Milestone: 600,000 Homes Weatherized Three Months Ahead of Schedule

Considering the rising costs of heating and cooling recently reported you would think almost everyone would be weatherizing their homes!

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that states and territories across the nation have reached the goal of weatherizing more than 600,000 low-income homes– including more than 125,000 multi-family homes like apartment buildings–more than three months ahead of schedule. 


The Department reached this major milestone as part of its efforts to save energy and reduce home utility bills for families, while creating jobs in communities throughout the country.
On a conference call to make the announcement, Secretary Chu was joined by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, who spoke about Minnesota's efforts and progress on the ground making homes more efficient with weatherization upgrades.


Through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states and territories supported by the Department's Weatherization Assistance Program set the aggressive goal to reduce energy waste in approximately 600,000 low-income homes with energy efficient upgrades such as insulation, air-sealing, and more efficient heating and cooling systems. The program is helping families save money on their energy bills and creating thousands of jobs locally–putting carpenters, electricians, and others back to work. While the original target date for completing 600,000 weatherization upgrades was the end of March, 2012, the Department announced today that it had met that objective more than three months ahead of schedule.

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today recognized four leading organizations for expanding the market for electricity produced from renewable energy sources during the 11th annual Green Power Leadership Awards in San Francisco, California. These organizations' innovative "green power" programs provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase clean energy from environmentally-preferred sources, such as wind and solar energy.
Organizations that offer and promote green power programs support an industry that creates thousands of jobs each year, making clean, renewable energy accessible and affordable to the homeowners and businesses they serve. DOE encourages the growth of these programs nationwide by selecting exemplary programs to receive Green Power Leadership Awards.

Green Certification Programs get FTC crackdown

Home office take... always worth bearing in mind a good litmus test for Green credentials is the track record and history of the company, which of course means research. The move by FTC should be beneficial with the plethora of certifications out there, almost everyone should benefit from this move.

