COP21 is perhaps one of humanity’s last real opportunities to mitigate the most harmful effects climate change, and the outcome of the conference will play a substantial role in shaping our lives into the coming decades. It is absolutely crucial that governments from around the world take firm and binding action to substantially reduce GHG emissions, promote aggressive investment in cleantech, phase out the use of fossil fuels, and ensure that their populations are equipped to adapt to the changes that are already taking place.
The Paris talks will either mark a turning point for humanity or another broken promise made by the world’s politicians. In just two weeks, we will know with far more certainty which of those outcomes it is likely to be. Let’s hope we can but aside our differences and make some concrete long-term decisions to secure the future of our planet. It’s the only one we have right now!
There comes a time when every shoe takes its last step. That time recently came for two of my old pairs of etnies Jameson 2 Ecos, which I reviewed a while ago here. Since these were well beyond the point of donation, I decided to look at recycling programs that could turn them into something useful again.
I had heard about Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program, which collects old shoes and grinds them down into a filler material for athletic surfaces like basketball courts and running tracks. But when I went to Nike's flagship store in Berlin this afternoon, their donation box was nowhere to be found. That says a lot about how committed they are to their sustainability goals.
So I searched online and found out that Puma had a similar program called Bring Them Back, and their store just happened to be down the road from the Nike one. Their donation box was not only existant but easy to find.
It turns out that the Bring Them Back initiative is the result of a partnership between Puma and I:CO, a Swiss recycling company that focuses on fashion and textiles. The program accepts old shoes and clothing, which is collected and sorted according to "over 400 criteria" (Source: I:CO). Items in good condition are cleaned and donated, and everything else is sent off for recycling. Old jeans are turned into insulation for homes and cars, for instance, and shoes are either broken down into raw materials to be made into new ones, or, much like Nike's program, ground down to make material for sports installations.
Puma's donation boxes are supposedly widespread in Germany and are being rolled out worldwide, so next time you have old clothing you no longer want and is too worn to donate, you'll know where to bring it back.
In the slums of Navotas, Philipplines, children swim through polluted water to collect plastic, metal, paper, and glass for 24-hour ‘junk shops’ that is resold to recycling plants in southern China. Pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis, and other diseases are rampant.
Filipino children swim through a sea of garbage to search for recyclable material.
Check out this awesome new climate-themed benandjerrys flavor, Save Our Swirled!
“Since the very beginning, Ben & Jerry’s has been a company with a passion for social justice. We’ve advocated for a broad range of causes over the years, and climate change is one we take particularly seriously. While we’ve been working tirelessly at cleaning up our own act and spreading the word around the world, we recognize that there’s power in numbers and know that our passionate fans hold the greatest potential for positive change.
2015 is a critical year for climate change. Later this year, leaders from around the world will gather in Paris, France for the U.N. Climate Summit—a meeting we hope will produce a legally binding agreement to keep global warming in check.
Hidden in an unknown corner of China is a toxic, nightmarish lake created by our thirst for smartphones, gadgets and green tech, discovers Tim Maughan.
Welcome to Baotou, the largest industrial city in Inner Mongolia. I’m here with a group of architects and designers called the Unknown Fields Division, and this is the final stop on a three-week-long journey up the global supply chain, tracing back the route consumer goods take from China to our shops and homes, via container ships and factories.
You may not have heard of Baotou, but the mines and factories here help to keep our modern lives ticking. It is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of “rare earth” minerals. These elements can be found in everything from magnets in wind turbines and electric car motors, to the electronic guts of smartphones and flatscreen TVs. In 2009 China produced 95% of the world’s supply of these elements, and it’s estimated that the Bayan Obo mines just north of Baotou contain 70% of the world’s reserves. But, as we would discover, at what cost?
It's easy to forget the fact that so many of the electronics we rely on contain hazardous, difficult-to-extract materials when they're built thousands of kilometres away. The mining of these materials has absolutely devastating environmental consequences, and there's no easy solution to the problem. While it's clear that tech companies are partially to blame in pushing consumers to buy the latest gadgets every year, the use of electronic equipment has thousands of other necessary and legitimate uses and demand for the rare-earth metals used in their construction is only set to rise in the foreseeable future.
