November 2009 Archives

BROADBAND FOR BUSINESS FORUM powered by EXPO COMM 2010 invites the Telecommunications, Information and Communications Technologies companies with operations in Mexico to participate in order to obtain the award GREEN COMM AWARD MEXICO 2010.

Recognize the environmentally responsible Telecommunications and Information and Communications Technologies companies who have implemented practices or programs in benefit of the environment in Mexico.

1. Requirements:
All the national and international telecommunications and information and communications technologies companies whose initiatives and activities are performed in the Mexican Republic may participate in the GREEN COMM AWARD MEXICO 2010.

2. Categories:
The GREEN COMM AWARD MEXICO 2010 will be awarded under the following criteria:
A. Companies developing equipment, products or systems with elements or components which contribute to the conservation and protection of the environment.

B. Companies applying technological residues management and usage programs.

C. Companies participating in environmental program's initiatives.
The participants in the first category may be private organizations who manufacture equipment and systems inside or outside of the country, but traded within Mexico.
The participants in the second category may be private organizations, whether manufacturers or not of equipment and systems, who apply these types of programs.
The participants in the third category may be private organizations who participate in social responsibility and environmental care programs (technological wastes programs, recycled products, efficiency of electrical consume, toxic-free devices, flora and fauna preservation), who will be awarded with a special recognition and do not participate against the other two categories.

3. Submission of the proposals:

The proposal shall contain the following documents:
Application letter: providing the full data of the company, category in which it will participate (each company may participate in the three categories), actions supporting the deserving of the award, contact name, address, telephone number and e-mail.

Statement letter: stating that there are no environmental administrative procedures in course. This letter shall also affirm the non existence of legal conflicts or issues with any authority or entity which are contrary or may discredit GREEN COMM AWARD MEXICO 2010

Summary document: The participating companies shall send a two page document containing the general description of the program or project and including the purpose, scope and benefits achieved or expected therefrom.

Full document: The participating companies shall submit a ten page document providing the backgrounds, purposes, scope of the program, environmental elements being preserved or improved, concrete actions performed, applied processes or methodologies, achieved results and provable benefits of the program.

All the documents will be send by PDF (mail) or USB, we do not accept print materials

Supporting material: To reinforce the proposal, it is recommendable to include printed, audiovisual or graphic material, publications and statements, when available, to support the program.

Please send your information in Spanish.

4. The proposals shall be directly submitted at:
Insurgentes Sur No. 664 4° Piso
Col. Del Valle, Delegación Benito Juárez
México, D.F. C.P. 03100
The proposals shall be submitted from the date of this summons to February 1st, 2010. Should you have any question regarding the GREEN COMM AWARD MEXICO 2010 you may request information to the e-mail greencomm@ejkevents.com or contact the telephone number (52) 55-1087 1650 Ext. 1115.

.... My attempt at translating into Spanish.

....

BANDA ANCHA PARA LAS EMPRESAS foro Powered by EXPO COMM 2010 invita a las Telecomunicaciones, Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones las empresas con operaciones en México a participar en el fin de obtener la adjudicación GREEN COMM AWARD MÉXICO 2010.

Reconocer las Telecomunicaciones del medio ambiente y Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicaciones las empresas que han implementado prácticas o programas en beneficio del medio ambiente en México.

1. Requisitos:
Todos los sectores de telecomunicaciones nacionales e internacionales y de la información y tecnologías de la comunicación las empresas cuyas iniciativas y actividades se realizan en la República Mexicana podrán participar en el GREEN COMM AWARD MÉXICO 2010.

2. Categorías:
El GREEN COMM AWARD MÉXICO 2010 será concedida con arreglo a los siguientes criterios:
A. Empresas equipo de desarrollo, productos o sistemas con elementos o componentes que contribuyen a la conservación y protección del medio ambiente.