article by Shawn Wright | WASTE & RECYCLING NEWS Posted September 21, 2011 ARLINGTON, VA. (Sept. 21, 2:30 p.m. ET) -- Becoming green-certified can be as difficult as meeting stringent criteria or as easy as using a credit card.
There are more than 400 green certification systems and eco-friendly labels in a variety of industries, making it difficult to determine which company is “green” and which company is “greenwashing” -- deceptive promotion of a company as environmentally friendly.
“I think it’s a challenge because there are so many different seals and certifications out there that the greatest fear just might be that there’s a sea of green noise,” said David Mallen, deputy director of the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. “One of the challenges is distinguishing one from the other.”
This year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) cracked down on one company that was doing little more than selling green certification labels. Now it’s updating its guidelines for environmentally friendly criteria.
In January, FTC sued Tested Green, a “completely bogus certifier,” said Laura Koss, senior lawyer in the FTC’s division of enforcement. Tested Green sold environmental certifications for hundreds of dollars and told more than 100 customers that its certifications were endorsed by two independent firms. But those companies were both owned by Tested Green owner Jeremy Ryan Claeys, according to FTC.
“The company claimed to be an environmental certifier,” Koss said, “but they were essentially selling certifications to anyone who was willing to pay money for them.”
FTC said Tested Green never actually tested any of the companies it provided with environmental certifications. It certified anyone willing to pay $189.95 for a “Rapid” certification or $549.95 for a “Pro” certification.
“There are obviously those people where the only qualification for getting the seal or certification is a working credit card number,” Mallen said. “But the more common scenario is where you have seals or certifiers that use the word ‘green’ or the term ‘sustainable’ or ‘eco-friendly’ in the logo or brand, and what’s communicated is a message that is overly broad, too general or not clear to consumers what kind of environmental benefit we’re talking about.”
The number of “greener” products since 2009 has increased by 73 percent, according to TerraChoice, an environmental consultancy firm that is part of Underwriters Laboratories, in its “Sins of Greenwashing” 2010 report. Greenwashing is a significant problem, the report found, with 95 percent of “greener” products committing one or more of TerraChoice’s seven “sins.”
“There’s so much ‘greenwashing’ that’s going on right now,” said Susan Heaton, manager of national accounts for Washington-based Green Seal Inc. “Consumers are confused; companies are confused; and nobody knows what’s credible and what’s not.”
Green Seal, a nonprofit organization founded in 1989, is a science-based standard development and certification body that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The organization is one of the most trusted green certifiers in North America. Another is Ottawa, Ontario-based EcoLogo, founded in 1988 by the Canadian government.
Green Seal and EcoLogo are both Type I eco-labels, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This means that the groups compare products or services against others in the same category, develop scientific criteria that reflect the lifecycle of products and award certifications after an independent third-party verifies its findings.
EcoLogo and Green Seal are the only two groups in North America that have been successfully audited by the Global EcoLabelling Network as meeting ISO 14024 standards for eco-labeling.
The FTC is also stepping up. For the first time in 13 years, it is updating its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, also known as its “Green Guides.” The FTC first introduced its guidelines in 1992 to address eight environmental marketing claims: general environmental benefit; degradable, biodegradable or photodegradable; compostable; recyclable; recycled content; source reduction; refillable; ozone safe; and ozone friendly.
The Green Guides were last revised in 1998, and Heaton said an update is “long overdue.” Green Seal, along with more than 300 other companies and individuals, gave its two cents when the FTC asked for input on the revisions. The revised Green Guides should be released within the next year.
In addition to updating the Green Guides’ eight environmental categories, the revisions also will address claims of carbon offset and items made with renewable materials or energy.
“We’re not an environmental agency; we’re a truth-in-advertising agency,” Koss said. “Marketers get confused and ask, ‘What are you doing here? You’re not the EPA.’ And it’s true. The Green Guides don’t set out environmental definitions, environmental standards or environmental specifications. It’s not a glossary; you can’t look up biodegradable and find the scientific or technical term.”
Instead, she said, the Green Guides publication is intended to make sure that consumers get accurate advertising.
“We’re kind of agnostic,” Koss said. “On a personal level, yeah, we want a better environment. But in terms of the guides themselves and the FTC’s purpose, it’s, ‘Are you being truthful and can you back up your claim?’ Not, ‘Will what you’re saying be ultimately good for the environment?’”
As for the future of green certifications, could there be a unified and national certification entity?
“When you all kind of have the same basic idea in mind, I think it certainly would be easier for everyone,” Heaton said. “It would make it less hard for people to differentiate between what’s credible, what’s not credible.”

More reason to use Reusable, Recyclable Bags

Even more reason to start using recyclable bags. Not really a new concept if you think about it, our grand parents we're doing it of course it wasn't called recyclable, so maybe we should think of it as going "retro" with a new twist. It would be interesting to see what it costs us the consumers in the way of taxes to clean up after us.  Anyone?


The article: A lawmaker in Los Angeles has introduced legislation that would prohibit all grocery stores in the city from providing paper and plastic bags, and instead require them to give away or sell only reusable totes. The proposed measure is far more sweeping than current laws in cities like San Francisco, where plastic bags are banned, but paper bags are still permitted. "We're taking the next step," said Los Angeles City Councilor Paul Koretz, who has proposed the ban. "With paper bags, you're still generating litter."

According to a report produced by the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, approximately 2.3 billion plastic bags and 400 million paper bags are issued annually in the city. Data shows only 5% of plastic bags and 21% of paper bags are recycled. Environmentalists believe that while plastic bags can be especially harmful in polluting waterways, paper bags can also create problems for an ecosystem. "We're hoping that more of these local policies will be a wake-up call," says Kirsten James, a spokesperson for watchdog group Heal the Bay.

Besides San Francisco, several other cities in California have recently banned the use of plastic bags in grocery and convenience stores. Santa Monica's ban, for example, went into effect on September 1. Officials in San Mateo and Millbrae will formally discuss potential bans at public meetings over the next month. To date, though, only Los Angeles is debating a plastic and paper bag ban.

