"Green" Flights

Taking small steps towards a more sustainable future?
How about taking a flight?
It has now become possible to power an airplane with a 100% bio-fuel.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130115-plant-powered-planes-show-promise

Instead of using kerosene, the polluting fossil fuel, the plane is fuelled by a rapeseed oil derivative.
There are also multiple possibilities to use algae, flax and even used cooking oil to power the "green" flights.

The reason why these fuels are said to be 'green' is that the plants from which they are derived are absorbing CO2 as they grow, removing it from the atmosphere. when they burn as a fuel they release the CO2 back, but without the net addition.

Currently, aviation is responsible for 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, and considering the future use of the bio-fuels this can be reduced to 0%

The trial flights on the mixture of bio-fuel and normal fuel have been conducted since 2008.
There have been many researches and trials since that time and, fortunately, everything goes well.
And in 2011 the first flight with 100% bio-fuel happened between Amsterdam and Paris.

GMO and our food

-How would you like your steak?
-Genetically Modified, please.

Will we ever happy to eat genetically modified meat?
My first answer would be "Never"
But what if we look at the Genetic Engineering as a science that actually helps us to be more sustainable?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150309-will-we-ever-eat-gm-meat

In 2012, the AquAdvantage salmon, could become the first GM animal approved for human consumption. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the fish is safe to eat and poses no threat to the environment. The approval was on the way, even though it met the opposition of environmental groups, but unfortunately the FDA stalled.

The AquAdvantage Salmon is genetically engineered to grow twice faster than typical farmed salmon, containing a growth-hormone gene from Chinook salmon and DNA from an eel-like species. It could potentially boom the market, reducing the environmental damages of salmon farming, but it is not yet approved to get to the market.

Genetic Engineering can resolve the issue of growing population, and particularly the issue if feeding people. There is a need to produce more food with less land and water resources used, in order to not degrade the environment for future generations.

There is strong resistance however from environmental groups. Whereas, in past few year, the Genetic Engineering industry has advanced greatly in making very precise changes to DNA, altering specific genes without changing other parts of an animal’s DNA

It can be described as the future of selective breeding, considering that genetic engineers are no longer mixing up different species' genes, but selectively adjust DNAs of the same species.

Does that mean the technological era will change pur minds about the GMO? Are they really safe and is that the only solution for future generations?

Building tomorrow

Urban lifestyle creates threat to the environment by using more resources and increasing green house effect. Unfortunately, nowadays building are mostly designed to accommodate people, purely functional as a building, without any consideration to promoting sustainability.
In order to sustain our environment and to reduce levels of pollution building design has to re-thought and the new, improved model of building design has to evolve.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130624-architecture-for-a-changing-world

The article above introduces Lars Lerup's theory of how the traditional way buildings affect our lives needs to be outmoded. Lerup suggests using new building materials to achieve more fluid structure and strongly states the the role of architect and architecture has to be re-thought.

One example of the new way of thinking is integrating life like bacterial elements that replicate natural processes. The material is said to be very flexible and can be printed suing desktop 3D printers. and installed into building façades. Protocells, which are most effective in water, could help buildings perform better in wet conditions.
In Britain, the first algaeponics unit on top of the School of Architecture, Design and Construction is installed, generating a sustainable oil, used as fuel.

Moreover, people are moving away from the fixed idea of building construction material being imported from somewhere else and they are exploring more and more options to use already available materials, reducing overall building's footprint.

The proposals and innovative ideas may seem as something very different and futuristic and unachievable, but we are not to eliminate any ideas at this stage.
Starting by rethinking the nature of building fabrics, we are slowly moving towards a better response to climate change.A flexible approach to architectural design will make us think more about sustainability and biodiversity.

Megacities: Can they get too big?

Megacities. What are they?  Generally the first thing that comes to mind is just the normal city x100.
A city that is big enough to be home for more than 10 million people. The growing areas and growing number of people does affect the way of life in those cities.

Can a city be too big? Is there a limit to which a city can grow, until it cannot sustain itself and function as a city any more?

