithium-ion batteries, eliminating the need for a gasoline- or diesel-powered generator. This will save approximately one gallon of petroleum fuel consumption per hour of operation and reduce six to 12 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually per aerial truck, depending on use.

Verizon says it used this “mild hybrid” solution because conventional hybrid technology offers little benefit for equipment such as aerial splicer trucks with typically low-mileage drive cycles.

In July, Verizon added 576 Chevrolet Silverado Two-Mode Hybrid full-size pickups in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of its fleet vehicles.

Verizon employees also have also been reducing CO2 emissions by cutting engine idling times. Since 2008, Verizon employees have conserved more than 2.7 million gallons of fuel.

UPS also is beefing up its hybrid fleet. The package delivery company is adding 130 hybrid electric vehicles to its growing fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs), which will be deployed next year, with 30 slated for New York and New Jersey and 100 to California.

UPS estimates these vehicles will save 66,085 gallons of fuel and 671 metric tonnes of CO2 annually, representing a 35 percent improvement in fuel economy.

UPS operates one of the largest private fleets of alternative-fuel vehicles in the transportation industry with 2,022 vehicles in total. The company has invested more than $25 million to develop its AFV fleet, which also includes other fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and all-electric. The fleet is deployed in eight countries in addition to the U.S., and since 2000, has traveled 185 million miles.

In June, UPS announced it was putting 200 new hybrid electric trucks into service across eight U.S. cities in an effort to reduce fuel consumption.

Earlier in the year, UPS deployed 245 new delivery trucks fueled with compressed natural gas (CNG) to cities in Colorado and California, and 200 next-generation hybrid electric delivery trucks in Austin, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, Minneapolis and Louisville.

UPS says it was the first package delivery company to introduce a hybrid electric vehicle into daily operation with a research program in early 1998. Currently, there are 250 UPS HEV delivery vehicles operating in the United States.

The new vehicles’ hybrid electric power system uses a conventional diesel engine combined with a battery pack, which saves fuel and reduces emissions. The energy generated from braking is captured and returned to the battery as electricity. The combination of clean diesel power and electric power, supplemented by regenerative braking, allows significant improvements in fuel savings and emissions reductions, according to UPS.

The HEV fleet features two different size vehicles from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) and a hybrid drive system from Eaton Corporation. The external truck bodies are identical to UPS’s other signature brown trucks, with the exception of additional labeling that identifies them as hybrid electrics.

FCCC, together with Morgan Olson, recently launched the next-generation all-electric walk-in van that features new exterior and interior body styling. The companies say the MT-EV WIV features a lightweight, aerodynamic design for improved efficiency.

Introduced at the Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), the new MT-EV is built of lightweight, durable composites that are completely recyclable, and the instrumentation panel within the cab incorporates automotive styling and adds additional features that constantly monitor the EV operating system to provide the driver information, such as the battery state of charge data. The vehicle performance gauge also is included to assist the driver in the operation of the vehicle.

The MT-EV all-electric chassis uses Enova Systems’ 120kW all-electric drive system technology and is powered by Tesla Motors’ lithium-ion batteries. The battery packs provide up to a 100-mile driving range on a single charge, making it suitable for pickup and delivery applications. The battery pack will charge from fully depleted to fully charged in six to eight hours.

In addition, the vehicle charging system is incorporated into the overall operating system so no exterior devices are required to charge the truck. The batteries also capture and store energy during the regenerative braking phase of the vehicle’s operation.    Courtesy  Environmental Leader



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G-8 , G-20, How about G-Buzz

Aware of calls for industrialized economies’ to fund developing nations’ climate-related programs, the Group of Eight wealthy nations clarified its funding commitments.




In the Muskoka Accountability Report, released ahead of G-8’s summit held in Muskoka, Canada from Friday to Saturday, the group said it has engaged in three funds addressing international climate goals, such as adaptation.


Adaptation refers to measures by which vulnerable countries, especially economically poorer ones, could prepare for the impact of climate change. Threats include rising seas, stronger rains and intensified droughts.

