Green Blog - Carbon Offsets Archives

Truly Going Green in Air Travel

2010-06-03T19:04:03Z

I used to like flying but no longer. I now loathe even the thought of getting on a plane.

A once-great experience has been turned into, well, the most appropriately named commercial aircraft is the "Airbus", which speaks volumes for it. Namely cramming as many bodies to a hairline above the pain thresholds of most humans into a huge of hunk of material and transport them via their conveyance from Point A to Point B.

And that's without taking security into account--whose strict and now degrading and often tokenistic measures and procedures are lousy substitutes from lazy and incompetent intelligence. It is easier to force passengers to virtually strip than to gather, analyze, and most importantly act on potential threats. And yes I was there in New York City on 9-11-01 where I witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center. And I have in my files a New York Times op-ed from July 10, 2001 written by Larry Johnson, a former State Department counterterrorism expert titled "The Declining Terrorist Threat."

On top of that, flying, like driving, wastes an awful lot of energy, eats up Earth-regenerating greenspace for massive runways and facilities and is not surprisingly a significant source of air pollution that leads to serious and deadly, and costly illnesses. Rail, buses (the highway variety), and web and videoconferencing requires fewer resources and spews less in return.

Even so, flying is a necessary evil. So I applaud efforts by the airlines, their suppliers and airports to take steps to minimize their substantial environmental footprints. I recently toured the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington that is rolling out the 787 Dreamliner with my father whom at the beginning of his career worked for Rolls Royce aero engines. He did his U.K. National Service i.e. conscription in the RAF as an aircraft mechanic, working on then-state-of-the-art turbojet engines built into Gloster Meteors and DeHavilland Vampires as well as their piston predecessors that had kept Britain free from Nazi rule in the bravely-piloted airframes of Spitfires, Hurricanes and Typhoons.

The Dreamliner is green technology in more ways than one. It will use 20 percent less fuel for comparable missions than presently similarly sized airplane. Advanced engine technologies -from General Electric and yes, my father's old company (I saw his smile and pride as he checked over a model of one of its turbofans)--will account for eight percent of the savings. Moreover, the Dreamliner's kit-built global manufacturing and assembly--in what is the world's largest building--is amazingly efficient compared to the old-fashioned piece-by-piece construction and is well worth the visit just for the facility.

Less impressed I am with voluntary carbon offset programs like the one between Air Canada and Zerofootprint. Both firms announced an expansion of it that includes a landfill gas recovery project in Ontario that takes the methane from rotting garbage and distributes it to a nearby plant that produces recycled content paper, along with a tire recycling program in Quebec.

While laudable the problem with such programs is that they "do good to atone for doing evil". Which in one cynical sense is better than just doing evil, but the programs they support should have been funded in the first place.

Instead Air Canada should be doing more to shrink the environmental footprint it and the other air carriers create. Re-equipping their fleets with new efficient airliners like the Dreamliner for medium-long haul flights is one step. Lobbying governments for proven-effective European-styled airport-high-speed-rail (HSR) ground spokes to minimize short-haul flights (which are the big polluters and runway eaters) is another.

Canada is pathetically behind even laggard U.S. on that count. Only one airport (YVR, in Vancouver, B.C.) has a rail rapid transit link. Yet there are airports in Edmonton, Alberta, Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario that lie in a jet-fuel-whiffing range of existing HSR-candidate railroad tracks that have had intercity rail (Edmonton) or presently have higher-speed passenger train services (Montreal and Toronto, including commuter rail). There is a rail spur three rapid transit stops from the YVR terminal building that can bring travelers directly to/from the fast-growing Fraser Valley communities.

(Canada's air carriers should also tell the federal government to dump the long-proposed Pickering airport east of Toronto, a project so controversial in its environmental impacts and long out-of-date that not even Mark Holland, the Member of Parliament representing the area wants it.)

Still another step is to recycle the garbage used by passengers. The airlines are saving fuel and reducing emissions by getting rid of onboard food services. The offset is the take-on food trash. How about joint programs with the airport authorities and the concessions to use lightweight recyclable/reusable cutlery and packaging? There's a win-win (rail operators e.g. Amtrak in the U.S. and VIA in Canada should do likewise).

Here's another source of emissions that the airport authorities can mandate: low-emission/zero-emission airporter shuttle vans such as by buying and leasing them to operators to get rid of the smelly fuel-belching clunkers that prowl the terminals.

The airlines could also take a hint from JetBlue and go virtual i.e. home-based agents with their contact centers. Why waste money and energy and crap up the air in the process by providing facilities and requiring staff to commute to them?

