BDPollution

When going green started out couple of years back, businesses were very reluctant not to go towards that. There was a myth that going green was a waste of money and just a business-killer. However over time becoming more environmental-friendly became an investment to companies in the long run.

 I worked on some technical aspects on green investments for businesses/industries in Dhaka and found certain things why it’s worth it

When it came to energy auditing, generally the entire energy flow would be mapped. Then after mapping that, you know where you are losing extra energy. So if you plug that portion of energy down, you save energy. So what’s the benefit of saving energy? Firstly you spend less fuel (with fuel prices increasing, you would be definitely glad if fuel was saved), you save electricity are just some places where you save. However the strongest motivation is money, and trust me you save a lot of money. For businesses

Saving Money    =    Profits.

Anyways I got an article from The Economist on as to why firms go green.

Link courtesy Julika Niehaus- Global Campaign Manager at 10:10

A program launched on Earth Day 2010, GreenMyParents  is a concept developed by young people to teach their parents and their peers to help the economy, earn money at home and to save the planet through simple everyday actions. When it started it targeted 100 kids to save $100 and spread through more kids so that through Earth Day 2011, it was intended to save $100 million.

Its actually simple! By following household efficiency and conserving energy it will take you a long way ahead in savings. They have also launched a book to give you tips on how to manage and be efficient. You can grab a copy at Amazon. Anyways to get a starter kit head down to their    website .

Mr. David Sandalow served in the State Department and at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. Mr.Sandalow also have helped the Obama administration to up speed the development of electric cars and offer incentives for consumers and communities to begin taking steps to make transitions off conventional vehicles.

He travels on a Prius, which he converted to the latter models which allows you to plug it at an electric outlet and charges the battery. He fills his Prius will gasoline only once or twice a month. Just imagine the amount of CO2 emissions he saves!

Hats off and its great that officials like him are setting the example.

Get the full article here.

Yamaha has announced, actually last month that it has added a zero-emission electric scooter to its arsenal. The scooter is a 50cc and apparently can travel five times farther than its gasoline counterpart.

The scooter, EC-03, can travel 43 kilometers on a single 6-hour charge from a normal household power outlet .The model will be launched in September 1st,2010 with a price tag of $2,800.

Courtesy of Physorg.com

As countries make strong decisions on cutting their CO2 emissions, I came across a list of the top 10 countries using solar power and to tell you the truth, its quite fantastic.

1. Germany (9,785 MW)
2. Spain (3,386 MW)
3. Japan (2,633 MW)
4. United States (1,650 MW)
5. Italy (1,167 MW)
6. Czech Republic (465 MW)
7. Belgium (363 MW)
8. China (305 MW)
9. France (272 MW)
10. India (120 MW)

Courtesy of 1bog.org

The month of June marks World Environment Day, World Ocean Day, and Global Wind
Day – three environmentally conscious days whose main purpose is to spread awareness of environmental issues taking place in today’s world. The Gulf oil spill is a huge reminder that now is the time to invest, innovate, and utilize specific renewable energy technologies that can reduce our dependency on oil consumption and preserve our environment.

•Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) is a national trade association that is “dedicated to promoting marine and hydrokinetic energy technologies from clean, renewable ocean resources.” They incorporate over 40 members, some of which are literally “turning the tide” when it comes to renewable energy by using the known green technique of harnessing ocean waves and currents to produce energy.

• Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is doing this is via their PowerBuoy 40 that acts as a “wave energy converter” while submerged.

• The Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) is installing power systems all along the Gulf Stream’s ocean currents (which has 21,000 times the energy of Niagara Falls). With the constant flow of the Gulf Stream, if ORPC harnesses just 1/1000 of the Gulf’s renewable energy that would still be enough to power up to 7 million homes.

Wave power technology, while underused, has been a known technology, for years. However, a future green source with a lot of potential can be found in algae within the ocean. Using algae as a source of energy is a new ideology but many believe them to be “the ultimate in renewable energy”. Half of algae’s weight is based off of oil, which can be made into bio-fuel that could be used on anything from cars to airplanes. Considering that there over 65,000 known algae species this could potentially be a big time future energy source.