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-can-cities-become-too-big


Megacities may have the benefits of developed infrastructure, increased opportunities and advanced people interactions, but it also means with the increased \population, the problems get bigger as well.
It most definitely means more sustainability and economy challenges.

In the article above, there are evidence of Megacities struggles, that are actually appearing alongside with the increase in population. Air pollution, transport congestion and high house prices are among the challenges discussed
But here is the example of the Megacity fighting its way through global warming and rising sea level:

Jakarta, Indonesia

Suffering from all sorts of environmental problems from deforestation to global warming. The intensity of these issues is so high that the capital could one day become uninhabitable.

Global warming causes extreme floods in the area and scientists are predicting to have more. According to Owen Cooper, who works at the Earth Systems Research Lab in Boulder, Colorado, the sea level in Jakarta rise 6-9 mm per year which is faster compared to the rest of the globe.

In order to fight the floods, the city’s government has decided to build a 32-kilometre seawall and a chain of artificial islands. The project is expected to take 30 years to complete.

Sustainable restaurants?

The basic human needs are food/water/shelter. We need food to survive. No doubt food culture is one of the biggest in our lives. It surrounds us everywhere, it is so naturally integrated in our life that we dont even notice that it is there. But what is happening behind our food consumption?

With the example of a simple potato in the following video:
https://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_potts_dawson_a_vision_for_sustainable_restaurants#t-507458
Arthur Potts described the cycle our food go through before we get it on the plate. It goes from being grown, harvested, packed, transported, sold and processed to being consumed. But what are we missing is the waste that incorporates in every part of a cycle. It includes a waste of time, energy and waste of the actual waste.

The idea behind the sustainable restaurant is to minimise any waste throughout the process.
Arthur's restaurant is run entirely on sustainable energy. He is all about the idea of reuse and recycle. Every single aspect of the construction, design and service is taken care of, so there is no waste.
Even the menu is made in a way that the customer can vary the amount of food that goes on the plate.

I think there is a huge potential in these ideas as the food culture is strong all around the world.
If such a natural and essential activity affects the amount of energy wasted around us, we might think about how to reduce it. How to be more sustainable even with something so simple.

A credit card to offset your individual carbon guilt

Have you ever been offered any kind of rewards when using your credit card?
I'm sure the answer is 'Yes'. Every one has been trapped in some kind of a reward scheme, whether its the cash back promotion, discounted price on some items or some sort of gifts or vouchers.
But have a look at this:

https://sustaingreen.com/credit-card

Sustain:Green came up with the idea to bring the reward system to the next level. Now, every time you use your card, you fight against global climate change.Your carbon footprint (or the carbon footprint of the item you purchased) is reduced with the funding to reforestation projects.
 Sustain:Green hopes to use the rewards systems toward purchasing certified carbon offsets.

The company's CEO Arthur Newman states that there was always a lack of transparency involved in all sorts of fundings like this. people did know where the money are going. Also, some companies do have an option of offset after the purchase but with extra costs, which is ridiculous and does involve some kind of second though after the transaction has been finalised. His goal is to make the offsets free and easy.

The offsets aren’t free for Sustain:Green, but they have gone as far as they can to make purchasing offsets free for its customers.

I think its a very interesting project. People do not have to do anything to make a difference. there are no extra fees involved and no charges. People just live their lives, spend money and offsetting.

There is also a sector of community involvement. The website provides information on more projects by Sustain:green and people can vote for them, discuss and even make their own suggestions.

Another extra sustainable feature is that the card is biodegradable. According to Newman, the amount of credit cards being thrown away each year is highly underestimated - it’s about half a billion credit and debit cards every year.

Gardening in a polluted paradise: Is it safe?

Gardening in the city is today's popular solution to urban greening and biodiversity. But, taking into account the pollution levels we experience living in big cities, is it really safe to grow vegetables in the city?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150515111628.htm

In the article above, it is explained hoe vegetables take up different soil contaminants.

