Without any fanfare it’s no longer global warming, well not as often anyway, but climate change. No matter. Real estate assets in California are said to be at risk to extreme weather events, sea level rise, wild fires and such, to the tune of $2.5 trillion.

A group of researchers in UC Berkeley are the first to quantify the costs of the globe’s warming. The final number depends on whether the nation commits to slashing greenhouse gas emissions says the report. How the whole nation will affect California, the report doesn’t say, but mentions that “Our report makes clear the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is nothing.”

The group is now “busy planning a comprehensive ‘Climate Adaptation Strategy’ to commit the state to concrete prevention measures, according to the paper.” Six task forces will be formed, biodiversity and habitat, infrastructure, oceans and coastal resources, public health, water, forestry and agriculture, and each will have an adaptation strategy.

California’s goal is to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 15% from today’s levels. And, they want me to pay for it. My bet is when they find out what doesn’t work, these fellows will leave the state and let those of us who remain foot the bill. Save the Puffins!

Image courtesy of Kevin

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A team of Italian scientists have discovered a device crafted by G. D. Botto in 1833 that could help change the way we produce hydrogen and usher us into a tomorrow with clean hydrogen energy that is available cheaply.

Uncovered by a team of scientists the Botto device, uses thermocoupling of two metals to produce electricity that can electrolyze water and produce hydrogen at low costs. But what is thermocoupling? A technique in which two different metals are welded together and the two ends placed in different temperatures.

The Botto device used water at one end and wooden flame at the other to create the temperature difference between wires of Platinum and iron. Modern scientists replaced the wooden flame with concentrated sunlight using mirrors, the costly platinum with copper and used water in the middle to create further temperature difference and hence producing more current.

The small scale device produces 20 mW of energy and this can be further expanded to create more energy that is required for electrolysis and production of large amounts of Hydrogen. It seems the Italians have indeed uncovered a gem from the past, let’s hope they get it working.

Source: Gas 2.0
Image : De Luca, R.; Ganci, S.; and Zozzaro, P. “Revisiting an idea of G D Botto: a solar thermoelectric generator.” Eur. J. Phys. 29 (2008) 1295-1300.

Green architecture has really taken off in the last couple of years into a while new strata where you have buildings rotating, dancing, swiveling, walking and now looking like a game with blocks of Lego. Sky Village High Rise created by MVRDV and ADEPT architects is a wonderful and structurally simple creation that ushers green architecture in a whole new direction.

The building is built around a stable central core with blocks being stacked around the core in an organized manner. This green structure not only is space-conscious at its base but the design allows for future addition of blocks dubbed as pixels by the designers.

The Sky Rise incorporates many features that are sustainable and planet-friendly. This allows the building to be a model green edifice that boasts of features like greywater recycling, 40% recycled concrete in the foundation and other renewable energy sources to power the structure’s energy needs. The building’s slim base allows the builders to save space on ground and green rooftops add to its visual grandeur.

Retail space and restaurants take up the slim lower floors, offices are situated in the intermediary levels, and residential units are terraced towards the north to maximize space and also to keep the dwellers of these high-profile towers away from the frenzy. This also offers the best commercial model which saves on energy.

To be a part of Copenhagen skyline in near future, this is another eco-gem in Europe’s glittering ‘green crown’! - via Inhabitat

There’s a green prison farm, the Cedar Creek Corrections Center, about 25 miles outside Olympia, the capital of Washington state, where inmates, murderers and elsewise, are being used to cultivate the green prison farms.

A medium-security inmate at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center, uses a botanical keybook to identify moss as part of a forest conservation research project

It is estimated that the States have paid $49 billion to feed, house, clothe, treat and supervise 2.3 million offenders in 2007. It’s about time the inmates of the 1,821 facilities begin feeding for themselves, in the least, making good use by recycling what they can.

One prison grew some 8,000 pounds of organic vegetables. Another prison uses waste wood chips to run water boilers. Yet another uses a wind turbine to generate power, saving $2,280/year. A Blythe, CA prison makes use of 6,200 solar panels, enough to provide power to 4,100 homes.

In North Carolina a prison switched to chemical free cleaners and vegetable based inks. In Oregon, old appliances were replaced with energy-efficient ones. Old prison blues are recycled to make diaper bags for women’s shelters and dog beds for animal shelters.

Yeah, it’s easy to tell inmates to recycle, be good stewards, make better use of materials. I wonder, do we all need to take a turn behind bars to learn what is best for our planet?