Under the Los Angeles proposal, stores that ignore the ban would be fined, with an exemption granted for small plastic bags meant to keep raw vegetables and meats separated from other groceries. Before the ban can become law, the measure needs to be approved by the Los Angeles City Council's Energy and Environment Committee.

How things change. Most Surfers will remember went the iconic Clark Foam went out of business in 2005 and now a new report how Surfboard brands are using leftover PU dust.

Graphic courtesy of  Surfer 

URETHANES TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL

ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. (Sept. 14, 11:15 a.m. ET) -- Surfboard makers now have a route for using leftover polyurethane dust – the result of shaping a surfboard from a block of foam.

Sales of surfboards generated more than $160.6 million in 2010 according to the 2010 Sima Retail Distribution Study. As part of their commitment to the environment, the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (Sima) Board Builders’ Committee has been involved in a new solution for excess dust that funds a use for this waste.

California-based surfboard brands Lost Surfboards, Dewey Weber Surfboards, Soul Stix Surfboards, Stone Steps Manufacturing, T. Patterson Surfboards and Channel Islands Surfboards, along with foam manufacturers US Blanks and Surf Blanks America and cutting house Pro-Cam, have joined forces with the makers of Spillinex.

Through donating their leftover dust to Spillinex, the shaping dust is now being reused as an environmentally safe sorbent for use during oil spills. Spillinex is a powder compound that is used to contain and absorb a variety of liquids, and has the ability to absorb oil in water, leaving clean water after removal. Surfboard dust accounts for up to 80 percent of the Spillinex composition.

“As a surfboard brand owner and the Chairman of the Sima Board Builder Committee, I know I can speak for most surfboard manufacturers when I say how excited I am about being involved with the team from Spillinex to help re-purpose our excess foam dust,” said Shea Weber, Sima Board Builder Committee chairman and president of Dewey Weber Surfboards.

“Not only have they found a home for our dust, but they’ve also come up with a compound utilizing it so that it actually helps protect the environment. The board builder community is passionate about protecting the environment and I want to thank Spillinex for taking the initiative to reach out to the Sima Board Builder Committee and for allowing us to help them connect with some of our industry’s leaders to make this dream a reality.”

Spillinex has reused a total of about 100,000 pounds of polyurethane shaping dust. Board builders have come together with Spillinex to coordinate a dust pickup program, where Spillinex collects directly from the shapers and foam manufacturers’ facilities between 15,000 and 20,000 pounds a month.

For a complete version of this story, see www.urethanes-technology-international.com.

Jobs and Dollars in Wetland Conservation

When it comes to hot topics Jobs would certainly be a the top at the list. What better form of self investment than the jobs created by Coastal and Wetland Restoration projects. In a recent report by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) titled "Jobs & Dollars: Big Returns from Coastal Habitat Restoration," the benefits detailed are numerous. Not to forget the overall impact to tourism and its related jobs. Where would we be if we couldn't even enjoy some fishing or even go to the beach! A taste of that was when... the Red Tide made an extensive appearance on our West Coast Florida shoreline. Its since then I've been actively involved in conservation and preservation of our oceans. I wonder why!!

The article...


WASHINGTON--A landmark report released today by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) shows that coasts and estuaries are not only essential to the nation's economy, but that investments in coastal habitat restoration produce jobs in a cash-strapped, job-starved economy at a higher rate than many other sectors, including oil and gas, road-infrastructure, and green building projects.

Download the report here

The report by Jeff Benoit, "Jobs & Dollars: Big Returns from Coastal Habitat Restoration," lays out a powerful case for government and private investment in the nation's coasts and estuaries, drawing on national and regional studies of coastal and estuarine  restoration projects and setting out its findings in restoration case studies.

Among "Jobs and Dollars" key findings:

Coastal habitat restoration--including wetland reconstruction and improvement; rebuilding depleted oyster beds; removal of obsolete dams, culverts, and other obstacles to fish passage; tree planting and floodplain restoration; and invasive species removal--typically create between 20 and 32 jobs for every $1 million invested. In comparison, road infrastructure projects on average create seven jobs per million, oil and gas return just five jobs, and green building retrofits produce 17 jobs per $1 million invested.

