UPDATE: FutureGen Project Killed

It’s official – US DOE killed the $1.8 billion project yesterday.  There is still minimal hope with Congress, but it doesn’t look good for the people of Mattoon, IL.  DOE Secretary, Clay Sell says that he was just trying to help the people who but their heart and soul into the project by killing it now instead of letting it fester for 2 years and killing it later. 

“Now, had I just wanted to wash my hands of this, I would have let it go and the folks of Mattoon, Ill., could have continued to celebrate this for a year or maybe two years, and then when the same [plan] went south, I could have blamed it on the next administration for failing to bring this great idea to fruition,” Sell said.

Senator Dick Durbin was offended by that comment and said that Sell should come down to Mattoon and get their opinion.  It might be slightly different.  I think it’d probably be something like, “hey Sell, get bent!  You are friggin crazy.  If this were in Texas, the plant would be half built by now you S.O.B.”

 Source: Chicago Tribune

FutureGen Project Future Bleak

One day after President Bush’s State of the Union speech stated, “Together we should take the next steps: Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions” the Illinois-bound FutureGen project looks to be in serious doubt.  FutureGen was a huge win for the State of Illinois that was to be heavily funded (~$1.8 billion) by the U.S. Department of Energy.  The basis of the project is just like Bush stated on Monday night, it’s a coal-fired power plant that will push the carbon emissions deep into the earth.  The plant could not only burn the “good” coal, but also the sludge and dirty coal that a typical power plant does not burn.  The carbon then returns to the soil and all is good (very debatable premise). 

We first talked about FutureGen in mid-December and were excited about the prospects for Illinois and the country, for that matter.  The day after Illinois was picked as the site, there were immediate doubts to its future.  Now, a little more than a month later and the day after the State of the Union, it looks even more bleak.  The question is whether this is being killed because Bush’s home state of Texas was the runner-up or truly because of funding issues.

From the Trib this morning:

“The [Energy Department] has turned its back on us,” charged U.S. Rep. Timothy Johnson, a Republican whose district includes Mattoon. “We played by their rules. … Secretary Bodman’s response this morning was a slap in the face.” 

Johnson said Bodman told the group that he planned to disband FutureGen and go “in another direction.” At one point, Johnson and Bodman snapped at each other. At another, U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a Chicago Democrat, told Bodman that “the first action taken by the president after the State of the Union was a series of broken promises.”

Source: Chicago Tribune

Second Verse, Same As The First – Thanks, W

I’m sure all of you sat on the edge of your seats watching GW’s final State of the Union speech.  If you missed the speech, it went a little like this, “Blah, blah, blah… (goofy smirk, clap). Blah, blah, blah… (goofy smirk, clap).”  The written speech that is distributed and is on WhiteHouse.gov even has the (applause) built-in.  Anyway – as far as energy and the environment are concerned, nothing is new in GW’s speech. He’s touting the same energy policy year-after-year.  I don’t totally disagree with him.  I guess I might sound a little bitter.  We do need to do some of these things.  I’m just saying that we need to start walking-the-walk.  Here, read for yourself (or watch below).

To build a future of energy security, we must trust in the creative genius of American researchers and entrepreneurs and empower them to pioneer a new generation of clean energy technology. (Applause.) Our security, our prosperity, and our environment all require reducing our dependence on oil. Together we should take the next steps: Let us fund new technologies that can generate coal power while capturing carbon emissions. (FutureGen is underway in Illinois) (Applause.) Let us increase the use of renewable power and emissions-free nuclear power. (Applause.) Let us continue investing in advanced battery technology and renewable fuels to power the cars and trucks of the future.  (this is happening, just not fast enough) (Applause.) Let us create a new international clean technology fund, which will help developing nations like India and China make greater use of clean energy sources. And let us complete an international agreement that has the potential to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of greenhouse gases. (Applause.)  (Umm – you mean like the Kyoto Protocol???)

This agreement will be effective only if it includes commitments by every major economy and gives none a free ride. (Applause.) The United States is committed to strengthening our energy security and confronting global climate change. And the best way to meet these goals is for America to continue leading the way toward the development of cleaner and more energy-efficient technology. (Applause.)

