The debut of the $2,500 car is just another reason Americans will pay more at the pump, and highlights a need for some creative urban planning in the developing world.
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer
January 31 2008: 1:43 PM EST
Original article at http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/30/news/international/mini_cars_gas/index.htm
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The debut of the $2,500 car may be billed as a mobility breakthrough for billions of people in the developing world, but for U.S. motorists it could mean one thing: higher gas prices.
Rising demand from the developing world has long been cited as a main driver behind the runup in oil prices. That demand will only get more intense with staggering growth in car sales - and by extension, gasoline use - in places like India and China.
"We'll get into a situation where we'll have to compete with them for gasoline, $4, $5 a gallon, who knows how high we could go." said Peter Beutel, an oil analyst at the consultancy Cameron Hanover.
He says that time could come much sooner than 2015, when light vehicle sales in India are expected to total over 3 million - doubling 2006 sales - according to J.D. Power & Associates. In China they're expected to nearly triple - to over 17 million - roughly on par with projected sales in the United States.
That huge growth doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of potential car buyers in those countries though. The 2 billion-plus combined populations of India and China could one day dwarf the 300 million potential car buyers in the U.S.
Autos' year of living dangerously
China is expected to nearly quadruple its fuel consumption for motor vehicles by 2030, according to the Energy information Agency. In India it's expected to rise nearly three-fold.
By comparison, growth in the U.S. is only expected to be about 40 percent, although fuel use in the U.S. will still be more than twice that of China thanks largely to the bigger vehicles we drive.
Sales of all types of cars and trucks are growing in India and China - as they are in other developing economies like Mexico, Brazil and throughout the Middle East.
But small, super-cheap cars are important because they are marketed to people who don't have cars. Earlier this year India's Tata motors introduced the Nano, a two-cylinder, four-person sedan that gets 50 miles per gallon and is priced at $2,500. China's Chery car company has the slightly more expensive QQ, and Nissan and Renault are reportedly considering similar tiny models.
While the vehicles are efficient - certainly more efficient than gas-guzzling SUV so popular in the U.S. - experts say their effect on gas consumption will nonetheless be significant for two reasons.
First, the people that buy them will mostly be trading in motor scooters, which get much better gas mileage especially due to their ability to whiz through Asia's traffic-clogged streets, said Lee Schipper, a fellow at EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute's Center for Sustainable Transport.
Second, these cars are seen as gateway vehicles. The ultimate goal of the car companies is to move the consumer up the supply chain into bigger - and less efficient - rides.
'Nano' achieves Ratan Tata's dream
Environmentalist are uneasy criticizing countries that are basically following the development model of the West. But in addition to raising gas prices for everyone, they say the rate of growth will put the countries' roads under serious stress, make cities less livable, and add to pollution.
We've become utterly auto dependent and now we're trapped in our car," said John DeCicco, an automotive strategies fellow at Environmental Defense. He sees cheap cars creating a vast new constituency for cars and road expansion.
India's Tata, which builds the Nano, did not respond to an email seeking comment. China's Chery could not be reached.
But Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said cars in developing counties are far more efficient than cars in the U.S. were just 20 years ago. She also defended the automobiles role in society.
"Modern life couldn't exist without the mobility automobiles provide," said Bergquist. "Access to jobs, healthcare...they really form the basis of our quality of life."
The mobility cars afford is not just relegated to developed nations as evidenced by the skyrocketing sales projections. The Chinese, Indians, Brazilians and others want these things too.
But if they're going to follow the West's development model, some argue that maybe it's better they use cars that get 50 miles a gallon.
"It was going to happen anyway, and I'd rather see them in these than in vehicles that get 20 miles a gallon," said Michael Robinet, vice president of global vehicle forecasts the research firm CSM Worldwide.
Robinet also wasn't convinced these cars will compete directly with U.S. drivers for gasoline, as refining blends often vary country to country and refining bottlenecks in the U.S. are a big reason gas prices are so high.
But the the speed at which customers in developing nations are snapping up these cars, and the sheer size of the market, come with an urban planning challenge commensurate in scope.
"If they go to fast down the road of cars, it will take decades before they are finally able to calm the traffic," said the Schipper.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Peak oil the Federal Reserve and the Economy
Economic growth requires energy growth. The 2%-7% increase every year in economic activity that we are all accustomed to requires more and more energy to power all the things that the extra money is spent on (cars, houses, factories, highways, etc…)
When Wall St begins to understand this fact you'll see "mountains of capital wiped out" to quote one peak oil researcher.
Only 1% know what economic growth really means. It is debt based banking and how it keeps working.
There isn't enough money in existence to pay back all the old loans outstanding plus the interest. So, you have to introduce more money every year out of thin air. This is done by writing new loans a.k.a economic growth. Without these new loans, all the money would start finding its way back to the lenders and there would be none left for us to live on. You know that when you borrow $100,000 for a house you end up paying back $300,000! So you have removed $200,000 of money that goes back to the bank.
This system was given to us by the infamous Rothschild’s, and was passed into existence in a shady manner by congress.
The Federal Reserve gets to collect interest on all the money it prints every year.
Not only does the current system require energy growth, but population growth, increase use of resources, more houses, cars, etc.
I know people in the real estate "biz" and they are expected to tow the party line; of this being just another "market cycle or correction" (it isn't) and that everything can return to normal after a few months or a year of market adjustments or government interventions (it won't). Unlike economists, I realize at some point growth must stop. You all no the reasons. It's pretty fundamental... like gravity. Of course it's pointless to take on the mantel of no-growth activist unless all you want to do is get beat over the head as a whack-job.
All the forces now coalescing-energy cost and scarcity, climate change, mortgage/ housing crisis, financial markets meltdown, will create the perfect storm that will plunge us into one of those once-in-a-century turning points that we haven't seen since the Great Depression.
The basic manner in which the economy functions will be called into question and the people we depend on to explain situations and comfort us in times of crisis will be discredited and discarded. We now have the beginnings of a loss of faith in the entire way of life we've taken for granted since 1945.
After speaking to many associates about what is going on we all agreed on the following:
1) The level of mischief and associated financial losses now being admitted by the markets is purposely being underestimated by a factor of at least 100%.
2) The federal response/distraction of a tax rebate is a joke and will have no affect. Especially if people use it to buy goods that are “Made in China”.
3) This is something almost no one alive today has lived through or knows how to deal with.
4) This crisis may be the best (if also the most painful) way to get the majority of us out of our cars and suburban McMansions and back to living in urban settings within walking distance of jobs and amenities. Will energize the masses to support the development of rail transit beyond the current lip service. Will place the financial responsibility back with the homeowner instead of with the corrupt mortgage brokers so that if a kid needs dental work or the car breaks down you won't lose your house over a missed payment.
I don't have a lot so I also don't have a lot to lose. But I am still positioning myself for the coming crisis the best I can by controlling the size of my home, where I live (within easy reach of necessities), limiting the need to drive or depend on energy sucking devices, getting food locally, etc. I hope you all are doing the same.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Green bill of health
Original article at http://www.timesleader.com/AbingtonJournal/20080123_AJSTORY_0123_GreenSceneFour_ART.html
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor’s Note: Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficient initiatives. This week, find out more about the role of government in effecting and regulating change.
ABINGTONS – The so-called “Green Revolution” continues to impact the decisions many residents of the Abingtons and locations abroad face. The effect may be magnified as time continues and local, state and federal governments look to revise outdated acts and pass new legislation.
Currently, almost identical bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate call for steadfast reports and monitoring of global warming impacts on the state. Senate Bill (SB) 266 and House Bill (HB) 110 also require an inventory of greenhouse gases, voluntary registry of greenhouse gas emissions and a climate change action plan. Senator Bob Mellow (D-Peckville) and Representatives Frank Andrews Shimkus (D-South Abington Twp.) and James Wansacz (D-Scott Twp.) have supported their respective legislation.
Mellow, the Pennsylvania Senate’s highest ranking Democrat, has also introduced a four-bill energy package that would invest more than $71 million in the development of cellulosic fuels. According to www.harvestcleanenergy.org, cellulosic ethanol differs from more conventional ethanol in both the material and processes that create it.
Conventional ethanol uses corn, wheat and soybeans to produce a corn starch that is heated, liquefied and milled for ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol can use switchgrass, saw dust and other plant wastes to create the final product. Additionally, cellulosic fuel does not use fossil fuels or other non-renewable resources to produce heat in the conversion process.
“It seems clear that cellulosic energy is one of the best and brightest alternative energy prospects,” Mellow said. “Apart from the obvious need to cut our dependence on foreign oil, my legislation would create new jobs and greatly improve Pennsylvania’s stake in this budding alternative energy industry. While I am a big proponent of cellulosic energy, I will readily consider other ideas aimed at positioning Pennsylvania to benefit from this promising and emerging green energy industry.”
With the passage of HB 110 in October 2007 and SB 266 in November 2007, the general assembly may not have far to look in establishing proposed climate change action plans. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), a statewide non-profit environmental group, has already devised the Pennsylvania Climate Change Roadmap. The 90-page document includes 38 recommendations under subject heads including energy supply, residential/commercial/industrial and forestry.
Brian Hill, president and CEO of PEC, said that Pennsylvania’s rank in terms of greenhouse gas emissions signals a need for change. “Pennsylvania produces one percent of greenhouse gases worldwide,” he said. “As we continue to emit greenhouse gases, we must act responsibly.”
Hill said that Pennsylvania currently creates 316 million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually. The number, without positive change, is expected to reach 335 million by 2010 and 383 million by 2025. “It’s growing. Scientific consensus is that unless we change, we will see great changes across the world and across Pennsylvania.”
Part of the problem in Pennsylvania is suburban sprawl, or development that destroys green space in rural areas. “Sprawl undermines the community, destroys habitats and has a huge effect on climate change,” Hill said.
The Roadmap states that “Pennsylvania can adopt a climate change strategy that puts it at the forefront of state leadership and spurs economic development in the clean technology area…This report can inform that strategy.” Hill recommended that residents contact their state and federal legislators encouraging them to vote for change.
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor’s Note: Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficient initiatives. This week, find out more about the role of government in effecting and regulating change.
ABINGTONS – The so-called “Green Revolution” continues to impact the decisions many residents of the Abingtons and locations abroad face. The effect may be magnified as time continues and local, state and federal governments look to revise outdated acts and pass new legislation.
Currently, almost identical bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate call for steadfast reports and monitoring of global warming impacts on the state. Senate Bill (SB) 266 and House Bill (HB) 110 also require an inventory of greenhouse gases, voluntary registry of greenhouse gas emissions and a climate change action plan. Senator Bob Mellow (D-Peckville) and Representatives Frank Andrews Shimkus (D-South Abington Twp.) and James Wansacz (D-Scott Twp.) have supported their respective legislation.
Mellow, the Pennsylvania Senate’s highest ranking Democrat, has also introduced a four-bill energy package that would invest more than $71 million in the development of cellulosic fuels. According to www.harvestcleanenergy.org, cellulosic ethanol differs from more conventional ethanol in both the material and processes that create it.
Conventional ethanol uses corn, wheat and soybeans to produce a corn starch that is heated, liquefied and milled for ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol can use switchgrass, saw dust and other plant wastes to create the final product. Additionally, cellulosic fuel does not use fossil fuels or other non-renewable resources to produce heat in the conversion process.
“It seems clear that cellulosic energy is one of the best and brightest alternative energy prospects,” Mellow said. “Apart from the obvious need to cut our dependence on foreign oil, my legislation would create new jobs and greatly improve Pennsylvania’s stake in this budding alternative energy industry. While I am a big proponent of cellulosic energy, I will readily consider other ideas aimed at positioning Pennsylvania to benefit from this promising and emerging green energy industry.”
With the passage of HB 110 in October 2007 and SB 266 in November 2007, the general assembly may not have far to look in establishing proposed climate change action plans. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), a statewide non-profit environmental group, has already devised the Pennsylvania Climate Change Roadmap. The 90-page document includes 38 recommendations under subject heads including energy supply, residential/commercial/industrial and forestry.