Habitat restoration not only creates local jobs, it brings dollar to local businesses. In one of the report's case studies, a watershed restoration project in Oregon, 80% of monies invested in the project stayed in county; 90% stayed in state.

Restoration not only creates direct jobs, people using their skills and equipment to restore damaged wetlands and other similar projects, but also helps stimulate indirect jobs in industries that supply project materials such as lumber, concrete, and plant materials, and supports induced jobs in businesses that provide local goods and services, such as clothing and food, to restoration workers.

Finally, restoration projects are a sure bet, boasting enviable returns on investment to local and regional economies in the form of new jobs, increased tourism and tourist dollars, hunting and fishing revenues, tax revenues, and property values.

"Investing to restore our nation's bays and estuaries is a win-win-win situation. It's good for the environment, creates jobs, and it boosts sagging local economies," said Jeff Benoit, President and CEO of Restore America's Estuaries.

How valuable are our coasts and estuaries?

While coastal-estuarine counties make up only 13% of the U.S. land area, they generate half the nation's GDP, and provide 40% of all American employment. More than three-quarters of all U.S. trade-some $850 billion total-passes through U.S. ports annually. Further, over 75% of all commercial fishing, 80-90% of recreational fishing, and 85% of waterfowl and migratory birds depend on estuaries. Combined, the hunting and fishing industry alone generates $80 billion a year.

But despite their obvious value, both ecologically and economically, America's coasts and estuaries are in trouble. Historic losses alone are staggering. The report documents that 97% of Columbia River salmon are gone. Likewise, 95% of all San Francisco Bay wetlands have vanished, sacrificed to development and commerce. The once great Chesapeake Bay oyster is down to one percent of historic levels. Half of the Great Lakes wetlands are gone.

Louisiana's wetlands are in a class by themselves. Louisiana's coastal wetlands are receding at an astounding rate of one football field an hour. Loss of the state's wetlands not only threatens lucrative industries like shrimping and crabbing, but also puts 45% of our national oil and gas refining capacity, and 43% of our strategic petroleum reserves at risk, as well.

"It is critical for our nation to invest in coastal habitat restoration," said Benoit. "Not only to address many of these problems, but to provide jobs for out-of-work commercial fishermen, work for marinas and boat captains and barge operators, and commerce for seaside businesses, ranging from bait and tackle shops to hotels and restaurants."

Founded in 1995, Restore America's Estuaries is a national alliance of 11 regional, coastal conservation organizations with more than 250,000 volunteer-members dedicated to preserving our nation's estuaries. RAE members include: American Littoral Society, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Conservation Law Foundation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Galveston Bay Foundation, North Carolina Coastal Federation, People For Puget Sound, Save The Bay-Narragansett Bay, Save The Bay-San Francisco, Save the Sound, a program of the Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and Tampa Bay Watch.

Carbon Footprint 1/3 of the average Florida Home

Let alone the saved energy and cost, our home Carbon Footprint is now almost a 1/3 of the average Florida home.

The recent savings hands-down goes to our "emonitor". It's  ability to inform us how to optimize and make adjustments to our energy usage, then with a little tweaking get some pretty darn good results.
Another factor worth consideration is that when we are ready to go to PV (solar panels) or the thin film variety our overall Square Footage requirement will be considerably lower... hence less cost. Bonus!

For some feedback our home is just under 2,000 sq ft of air conditioned space with a Great Room, lots of sliders and a 19.2 SEER dual scroll A/C (which I highly recommend) with a heat exchanger to capture a fair bit of the heat and put it into our Hot Water. We don't have a Solar Hot Water Heater.

Department of Energy Joins with Manufacturers, Environmentalists to Announce New Efficiency Standards for Home Refrigerators

Good timing... after reviewing my latest report card off my "e monitor" our Energy Star Fridge is now the second highest user of power and I've just cleaned the coils! Which by-the-way cleaning them does make a difference. The coils are far better off not being wrapped in a fur blanket.
I also made a modification to the main intake of air utilizing reusable air filter material (it doesn't restrict the air flow) just as an experiment to see if kept the coils any cleaner, we'll see..