John Passacantando, executive director of Greenpeace USA, stated, “Tonight’s speech contains no new initiatives on global warming. Instead, the president recycles more of the same: more subsidies for dirty coal and dangerous nuclear power.”

“Under his watch, greenhouse gas emissions have increased as the United States’ reputation has plummeted. The damage to both the environment and the U.S.’s international standing will take years to undo,” he said.

“President Bush will be remembered not for vision or leadership in a time of climate crisis, but for leaving America out of the race for innovative solutions. Greenpeace applauds the president’s address tonight not for its style, substance or eloquence, but for the fact that it his last.”

I don’t get how we’re the wealthiest nation in the world and we aren’t making bigger changes.  The US is a major part the environmental/climate change/ghg problem.  The statement Bush basically made about a new treaty boggles me.  Lets worry about ourselves first.  We can start making the changes here whether or not the rest of the world joins us.  In fact, we’re behind the rest of the world.  Australia finally signed the Kyoto Protocol.  Iraq even  just signed the Kyoto Protocol. 

IRAQ!  The country we bombed and took down their government.  Even they have signed the Kyoto Protocol.  We’re behind Iraq!  How crazy is that? 

Source: White House, Environmental News Service, Grist

Happiness In America: An Old Parable

I touched on this topic when I wrote about “Happiness vs Consumption” that was in the No Impact Man blog.  Now he’s in this debate with Michael Shellenberger.  I won’t go much into that – but its a good read.

This past weekend I saw on the wall of Jimmy John’s  (yes – I was bad – but I love JJ’s) an old parable.  To be honest with you, it always makes me question my life, but that’s the point of it.  The graph above is very telling and I find it to be true overall.  You can read more about that at No Impact Man.

So I’ll share it with you.  Many of you will probably have already heard this, but it’s always a good read.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while.”

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.  You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.  With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.  Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery.  You would control the product, processing, and distribution.  You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Wild and Scenic: Environmental Film Festival On Tour

Patagonia is sponsoring what they call the largest environmental film festival in the United States.  The actual fest took place earlier this month, but just because you didn’t make it to Nevada City, CA, that doesn’t mean you’re left out.  They’re going on tour – so check your local listings. 

What can you expect?  A few hours of films that will bring out your inner-activist.  Each location will be showcasing any number of film festival entries.  Here is the description I found on the Friends of the Fox River website (the Chicagoland stop on the tour).

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival Tour brings together award-winning environmental films in the spirit of inspiration and education. The films leave people feeling inspired and motivated to go out and make a difference in their communities and around the world. Whether it is the struggle for environmental justice, information on renewable energy, or an educational tale about an endangered species, the films bring awareness to the natural world around us and our role in that delicate balance.  

 Stop here to check out some trailers and you can also checkout their YouTube page. 

P.S.  If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, you’re in luck.  The DC Environmental Film Festival is coming up - March 11-22.  The film schedule has yet to be released.

A Recycled Life - Best of Fest Winner

Innovate Or Die: Winner Announced

Google and Specialized bicycles have teamed up for something they called the “Innovate or Die Pedal-Powered Machine Contest.”    The goal is to create a pedal-powered machine that will transform the pedal energy into a new and useful purpose.  All entries must document their machine in video format. 

The winner of this years contest is the Aqueduct Mobile Filtration Vehicle.  It looks like a tricycle that you’d see at a retirement community in Florida.  What it does is kind of genius, but I do have some logical questions.  To put it simply, it is a vehicle that will transport water, filter the water as you pedal, and then store the water in a clean container.  I could see this being very useful in a part of the world where clean drinking water is scarce.  The people who go out to collect water in heavy containers can now use pedal power to not only get the water back to their homes, but the water is being cleaned as they go.  The front container (which detaches from the trike) is significantly smaller than the back storage/transport containers.  There is a mechanism to disengage the clutch so that you can still filter water once you reach your final destination – otherwise you’d just have to go for a nice bike ride everytime you wanted to filter your water. 

Here are my concerns: a) it’s almost too pretty.  If you put this thing in some village in Sierra Leon or somewhere, I’d think that it’d probably get stolen.  b) Again, if this is in some remote location, where do you get new filters?  It’s not like the average villager just hops on the Interwebs and FedEx shows up at their hut.  Maybe they should hook up with Engineers Without Borders to try to get the cost down and be able to distribute this to where it’s needed.  I like Emily’s water filtration entry.  You could make it very inexpensively and you could use any donated bike.

