Philip's post today reminds that the IT industry in general is pretty energy-intensive. Today, one of that industry's major players is taking another step forward to reduce the environmental impact of one of its major assets: it's users. Yahoo! Green is a new site by the internet giant that provides users with a range of tools that help them lower their personal carbon emissions.

Meg Garlinghouse, director of Yahoo! for Good, told me on Friday that the new site, which will be officially launched with a big kick-off event in New York City, reflects the company's belief that bringing many people together to take small steps can result in a major reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions. At Yahoo! Green, users can commit to a range of various actions that will reduce their own environmental impact: installing a programmable thermostat, installing a CFL in a porch light, air-drying clothes in the Spring and Summer, etc. The site records each user's plan and calculates the emissions savings produced. These figures are then compiled to show the total amount of GHG emissions saved by all users participating in the program.

Yahoo! will also add an element of competition to the site: user carbon savings, as well as information gathered from other Yahoo! tools, will be calculated by their location, and the US city with the highest totals will be named "America's Greenest City" by the company, and awarded either a fleet of hybrid taxi cabs, or the cash equivalent, which can be used to "green up" a public building. The "Be a Better Planet" competition will run through June 8th. Individual participants will receive a free CFL for their efforts.

We're impressed, and we look forward to Amy's coverage of today's NYC event, which will feature Yahoo! co-founder David Filo, Global Green USA CEO Matt Peterson, and Academy Award-nominated actor Matt Dillon. When combined with it's own carbon neutrality pledge, its sponsorship of 18seconds.org, and its Earth Week challenge to employees to reduce the company's overall environmental impact by 20% (which was rewarded by staging a Sumo wrestling match between Filo and co-founder Jerry Yang — watch the video), it's clear that Yahoo! is taking significant steps to not only operate in a more sustainable manner, but also to educate others about the benefits of living a greener lifestyle.

Yahoo! Green

Filed under: Hydrogen

In the interest of full disclosure, let me first tell you all that I am a huge Buckeye fan. I do live in Ohio, mind you, and I grew up in a family which always had a full supply of Ohio State paraphernalia to choose from. Please, do me a big favor, and let this one mention of the state of Florida be the only one… no comments on that subject if you would be so kind.

Back to the story at hand: The Buckeye Bullet 2. Perhaps you recall the electric land speed record that Ohio State was able to capture with their 700 horsepower AC driven streamliner. Perhaps not, click here to refresh your short-lived memories! News comes from Jalopnik that the crew is back at it with a hydrogen-powered streamliner. Well, hydrogen fueled electric streamliner, really. Click here for more. Will they be able to break their last record of around 315 mph? Stay tuned!

[Source: Jalopnik]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Image Source: AISO.netPower needs are a growing concern for information technology (IT) needs. A server rack can now draw as much as 30,000 watts. As those servers work, all that energy is turned into heat, and in addition to the energy needed to operate those servers, all of that heat needs to be dealt with or else the electronics will overheat and fail. So data centers are huge consumers of energy, and their demands are increasing.

There are some steps that can be taken. A number of hosting service providers purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) to improve their green presence. And that's a good step, particularly for services that can't directly use renewable energy. But one company takes their commitment to the environment several steps further. They are even the only commercial data services provider that is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). And this has also landed them on Inc. Magazine's Top 50 Green Companies.

Affordable Internet Services Online (AISO.net) environmental concern extends from their solar power array, which provides 100% of their electrical needs, to the construction of their data center building. The facility is powered by an array of 125 on-site solar panels which power the servers and switches, as well as building lighting and air conditioning, with battery storage for nighttime operation. The facility also has a backup generator and a grid connection, but has only used the latter to sell excess power back to the utility.

Efficiencies throughout the building make it possible for them to operate their facility solely with solar power. Inside, the building is daylit with Solatube daylighting skylights, and night-time illumination is provided by super efficient LEDs. The building is insulated to R-50, (much higher than the average house; a 2×4 stud wall is typically insulated to R-13) with 12" thick walls filled with cellulose insulation, and has a high efficiency cooling system. When night temperatures allow it, the building is opened for natural ventialtion and cooling, rather than relying on mechanical systems at all times. The company is presently working on adding a vegetated roof to its data center to further improve the greenness of their facility.

In addition to having a more efficient building, the facility has also reconfigured their servers, replacing systems that were running only a fraction of their capacity with virtual machines, so that they can maximize their efficiency with fewer machines. This translates to reduced power consumption and helps keep their energy needs low.

