CRS has been in the renewable energy certification and verification business for ten years. Their Green-e certification programs provide assurance to consumers that the businesses sporting the Green-e logo meet the program's requirements for renewable energy options. Now Green-e is expanding their certification guidelines to include Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GHG) products.
While most companies assure customers that money spent on GHG reduction products, like personal renewable energy credits, will go towards specific things like planting trees or funding wind farm projects, there are currently no standards or verification processes in place.
CRS hopes to fill this void with the Green-e GHG Product Certification Program, which will set product standards, develop a verification process and release consumer disclosure guidelines.
The details of the Green-e GHG program are still being finalized. CRS is working with a governance board, an advisory group and stakeholders in the development of the standard. While the governance board and the advisory group are made up of industry experts, and environmental organizaitons and businesses, anyone can be a stakeholder and give input on this process. All of the documents involved are downloadable at Green-e.org.
One important factor in this certification process is the issue of additionality, or making sure that GHG reduction products sold to customers are verified, that they aren't counted elsewhere and that money goes towards projects that would not have happened without the carbon market. Strict additionality standards will add credibility to the voluntary carbon market and ensure that your purchase really will make a difference.
Green-e analyst Lars Kvale stresses, however, that regardless of certification, consumers should not buy carbon credits in lieu of reducing their own green house gas emissions.
What we're trying to do with the certification program is to enable consumers to offset their emissions they can't reduce… For example, most environmentally minded folks still take airplane trips and you can't buy a ticket for a renewable powered airplane. That's just not possible right now.
So this is where folks are coming and saying, well if i can't do that, let me do what's the next best, which is to get a reduction somewhere else. Then on balance it will even out with the understanding that yes, it doesn't mean my airplane does not have any impact, it means I'm offsetting that impact. [This program will] enable that to work for consumers. It's not an instead of, but really in addition to energy efficiency and buying renewable energy.
Green-e has invited sellers of GHG reductions to participate, including the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) and Gold Standard. The Green-e GHG Product Certification Program is expected to roll out this summer.
With all of our eco-conscious viewers who are concerned with the environment, I am sure that a few of you have some questions regarding GE’s green technologies. Consider that GE makes jet engines and locomotives, along with a huge number of other products which cover the gamut of most everything each of us use each day. So, their CEO, Jeff Immelt, must have some interesting views regarding “the greening of America”. If you have a question you’d like to ask him, why not go ahead and do it? According to this YouTube video, said GE CEO will be answering questions submitted by YouTube users on ecomagination.com at 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT on Thursday, May 24.
Editor's note: This week, Ecotality blogger Doug Snodgrass points us to a resource for information on green cars. While the site Doug points to is British, most of the cars listed are widely available. This post was orginally published on May 16, 2007.
VCARS, a website to help Brits find new and used cars, has compiled a listing of "The Greenest Cars on Earth." The list contains real-world info that’s important to not only the green-minded, but also the consumer at large; CO2 emissions, MPG combined, engine type, transmission type, BHP/torque, weight, NCAP rating (European New Car Assessment Programme), top speed, 0-62 MPH, warranty info…
Cars are categorized by hybrid, electric, biofuel, and future green cars. The bonus here is that every auto is accompanied by a photo, tre-cool in the future green cars category.
Winner of the most interesting name? The Venturi Fetish (shown in photo).
Despite the creep of corporatism, LOHAS 11 concluded this week in Marina Del Rey and delivered on its promise of an agenda built around social change and soy everything. Few conferences boldly include kundalina yoga, meditation breaks and taebo on the agenda, but LOHAS does so with perhaps a bit of pretension but a whole lot of active, eager practitioners. As someone who has attended previous LOHAS sessions, this year did not feel unique, though perhaps a bit more mainstream. Panels ranged from a thoughtful exposition on Virgin Unite, Richard Branson’s CSR platform to developing sustainable cities, to employing biomimicry techniques with a dizzying smorgasbord of samples scattered in between the sessions. The usual suspects from Green Hollywood ranged about the event. Ed Begley Jr. promoted his new website, Fixing the Planet, while Mariel Hemmingway plied her thoughts in her own session. Perhaps the most interesting moment at LOHAS happened not at one of the events packed into the tight schedule, but at an event that took place in the evening at the home of Lawrence Bender. Lawrence is among the most indefatigable activists in Hollywood, laboring during the day to create content that aligns with his values like An… (more)
Top photo: a wounded mother humpback whale in the Port of Sacramento. Bottom photo: The mother whale and her baby surface. (Click both photos to enlarge, and for source.)
Although Sacramento, California is landlocked, back in 1963, construction on a deep-water channel between San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento River was completed, creating the Port of Sacramento. The port is a busy industrial area, with a railcar terminal, facilities to export rice and other grains, and deal with cargo such as fertilizer and cement.
