Last week in our post about philanthropy as a key principle of worldchanging work, we discussed the importance of charitable giving as a catalyst for change, and focused in particular on the need for philanthropy to become a more transparent, open process — whether at the foundation level or among individuals — so that the distribution of funds can be tracked and donors can be confident about their chosen recipients. At the NetSquared Conference today, a new site has launched which aims to respond to this issue. Bring Light opens the sometimes opaque and confusing world of philanthropy through an online social network that provides donors with an interactive resource for learning where and how their money gets distributed, and lets charities share their progress as a result of philanthropic support. Bring Light was created for people who want to feel connected to the result of their donations. The site features specific projects posted by charities that are first screened by Bring Light for legitimacy. Donors can see evidence of their impact with real-time updates and by chatting with others in the community, including the charity itself who is encouraged to report back on how the money was spent. In… (more)

(Posted by Sarah Rich in Communications and Networking at 12:48 PM)

Filed under: Ethanol, Manufacturing/Plants, GM, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

We write about these plants often enough. It’s high time we visited and had a look around. As part of a GM-sponsored media event at US BioEnergy’s ethanol plant yesterday, AutoblogGreen had a chance to sit down with some representatives of US BioEnergy and learn about the plant and the much-criticized ethanol-from-corn industry. Of course, company reps are going to talk about the best side of what they do, so take what these guys say in that light. They’re not lying or anything like that, they just come from a certain perspective. If your’s differs, use the comments.

You’ll notice from the clip that they wouldn’t let us film or take pictures inside. That’s too bad. But it was a decent event anyway. I’ll have more posts on what happened later today.

 

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

Filed under: MPG, Transportation Alternatives

It has been noted before, but it’s worth repeating: gas is getting expensive, and it is not likely to get much cheaper. So, if you want to save a few bucks at each fill up, an option to consider is learning to ride on two wheels. As this article shows, getting well over 70 miles per gallon is possible on either a scooter or a small motorcycle. The winner of this comparison test happens to be the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, which sells new for less than three grand but can be found used for about half that amount. If the Ninja name has you thinking of a sports bike, think smaller. The 250cc engine gives around 30 horsepower or so from what I have heard, so there is not much chance that you’ll be in over your head when it comes to power. But, of course, with any motorcycle, proper training is required. News story after news story has shown that scooter sales in particular have gone up dramatically, which I think is a good thing, but remember to be safe if you do choose to save some green by riding on two wheels.

[Source: Cycle World]

 

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

Like many indigenous peoples, the Sami of Scandinavia have a deeply rooted respect and connect to nature. Keeping a harmonic balance between humans, plants, and animals is the root of their culture, and has been so for thousands of years. From these values, BonnieSiefers established luxurious and affordable eco-clothing line Jonäno in 2005. In their native language, jonäno means "everybody healthy," symbolizing the company's dedication to sustainable fibers and fair trade practices.

Posted by Samuel (in Anchorage, Alaska)

Hola a todos,

Es muy difícil para mi poder expresarles la forma en que los diferentes países se están comportando, especialmente cuando no se ha estado en este tipo de foros, pero voy a tratar de explicarle de la mejor manera que pueda. Bueno, como les había contado antes, las delegaciones de Japón, Nueva Zelanda y Australia están negociando, o para ser ‘exactos’ se rumorea, la manera de intercambiar la opción de caza ballenera costera, para los japoneses a cambio de que ellos dejen su propuesta de cazar jorobadas en la próxima temporada. Eso tendría que votarse hoy pero pensamos que no habrá consenso sobre aquel trato si es que ya lo tienen hecho. Para nosotros, hay un problema legal sobre el cazar jorobadas en la antártica, porque esta caza tendría que ser formalizada por la Convención sobre el comercio de especies amenazadas CITES (por si sigla en Inglés), al ser empaquetada la carne y ser vendida en Japón esto pondría a Japón en una situación de ilegalidad además que ellos estarían cazando ballenas de una forma ‘comercial’ la que está prohibida y en un Santuario Ballenero donde no se puede cazar.

Continue reading Las cuotas balleneras y la caída del santuario del atlántico sur…

Posted by Dave (live from the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, Alaska)

Following the recent general election in Iceland, there’s a new foreign minister in place, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir. And yesterday, she said something that contradicts the statements of Iceland whaling commissioner Stefan Asmundsson – who is, as you all know, very pro-whaling – aggressively so, in fact.