Brian Hill, president and CEO of PEC, said that Pennsylvania’s rank in terms of greenhouse gas emissions signals a need for change. “Pennsylvania produces one percent of greenhouse gases worldwide,” he said. “As we continue to emit greenhouse gases, we must act responsibly.”
Hill said that Pennsylvania currently creates 316 million metric tons of greenhouse gases annually. The number, without positive change, is expected to reach 335 million by 2010 and 383 million by 2025. “It’s growing. Scientific consensus is that unless we change, we will see great changes across the world and across Pennsylvania.”
Part of the problem in Pennsylvania is suburban sprawl, or development that destroys green space in rural areas. “Sprawl undermines the community, destroys habitats and has a huge effect on climate change,” Hill said.
The Roadmap states that “Pennsylvania can adopt a climate change strategy that puts it at the forefront of state leadership and spurs economic development in the clean technology area…This report can inform that strategy.” Hill recommended that residents contact their state and federal legislators encouraging them to vote for change.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Consumers driving demand for ‘green’
http://www.timesleader.com/AbingtonJournal/13826592.html
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Barry Kaplan displays environmentally friendly household cleaning products available at Everything Natural.
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTO/ CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES
Times Leader Photo Store
Editor’s note: “Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficient initiatives. This week, read how the age-old standard of supply and demand is beginning to impact businesses.
ABINGTONS – It’s a basic economic principle that has driven the American economy for years. Supply and demand, the idea that request for a product and its availability will dictate its final price, has supported consumers and manufacturers alike.
Now, as more and more individuals become conscious of the global energy crisis and the increased amount of alternative products and services available to combat it, supply and demand is taking a slightly different form.
According to several Abington area business owners, “greener” goods and services, those that consume less energy and are more environmentally friendly overall, are in high demand. Items like compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient vehicles and organic foods and cleaning supplies are slowly being added to the regular selection of more traditional choices.
A dollar as a vote
Twenty-three years ago, when Barry Kaplan first opened the doors to Everything Natural, 426 S. State St., Clarks Summit, the natural food industry was not a business to enter to make a living. But Kaplan, who has lived his life conscious of the affect that one person can have on the environment, said the industry with roots in a greener lifestyle was a natural choice.
“This has been a lifelong endeavor for me,” he said. “I had a very strong inkling years ago to live in harmony with the planet. Of course that sounds trite, but it’s meaningful and real.”
He’s not kidding. Kaplan skipped class in high school to attend the very first Earth Day in 1970. Things have changed slowly and steadily since that time. “Thirty years ago, I was a health nut. Now, I’m an authority,” he said, jokingly.
Kidding aside, Kaplan said that response to the store in 1985 was immediately positive, and the community of people interested in natural foods and healthier lifestyles has increased and allowed the business to flourish. With interest came the improvement of many goods and services, which now include completely recycled paper products, organic cereals, fruits and dog treats and cleaning products recognized by the United Nations for their positive environmental impact.
Everything Natural also became a leader as one of the first businesses locally to offer canvas shopping bags as an option. That effort has generated an in-house wooden nickel campaign. Patrons who bring their own shopping bag or otherwise don’t require a bag when shopping at the store are given a wooden nickel at the register to designate in-store funds to a local charity. Currently, the campaign supports the Women’s Resource Center, the Lackawanna River Corridor Association and the Humane Society of Lackawanna County. Kaplan said the environmental and charitable ties follow the idea of one good initiative supporting another.
“People vote with their dollars. What is actually happening now is that major businesses are recognizing that there is a need brought about by our change of consciousness,” Kaplan said. “This is being led by consumers, and businesses are responding to us wanting change. They’re learning that they can have a competitive edge by begin greener.”
A competitive edge, however, comes with a drawback. Kaplan warned consumers about “greenwashing,” which is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as “expressions of environmentalist concerns, especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities.” A variety of certifications have surfaced to combat greenwashers, but Kaplan said even some so-called “green seals” have weaker standards based on what group awards them.
The positive changes have thrilled the partnership that leads the store, he said. “This is such an important part of our business, and each of the owners shares a passion for providing and supporting a sustainable business. This issue transcends every one of us. This means the health and well-being of every living thing. We’re at a place where we have to make changes, and we’re ever-so-happy to be an agent in that change.”
Kaplan is also impacting change outside the store. As a board member of the Abington Community Library and chair of its building and grounds committee, he attended the Going Greener conference hosted by the Design Institute and the Chicago Public Library in December. Based on his forthcoming report, Kaplan said the library will develop a strategic plan on making the building more sustainable, including the purchase and installation of new light fixtures and carpeting over the next two years.
“We want to be ready to use the most environmentally friendly systems available,” he said, of the library’s future efforts.
Driving change
Consumer changes are also affecting auto manufacturers. Both Honda and Toyota had four cars each named to the list of Greenest Vehicles of 2007, according to www.greenercars.org.
Locally at Toyota/Scion Scranton, Olyphant, Internet Sales Manager Chris Scarlata said consumers have responded well to Toyota’s selection of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid cars often run on an electric motor and a gasoline engine.
“Consumers have responded, especially in the past 90 days,” Scarlata said. “With the cost of fuel breaking $3 a gallon, the response of the consumer is not only do they want better gas mileage, but they want to send a signal to oil companies, too.”
The signal is sent through improved gas mileage achieved using hybrid technology. A typical Prius, the flagship of Toyota’s current line of hybrid vehicles, can receive more than 55 miles per gallon (mpg) in city driving. The brake system uses the inertia of the car to stop and recharge the battery simultaneously. As a result, Scarlata said some drivers are reaching close to 100,000 miles without needing extensive brake maintenance. “In terms of durability and dependence, we see literally no problems with these cars,” he said.
“We sell pretty much every car (Prius) we get,” he continued. “There are rebates on non-hybrid vehicles, but incentives on hybrids are rare. They pretty much sell themselves.”
Toyota currently offers hybrid models of the Prius, Camry and Highlander. Future plans include adding the Sienna minivan and truck line to a consumer’s list of choices.
“Hybrid is the answer for Toyota,” he said. “In my opinion, hybrid vehicles are the greatest value in our line. The cost of ownership is very low. Fifteen years ago, hybrid was a dream, and now it’s here. Technology is always changing and improving, but we’re well on our way with a fabulous start.”
At Matt Burne Honda in Scranton, general manager Brian Walsh said he hasn’t noticed vast changes in the showroom. “This area might be somewhat of an anomaly,” he said. “Even when we had a near recession around 2001, we didn’t see the numbers change here very much.”
The lack of change in new car sales comes with manufacturer’s incentives, which are often used to counteract rising gas prices. “Our larger vehicles – Odysseys, Ridgelines and Pilots – have benefited from those initiatives,” he said.
Incentives on hybrid vehicles are rare for Honda, just as they are for Toyota, Walsh said. Most buyers are unaware of government intervention in hybrid markets. Some buyers can receive between $500 and $3,000 in one-time tax credits for purchasing a hybrid vehicle.
“Unfortunately, enough people don’t know about it (government credits),” Walsh said. “One of the jobs a dealership has is to educate people on what they’re buying and the available advantages. Our staff understands the tax issues and how to explain them.”
Walsh added that more used car buyers, however, are increasingly budget conscious. “We can’t keep a Civic on our used car lot,” he said. The traditional Honda Civic and Civic hybrid were both named to the Greenest Vehicles of 2007, receiving an average of 30 and 49 mpg, respectively, in city driving. “People who buy used cars might be a little more budget conscious. They might be looking for something more economical, and they’re motivated by sheer need. The true indication of the economy, to me, is what’s selling off of used car lots.”
Alternative fuel sources are gaining recognition, even with the extensive cost of research and development. Honda’s compressed natural gas Civic, also on the 2007 green list, isn’t available in many markets because of a lack of fueling stations. “The important thing isn’t just developing alternative fuels sources but coming up with a way to get them to the people,” Walsh said.
“At the end of the day, people are still buying what they bought 100 years ago – gas cars.”
Greener garbage
Additional sites in Lackawanna County are also moving forward with globally conscious initiatives, including Alliance Sanitary Landfill, Taylor. The site is one of 33 Waste Management locations nationwide, and Community Relations Coordinator John Hambrose said he is excited for the future of the Taylor landfill.
The landfill is currently in the process of reviving a landfill gas-to-energy project. Since 2003, Alliance has burned the gas, predominantly made of methane, produced by decomposing waste. Estimates have shown that converting the gas to energy could produce energy to power buildings and systems on-site or be piped out of the landfill to generate power for close to 40,000 homes.
Until that project is completed, Alliance recycles a variety of natural supplies. Rain water, for example, is collected in a retention basin and used to water paths throughout the landfill to reduce dust and at the vehicle tire wash. Runoff from existing waste masses is also treated at Alliance’s on-site plant, producing up to 500,000 gallons of fresh water daily. Much of that water is applied to waste to compact garbage and increase the speed of decomposition.
Alliance is also home to three environmental test plots planted with natural trees and shrubs. “The project is testing whether native plants can be grown on a landfill cap without affecting the cap’s function,” Hambrose said. “The planning has also helped to break up the engineered appearance of the site and increased our wildlife population.”
Officials at Alliance also reused a site once damaged by strip mining. They have converted a former emergency call center into a community building as well, which is home to several Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, as well as some local religious groups.
“It’s very satisfying when people tell us that we’re a good neighbor,” Hambrose said. That wasn’t always the case, however. In the past, Hambrose said that there were operational challenges at Alliance. Consumers bordering the landfill helped adjust changes, leading to better control over birds flocking to waste masses and the experimental landscaping projects.
“If we’re not a good neighbor, we don’t think that we’d be able to continue doing business here,” Hambrose said. “We’re operating as somebody that we would want to live next to.”
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Barry Kaplan displays environmentally friendly household cleaning products available at Everything Natural.
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTO/ CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES
Times Leader Photo Store
Editor’s note: “Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficient initiatives. This week, read how the age-old standard of supply and demand is beginning to impact businesses.
ABINGTONS – It’s a basic economic principle that has driven the American economy for years. Supply and demand, the idea that request for a product and its availability will dictate its final price, has supported consumers and manufacturers alike.
Now, as more and more individuals become conscious of the global energy crisis and the increased amount of alternative products and services available to combat it, supply and demand is taking a slightly different form.
According to several Abington area business owners, “greener” goods and services, those that consume less energy and are more environmentally friendly overall, are in high demand. Items like compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient vehicles and organic foods and cleaning supplies are slowly being added to the regular selection of more traditional choices.
A dollar as a vote
Twenty-three years ago, when Barry Kaplan first opened the doors to Everything Natural, 426 S. State St., Clarks Summit, the natural food industry was not a business to enter to make a living. But Kaplan, who has lived his life conscious of the affect that one person can have on the environment, said the industry with roots in a greener lifestyle was a natural choice.
“This has been a lifelong endeavor for me,” he said. “I had a very strong inkling years ago to live in harmony with the planet. Of course that sounds trite, but it’s meaningful and real.”
He’s not kidding. Kaplan skipped class in high school to attend the very first Earth Day in 1970. Things have changed slowly and steadily since that time. “Thirty years ago, I was a health nut. Now, I’m an authority,” he said, jokingly.
Kidding aside, Kaplan said that response to the store in 1985 was immediately positive, and the community of people interested in natural foods and healthier lifestyles has increased and allowed the business to flourish. With interest came the improvement of many goods and services, which now include completely recycled paper products, organic cereals, fruits and dog treats and cleaning products recognized by the United Nations for their positive environmental impact.
Everything Natural also became a leader as one of the first businesses locally to offer canvas shopping bags as an option. That effort has generated an in-house wooden nickel campaign. Patrons who bring their own shopping bag or otherwise don’t require a bag when shopping at the store are given a wooden nickel at the register to designate in-store funds to a local charity. Currently, the campaign supports the Women’s Resource Center, the Lackawanna River Corridor Association and the Humane Society of Lackawanna County. Kaplan said the environmental and charitable ties follow the idea of one good initiative supporting another.
“People vote with their dollars. What is actually happening now is that major businesses are recognizing that there is a need brought about by our change of consciousness,” Kaplan said. “This is being led by consumers, and businesses are responding to us wanting change. They’re learning that they can have a competitive edge by begin greener.”
