Earth Day 2013: Philippines unveils building made from plastic bottles

Via: @GuardianSustBiz

A Philippines building powered by solar energy and built from old plastic bottles was opened this weekend to showcase renewable energy and highlight the problem of waste ahead of today’s Earth Day.

Designed in partnership with Stephen Lamb, founder of South Africa based green design firm Touching the Earth Lightly, the Solar Revolution Pavilion is a 200 sq metre, 6-metre high structure built of 1,600 plastic vegetable crates containing reused plastic bottles.. The crates will eventually become eco-friendly bricks for a school library’s walls.

The environmentalist David de Rothschild who journeyed across the Pacific on a boat made from plastic bottles in 2010, said at the building’s unveiling in Manila’s Luneta Park: “This is a living example of how you can take food, shelter, water and energy using existing resources that people often disregard as wasteful and actually turn them into something that is useful, and beneficial and can create a quality of life.”

The Filipino social entrepreneur Ilac Diaz who helped open the building and whose My Shelter Foundation’s “Liter of Light” project has transformed plastic bottles into sunlight-powered bulbs for 120,000 homes of the 20 million Filipinos still living without electricity, said the pavilion will also see the launch of a new solar night light. Made by adding LED lights and batteries to the bottles, these lights will be distributed to 150 locations around the country.

Visitors to the building will also be able to learn about other locally available green technologies, such as hydroponics, which involves growing plants without soil.

Diaz said: “The point is to teach people how to do it. The world has been too much about expensive technologies that are imported and brought in off-the-shelf. We want people to be able to come out of that pavilion knowing how to build these technologies themselves.”

Source:  www.guardian.co.uk 

Zuma falls short on green issues, says WWF – by By John Yeld

Cape Town – Half of South Africa’s precious freshwater resources are generated from just eight percent of the country’s land surface area – but much of this area overlies abundant coal reserves in places like Mpumalanga, says conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature SA (WWF-SA).

Responding to President Zuma’s State of the Nation address last week, the group said it had hoped the president would have dealt explicitly with the conflict between conserving water sources and exploiting coal.

“Furthermore, WWF would like to see greater leadership on how the impacts of coal mining on water will be minimised, after Mining Minister Susan Shabangu recently proposed that coal be declared a ‘strategic resource’.”

The group welcomed the State of the Nation address with its emphasis on social infrastructure, and

congratulated the government on the establishment of the R800 million Green Fund and investments made in green economy projects.

“However, we caution that key environmental matters were not addressed. What is even more worrying is that these very issues will have a profound effect on the future health of our economy and well-being of our people,” it added.

It noted that Zuma had referred in his speech to the development of two new dams: the Umzimvubu Dam in the Eastern Cape and construction of the first phase of the Mokolo Crocodile River Water Augmentation scheme near Lephalale and Thabazimbi in Limpopo.

WWF-SA demanded to see how the catchments supplying these dams would be managed.

The group said it had concerns about fracking for shale gas since the lifting last year of the moratorium on fracking in the Karoo, as it doubted the government’s capacity and willingness to implement and monitor stringent environmental standards – “given the poor record in the mining sector”.

It recognised the government’s rollout of renewable energy projects.

“But for renewables to have lasting and beneficial impacts on our economy, we have to have a much longer term horizon for the development of the renewable sector in the country.

“South Africa needs to move away from its minerals intensive economy to other sources of growth, and our main interest is in expansion of the green economy.”

It had also wanted President Zuma to have said more about rhino poaching.

“This is a critical issue with broader impacts on both the national economy and security.

More than two-thirds of our poached rhino horns are exported through Mozambique, and it’s critical that our president takes this matter up with his Mozambican counterpart.” – Cape Argus

SOURCE:  www.iol.co.za

South African – Green Business Projects

Our new page is up!

Have a look at what South Africa is up to on the green side of things: http://greenerscience.wordpress.com/south-africa-green-business-directory/

South Africa 2nd Round Renewable Energy Auction: 19 Awards Totaling 1.044 GW

Via:@greeneconpost

The South African government on May 21 awarded renewable energy contracts with a total capacity of 1,043.9 MW as it named the preferred bidders of a second-round Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Program (REIPPP) auction. Nineteen project bids were accepted: 9 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects with a total 417.1 MW; 7 wind power projects totaling 562.5 MW; 2 small hydro projects totaling 14.3 MW; and 1 concentrating solar PV project of 50 MW.

