Environmental Education in Guinea Bissau
A hot topic for the classrom
Written by Tim
The Presidential Palace in Guinea Bissau lies derelict and burnt out. You can walk amongst the shards of broken crockery, blackened banisters and singed carpets. Its empty rooms are a fitting metaphor for this failing state.
Teachers in the public sector have not been paid in years. Portuguese, the official language, is hardly spoken by young people and the nation is reverting to a creole contributing to its international isolation.
In a country which ranks 10th from the bottom on the UN’s Human Development Index and where life expectancy is 47 there are perhaps more pressing concerns than educating people about climate change.
However, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is doing just that. Nelson Gomez Dias, Country Director in Guinea Bissau, described the mobile laboratory used to educate children in Guinea Bissau on one of its most pressing environmental challenges. Biomass fuel.
Biomass fuel (charcoal and wood) is the single greatest contributor to deforestation in the world. The rural roads of Guinea Bissau are lined with sacks of the stuff on sale to truck drivers to transport to urban markets. And there is great demand as 80% of Africans rely on biomass for energy.
The IUCN takes its laboratory to schools across the country. Climate change per se is not on the curriculum. They believe you can only encourage people to act sustainably if you offer them a tangible improvement to their quality of life.
They ask children to boil two litres of water, trialling three methods: the traditional three stone fire with charcoal, with wood, and a biomass burning stove made from termite mud, cow dung and rice stalks. The latter performs better against all criteria: time to boil, amount of fuel required, energy required to fetch fuel, cost of fuel and associated health implications.
The lesson encourages children to use their resources more sustainably, teaching them how to make the stoves, using materials available throughout Guinea Bissau. Children are also extremely effective agents of change, nagging their parents to adopt the new stoves.
The programme targets the most vulnerable members of society, reducing women and children’s daily chores, whilst bringing cost savings and health benefits. Effective environmental education in a country where formal education has gone up in smoke.
Source: http://www.atlanticrising.org/case-studies/view.asp?id=19
http://www.atlanticrising.org/gallery/photo-view.asp?id=21
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Adyar Poonga - Environmental Educational Activities
Chennai: School and college students, and members of the public who intend to take a sneak peak at the scenic Adyar Poonga before it is thrown open to the public in January 2011 can do so by participating in the environmental education activities organized at the eco park from May 3, 2010.
According to Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund officials, several activities will be conducted as part of weekly summer camps to students of all ages and even to the public to raise awareness about environmental education. Those interested can contact the Adyar Poonga on 04428153103 and make registrations.
According to Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund officials, several activities will be conducted as part of weekly summer camps to students of all ages and even to the public to raise awareness about environmental education. Those interested can contact the Adyar Poonga on 04428153103 and make registrations.
Future of Plastic Recycling
You’ve got a plastic cup from Starbucks in your hand. It’s empty, and you’re ready to throw it into your recycling bin – so what comes first?
You turn over the cup to see the chasing arrow symbol with #5 in the center, signifying the type of resin that makes up your cup.
Now, imagine a world where these numbered resin codes don’t exist. Instead, recycling is organized by the type of product or package. All you have to understand is that you’re holding a plastic cup, and it’s recyclable in your community program.
Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program. Photo: Ehow.com
Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program. Photo: Ehow.com
This could actually be the future of plastics recycling. Instead of using a resin identification coding system, we could be shifting to a system based on the type of product or package.
In 1988, the resin coding system was created to meet recyclers’ needs while providing manufacturers with a consistent, uniform system that was applicable nationwide.
But now that technology has become more effective at sorting different plastics and curbside programs have become more widespread, the resin coding system may eventually become a thing of the past.
Consumers may find product or package-based recycling easier because they won’t have to search for the number and wonder about its overall make-up. Many communities are already recycling this way.
On Board Yet?
If you’re still confused. Let’s break it down.
Earth911.com recently asked readers, “How is plastic accepted in your curbside program?” Of the readers who responded, 44 percent said it is accepted by number, while only 15 percent said it was accepted by product.
At the present time, many curbside programs still collect plastics using the resin identification system. However, the idea of a product or package-based collection system isn’t a new phenomena. According to Judith Dunbar, director of Environmental and Technical Issues for the American Chemistry Council (ACC), some communities started catching on to the idea in the late 90s when they began collecting “all plastic bottles.”