A competitive edge, however, comes with a drawback. Kaplan warned consumers about “greenwashing,” which is defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary as “expressions of environmentalist concerns, especially as a cover for products, policies, or activities.” A variety of certifications have surfaced to combat greenwashers, but Kaplan said even some so-called “green seals” have weaker standards based on what group awards them.
The positive changes have thrilled the partnership that leads the store, he said. “This is such an important part of our business, and each of the owners shares a passion for providing and supporting a sustainable business. This issue transcends every one of us. This means the health and well-being of every living thing. We’re at a place where we have to make changes, and we’re ever-so-happy to be an agent in that change.”
Kaplan is also impacting change outside the store. As a board member of the Abington Community Library and chair of its building and grounds committee, he attended the Going Greener conference hosted by the Design Institute and the Chicago Public Library in December. Based on his forthcoming report, Kaplan said the library will develop a strategic plan on making the building more sustainable, including the purchase and installation of new light fixtures and carpeting over the next two years.
“We want to be ready to use the most environmentally friendly systems available,” he said, of the library’s future efforts.
Driving change
Consumer changes are also affecting auto manufacturers. Both Honda and Toyota had four cars each named to the list of Greenest Vehicles of 2007, according to www.greenercars.org.
Locally at Toyota/Scion Scranton, Olyphant, Internet Sales Manager Chris Scarlata said consumers have responded well to Toyota’s selection of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid cars often run on an electric motor and a gasoline engine.
“Consumers have responded, especially in the past 90 days,” Scarlata said. “With the cost of fuel breaking $3 a gallon, the response of the consumer is not only do they want better gas mileage, but they want to send a signal to oil companies, too.”
The signal is sent through improved gas mileage achieved using hybrid technology. A typical Prius, the flagship of Toyota’s current line of hybrid vehicles, can receive more than 55 miles per gallon (mpg) in city driving. The brake system uses the inertia of the car to stop and recharge the battery simultaneously. As a result, Scarlata said some drivers are reaching close to 100,000 miles without needing extensive brake maintenance. “In terms of durability and dependence, we see literally no problems with these cars,” he said.
“We sell pretty much every car (Prius) we get,” he continued. “There are rebates on non-hybrid vehicles, but incentives on hybrids are rare. They pretty much sell themselves.”
Toyota currently offers hybrid models of the Prius, Camry and Highlander. Future plans include adding the Sienna minivan and truck line to a consumer’s list of choices.
“Hybrid is the answer for Toyota,” he said. “In my opinion, hybrid vehicles are the greatest value in our line. The cost of ownership is very low. Fifteen years ago, hybrid was a dream, and now it’s here. Technology is always changing and improving, but we’re well on our way with a fabulous start.”
At Matt Burne Honda in Scranton, general manager Brian Walsh said he hasn’t noticed vast changes in the showroom. “This area might be somewhat of an anomaly,” he said. “Even when we had a near recession around 2001, we didn’t see the numbers change here very much.”
The lack of change in new car sales comes with manufacturer’s incentives, which are often used to counteract rising gas prices. “Our larger vehicles – Odysseys, Ridgelines and Pilots – have benefited from those initiatives,” he said.
Incentives on hybrid vehicles are rare for Honda, just as they are for Toyota, Walsh said. Most buyers are unaware of government intervention in hybrid markets. Some buyers can receive between $500 and $3,000 in one-time tax credits for purchasing a hybrid vehicle.
“Unfortunately, enough people don’t know about it (government credits),” Walsh said. “One of the jobs a dealership has is to educate people on what they’re buying and the available advantages. Our staff understands the tax issues and how to explain them.”
Walsh added that more used car buyers, however, are increasingly budget conscious. “We can’t keep a Civic on our used car lot,” he said. The traditional Honda Civic and Civic hybrid were both named to the Greenest Vehicles of 2007, receiving an average of 30 and 49 mpg, respectively, in city driving. “People who buy used cars might be a little more budget conscious. They might be looking for something more economical, and they’re motivated by sheer need. The true indication of the economy, to me, is what’s selling off of used car lots.”
Alternative fuel sources are gaining recognition, even with the extensive cost of research and development. Honda’s compressed natural gas Civic, also on the 2007 green list, isn’t available in many markets because of a lack of fueling stations. “The important thing isn’t just developing alternative fuels sources but coming up with a way to get them to the people,” Walsh said.
“At the end of the day, people are still buying what they bought 100 years ago – gas cars.”
Greener garbage
Additional sites in Lackawanna County are also moving forward with globally conscious initiatives, including Alliance Sanitary Landfill, Taylor. The site is one of 33 Waste Management locations nationwide, and Community Relations Coordinator John Hambrose said he is excited for the future of the Taylor landfill.
The landfill is currently in the process of reviving a landfill gas-to-energy project. Since 2003, Alliance has burned the gas, predominantly made of methane, produced by decomposing waste. Estimates have shown that converting the gas to energy could produce energy to power buildings and systems on-site or be piped out of the landfill to generate power for close to 40,000 homes.
Until that project is completed, Alliance recycles a variety of natural supplies. Rain water, for example, is collected in a retention basin and used to water paths throughout the landfill to reduce dust and at the vehicle tire wash. Runoff from existing waste masses is also treated at Alliance’s on-site plant, producing up to 500,000 gallons of fresh water daily. Much of that water is applied to waste to compact garbage and increase the speed of decomposition.
Alliance is also home to three environmental test plots planted with natural trees and shrubs. “The project is testing whether native plants can be grown on a landfill cap without affecting the cap’s function,” Hambrose said. “The planning has also helped to break up the engineered appearance of the site and increased our wildlife population.”
Officials at Alliance also reused a site once damaged by strip mining. They have converted a former emergency call center into a community building as well, which is home to several Girl Scout and Cub Scout troops, as well as some local religious groups.
“It’s very satisfying when people tell us that we’re a good neighbor,” Hambrose said. That wasn’t always the case, however. In the past, Hambrose said that there were operational challenges at Alliance. Consumers bordering the landfill helped adjust changes, leading to better control over birds flocking to waste masses and the experimental landscaping projects.
“If we’re not a good neighbor, we don’t think that we’d be able to continue doing business here,” Hambrose said. “We’re operating as somebody that we would want to live next to.”
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Fuel prices around the world
The average American consumer does not know that they are not paying the full value of a gallon of gas when they fill up at the pump. That they are instead paying it through subsidies and the fact that oil companies do not pay property taxes or lease/ rent on the land that they drill on. The only exception to this is the state of Alaska, who charges the oil companies for the oil that is extracted from the state; this is where they get their permanent resident funds. Currently American’s are subsidizing the oil companies to the tune of almost $300 Billion dollars.
In the remaining article I will show you what the rest of the world pays for its fuel. Bear in mind that they are using the same oil as we are, paying the same $/ barrel as we do, they use the same type of refineries to produce the fuels, and in many cases pay 2 to 3 times more in taxes, fees and VAT’s for their fuels.
So what exactly are other countries paying for their gasoline?
Netherlands $8.59 /US gallon
Belgium $7.92 /US gallon
UK $7.83 /US gallon
Germany $7.81 /US gallon
Italy $7.66 /US gallon
France $7.62 /US gallon
Ireland $6.61 /US gallon
Greece $5.67 /US gallon
Alberta Canada $4.48 / US gallon
US average $3.34 /US gallon
South Africa $3.02 /US gallon
Now the next time you go to fill your tank and you see a biofuel for sale and see that it is a little more than regular gas or diesel, bare in mind that those alternative fuels don’t receive the subsidies that the big oil does, and those alternative fuels are produced here in the US by Americans, isn’t that alone worth the little extra? Especially once you realize that our $3.00/ gallon is not even close to the actual value of the fuel.
In the remaining article I will show you what the rest of the world pays for its fuel. Bear in mind that they are using the same oil as we are, paying the same $/ barrel as we do, they use the same type of refineries to produce the fuels, and in many cases pay 2 to 3 times more in taxes, fees and VAT’s for their fuels.
So what exactly are other countries paying for their gasoline?
Netherlands $8.59 /US gallon
Belgium $7.92 /US gallon
UK $7.83 /US gallon
Germany $7.81 /US gallon
Italy $7.66 /US gallon
France $7.62 /US gallon
Ireland $6.61 /US gallon
Greece $5.67 /US gallon
Alberta Canada $4.48 / US gallon
US average $3.34 /US gallon
South Africa $3.02 /US gallon
Now the next time you go to fill your tank and you see a biofuel for sale and see that it is a little more than regular gas or diesel, bare in mind that those alternative fuels don’t receive the subsidies that the big oil does, and those alternative fuels are produced here in the US by Americans, isn’t that alone worth the little extra? Especially once you realize that our $3.00/ gallon is not even close to the actual value of the fuel.
Another desperate addict
By Joseph Romm
The president who said "America is addicted to oil" now begs the Saudis for another fix. Like some binge-drinking, pill-popping starlet -- is there any other kind? -- the president is prostrate before his top foreign "dealer," begging for more, even at the risk of public humiliation:
The Saudi oil minister, however, waited only a short time before announcing that oil prices would remain tied to market forces -- a direct slap at Bush.
Wow! When even your dealer won't sell you more, you have got a real problem.
Just one hour later, though, "President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots."
That is like being turned down by your dealer and then desperately appealing directly to Pablo Escobar.
Anyone for rehab or, say, plug-in hybrids?
This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
The president who said "America is addicted to oil" now begs the Saudis for another fix. Like some binge-drinking, pill-popping starlet -- is there any other kind? -- the president is prostrate before his top foreign "dealer," begging for more, even at the risk of public humiliation:
The Saudi oil minister, however, waited only a short time before announcing that oil prices would remain tied to market forces -- a direct slap at Bush.
Wow! When even your dealer won't sell you more, you have got a real problem.
Just one hour later, though, "President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots."
That is like being turned down by your dealer and then desperately appealing directly to Pablo Escobar.
Anyone for rehab or, say, plug-in hybrids?
This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
General Motors CEO: oil has peaked
by Joshua Dowling
THE world's biggest car maker, General Motors, believes the global oil supply has peaked and a switch to electric cars is inevitable.
In a stunning announcement at the opening of the Detroit Motor Show yesterday, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, Rick Wagoner, said ethanol was an important interim solution to the demand for oil, until battery technology gave electric cars the range of petrol-powered cars.
GM is working on an electric car, the Volt — due in showrooms in 2010 — but delays in battery technology have slowed its development.
Mr Wagoner cited US Department of Energy figures that showed the world was using about 1000 barrels of oil every second and demand was likely to increase by 70% in the next 20 years.
"There is no doubt demand for oil is outpacing supply at a rapid pace, and has been for some time now," Mr Wagoner said. "As a business necessity and an obligation to society we need to develop alternate sources of propulsion.
"So, are electrically driven vehicles the answer for the mid- and long-term? Yes, for sure. But we need something else to significantly reduce our reliance on petroleum in the interim."
GM has signed an agreement with a supplier who claims to have come up with a way of producing ethanol more cheaply and efficiently than refining oil. It has formed a partnership with a company that claims it can produce ethanol from materials such as agriculture and municipal waste, discarded plastics and old tyres.
The car industry has had a love-hate relationship with ethanol, which is most commonly derived from grain-based crops such as corn, wheat and sugar cane. At first, car makers criticised ethanol-blended fuel because most vehicles were not compatible with it. Then they embraced ethanol-blended fuel after retuning engines.
Most recently, ethanol has fallen out of favour with scientists and sustainability experts who have found that processing grain-based ethanol is not much more energy-efficient than refining crude oil.
There is also a catch in GM's grand vision. Ethanol is about 30% less efficient than petrol (gasoline).
Last year, a Sydney test found a car on a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded petrol travelled half the distance that a car on regular unleaded would.
The head of GM powertrains, Tom Stephens, admitted that ethanol was less efficient than petrol.
But he said: "Hopefully, the price of ethanol-blended fuel would reflect that, and be cheaper than regular petrol."
Senior GM executive and engineer Denny Mooney (the former boss of Holden) said: "We need a range of alternatives and ethanol is a step that will get us to the electric car.