The South African government expects to award renewable energy contracts with a total maximum capacity of 3.725 gigawatts (GW) over the five-stage course of the Renewable Energy IPP Program. This week’s announcement of preferred project bidders is part of the second round of the SAR100 billion (~$12 billion) REIPPP.

Second-round auction bids to develop 79 renewable energy projects with a total 3.2 GW of capacity were submitted to South Africa’s Dept. of Energy to develop renewable energy projects in “Window 2″ of the REIPPP, the bidding window for which closed March 5. While 51 met the RFP (Request for Proposals) criteria, only 19 were selected due to a cap on the electricity generation capacity to be awarded.

Renewable Energy Transition Key to Spurring Economy, Job Creation, Protecting the Environment

A lack of sufficient, reliable electricity generating capacity has been plaguing South Africa’s economy, while heavy reliance on coal to generate electricity brings all the financially unaccounted-for environmental and health costs and risks associated with coal-fired power plants. As a developing country, South Africa is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gases (GHGs) in both absolute and per-capita terms. At the same time, high un- and under-employment continues to be a chronic social and economic problem.

South Africa is richly endowed when it comes to potential renewable energy resources, however. The SA government has come around to the view that encouraging, and actively supporting, a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources can go a long way toward meeting its social, economic and environmental challenges. Encouragingly, that’s a viewpoint that developing economies around the world are coming round to, particularly as emerging market economies are the primary drivers underlying actual and forecast growing global fossil fuel demand.

The SA government’s Integrated Energy and Integrated Resource Plans lay out the overarching strategy for South Africa to start a transition to clean, renewable energy and address critical social, economic and environmental problems.

The Renewable Energy IPP Program is central to reaching SA’s renewable energy and IRP goals. The government has set targets of producing 10,000 GW-hours of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2013, and installing 17.8 GW of renewable power capacity by 2030, less than 10% of its forecast total.

Read More: http://bit.ly/L6IVh3

Elections Organic Law voted in Parliament

Via: @GreenKnack

Luanda– The Angolan Parliament Monday in Luanda unanimously voted the bill altering the Organic Law on General Elections, Angop learned.

This was during the Parliament’s ninth ordinary plenary session, at which the MPs also approved a bill that clears doubts and omissions resulting from the interpretation and application of the said law.

The session also clarified the meaning and scope of some dispositions contained in the Organic Law on General Elections, seeking to establish clear criteria for the early voting abroad.

The House considered that early voting abroad shall be exercised under a coordination between the National Electoral Commission (CNE) and the Government, represented by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

As to the list of electoral delegates and observers, the session ruled that it is a concern of the political parties and coalitions to secure the presence of their delegates at the polling station, in line with the law.

People entitled to early voting include soldiers, national police, civil protection and State Security officers, detainees and prison services officer on duty on the voting day.

The list includes workers of diamond and oil exploration, maritime and aeronautic, road and railway firms, as well as medical doctors on duty, interned patients and high competitions athletes.

SOURCE: www.portalangop.co.ao

Wind Cheapest Form of Energy in Kenya and Nicaragua – Zachary Shahan

Via: @greeneconpost

A recent study by scientists at the ETH Zurich’s Department of Management, Technology and Economics (D-MTEC) looked into the cost of generating 1/10 of the electricity needed for 6 countries (Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Thailand) using wind power, utility-scale solar PV, or conventional options. (The research team didn’t include decentralized, off-grid wind turbines and photovoltaic power in this study but will do so in a future study.)

The study found that, in all 6 countries, wind power was cheaper than solar (though, I think it’s clear that they complement each other). Furthermore, in Kenya and Nicaragua, they found that wind was cheaper than the conventional electricity mix in those countries. (And note that this is without even taking important, costly fossil fuel externalities into account.)

Read more: http://bit.ly/JscFUz

It’s Much Easier Being Sustainable Than Green – Anthony Zolezzi

Via: @Bennuworld

Lately, I have started rethinking the value of businesses “going green.” When companies spend money to make their products or manufacturing methods “greener,” but find consumers are reluctant to pay a corresponding “green” surcharge, what they have done is to substitute one form of green – the environmental kind – for another — the monetary variety. And while virtue may be its own reward, it’s also true that a company that engages in enough unprofitable behavior may soon become unsustainable.