The AISO.net data center is also located in the desert, which allows them to maximize their photovoltaic efficiency. Interestingly, this also helps make their cooling equipment more efficient. They use water-cooled air conditioning units, which increase the efficiency over air cooled units by using water evaporation, which is much more efficient than air transfer of heat. And a water-cooled unit is most efficient in a dry environment such as a desert. Cool night temperatures for natural ventilation cooling are also easier to accomplish in a desert environment.

Their main web page lists the current conditions at the facility, including outdoor temperature humidity, and weather conditions, server room temperature, and even a web-cam view of the solar panels.

Having self-sufficient systems not only allows AISO.net to lower its power needs, it also makes them less vulnerable to utility problems that can cause problems for other California-based providers.

via: IT Jungle

Links:
ecoIron

AISO.net

Inc. Magazine

Image Source: AISO.netPower needs are a growing concern for information technology (IT) needs. A server rack can now draw as much as 30,000 watts. As those servers work, all that energy is turned into heat, and in addition to the energy needed to operate those servers, all of that heat needs to be dealt with or else the electronics will overheat and fail. So data centers are huge consumers of energy, and their demands are increasing.

There are some steps that can be taken. A number of hosting service providers purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) to improve their green presence. And that's a good step, particularly for services that can't directly use renewable energy. But one company takes their commitment to the environment several steps further. They are even the only commercial data services provider that is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). And this has also landed them on Inc. Magazine's Top 50 Green Companies.

Affordable Internet Services Online (AISO.net) environmental concern extends from their solar power array, which provides 100% of their electrical needs, to the construction of their data center building. The facility is powered by an array of 125 on-site solar panels which power the servers and switches, as well as building lighting and air conditioning, with battery storage for nighttime operation. The facility also has a backup generator and a grid connection, but has only used the latter to sell excess power back to the utility.

Efficiencies throughout the building make it possible for them to operate their facility solely with solar power. Inside, the building is daylit with Solatube daylighting skylights, and night-time illumination is provided by super efficient LEDs. The building is insulated to R-50, (much higher than the average house; a 2×4 stud wall is typically insulated to R-13) with 12" thick walls filled with cellulose insulation, and has a high efficiency cooling system. When night temperatures allow it, the building is opened for natural ventialtion and cooling, rather than relying on mechanical systems at all times. The company is presently working on adding a vegetated roof to its data center to further improve the greenness of their facility.

In addition to having a more efficient building, the facility has also reconfigured their servers, replacing systems that were running only a fraction of their capacity with virtual machines, so that they can maximize their efficiency with fewer machines. This translates to reduced power consumption and helps keep their energy needs low.

The AISO.net data center is also located in the desert, which allows them to maximize their photovoltaic efficiency. Interestingly, this also helps make their cooling equipment more efficient. They use water-cooled air conditioning units, which increase the efficiency over air cooled units by using water evaporation, which is much more efficient than air transfer of heat. And a water-cooled unit is most efficient in a dry environment such as a desert. Cool night temperatures for natural ventilation cooling are also easier to accomplish in a desert environment.

Their main web page lists the current conditions at the facility, including outdoor temperature humidity, and weather conditions, server room temperature, and even a web-cam view of the solar panels.

Having self-sufficient systems not only allows AISO.net to lower its power needs, it also makes them less vulnerable to utility problems that can cause problems for other California-based providers.

via: IT Jungle

Links:
ecoIron

AISO.net

Inc. Magazine

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) launched an initiative in April to make the Capitol complex carbon neutral within two years.

To achieve this, the “Green the Capitol” initiative includes changing out 17,000 old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs for more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and using eco-friendly vendors for furnishings.

But the big elephant in the room (and I’m not talking about a Republican) is what to do about the electricity source of the Capitol: a coal plant.

The Capitol Power Plant burns mostly coal and natural gas, along with some oil for heating and cooling. So to make the Capitol carbon neutral, something has to be done about the coal being burned practically next door (coal makes up 49 percent of the plant's output). But Speaker Pelosi was vague and noncommittal about action to clean up the plant:

"The recommendations that the people who know about this will put forth is what we will act upon, and there are issues involved with the power plant that we have to learn more about."

Complicating the matter are lawmakers from coal producing states, like Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who are major defenders of coal and blocked an effort in 2000 to eliminate it from the Capitol Power Plant. CNN reports that two West Virginia companies – International Resources Inc and the Kanawha Eagle mine – provide 40,000 net tons of coal to the plant, earning $4.6 million. According to campaign records, the companies gave a combined $26,300 to Byrd and McConnell’s campaigns in the 2006 election cycle.