The article...

August 26, 2011

Today, the Department of Energy issued final energy efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers that will improve their efficiency by about 25% by 2014. These new standards, developed through a consensus process with manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmentalists, are expected to deliver more than $200 in electricity bill savings for the typical consumer over the lifetime of the refrigerator. Nationally, consumers are expected to save more than $21 billion on their energy bills through 2043 as a result of the standards announced today.
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"drop-in" biofuels technology

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today recognized the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium's (NABC) initial selection of two "drop-in" biofuels technology pathways that will advance to the next development stage. Drop-in biofuels are fuels that can serve as direct replacements or supplements to existing gasoline, diesel and jet fuels, without any changes to existing fuel distribution networks or engines. NABC is a consortium funded by DOE with $35 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to accelerate development of advanced drop-in biofuels that can reduce our Nation's reliance on imported oil.
The first year of research by the consortium was conducted from August 2010 to July 2011. Stage I efforts focused on determining whether technical and economic barriers could be overcome to develop a pilot-ready process in three years for six biofuels technology pathways. Over the first year, the NABC performed feasibility studies to determine which of the six approaches would move on to the next stage. The second stage will further develop the selected technologies to a pilot-ready state over two years. DOE will continue to invest in research and development of other promising pathways for drop-in biofuels outside of these NABC selections.
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Department of Energy Relaunches Energy.Gov

The U.S. Department of Energy announced today the next step of its comprehensive website reform, making Energy.gov a cutting-edge, interactive information platform and saving taxpayers more than $10 million annually.

Through a complete overhaul of its front-end and back-end design, Energy.govmodernizes how consumers and businesses access the information and resources they need to save money and energy while improving Departmental staff's ability to interact with the public and each other.
"Our goal is to make Energy.gov easier to use, more transparent and more participatory," said Secretary Chu. "This next phase is part of our ongoing commitment to empower consumers and businesses with the information, tools and services they need to save money, create jobs and find opportunities in the new energy economy."
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Department of Energy Considers New Venue for Solar Decathlon 2013

Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy is considering offers for a new site for Solar Decathlon 2013. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a competition that challenges collegiate students from across the globe to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are affordable, highly energy efficient, attractive, and easy to live in. For the first time, in an effort to expand the excitement generated by the competition and encourage participation from new communities, the Department is inviting venues across the nation to compete for the opportunity to host this award-winning event. The Solar Decathlon has attracted thousands of people to experience first-hand the benefits of homes that incorporate clean energy technologies, and, as a collegiate competition, supports the Obama Administration’s comprehensive efforts to build a 21st century clean energy economy by helping to train the next-generation of American engineers and architects.
"The Solar Decathlon challenges the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to become pioneers of clean energy technology and efficient building design," said Secretary Chu. "This is a great opportunity for these talented students to showcase cutting edge technologies that will change the way we build homes and save families money."
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Department of Energy to Invest $50 Million to Advance Domestic Solar Manufacturing Market, Achieve SunShot Goal

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a $50 million investment over two years for the SUNPATH program, aimed to help the nation reclaim its competitive edge in solar manufacturing. SUNPATH, which stands for Scaling Up Nascent PV At Home, represents the second solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing Initiative (PVMI) supporting the Department of Energy's SunShot Initiative.
"This investment provides a necessary boost to domestic solar manufacturing businesses, encouraging them to keep jobs here and establish America's leadership in the world's growing clean energy economy," said Secretary Chu. "In addition to invigorating clean energy manufacturing, this program will help achieve the SunShot goal of making unsubsidized utility-scale solar cost-competitive with other forms of energy by the end of the decade."
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Court Upholds Plastic Bag Ban