All in all, it’s not a natural – or healthy – place for humpback whales. However, a mother humpback whale and her baby have manage to swim up the 90 mile long channel and into the port area. They have been in the port since about May 16, 2007. Biologists are trying to figure out how to get the whales out, for obvious reasons, not the least of which is:
The 14m female has a long and deep wound on her back in front of her dorsal fin that appeared to have occurred when she surfaced underneath a boat, said Frances Gulland, the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Centre veterinarian who inspected the animals.
The whale’s 7m calf had a more severe wound on its right flank that may have been inflicted when the animal surfaced alongside its mother.
“The calf’s wound could have a long-term impact on that animal,” said Ms Gulland.
[Note: more current articles specify that a boat propeller probably caused the wounds.]
Biologists are trying to use recorded whale songs to lure the whales back to the ocean. You can see from this map that it’s not an easy or short journey.
Prema of Teddy Exports in India with her Floral TotesThe guarantee of a “fair wage in the local context” is one of the most often publicized of the fair trade criteria. Fair Trade attempts to empower disadvantaged producers in countries that often do not have adequate workers’ rights laws including a minimum wage. Fair trade guarantees at least the minimum wage even in countries that have a minimum wage law but do not enforce it. In countries that do not have a minimum wage the buyer of the product is still bound by the fair trade criteria to pay a fair wage in the local context.
For some products, such as coffee and bananas, a Fair Trade price is set by the Fair Trade Labeling Organizations. These minimum prices are always paid despite fluctuations in the market price and, of course, the market price is paid if it ever rises above the Fair Trade price. These prices also have a social premium included that producer cooperatives use to enhance infrastructure, provide social services and educate and train.
However, there is a large set of Fair Trade products that are not certified at the product level, mostly decorative arts and handcrafts. With these products Fair Trade, for pragmatic reasons, takes the approach of certifying wholesale importers and retail outlets who deal directly with artisan cooperatives. In this scenario the responsibility to pay a fair wage rests with the importer of the goods. So how does an importer know what a fair wage is "in the local context" of the producers? The primary and preferred mode is to simply talk with the producers to find out what they deem is a fair and living wage. There is some additional help in the form of an online fair wage calculator, created by World of Good Development, to help determine what a fair wage might be in any given local context.
I input the required information for Teddy Exports’Floral Tote that we offer over at the shop (which we buy wholesale from direct importer World Finds, a model Fair Trade organization) into the calculator. I found that the women at Teddy making the Floral Totes are making roughly four times the minimum wage of 2.15 USD per day in India. This wage is in addition to the free health care, daily meal, child care and schooling each artisan is entitled to at Teddy. The wage is also two times the Acumen Fund poverty line for urban India. The tool simply aggregates all the freely available economic information necessary to determine a fair price for goods. But it makes the process of determining a fair price price more streamlined and accessible.
Paying a fair wage is the most basic of the Fair Trade criteria but is perhaps the most important. A mutually respectful trading relationship cannot exist without it.
This is the second in a series of posts discussing the Fair Trade criteria. Also check out Fair Trade: Transparency.
We often discuss differences between cellulosic vs. corn ethanol, but when was the last time we thought about nuclear ethanol? Specifically, this is ethanol made in a plant that uses excess heat from a commercial nuclear power plant for distillation. Using the leftover heat means “virtually no energy component” to the ethanol production cost, and therefore the end result is an ethanol per-gallon price of under one dollar.
This set-up is the hope of Alternate Energy Holdings (AEHI), which is proposing a Idaho Energy Complex that will operate as described above. AEHI says that, compared to an average cost of about $2 per gallon for other ethanol-production techniques and the 51-cent per gallon federal tax credit, and you’ve got yourself a doozy of a double duty energy plant.
If AEHI thinks that those people who aren’t enamored with the current state of ethanol in America won’t have a problem with combining ethanol with nuclear energy, they should think again. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with capturing a source of energy (the excess heat) and making it useful, I can’t imaging a less popular form of “green” energy than nuclear ethanol.
A seemingly simple alteration a wind turbine blade’s traditional shape could result in huge improvements in efficiency.
WhalePower Corporation out of Toronto, Canada has designed a turbine blade with rounded, teeth-like bumps along the leading edge. The company’s name is a nod to the humpback whale, whose flipper was the inspiration for the design.
The agility of the humpback whale is astonishing, given that they can be over 50 feet long, weigh nearly 80,000 pounds, yet move quickly and tightly in the water. One of the animal's advantages, according to scientists, is the unique row of bumps or “tubercles” along the leading edge of their flippers that dramatically increase the whale’s aerodynamic efficiency. Specifically, researchers found a 32 percent lower drag and 8 percent improvement in lift from a flipper with a serrated edge compared to a smooth one.