If you’re wondering what the other submissions were, just checkout their YouTube group for the vids.  Some examples of other entries are: bicycle ambulance, MayaPedal washing machine, a tennis ball launcher, salad spinner, snow plow, coffee maker, and a few different electric generators.

And the winning video…

Sundance Film Fest: Fields of Fuel

The Sundance Film Festival is showcasing a number of “green” movies this year.  First up is Fields of Fuel.  They finally got the trailer up on their site the other day and you can see it below.  Now, I’ve heard rave reviews so I was excited about finally watching the trailer.  The only thing was, I could exactly tell what the movie was going to be about after watching it.  I’m pretty sure its about biodiesel from the one picture of the biodiesel gas pump and the fields.  When I first saw the fields and talking about our oil addiction, I was really concerned that it was going to talk mostly about just plain old ethanol. Maybe its a first edition trailer?

IMDB tells us: The film tells the story of biodiesel, an alternative fuel for diesel engines. Made from vegetable oil, it is non-toxic, has low carbon dioxide emissions and can ultimately replace all liquid fuels used in the United States, thus freeing America’s dependence on oil needed for gasoline. 

I’d really recommend checking out their daily Sundance blog.   Will this ever make it out of indy status and be distributed?  I’d love to give a review myself, but maybe I will one day when I get to see it.  I do have Everything’s Cool on the old DVR – that was the standout eco-flick from last year’s Sundance Film Festival.  Look for my own review on that very soon.

Variety: Fields of Fuel Review
CNET Review

Learn more about Biodiesel
(more…)

Greenwashing: The New “Eco-Shape” Water Bottles Are BS

Okay – I’ve been reluctant to post on this when I first read about it last week on Green Daily.  I’m not one to hold things in too much – I suck at poker because I have a lot of tells.  Here it is – these new “eco-shape” water bottles being put out by Nestle are complete bullsh!+!  Nestle owns all of these bottled water brands in the US: Poland Springs, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills, Deer Park, Arrowhead, Calistoga, Nestle Water and Ozarka.  So now they have a new “eco-shape” bottle on the market for several of these brands.  It’s supposed to make people feel “good” about their bottled water choices.

Why is this bottle better than the others?  Here’s what we’re told:

• The bottle is 100% recyclable
• New label that is 30% smaller
• Its easy to carry (are the others difficult??)
• Flexible so its easy to crush for recycling
• This bottle uses 30% less plastic

They are missing the big point here.  So what if they’re using 30% less plastic – great.  They’re still selling plain bottled water.  Nestle is filtering water and putting it in plastic bottles, most of which will not be recycled, and trucking it all over the country.  Now they’re blatantly greenwashing.  “Eco-shape.”  Give me an effing break! 

How do you combat this?  Simple.  Open your cabinet, grab a glass, and drink water that came out of your faucet (or Brita or filtered fridge or any other source from your municipality).  “But I’m on the go, now what?”, you ask.  Buy yourself a Sigg (or two or three) or some other non-leaching water bottle.  My new friend Aimee at EcoScene recommends a new corn-based plastic bottle with a filter built right in.  The bottle will decompose in as little as 80 days.  Heck, I won’t even complain if its a Nalgene bottle.  Just don’t buy bottled water.  Period.

Oh – by-the-by – here’s an exercise for ya – go click on the links for the various Nestle brands.  They all (except for Calistoga) have the same site.  It’s a brilliant little content management system they’re running there.  One of my favorite parts is the link for “Is your child healthy & hydrated?”  What I read in that question is “if your child isn’t drinking bottled water, they’re going to die!”

At least I know the City of Chicago won’t be buying any…

Source: Green Daily, Ice Mountain Water

Green Drinks Virgin No More

I can proudly proclaim that I am no longer a Green Drinks virgin.  I’ve officially attended my first outing.  Maybe I should explain what Green Drinks is in the first place?  Well – since you asked…  Green Drinks was founded in the UK in 1989 by a green designer. It was originally founded as an informal gathering where people with interest in the environment and all things green can get together and share ideas and drinks. There are currently events regularly in 312 cities worldwide.  So check your local listings…or Google…or just start your own.