It's also very easy to forget that solar PV cells, wind turbines, electric motors and other technologies absolutely essential in our transition towards greater sustainability also require large amounts of these rare-earth metals. It's an interesting dilemma that isn't often discussed and deserves more attention.
Of course, this doesn't mean that these technologies are inherently bad - it just means that attention needs to paid to how they are deployed and used, and in the case of consumer electronics that serious efforts are made to reduce blind consumerism and waste. Early efforts to recycle rare-earth metals like neodymium have been promising, with the hope that at some point the demand for these elements could be supplied almost entirely through the recycling of existing electronics at the end of their lives.
People need to be made far more aware of the impacts that their purchasing decisions have (and even then, environmental factors are only a piece of the puzzle). At the end of the day, wind turbines and solar cells are absolutely essential to our future. Changing phones every year really isn't.
You may have seen my post on the first round of my competition with Florie. If you haven't, take a look at it here. So who won the second round?
After Florie's impressive win in round 1, we decided to make a few changes to how we ran the competition. We're now just counting distance biked (we previously counted both biking and walking). We've also started using the popular cycling app Strava to track our progress, which is both simpler to use and much more accurate. It logs all our rides via a smartphone app using GPS, which is a huge improvement over TravelSmart in that regard.
Round 2 lasted from the 1st September to the 10th December 2014. It was a pretty exciting time for us because we both bought ourselves new bikes. We also moved to an apartment much closer to campus, which meant we'd be biking to and from classes every day.
But without further ado, here are the stats for round 2:
Me - 852km
Florie - 895km
Once again, Florie takes the win by another 43km (1km more than last time!). Our shiny new bikes have motivated us to ride almost everywhere now - we've collectively spent about 4 days in the saddle over the 3 months.
As with round 1, the loser has to donate $40 to a charity of the winners’ choice. Florie opted to support Girls Who Code, an organisation who works to “inspire, educate, and equip girls with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.” Their focus is on achieving gender parity in the computing and engineering fields by exposing more women to computer science and supporting them with training, networking opportunities, and work experience. To date, the organisation has launched over 160 clubs in schools and libraries across the US, and they also offer a range of intensive summer immersion programs in 14 cities nationwide.
Round 3 took place from January to May this year, and I'll be writing a post about that soon. Who won the first 3 rounds? You'll just have to wait and see!
creativeclimate:
We asked everyday New Yorkers, “What are the positive effects of Climate Change?“ by Joe Schiappa
Climate change is real. No doubt about it.
Join us and 185,000 others in urging the world’s two biggest charitable foundations to move their money out of fossil fuels. Add your voice to the petition.
I've been following Solar Impulse 2's #RTW attempt quite closely on social media since it took off from Abu Dhabi just over 3 weeks ago. It's such an exciting project not just from a technical point of view, but through its unique way of inspiring and educating an entirely new group of people on the issues of climate change and sustainability.
It represents the pinnacle of modern solar technology and offers a small glimpse into the possible future of air travel. At times, SI2 feels like a small (and very slow) beacon of hope - a positive demonstration of a potential solution to mitigating climate change that drowns out the endlessly depressing narrative describing its gloomy realities.
I'm really looking forward to seeing Solar Impulse 2 inch closer and closer towards its prestigious goal over the next few months. Its flight might be symbolic, but the message it carries - that generating energy from today's clean technologies is not only viable but crucial - couldn't be more serious.
The Eiffel Tower has new wind turbines, and they’re beautiful.
The Eiffel Tower’s iron-clad frame turned slightly greener last week, with the installation of two new wind turbines along its lower deck, perched some 400 feet above the ground. When they go into operation next week, the 17-foot structures will provide enough electricity to power the tower’s first-floor commercial areas — about 10,000kWh per year.
Getting Around Cities: Japanese Bicycle Parking Technology
I’m a big fan of this video and idea! It’s such a clever and efficient way to park bikes securely and without taking up a lot of space on the street. Smart!