The researchers from Kansas State University grew tomatoes, collard greens and carrots in different type of soils. They also looked soil compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are potentially cancer causing and are believed to be found in urban environment soils.
The research then showed that the amount of compounds in the vegetables was safe. it was only the root vegetable causing concern, because they generally take up higher levels of lead from the soil.

However, the researches stated even with the small amount of this dangerous cancer-causing compound, the vegetables are still absolutely safe to eat. Even though, I found it a little bit disturbing, I would not  be happy to know that the food I'm eating contains potentially dangerous compounds. Surely, I will not be able to consume the amount of vegetables that it takes to actually make the compound dangerous, but the fact that it is there is just a little bit concerning.

Reflecting on those worries, the researches also tested different ways to decrease the chance of consuming the soil particles. the tests showed that while washing the vegetables in the lab with the soap was most successful, simple thorough wash with water would still be enough.

So, even though there are some dangerous compounds in the urban garden soils, it is important to know what are the other benefits and to evaluate risks. The small amount of soil compounds will not harm you, and overall urban gardens  do provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables right while living in the urban jungle.

Re-thinking the cities

The world’s urbanization rate is increasing, with 50% of world’s population living in urban areas. According to UN Department of economic and social affairs the number will increase to 70% by 2050.

That means that more and more people are moving to live in the artificial environment.

It is believed that with the increased density the city becomes more productive and powerful, but in fact, there are particular challenges the city residents are facing.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121214-greening-the-concrete-jungle

The most important issue of the big city is its sustainability. Urban sector generates 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Big cities have to re-think their strategies in order to provide adequate natural environment.

 

Unfortunately, the growth of the cities is mostly happening chaotically, without a plan or a developed strategy. However, the solution offered in the above article is to "go higher". The skyscrapers can be viewed as one of the solution to accommodate large amount of people reducing the footprint. The cities are now really competing with each other to go higher and higher. But there has to be more thorough architectural planning involved.

In order to improve the sustainability of skyscrapers, architects need to aim for low-energy innovations. 

 

One good example is the Bank of America Tower in New York, USA.

It is made using recycled materials, it captures rainwater and conserves water in other ways, such as with waterless urinals, filters the exhaust air, Also 2/3 of the energy is generated by the building itself, onsite. 

The office tower has won a slew of awards and been given a highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating.

Used cigarette butts offer energy storage solution

People are used to the fact that renewable energy sources are capable of providing us with what we need without a bad impact on our environment. Solar, wind, water power is an important part of our lives. It is also essential that we know how to keep the energy for the future use and still make it sustainable. Reflecting on the previous post about the Redox battery and energy storage solutions: scientists came up with the electrolyte cell to keep the energy flow at constant, but what are the other choices we have?

What if there are solutions that we might have not even thought about? Can the sustainable solutions come from something highly unsustainable?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150515144950.htm

Like the one that I've recently stumbled across - using cigarette butts for energy storage.

Everyone knows that the remains of the cigarettes - the filters are non-biodegradable and toxic.

This was always an issue of pollution and waste disposal. But now, South Korean scientist found out that the fibres inside the filters can be transformed by a simple act of burning into high-capacity material. According to the study, the end material has better performance than already available carbon and graphite. There is a possibility of extending its future use into storing extremely large amount of energy.

Renewable energy storage solutions

Our life is based on energy. whatever we do, wherever we go, we always consume energy.
In our century, with the amount of electrical gadgets we use, it is impossible to imagine our lives without power. The power that we use to connect to each other, to learn, to entertain, to work, to do anything we are capable of. That power of course needs to be stored somewhere. That is why the question of energy storage is very important.
How can we achieve better use of power devices to make our life easier, but maximize sustainability. Nowadays, energy is widely generated from renewable sources like solar, water and wind energies. 1/4 of the energy comes from the renewable sources. However the energy has to be stored for the times when there is less wind, or during the night.
The redox batteries developed by scientists to keep the energy levels constantly available.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130318105003.htm

The new battery was presented in April and it was upgraded to store a much greater amount of energy and increase its efficiency by 80%
The way the battery works is pretty simple. Basically, the cell stores energy in the electrolyte solution. The energy is accumulated through a chemical process, when the electrolytes circulate through the cell. they are extremely cost effective and durable.