Reversing two prior decisions, the California Supreme Court has ruled that Manhattan Beach was not required to conduct an environmental review when it passed an ordinance banning plastic bags in 2008. The unanimous decision could stand to be a significant loss for the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, which has fought against bans, while strengthening the cause of environmentalists. "We all want less plastic trash in San Francisco Bay and our oceans and now the court has given Bay Area cities a green light to act swiftly to end the era of the plastic bag in our region," said David Lewis, executive director of environmental group Save the Bay.
Leaders in several areas of California were watching the court's decision closely, including those in Marin County and San Carlos. The Save the Plastic Coalition has a lawsuit pending against Marin County, which passed a plastic bag ban in January. San Carlos has been considering a similar ban, but efforts have been slowed after it was learned an environmental study would cost the city $600,000. The study, which would measure the effect paper bags have on the environment, now may not have to be conducted with the court's ruling. "We don't have to worry about the cost factor anymore," said San Carlos' Mayor Andy Klein. "We can debate on the merits of the ordinance itself. It's a much more viable option."
In California, plastic bag bans have been approved in San Francisco, Malibu, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Marin County, San Jose and Calabasas, in addition to Manhattan Beach and Los Angeles County. While the court's ruling may not be the sweeping mandate environmentalists have sought, there is now one fewer obstacle in banning plastic bag bans. "This is going to give local agencies a lot more latitude to approve these sorts of bans," said Christian Marsh, the lawyer for Manhattan Beach.
Via ASI

Smart Grid

Article By Jonathan Mariano Via Triple Pundit 

The smart grid is getting more and more attention these days.  With all this talk, a few questions lingers in the mind.  What exactly is the smart grid?  When will we actually get the smart grid in place?  How smart can the grid really be?

Recently, Southern California Edison (SCE) held a smart grid roundtable event at the company’s Energy Education Center in Irwindale, CA.  The center itself is like the Universal Studios of energy efficiency, displaying and demonstrating many of the energy innovations in place now or yet to come.

The company demoed the efficiency of various types of lighting, including CFL and LED.  They showcased tube lighting and “light shelves,” which use the power of the sunlight to light rooms instead of electricity. We even got a sneak peak at a smart meter connected to a smart home.  (By the way, for the energy efficiency nerd in you, the Energy Education Center is open to the public for your enjoyment and education.)

What is the Smart Grid?
According to SCE, the smart grid is “an increasingly intelligent and highly automated electric power system that utilizes technology advancements in telecommunications, information, computing, sensing, controls, materials, in addition to other grid technologies.”  The following video touches on what the smart grid is all about:

In essence, the smart grid is “aware.”  Let’s say there is a power spike during peak usage.  Instead of taking out an entire neighborhood, the smart grid can isolate and reroute energy.  Or in the case of an outage, instead of SCE crews going pole to pole to find the culprit, the smart grid will be able to narrow down the trouble location.

The grid is not the only thing that makes the smart grid smart.  Smart meters connect to our homes.  No longer will we have to wait for our monthly bill to know how much power we are using.  Our usage will be available almost instantaneously.  You will be able to use an SCE website to track your day to day, if not moment to moment, energy usage.

When will we get the Smart Grid?
I have some good news and some bad news.  The good news is that the smart grid is coming.  The bad news is that the smartifcation of the grid is going to take some time.  As Doug Kim, Director of Smart Grid Technology at SCE suggests, “We have a twenty year journey.”  There are countless legacy systems needing upgrades and millions of customers using needing retrofits.

Figure 1 below shows an example of the, California Smart Grid Policy Timeline.

Figure 1: California Smart Grid Policy Timeline

Also, like any new technology, the smart grid also needs to be tested to ensure that it actually works as desired.  One such pilot project is SCE $80 million, Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration. “We are currently gathering baseline data for the Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration (ISGD) project, as well as acquiring and designing the systems to be installed in the future. We anticipate that our project-wide go live date will be in 2013,” says Kim.  Some of the goals and objectives of this project include:

•    Verification of the viability of various Smart Grid technology deployed in an integrated manner
•    Quantification of Smart Grid costs and benefits
•    Test and validate the scalability of several Smart Grid elements
•    Demonstrate Zero Net Energy home functionality.