You can get information on the system over at Eco Cycle.
This sort of installation would not only make much more efficient use of valuable space in cities, but also practically eliminate the bike theft problem so prevalent in many urban areas. The main drawback to a solution like this is obviously cost, but as bike use increases hopefully local governments will start making more significant investments in bike-related infrastructure. I'd like to think I'll be able to park my bike in one of these in the not-too-distant future...
While bikes are generally regarded as an eco-conscious form of transportation, they still require their fair share of maintenance and care. This often involves the use of harmful lubricants, grease, and various other fluids to accomplish - most of which are pretty harmful to the environment (particularly with regards to water and soil contamination). There are alternatives though, and a little-known company in the UK called Green Oil claims to have the ideal solution.
Introduction
Green Oil, founded by self-professed mountain biking fanatic Simon Nash, is a small start-up company based in London. The now multiple award-winning firm is firmly committed to producing a range of "UK manufactured, environmentally friendly, performance driven and fun" bike cleaning products made from locally-sourced plant-based ingredients with no petrochemicals or PTFE. All product packaging is made from 100% recycled materials and itself fully recyclable (with instructions clearly printed), and shop display racks are made from reclaimed wood. From their strong emphasis on re-use and their empty container take-back program to their collection of bottle caps and their avoidance of air freight wherever possible, these guys have clearly thought things through.
As is apparent from their website, the folks at Green Oil are incredibly passionate yet don't take themselves too seriously. This gives the company a very local, personal feel, which is actually one of the main reasons I decided to try out their stuff in the first place.
Green Oil offers a pretty comprehensive range of bike cleaning products - a chain lube, chain wax, chain degreaser, pivot grease and general cleaner, as well as their own cleaning brush and sponge. They also offer a selection of pre-configured sets with everything you need to care for your beloved two-wheeled machine. I opted for the 'Eco Rider Deluxe Set' - their most comprehensive - which includes the following:
100ml Green Oil chain lube
100ml EcoGrease (for pivots, bearings, etc.)
100ml Clean Chain (degreaser)
1L Green Clean (a general-purpose cleaner)
Bike brush
EcoSponge (a cleaning sponge specially designed for bikes)
All this is neatly packed into a plastic tub, whose main purpose is to contain water for bike cleaning. Also included were some Green Oil stickers and a pack of seeds (more on that later). The price appeared a little steep however - I paid €45 plus another €5 for postage to Switzerland (it's free within the UK). So is the price premium really worth it, or is this just overpriced, underperforming greenwashing?
First Impressions
About a week after I'd placed my order - I was greeted by a welcome surprise at my door. It was a cardboard box of Greek wine. Wait, what? Yes, that's what Green Oil had decided to pack my order in - they reuse existing packaging instead of having new boxes made. This was a taste of the kind of impressive attention to detail I was to find later inside the box.
The tub is fairly compact, and the carrying handle makes it easy to bring wherever you think you'll need it - perfect for bike trips or weekend races. Upon opening I found its contents neatly packed inside, with room to spare for other bike essentials like tools and tubes.
The attention to detail here is truly staggering. Everything has been meticulously thought of, and it really shows. The labels on the bottles show exactly what plastics each component is made of (the body, cap, and label) and whether it's recyclable (turns out the caps aren't). The bottles each come with friendly 'Green Tips' - suggestions to help reduce consumer's carbon footprints. "Stop harmful airport expansion. Travel around Europe easily by train! www.seat61.com" reads one. Another says "Buy only recycled or FSC certified paper. Use then recycle it!".
The label on the EcoGrease warns that it's not recommended for use in hair, and the Green Oil reminds users that "though naturally sourced, Green Oil is...not a smoothie". It's the kind of little touch that makes the company personable and relatable, and it's always a nice way to cheer up after a cold, wet, and muddy day of riding.
The 1L bottle of bike cleaner only comes with the concentrate solution to save weight in freight. Green Oil recommends using rain water to top the bottle up, though tap water words fine too. The cap is cross-cycled from soft drink bottles (Green Oil accepts donations of used bottle caps), and the spray nozzle is attached to the bottle using a recycled piece of used inner tube. If that isn't attention to detail, I don't know what is.