The ACC got on board and began encouraging other communities to accept recycling in this manner. Data collected by ACC and individual communities showed that it was actually easier for consumers to understand. In fact, the resin identification coding system was never meant to be used by consumers. It was put in place for recyclers to identify plastics, before more sophisticated equipment became available.
Today, product or package-based collection is used in many communities, including the District of Columbia and three major surrounding areas: Arlington County, Va., Montgomery County, Md. and Anne Arundel County, Md. Many cities and towns in California are also adopting this method of collection. About 60 percent of California’s collection programs accept “all bottles and household containers.”
Photo: Southernliving.com
In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics. Photo: Southernliving.com
How Does It Work?
Dunbar says the key to getting any recycling program down to a science is educating consumers about what is specifically collected.
Successful collection is all about simplicity. Providing consumers with information that is detailed with photos of specific products and examples can help make the collection process even more successful.
So, let’s get down to what product categories can be collected for recycling:
* Plastic bottles – water and soda bottles, milk jugs, detergent bottles, anything with a “neck”
* Household containers – non-bottle items, such as butter tubs, yogurt cups, kitty litter buckets
* Plastic bags, product wraps, plastic film
* Tubs and lids
* Buckets and trays
(Note that not all communities currently accept all categories of plastics. Visit your municipality’s Web site or check out our recycle search to learn which plastics are collected in your area.)
Once product packaging goes to a material recovery facility, sorters already have a strong grasp on how to separate the materials without looking at the resin codes. Therefore, product-based collection does not slow down or hinder the service in any way.
As many communities go to a single-stream recycling system, “all bottle” recycling is often implemented as well. Because resin identification codes often confuse consumers, product-based recycling may encourage more participation since it requires less know-how
You turn over the cup to see the chasing arrow symbol with #5 in the center, signifying the type of resin that makes up your cup.
Now, imagine a world where these numbered resin codes don’t exist. Instead, recycling is organized by the type of product or package. All you have to understand is that you’re holding a plastic cup, and it’s recyclable in your community program.
Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program. Photo: Ehow.com
Today, 80 percent of Americans have access to a plastics recycling program. Photo: Ehow.com
This could actually be the future of plastics recycling. Instead of using a resin identification coding system, we could be shifting to a system based on the type of product or package.
In 1988, the resin coding system was created to meet recyclers’ needs while providing manufacturers with a consistent, uniform system that was applicable nationwide.
But now that technology has become more effective at sorting different plastics and curbside programs have become more widespread, the resin coding system may eventually become a thing of the past.
Consumers may find product or package-based recycling easier because they won’t have to search for the number and wonder about its overall make-up. Many communities are already recycling this way.
On Board Yet?
If you’re still confused. Let’s break it down.
Earth911.com recently asked readers, “How is plastic accepted in your curbside program?” Of the readers who responded, 44 percent said it is accepted by number, while only 15 percent said it was accepted by product.
At the present time, many curbside programs still collect plastics using the resin identification system. However, the idea of a product or package-based collection system isn’t a new phenomena. According to Judith Dunbar, director of Environmental and Technical Issues for the American Chemistry Council (ACC), some communities started catching on to the idea in the late 90s when they began collecting “all plastic bottles.”
The ACC got on board and began encouraging other communities to accept recycling in this manner. Data collected by ACC and individual communities showed that it was actually easier for consumers to understand. In fact, the resin identification coding system was never meant to be used by consumers. It was put in place for recyclers to identify plastics, before more sophisticated equipment became available.
Today, product or package-based collection is used in many communities, including the District of Columbia and three major surrounding areas: Arlington County, Va., Montgomery County, Md. and Anne Arundel County, Md. Many cities and towns in California are also adopting this method of collection. About 60 percent of California’s collection programs accept “all bottles and household containers.”
Photo: Southernliving.com
In recent years, the number of U.S. plastics recycling business has nearly tripled. More than 1,600 businesses are involved in recycling post-consumer plastics. Photo: Southernliving.com
How Does It Work?
Dunbar says the key to getting any recycling program down to a science is educating consumers about what is specifically collected.
Successful collection is all about simplicity. Providing consumers with information that is detailed with photos of specific products and examples can help make the collection process even more successful.
So, let’s get down to what product categories can be collected for recycling:
* Plastic bottles – water and soda bottles, milk jugs, detergent bottles, anything with a “neck”
* Household containers – non-bottle items, such as butter tubs, yogurt cups, kitty litter buckets
* Plastic bags, product wraps, plastic film
* Tubs and lids
* Buckets and trays
(Note that not all communities currently accept all categories of plastics. Visit your municipality’s Web site or check out our recycle search to learn which plastics are collected in your area.)
