Archive for Green Living 101
UK announces subsidies for conversion to renewable heating sources
Posted by: | CommentsJust recently it seems that I’ve found a number of interesting stories that illustrate the role that government can play in aiding environmental measures or conversely where funding is being cut which impacts the ability to regulate or stimulate renewable energy/reduction of emissions appropriately. The tides of change vary from nation to nation but this story is a positive one from the UK.
The British government have announced that significant subsidies will be granted to homes, businesses and schools that are using or converting to renewable heating systems throughout the country. One of the most common methods is a conversion to woodchip burners for heating rather than a continued reliance on fossil fuel heating systems which of course also provide additional pollutants. The new scheme is to begin shortly with more than £850 million ($1.4 billion US/CA) earmarked over the next four years. It’s expected that most of the subsidized funds will be directed to hospitals, schools and community housing simply due to the size of the equipment involved. Nevertheless it’s a positive and encouraging step by a coalition government who have had their green credentials challenged and selection last year. It’s another step toward the EU target for renewable energy reaching 20 percent in the years to come, although the UK has set a lesser target of 15 percent at present.
Solar panels on a brick home in the UK
Additional incentives are in place for homeowners who add solar power to their homes or heat pumps in the ground for the purpose of heating water. There is an interesting migration in concepts around reducing emissions taking place in the UK also as analysts are documenting that more emissions are caused by heating homes and businesses than from generating electricity in the first place. This in turn may result in a new strategy that focuses on transforming the infrastructure of existing buildings. I must say that in reality as important as new green building is, the investment and commitment to try and upgrade existing structures especially for heating surely provides more benefits overall.
This new scheme in the UK is being lauded as a first of its kind, but much work has to be done to move the ratio of low-carbon heating supply in the country from its current lackluster 1% and closer to the European average of 10%. Such statistics speak volumes about the lack of previous investment and incentives. At present the island nation is reliant on gas for 70% of heat, a figure that the government will be wanting to reduce as soon as possible. In economic terms the subsidies are expected to prompt larger investment into green energy businesses which stand to prosper from the changing conditions.
Toronto School Board to implement giant solar power project
Posted by: | CommentsHuge and exciting news this week about a commitment to renewable energy that looks set to be the largest rooftop solar project ever in Canada, we’re especially pleased at the proposed transformation as it will be right here in our own community of Toronto.
The giant project has been announced by the Toronto District School Board that will see new solar panels added to the roof of nearly every school in the district. Naturally a program this large will take some time as more than 520 building make up the district, of which approximately 450 will see a refit with new solar roofing. The plan is primarily about energy but also will be integral to an ongoing commitment to repair the roofs that older buildings would have needed anyway. Remarkably also the costs of the project will not be footed by taxpayers.
The Toronto District School Board have approved the $445 million deal that will be scheduled throughout the next 20 years, in addition the company providing the installation will complete in excess of $120 million repairing school rooftops as part of the project. In all millions of square of rooftop will benefit and provide the school board the financial advantage that is anticipated by being able to sell excess solar energy beyond what the school buildings will themselves need. As I write this I can’t help but wonder why every school district wouldn’t want to follow such an exciting lead. Trustee Howard Goodman explained:
“This is groundbreaking; this reduces greenhouse gases and provides a learning opportunity for our students and leaves a legacy for more than 20 years — this is extraordinary,”
The project will be manned by AMP Solar Ltd. Partnerships who will begin by tacking the worst roofs in the initial few years before unrolling the scheme throughout the city. Other cities are standing up and taking note of the project details already. Upon completion the roofs are scheduled to generate more than 65 megawatts of renewable energy each year. AMP Solar Ltd will oversee the construction, operations, power management and overall maintenance of the project in addition to paying the school district rent for the space being used.
Of course there is also a huge educational benefit as ultimately every school in town will have its own renewable energy plant sitting on the roofs of the buildings where the students are educated. It will provide a dynamic learning opportunity about the generation and value of renewable energy in an everyday setting. The environmental benefits will be clear as day to students who can see the solar panels in action. Renewable energy demonstrations won’t require a field trip but simply some ladders and a safe pair of shoes.
You can learn more about AMP Solar Group via this link.
Eco-friendly solvent that could reinvent dry cleaning
Posted by: | CommentsIt never ceases to amaze me just how huge the scope is for changing our existing behaviours into ones that would be far more environmentally friendly. I suppose it stands to reason that you could isolate almost any industry and look at their current existing practices and refine them into a more planet conscious approach. All of which means that there’s so much more work to be done and also that dismissing corporate social responsibility as something that belongs as a concern to only the largest corporations would not be accurate.
One such industry that I’d not given much consideration to is professional dry-cleaning, but when you think about it every town has at least one and usually far more than that and a sizable percentage of the population use the services of a dry cleaner on at least a semi-regular basis. It’s probably no surprise to learn that in North America the vast majority of dry cleaners are using solvents that are not especially environmentally friendly at present. Kreussler GMBH a German chemical producer feels that they can change the market completely with their new invention which would fly in the face of existing practices through much of the dry-cleaning market here.
The company has been hard at work on developing a new solvent known as SystemK4 (SK4) that could and should revolutionize the industry to being far more planet friendly than the middling ground that is currently taken by most companies. At present the German company has very little presence in the US and Canada but have led the European dry-cleaning market for a quarter of a century and feel that the new solvent SK4 could see them make inroads here that were previously impossible. SK4 is being promoted as a solvent that is completely “innovative, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, biodegradable and safe for ground, water and humans”. Richard Fitzpatrick is the VP of operations at the Tampa office of Kreussler Inc:
“We feel very strongly that this is historically our opportunity to change the industry and move it away from halogenated common solvents in many dry-cleaning establishments currently,”
The company’s strength in Europe has been within the textile industry creating detergents and additives for dry-cleaning solvents but the commercial venture into this market looks to be ideally timed as many dry-cleaning operations understand the need to change their practices but are still weighing up alternatives. At present the industry standard is the less environmentally friendly solvent called perc (perchloroethylene) which while being an improvement over what was used a generation ago does not offer the same very credible capacity of SK4 and proven research shows that it enters the groundwater system and can be hazardous to both humans and animals. It also adds to issues which affect air quality as part of a photochemical smog, you can read more about the solvent via this EPA report.
At present about 20,000 perc dry-cleaning machines are in active use in the US alone which constitutes some 80 percent of the market. Fitzpatrick explains that the SK4 could be the industry standard within a decade while providing the same or better performance in terms of cleaning and ease-of-use it would also provide far safer conditions for workers and a vast reduction in environmental impact. Sign me up!
You can learn more about Kreussler’s SK4 by following this link.