If the Capitol Power Plant remains unchanged, the Capitol would have to spend $850,000 to buy carbon credits for its 340,000 tons of global warming emissions. Switching the plant over to natural gas would cost between $5 million and $8 million more each year, but a draft report obtained by CNN says that the cost could be absorbed by the savings gained from not paying to dispose of the fly ash.

The chief administrative officer of the House will submit a final report on the carbon neutral initiatives by June 30th.

Lawmakers have some big hurdles to clear if the Capitol is to be carbon neutral. But if they can’t get our own Capitol cleaned up, how can we trust them to lead the entire country towards a clean, 21st century energy system?

CNN
Washington Times

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) launched an initiative in April to make the Capitol complex carbon neutral within two years.

To achieve this, the “Green the Capitol” initiative includes changing out 17,000 old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs for more efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and using eco-friendly vendors for furnishings.

But the big elephant in the room (and I’m not talking about a Republican) is what to do about the electricity source of the Capitol: a coal plant.

The Capitol Power Plant burns mostly coal and natural gas, along with some oil for heating and cooling. So to make the Capitol carbon neutral, something has to be done about the coal being burned practically next door (coal makes up 49 percent of the plant's output). But Speaker Pelosi was vague and noncommittal about action to clean up the plant:

"The recommendations that the people who know about this will put forth is what we will act upon, and there are issues involved with the power plant that we have to learn more about."

Complicating the matter are lawmakers from coal producing states, like Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who are major defenders of coal and blocked an effort in 2000 to eliminate it from the Capitol Power Plant. CNN reports that two West Virginia companies – International Resources Inc and the Kanawha Eagle mine – provide 40,000 net tons of coal to the plant, earning $4.6 million. According to campaign records, the companies gave a combined $26,300 to Byrd and McConnell’s campaigns in the 2006 election cycle.

If the Capitol Power Plant remains unchanged, the Capitol would have to spend $850,000 to buy carbon credits for its 340,000 tons of global warming emissions. Switching the plant over to natural gas would cost between $5 million and $8 million more each year, but a draft report obtained by CNN says that the cost could be absorbed by the savings gained from not paying to dispose of the fly ash.

The chief administrative officer of the House will submit a final report on the carbon neutral initiatives by June 30th.

Lawmakers have some big hurdles to clear if the Capitol is to be carbon neutral. But if they can’t get our own Capitol cleaned up, how can we trust them to lead the entire country towards a clean, 21st century energy system?

CNN
Washington Times

Dr. Andrew Weil

 

Dr. Andrew Weil, who has spent a lifetime instructing people on how to heal our bodies as naturally as possible, has taken on a new project. He's making his own biodiesel fuel in his Vail, AZ back yard.

In an Arizona Daily Star interview, written by staff reporter Carla Mc Clain, Dr. Weil has turned his garage into what he calls his "Bio-Depot", turning out 75-cent per gallon diesel fuel which runs several of his ranch vehicles. The feed stock is nothing more than vegetable oil collected from various Tucson eateries.

According to Weil, "I've always written and taught that it's very difficult to be healthy in an unhealthy world. … We have to be very immediately concerned about finding solutions for the toxic effects the combustion engine has on human health." He said what we all know, that biodiesel fuel burns cleaner, emits far fewer toxic compounds into the air, and decreases ozone and smog.

At first, Dr. Weil scoffed at the idea of using vegetable oil to run his vehicles, but after the 9/11 attack and the Middle East oil crisis worsened, he realized it was time to do something to ease our dependence on foreign oil. Weil, with his X-9 Ranch neighbor, Andre' Fasciola purchased some diesel operated vechiles, then installed a small scale bio-processor called the Bio-Pro and began making their own fuel.

Fasciola, according to the article, plans to expand the operation and set up a cooperative. Members would pay an annual fee and volunteer to pick up the used oil and pump the diesel when necessary. There are, according to the article, several bio-diesel co-ops operating in the Tucson area.