Ms. Gisladottir said that “we are sacrificing greater interests for lesser ones in this issue”, and that she didn’t set the instructions for the Icelandic delegation – who are sitting just down the room from me here in Anchorage. They were probably instructed before she came into office. What’s more, she hasn’t been in support of the hunt in the past.

Continue reading Iceland’s whaling conflicts with tourism – according to foreign minister…

Filed under: Coal to Liquid, Carbon Capture

Even if you disregard the environmental catastrophe that is mountaintop removal, the reasons not to increase the use of coal are numerous. The current popular idea for using coal is convert it to liquid fuel via the Fischer-Tropsch process for use in transportation. Like petroleum, coal is a fossil fuel so burning it or any derivative of it is taking carbon that is trapped in the earth and releasing it into the atmosphere.

While coal to liquid diesel fuel is definitely an alternative fuel, it is most definitely definitely not renewable and absolutely not green. According to the EPA even if coal to liquid production is combined with carbon capture and storage, greenhouse gases will rise by four percent compared to petroleum. Since no one has done a commercial scale coal to liquid plant with carbon capture it is likely that at least early plants will not have it. Without carbon capture, coal to liquid could increase well to tank greenhouse gas emissions by 119% compared to petroleum.

It would appear that the only advantage of coal to liquid technology is the security issue since we have lots of coal. Beyond that it is even more of a boondoggle than corn ethanol.

Update: Hank the EcoGeek has more on this on this story as well.

[Source: New York Times via TreeHugger]

 

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

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol

In an article published on Monday, the FT blames (subs req’d) the raise of soft commodities on the rise on the demand for biofuels (also known as the sometimes disputed “Tortilla effect”).

“Just as energy and metals prices have rallied sharply in real terms, a similar fate awaits grains, which remain significantly below the highs of the 1970s and mid-1990s,” says Michael Hughes of Deutsche Bank.

There are serious concerns about food prices rising, which would be considered bad for inflation. In addition, the demand keeps on growing strongly, thanks to the current economical situation.

The article also claims that biofuels are gradually taking over as the main growth driver of agriculture demand. Goldman Sachs says that if government policies (especially in the US and the EU) are adopted in full, global demand for biofuels could increase from 10bn gallons a year to 25bn gallons by 2010. Goldman expects the trend rate of growth in demand for agricultural commodities to rise from 1.9 per cent a year between 1997 and 2006 to 2.6 per cent a year between 1996 and 2015.

This is expected to lead to an extended period of high prices. Goldman forecasts that five years from now, corn will trade at $5 a bushel, compared with about current $3.50, while wheat will rise from $4.50 to $6 a bushel.

[Source: Financial Tribune]

 

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

Editor's Note: This Week, Chris Baskind from Lighter Footstep explores going vegetarian and its impact upon the environment. You can check out the original post here.
 

Want to help the environment? Consider cutting back on the amount of meat you consume — or go vegetarian altogether.

It's not just a question of animal ethics. Meat production is humankind's least-efficient means of feeding itself. For every pound of meat that goes to the plate, it took sixteen pounds of grain and soybean feed to put it there. On top of this, each calorie of meat protein requires approximately 78 calories of fossil fuels to produce. And at a time where 4,000 children die each day from the lack of safe water, livestock production — including feeds — accounts for about half the fresh water used in industrialized nations.

In short: an affluent, meat-rich diet consumes up to three times more resources than one based on vegetables.

Pretty gloomy statistics. There's really no argument with the idea that a well-constructed vegetarian diet is better for our bodies and the environment. Of course, it's easier said than done. Meat-eating is synonymous with health and prosperity in much of the West. Attend a business dinner, and you can be assured the main course is meat. It's tough to find vegetarian food when you're eating out. Going veggie is a significant commitment.

Photo Credit: Kansas City StarA bookstore in Kansas City has a huge glut of books in its warehouse. There are books that have gone unsold for more than a decade. Copies of books that had huge print runs, but now no one wants. Books that are decades old. Books that are in foreign languages. And, unfortunately for the store's owner, books that are not selling.

The owner has decided that the best way of dealing with this problem is to burn the books. So he loaded up a cauldron in front of his store and burned a pile of books in what he saw as a protest against what he sees as, "society's diminishing support for the printed word." But this isn't necessary at all, there are a number of online services that facilitate the exchange of books (as well as a range of other things). One of these, Paperback Swap, has begun an online petition to save the books and is offering to collect all the books from the store's warehouse, and then distribute them to people for free on a road trip from Kansas City to the company's hometown of Atlanta. This seems to be a much greener way of dealing with the glut.