Now when you say anything is in danger of becoming unsustainable, that implies more urgency than the idea of simply modifying it in some way to go along with a “green” agenda.  So what I would advise today’s companies to do is to dispense with the idea of going green,  and talk about becoming sustainable instead. It may seem like a mere semantic substitution – but semantics can mean the difference between a message that nobody buys and one that’s truly effective.

“Sustainability” is about people, planet and profits  – all three of which are essential parts of the equation – whereas “green” is a one dimensional concept. It is also one that many consumers simply can’t wrap their heads around. Far too often, they associate it with hippies, or elitists, or folks who lack a sense of practicality, and give more importance to trees than jobs. Now green can, under some circumstances, be a tie breaker — but it is not a key selling point that is going to distinguish your enterprise. Sustainability, on the other hand, symbolizes survival– something that can be successfully conveyed even to those who disdain a green rationale.

So how do you go about creating a sustainable company that, in turn, can promote an image of sustainability to the public?

Read Anthony’s five tried & tested ways that he believes forms the best approach: http://bit.ly/KJ8mav

Natural Gas Vehicle Faceoff: Honda vs. Detroit – by Matter Network

Via: @greeneconpost

Ever since the introduction of the Tesla Roadster in 2008, compressed natural gas (CNG) has taken a back seat as an alternative fuel in the U.S. retail automotive market. Despite heavily financed advocacy campaigns, the technology has suffered from a lack of model availability, infrastructure, and public interest. Recent announcements from both domestic and foreign automakers, though, may be placing the alternative fuel back in the spotlight alongside electricity.

General Motors, Chrylser, and Ford all announced in early March that by the end of 2012, CNG versions of the OEMs’ pickup trucks will be available for the U.S. retail market directly from their dealers. The “Big Three” used to sell CNG vehicles retail in the 90’s and early 2000’s, but cheap gas and a lack of infrastructure made the more expensive CNG models less desirable. Thus the CNG models have been relegated to the conversion aftermarket with other eco-friendly alternative fueled vehicles such as biodiesel and EVs. Ford was the first of the Big Three back into the CNG market, offering packages preparing engines for CNG conversions in 2009.

One auto-manufacturer, Honda, has consistently maintained a CNG light duty vehicle on the U.S. market: the Civic GX. The GX has been a perpetual winner of the “Green Car of the Year” award, but is only available in four states. Though sales of the Civic GX in the U.S. have not been spectacular (2009 sales numbered less than 2,000), Honda announced in late 2011 it was expanding its sales territory to 38 states while simultaneously installing CNG refueling stations at its dealerships – essentially creating its market.

The trend certainly has much to do with the rising price of gasoline and the more consistent price of CNG, as well as the slowly growing infrastructure (there are now 449 publicly accessible stations). Though the increased interest from OEMs is encouraging, the trend has not yet translated to actual sales. This is in large part because conventional internal combustion engines are becoming more efficient, hybrid mpg ratings are topping 50 miles, and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are finally starting to hit the market. All these competing technologies also rely on an infrastructure that is quickly becoming, or already, easily accessible. This fact is troubling for Honda, because it means that a) the GX faces stiff competition, and b) it doesn’t have the public infrastructure to make “range anxiety” irrelevant. For GM, Chrysler, and Ford, however, the issues of competition and range anxiety are less concerning.

Read More: http://blog.cleantechies.com

Moving Away from PR Focused Sustainability – Lillias MacIntyre

Via: greeneconpost

Defining “sustainability” in general terms can be difficult, since definitions evolve over time with new ideas or trends.  Sustainability today encompasses contexts of natural resources and the environment, economics and social equity, but generally speaking,  to be sustainable is to use “methods, systems and materials that won’t deplete resources or harm natural cycles” (Rosenbaum, 1993) – and to “meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (WECD, 1987).  In “Advancing Sustainability: From 1.0 to 3.0” – a white paper from GE and Wharton – experts discuss why the business case for sustainability is compelling, even in this tough economic climate.

Increasingly, companies are moving away from PR focused reputation management and reparation-based initiatives to innovative, forward thinking practices that engage stakeholders.  And, while their definitions of sustainability vary, executives agree on the reasons for undertaking such initiatives: to “create value for shareholders, customers and communities while recognizing constraints on natural resources.”  That said, many executives also feel that significant barriers exist to impede progress (i.e. high upfront capital costs and long payback periods).