Artificial Photosynthesis

The basic concept of photosynthesis is familiar to every one of us as the process of energy creation by plants. But according to professor Harry Grey, the idea of artificial photosynthesis, where the sunlight is used to turn the CO2 into other forms of energy is possible in the near future.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141113-an-energy-revolution-from-the-sun

According to  Gray, artificial photosynthesis will slowly but surely replace all the coal, oil and gas that are used nowadays. The planet could become less dependant on the fossil fuels in the next 100 years. The only problem with the development of the artificial photosynthesis now is the cost of the elements. The devices use such expensive materials as platinum and ruthenium.

Professor has set up a "solar army" full of science students, to come up with the solution to allow artificial photosynthesis using more affordable materials.

Bamboo House by Elora Hardy

This semester, one of the studio choices was the "Outpost of Cambodia". A project requiring accommodation for the volunteers staying in Cambodia for a short period of time and helping locals building their houses.
One of the main purpose of this project was sustainability.
How do we build a proper house in the tropical climate, that could sustain itself and be functioning without electricity.

One of the first interesting ideas we were given by our tutors was the use of sustainable materials.
Mostly because it is a real life project, you could imagine people do not use concrete or bricks to build their houses in Cambodia. It has to be light weight construction, well cross-ventilated, elevated above the ground for the flood prone areas etc. What everybody came up with at first was the timber construction. Wood is one of our few renewable sources and is easy to build form.

But then we were introduced to the bamboo construction. With the example of the Green School in Bali.
All of us were amazed by the qualities of bamboo! It grows very fast, has a tensile strength of steel and the compression strength of concrete, it is very light weight and durable.

Here is an interesting video about a woman who has built a house made of bamboo in Bali

https://www.ted.com/talks/elora_hardy_magical_houses_made_of_bamboo#t-162829

According to Elora, bamboo is arguably the most sustainable building material available. People in South east Asia have been building with it through out their history. The technology has actually been adopted from the a long time ago. The only reason it hasn't really been used until recently is the inability to protect bamboo from insects.
With all its amazing construction qualities it can be eaten to dust it no time. And due to the climate features and cultural necessities, impermanence of the buildings wasnt an issue. But now, as we adopted that technology and learned how to treat Bamboo from being eaten by insects it can change the way we think about construction and build forever.

The challenge of building with bamboo is in its form. It is a hollow, curved pole, each one different from another, no two bamboo poles are the same. It requires a lot of attention to structural design and also a fair bit of creativity.

This examples show just how we can design without ruining our environment.

Electric cars take the fast lane

Electric cars are widely popular in Europe. Unfortunately Australia is a little bit behind on that trend
But one of the problems with the electric cars is that people do not consider them strong or fast enough.
Electric cars have a poor image of being slow, inefficient, but, yes, sustainable and eco-friendly.

However, this perception might change.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130131-electric-cars-enter-the-fast-lane

There is now a new initiative, taking electric cars to a whole new level.  Formula E holdings came up with the initiative to create electric car races.

The developers believe that showing people the roaring fast performance of a car that is 100% eco-friendly will change their attitude towards electric cars. The cars are designed to reach the speed of 320km/h

The challenge of this initiative is in the battery restrictions. In order to keep the weight of the car to a minimum, the battery is not capable of holding the power for a full 60-minute race. So the plan is that at the pit stops, instead of the mechanical adjustments the driver will switch cars.

The CEO of Formula E Holdings is convinced that the future of our cities lies in electric powered motors. The company promotes clean mobility and sustainability.

Potato power

We know that food gives us energy. It provides us with vital elements to sustain our life. But what of a simple potato could charge your laptop as well?

Researcher Rabinowitch has been working on the "potato power" theory for the past few years.
According to his research a single potato could power a room with and LED lighting for 40 days!

The idea behind the research is fairly simple. As the basic concept of battery works, in order to produce energy from an organic object, one needs two metals positively and negatively charged, like zinc and copper. The acid inside the object forms a chemical reaction which is then transmitted into an electric reaction between the metals.