In this fashion travel is only kept to when it is truly needed. Which is really the way to go green.

Green Ideas Overheard At ITEXPO West

2008-09-22T12:14:26Z

Several ideas/observations overheard at ITEXPO West last week in Los Angeles...

1. Get rid of the ethanol subsidy

Ethanol production--from grains as opposed to biowaste--is being criticized for generating more pollution than it solves through processing and transportation.

Kind of like LEED buildings being erected in car-oriented office parks, gouged out of what had been environmentally-beneficial fields, wetlands, forests...

2. Go nuclear, like France has done. Get away from coal, heavy oil, natural gas, hydro...

There is some logic here. The big question with nuclear is what to do with the spent fuel. Those costs must be factored into the price.

Then again, compared with bird-killing tailing ponds from tar sands production, blowing up mountaintops and gouging craters for coal, the refining process for oil and natural gas, damming up rivers for hydro...

3. Invest in electric high-speed rail, again like France

Makes sense. Electric rail transportation emits far fewer total emissions than driving and flying and requires much less greenspace.

Air and road travel have long had free rides--including on the environment--thanks to enormous direct and indirect subsidies that had put private rail passenger transportation out of business.

The transportation picture, and the environment and energy, not to mention urban development, would have looked much different, had there been a true free market competitive level playing field between modes.

To redress this balance there needs to be heavy government investment--like which was made on the Interstates and in airports that had nearly eliminated passenger and urban rail.

There is a high-speed rail vote going to the California electors this fall. There are also other transit funding measures on or will likely be on the ballot (a future entry in the Green Blog will look at them but this article in the July issue of the transit trade magazine Metro gives a good primer.

3. Look at shale and other oil sources

There is nothing evil about oil per se from any source, but the final costs from them must include all the direct and indirect environmental expenses incurred.
Anything less is a subsidy...

Report: Australian Companies Not Ready for Carbon Emissions Reporting, Trading

2007-10-17T15:05:46Z

Often on this blog you read about green technology programs and initiatives in the U.S. and Europe. But those aren’t the only parts of the world where people are concerned about the environmental impact of doing business. A recent report on the Web site of The Age, a newspaper covering happenings in Australia and New Zealand, highlighted an Ernst & Young report about efforts to reduce carbon footprints by companies “down under.”

According to The Age reporter Peter Hannam, the Ernst & Young report indicated that most Australian companies, while they’re making an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are nowhere near being ready to report on carbon emissions or participate in emissions trading programs. New Zealanders are doing better, apparently; The Age blogger Leon Gettler said “New Zealand businesses are almost five times greener than their Australian counterparts.”

Regardless of what technologies or techniques they’re using to have a lighter environmental impact, the lack of readiness by Australian businesses is a problem. Starting next July 1, Hannam wrote, Australian businesses emitting more than 125,000 tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent annually will be required to report those figures to the government. But, according to the report, most companies do not yet have processes in place for reporting those numbers.

Companies will have the opportunity to reduce the carbon emissions they must report by engaging in carbon emissions trading—a program the Australian government plans to roll out no later than 2012, The Age said. Companies that don’t register or that report inaccurate number will be fined as much as $220,000.

It will be interesting to see how Australia’s environmental regulatory efforts pan out. What do you think—will companies make the necessary changes and utilize the best technologies available to make reporting accurate and to achieve reduced emissions? Or is a government-run system too bureaucratic?

Green Technology and IP Communications

2007-09-11T14:35:24Z

If you ever wondered how IP communications and green technology are similar, take a look at this blog post explaining how it all works. We hope to see you at Green Technology World conference very soon. The show kicks off in a few hors and we can’t wait to host you.

Green Technology Conference Doing Well

2007-09-06T20:57:12Z

Thanks to all the readers of TMC’s green blog for supporting the Green Technology World conference taking place next week in Los Angeles, CA. Our attendance numbers are far ahead of where we thought they would be based on the limited time we had to market this event. We now expect up to 2,000 people to register for the show when all is said and done. In addition there may be some of you who don’t want to use a computer to register just so you can lower your carbon footprint. We completely understand and that is perfectly OK.

For this particular show we will be using electricity in our registration system. We are thinking however that at the next event we may get a bank of Inveneo bicycle-powered PCs to handle this task. We are of course evaluating the carbon output of a human breathing hard versus just getting the juice from a wall socket. More to come later. ;)

Oh and by the way, I forgot to mention some of the attendees at the show. We have representation at a high level from Boeing, AMD, Alcatel-Lucent, Qwest, Toyota, British Telecom, Ericsson, Lockheed Martin, Texas Instruments, Cisco, Intel and The United Nations, among others.