The Smart Customer
At the end of the day, even with the smart grid and the smart meter, it all comes down to the smart customer.  SCE can connect the customer to electricity.  It can even track and record your energy usage.  But it is up to us to use that data in making smarter decisions in using electricity.  The smarter the customer, the smarter the grid.

Department of Energy to Award Over $6 Million for Clean Energy Projects on Tribal Lands

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced 31 tribal energy projects to receive $6.3 million over two years as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's ongoing efforts to support tribal energy development and continue strengthening the partnership with Tribal Nations. These competitively selected projects will allow Native American Tribes to advance clean energy within their communities by developing strategic energy plans, expanding the skills and knowledge of tribal members, and improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. These investments will help tribal communities to save money and reduce energy waste, expand the use of clean energy technologies, and promote economic development.
"Tribal Nations are well-positioned to take advantage of the benefits of clean energy and energy efficient technologies," said Secretary Chu. "Projects such as these will save energy and money, create long-term clean energy jobs, and spur economic development in tribal communities nationwide."
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Department of Energy Announces Funding for Nationwide Student-Focused Clean Energy Business Competitions

As part of the Obama Administration's effort to support and empower the next generation of American clean energy entrepreneurs, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced $2 million in available funding for the National University Clean Energy Business Challenge. This nationwide initiative will create a network of regional student-focused clean energy business creation competitions whose winners will compete for a National Grand Prize at a completion held at the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. in early summer 2012. The funding will support up to six regional competitions that will inspire, mentor, and train students from across the country to develop successful business plans to create a new generation of American clean energy companies. These regional competitions will take place before May 1, 2012. This national initiative will enable student participants to gain the skills required to build new businesses and transform promising innovative energy technologies from U.S. universities and national laboratories into innovative new energy products that will to solve our nation's energy challenges, spur business creation, create American jobs, and boost American competitiveness.
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Specialized Bikes Ride Social, Email to Better Customer Service

A social media presence heavily focused on customer service has helped Specialized Bicycles reduce support costs and connect with cyclists around the world.

Part of the appeal of social media for the brand is that cyclists can access it on the go. "I don't know what it is about the core demographic, but they generally have a higher income and are more educated and tech savvy," says Ryan French, director of inside sales and global customer service operations. "They're very active in social media and highly influential."

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By Beth Negus Viveiros

PepsiCo to use more recycled PET in Canada

PepsiCo Beverages Canada said it has constructed North America’s first soft drink bottle made from 100 percent recycled PET.

Creating a bottle made from 100 percent recycled plastic for soft drinks is more challenging than creating a bottle for noncarbonated beverages, PepsiCo said, because of the stress on materials from carbonation pressure.

The company now uses an average of 10 percent recycled PET in its primary soft drink bottles in Canada and the United States. The company said in a July 13 news release that it plans to increase the use of bottles made from 100 percent recycled PET.

Using more recycled PET will reduce the amount of virgin plastic the company uses by about 6 million pounds over the course of a year, PepsiCo said.

The bottle will be made in multiple PepsiCo manufacturing facilities across Canada. The company said it invested $1 million in production enhancements in its facilities, including resin handling and inspection systems

By Shawn Wright | WASTE & RECYCLING NEWS

Honda to press suppliers to stop using landfills

DETROIT (July 14, 1 p.m. ET) -- Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. has almost entirely stopped sending factory waste to landfills. Now it will invite its suppliers to follow suit.

Honda is launching a program this year to help North American suppliers kick the dump habit, says Karen Heyob, associate chief engineer and manager of the automaker’s zero-landfill program.

“Landfilling is almost always the cheaper alternative,” Heyob said. “We could save money if we just sent everything to a landfill. But we don’t want to be that kind of company. Landfills are not the solution for waste management.”

Honda, which launched its zero-landfill efforts in 2001 at its just-opened auto plant in Lincoln, Ala., said this morning that 10 of its 14 U.S., Canadian and Mexican factories have now achieved zero-landfill status.

