UCSD, a public research university overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, California, is being called The Living Lab, a model of sustainability in education, research, and university operations. Home to 29,000 students, it is one of the most environmentally progressive campuses in North America, reflected in its landscape and buildings, services and management, curricula, [...]
In 2012 Pennsylvania passed Act 13, an act which mandated that local governments must allow drilling in all zoning districts and cannot ban or restrict gas development. Act 13 limits local government control and allows only individuals who own land and mineral rights in counties to participate in drilling decisions that will affect their communities. [...]
Globally, energy and water use are in a highly interdependent power play. When we grapple for solutions for one issue, it can often offset benefits for the other. There are several opportunities that, internationally, we are not sufficiently exploiting in order to reduce our consumption, while producing sustainable energy and water sources. 1. Access or [...]
In September, two coal-burning power plants on the Southwest side of Chicago closed down operations, leaving the nearby communities with the pressing question of how best to re-use the combined 132 acres. The Fisk and Crawford coal plants have been decommissioned by their owner Midwest Generation in response to increasing pressure from community groups and [...]
Given the disappointing situation of nuclear energy stations and their hazardous accidents, nations like Denmark have strictly excluded nuclear use as part of their strategy for producing electricity. This has increased aspiring concepts like alternative energy farms: socially and environmentally-harmless frameworks. Autonomous giant structures that coordinate their moves with nature’s rhythm, the wind power plants [...]
What does it take to become the world’s greenest city? Officials in Canada’s west coast city of Vancouver, British Columbia think they have the answer and plan to achieve this status by 2020. Using a variety of transportation measures, building codes, and urban design techniques, Vancouver is set to lead the world in sustainable living. [...]
In July 2012, North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan gleefully snipped the official ribbon at the Piedmont Biofuels ribbon-cutting ceremony, signifying the well-proven commercial viability of the plant’s innovative biodiesel brewing process. Just about two years ago, the triumph of this successful biofuels company was made possible by a $1.2 million United States Department of Energy [...]
Michel Foucault (October 1926- June 1984) was a French philosopher and activist, pivotal in the conception of contemporary postmodern theory. They are bred in the suburbs, and then sent to school. They attend Duke University, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. They are pumped with pertinent education, and then are [...]
Since 2000, important developments have occurred regarding energy efficiency and sustainability in contemporary buildings in Turkey. Initially, energy efficiency had become an issue attracting the attention of private sector. This issue is now being considered by the government; thus, new laws and regulations have entered into force in order to decrease energy consumption and to [...]
Landfills within metropolitans create serious problems both because of environmental pollution and the large areas they cover in city territories. Today, several methods have been developed with the purpose of rehabilitating such areas. In Turkey, ITC Invest Trading & Consulting AG was the first company putting such applications into practice on behalf of the Ankara [...]
Tempe, Arizona gets 211 sunny days every year. Arizona is 113,990 sq mi. The sun emits 12.2 trillion watt-hours per square mile per year of solar energy. So, the total solar energy possibly gained in Arizona is 1,390,678 trillion watt-hours, which is roughly equivalent to 1, 390 terawatt-hours. World energy consumption in 2008 was 19,000 [...]
Considering New York City, New York (NYC) contains 5.2 billion ft2 of built space parceled out among a million buildings, and that the building sector emits 79% of the city’s greenhouse gases, the importance of sustainability in its built environment is paramount. The Bloomberg administration’s 2007 PlaNYC effort, a comprehensive plan for the City’s largest issues [...]
While research and development of algal biofuels are currently receiving much interest and funding, they are still not commercially viable at today’s fossil fuel prices. However, a niche opportunity may exist where algae are grown as a by-product of high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) operated for wastewater treatment. In addition to significantly better economics, algal [...]
With the United Kingdom committed to producing 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020, there seems to be an acceptance within the general public that sustainability has become a key issue in everyday life. But with around 50% of planning applications for new wind farms rejected in 2010, is the country [...]
The government’s 50% cut to feed-in tariffs (FITs) for domestic solar installations, announced this 31st of October 2011, has incurred the wrath of the solar industry in United Kingdom. The action focuses on the recent announcement by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to cut the rate paid to householders with solar panels [...]
Solid waste disposal sites are not often seen as opportunities for energy solutions. Landfill gas (LFG), a mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and trace constituents, is typically viewed as a liability because of explosions, odours, and increasingly, climate change concerns. However, LFG can be turned into an asset. Process of land-filling, LFG collection, electricity generation [...]
Renewable Heat Incentives are the most recently launched incentive scheme, so far announced by the United Kingdom Government in March 2011. The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is designed to provide financial support, and encourage investments from individuals and communities. This is all in order to switch from fossil fuel heating to renewable energy. The Energy [...]
Sustainablewaste management, climate change, and renewable energy are three significant issues becoming increasingly important worldwide, especially in Europe. Incidents of spills, land & water contamination, biodiversity losses, and health concerns have triggered thresholds for policy makers of European Union (E.U.) to ensure implementation of feasible waste management systems throughout the Europe. Various landfill, waste minimization, [...]
…if the world could capture even a quarter of annual lightning at 250 kW-hours, it would produce 87.5 billion kW-hours, which according to Department of Energy Statistics, would be a significant portion of global energy demand…
A warm Global Site Plans welcome to Pamela Abee-Taulli, the newest blogger to The Grid. Every other Tuesday, starting in May, you can find Pamela Abee-Taulli blogging about her passions for sustainble landscape design, energy, climate change, and urban design. Pamela Abee-Taulli has an M.S. in Community & Regional Planning from the University of Texas at [...]