The EcoSponge is grown in the Philippines, fair-trade, and fully compostable. I received the second generation sponge, which is made from coconut husk and cotton. It's supposed to expand and soften after being soaked in water and doesn't get clogged with mud like regular sponges do. It's also machine washable, which is pretty cool.
Last up is the bike brush. It's made from FSC-certified sustainable wood and has specially-designed long brushes for cleaning cassettes, spokes, and wheels. You could also probably use it for hair, but seeing as I'm already starting to lose mine (thanks dad!) that wouldn't be very useful to me.
The Deluxe kit also included a few other extras - some stickers, a personal thank-you note, and a packet of seeds. I thought the note from Simon was a great touch (even though my name isn't Andrew) and just another one of those little details that makes the Green Oil feel less commercial.
The packet of seeds was a final detail I though was absolutely ingenious. The plastic tub containing the kit is supposed to be used as a bucket during regular use (for washing and rinsing), but it's actually not easily recyclable at the end of its life (it's made of polypropylene #5, which not many recycling programs accept). Rather than throw it away, however, the intention is for the tub to become a container for growing the seeds, ready to be harvested for food at the end of the growing season. Apparently Green Oil distributes a variety of different types of herbs and vegetables in their kit - mine came with lettuce-leaved basil which is great for pairing with tomato-based dishes. I'll probably plant it at the start of next years' growing season.
Cleaning Performance
Florie and I have been testing out the various Green Oil products over the last 6 months on our commuter bikes. They've seen quite a bit of use lately, as we try to ride wherever we can. Both bikes have had to deal with road grit and lots of rain, which are the perfect conditions for testing out lubricants and cleaners.
Overall, I've been thoroughly impressed with the cleaning performance of the kit. The Clean Chain degreaser and Green Oil chain lube in particular are both fantastically effective. They've nursed my dirty, squeaky mess of a chainset back into smoothness and silence on more than one occasion. On another, the degreaser devoured the rust that began accumulating on Florie's chain so well that I was convinced she had bought a new one. The Green Clean general cleaner has also performed admirably, making it easy to remove even stubborn dirt and grime. The bike brush is great for scrubbing away at the chain and other harder-to-reach areas thanks to its stiff bristles, which is also probably one of the reasons why the degreaser is so effective.
The only real letdown of this kit is the EcoSponge. Although it does expand considerably when wet, I found it wasn't really able to clean anything properly. It holds hardly any water, making rinsing and removing grime almost impossible. Pieces of the sponge also have an annoying tendency to get caught in the sharp-toothed cassette and chainrings.
According to the Green Oil website, they've now released the EcoSponge3 third-gen sponge after the coconut husk supplier in the Philippines went bankrupt. Apparently, the design has been tweaked to make it much more effective than the one I received. New kits already include this newer version.
Final Thoughts
I initially purchased the Green Oil Deluxe set not knowing how it would live up to the task of actually keeping my bike clean. It has far exceeded my expectations, however, and it does so in an environmentally responsible and innovative way. No other company in the industry has yet to offer a cradle-to-cradle bike cleaning and maintenance solution, and for that Green Oil needs to be commended. Their company philosophy is great, their prices are acceptable, and their product performance is top-notch. Next time you need to grab some chain lube or a bike cleaner, take a look at what Green Oil has to offer. I honestly couldn't recommend them more highly.
Experimenting with sustainable economic and consumption models. Governments fiddling with money supplies and currencies. Adapting to unpredictable swings in oil and commodities prices. Exchanging threats with our Russian neighbours. Watching senseless violence in the middle-east. Marvelling at far reaching advances in sciences and technology. Standing in awe at breathtaking sci-fi movies. Mixing brown and orange. Proudly supporting singers with outrageous make-up.
We already did all of that (and much more) in the seventies. What about electric cars? As a matter of fact, we did that too!
In 1974, in response to the on-going oil crisis, the late Robert Beaumont decided to launch the CitiCar – a truly minimalist electric commuter car powered by 6 to 8 lead-acid car batteries. A visionary entrepreneur, Beaumont dedicated his life and most of his wealth to building an affordable and practical electric vehicle for the US market.
The CitiCar is about as simple as a road-legal car from that era could possibly be. The accelerator pedal has just three positions, none of which are particularly speedy. The headlights dim on even the tamest of climbs. The motor has the same power as an average electric kettle. The body is entirely made of “impact resistant” ABS plastic. Forget about air-conditioning, air-bags, GPS and any other form of safety or luxury. Want to roll the windows down? Just take them off!
Despite its lack of features, approximately 4,400 CitiCars were sold in the US (including a postal service version) until 1979. Amazingly, it stayed the best-selling electric car in the US until the introduction of the Tesla Model S in 2012. The CitiCar fulfilled the need of urban commuters with a range of around 40km, a (somewhat optimistic) stated top speed of 61km/h, and the cosy dimensions of a modern Smart car.
By all accounts, the CitiCar, its creators, and its owners were far ahead of their time.
Amusingly, a browse through the FAQs section of the promotional brochure reveals how little public opinion regarding electric cars has changed in the past four decades. Beaumont addressed many of the common concerns – from whether electric cars are really more environmentally-friendly than conventional vehicles (they are, even given the dirtiest forms of electricity production) to concerns about range. It feels like Beaumont’s vision of personal transportation far surpassed the limits of the technology available at the time. Only now, forty years later, are electric vehicles seriously being considered by the public as a viable substitute to oil-burning ones. This is largely due to technological improvements in battery chemistry and lightweight materials, which have resulted in improved vehicle performance and increased range at more competitive prices.
It is reassuring that every now and again, visionary entrepreneurs have foolish ideas that should in all logic fail, yet do not. It only takes one such person to push technology to its next frontier. So, if you need a New Years’ resolution, don’t spend time developing yet another social media app. Focus instead on engineering something bold - something that no one has yet envisioned. Be 40 years ahead of your time, like Beaumont was.
(Written with my Dad who somehow survived the seventies)
On climate change, the world is leaving Harper behind
Canada has long justified its own failures to limit the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by pointing to the inaction of heavy emitters like the U.S. and China — but that excuse does not stand up to scrutiny.
The U.S. is likely to meet its 2020 emissions reduction target, and is now committing to reduce emissions even further by 2025. Canada, meanwhile, is on track to miss the same 2020 target by 20 per cent.
In other words, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions will go down, but the federal government is projecting they will go up.
Some provinces, including B.C. and Ontario, have made significant progress on cutting their emissions through measures like the carbon tax and phasing out coal-fired electricity. But growth in emissions from the oilsands sector is projected to wipe out those gains.
With this announcement, China is showing real leadership on climate change. Given the energy demands of China’s growing population and economy, identifying a target year for its emissions to peak, along with a plan to invest heavily in clean energy generation, is a significant and ambitious step.
Canada has run out of excuses for failing to reduce emissions. Introducing stringent emissions regulations for our oil and gas sector and ramping up investments in energy efficiency and clean energy technology must be top priorities — both to do our fair share to address climate change, and to help Canadian industry compete in a world that is increasingly pursuing lower-carbon energy.
Key facts:
Canada is among the top emitters, per capita, in the industrialized world.
Canada and the U.S. have both committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020.
The U.S. is likely to meet its 2020 climate target, while Canada is expected to miss its emissions target by 20 per cent (122 megatonnes of CO2e).
Canada’s oil and gas sector regulations are now eight years overdue. In the meantime, emissions from the oilsands are set to rise from 34 megatonnes to 101 megatonnes between 2005 and 2020.
Canada has regulated emissions related to 10 per cent of the energy in its electricity system, whereas the U.S. has targeted all electricity emissions.
Canada’s coal regulations are mitigating 0.4 per cent of our emissions by 2020. The U.S. clean power plan would mitigate 4.9 to 6.6 per cent of U.S. emissions.