These funds are for least developed countries’ national adaptation action programs, for the promotion of longterm adaptation measures and for climate resilience in mainstream development planning.

The G-8 said around $180 million and $129 million have been collected for the least developed countries fund and the special climate change fund respectively. The latter reportedly mobilized voluntary contributions worth $110 million for adaptation and $19 million for technology transfer.


For the pilot program for climate resilience, the G-8 said it has pledged $1 billion and chosen as recipients nine countries in the Caribbean, Pacific and African regions.          Source ecoseed


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FAA Awards $125M to Develop Green Air Technology

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $125 million in contracts to five companies, including Boeing Co., General Electric Co., and Honeywell International Inc., to work on technologies to make the aviation industry more environmentally friendly.

The other companies include Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce-America.

Each will be paid $25 million over five years for the work, and each company will at least match or exceed that investment, the FAA said. That means the entire program will be worth more than $250 million, the agency said in a statement Thursday.

The work will be done for the agency's Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise program -- called CLEEN. The program aims to cut fuel burn by a third, reduce nitrogen exmissions by 60 percent and trim cumulative aircraft noise levels by 32 decibels.

The companies will develop technologies for alternative aviation fuels, lighter engines, optimizing flight trajectories with onboard systems and more.

Shares of Boeing fell 2 cents to close at $67.43, while General Electric shares dipped 31 cents, or 2 percent, to finish at $15.08. Honeywell International shares fell 84 cents, or 2 percent, to $41.

Source: Business Week






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E.P.A. Makes The Case For Affordable Climate Legislation

The United States Environment Protection Agency has confirmed that the proposed climate bill could help bring down global carbon emissions at safe levels by 2050 while being affordable for American households.

In an analysis, the agency concluded that the Senate bill sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman would cost households an average of $79 to $146 per year.

The bill, called the American Power Act unveiled in April, aims to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases by 17 percent by 2020 and by more than 80 percent by 2050.

The agency’s analysis of the Senate bill mirrors the price it gave to the House of Representatives’ version of the legislation passed in June 2009. The agency previously estimated that American Clean Energy Security Act is expected to cost $80 to $111 annually.

In addition, the analysis also showed that prices for carbon permits in the cap-and-trade market outlined in the Kerry-Lieberman bill should hit $16 per metric ton to $17 per metric ton in 2013 and $23 per metric ton to $24 per metric ton in 2020.

These prices are within range of the bill's initial floor and ceiling prices of $12 and $25 respectively.

Possible scenarios

The E.P.A. gave several scenarios to measure the global impact of passing the climate bill in reducing emissions. One scenario assumes concerted global action, where the country follows the carbon reduction plans laid out in the Kerry-Lieberman bill at the same time as developing countries try to meet their own targets.

Developing countries, along with the United States, are also expected to follow the pledges they made during the G-8 meeting in July 2009 involving emission cuts of 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. In addition, the scenario assumes that these countries have already adopted a policy that caps emissions beginning in 2025 based on 2015 levels and reduces emissions to 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.

The agency estimates that there is a 75 percent chance of keeping global temperatures under 2°C under this scenario, which is in line with the temperature threshold by 2050 established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The E.P.A. also presented a more modest scenario where developing countries’ have not started any climate policy to curb down emission until 2050. Despite this, the agency forecasted that there is still a 50 percent chance of holding global temperatures under 3°C and an 11 percent chance of holding temperatures below 2°C.   Story Via 




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Dim Bulbs, Old Clothes, and Hairballs

Three questions .......... 

Do I save electricity when I use a dimmer switch on my lights? Or am I using the same amount of electricity no matter where I have it set?

Unless your dimmer dates to the 1970s, it will save some energy. The more you lower the lights, the less power they use—although the savings won't be as large as the reduction in brightness. (At a light level of 50 percent, you'll be using more than half the electricity.) If you're using incandescent lights, a dimmer switch can also extend the life of your bulbs. According to Francis Rubinstein, a lighting researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, an incandescent bulb that's kept at 50 percent brightness should last roughly 10 times longer than one burning at full capacity.