B. Empresas aplicación tecnológica de gestión de residuos y los programas de uso.

C. Empresas que participan en las iniciativas del programa ambiental.
Los participantes en la primera categoría pueden ser organizaciones privadas que fabrican equipos y sistemas dentro o fuera del país, pero que coticen en México.
Los participantes en la segunda categoría pueden ser organizaciones privadas, ya sean o no fabricantes de equipos y sistemas, que aplican estos tipos de programas.
Los participantes en la tercera categoría pueden ser organizaciones privadas que participan en la responsabilidad social y los programas de cuidado del medio ambiente (residuos tecnológicos de programas, productos reciclados, eficiencia de consumo eléctrico, dispositivos sin tóxicos, la flora y fauna, conservación), que serán premiados con un especial el reconocimiento y no participarán en contra de las otras dos categorías.

3. Presentación de las propuestas:

La propuesta deberá contener los siguientes documentos:
Carta de solicitud: proporcionar los datos completos de la empresa, categoría en la que participará (cada empresa puede participar en las tres categorías), las acciones de apoyo a los merecedores del premio, nombre de contacto, dirección, número de teléfono y correo electrónico.

Declaración de la carta: indicando que no hay procedimientos administrativos medioambientales en curso. Esta carta también se afirma la no existencia de conflictos legales o problemas con alguna autoridad o entidad que sean contrarias o puede desacreditar GREEN COMM AWARD MÉXICO 2010

Documento Resumen: Las empresas participantes deberán enviar un documento de dos páginas que contiene la descripción general del programa o proyecto y en particular el propósito, alcance y beneficios que se obtienen o se espera de ellos.

Documento completo: Las empresas participantes deberán presentar el documento de diez páginas que proporciona los antecedentes, objetivos, ámbito de aplicación del programa, los elementos medioambientales que preservar o mejorar, las acciones concretas realizadas, los procesos aplicados o metodologías, lograr resultados y beneficios demostrables del programa.

Todos los documentos se envían por PDF (correo electrónico) o USB, no aceptamos el material impreso

Material de apoyo: Para reforzar la propuesta, es recomendable incluir impresos, audiovisuales o material gráfico, publicaciones y declaraciones, cuando estén disponibles, para apoyar el programa.

Por favor, envíe su información en español.

4. Las propuestas se podrán presentar directamente en:
Insurgentes Sur No. 664 4 ° Piso
Col. Del Valle, Delegación Benito Juárez
México, D.F. C.P. 03100
Las propuestas serán presentadas a partir de la fecha de esta convocatoria al 1 de febrero de 2010. Si usted tiene cualquier pregunta sobre el GREEN COMM AWARD MÉXICO 2010 puede solicitar información a la greencomm@ejkevents.com e-mail o póngase en contacto con el número de teléfono (52) 55-1087 1650 ext. 1115.

The best information sources are often your readers.

I received an e-mail last week from Jim McGilligan, who has a degree in engineering from the University of Delware, who just came across this article on water and energy titled: "What is your water footprint?" published in the (Lafourche Parish, La.) Daily Comet. Written by Tom Rooney, president and CEO of SPG Solar in Novato, Calif the article is "the best I've ever seen" on this topic, Jim tells me.

The article raises the key points that we should consider water consumption and concern ourselves with the amounts of energy required to heat and cool water when looking at shrinking our carbon footprints i.e. 'water footprints'.

For most types of commercial electric power the story says you need water: to turn into steam i.e. coal, gas, nuclear, oil or to push turbines i.e. hydro. In the former grouping this water which must be cooled and reused rather than dumped into lakes, ponds, and streams, harming aquatic life. 

While the articles doesn't mention this in the latter example i.e. hydro, water must be dammed, interfering with fish runs and turning farms and forests into eerie liquid landscapes, whose remains can be seen during low levels. There has been and continues to be costly efforts to provide for or restore salmon on rivers blocked by hydro projects.