Yet, value creation doesn’t have to come at a high price.  In fact, one of the easiest ways to find savings and increase employee engagement is to host Treasure Hunts – one to three day events that unite cross-functional teams of employees in an effort to identify energy savings throughout facilities.  In her blog, EDF’s Beth Trask talks about using Treasure Hunts to empower employees to find savings by tapping the diversity of their experiences and ideas.  These events are low-cost initiatives that can be replicated at companies of any size.

Embracing a proactive, future-focused sustainability effort requires a clear vision and employee engagement – driving change from the bottom with support from the top.  Ideally, companies would approach sustainability programs by setting absolute goals – tougher but more important than intensity targets, according to Gwen Ruta, VP of EDF’s Corporate Partnerships Program.  Absolute goals help maintain momentum and stimulate innovative thinking when the low hanging fruit has been picked, because to achieve an absolute goal, a company must “have the imagination to think about [its] business differently….”  Thus, we should “build into the definition of sustainability that as one natural resource is depleted, another [is] identified or developed to replace it” (Robert Giegengack, emeritus professor, U Penn).

Looking ahead, large, multi-national companies possessing leverage should work on supply chain influences, while smaller companies ought to start with in-house programs and eye supply chains to be able to keep up with regulatory requirements.  Further, consumers have the power to spur innovation, so companies would be wise to value customer feedback when evaluating their business models.  And, like financial reporting, CSR reporting should be formalized so commitments are visible and companies are held accountable.

In summary, when moving beyond PR motivated sustainability efforts to future-focused practices, companies will begin to:

View compliance as an opportunity
Make value chains sustainable
Design sustainable products and services
Develop new business models that will change the competitive landscape, and
Create next-practice platforms by questioning the logic behind current business practices.

SOURCE:  http://bit.ly/IFJhv2

Sustainability Reports: Worth the Effort? – by Dunstan Allison Hope

Via: @greeneconpost

I have spent the first six weeks of 2012 working with companies to create sustainability reports, and the mix of companies has been refreshingly diverse—first-time reporters and experienced old-hands, reporters from developed and emerging markets, companies with huge direct impacts and those with a much smaller footprint.

Traveling back from one of these engagements I began to wonder: Is all this effort on sustainability reporting really worth it?

Reflecting on this, I started with the obvious: BSR’s mission—working with business to create a just and sustainable world—requires corporate transparency. It is vitally important that decision-makers at all levels—customers, policy makers, regulators, and members of civil society—have reliable and comparable sustainability performance information to make informed decisions.

Clearly, creating sustainability reports supports our mission.

While this is true, I wasn’t satisfied by my answer any more than I was satisfied by my cramped seat in economy.  Many consulting firms help companies create sustainability reports, so there must be something more that sets our approach apart. Somewhere above Lake Michigan, long after my laptop battery had died, I wrote a list.

1. Sustainability reporting helps define how companies address the world’s biggest sustainability challenges. In theory, strategy comes first, and reporting communicates progress. But in reality, the report-writing process—defining a company’s point of view and articulating future plans—has a significant influence on a company’s sustainability strategy. Words are powerful, and in a sustainability report they grab the attention of the CEO. I’ve noted many engagements in which BSR colleagues have ensured that difficult topics are not avoided, that the company’s sustainability objectives are challenged, and that the report points the company in ambitious and more sustainable directions.

2. The sustainability field needs extensive capacity-building. It’s amazing what one hears when creating a sustainability report. The license to speak to leaders across a company about everything they are doing on sustainability is one enormous learning opportunity for both BSR and the company. During a reporting project, we dive deeply into hot sustainability topics, yet we also step back to look at the complete picture. Sustainability reporting projects make for great source material, significantly enhancing the experience for the client, who gets much more than a copywriter. Instead, they gain strategic insights across a whole spectrum of sustainability issues.3. While report readers tend to be global, report writers are often not. It never ceases to amaze me how often a reporting project consists of a few people at a sheltered company HQ trying to write a globally relevant report. Sustainability is a global challenge requiring a global response, and for this reason we’re often tasked with making sure that global perspectives are given their deserved attention. I can recall many times when BSR staff of different nationalities or international experiences bring new and challenging perspectives to bear on report copy—and with that, they influence company strategy, too.

Read more: http://bit.ly/yS9QKh