“When we say zero landfill, we mean absolute zero” for those factories that reach that level, said Honda spokesman Ed Miller. “Not 2 percent or 1 percent, but zero waste is going to landfills now.”

The company has spent the past decade looking for alternative uses for waste materials, ranging from oily rags and packaging materials to cafeteria garbage and paint sludge. As a result, Honda this year will generate about 2 pounds of landfill waste per vehicle produced in North America, down from 63 pounds in 2001, Heyob says.

According to Honda, the company’s Timmonsville, S.C., powersports plant, which produces all-terrain vehicles, recycles hard plastic foam, sheet plastic foam and other recyclable plastics from incoming parts shipments, diverting more than 130 tons of plastic from landfills each year.

The company’s Marysville and East Liberty, Ohio, plants also recently began washing and reusing thousands of plastic caps each day that are used to protect parts during shipping.

Heyob said Honda’s new supplier sustainability program will encourage parts and material companies to adopt similar zero-landfill goals.

“We believe there’s a lot of opportunity in doing this to help suppliers manage their costs better,” she said.

Despite the lower expense of hauling waste to a landfill, she said that Honda’s initiatives have resulted in better plant efficiencies and less waste.

In one case, employees at Honda’s assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio, found a way to extract more sealer out of its storage barrels. The plant had been disposing of 7 to 8 percent of every barrel of sealer because it couldn’t be pumped out. Plant associates now cut into the barrel to get to the rest of it.

Miller said that Honda has no plans to brag about the green initiative in its vehicle advertising.

By Lindsay Chappell | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

Race is on to use carbon fiber in a high-volume vehicle

BMW AG plans to begin high-volume production of carbon fiber parts in two years, making it a strong contender to be the first automaker to move beyond limited-edition use of the exotic material.

But Daimler AG, which has taken steps aimed at making carbon fiber parts in 2012, is among the automakers racing toward the same goal.

In 2013, BMW will start building the i3 electric car, a vehicle that features a passenger cell -- the protective shell around the passenger compartment that ensures the integrity of the vehicle in a crash -- made of plastic reinforced with carbon fiber. BMW will produce about 30,000 i3s a year, according to Automotive News Europe.

BMW declined to confirm likely production volume for the i3. But Joerg Pohlman, managing director of the joint venture that produces BMW's carbon fiber, said BMW can make tens of thousands of vehicles.

"We have developed a very flexible production plan," Pohlman said in a telephone interview. "We are prepared to manufacture many more cars if demand is higher than our conservative estimate."

If so, the i3 will be a major breakthrough: a carbon fiber-intensive vehicle produced in volume at a moderate price.

Cutting costs

In 2010, BMW formed a joint venture with SGL Group of Germany to produce carbon fiber reinforced plastics for electric cars.

In the third quarter of this year, a factory in Moses Lake, Wash., will start producing carbon fiber thread, which will be shipped to Germany for conversion into the fabric used to make parts.

To cut costs and allow mass production, the partners are working to perfect a process called resin transfer molding.

The carbon fiber fabric is placed in a mold, and resin is injected under high pressure and temperature. The process, which once took 20 minutes per part, now requires less than 10 minutes. Robots cut and handle the material and components, which previously were made by hand.

The robots will help BMW achieved big savings. A pound of carbon fiber now costs only a third as much as a pound used in the M3 CSL coupe's roof when the limited-edition car was introduced in the 2004 model year.

More automation

"For the M3, we could afford to have a few workers put the parts in the form," Pohlman said. "We were only making a few thousand a year. But now we'll be making tens of thousands of parts. So there is a whole lot more automation."

BMW is not the only automaker that plans to use carbon fiber. Last year Daimler AG announced plans to form a joint venture with Toray Industries Inc., the world's largest producer of carbon fiber.

In January, Daimler said the partners will use carbon fiber and other lightweight materials to reduce the weight of a vehicle's body-in-white by 10 percent. Daimler also indicated the partners will produce components for cars to be launched in 2012. Daimler did not indicate which models would feature carbon fiber, but hinted it would use carbon fiber in the vehicle's passenger cell.

By David Sedgwick | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS