Scene-on-Green Eco-tourism program gains momentum

It's taken several years of planning to craft this program which gone through several iterations " Be Natures Guest " being one of them; a major difference now is the use of Social Media, Mobile and Cloud based technology and concepts have been employed to create and develop a system that could be easily emulated once our collaboration group provides a well thought out "Tool Kit" with the expertise to back it up; at all levels —including the students!

Karenia brevis, starting to pop up in samples

Southwest CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Charlotte counties. One sample collected each alongshore of Lee and Collier counties, two samples collected alongshore of Sarasota County and one sample collected offshore of Pinellas County contained background concentrations of K. brevis. Samples collected last week just offshore between the Pavilion Key and Ponce De Leon Bay areas (northern Monroe County) contained concentrations of K. brevis ranging from low to medium.

Bloom Boundary: Sample analysis confirmed patchy concentrations of Karenia brevis last week in southwest Florida just offshore of northern Monroe County between the Pavilion Key and Ponce de Leon areas.  Recent satellite images suggest the continued presence of a small bloom in this area.

 

Northwest CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week offshore of Dixie and Hernando counties.

 

East CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon system (Brevard County) or alongshore of Volusia and Dade counties.

Red Tide report

The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was not detected in water samples collected so far this week in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or offshore of Hernando and Dixie counties.  On the southwest coast of Florida, one sample collected alongshore of Sarasota County (out of 21 total samples) and one sample collected alongshore of Collier County (out of 9 total samples) each contained background concentrations of K. brevis.  Two samples collected late last week offshore of Pavilion Key (northern Monroe County) contained medium concentrations of K. brevis.

More investment to spur further Solar Energy Sustainable Solutions

After the recent news that the U.S. is becoming more domestically Energy Independent; EERE announced yesterday — as part of the Obama Administration's blueprint for an American economy built to last, today U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced over $12 million to speed solar energy innovation from the lab to the marketplace through the Energy Department's SunShot Incubator program. The funding will accelerate American innovation in solar energy and manufacturing by supporting advancements in hardware, reductions in soft costs, and the development of pilot manufacturing and production projects.
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Red Tide report for the Gulf Coast

Yesterdays report from via FWC — Background concentrations of K. brevis were detected in one sample collected alongshore of Sarasota County.  Yet, with medium to high concentrations of K. brevis present last week along Lee and Collier counties, it is possible that patches are still present in unsampled (offshore) areas of these regions.

Eco Programs: Hydrogen Learning Demonstration

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will be hosting a webinar titled "National Hydrogen Learning Demonstration Status" on Monday, February 6 from 12:00 to 1:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. During the webinar, NREL researchers will report on progress the lab has made in deploying fuel cell electric vehicles and hydrogen fueling stations through DOE's National Hydrogen Learning Demonstration. This webinar will also update participants on the metrics used by DOE and industry to evaluate the performance of fuel cell electric vehicles and fueling infrastructure in terms of fuel economy, fuel cell durability, refueling time, and fueling station use.

Student Teams, New Location for Solar Decathlon 2013

Energy Department Announces Student Teams, New Location for Solar Decathlon 2013

January 26, 2012

At an event today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the 20 collegiate teams selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013 and unveiled the competition's location, the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The 20 teams from colleges and universities across the United States and from around the world will now begin a two-year process to build solar-powered, highly energy-efficient homes that combine affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence. Throughout the two-year process, the teams will design, construct, and test their homes before reassembling them at the Solar Decathlon 2013 competition site. As part of the Solar Decathlon, teams compete in ten different categories—ranging from best architecture and engineering to energy production for heating and cooling—while gaining invaluable real-world experience in a growing global industry.
"As President Obama made clear in the State of the Union address this week, we need to ensure that the next generation of America's architects, engineers and entrepreneurs have the hands-on experience and training they need to lead our nation's clean energy future," said Secretary Chu. "The Solar Decathlon will unleash the ingenuity, creativity, and drive from these talented students to demonstrate new ideas for how families and businesses can reduce energy use and save money with clean energy products and efficient building design."
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EERE Progress Alert for Eco Programs in the Housing Industry

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today invited energy efficient product manufacturers, manufactured housing experts, and other home performance industry stakeholders to review and comment on its Standard Work Specifications for Manufactured Housing. Developed under DOE’s Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project, the specifications are voluntary guidelines that outline minimum requirements for high-quality energy upgrades in manufactured housing. The industry review period will remain open through February 3, 2012.
The Guidelines for Home Energy Professionals project is a collaboration between DOE and the home construction and energy upgrade industry to support high-quality home energy upgrade work through voluntary standard work specifications, accredited training programs, and a national worker certification program. In addition to the Standard Work Specifications for Manufactured Housing, specifications are under development for single-family and multifamily housing.
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The Karenia brevis bloom that has been present in southwest Florida for the past several months was detected late last week and early this week in water samples collected offshore and south of the Cape Sable area (Monroe County).  Samples in this area ranged in concentration from medium to very low.  One sample collected this week at Goodland Bridge (southern Collier County) also had very low concentrations of K. brevis.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed so far this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Charlotte, Sarasota and Lee counties, in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or alongshore of Levy, Flagler and St. Johns counties.