"Once we get to the electric car, we can then make truly big gains with the environment by improving how the electricity is generated," Mr Mooney, who returned to Detroit last year, said.
Original article at http://www.energybulletin.net/39096.html
THE world's biggest car maker, General Motors, believes the global oil supply has peaked and a switch to electric cars is inevitable.
In a stunning announcement at the opening of the Detroit Motor Show yesterday, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, Rick Wagoner, said ethanol was an important interim solution to the demand for oil, until battery technology gave electric cars the range of petrol-powered cars.
GM is working on an electric car, the Volt — due in showrooms in 2010 — but delays in battery technology have slowed its development.
Mr Wagoner cited US Department of Energy figures that showed the world was using about 1000 barrels of oil every second and demand was likely to increase by 70% in the next 20 years.
"There is no doubt demand for oil is outpacing supply at a rapid pace, and has been for some time now," Mr Wagoner said. "As a business necessity and an obligation to society we need to develop alternate sources of propulsion.
"So, are electrically driven vehicles the answer for the mid- and long-term? Yes, for sure. But we need something else to significantly reduce our reliance on petroleum in the interim."
GM has signed an agreement with a supplier who claims to have come up with a way of producing ethanol more cheaply and efficiently than refining oil. It has formed a partnership with a company that claims it can produce ethanol from materials such as agriculture and municipal waste, discarded plastics and old tyres.
The car industry has had a love-hate relationship with ethanol, which is most commonly derived from grain-based crops such as corn, wheat and sugar cane. At first, car makers criticised ethanol-blended fuel because most vehicles were not compatible with it. Then they embraced ethanol-blended fuel after retuning engines.
Most recently, ethanol has fallen out of favour with scientists and sustainability experts who have found that processing grain-based ethanol is not much more energy-efficient than refining crude oil.
There is also a catch in GM's grand vision. Ethanol is about 30% less efficient than petrol (gasoline).
Last year, a Sydney test found a car on a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded petrol travelled half the distance that a car on regular unleaded would.
The head of GM powertrains, Tom Stephens, admitted that ethanol was less efficient than petrol.
But he said: "Hopefully, the price of ethanol-blended fuel would reflect that, and be cheaper than regular petrol."
Senior GM executive and engineer Denny Mooney (the former boss of Holden) said: "We need a range of alternatives and ethanol is a step that will get us to the electric car.
"Once we get to the electric car, we can then make truly big gains with the environment by improving how the electricity is generated," Mr Mooney, who returned to Detroit last year, said.
Original article at http://www.energybulletin.net/39096.html
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Heart Breaking Story on eWaste
June is the wet season in Ghana, but here in Accra, the capital, the morning rain has ceased. As the sun heats the humid air, pillars of black smoke begin to rise above the vast Agbogbloshie Market. I follow one plume toward its source, past lettuce and plantain vendors, past stalls of used tires, and through a clanging scrap market where hunched men bash on old alternators and engine blocks. Soon the muddy track is flanked by piles of old TVs, gutted computer cases, and smashed monitors heaped ten feet (three meters) high. Beyond lies a field of fine ash speckled with glints of amber and green—the sharp broken bits of circuit boards. I can see now that the smoke issues not from one fire, but from many small blazes. Dozens of indistinct figures move among the acrid haze, some stirring flames with sticks, others carrying armfuls of brightly colored computer wire. Most are children.
Read the whole article at http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2008-01/high-tech-trash/carroll-text.html
Saturday, January 12, 2008
How to save money on your electric bill
Before delving into some potential power sources it is important to think about how to reduce the amount of power one needs to use and how to conserve the power that is available.
Efficiency is the key here.
If we leave the lights on or keep the TV plugged in (even when off), we are using more than we need. Did you know that almost every electronic plugged-in appliance is draining power even though it is not turned on? It is called a "phantom load". Lots of phantom loads add up to a large steady power drain. Plug those electronics into a plug strip and turn off the plug strip when the appliance is not being used. An average home entertainment center with TV, stereo and satellite or cable box can consume up to 100 watts even off, that adds up to 2.4Kw per day or 72Kw per month. At $.10/ Kw that can be over $7/ per month.
Turn off the lights you are not currently using. Do you really need to light the whole room with a big bulb when reading a book or would a small high intensity reading light conserve more power? Standard incandescent bulbs waste power in the form of heat.
Compact fluorescent bulbs make less heat and are thus considerably more efficient than incandescents - unless the incandescent is used for a short time (like in a closet) because fluorescents take a bit more time to "warm up".
The most efficient light is an LED (light emitting diode).
There are some great LED flashlights on the market these days. LEDS do not get hot, last almost "forever", are hard to break, and use very little power. In my opinion, LED lighting is the way to go. While not yet available in local stores, LED clusters (multiple LEDS in a single housing) can be purchased over the Internet. The initial purchase cost is a bit high but not really when you count in how long they last and how little power they consume.
In a normal home, lighting takes considerable power but refrigeration takes much more. Super insulate the refrigerator with 6" more insulation. Put the compressor on top so that the heat from it rises away from the refrigerator, not up through the cold box like standard models. With a front opening door, every time the door opens the cold falls out. Use a model that opens like a chest freezer. The most energy efficient location for a refrigerator (in the northern hemisphere) is on the north (shaded) wall of the home close to or in contact with the ground (which is 55 degrees F). Do not put a refrigerator where the sun can shine on it! If you have an older refrigerator replace it with an Energy Star refrigerator.
Forget about electric stoves, ovens, hair dryers, plug-in heaters, baseboard heaters, hot plates, or anything that uses electricity to heat a coil of wire. These are very inefficient and hard to run with alternative energy systems. If you need a clothes dryer, a propane or natural gas dryer is better than an electric one.
Try hanging the clothing in the sun on a line. It will save you much power.
Electric stoves should be avoided. If you must use electricity for cooking, a microwave oven is more efficient than an electric stove because it cooks faster. Natural gas or propane stoves are much better. Steamed veggies are tastier and have more vitamins than overboiled ones and steaming saves a lot of power. The more raw food we eat the less cooking is needed.
In the electronics world, small is better. A laptop computer uses far less power than a desktop model. A small screened TV is more efficient than an large one. Choose your appliances, electronics, and tools based on efficiency as well as performance. Do you really need that component stereo CD system or would a Walkman with earphones work just as well? At the very least, turn off the lights when they are not being used!
Conservation starts with awareness.
Remember: the more power we use the more power we have to produce.
Efficiency is the key here.
If we leave the lights on or keep the TV plugged in (even when off), we are using more than we need. Did you know that almost every electronic plugged-in appliance is draining power even though it is not turned on? It is called a "phantom load". Lots of phantom loads add up to a large steady power drain. Plug those electronics into a plug strip and turn off the plug strip when the appliance is not being used. An average home entertainment center with TV, stereo and satellite or cable box can consume up to 100 watts even off, that adds up to 2.4Kw per day or 72Kw per month. At $.10/ Kw that can be over $7/ per month.
Turn off the lights you are not currently using. Do you really need to light the whole room with a big bulb when reading a book or would a small high intensity reading light conserve more power? Standard incandescent bulbs waste power in the form of heat.
Compact fluorescent bulbs make less heat and are thus considerably more efficient than incandescents - unless the incandescent is used for a short time (like in a closet) because fluorescents take a bit more time to "warm up".
The most efficient light is an LED (light emitting diode).
There are some great LED flashlights on the market these days. LEDS do not get hot, last almost "forever", are hard to break, and use very little power. In my opinion, LED lighting is the way to go. While not yet available in local stores, LED clusters (multiple LEDS in a single housing) can be purchased over the Internet. The initial purchase cost is a bit high but not really when you count in how long they last and how little power they consume.
In a normal home, lighting takes considerable power but refrigeration takes much more. Super insulate the refrigerator with 6" more insulation. Put the compressor on top so that the heat from it rises away from the refrigerator, not up through the cold box like standard models. With a front opening door, every time the door opens the cold falls out. Use a model that opens like a chest freezer. The most energy efficient location for a refrigerator (in the northern hemisphere) is on the north (shaded) wall of the home close to or in contact with the ground (which is 55 degrees F). Do not put a refrigerator where the sun can shine on it! If you have an older refrigerator replace it with an Energy Star refrigerator.
Forget about electric stoves, ovens, hair dryers, plug-in heaters, baseboard heaters, hot plates, or anything that uses electricity to heat a coil of wire. These are very inefficient and hard to run with alternative energy systems. If you need a clothes dryer, a propane or natural gas dryer is better than an electric one.
Try hanging the clothing in the sun on a line. It will save you much power.
Electric stoves should be avoided. If you must use electricity for cooking, a microwave oven is more efficient than an electric stove because it cooks faster. Natural gas or propane stoves are much better. Steamed veggies are tastier and have more vitamins than overboiled ones and steaming saves a lot of power. The more raw food we eat the less cooking is needed.
In the electronics world, small is better. A laptop computer uses far less power than a desktop model. A small screened TV is more efficient than an large one. Choose your appliances, electronics, and tools based on efficiency as well as performance. Do you really need that component stereo CD system or would a Walkman with earphones work just as well? At the very least, turn off the lights when they are not being used!
Conservation starts with awareness.
Remember: the more power we use the more power we have to produce.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Frogs and oil, gas prices
You may ask, Matt what the heck to frogs have to do oil and gas prices? And have you finally lost your mind?
Well to answer the first question I must tell a little story, for the second question, I can’t tell.
I was told a story a long time ago that basically goes that if you take a frog and through it into a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out.
However, if you take that same frog and place it into a pot of room temperature water and slowly heat the water. The frog will quite happily sit there in the warm water and be very happy, that is up to the point that the water boils and of course the frog is dead.
OK, still with me?
What this has to do with the costs of oil and gas is quite the same.
A frog in boiling water
If we were to go back to 1973 just before the OPEC oil embargo, we would find the following:
1 barrel of oil sold for $2.70
1 gallon of gas was sold for $.35
By the time the embargo ended in March 1974, oil prices had climbed to nearly $12 a barrel, an increase of 330 percent. Gasoline prices had also begun to climb, reaching 57¢ a gallon by 1975, 86¢ a gallon by 1979, and $1.19 a gallon by 1980. Americans, along with citizens of other developed nations, found themselves waiting in long lines to buy gasoline, turning their thermostats down to 60°, and learning how to live with less energy in general. The embargo caused developed nations to rethink their dependence on fossil fuels. Research on alternative energy sources such as wind, tides, geothermal, and solar energy suddenly attained a new importance. The United States government responded to the new era of expensive energy by formulating an entirely new energy policy expressed in such legislation as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in the United States in 1975, Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1976, the Energy Conservation and Production Act of 1976, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and the National Energy Act of 1978.
A frog in slowly boiling water
So here we are in January of 2008, and gas prices are about $3.00 per gallon and oil trades at $99 per barrel. But if we look back at just the last few years we will see something very interesting.
During the first few years of 2000 gas prices have held reasonable stable around $1.00 per gallon, yes there were some spikes here and there, but reasonable consistent, and oil traded for between $19 to $30 per barrel.
After August of 2005 and hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Oil prices climbed to over $65 per barrel and gas was going for well over $2.00 per gallon. Oh there was much anger and Congress brought the CEO’s of the oil companies to Capital Hill to answer to rumor of price gouging. But come 2006 gas prices did drop to around the $2/ gallon mark and people were once again happy. Come the summer of 2006 gas prices climbed to over $2.50/ gallon and once again there was much complaining, but people didn’t cut back on driving. For most of 2007 gas prices have been between $2.30 and $3.20/ gallon, people still haven’t been complaining or cutting back on their driving. We are showing the oil companies that we will live with the gas price increases as long as it is slow, with no big price jumps.
So far this year the price of a barrel of oil has passed the $100.00/ barrel twice; I know that everybody thinks that it is a fluke or just somebody wanting their 15 minutes of fame. But truth be known, even OPEC has stated that they cannot increase oil output enough to make up the deficits. If we factor into all of this that China and India are currently growing their consumption of oil by almost 10% annually, rest of the world is at 2%, don’t look for gas prices to drop anytime. Since prices are now sitting at the $3.00/ gallon and once again nobody is complaining or cutting back on their driving, don’t expect prices to drop, EVER.
