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Energy Should Be Converted–Never Wasted

admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:04:03 +0000

Free energy, created in the furnace of our sun, makes its way to Earth in the form of light and radiation. That light shines on our crops, where its energy becomes trapped in the membranes of plants and in the sugars that it stores and the fruit it produces (photosynthesis). When we harvest these fruits (or vegetables) and eat them, our bodies convert that stored energy, from the sun, into energy that we use to maintain our body temperature, fuel metabolic processes and repair tissues. That energy is in turn released by us as heat or stored again in our wastes, or as fuel in our bloodstreams and individual cells. So, when we throw away the plant matter we do not consume, such as onion peels, pumpkin shells, carrot tops, broccoli stems, coffee grounds, lettuce heads, orange peels and the myriad of other produce discards, we are throwing away FREE energy from the sun–energy which has remained stored in those materials. Sadly, if not composted or processed back into a usable form, that energy is hauled away to the local dump, where it sits–just like unused gasoline–in a forgotten, underground tank.

That widespread wastefulness may soon come to an end. As recycling efforts move beyond glass, plastic, paper and other man-made substance to biological wastes, the trash bin may finally become an item of the past. Instead, our homes will merely house containers which transport ALL household wastes to recycling facilities. This includes food waste.

Did you know that through fermentation, a process where anaerobic bacteria rearranges the molecular bonds within plants, that energy stored in discarded plant matter can be converted into molecular structures which we can then use as fuel? By using technology to basically do what our digestive system does (converting stored plant energy into a fuel which our bodies can use), we can help our planet by eliminating landfills.

Read More: City Trash Plus Farm Leftovers May Yield Clean Energy Marcia Wood USDA Agricultural Research Service

Green Redemption

admin — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:44:11 +0000

We know that recycling, composting, renewable energy and conservation programs are good for the planet, but did you know that these programs are helping people too?

Green initiatives can beautify cities, supply local produce, provide education opportunities and create jobs. This phenomenon has spread to even the most unlikely of places–Prisons.

Read More: Green Prisons Farm, Recycle to Save Energy, Money by Phuong Le

The Patchwork Quilt of Environmental Progress

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:54:39 +0000

What’s becoming clearer, as we make the individual, national and global transition towards conservation and sustainability is that the solution does not reside in any one innovation. Progress will require the incorporation of a combination of technologies and practices which GENERATE energy, CONSERVE resources, REDUCE or RECYCLE waste and REPLACE traditional practices which harm the environment.

Did you know that factories can water crops, crops can produce energy, natural wastes can produce soils and progressive farming practices can turn wastes into fuels and packaging?

Read More: As Sustainable Farming Takes Root, Green Thumbs Get Greener — USA Today

Green Roofs are Taking Root in American Cities

admin — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:18:07 +0000

from the chicago tribune

NEW YORK — When asphalt-weary American city dwellers yearn for a bit of greenery these days, more and more of them head for the roof.

The concept of planted green roofs, which gained early popularity in Chicago, is beginning to take root in New York and other cities.

Construction of green roofs grew 30 percent in North America last year, according to the third annual Green Roof Market Industry Survey by the Toronto-based non-profit group Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. For the third time, Chicago topped the list of U.S. and Canadian cities in terms of square footage installed in one year. Although it polls only members of its group, the Green Roofs survey estimates it reflects about 60 percent of all green roof industry activity in the U.S. and Canada.

Read Further: Green Roofs

Cow Power

admin — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:41:01 +0000

Did you know that nearly one-fifth of the greenhouse effect is caused by methane gas?

That’s right. Methane, which is produced when bacteria breaks down organic matter in the absence of oxygen, traps twenty-five times more infrared radiation (heat) from the sun than carbon dioxide, the primary gas implicated in global warming. Twenty percent of the methane floating in the atmosphere today was produced in the past and leaks from coal veins, arctic tundra as glaciers retreat and natural gas deposits. The rest of the methane in existence comes from many sources which include gas pipeline leaks, swamps, rice paddies, burning forests, landfills, animals and even termites!

The current release of methane is calculated at around 551,000,000 tons per year. The good news is that a large portion of this annual, global methane production comes from cattle. Cattle flatulence that is. The reason this is good news is because a new technology called a methane digester, now exists for farmers to convert cow flatulence into a biogas that in turn is used to produce heat and electricity.

What better state to take a look at biogas progress than the dairy state–Wisconsin, where 18 methane digesters produce 55.2 million kilowatts a year, which is enough electricity to power 5,543 homes!

Read more about Cow Power in Wisconsin and the extraordinary ways it is contributing to environmental progress.

The Winds of Change

admin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:33:03 +0000

You may know about wind power in the form of tall, tapering towers, with their large, hypnotically-swooping propellers, gracefully rotating out in the open country.

But did you know that wind powered electricity generators come in all shapes and sizes? Some of them can barely be seen on top of buildings, right inside large, metropolitan areas.

In fact, Jay Leno, host of NBC’s Tonight Show has one such generator atop the 17,000 sq. ft. garage, which houses his vast exotic car collection. In a joint venture with Popular Mechanics and PacWind, the maker of the Delta II turbine, which will cut in and produce power each time the outside wind exceeds 6 mph, Jay Leno is taking gradual steps to transform his energy-consuming warehouse into a completely self-sufficient enterprise.

Read more about this and watch the video at: Jay Leno/Green Garage