Things are a little different with compact fluorescent bulbs. In the first place, not all of these work with dimmers. Among those that do, the energy savings are a little better, but you won't get any extension in bulb life. At the lowest dimmer settings, an incandescent bulb will cast an especially warm glow, but the quality of light from a CFL remains the same no matter how it's set. There may also be some flickering with the fluorescents. However, if saving energy is your main concern, ditch the old-fashioned bulbs: An incandescent will always be less efficient than a CFL, no matter what kind of light switch you're using.


Can you recycle clothes?
Yup. Textiles that are still relatively intact can be cut up into wiping rags, which are sold to gas stations and paint shops. Ratty clothes are shredded, and the resulting fibers can be used in things like carpet padding or soundproofing insulation. Some fibers, like wool, can be re-spun, re-dyed, and re-woven into brand-new clothes.

Unless you live in one of the handful of counties that has curbside textile recycling, it may be tricky to get your closet cast-offs to the people who recycle them. Many organizations that collect used clothing, like the Salvation Army and Goodwill, have relationships with textile recyclers, which take anything the charities can't sell in their stores. But it's not always a good idea to drop a bag of single socks or tattered gym clothes at your local charity shop. For one thing, not all of them have agreements with recyclers—which means your discarded duds could end up in the trash—and second, overtaxed workers might not appreciate being asked to sort through your detritus, only to discover that they can't sell any of it. (Stained or unstylish clothing is usually OK, but a sweater your dog mauled probably isn't.)

If you can't find ways to reuse the clothes in your own home, the Lantern recommends calling the shops in your area to see which ones recycle their unwanted donations and whether they'd be willing to take what you have. Sometimes you can send your stuff directly to a recycler by using their 24-hour drop-off bins in parking lots and other central locations. You can find local listings for both charity shops and drop-off bins on Earth911.com. (Meanwhile, if you have old, hole-y athletic shoes of any brand, Nike will take them off your hands.) Just make sure your clothes aren't moldy, smelly, or wet—even recyclers will toss those in the trash.

What's the most environmentally friendly way to get rid of the hair from my brush or comb? In lieu of trashing it, I've been flushing it down the toilet, but something tells me that can't be right.
Trust your instinct: The toilet is not the proper place for hairballs. First of all, it could lead to
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Wal-Mart Green, We Will Be Seeing Alot More of This

Mayor Scott Lang was among three mayors honored at the 78th Annual Conference of Mayors held in Oklahoma City for their leadership in green jobs training.

Lang's distinction means that People Acting in Community Endeavors' "Youth Build Green Energy Solutions" program will receive $300,000 through the Wal-Mart Foundation from the conference. The conference chose nonprofit groups in the cities of the mayors honored to receive grants. The grants are intended to support and expand green jobs training.

PACE's program will provide residential and commercial energy efficiency training. The program trains local contractors, experienced construction workers and inexperienced residents interested in entering the green technology sector.

"Energy, climate protection and green jobs have been top priorities in our work with mayors, Congress and the administration, specifically our efforts to enact a new energy block grant program and the Green Jobs Act," Tom Cochran, chief executive officer and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said through a statement.

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How to Attract Green Homebuyers

The green movement has taken over the market. From eco-friendly fashion to hybrid cars, consumers are constantly looking for new ways to reduce their carbon footprint. The energy saving trend has even impacted the housing industry. Today's dream home doesn't just boast a big backyard and plenty of windows—it also comes with the assurance that the home was built with the environment and sustainability in mind.
Whether you are a confirmed tree-hugger or you are new to the idea of alternative energy, joining the green revolution is an easy and gratifying way to make your home stand out on the market. Not only will you enjoy the knowledge that your home is helping to save energy, but you will also be more likely to stand out to prospective buyers who are interested in all things green.
Green consumers are ideal homebuyers, as they are educated, driven, and community-oriented, so achieving their interest is a great way to be sure that you are selling your home to the right person.
Here is how to catch the eye of the green consumer and make your home energy-friendly:
Invest in solar panels. Solar panels are one of the best ways to create renewable and clean energy

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