We need to start buying more fuel efficient vehicles, uses CFL and LED light bulbs, use mass transit or carpool, if we want to make it out of the next 5 years with anything resembling the “American way of life”. So since the prices have been going up slowly are we like the frog going to sit there until we too are boiled, or are we going to take action now and jump out of the bowl?
The choice is entirely up to you.
Well to answer the first question I must tell a little story, for the second question, I can’t tell.
I was told a story a long time ago that basically goes that if you take a frog and through it into a pot of boiling water, it will immediately jump out.
However, if you take that same frog and place it into a pot of room temperature water and slowly heat the water. The frog will quite happily sit there in the warm water and be very happy, that is up to the point that the water boils and of course the frog is dead.
OK, still with me?
What this has to do with the costs of oil and gas is quite the same.
A frog in boiling water
If we were to go back to 1973 just before the OPEC oil embargo, we would find the following:
1 barrel of oil sold for $2.70
1 gallon of gas was sold for $.35
By the time the embargo ended in March 1974, oil prices had climbed to nearly $12 a barrel, an increase of 330 percent. Gasoline prices had also begun to climb, reaching 57¢ a gallon by 1975, 86¢ a gallon by 1979, and $1.19 a gallon by 1980. Americans, along with citizens of other developed nations, found themselves waiting in long lines to buy gasoline, turning their thermostats down to 60°, and learning how to live with less energy in general. The embargo caused developed nations to rethink their dependence on fossil fuels. Research on alternative energy sources such as wind, tides, geothermal, and solar energy suddenly attained a new importance. The United States government responded to the new era of expensive energy by formulating an entirely new energy policy expressed in such legislation as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in the United States in 1975, Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1976, the Energy Conservation and Production Act of 1976, the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, and the National Energy Act of 1978.
A frog in slowly boiling water
So here we are in January of 2008, and gas prices are about $3.00 per gallon and oil trades at $99 per barrel. But if we look back at just the last few years we will see something very interesting.
During the first few years of 2000 gas prices have held reasonable stable around $1.00 per gallon, yes there were some spikes here and there, but reasonable consistent, and oil traded for between $19 to $30 per barrel.
After August of 2005 and hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Oil prices climbed to over $65 per barrel and gas was going for well over $2.00 per gallon. Oh there was much anger and Congress brought the CEO’s of the oil companies to Capital Hill to answer to rumor of price gouging. But come 2006 gas prices did drop to around the $2/ gallon mark and people were once again happy. Come the summer of 2006 gas prices climbed to over $2.50/ gallon and once again there was much complaining, but people didn’t cut back on driving. For most of 2007 gas prices have been between $2.30 and $3.20/ gallon, people still haven’t been complaining or cutting back on their driving. We are showing the oil companies that we will live with the gas price increases as long as it is slow, with no big price jumps.
So far this year the price of a barrel of oil has passed the $100.00/ barrel twice; I know that everybody thinks that it is a fluke or just somebody wanting their 15 minutes of fame. But truth be known, even OPEC has stated that they cannot increase oil output enough to make up the deficits. If we factor into all of this that China and India are currently growing their consumption of oil by almost 10% annually, rest of the world is at 2%, don’t look for gas prices to drop anytime. Since prices are now sitting at the $3.00/ gallon and once again nobody is complaining or cutting back on their driving, don’t expect prices to drop, EVER.
We need to start buying more fuel efficient vehicles, uses CFL and LED light bulbs, use mass transit or carpool, if we want to make it out of the next 5 years with anything resembling the “American way of life”. So since the prices have been going up slowly are we like the frog going to sit there until we too are boiled, or are we going to take action now and jump out of the bowl?
The choice is entirely up to you.
An education in efficiency
Original article at http://www.timesleader.com/AbingtonJournal/20080109_AJSTORY_0109_GreenSceneTwo_ART.html
The Abington Heights School District could consider geothermal energy as an avenue to offset rising energy costs at the Middle School. Shown outside the school’s main entrance are Eighth Grade Student Council members, from left, front row: Mary Kate Gallagher, Cate Hartman, Jenna Jaloweic and Brandon Sochovka. Back row: Jordan Hughes, A.J. Cerra, Mark Garbin, Kaitlin Kulp, Nicole Kozar, Devin Gerber, Brendan Larar and Aaron Shapiro. Absent from photo are Michael Post and Jessica Machler.
Abington Journal Photo/Christopher J. Hughes
Times Leader Photo Store
Districts say energy costs are ‘huge part’ of budgets; professor teaches importance of ‘green’ architecture
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor’s note: “Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficiency initiatives. This week, take a tour of the efforts of local school districts and a university architecture program.
CLARKS SUMMIT – Reviewing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Abington Heights Superintendent Dr. Michael Mahon tracks energy use in buildings across the district. During Mahon’s time with the district, he said energy costs have been closely monitored on a monthly basis.
Costs in the district are projected and adjusted, based on yearly weather conditions, in order to develop a base cost. Costs for electric utilities have almost always been lower than the projected rate.
“That tells us that some of the things we’ve been doing have been working,” Mahon said.
Some of those initiatives happened before his arrival, he said, including upgrades to heating systems and retrofitting lighting fixtures at the high school.
“From everything I’ve seen, it’s been a big part of our district’s history to be very conscious about our energy use,” Mahon said. “It’s a huge part of our budget, and it’s one of those areas where there’s savings to be had and you do your best to balance the upfront costs of what you’re doing with long-term savings.”
Annually, the district spends $525,000 in electricity bills, $260,000 for gas and $17,000 in oil, according to Mahon.
Watching their rates
Tracking monthly costs has proved effective for Abington Heights, especially recently, as district officials have seen a rise in energy use at Abington Heights Middle School.
“The Middle School is our only (fully) electric building. There’s no gas (heat),” Mahon said. “Right now, our rates from PPL are good. I don’t think we could do any better with respect to energy.”
However, the district, along with other businesses and residents throughout the area, are beginning to brace for a jump in electricity rates at the end of 2009, when state-imposed rate caps expire. Rates are expected to rise by at least 30 percent when the cap ends.
“We are looking at units that aren’t as efficient or not running as well as when they were brand new, coupled with a very significant increase in our electrical costs. We’re saying we should act now to do something about this,” he said.
Among the avenues under consideration to combat rising costs at the Middle School is geothermal energy, although Mahon said the idea is “in the earliest stages of investigation.” Geothermal energy is defined by the United States Energy Information Administration as “hot water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs in the earth’s crust. Water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs can be used for geothermal heat pumps, water heating or electricity generation.” Pump systems use the constant 50 to 60 degree temperature of the Earth’s crust to heat buildings in the winter and cool them in the summer.
“We’re looking at it cautiously with an eye toward the spike in electrical rates and aging rooftop units,” Mahon, said of the possibility of geothermal energy. “We’ve had some people (Reading-based CM3 Building Solutions) go out to monitor the efficiency of what we’re doing, and we’re gathering data.”
Mahon said that the district has not placed a timeline on deciding on geothermal or any other energy solutions for the Middle School. The goal, he said, is to fully inform the board of the options at hand to make the most educated decision for the district.
Rising electricity rates aside, the district also offsets annual costs by purchasing gas in bulk to avoid fluctuating market prices. “Our gas prices are locked in through the summer (of 2008), and they’re locked in at a point that is lower than the going rate at the time. We’ve been very fortunate in that over the last few years,” Mahon said.
Over the course of the summer, the district also purchased EduLog, software intended to reorganize bus routes in the district. In 2006-07, Abington Heights spent $1.4 million on transportation, including buses, vans, fuel and driver contracts. “Our hope is that, as we get experience with this (new software), we can use this software to improve the efficiency of our bus routes to ultimately save costs and improve our services.” Improving services could mean a thorough reorganization or elimination of some bus routes to save time and fuel consumption for district buses.
At Lackawanna Trail, officials like Business Manager David Homish said that looking ahead has saved a great deal in the district. When the Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center and Junior/Senior High School were renovated in the early 1990s as part of a $350,000 project, surveys of electric utilities and boilers were positive, Homish said.
To further their savings, Lackawanna Trail entered an energy saving agreement with PPL five years ago that replaced several decade-old light fixtures and bulbs with more efficient equals. While the district was energy efficient to start, Homish said rates in the first year following the replacements dropped approximately 16 percent, resulting in continued annual savings of more than $25,000 for the district.
Building for the future
Meanwhile, students at Marywood University are learning the business and design of what it means to be green.
Dunmore resident Maria MacDonald, associate professor of arts and coordinator of the interior architecture program in the university’s College of Creative Arts and Management, has made significant curriculum changes at Marywood to include the idea of sustainable design in all core classes. The United States General Services Administration describes the goals of sustainable design as “…to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste and create healthy, productive environments.”
“The students, as all of us do, have to be more thoughtful and aware of the impact we have on the environment,” MacDonald said. “They have to look deeper and work harder to find renewable resources. It’s not as simple as saying that a home will have a wood floor now. You have to do a bit more research when building and designing.”
Concern for global climate change has truly changed the profession of architecture design, MacDonald said. Some structures being built currently are engineering marvels, harnessing various natural resources such as wind or sunlight to be fully self-sustainable buildings.
As the students answer the challenge, so do the companies that provide materials. “Luckily the revolution is happening now, and companies are complying,” MacDonald said. “The more mainstream this is becoming, the more the prices will come down. We’re getting there. People are often resistant to change, but this next generation has responded well.”
Choices for homebuilders and designers are also changing. Carpeting is now sold with a green seal of approval from the United States Green Building Council. Volatile organic compounds are prohibited in paints. Cork and bamboo, more easily renewable woods, are being installed in homes. And state and local governments nationwide are adopting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System initiative for new and existing structures.
“I’m so proud of them,” MacDonald said, of her students. “It’s inspiring to see what they do. Each student wants to take responsibility in good design, and they approach each project with the environment in mind.”
The Abington Heights School District could consider geothermal energy as an avenue to offset rising energy costs at the Middle School. Shown outside the school’s main entrance are Eighth Grade Student Council members, from left, front row: Mary Kate Gallagher, Cate Hartman, Jenna Jaloweic and Brandon Sochovka. Back row: Jordan Hughes, A.J. Cerra, Mark Garbin, Kaitlin Kulp, Nicole Kozar, Devin Gerber, Brendan Larar and Aaron Shapiro. Absent from photo are Michael Post and Jessica Machler.
Abington Journal Photo/Christopher J. Hughes
Times Leader Photo Store
Districts say energy costs are ‘huge part’ of budgets; professor teaches importance of ‘green’ architecture
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
Editor’s note: “Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at energy efficiency initiatives. This week, take a tour of the efforts of local school districts and a university architecture program.
CLARKS SUMMIT – Reviewing Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Abington Heights Superintendent Dr. Michael Mahon tracks energy use in buildings across the district. During Mahon’s time with the district, he said energy costs have been closely monitored on a monthly basis.
Costs in the district are projected and adjusted, based on yearly weather conditions, in order to develop a base cost. Costs for electric utilities have almost always been lower than the projected rate.
“That tells us that some of the things we’ve been doing have been working,” Mahon said.
Some of those initiatives happened before his arrival, he said, including upgrades to heating systems and retrofitting lighting fixtures at the high school.
“From everything I’ve seen, it’s been a big part of our district’s history to be very conscious about our energy use,” Mahon said. “It’s a huge part of our budget, and it’s one of those areas where there’s savings to be had and you do your best to balance the upfront costs of what you’re doing with long-term savings.”
Annually, the district spends $525,000 in electricity bills, $260,000 for gas and $17,000 in oil, according to Mahon.
Watching their rates
Tracking monthly costs has proved effective for Abington Heights, especially recently, as district officials have seen a rise in energy use at Abington Heights Middle School.
“The Middle School is our only (fully) electric building. There’s no gas (heat),” Mahon said. “Right now, our rates from PPL are good. I don’t think we could do any better with respect to energy.”
However, the district, along with other businesses and residents throughout the area, are beginning to brace for a jump in electricity rates at the end of 2009, when state-imposed rate caps expire. Rates are expected to rise by at least 30 percent when the cap ends.