Businessman Stephen Dewar heard about the humpback research and contacted one of the scientists involved, Professor Frank Fish of West Chester University in Pennsylvania. After a few meetings, they enlisted the help of some local engineers and formed WhalePower, taking a cue from Mother Nature and modeling their blade design after the whale’s flipper.
WhalePower claims that their turbine design can capture more wind energy at much lower speeds than traditional designs. The channels created by the teeth at the blade's edge cause separate wind streams to accelerate across the surface of the blade in rotating flows. These “energy-packed” vortexes increase the lift force on the blade. For example, Dewar told the Toronto Star that this design produces the same power at 11 miles per hour that one would expect at 18 miles per hour. Furthermore, he claimed these channels prevent airflow from moving along the span of the blade and past the tip, which can create noise, instability and a loss of energy. By keeping the air flow nicely channeled, more wind is captured and noise is reduced.
Dewar sees this “biomimicry” design – the fusion of biology and engineering – reaching beyond wind power.
“’This changes the game,’ says Dewar, adding that any system using a fan or turbine could also benefit from the new design. This includes everything from better turbines for hydroelectric generation to residential ceiling fans that use less electricity. ‘If we've got what we think we've got, then the range of applications is staggering.’”
The Ontario Centres of Excellence and the Ontario Power Authority have contributed over $60,000 USD for early research and to encourage collaboration with a wind engineering group at the University of Western Ontario. The next and arguably most crucial step to commercial production is independent, third party verification of the blade’s performance.
I am not really sure if this study is that new or not like it says it is on this page, but the information found in it might be interesting to our readership. The data here suggests that if 20 percent of automobile drivers were instead riding a Vespa in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, there could be quite a few environmental benefits. Take a moment to consider the gas savings and congestion improvements alone. In the interest of full disclosure, certain bits of data from this report might have been provided by Vespa. But, common rational thought is all that is required to realize that the scooters get better gas mileage and take up less space than the automobiles, taxis and trucks that they would be replacing.
Now, whether or not it is a good idea to ride a scooter or any other two-wheeled vehicle on the busy streets of New York is another story. I have driven there myself, and I can safely say that I would rather not drive there again any time in the near future. Mass transit seems to be a better idea for that particular city, I think. Be sure to read the comments left here at Hugg regarding this study.
I'm turning my StumbleUpon gaze to two very important tags: Global Warming and Climate Change. You'll find a wealth of links on those two pages on the science, politics, personalities of one of the biggest challenges to face humanity- the warming of our climate. We're not going to win the fight if we don't equip ourselves with knowledge,-here are a few links gleaned from Global Warming and Climate Change. If you are just joining in on the Stumble fun and have no idea what I am talking about, a quick click over to the first post I wrote about StumbleUpon might be a good use of a few minutes.
• Video: Al Gore at TED: 15 ways to avert a climate crisis With the same humor and humanity he exuded in An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore spells out 15 ways we can address climate change, from buying a hybrid car to inventing a hotter brand name for global warming. First, though, comes a hilarious set of stories from The New Gore, who turns out to be a stand-up comedian. The former Vice President has plenty of joke material, and he's funnier than you've ever seen him. Then he gets down to grittier matters with a list of actions ordinary people can take to stem the tide of global warming. His message: Doing something is easier than you think.
• Light bulb may be on its way out NEW YORK — The light bulb, the symbol of bright ideas, doesn't look like such a great idea anymore, as lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad are talking about banning the century-old technology because of its contribution to global warming.
But what comes next? Compact fluorescent bulbs are the only real alternative right now, but "bulbs" that use light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are quickly emerging as a challenger.
LEDs, which are small chips usually encased in a glass dome the size of a matchstick head, have been in use in electronics for decades to indicate, for example, whether a VCR is on or off.
Those LEDs were usually red or green, but a scientific breakthrough in the 1990s paved the way for the production of LEDs that produce white light. Because they use less power than standard incandescent bulbs, white LEDs have become common in flashlights.
• Clean Energy Spending Can Curb Climate Change, WWF Says GENEVA — The world can avoid the worst effects of climate change with investments in clean energy so long as the wholesale shift from fossil fuels starts within five years, the environmental group WWF said on Tuesday.
In its Climate Solutions report, the Swiss-based body argued that solar, wind and other "benign" power sources could satisfy the world's growing energy needs and keep temperature increases below the critical two-degree Celsius (3.6 F) threshold.
Scientists believe that global warming beyond that point will trigger dangerous storms, floods and droughts that could devastate areas that are home to millions of people.
The WWF said that renewable energy sources, though not yet operating on a large-enough scale to replace petroleum, coal and other carbon-emitting fuels, could do so if governments agree by 2012 to set targets and coordinate investments to develop them.
"In five years it may be too late to initiate a sustainable transition which could avert a breach of the two-degree threshold for avoiding dangerous climate change," it found.
• Deforestation: The hidden cause of global warming In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Stopping the loggers is the fastest and cheapest solution to climate change. So why are global leaders turning a blind eye to this crisis?
The accelerating destruction of the rainforests that form a precious cooling band around the Earth's equator, is now being recognised as one of the main causes of climate change. Carbon emissions from deforestation far outstrip damage caused by planes and automobiles and factories.
The rampant slashing and burning of tropical forests is second only to the energy sector as a source of greenhouses gases according to report published today by the Oxford-based Global Canopy Programme, an alliance of leading rainforest scientists.
Figures from the GCP, summarising the latest findings from the United Nations, and building on estimates contained in the Stern Report, show deforestation accounts for up to 25 per cent of global emissions of heat-trapping gases, while transport and industry account for 14 per cent each; and aviation makes up only 3 per cent of the total.
"Tropical forests are the elephant in the living room of climate change," said Andrew Mitchell, the head of the GCP.
• Giving Up On Two Degrees The rich nations seeking to cut climate change have this in common: they lie. You won’t find this statement in the draft of the new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was leaked to the Guardian last week. But as soon as you understand the numbers, the words form before your eyes. The governments making genuine efforts to tackle global warming are using figures they know to be false.
The British government, the European Union and the United Nations all claim to be trying to prevent “dangerous” climate change. Any level of climate change is dangerous for someone, but there is a broad consensus about what this word means: two degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels. It is dangerous because of its direct impacts on people and places (it could, for example, trigger the irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet(1)and the collapse of the Amazon rainforest(2)) and because it is likely to stimulate further warming, as it encourages the world’s natural systems to start releasing greenhouse gases.
• Will Your State's Tree or Flower Continue to Grow in Your State? Plants across the nation are affected by global warming. You have probably seen that many plants in your backyard are blooming earlier. Global warming will mean that many native and iconic plants may no longer find suitable climate conditions in major portions of their historic range. Click on your state to see if your official State Trees or State Flowers may be affected.
• Murdoch sets emissions goal THE world's top media company, News Corporation, will slash its global carbon footprint to zero under a bold plan revealed by its chairman, Rupert Murdoch. Saying the global media empire produced 641,150 tonnes of greenhouse gas last year, the News chairman and CEO last night pledged to go green.
"We could make a difference just by holding our emissions steady as our businesses continue to grow, but that doesn't seem to be enough," Mr Murdoch said.
"We want to go all the way to zero," he told News Corp's worldwide employees.
"This is about changing the DNA of our business to re-imagine how we look at energy."
Under the plan, all News Corp businesses, including News Limited, publisher of the Herald Sun, will be carbon neutral by 2010.
Confused and disoriented by erratic weather, birds are changing migration habits and routes to adjust to warmer winters, disappearing feeding grounds and shrinking wetlands. Failure to adapt risks extinction, experts say.
This weekend, bird watchers and conservationists in dozens of countries staged events to mark World Migratory Bird Day with concerts, films and children's drawing contests to attract attention to the rising threat of global warming.
• Fair Trade: Transparency This is the first in a series of posts that will explore the stated principles of Fair Trade and the requirements for certification.
The first of the major components of fair trade we will look at is transparency. In order to obtain Fair Trade certification, the producer must, among other requirements, be “organized into cooperatives or associations that are transparent, accountable and democratic.” IFAT defines transparency and accountability as “transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners.” Transparency appeals to me as a consumer. If you need to cover your operations you have something to hide, right?
If you like any of the links above think about dropping a thumbs up on them. Make sure to swing by (and join) my page on Stumble and check out the Green Options and Green Stumblers StumbleUpon Groups.
When you purchase carbon credits to offset your personal greenhouse gas emissions, do you really know where that money is going or how those credits are counted in the market? The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) will make sure you do with their upcoming Green-e Certified Greenhouse Gas Reduction Product Certification Program.
Prema of Teddy Exports in India with her Floral TotesThe guarantee of a “fair wage in the local context” is one of the most often publicized of the fair trade criteria. Fair Trade attempts to empower disadvantaged producers in countries that often do not have adequate workers’ rights laws including a minimum wage. Fair trade guarantees at least the minimum wage even in countries that have a minimum wage law but do not enforce it. In countries that do not have a minimum wage the buyer of the product is still bound by the fair trade criteria to pay a fair wage in the local context. 
Happy Thursday!!!