Arizona Daily Star

by Worldchanging NYC local blogger, David Leon: I was recently working the legal end of a contaminated site remediation, and the environmental consultant mentioned that if you were to dig up any given patch of dirt in New York City, you would probably find at least some low level of contamination, This would be especially true on the waterfront and canals, which were once the primary places to dump waste and other fill material. This kind of low-level contamination does seem likely, given the city’s long industrial history prior to the advent of environmental regulation. In PlaNYC, the Bloomberg administration estimates that there are 7,600 acres of contaminated sites in the city; if combined, this would cover an area half the size of Manhattan, and there is no comprehensive study or database documenting what types of contaminants are underground where. Current brownfield cleanup programs are administered mostly at the state and federal levels. These programs generally work best for large developers of highly contaminated parcels, because of the eligibility criteria for these programs. This is illustrated by the fact that only 1,900 of the estimated 7,600 acres of contaminated sites are currently in state brownfield cleanup programs. Furthermore, if a… (more)

(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Urban Design and Planning at 1:02 PM)

Apologies for not getting this up sooner… was in bed at 8:30 Wednesday night, and yesterday was traveling home day…

I spent a good part of Wednesday afternoon talking to GM executives. We’ve got audio files that we’ll be sharing with you as soon as we get some glitches smoothed out, but I wanted to give you a quick overview.

GM scheduled a group interview/conversation with the bloggers at the show and our colleague Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of Global Product Development. If you follow GM’s FastLane blog, you know that he’s pretty outspoken — that was clear in our discussion, too. It was a fascinating meeting — Lutz addressed not only environmental concerns (even what he thought would happen to vehicles like the Hummer with GM’s stated commitment to “reinventing the automobile”), but also the history of design at GM (and how it’s come back into prominence), and even the perils of blogging with a PR team watching what you say!

I also met with Saturn’s Director of Brand & Product Development Lisa Hutchinson. With the unveiling of the Astra, the Saturn folks were clearly in demand — I was originally supposed to meet with Saturn GM Jill Lajdziak, but the radio folks kept her for themselves. Lisa was clearly in demand, also, so we kept it short and sweet. Essentially,

• Saturn believes that small cars like the Astra will continue to grow in demand.
• The VUE Hybrid will be going through several manifestations, from the current hybrid, to GM’s dual-mode hybrid, to a plug-in. No dates, however, for the last stage.
• Saturn believes that green is a good bet, and sees it as a major part of their “evolution.”

The last interview I did, with GM’s VP of Research & Development and Corporate Strategy Larry Burns, was a blogger’s dream (even when it’s a green blogger meeting with a high-level executive of a major auto company). I was impressed not only with Larry’s passion for his company and its products, but also his command of that company’s environmental impact, and its efforts to address them. When I brought up the Rainforest Action Network and JumpStartFord‘s assertion that GM is focused on green concept vehicles and dirty production vehicles, he answered very thoroughly and very candidly. It’s a wonderful discussion, and I can’t wait to bring it to you.

I’ve got to admit I came away from these meetings pretty impressed with GM’s ideas about “greening” the automobile. Of course, we’ll have to keep a close eye on them, as well as other car manufacturers — everyone’s talking green now, but the proof will be in the actions they take. We should probably keep the Wal-Mart standard in mind — judge them by their actions. But we also shouldn’t take the relatively easy step of writing GM off because it killed the EV1 and builds the Hummer. If they really get it, the potential for positive impact is tremendous — and we’ve got to encourage that. I hope you’ll listen to the interviews once I get them up here… lots and lots of food for thought.

Crossposted at Green Options.

Categories: gm, automobile, cars, chicago, autoshow

Just spent some time with my blogging compadres at a “walk-through”viewing of the Chevy Volt concept vehicle. As you can see, it’s a beautiful car! That was part of the plan, we learned — “green vehicles” aren’t always particularly sexy, so Chevy wanted to bring some of the emotional attachment of the Corvette and Camaro to a greener vehicle.

The Volt’s been covered widely around the green blogosphere because it’s a plug-in hybrid. That is, it has greater battery capacity than traditional hybrids, and can run in an electric-only mode for up to 40 miles. Since that covers the range most people drive in a day, there’s potential for tremendous fuel savings (and lower emissions). Though, as some will certainly point out, the source of the electricity that goes into it (and this is the case with an plug-in electric vehicle or hybrid) can still undermine the “clean/green” potential…

Several members of the design team talked about the car with us. I tracked down lead interior designer Wade Bryant after his talk to find out a little more about the materials that go into the interior (they definitely go for an “eco” look and feel inside). Bryant admitted that the materials in the concept vehicle weren’t necessarily chosen for their light environmental impact and/or re-use/recyclability potential, but that’s “on the shelf” for the production model. He included materials such as bioplastics, and greener fabrics as part of the mix under consideration. He also claimed that most car interiors currently are very recyclable — I’d love to hear if any of you can speak to that…

There’s no doubt that the Volt is a very sweet concept — at this point, it’s just a concept, though. I’ll be talking to GM VP of Reseach & Development and Strategic Planning Larry Burns this afternoon, and will be focused on productions plans for this vehicle… Stay tuned.

Crossposted at Green Options.