“We are looking at units that aren’t as efficient or not running as well as when they were brand new, coupled with a very significant increase in our electrical costs. We’re saying we should act now to do something about this,” he said.
Among the avenues under consideration to combat rising costs at the Middle School is geothermal energy, although Mahon said the idea is “in the earliest stages of investigation.” Geothermal energy is defined by the United States Energy Information Administration as “hot water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs in the earth’s crust. Water or steam extracted from geothermal reservoirs can be used for geothermal heat pumps, water heating or electricity generation.” Pump systems use the constant 50 to 60 degree temperature of the Earth’s crust to heat buildings in the winter and cool them in the summer.
“We’re looking at it cautiously with an eye toward the spike in electrical rates and aging rooftop units,” Mahon, said of the possibility of geothermal energy. “We’ve had some people (Reading-based CM3 Building Solutions) go out to monitor the efficiency of what we’re doing, and we’re gathering data.”
Mahon said that the district has not placed a timeline on deciding on geothermal or any other energy solutions for the Middle School. The goal, he said, is to fully inform the board of the options at hand to make the most educated decision for the district.
Rising electricity rates aside, the district also offsets annual costs by purchasing gas in bulk to avoid fluctuating market prices. “Our gas prices are locked in through the summer (of 2008), and they’re locked in at a point that is lower than the going rate at the time. We’ve been very fortunate in that over the last few years,” Mahon said.
Over the course of the summer, the district also purchased EduLog, software intended to reorganize bus routes in the district. In 2006-07, Abington Heights spent $1.4 million on transportation, including buses, vans, fuel and driver contracts. “Our hope is that, as we get experience with this (new software), we can use this software to improve the efficiency of our bus routes to ultimately save costs and improve our services.” Improving services could mean a thorough reorganization or elimination of some bus routes to save time and fuel consumption for district buses.
At Lackawanna Trail, officials like Business Manager David Homish said that looking ahead has saved a great deal in the district. When the Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center and Junior/Senior High School were renovated in the early 1990s as part of a $350,000 project, surveys of electric utilities and boilers were positive, Homish said.
To further their savings, Lackawanna Trail entered an energy saving agreement with PPL five years ago that replaced several decade-old light fixtures and bulbs with more efficient equals. While the district was energy efficient to start, Homish said rates in the first year following the replacements dropped approximately 16 percent, resulting in continued annual savings of more than $25,000 for the district.
Building for the future
Meanwhile, students at Marywood University are learning the business and design of what it means to be green.
Dunmore resident Maria MacDonald, associate professor of arts and coordinator of the interior architecture program in the university’s College of Creative Arts and Management, has made significant curriculum changes at Marywood to include the idea of sustainable design in all core classes. The United States General Services Administration describes the goals of sustainable design as “…to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste and create healthy, productive environments.”
“The students, as all of us do, have to be more thoughtful and aware of the impact we have on the environment,” MacDonald said. “They have to look deeper and work harder to find renewable resources. It’s not as simple as saying that a home will have a wood floor now. You have to do a bit more research when building and designing.”
Concern for global climate change has truly changed the profession of architecture design, MacDonald said. Some structures being built currently are engineering marvels, harnessing various natural resources such as wind or sunlight to be fully self-sustainable buildings.
As the students answer the challenge, so do the companies that provide materials. “Luckily the revolution is happening now, and companies are complying,” MacDonald said. “The more mainstream this is becoming, the more the prices will come down. We’re getting there. People are often resistant to change, but this next generation has responded well.”
Choices for homebuilders and designers are also changing. Carpeting is now sold with a green seal of approval from the United States Green Building Council. Volatile organic compounds are prohibited in paints. Cork and bamboo, more easily renewable woods, are being installed in homes. And state and local governments nationwide are adopting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System initiative for new and existing structures.
“I’m so proud of them,” MacDonald said, of her students. “It’s inspiring to see what they do. Each student wants to take responsibility in good design, and they approach each project with the environment in mind.”
The path to en-light-enment
Original article at http://www.timesleader.com/AbingtonJournal/20080102_AJSTORY_0102_GreenScenePartO_ART.html
Rabbi Daniel Swartz, inside Scranton's Temple Hesed. Swartz is challenging area congregations to become more energy efficient. Abington Journal Photo/Christopher J. Hughes
Times Leader Photo Store
Spiritual leader of Temple Hesed issues energy efficient challenge to area congregations and their members
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
“Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at initiatives toward energy efficiency to combat global climate change. This week, a look inside Temple Hesed and their Low Carb(on) Diet Challenge.
ABINGTONS – Rabbi Daniel Swartz, a Clarks Summit resident and spiritual leader of Temple Hesed in Scranton, knows what it means to be energy efficient. He drives a Toyota Prius, one of the nation’s top selling hybrid gas-electric vehicles, and powers with energy efficient bulbs, many lights, including the temple’s electric Chanukah menorah.
The trend towards efficiency began last year, Swartz said, when nine compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) were put into the menorah. “We started it last December to begin setting our own house in order,” he said. “There was a national campaign that we participated in called ‘A Light of the Nations’ based on a quote from the prophet Isaiah. It’s often quoted in a metaphorical sense, but they looked at it quite literally.”
As the year continued, the temple began planning and budgeting for numerous improvements. Now as 2008 begins, many of those plans will be implemented. Over the next few months, current exit signs will be replaced with light emitting diode (LED) signs and the remainder of traditional light bulbs left burning will be replaced with CFL bulbs. LED exit signs use 88 percent less energy than traditional incandescent signs and CFL bulbs use between 66 and 75 percent less energy to their common counterparts, according to www.energystar.gov.
Swartz and the membership at Temple Hesed are also continuing the program with a challenge to other congregations and their members. Starting unofficially last month during Chanukah, Swartz issued what the temple has called the “Low Carb(on) Diet Challenge.” The title is a play on a series of popular traditional diet plans and the idea of reducing carbon emissions.
“We wanted to make this bigger and see what we could do to inspire other folks to get going,” Swartz said. “One of the biggest barriers we faced was a lack of knowledge, but we learned some things over the past year, and hopefully we can make some suggestions to other congregations to help them do the right thing.”
As of late December, Swartz said that representatives from Our Lady of the Snows parish in Clarks Summit and St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Temple Israel in Scranton have responded. He’s also distributing information on energy efficiency through Scranton’s Central City Ministerium and the Abington Ecumenical Ministerium and is hoping for more return phone calls following the end of the busy holiday season.
While the knowledge barrier is among the greatest hurdles, Swartz said many must also be convinced or re-convinced in the benefit of evolving technology. “Some people didn’t like the color (of CFL bulbs), or when they first bought them 10 years ago, they flickered. We’re trying to help them see that there are lots of options now, including the temperature of the light.”
‘A moral issue’
The national and global move to consciousness in energy efficiency and its effects on global climate change are increasingly visible. Former Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change,” according the Nobel Prize Web site.
“For us, global climate change is clearly a moral issue,” Swartz said. “The place where this intersects with justice and morality is essentially where you have this huge problem and the people who benefit from using energy and the people who pay the cost for global warming are not typically the same. It really becomes a matter of justice for us to say that there’s a poor nation that could pay the price when we cause a problem. That’s about as unfair as you can get, so we ask what we can do to change that.”
Much of the issue can be solved in forethought. Many in the community may not purchase a new refrigerator tomorrow, he said as an example, but spending a little extra for an energy efficient model can produce long-term savings.
“Part of it is understanding that we don’t have to turn completely primitive and camp out in our back yard,” he said, jokingly. “It’s changing a lifestyle, not reducing the quality of life. It’s really that first step in saying that you want to think about energy. It’s something we don’t normally think about. We turn on a switch and we see it when we pay the bill, but most of the time it’s completely off our internal radar.”
Looking ahead
Internally at Temple Hesed, the radar is clean. The building is zoned based on what groups are using it at what time and an energy audit is pending to ensure the effectiveness of their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit. Preliminary results have shown a 10 percent reduction in utility costs, and Swartz said he hopes for another 10 percent drop by the end of 2008.
Swartz recently returned from a bi-annual North American convention of the Reform Movement. While there, he met a contractor who installs solar energy panels at synagogues across the nation. The contractor absorbs the initial costs for supplies and installation and sells the electricity provided.
“We’re on top of a hill, and it’s a great location for solar (energy),” Swartz said. “It’s a substantial early investment so we thought that we wouldn’t be able to do it, but now it looks like we’re going to be able to afford it. If it goes through, we’ll get 100 percent of our energy through our own roof.”
Solar may be an answer for some large groups or organizations, but everyday members of the community can do small things to help themselves. “The biggest things that we can do are not hard. Once you’ve got that change of consciousness where you’re asking questions about energy, the answers aren’t so hard.”
Swartz said that part of growing up in any culture is learning to be polite and telling others “please” and “thank you.” “Part of growing up now should be saying that when I waste electricity somebody else gets hurt. It’s as much a part of being polite and being a grown person in the 21st century can be.”
Get greener?
Info: For more information, call Temple Hesed at 344-7201.
Rabbi Daniel Swartz, inside Scranton's Temple Hesed. Swartz is challenging area congregations to become more energy efficient. Abington Journal Photo/Christopher J. Hughes
Times Leader Photo Store
Spiritual leader of Temple Hesed issues energy efficient challenge to area congregations and their members
By Christopher J. Hughes chughes@theabingtonjournal.com
“Green Scene” is a five-part series of The Abington Journal looking locally at initiatives toward energy efficiency to combat global climate change. This week, a look inside Temple Hesed and their Low Carb(on) Diet Challenge.
ABINGTONS – Rabbi Daniel Swartz, a Clarks Summit resident and spiritual leader of Temple Hesed in Scranton, knows what it means to be energy efficient. He drives a Toyota Prius, one of the nation’s top selling hybrid gas-electric vehicles, and powers with energy efficient bulbs, many lights, including the temple’s electric Chanukah menorah.
The trend towards efficiency began last year, Swartz said, when nine compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) were put into the menorah. “We started it last December to begin setting our own house in order,” he said. “There was a national campaign that we participated in called ‘A Light of the Nations’ based on a quote from the prophet Isaiah. It’s often quoted in a metaphorical sense, but they looked at it quite literally.”
As the year continued, the temple began planning and budgeting for numerous improvements. Now as 2008 begins, many of those plans will be implemented. Over the next few months, current exit signs will be replaced with light emitting diode (LED) signs and the remainder of traditional light bulbs left burning will be replaced with CFL bulbs. LED exit signs use 88 percent less energy than traditional incandescent signs and CFL bulbs use between 66 and 75 percent less energy to their common counterparts, according to www.energystar.gov.
Swartz and the membership at Temple Hesed are also continuing the program with a challenge to other congregations and their members. Starting unofficially last month during Chanukah, Swartz issued what the temple has called the “Low Carb(on) Diet Challenge.” The title is a play on a series of popular traditional diet plans and the idea of reducing carbon emissions.
“We wanted to make this bigger and see what we could do to inspire other folks to get going,” Swartz said. “One of the biggest barriers we faced was a lack of knowledge, but we learned some things over the past year, and hopefully we can make some suggestions to other congregations to help them do the right thing.”
As of late December, Swartz said that representatives from Our Lady of the Snows parish in Clarks Summit and St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Temple Israel in Scranton have responded. He’s also distributing information on energy efficiency through Scranton’s Central City Ministerium and the Abington Ecumenical Ministerium and is hoping for more return phone calls following the end of the busy holiday season.
While the knowledge barrier is among the greatest hurdles, Swartz said many must also be convinced or re-convinced in the benefit of evolving technology. “Some people didn’t like the color (of CFL bulbs), or when they first bought them 10 years ago, they flickered. We’re trying to help them see that there are lots of options now, including the temperature of the light.”
‘A moral issue’
The national and global move to consciousness in energy efficiency and its effects on global climate change are increasingly visible. Former Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change,” according the Nobel Prize Web site.
“For us, global climate change is clearly a moral issue,” Swartz said. “The place where this intersects with justice and morality is essentially where you have this huge problem and the people who benefit from using energy and the people who pay the cost for global warming are not typically the same. It really becomes a matter of justice for us to say that there’s a poor nation that could pay the price when we cause a problem. That’s about as unfair as you can get, so we ask what we can do to change that.”
