There is good news from Brazil with the government of Acre in the Amazon. Ranchers may be made to reforest up to 30% of their land. The government has established a nursery growing seedlings of species such as mahogany which they will issue to ranchers. The government sees this as a vital component of its longterm aim to develop sustainable forestry as a key income generator for Acre.
Until a decade ago, private landowners were allowed to deforest 50% of their land. Now legislation has amended the figure to 80%; but many ranchers have not replanted at all.
Luis Menezes from the environmental group WWF, based in the Acre capital Rio Branco, says the impact of deforestation is being felt locally.
Mr. Menezes — “I believe this is the first time that any Brazilian state has embarked on reforestation as a public policy,”
It has yet to be determined if this policy will take flight. Cattle ranchers of Acre has a non-conformist attitude when it comes to re-forestation. In 1988, Chico Mendes a local rubber tapper and social activist was murdered. It is his concept of sustainable forestry that inspired Jorge Viana’s government. This concept would move Acre from being dependent on a single product such as cattle, to a more diverse economic development with products such as: sustainably logged timber, Brazil nuts, berries, rubber and medicinal plants.
To read more about reforestation in Brazil, click here.
Technorati Tags: Amazon lands, brazil, reforestation
Written by steve on September 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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Just came across an article that caught my attention and has me worried. A study from NASA shows that the earth is increasingly getting warmer and it is at its warmest in the past 12,000 years. NASA warns of environmental changes that could become “dangerous” if it continues.
According to NASA’s 1980 global warming simulations the study shows; based on greenhouse gas increase, the warming trend for the past 30 years has been 0.2 degrees for every 10 years.
The more drastic temperature changes can be found in the northern hemisphere. This is a result from a natural process known as positive feedback. This process is achieved by melting snow and ice at higher latitudes, which uncovers darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight.
The study concludes, if the temperature increases the earth’s sea level would change and exterminate species.
To read the entire article click here
Written by steve on September 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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RITE and Honda Jointly Develop New Technology To Produce Ethanol From Cellulosic Biomass
TOKYO, Japan, September 14, 2006–Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) and Honda R&D Co., Ltd., the Honda Motor Co., Ltd. subsidiary responsible for research and development, today announced that their cooperative research has resulted in ethanol production technology from soft-biomass, a renewable resource of plant-derived material.
What is soft-biomass you ask?
It is a renewable organic resource of plant-derived material, excluding fossil resource.
What are some examples of soft-biomass?
Livestock excreta
Waste wood
Plant residue (after the removal of edible parts)
Biomass represents organic materials that plants produce through photosynthesis from atmospheric CO2 and water, and thus does not increase atmospheric CO2 when burned.
Bio-ethanol, therefore, has attracted attention as a carbon-neutral fuel, an energy source effective as countermeasure to global-warming.
Why is this method of Bio-ethanol important?
Existing bio-ethanol production, faces supply limits, as it is produced primarily from sugar and starch of sugarcane and corn feedstock, which are also utilized as food.
In its collaborative research, RITE and Honda have established the basic technology to produce ethanol fuel from cellulose and hemicellulose, both found in soft-biomass, including inedible leaves and stalks of plants, such as rice straw. Until now, such soft-biomass represented a challenge to convert to ethanol. Thus, the new process represents a large step forward for practical application of soft-biomass as a fuel source.
Importantance to Farmers
Economically and environmentally speaking I can predict that this new method of making bio-ethanol has caught the attention of farmers especially. With this technology farmers now have the freedom to diversify their crops and have another source of income (as in the production of bio material to produce bio-ethanol).
Technorati Tags: honda, biomass, ethanol, rice straw
Written by steve on September 28th, 2006 with no comments.
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There’s no doubt about it - computers and other electronic devices play a huge role in our lives these days! Sure, we COULD abandon all things technologically-advanced, hop off the grid and go live in a hut deep in the woods - but where would that leave us?
With advancements in technology there will surely come even more ‘e-waste’, but I’m guardedly optimistic that there will also be advancements in waste recycling technologies. As it stands, there are many options when it comes to dealing with your computers and other electronic gadgets that have passed their prime. One thing is for sure - there is absolutely NO reason for throwing these products in the trash! Aside from the fact that most electronic devices contain toxic substances such as lead, cadmium and mercury, many of these ‘obsolete’ products are still perfectly functional or at least contain useful components that can be used again.