Image by DiscoverMagazine

The Statue of Liberty is dubbed as a symbol of freedom to the shackled, a symbol of hope to the deprived, a symbol of refuge to the homeless and beyond all, a glorious symbol of human spirit and its undying faith in a better tomorrow. The planet today is at a delicate and vital turn where every move we make could make or break the future for the beautiful planet that we all call ‘Home’.

This present and the consequential future largely depends on the way we treat our planet and how well we adapt to renewable and clean sources of energy by inviting the alternate power into our homes and lives. It then seems only an obvious matter that the ‘Statue of Liberty’ should also spread the ‘Green Light’ with her eternal golden torch.

Why is the Statue of Liberty green?

First of all - and less relevant to the environment, it has a very well known green tinge largely due to the copper of the statue reacting with the elements to produce the copper salts which give its green hue. Now, it only seems appropriate that the visual green inclination is being backed up by some solid green intent. If the ‘First lady of Freedom’ cannot break the shackles of conventional power and fossil fuel, then it would surely have been indeed a shame!

Secondly, it’s because the Lady Liberty and her flaming light are now being lit up each night with wind power that is being bought by the government from a company that produces wind energy from its farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Pepco Energy supplies all the energy that lights up the statue and while it looks strange that New York is not tapping into offshore wind energy that is available in plenty at such close quarters, it seems the wheels are in motion to ensure that the statue is indeed powered by green energy produced in New York.

The Statue of Liberty has always been a symbol to many of a bright future. Perhaps now she can be a symbol to all of a bright green future.

Images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4

It can be expected that Obama would be green with envy as Lynn Forester de Rothschild picked McCain to back in the upcoming election.

McCain told Ohioans he preferred their company to Hollywood celebs. The AP says

“Lynn Forester de Rothschild has said she thinks Democratic nominee Barack Obama is arrogant and has a problem connecting with average Americans.

Rothschild is a member of the DNC’s Democrats Abroad chapter and splits her time living in London and New York.”

Obama says, “Ouch!” Or does he? How much difference does the backing from Hollywood and other celebs make anyway?

Shouldn’t Obama and McCain’s positions be about the environment, energy and economy (3E’s), and education, make that 4E’s? These should/must be the deciding factors, not Matt Damon or even Baroness Lynn Forester de Rothschild? If Obama is worried about losing backers from Hollywood, he is worried about the wrong thing. McCain is definitely not courting the elite.

Here at GP, we’ll go with making decisions on the issues.

How about you?

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost main island. The island recently hosted the G-8 Summit at Lake Toya. I know the place, got a speeding ticket there once, which, btw, has nothing to do with this post.

The Wakkanai Alternative and Renewable Energy Study Group and Heiren Energy Inc. are jointly testing a system that will store hydrogen that was produced through electrolysis of water.  Wakkanai sits to the extreme north of Hokkaido. What’s different is that the electricity used to run the project is coming from wind turbines that have been installed in the area. Confusion starts - “The hydrogen will be reacted with toluene to produce an organic hydride, allowing it to be stored in a liquid state at room temperature and ambient pressure, then transported safely by tank truck.”

There’s an energy summit that is going to take place in Hokkaido next week July 25-28 in Sapporo, the capital of the island. Hydrogen made from the wind turbine/electrolysis will be used to power an automobile that will be demonstrated at the summit.

Wind + hydrogen = cars on the move. Good Earth-friendly equation. No?

source

Shenzhen is located across the river from Hong Kong. The city was mainland China’s first economically free zone in what turned out to be a successful experiment.

They are now building a new terminal at the Bao’an International Airport. The terminal will have a double skin canopy that will let patterned natural light into the space, thus reducing energy consumption. The inner skin of the roof will be made of a fine net that will allows diffused sunlight to come in creating a pleasant indoor atmosphere.

The pictures of what this airport will look like are stunning, to say the least. See the gallery after the break. (more…)

World’s number 5 oil exporter, Norway has big energy resources and by 2025 it could become “Europe’s battery”.

The island of Utsira, Norway - image by tualatin

A recent study talked about developing sea-based wind parks that would allow access up to 8,000 megawatts of renewable energy, equivalent to about eight nuclear power plants. Exporting green energy would actually help the European Union to attain their goal to get 20-percent of the total energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, waves or hydro power.

The investment for the wind parks would cost up to $44 billion but if we consider they pump out 2.2 million barrels of oil per day, it will probably take only 6 months to cover it.

Norway has the longest coastline in Europe and using wind power they expect to have “access to up to 40 terrawatt hours of renewable energy in 2020-2025, of which about half would come from offshore wind power.” If the authorities will consider the project and it will be built, it may cut 20 million tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions.

Way to go Norway.