Much of the issue can be solved in forethought. Many in the community may not purchase a new refrigerator tomorrow, he said as an example, but spending a little extra for an energy efficient model can produce long-term savings.
“Part of it is understanding that we don’t have to turn completely primitive and camp out in our back yard,” he said, jokingly. “It’s changing a lifestyle, not reducing the quality of life. It’s really that first step in saying that you want to think about energy. It’s something we don’t normally think about. We turn on a switch and we see it when we pay the bill, but most of the time it’s completely off our internal radar.”
Looking ahead
Internally at Temple Hesed, the radar is clean. The building is zoned based on what groups are using it at what time and an energy audit is pending to ensure the effectiveness of their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit. Preliminary results have shown a 10 percent reduction in utility costs, and Swartz said he hopes for another 10 percent drop by the end of 2008.
Swartz recently returned from a bi-annual North American convention of the Reform Movement. While there, he met a contractor who installs solar energy panels at synagogues across the nation. The contractor absorbs the initial costs for supplies and installation and sells the electricity provided.
“We’re on top of a hill, and it’s a great location for solar (energy),” Swartz said. “It’s a substantial early investment so we thought that we wouldn’t be able to do it, but now it looks like we’re going to be able to afford it. If it goes through, we’ll get 100 percent of our energy through our own roof.”
Solar may be an answer for some large groups or organizations, but everyday members of the community can do small things to help themselves. “The biggest things that we can do are not hard. Once you’ve got that change of consciousness where you’re asking questions about energy, the answers aren’t so hard.”
Swartz said that part of growing up in any culture is learning to be polite and telling others “please” and “thank you.” “Part of growing up now should be saying that when I waste electricity somebody else gets hurt. It’s as much a part of being polite and being a grown person in the 21st century can be.”
Get greener?
Info: For more information, call Temple Hesed at 344-7201.
Green Scene from the Abington Journal
With permission from the wonderful editors of the Abington Journal we are republishing their series called Green Scene.
"Green Scene" is a five-part series in The Abington Journal, a community newspaper based in Clarks Summit, PA, and published weekly by The Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company, that has taken an in-depth look at local efforts towards global energy consciousness.
Started on January 2, 2008, and continuing to January 30, 2008, the series so far has taken a look at the challenge from a local Jewish congregation for members of other faiths to become energy efficient and the efforts of local school districts in reducing their bills, as well as an overview of the education in interior design offered to students at Marywood University.
The next installment, set for publication on January 16, 2008, looks at how consumers are changing the way owners and managers conduct business in a climate of changing goods and services.
For more information, please contact The Abington Journal news room at (570) 587-1148 or by E-mail at news@theabingtonjournal.com
"Green Scene" is a five-part series in The Abington Journal, a community newspaper based in Clarks Summit, PA, and published weekly by The Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company, that has taken an in-depth look at local efforts towards global energy consciousness.
Started on January 2, 2008, and continuing to January 30, 2008, the series so far has taken a look at the challenge from a local Jewish congregation for members of other faiths to become energy efficient and the efforts of local school districts in reducing their bills, as well as an overview of the education in interior design offered to students at Marywood University.
The next installment, set for publication on January 16, 2008, looks at how consumers are changing the way owners and managers conduct business in a climate of changing goods and services.
For more information, please contact The Abington Journal news room at (570) 587-1148 or by E-mail at news@theabingtonjournal.com
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Peak Oil, Peak Food, Peak Risk
From the Oil Drum http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3367
Posted by Stoneleigh on January 9, 2008 - 10:17am in The Oil Drum: Canada
This is a guest post by Rick Munroe, an Ontario farmer.
There is no substitute for energy. The whole edifice of modern society is built upon it…. It is not “just another commodity” but the precondition of all commodities, a basic factor equal with air, water and earth. E. F. Schumacher (1973)
As humanity climbs toward the global peak in oil production and the oil industry squeezes out a few more barrels per day, we should all take a moment to view life from the summit.
This is life at the top. If we aren’t careful, this may be “as good as it gets.”
Energy Slaves
Canadians are the most voracious users of energy in the world, and it is estimated that each of us has about a hundred cheap ‘energy slaves’ to serve us. Each barrel of oil provides the energy-equivalent of a dozen humans working for an entire year. With the turn of an ignition key and the flick of a switch, these slaves transport, feed, clothe and water us. They warm & cool us, and even fly us to the moon.
But the days of cheap energy are rapidly drawing to a close, and our extraordinary reliance on fossil fuels puts us at great risk, particularly when it comes to our food supply. Our entire food system is based primarily on diesel fuel. We use diesel to till the fields, plant & harvest. Diesel transports food for processing and delivers finished products to supermarkets.
But although we can use alternative forms of energy to generate electricity and heat our homes, we clearly cannot propel a tractor with solar, wind, firewood or uranium. When it comes to the energy needed to produce food in the volume required by our urban populations, the options are very limited. Nothing comes close to the wondrous power of petroleum.
Biofuels to the Rescue?
As the world rushes to embrace biofuels as a solution, there are some obvious and immediate concerns. For corn-based ethanol, the ratio of energy returned on energy invested is marginal at best. The recent demand for ethanol has contributed to a rapid increase in the price of basic grains and a decline in global grain reserves during the past two years. There are detrimental environmental and social effects from mono-cropping corn, sugar cane and oil palms. Despite consuming 20% of the US corn crop in 2006, the resulting ethanol contributed only 3% (5 billion gallons) of the US gasoline supply. Clearly, biofuels are utterly incapable of replacing petroleum in the volumes which are required.
Overnight Conversion?
Family farmers have a problem: When -- not if -- diesel fuel climbs to $2 and $3 a litre, farmers will almost certainly have to scale back their activities. Farmers are historically on the lower end of the income scale. Taxpayers fail to appreciate that farmers themselves are the number one source of farm subsidies, since most of them rely on off-farm income to support their operations. Very few are in a position to absorb a doubling or tripling in energy costs.
Collectively, Canadian farmers have millions of hard-earned dollars invested in combines, tractors and large implements. This equipment will sit idle if farmers cannot afford to fuel it, and then much of it would be repossessed by the banks.
But if farmers have a looming problem, their non-farming neighbors surely have a much bigger one. When fuel costs skyrocket, intercontinental shipping will quickly diminish and prices of all goods will escalate. Without the steady flow of far-off food that we have all become reliant upon, our urban neighbors will quickly turn to a relative handful of local farmers to start feeding them again.. These farmers, however, will themselves be facing unprecedented costs and uncertainties
Farmers will be faced with practical issues on several fronts. First, they must obtain reliable and affordable sources of mobile energy. Electric tractors exist as prototypes, but they cannot generate the sustained horsepower which is required for heavy field-work. An extreme option is a return to draft animals, but this presents a multitude of obvious concerns. An obvious interim scenario is fuel rationing, where farmers receive some allocation at a subsidized cost, but this would probably be tied to production quotas (which would present farmers with a new set of pressures). Certainly the agri-food sector would be need to be fundamentally reorganized and administered.
Aside from fuel concerns, farmers would also need to consider crop conversion to meet personal and local food requirements. Should hay or corn fields be converted to market gardening? Such conversion often requires irrigation and specialized equipment which most farmers cannot afford. Furthermore, many farmers have limited experience with intensive vegetable production, and there will suddenly be an urgent need for information and resources. Another limitation is that many soils are not optimal for market gardening. Indeed, much of Ontario’s most versatile acreage has been paved over, lost forever.
In short, if people think that there will be a seamless transition from the present diesel-based food system to a local model based on a yet-undeclared source of energy, they are in for a “crude awakening.”
As we approach the peak of oil production, there appears not to be a cloud on the horizon. People still idle their SUVs in parking lots, fly to Florida for spring break and roar around lakes in muscle boats. Politicians and the media apparently have no interest in addressing peak oil issues. But as the great literary works repeatedly remind us, it is precisely at moments of complacency and hubris that mankind is at greatest risk.
Local Vulnerability
We in eastern Canada are surely at peak risk. Like all Canadians, we endure cold winters and long distances. But unlike Canadians who live west of Toronto, we who live east of Toronto rely on overseas tankers for 90% of our petroleum supply. People who think that we will simply switch to Alberta crude in an emergency fail to understand that presently there is no practical way to deliver Alberta crude beyond the refineries at Sarnia and Nanticoke. Indeed, even these refineries are partly supplied by overseas oil.
When it comes to petroleum, Canada has been effectively split in half, with the eastern half now almost entirely reliant on countries like Algeria (presently our #1 supplier). When it comes to petroleum supply, there are few people in the world who are more vulnerable than eastern Canadians. There are none who appear so oblivious to their own plight.
As many analysts have pointed out, we are only a couple of competent terrorists away from an unprecedented “oil shock.” There are two facilities in Saudi Arabia, for instance, which handle over five million barrels per day. Al Qaeda has identified them as preferred targets, and there have already been several attempts to attack them.
Virtually every analyst expects that the crippling of the facilities at Abqaiq or Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia would result in at least a tripling of global oil prices. This would be profoundly problematic for the entire world. It could be life-threatening for eastern Canadians in January. Yet despite our extreme vulnerability there appears to have been no formal analysis or planning for the domestic effects of an overseas oil shock.
How farmers would manage under these circumstances is of course unknown. How millions of low-income citizens would heat their homes at $3/litre has not been considered. But one thing is sure: eastern Canadians need to be informed about their own vulnerability, they need to discuss it, and they certainly need to mitigate it.
Personal Responsibility
As Aric McBay pointed out in the last edition of The Local Harvest, citizens could start by becoming more self-reliant. Grow your own food or make arrangements to be supplied by a reliable local producer. Obtain even a minimal back-up system for heat and electricity.
As the residents of New Orleans discovered, if we count on “government” to provide for us during a major emergency, we may be bitterly disappointed. Each of us must take some responsibility to provide for our own basic needs. It is unreasonable to expect emergency responders to somehow serve millions of us during a crisis, particularly when the problem is as fundamental as a shortage of energy.
To quote James Kunstler,
“The age of the 3,000 mile Caesar salad is coming to an end…. [Peak oil] is not just going to be a matter of not being able to drive to the mall. It’s going to be a matter of not knowing how you will feed your children..”
Posted by Stoneleigh on January 9, 2008 - 10:17am in The Oil Drum: Canada
This is a guest post by Rick Munroe, an Ontario farmer.
There is no substitute for energy. The whole edifice of modern society is built upon it…. It is not “just another commodity” but the precondition of all commodities, a basic factor equal with air, water and earth. E. F. Schumacher (1973)
As humanity climbs toward the global peak in oil production and the oil industry squeezes out a few more barrels per day, we should all take a moment to view life from the summit.
This is life at the top. If we aren’t careful, this may be “as good as it gets.”
Energy Slaves
Canadians are the most voracious users of energy in the world, and it is estimated that each of us has about a hundred cheap ‘energy slaves’ to serve us. Each barrel of oil provides the energy-equivalent of a dozen humans working for an entire year. With the turn of an ignition key and the flick of a switch, these slaves transport, feed, clothe and water us. They warm & cool us, and even fly us to the moon.
But the days of cheap energy are rapidly drawing to a close, and our extraordinary reliance on fossil fuels puts us at great risk, particularly when it comes to our food supply. Our entire food system is based primarily on diesel fuel. We use diesel to till the fields, plant & harvest. Diesel transports food for processing and delivers finished products to supermarkets.
But although we can use alternative forms of energy to generate electricity and heat our homes, we clearly cannot propel a tractor with solar, wind, firewood or uranium. When it comes to the energy needed to produce food in the volume required by our urban populations, the options are very limited. Nothing comes close to the wondrous power of petroleum.
Biofuels to the Rescue?
As the world rushes to embrace biofuels as a solution, there are some obvious and immediate concerns. For corn-based ethanol, the ratio of energy returned on energy invested is marginal at best. The recent demand for ethanol has contributed to a rapid increase in the price of basic grains and a decline in global grain reserves during the past two years. There are detrimental environmental and social effects from mono-cropping corn, sugar cane and oil palms. Despite consuming 20% of the US corn crop in 2006, the resulting ethanol contributed only 3% (5 billion gallons) of the US gasoline supply. Clearly, biofuels are utterly incapable of replacing petroleum in the volumes which are required.