For a comprehensive list of e-waste recycling options in the U.S. be sure to check out the Environmental Protection Agency’s Ecyling page - an excellent resource!
For those in Canada be sure to check out the Electronics Recycling Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to collecting old electronics equipment across Canada for donation and recycling. Be sure to also check with your local government website to find out what options are available in your area.
To learn more about the issue, here is an interesting article on e-waste from Environtment Canada.
Technorati Tags: e-waste, recycling, electronics recycling, computer recycling, cell phone recycling, heavy metal pollution
Written by Bentley on September 27th, 2006 with no comments.
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Just came across a post over at Treehugger.com that made me snicker a little while simultaneously piquing my interest (and not just because the word “babe” was involved!) - “what on earth could this be about?”, I thought to myself.
As I learned, ecobabes is a 2007 calendar, featuring “passionate, powerful, beautiful women from Northern California who are changing the world.” - a project put together as part of The Climate Protection Campaign.
One of our firm beliefs here at EcoSherpa is that in order to generate massive action, green initiatives need to be made appealing for the masses - NOT boring, depressing, unattainable etc! I’m sure there will inevitably be people who feel that beautiful women should not be used to sell environmentalism.
I for one will definitely be interested to see how this approach pans out for the ecobabes! 
Technorati Tags: ecobabes, climate change
Written by Bentley on September 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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Once again Richard Branson made the headlines yesterday with his announcement to invest $ 3 billion dollars in alternative fuel research. The investment will come from expected profits from his Virgin airline and train businesses.
I have always admired Richard Branson for his savvy business and marketing skills and I believe that he is one of the most influential and powerful business minds of the 21st Century. I hope that his financial commitment will inspire other financial tycoons, corporations and governments to open their wallets and help save our planet.
Branson stated during his news conference, “Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents,” Branson said at a news conference. “We must not be the generation responsible for irreversibly damaging the environment.”
Branson’s plan to fight global warming is to funnel his profits from his transport businesses into initiatives to come up with alternatives to fuels such as oil and coal. Some of his money would to toward research inside his companies, while other money would be invested in outside projects.
Branson has already launched a new company, Virgin Fuels, and will invest $400 million in renewable energy over three years. The first investment was in a California company that plans to build and operate ethanol plants.
I hope corporations around the world will start to take notice and realize that we have the intelligence, technology and resources to make clean energy the standard. We need to move away from our dependency on coal and oil and stop harming our planet.
To learn more about Richard Branson or Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative go to:
Virgin: www.virgin.com
Clinton Global Initiative: www.clintonglobalinitiative.org
Technorati Tags: Richard Branson, Virgin Fuels, renewable energy, global warming
Written by steve on September 22nd, 2006 with no comments.
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Well I think its time for an update on my new composter. As you may recall, I built my very own backyard composter a couple months ago.
As you can see in the picture above, I’ve filled up the bin a fair bit! Whats incredible is that I was able to get just about all the cardboard from my shed in there, along with all our food scraps/coffee grounds etc (and I’ve been very generous!), a considerable amount of rotten straw, and even a fair amount of yard waste! My worm population has undoubtedly grown by leaps and bounds.
As mentioned in another thread, it was looking as though I was going to have a fairly serious ant problem. As it turned out, I made sure the contents of the bin were kept very moist, and that seemed to deter the ants completely!
My next challenge is definitely going to be winter! Ice and snow can certainly bring a quick halt to the composting process in most smallish outdoor bins. In my case, I think it will be a fun experiment to see if I can generate and maintain at least enough heat to prevent the bin contents from freezing, namely my precious red worms (don’t worry, I’ll be starting an indoor bin as well).
As it stands I have a layer of cardboard all the way around the inside of the bin already (my method for delaying contact between the compost and the wood of the bin). I also added a nice thick layer of burlap over the top (see picture above).
I think I’m going to put another layer of cardboard all the way around the outside of the bin and then also ad a layer of hard styrofoam insulation as well! Overkill? Nah - it can get pretty cold around here.
I’ve already been playing around with the C:N balance to see if I can generate some more warmth. So far so good!
I bagged my last set of lawn clippings (normally mulch back onto lawn) and spread them throughout the bin. I will also be doing a fairly major yard clean up and will certainly be harvesting a wide variety of other green N-rich materials and putting them in the bin.