EERE News: DOE Webcast February 2: New Lighting Technologies

EERE News: DOE Webcast February 2: New Lighting Technologies

Red Tide diminishing

Red Tide is diminishing at long last; the latest report via FWC

Southwest Coast
The Karenia brevis bloom which has been present in southwest Florida for the past several months was only detected this week in two alongshore areas. Very low concentrations were detected at Lighthouse Beach and Lovers Key State Park (southern Lee County) and very low to low concentrations were found at Caxambas Pass, South Marco Beach and Goodland Bridge (southern Collier County).
Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties or alongshore of the Florida Keys (Monroe County) and offshore of Sarasota County.

Bloom Boundary:  Sample analysis confirms that the K. brevis bloom is present in small patches alongshore of southern Lee County and southern Collier County at very low and low concentrations.

Northwest Coast
No samples were analyzed this week for the Northwest coast of Florida.

East Coast
Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon system (Brevard County) or alongshore of Dade County

More Red Tide and Nutrient Load for Florida? HB 421

I find it pretty "mind-boggling" that under consideration are potential changes to allow for an increase of nutrients into the water-ways of Florida after what we have had to endure with the likes of the BP disaster and the effects on tourism, fishing and sports fishing industry etc, etc.

After all of the extensive pro-active measures that Sarasota County implemented; Florida on a State level is actually considering removing the local ability to address these issues, then I guess as we have to remedy the ramifications on a local basis and get landed with the costs too.

Do we really need to take a chance of exasperating the situation let alone the remedial costs incurred by a severe out break of Red Tide or waterway pollution, be it travel industry or on a local basis? The incalculable cost to wild life and health associated to polluted algae laden waters. What I'm I missing here? Common sense?

Article below...

House committee delays vote on fertilizer bill amid questions, opposition | The Florida Current

Eco Programs: Guide for 50% More Energy Efficient Retail Buildings

DOE Announces Guide for 50% More Energy Efficient Retail Buildings

Would it be feasible (cost-wise) to potential add green roofs? There's so much acreage available in the retail locations alone — you would think there would be a terrific source of potential income should a strategic plan be implemented; first on a trial basis or at least emulate some of the already successful projects, either domestic or international.

The DoE Progress Alert article: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the release of the third installment in a series of four 50% Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs). This latest guide will help architects, engineers, and contractors design and build highly efficient retail buildings, helping to save energy and cut store operational costs. The 50% AEDG series provides a practical approach for designers and builders of retail stores, and other major commercial building types, to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the building energy code used in many parts of the nation. These commercial building guides support President Obama's goal to reduce energy use in commercial buildings 20% by 2020. The Advanced Energy Design Guide for 50% energy savings in retail buildings is now available for download.

More on "Green" and Sustainable Products and on our Allard PPC Bespoke Blog

Still there... Red Tide bloom in SW Florida

via FWC The Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida has been documented so far this week in waters between southern Lee County and Collier County. Low to high concentrations of K. brevis have been detected alongshore of Sanibel Island and background to medium concentrations have been detected alongshore and inshore of Marco Island. In between Sanibel and Marco islands, background to very low concentrations of K. brevis were detected. While K. brevis concentrations are patchy along the southwest coast, satellite images suggest that the bloom is present from southern Lee County south to Cape Sable (Monroe County).

Additionally, samples collected early last week alongshore and offshore of the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys revealed concentrations of K. brevis ranging from background to medium.  Due to the fact that K. brevis has not been detected in this area in association with the current bloom, today’s map includes these data points.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed so far this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Citrus, Levy and Taylor counties, in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or offshore of the Florida Keys (Gulf side).

 

Sampling will continue this week, and complete results will be available in the next scheduled status report on Thursday, December 22.

go to the following links for our "Eco Programs" page and our BeSpoke Blog on our AllardPPC website

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.

Full story

Persistant Red Tide in SW Florida

Regrettably it seems we're back to a persistent Red Tide again and its not going to help the tourism industry with the respiratory irritation factor. 


Whats changed to cause this? Heavy nutrient loads again?


latest sampling report via the FWC

The Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida has been documented so far this week in waters between southern Lee County and Collier County. Low to high concentrations of K. brevis have been detected alongshore of Sanibel Island and low to medium concentrations have been detected alongshore of Marco Island. The bloom most likely continues south to northern Monroe County as detected by last weeks samples, although no samples have been processed so far this week from that area. Fish kills and respiratory irritation have been reported in conjunction with this bloom in multiple locations this week including Marco Island and Naples.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed so far this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties or offshore of Palm Beach County.

 

Sampling will continue this week, and complete results will be available in the next scheduled status report on Friday, December 16.

4 new projects in Advance Fuel Cell Technology

The U.S. Department of Energy today announced more than $7 million to fund four projects in California, Washington, and Oregon to advance hydrogen storage technologies to be used in fuel cell electric vehicles. The 3-year projects will help lower the costs and increase the performance of hydrogen storage systems by developing innovative materials and advanced tanks for efficient and safe transportation. These investments are a part of the Department's commitment to U.S. leadership in advanced fuel cell technology research to help domestic automakers bring more fuel cell electric vehicles into the mainstream market.
Full story

Red Tide update

Southwest CoastThe Karenia brevis bloom present in southwest Florida currently extends from southern Lee County through northern Monroe County. The highest concentrations of K. brevis have been reported alongshore and offshore of Sanibel Island south to Naples Bay.  Very low to medium concentrations have been reported alongshore and offshore of southern Collier County south to Pavilion Key (Monroe County). In inshore waters, samples confirm up to high concentrations of K. brevis in southern Pine Island Sound and San Carlos Bay (Lee County) and up to medium concentrations inshore of Marco Island (southern Collier County). Multiple fish kills (alongshore and offshore) and respiratory irritation have been reported in the bloom areas of southern Lee through Collier counties.

Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples analyzed this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties

 

Bloom Boundary: Recent satellite images from the Optical Oceanography Lab at the University of South Florida show that the bloom extends alongshore for at least 75 miles from southern Lee County through northern Monroe County and offshore for approximately 30 miles. This imagery is consistent with sample results processed by FWC. 

 

Northwest CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in waters sample collected this week alongshore of Escambia, Dixie and Citrus counties or offshore of Taylor County.

 

East Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in a water sample collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon system (Brevard County) or offshore of Palm Beach County.

 

You can access this week’s interactive Google Map in the attached file.

 

To learn more about other organisms that have been known to cause algal blooms in Florida waters, see our flickr page at (http://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwc) and click on “Harmful Algal Bloom Species”.

A Kemp Ridley Turtle Truly Incredible Journey

Time at last... tis the season...
Neat story to kick off a Monday morning via Mote Marine

An endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle rehabilitated in Portugal after stranding in the Netherlands arrived at Mote Nov. 29 for the last stop in its journey back to the wild.

The Kemp’s ridley turtle was rescued in November 2008 in the Netherlands, where it probably drifted on ocean currents after becoming cold-stunned. The turtle was stabilized at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and sent to the aquarium Oceanário de Lisboa in Portugal the following summer, and then transferred to the theme park Zoomarine for rehab.

Zoomarine staff identified the turtle as a juvenile Kemp's ridley — a highly endangered species that spends this part of its life feeding in relatively shallow, warm waters of the western North Atlantic, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, which is thousands of miles from where it was rescued. 

It took an international team effort to get the turtle back to Florida. Zoomarine staff worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, The U.S. Embassy in Portugal, the Portuguese airline TAP and Mote Marine Laboratory to obtain all the special permits and arrange for the animal’s travel and care once in the U.S.

The turtle's travels earned it the nickname "Johnny Vasco da Gama" for the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who opened the sea route from Europe to India. The turtle was named "Johnny" in the Netherlands and gained its explorer name in Portugal.
Johnny was flown from Portugal to Miami in cabin space donated by TAP, accompanied by caregivers from Zoomarine. "This was an amazing journey on every level," said Élio A. Vicente, Director of Science and Education at Zoomarine.  "After two and a half years, this is a perfect ending."

• Click to watch the story on CNN

Red Tide report

Southwest CoastA bloom of Karenia brevis, the Florida Red Tide organism, has been detected in samples collected alongshore of northern Collier County. This bloom is likely a continuation of the bloom reported late September through early November, although this is the first report of alongshore detection in several weeks. Medium to very low concentrations of K. brevis were measured alongshore of the bloom patch, which has been approximated with the use of satellite images to be 25 miles long and extending offshore approximately 15 miles. In locations outside of the bloom, K. brevis was not present or was present only at low concentrations.

 

Karenia brevis was not detected in samples collected alongshore of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties or alongshore and offshore of the Florida Keys (Monroe County).

 

Bloom Boundary: The K. brevis bloom currently extends alongshore and offshore of Sanibel Island (southern Lee County) and northern Collier County with the highest concentrations detected alongshore at Barefoot and Vanderbilt beaches in Collier County.

 

 

Northwest CoastKarenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Walton County or offshore of Dixie, Levy, Hernando and Pasco counties.

 

East CoastThere were no samples analyzed this week from the east coast of Florida