The energy produced by potatoes is a very low voltage but it is enough to charge a laptop or a phone.The cost of this kind of energy is estimated at 9$ per kilowatt per hour, which, compared to a simple AA cell (49-84$) is fairly cheap.

However, there are certain limitation to the use of potato power. UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. states that using food for energy must avoid depleting food stocks and competing with farmers. In some countries, like Sri-Lanka potatoes are rare and expensive. But local scientist came up with the solution of using the stems.

Moreover, the image of a potato as a source of energy may not be suitable for consumers.
We would still want to eat our potatoes rather then charge laptops with it. The image of using a cheap source of energy like potato may not find its way to the market.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20131112-potato-power-to-light-the-world

We can fix the Great Barrier Reef

There has been a lot of attention around one of Australia's most beautiful nature wonders - The Great Barrier Reef. The state of the reef is shocking. The pollution and destruction are causing people to question whether it is going to last or not?

I have heard a lot of theories about how it is too late too do anything and the Great Barrier Reef has already reached its state, where the degradation is unstoppable.

But here is an uplifting article on how the scientists state they can restore the state of the Reef, with the implementation of better environment focusing on science protection and conservation.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150406121017.htm

In 2014 Australian government report has described the state of The Great Barrier Reef as "poor and expected to further deteriorate in the future." It has lost more than half of its coral cover in the past 40 years. Mainly this degradation is caused by over-fishing, pollution, coastal development, tourism and now by climate change.

All of the above mentioned stresses need to be reduced in order to save the Reef.
 
Jon Brodie from the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystems Research at JCU states that
using scientific knowledge will help to prevent further damage. Also, giving the Reef some breathing space would allow it to recover. That would mean the necessary change in the normal Reef use and operation.

The scientists have outlined a six-point plan they believe will restore the Great Barrier Reef, including;

1. A return to the former emphasis on conservation and protection of the Great Barrier Reef.
2. Australia taking a lead role in tackling climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels.
3. Permanent legislative bans on dumping both capital and maintenance dredge spoil within the World Heritage area.
4. An overhaul of the environmental impact assessment process for new developments
5. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) reinstated as the agency responsible for all aspects of the Great Barrier Reef, including fishing and ports.
6. A 50-year plan and adequate funding for the use of the catchment designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural run off.

Population could outpace water by mid-century

Population growth is a hot issue in all aspect of our lives.
Are there enough resources to support our lives in the future?
Are we over-consuming non-renewable sources and destroying our environment so that the future generations will struggle to live safely?

The question of water supply is probably one of the most important one.
The researches have often stated that the shortage of water will affect our future generations if no action is taken.
In the following article, scientists came up with the mathematical equation to analyse existing data and project the future outcomes.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150323182518.htm

What they came up with is quite interesting.
the model of the equation they used is similar to those, used to predict earthquakes and stock boosts and falls. The basic idea behind that model is that through analysing the fluctuations we can predict the next rise or fall.

The Outcome is that following the times when the water shortages were critical, comes a time for innovative and new ideas to ease it up and resolve the problem.
The next phase of change is most likely to start by the mid-21st century.

There is no clear knowledge on what it will be, it might be some strategy for gradual change in water supply and consumption, or some sort of an innovative technology for new sources of water.

The population growth will rise from current 7 billion people to 9.6 billion by 2050
Current methods of water recycling, like water desalination and etc. will most likely be taken to the next level and advanced in a way to avoid water shortage.

Harvesting the sun

The solar power plant in south Spain is a perfect location for research on how to collect and store the solar energy and test new technologies, with the 12hrs/day sun exposure.

The company is trying to solve one of the most important problem - storing the sun’s energy.

The parabolic shaped panels, capture the sun and reflect the heat onto the tube running across the panels. The tube is filled with oil, that gets very hot and then is transferred to the central block, releasing steam. But what is more interesting than the way the energy is collected, is the way it is stored. Part of the oil is used to give the heat to molten salts, and these salts store the heat, which is released later.