The story says that it takes at least a gallon of water to create one kilowatt hour of power: enough to run your air conditioner for one hour.

It cites estimates from Rachelle Hill and Dr. Tamim Younos of Virginia Tech University that "fossil fuel thermoelectric plants use between ... 8 to 16 gallons of water to burn one 60-watt light bulb for 12 hours per day. Over the duration of one year this one incandescent light bulb would consume about 3,000 to 6,300 gallons of water."

"So we use water to create energy, and we use energy to create water -- to create more energy to create more water," says Rooney. "And on and on and on it goes in a downward spiral that completely distorts the way we think and act about water and power."

Rooney, perhaps not surprisingly given his company recommends using photovoltaic cells. While these solutions will not replace water-based power sources (not in my part of the world i.e. the Pacific Northwest where in winter the sun is that weird object we know is out there) he does call attention to the need to cut down on water use and on the energy consumption in turning water into energy. Not when we have other uses for that water i.e. drinking, to sustain life forms that we eat. 

With growing populations and global warming that has led to droughts--and the Moon a little far away for a pipeline--we can't afford to waste that ultimately life-given commodity.

Thanks Jim!
 

Data centers typically are high users of energy because of their cooling requirements; in fact, nationally, data centers are responsible for between 1 percent and 2 percent of total power consumption.

The Friday Oct.30 edition of the Peace Arch News that is distributed in South Surrey and White Rock, British Columbia in Metro Vancouver that borders on the U.S. contained a thought-provoking snippet on wind power by Dr. Roy Strang who covers the environment for the publication.

In it he writes: "Europeans are beginning to find that installing windmills to generate electricity has not led to any significant reduction in CO2 emissions--despite all the early hopes and promises. Because wind power blows only fitfully, backup conventional generators are needed, at full capital costs, for intermittent use."

"Denmark's costs are 15 cents per kilowatt hour while Ontario's cost is six cents. In the U.S., wind-powered generation is subsidized to the tune of $23.34/kwh; compare this to gas at 25 cents, coal at 44 cents, hydro at 67 cents and nuclear at $1.59. The wind itself costs nothing; harnessing it obviously is not free."

The study Dr. Strang appears to be referring to is titled "Wind Energy The Case For Denmark" published in September 2009 by the Center for Politske Studier. Among the findings are:

--"The wind power that is exported from Denmark saves neither fossil fuel consumption nor CO2 emissions in Denmark, where it is all paid for. By necessity, wind power exported to Norway and Sweden supplants largely carbon neutral electricity in the Nordic countries. No coal is used nor are there power-related CO2 emissions in Sweden and Norway."

--"Notwithstanding its many disadvantages wind power's one striking advantage is that, like nuclear, its marginal costs of operation are very small once the capital has been paid. However, unlike nuclear, many ten to fifteen year-old turbines are past their useful life. By contrast, most conventional rotating power plant can enjoy a working life of 40 to 60 years, as evidenced by most power plants in Europe today. This puts into question the strategic, economic and environmental benefits of a power plant that may have to be scrapped, replaced and resubsidized every ten to fifteen years."

Hmmm...do we have another case of well-intentioned greenwashing (with taxpayers' green) a la ethanol on our hands where the net benefits do not exceed the total costs? Wind energy, like solar, cannot effectively be used to shave the most critical need--namely coping with peak-power demands unless you want to invest huge sums in electricity storage schemes like batteries, capacitors, and flywheels; hydro has long used pumped storage that sucks up a lot of land.

Or is this an example where, like solar, wind can be harnessed only in rare and site specific cases in close implementation with other tools such as LEED-designed buildings as in the case of Other World Computing's corporate HQ in Illinois, that, as reported on TMCnet.com has become first U.S. technology manufacturer/distributor to become 100 percent on-site wind powered. OWC also installed the wind power plant and made other energy-saving and environmental-footprint-reducing investments like heat pumps and water conservation at the facility without subsidies.