I need to get myself a compost thermometer though - I can tell it’s quite warm in the middle, but it would be great to know how warm its actually getting.
Anyway, should be a lot of fun (maybe not so much fun once I start taking out food scraps in the middle of winter!!).
I’ll definitely add another update before the snow starts to fly!
B.
Technorati Tags: composting, composter, worm composting, vermicomposting, compost bin, compost thermometer, c:n ratio
Written by Bentley on September 21st, 2006 with no comments.
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I came across a great organization today, Green Venture. This non-profit organization provides the public with information about conservation and the environment throught its office, website, seasonal newsletter and public speaking. According to their website, “Green Venture is committed to energy, water and waste reduction, education, green space conservation and the greening of small businesses”.
Green Venture’s primary partner is the City of Hamilton and since its inception they have worked with the city to improve the local environment and economy by affecting changes in citizen behaviour and encouraging sustainable development. This is a great example of how local government and business can work together to build awarenesss, increase knowledge and improve their local environment.
One of the facilities Green Venture operates is EcoHouse. EcoHouse was built to show citizens that it is possible to live in a sustainable manner. The EcoHouse serves to demonstrate environmental technologies from the past, present and future. I think perhaps Bentley and I should plan a field trip down to hamilton and see what Green Venture and EcoHouse has to offer.
The Green Venture website is full of great information and sustainable living practices. I found their virutal tour section to be quite informative and well designed. Be sure to check out their information on Composting and Vermicomposting.
Written by steve on September 18th, 2006 with no comments.
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Just read an interesting article in the latest Springwise newsletter, discussing the hot little ‘G-Wiz’ electric car.
This drivable dinky car is available for purchase from GoinGreen, the ‘low carbon car experts’.
Apparently, the G-Wiz is particularly popular in London - where at least 600 of them have been sold already (which, according to the article makes London the ‘electric car capitol of the world’).
GoinGreen claims their car will save Londoners more than £8000 per year (see website for breakdown of savings), while “[cutting] your emissions impact by between 74% & 100%”!
Starting at just £6999, its no wonder this little vehicle is all the rage in the UK’s busiest metropolis!
Interestingly enough, the company sells direct to customers (via the website) - there are no dealers, no showrooms, no pushy salespeople, no advertising budget - not even brochures! All marketing is viral - an approach wich certainly doesn’t seem to be hampering the popularity of the G-Wiz (the world’s “best selling electric car”, according to GoinGreen).
It will be very interesting to watch the continuing progress of this cool green company, and this nifty little car!
Written by Bentley on September 12th, 2006 with 1 comment.
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Well I am FINALLY back - back to posting on the blog that is! We actually got back from our honeymoon a little over a week ago, and I’ve been trying to ease myself back into the ‘real’ world ever since.
Apologies for my extended absence, but I guess its not really a big deal given how new the blog still is. (we have yet to promote it at all)
Over the next couple months you’ll likely see a lot more posts from Steve and myself, along with plenty of other changes at Ecosherpa, so do stay tuned!
Anyway, back to my post…
I came across a pretty cool website today called Earthship Biotecture. Here is a blurb from their “About Us” section:
Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.
Earthship Biotecture, based in Taos, NM, USA is a global company offering proven, totally sustainable designs, construction drawings & details, products, educational materials, lectures / presentations, consultation & guidance toward getting people in sustainable housing. From single family to colony / community / city complexes.
The Earthship is a completely independent globally oriented dwelling unit made from materials that are indigenous to the entire planet. The Earthship has been designed to reduce our impact on the planet and increase our connection to it by utilizing recycled and low embodied energy materials, passive solar heating and cooling, photovoltaic power system, catchwater, solar hot water, gray water and black water treatment systems.
The concept in general is certainly very interesting, but what intrigued me the most (and inspired me to write this post) was their invitation to actually rent one of their ‘Earthships’!
Combine the beautiful vistas of northern New Mexico with the fascinating and educational experience of staying in your very own earthship and you have the makings of a pretty cool eco-holiday!
Per night prices range from $125-$210, depending on the time of year and the number of people in your group (1-4). Weekly rentals are also available.
For more info be sure to check out the ‘Earthship Nightly Rentals Page’
Written by Bentley on September 11th, 2006 with 7 comments.
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