Overnight Conversion?
Family farmers have a problem: When -- not if -- diesel fuel climbs to $2 and $3 a litre, farmers will almost certainly have to scale back their activities. Farmers are historically on the lower end of the income scale. Taxpayers fail to appreciate that farmers themselves are the number one source of farm subsidies, since most of them rely on off-farm income to support their operations. Very few are in a position to absorb a doubling or tripling in energy costs.
Collectively, Canadian farmers have millions of hard-earned dollars invested in combines, tractors and large implements. This equipment will sit idle if farmers cannot afford to fuel it, and then much of it would be repossessed by the banks.
But if farmers have a looming problem, their non-farming neighbors surely have a much bigger one. When fuel costs skyrocket, intercontinental shipping will quickly diminish and prices of all goods will escalate. Without the steady flow of far-off food that we have all become reliant upon, our urban neighbors will quickly turn to a relative handful of local farmers to start feeding them again.. These farmers, however, will themselves be facing unprecedented costs and uncertainties
Farmers will be faced with practical issues on several fronts. First, they must obtain reliable and affordable sources of mobile energy. Electric tractors exist as prototypes, but they cannot generate the sustained horsepower which is required for heavy field-work. An extreme option is a return to draft animals, but this presents a multitude of obvious concerns. An obvious interim scenario is fuel rationing, where farmers receive some allocation at a subsidized cost, but this would probably be tied to production quotas (which would present farmers with a new set of pressures). Certainly the agri-food sector would be need to be fundamentally reorganized and administered.
Aside from fuel concerns, farmers would also need to consider crop conversion to meet personal and local food requirements. Should hay or corn fields be converted to market gardening? Such conversion often requires irrigation and specialized equipment which most farmers cannot afford. Furthermore, many farmers have limited experience with intensive vegetable production, and there will suddenly be an urgent need for information and resources. Another limitation is that many soils are not optimal for market gardening. Indeed, much of Ontario’s most versatile acreage has been paved over, lost forever.
In short, if people think that there will be a seamless transition from the present diesel-based food system to a local model based on a yet-undeclared source of energy, they are in for a “crude awakening.”
As we approach the peak of oil production, there appears not to be a cloud on the horizon. People still idle their SUVs in parking lots, fly to Florida for spring break and roar around lakes in muscle boats. Politicians and the media apparently have no interest in addressing peak oil issues. But as the great literary works repeatedly remind us, it is precisely at moments of complacency and hubris that mankind is at greatest risk.
Local Vulnerability
We in eastern Canada are surely at peak risk. Like all Canadians, we endure cold winters and long distances. But unlike Canadians who live west of Toronto, we who live east of Toronto rely on overseas tankers for 90% of our petroleum supply. People who think that we will simply switch to Alberta crude in an emergency fail to understand that presently there is no practical way to deliver Alberta crude beyond the refineries at Sarnia and Nanticoke. Indeed, even these refineries are partly supplied by overseas oil.
When it comes to petroleum, Canada has been effectively split in half, with the eastern half now almost entirely reliant on countries like Algeria (presently our #1 supplier). When it comes to petroleum supply, there are few people in the world who are more vulnerable than eastern Canadians. There are none who appear so oblivious to their own plight.
As many analysts have pointed out, we are only a couple of competent terrorists away from an unprecedented “oil shock.” There are two facilities in Saudi Arabia, for instance, which handle over five million barrels per day. Al Qaeda has identified them as preferred targets, and there have already been several attempts to attack them.
Virtually every analyst expects that the crippling of the facilities at Abqaiq or Ras Tanura in Saudi Arabia would result in at least a tripling of global oil prices. This would be profoundly problematic for the entire world. It could be life-threatening for eastern Canadians in January. Yet despite our extreme vulnerability there appears to have been no formal analysis or planning for the domestic effects of an overseas oil shock.
How farmers would manage under these circumstances is of course unknown. How millions of low-income citizens would heat their homes at $3/litre has not been considered. But one thing is sure: eastern Canadians need to be informed about their own vulnerability, they need to discuss it, and they certainly need to mitigate it.
Personal Responsibility
As Aric McBay pointed out in the last edition of The Local Harvest, citizens could start by becoming more self-reliant. Grow your own food or make arrangements to be supplied by a reliable local producer. Obtain even a minimal back-up system for heat and electricity.
As the residents of New Orleans discovered, if we count on “government” to provide for us during a major emergency, we may be bitterly disappointed. Each of us must take some responsibility to provide for our own basic needs. It is unreasonable to expect emergency responders to somehow serve millions of us during a crisis, particularly when the problem is as fundamental as a shortage of energy.
To quote James Kunstler,
“The age of the 3,000 mile Caesar salad is coming to an end…. [Peak oil] is not just going to be a matter of not being able to drive to the mall. It’s going to be a matter of not knowing how you will feed your children..”
Wilkes to Host Nationwide Event on Global Climate Change
On January 30 and 31, Wilkes University will participate in Focus The Nation, an unprecedented nationwide initiative to teach college students and others about global warming. The event will use a teach-in model centered on the three most essential pillars for today’s youth to embrace solutions to global warming: education, civic engagement and leadership.
Wilkes is one of more than 1,000 colleges and universities participating in the Focus the Nation events.
“Focus the Nation is a historic event in American higher education that gives undergraduate students and the public an opportunity to critically evaluate the impacts of humans on earth’s climate system,” said Dr. Mike Case, professor of environmental engineering and earth sciences. “Now, as a global community, we must examine our options and make informed decisions based on the best science available.”
The teach-in will kick off the night of January 30, with a web cast entitled The 2% Solution. Produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day Network, panelists on the webcast will include Stanford climate scientist Steve Schneider; Hunter Lovins, CEO, Natural Capitalism; and, environmental justice leader Van Jones, executive director, Ella Baker Center in Oakland, California, who will all discuss global climate change solutions.
The web cast will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts and is free and open to the public. The broadcast will be followed by a panel discussion with guest experts in arctic ecology, carbon-neutral technology, meteorology, and economics. The panel will engage the audience in a question and answer session.
The next day, January 31, will include a range of global warming curricula presented by Wilkes faculty and guest speakers. More than 25 Wilkes professors will allot classroom time to discuss global climate change within the context of their classroom discipline.
Concurrent with the academic venues Wilkes will also host a Green Fair featuring posters and information set-ups on the first floor of the Henry Student Center. Posters from student projects and from regional organizations and companies involved in sustainable environmental practices will be featured.
The final piece of Focus The Nation’s teach-in model will be the Choose Your Future vote. All students, faculty and community participants will be encouraged to vote on what they think are the top five solutions from a list of ten to 15 that will be available January 21 at www.focusthenation.org. Vote results will be presented nationally in mid-February. All students who vote on the Choose Your Future ballot will be eligible to win a $10,000 leadership scholarship for a project to be completed by end of August 2008.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative. This is education at its finest,” said Dr. Tim Gilmour, president, Wilkes University. “It represents the enormous power that youth have when they use their education to create positive change in the world.”
Wilkes University’s participation in Focus the Nation is coordinated by a planning committee chaired by Dr. Mike Case, environmental engineering and earth sciences; Dr. Kenneth Klemow and Dr. Jeffrey Stratford, biology; and, Dr. Ellen Flint, performing arts.
Wilkes University's Focus the Nation Committee has produced a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Global Climate Change. Download the FAQ to get informed.
For more information, please visit www.focusthenation.org.
Wilkes is one of more than 1,000 colleges and universities participating in the Focus the Nation events.
“Focus the Nation is a historic event in American higher education that gives undergraduate students and the public an opportunity to critically evaluate the impacts of humans on earth’s climate system,” said Dr. Mike Case, professor of environmental engineering and earth sciences. “Now, as a global community, we must examine our options and make informed decisions based on the best science available.”
The teach-in will kick off the night of January 30, with a web cast entitled The 2% Solution. Produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day Network, panelists on the webcast will include Stanford climate scientist Steve Schneider; Hunter Lovins, CEO, Natural Capitalism; and, environmental justice leader Van Jones, executive director, Ella Baker Center in Oakland, California, who will all discuss global climate change solutions.
The web cast will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts and is free and open to the public. The broadcast will be followed by a panel discussion with guest experts in arctic ecology, carbon-neutral technology, meteorology, and economics. The panel will engage the audience in a question and answer session.
The next day, January 31, will include a range of global warming curricula presented by Wilkes faculty and guest speakers. More than 25 Wilkes professors will allot classroom time to discuss global climate change within the context of their classroom discipline.
Concurrent with the academic venues Wilkes will also host a Green Fair featuring posters and information set-ups on the first floor of the Henry Student Center. Posters from student projects and from regional organizations and companies involved in sustainable environmental practices will be featured.
The final piece of Focus The Nation’s teach-in model will be the Choose Your Future vote. All students, faculty and community participants will be encouraged to vote on what they think are the top five solutions from a list of ten to 15 that will be available January 21 at www.focusthenation.org. Vote results will be presented nationally in mid-February. All students who vote on the Choose Your Future ballot will be eligible to win a $10,000 leadership scholarship for a project to be completed by end of August 2008.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative. This is education at its finest,” said Dr. Tim Gilmour, president, Wilkes University. “It represents the enormous power that youth have when they use their education to create positive change in the world.”
Wilkes University’s participation in Focus the Nation is coordinated by a planning committee chaired by Dr. Mike Case, environmental engineering and earth sciences; Dr. Kenneth Klemow and Dr. Jeffrey Stratford, biology; and, Dr. Ellen Flint, performing arts.
Wilkes University's Focus the Nation Committee has produced a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Global Climate Change. Download the FAQ to get informed.
For more information, please visit www.focusthenation.org.
Big Soy Giving Biodiesel Street Cred In Ford Country
The biodiesel sticker: a creature of a thousand faces that is becoming easier to spot on vehicles throughout the country. It comes in many forms from your basic “Powered By Biodiesel” to the more creative “Go By Grease,” and almost always it crops up on the bumpers of little european jobs like VWs, Mercedes and Volvos. But while the stereotype of the average biodiesel user has become that of a Whole Foods shoppin’/Al Gore lovin’ urbanite, biodiesel is slowly gaining traction where many a treehugger fears to tread…deep in the heart of the red states. And if you have any interest in seeing biodiesel become a mainstream alternative to petroleum fuels, you’ll want to read this article that describes a unique field study being led by the Iowa Soybean Association. The two-year study, called the “Two Million Mile Haul,” is examining the benefits of using biodiesel blends in the trucking industry. The results–as anyone familiar with biodiesel might assume-support the use of biodiesel in long haulers which represents “the largest single users of diesel fuel” in the country. Such a study–and others like it–should be considered a boost to the biodiesel industry. Though many Volkswagens and small diesel passenger vehicles will pepper the freeways in the next few years, a challenge for biodiesel proponents is to get light-duty truck owners to get off dino-diesel. One could argue this crowd differs a bit in values from those on the bleeding edge of the biodiesel movement and, as a result, have been skeptical to recognize biodiesel as a legitimate fuel option. But with Big Ag stumping for biodiesel from the heartland, you can bet the John Cougar faithful will be more likely to pump it into their Duramax’s, Cummins’ and Powerstrokes. And as light duty diesel trucks outnumber passenger diesels in the U.S. by roughly 10 to 1, it would be nice to see them join the party.
"When the engines are torn down at the completion of the study, the final results are expected to show less engine wear with biodiesel. The study should prove that biodiesel provides longer engine life," he notes. For information on the first-year results of the 2 Million Mile Haul study, visit www.twomillionmilehaul.com. Scroll down to "First Year Summary" for the full report.
"When the engines are torn down at the completion of the study, the final results are expected to show less engine wear with biodiesel. The study should prove that biodiesel provides longer engine life," he notes. For information on the first-year results of the 2 Million Mile Haul study, visit www.twomillionmilehaul.com. Scroll down to "First Year Summary" for the full report.
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