Here are the sessions we will be focusing on next week in LA:

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Opening Keynote Address by Rick Snyder, President, TANDBERG
Top Ten Ways to be GREEN through Better Networking Presented by Cisco
Maximizing Benefits of a Virtual Workforce Presented by Arise Virtual Solutions
Empowering Teleworking with IP Telephony and Web Services Presented by BlueNote Networks, Inc.
Virtual Meetings: A Faster Path to Lowered Emissions Presented by Polycom, Inc.
Alleviating the Carbon Footprint of Corporate Travel though Conferencing, Collaboration and Video Conferencing Presented by IP Unity Glenayre
Green Case Study: Pat Lobb Toyota Presented by Pat Lobb Toyota
The Greening of the Data Center Presented by Digital Realty Trust, AMD, and Foundry Networks

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Keynote Address by Joan Vandermate, VP of Marketing, Polycom
Paving the Way for a Greener Approach to Deploying Telecom
Networks Presented by RadiSys
Advanced TCA -- Green Conferencing in Data Centers Presented by Polycom, Inc.
Truly Green Application Specific Computer Design Presented by Arlinx, Inc.
The Future of Green Technology Presented by Ericsson, BT Conferencing USA, and Cincom Systems, Inc.

Here is more from the press release.

TANDBERG

2007-08-21T20:07:27Z

Rick Snyder, president of TANDBERG Americas, recently took the time to answer questions about the telecommunications industries role in the green movement, his company’s efforts to stay ahead of the pack and the upcoming Green Technology World Conference this September in Los Angeles.

TANDBERG, a global provider of visual communications, has a stated mission of developing products that reduce CO2 emissions, traffic congestion and unnecessary business travel, while maintaining or improving productivity.

For more background on TANDBERG Americas, please read earlier TMCnet coverage of the company here.

How is the green movement changing the way your company operates?

We’d been using videoconferencing to reduce the need for business travel and improve productivity since 1989. As we grow exponentially, it becomes even more essential that we address our carbon footprint. Recently, with the introduction of Tandberg Movi, all employees with a webcam can join the enterprise video network. Not only does this cut carbon emissions by reducing travel, it promotes visual telecommuting programs.

In addition, we are implementing company-wide programs to recycle, use environmentally friendly business materials and reduce printing. Also, two European Union directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) have been critical to our operations teams.

We are conducting a third-party audit of our environmental record measuring travel, energy use and production factors to discover more areas to improve.

Have customers been pushing your organization to produce more green products and services?

Yes. A number of our customers, such as Vodafone, have corporate-wide climate change programs and are looking to TANDBERG to help them measure the impact that video, and its associated travel reduction has on their CO2 emissions. In the U.S., we’ve been talking with our government customers for some time about how to visually enable their growing telecommuting programs so that more employees and managers stay connected. We’ve put tools and services in place to help customers track and show results, such as our microsite, www.seegreennow.com.

How long has your company been focusing on providing green technologies?

To be frank, when TANDBERG debuted its first video system almost 20 years ago, we did not think of it as a green technology. We viewed it as a tool to enhance business productivity and reduce cost. We are humbled to realize that what we have been producing all along can be a measurable environmental solution for business.

What customer pain does your company take away for customers?

In short, we increase productivity by making communication more natural. Visual communication accelerates decision making by reducing the time to gather information and materials. It helps scale knowledge, so that companies can access expertise immediately. It unifies organizations. Companies that communicate well eliminate a lot of wasted time and empower their workforce. Finally, it improves work/life balance, with less travel and higher employee engagement — that means less employee turnover too.

For many companies, being environmentally responsible is not foremost in their mind. They are interested in doing what they can, but it is the combination of productivity gains and cost reduction, PLUS the green factor that addresses their concerns.

What is the most effective green technology in your opinion?

That is very hard to say. It is very exciting to see innovation around this topic taking place in all areas, from green data centers to eco-friendly building materials. I think the technologies that are going to be most successful are those that are cost-effective, easy to implement, use and provide a measurable ROI for customers. Videoconferencing is certainly high on our agenda!

What has surprised you most about the green movement?

It seems that we get a green “cycle” every generation. When you look back to the 1970’s we all talked about the ozone layer and the energy crisis, and then it seemed to fade away from the mainstream. This time around, though, it seems like market leaders in all industries are truly embracing the movement. It is about action not words.