Green Drinks in Chicago began in February 2003.  Yes – for five long years, green drinks has been going strong here in the Windy City.  The events average around 75+ people and are now semi-monthly.  One meeting per month is a general focus while the other is aimed towards green business. 

Once I decided to finally bite the bullet and go – with the encouragement of my wife – I had to decide what mode of transportation I was going to take (although I knew immediately what I really had to do).  I live about 40 miles from the city of Chicago, yet I work downtown.  Luckily I had a couple things going for me.  One was that I already have a train pass paid for since I do go to the city via train every weekday.  The second is that the Green Drinks event is only about a 10-15min walk from the train.  The downside is that the train only runs hourly after a certain time and it makes every single stop.  I could easily drive to work and park.  Then driving home would potentially be very quick since it was way after rush hour.  Finally, I opted for the train for a couple reasons.  One is that  I’m cheap and the train is already paid for.  The second is that it seems a little hypocritical of me to drive to Green Drinks when I can easily take mass transit.  The third is that this is Green Drinks for crying out loud – maybe I could get a nice buzz on and learn about the environment and sober up on the train. 

So – I know what you’re thinking now – you want me to set the scene of me losing my Green Drinks virginity.  Break it down, yo.  First off, it begins at 5:30pm and your asked to donate $5 to the cause.  Not a problem.  5:30-6:45pm is for networking and getting your initial buzz going – which gives you the liquid courage to talk to even more strangers.  At 6:45pm the festivities begin.  There is usually a speaker on one or two topics.  Tonight was a little different.  The allotted time was one hour and there were 7 speakers to get through.  Each were given 7min to speak.  That left a little time for introductions and the initial MC by Peter who runs Foresight Design and Green Drinks Chicago.  During the speakers you can order some eats and drinks and sit back and relax…or take notes like me.  Then when the speakers are done, you can continue networking until 8:30pm or whenever everyone decides to leave.  Pretty simple.  There is also a table full of all kinds of good materials brought by the participants.  So you can find green businesses and all kinds of different initiatives going on in the area.  I have a nice stack of things…and no doubt I’ll be writing about them in a blog post soon.

Tonight’s episode of Green Drinks focused on the State of Sustainable Chicago with seven different organizations presenting.  The organizations involved this time were: Illinois League of Conservation Voters, U.S. Green Building Council – Chicago Chapter, Illinois Environmental Council, Openlands, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Access Living and Jobs With Justice.

I look forward to attending more meetings (I sound like I’m in a 12-step program) and seeing one that isn’t so schizophrenic.  Don’t get me wrong, I did have a good time and it was totally worth it.  It always feels good to go to those things and they’re not just filled with a stereotypical hippie treehugger, but people from all walks of life.  It makes you feel normal – like you’re not the odd-man-out.

Whole Foods Ditches Plastic Bags

Whole Foods is phasing out plastic bags in all of their stores – US, Canada and the UK.  It’s not just a quick phase-out, either.  They want to be plastic bag-free by Earth Day, April 22 (hey – isn’t it Earth Day everyday?).  This comes on the heels of decisions like China’s “free” plastic bag ban and last years San Francisco citywide ban.  Ikea also started charging $0.05 per plastic bag last year as well.  New York City recently announced that they are forcing stores to take back their plastic bags for recycling – and the store has to figure out how to get them recycled.

Its great that a “major” chain grocery store is taking this initiative and it only makes sense that it’s Whole Foods.  Although, I can’t say that Trader Joe’s ever had plastic bags that I can remember.  Whole Foods will still offer paper bags for free – but they are made from 100% recycled paper.  Kudos to WF.  They did do some consumer testing by eliminating plastic bags in several markets and saw positive customer response.  They also give you $0.10 off for each reusable bag you use.

Now – if only Wal-Mart would either ban or start charging for plastic bags.  Baby steps.  They recently had each employee sign a Personal Sustainability Promise.  I guess that they’re starting with educating their employees first.  I’ll accept that.  A company like Wal-Mart who’s demographic certainly is not always thinking green, can make a huge impact.  If they charged for plastic bags and sold reusable bags, people would still shop there for their deep discounts.  While I don’t really like Wal-Mart, they are trying.

Source: CNN Money via tip from Steve