The basic explanation is that the company came up with the salt based battery to store the solar energy collected during the day, and release it closer to night-time, when the peak of energy consumption happens.

Another technology used is also involving the salt, but in liquid form, running through a tower, which receives the heat from the panels. The salt is then stored in the huge container until used later on.

Clean up the skies

We are all more or less familiar with the waste management systems. What happens with the garbage, where does it go etc.

What happens when people litter? The pieces of garbage are lying around on the ground until they are (hopefully) being picked up and taken to garbage area. We all know how nasty littered areas can be.

But have you ever thought about the space waste? What happens in the sky? There is no one to clean up the mess. 

Space junk creates risks and can cause serious damages to spaceships and satellites.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120518-danger-space-junk-alert

Surprisingly according to NASA an object as small as a baseball can be potentially threatening to the space stations.

Currently, the US Air force space command is tracking around 22000 man made pieces of junk in space. And thats only those, bigger than 10cm in diameter.

 At first, when people thought of threats of hitting objects out in space they would think about asteroids and comets. But nowadays, with the advanced development of satellite systems, the collision of satellites has been unavoidable and the pieces of remains are flying around freely, causing a snowball effect.

Kessler, a former Nasa scientist, has developed a theory that from 1966 to 1976 the amount of space junk was increasing by 13% each year!
Last year a US National Research Council study has figured out that current orbital waste has reached a ‘tipping point’ and there are more frequent collisions and spacecraft failures are more likely to happen.

Last year scientists came up with the idea for CleanSpace One.
It is a spacecraft intended to collect the junk in clusters. It will have up to eight arms that can wrap around pieces of debris.

Legally, every space objects/satellites are sovereign objects that belong to the countries that launched them. But formally, the law is not followed.
While the legal issues are still havent been sorted, the threat continues to grow.

Electrifying the ocean

Getting electricity underwater? This doesnt really sound serious or even possible. Even if it is possible with the technology available nowadays, what is the purpose of electricity at the bottom of the ocean??

Well, surprisingly, getting the ocean 'electrified' could save our marine life and increase biodiversity.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150506-why-we-should-electrify-the-ocean

So what is really happening?

The new technology used is called "biorock technology".
It was originally developed by marine scientists Thomas Goreau and Wolf Hilbertz.

The system is basically a stell rod structure with the current running through it. Electricity interacts with the minerals in the seawater and limestone begins to grow on the structure.Throughout time, the limestone that builds up, gets solid and acts as a skeleton, creating a perfect environment for the marine breeding.The whole idea is to speed up the growth of the corals and to make the heal faster.

When divers spot a coral that has been injured, they move it onto the Biorock structure, the results are amazing! The process of healing gets 20 times faster and the coral has 50 times more chance to survive!
But the Biorock is not only helpful for the coral healing, it is also beneficial for fish population, providing shelter and surely, making the quality of the water better.

The size of the structure is not limited, the only limitation with the biorock system is that it need to get power. It has to be constantly connected to electricity.

Cook County's Zero waste goal

The process of building is a long and complicated one. There are a lot of processes involved at every stage of the construction. But when the building is up and functioning, what happens to the construction waste?

I was surprised to find out that up to 40% of the landfill in US consists of building/construction waste.

So in Illinois State, US, at the Cook County, the new requirement for the construction waste management is that 70% of the debris created from demolition has to be recycled and reused rather than sent to the landfill. Moreover, the additional 5% has to be reused on residential structures.

 

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=6453#.VXGfxM-qpBc

It is extremely important to review what goes to waste and explore more option to adapt the potential 'rubbish' to new use. This initiative will not only help reduce the amount of landfill, but will also, hopefully, make builders think twice, and be more considerate with the materials they use. 

In addition to saving materials and saving space in landfills, this initiative will also be creating new jobs. even recycling 5% of demolition debris from about 30 residential structures can support at least one new retail center with up to five jobs and 30 full-time deconstruction workers. 

Recycling demolition waste will generate jobs, stabilize local economies, and create constant materials supply for construction and building industries.