Did you get a chance to see/hear the Live Earth concert?

I did and I really enjoyed it. In talking with employees the next day it seemed like the event did its job to raise awareness of the issue and get people excited about doing something. Education and action are the keys if we are to make a difference.

Can you make one prediction about the green movement in five years?

I think that we are going to see more companies recognize the growing demand for green products and services and begin to enter the market. Those that treat it like a gimmick are going to get drowned in the “green wash.” Consumers are well informed and trends show an affinity with green organizations that are committed and involved in making a difference.

What will you be covering in your presentation at the Green Technology World Conference this September in Los Angeles?

I am going to share some results from a global survey we have just completed with Ipsos-Mori on environmental attitudes in 15 countries. We are seeing some compelling results about people’s preference for green products and green employers and some surprising results about how different countries stack up in their engagement on the issue.

I am also going to share some case studies of companies we have worked with to reduce their carbon footprint.

What do you want the industry to know about your company?

I think that we are serious about the green issue and we are acting on it with significant investment. We recognize that we are far from perfect ourselves and that prioritizing environmental responsibility is an operational issue as well as a cultural one. Our green audit is a first step for us and we are interested in becoming more involved in the global conversation around the green topic.

Where will your organization be over the next 3-5 years?

At the forefront of the industry, leading by example and continually adapting to the demands of our customers and employees. We will be innovating in the ways we address environmental issues as well as issues of workforce engagement, and competitive advantage.

In the next five years we expect everyone will have the ability to be visually enabled, supporting the need to reduce CO2 emissions through reduced business travel, while maintaining business continuity. Video will become an integral part of natural communication for everyone in an organization, allowing people to have that intimate face-to-face discussion as if they were in the same room.

Green Technology Conference

2007-08-16T22:45:31Z

Please accept my invitation to be part of TMC’s newest event. Here is a recent invitation we sent out. In case you missed it, here it is. Hope to see you at this show. Our attendance is already ahead of projections and our free passes will likely be sold out soon.

---

If you are concerned about how your company is impacting the environment, or perhaps looking for ways to increase efficiency and reduce your energy consumption while minimizing waste, then you need to join us at the Los Angeles Convention Center on September 11th and 12th for the Green Technology World Conference.

The Green Technology World Conference is the premier event focused on educating you about technologies, essential issues, and trends that enable businesses to operate more efficiently, thereby creating a positive impact on both your business and the environment. The conferences will feature presentations from executives from successful organizations that have implemented green policies and seen tremendous results.

You can attend the Green Technology World Conference for FREE if you register in advance. The conference will feature educational sessions, panel discussions, keynote presentations, networking events, and an exhibit hall featuring leading companies showcasing their green technologies. And it’s all FREE when you register in advance.

Don’t miss this groundbreaking event. We have put a great deal of effort into making Green Technology World Conference a totally unique event that will provide the best information for you, creating an unsurpassed educational opportunity for all. There is no cost to attend, but the benefits can save your company thousands and help save the environment for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles.

Regards,

The Green Technology World Conference Team

Morgan Stanely to Offer Carbon Offset Service

2007-08-15T12:28:27Z

If you though the green movment was a passing fancy, think again. All you need to do is heed the age-old adage: Follow the Money.

In a follow-on to last year’s proclamation from Morgan Stanley that the firm would invest upwards of $3 billion in environmental markets, including carbon credit trading, Morgan Stanley announced it will partner with consultants Det Norske Veritas (DNV), an independent risk management foundation in a bid to advise companies that want to go carbon neutral.

DNV is also considered a leading international provider of emissions data certification.

Morgan Stanley is not alone. The margins to be made selling carbon credits have attracted the attention of competing investment banks including Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Merrill Lynch.

According the Morgan Stanley, the system will work as follows:

Under the new service, clients will compile their emissions inventory and calculate their carbon footprint by applying the monitoring standards of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative, which has provided the accounting framework for many mandatory greenhouse gas programs across the world, including the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. DNV will then verify these emissions inventories and calculated carbon footprints. Carbon quantification, monitoring and verification will be conducted consistent with ISO 14064 standards. Morgan Stanley’s Commodities Group will procure and cancel carbon credits equivalent to a client’s verified carbon footprint. Clients will be able to select their preferred sources of carbon credits, although all carbon credits will be generated according to the standards of the Kyoto Protocol.