The future of green energy depends upon the ability to use it efficiently. This means that everything from cars to building structures would need to be much more efficient to require less consumption. Nissan set the benchmark in the auto industry by skipping the gasoline engine altogether and going straight to the fully electric LEAF. Companies like Globetrotters Engineering Corporation (a Chicago based architecture company founded by Niranjan Shah known for their custom LEED solutions), Wells Fargo (which built an office tower that is not only LEED approved but saves up to 5 million kWh a year), and Kubala-Washatko Architects & Boldt Construction (which actually built the first ever LEED-platinum certified, carbon neutral building) are setting the standard for LEED design.

Since the inception of LEED certification, it took several years for the first building to reach platinum certification. Now, it is something that architects strive for. For many projects government incentives are available for businesses that reach LEED certification. Niranjan Shah realized that the LEED benchmark is the future of architecture and that creating structures that benefit from renewable energy just makes common sense. He proves that success can coincide with environmental friendliness. Hopefully, in upcoming years we’ll see LEED platinum certification become the standard.

After the oil spill in the Gulf it’s clear to see that now, more than ever, protecting our oceans stands for something much greater. By saving our oceans, we are making a commitment to the preservation of our natural resources, our wildlife, and our humanity. Through the promise and development of a sustainable, renewable energy future, we can follow a new path which will redefine the meaning of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Written by Marcus Reyes
Marcus Reyes studied public policy with a focus on energy research and environmental
sustainability. He is an advocate of clean energy technology and contributes written work to the blogosphere related to energy conservation and environmental preservation. PowerBuoy 40 – CNN Editorial Feb 26, 2010
Algae: “The ultimate in renewable energy” – CNN Tech Editorial Globetrotters Engineering Corporation Niranjan Shah – GEC CEO Niranjan Shah Twitter Feed
First LEED Platinum Certified Carbon Neutral Building Niranjan Shah – Live Journal

This year, Earth Day turns 40 and the only thing you can do is TAKE ACTION!. This year, the climate movement is about getting to work and doing something. Last year we saw people taking action.So what can you do? Actually a lot of things,and small things can make a difference. There are some organizing tools for you to check you if you want to organize an event for Earth Day. Other than that the Earth Day Network has a list of events taking place, so if you live nearby drop by.

Students have designed biodegradable packaging for McDonalds. As a school assignment, Andrew Millar has visited McDonalds’s, talking to customers about what they think about his packaging. This is nothing new for McDonalds, as they have been becoming environment-friendly for quite some time. Now the packaging is made from grass paper, which has grease-resistant properties. Read the article here.

As I was preparing for the seminar on Energy Savings, I have been talking to WWF Australia to see if I could establish Earth Hour officially. As I was conversing with them, they referred me to a local organization, the Centre for Coastal Environmental Conservation (CCEC) in Khulna. Mr. Mowdudur Rahman, Founder Director of Centre for Coastal Environmental Conservation (CCEC)& IUCN-CEC (Bangladesh) talked to the Mayor of Khulna, and the Mayor has given his full support for establishing Earth Hour. Mr.Rahman is the anchor man for the event. If you wish to participate in this event please let me know. They have also an Earth Hour leaflet in Bangla, which they are distributing. To receive that also please email me.

We only have a few hours left for Earth Hour, just to let you know, it starts at 8:30pm-9:30pm local time. For those of you in Bangladesh, owing to regular power cuts, you are already participating Earth Hour on a daily basis. Anyways for other countries, best of luck with the event.

Centre for Coastal Environmental Conservation(CCEC)
Takdir Mohal,
House # 93 Road # 2 Sonadanga R/A,
Khulna-9000, Bangladesh
Website: www.ccecbd.org

Now with March 27th 2010 just round the corner, preparations for Earth Hour are in full swing. Over the last couple of days, I have been conversing with WWF Australia to get Bangladesh aboard as another country to the list of 88 countries who have signed for celebrating Earth Hour. I am still in discussions however in the mean time, IEEE AIUB Student Branch and I have organized a Seminar on Energy Savings, keeping that the theme.

Event Details

Day: Thursday, 25th 2010
Time: 12:30pm
Venue: AIUB Auditorium, Campus 1&5
Address: 58/B, Road-21, Kemal Ataturk Avenue, Banani,Dhaka

Event Speakers

!) Engr. A.H.M Mohiuddin
Chairman of Power & Energy Society

2) Engr.M.Omar Faruq
CEO & Consultant
Faruq M&E Consultant

3) Syed M.S. Zafar
Managing Director
TERM Magazine- A business monthly

4) Muhammad Faheem Faruq
Local Supporter of Earth Hour