Morgan Stanley has made a pledge to advancing sustainable global development, by implementing energy efficient policies and committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 percent below 2006 levels by 2012 through new green buildings and additional energy use improvements.

China’s Green Olympics

2007-08-08T12:41:18Z

Although air quality problems plague the world’s fastest-growing economy, China is doing what it can to have a true green Olympics. The city of Beijing plans 80 percent of buses and 70 percent of taxis will be fueled via clean energy by 2008.

As part of the efforts, 14 electric buses have been running on one bus route for two years in Beijing as a pilot project while 1,300 buses fueled by compressed gas have been put into operation.

Of the two million square meters of buildings used for the Olympics, 26.9 percent will be powered by clean energy like solar, wind and geothermal power, the ministry said.

The seven main stadiums in Beijing will be equipped with solar generators with a total capacity of 480 KW while 90 percent of the lighting outside the stadiums and hot water supply in the Olympics Village will be powered by solar energy.

Beijing will have its first wind power plant by the end of this year with a capacity of 50,000 KW, which will supply main stadiums.

While it will take a while to clean the air in China, the Olympics seem like a great catalyst to get the country moving in the green direction.

CO2Sink

2007-08-07T12:48:47Z

We often read of reducing carbon emissions but another way to minimize carbon emissions is to bury them underground. Here is a fascinating article on an experiment to bury carbon in Ketzin, Germany. How is it done you wonder? In this case, an 800 meter-deep hole is filled with porous rock. The rock is currently filled with water. The carbon dioxide is pressed into the hole and the small holes in the rock absorb the carbon dioxide as the water is pressed out.

The experiment is named aptly CO2Sink and it marks an important experiment in seeing how successful burying carbon dioxide inland can be.

Shell, Vattenfall, E.ON, Statoil and RWE are contributing money and expertise to the project, which is overseen by the National Research Center for Geosciences in Germany. The success of this project would be good news as it helps offset the negative environmental impact of increasing coal plants in Europe and elsewhere.

Are there risks? Yes. In 1986, about 1,800 people were suffocated at Lake Nyos, Cameroon, when a massive cloud of carbon dioxide escaped from the formerly volcanic site. Environmentalists have warned of similar dangers if leakages occur and gas settles in dips and valleys, where people live.

Experts believe the carbon will remain below ground for years but could eventually surface.

This experiment is an important one and shows yet another way in which humans can reduce their carbon footprint. Hopefully it will be successful.

BMW Goes Green

2007-07-30T11:14:46Z

Well perhaps they aren’t quite green yet but BMW, the car which provides us the self proclaimed “ultimate driving machines,” hopes to also bring us the “ultimate green driving machines.” This article details the company’s hydrogen plans. This is in addition to a plan the company has to recapture steam utilizing traditional internal combustion engines in order to yield a 15% or so increase in energy efficiency.

UK Based ISP Easynet goes Carbon Neutral

2007-07-28T15:35:33Z

It seems to me the trend towards companies going carbon neutral is accelerating as companies like the UK’s Easynet are even pushing their partners to do their part to reduce their carbon footprint. Certainly, Easynet will make a great case study if they are able to truly achieve their carbon neutral goals.

Here is more from VNUnet in the UK.

Plant a Tree for Six Dollars

2007-07-26T01:48:57Z

For a paltry six dollars you can have a tree planted for you in order to soak up a ton of carbon dioxide. A federal agency the U.S. Forest Service and a non-profit group the National Forest Foundation came together to launch a website enabling e-commerce to help the financing of trees which should in theory reduce global warming by absorbing CO2.

Whether this is a good or bad move for the environment is debated in the following article but it is logical that deforestation can be combated by tree planting. There is no doubt we are wiping out forests at an alarming rate and this can’t be good for anyone.

Green Credit Card

2007-07-25T11:31:28Z

Here is a credit card that gives back. To the environment that is. The new GE Money Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard, allows you to forgo your 1% cash back and have this money go towards green causes.

G.E. will keep a running tally of the amounts, and each Earth Day it will use the total to buy offsets of greenhouse gas emissions. The offsets will be purchased by GE AES Greenhouse Gas Services, a joint venture between GE Energy Financial Services and the AES Corporation, a power company.

Here are the details from the NY Times (registration required).

Vietnam Green Fund

2007-07-19T14:29:59Z

I am intrigued with government initiatives such as this which allow for a trust fund to be set up whose purpose is to help companies go greener. In theory, companies in Vietnam of a certain size who qualify will be able to receive credits for reducing their carbon emissions. I wonder if something like this could take hold in the US.