Once product packaging goes to a material recovery facility, sorters already have a strong grasp on how to separate the materials without looking at the resin codes. Therefore, product-based collection does not slow down or hinder the service in any way.
As many communities go to a single-stream recycling system, “all bottle” recycling is often implemented as well. Because resin identification codes often confuse consumers, product-based recycling may encourage more participation since it requires less know-how
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Greenest Building…
…is the one that’s already built, according to the Trust for Architectural Easements (TAE), one of the largest preservation easement holding organizations in the nation. The organization protects over 800 historical buildings in the U.S. The “greenest building” concept was first described in these terms by Carl Elefante.
But what does this concept mean? Aren’t new green buildings the way of the future?
According to TAE, “The Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimates that 43 percent of carbon emissions in the United States are attributable to energy used in residential, commercial and industrial buildings, making the building sector the largest source of greenhouse gases in America. This figure does not even include the energy required to build new structures or to demolish established structures.”
As much as new green buildings are the boon to our continued interest in sustainable development, there is a great deal of misunderstanding in what is lost when older buildings are demolished in the name of progress. The main loss is what is known as “embodied energy,” the concept encompassing “the sum of all of the efforts in the building of the structure itself: the harvesting of organic resources plus the manufacturing development (making those materials into building materials), transportation and the building itself,” according to Lindsey Wallace, donor relations assistant for the TAE. “With new construction, you have to make all that, and it creates a lot of waste.”
The crucial element in the loss of embodied energy is that it cannot be regained. Granted, building salvage businesses are alive and well, but on the whole, a great deal of energy, carbon emissions, materials, time and labor are gone when a building is taken down.
According to Richard Moe, president for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “Demolishing a 50,000 square foot building creates 4,000 tons of waste, enough to fill 26 box cars – a train one-quarter mile long.” Additionally, “Constructing a new 50,000 square foot building releases as much carbon as driving a car 2.8 million miles.”
TAE also reports, “The Brookings Institution estimates that, at current rates, one third of the existing building stock in the United States will be demolished in the next 25 years. The refuse from construction, primarily from demolition, represents approximately 25 percent of the waste added to our landfills each year.”
New Vs. Old
“We’re not completely forgetting that new construction is ‘green,’ but it should be pointed out that some studies show that the rehab of a historic structure achieves the same energy efficiency,” said Heather Massler, director of operations and stewardship for TAE. When it comes to the environmental benefits of rehabilitating and retrofitting older structures, you may be surprised at your energy savings.
According to Moe, “It takes approximately 65 years for a green, energy-efficient building to recover the energy lost in demolition of an existing building even if 40 percent of the building materials from the demolition are recycled.”
A classic example of a reused, rehabilitated building is when an old factory (for example) is converted into loft apartments. Rather than tearing down the older structure and replacing it with a new high rise, the integrity of the structure itself remains (many people, in fact, enjoy the scuffed, burned or nicked floors and walls of buildings like these for their “character”) and the resources used to complete it in the first place are intact.
Massler also pointed out that if you’re looking to update your existing home, reaching for older materials is also a savings in energy. “Your choices are about consumption. Can I live with what I have, or does this really need to be replaced? Why rip out old floors to replace them with new bamboo? Old buildings usually have really durable materials, and there’s a whole salvage world out there.”
One With Nature
Another important consideration for older buildings is their use of the site on which they were constructed, or as Wallace put it, “taking advantage of how people have built for thousands of years.”
“Historic buildings already use the natural resources as much as possible [...] Several studies have shown that with proper repair and upkeep, they can be just as energy efficient,” said Massler.
Historic buildings typically have high ceilings, transoms and large windows for light and ventilation. Site selection and placement on the site, as well as porches and the use of landscaping, contribute to the efficient use of energy, according to TAE.
“People used to think about the site more, because modern conveniences weren’t already in place,” said Massler.
Along these lines, TAE reports that, “Data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency indicates that structures built prior to 1920 are more energy-efficient than those built through the year 2000, when the concept of sustainability began to take hold.”
Additionally, the General Services Administration estimates that the utility costs for historic buildings in its inventory are 27 percent less than for modern structures.
Economic Centers
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) found that utility costs for historic buildings were 27% lower than for more modern buildings. - Preservationnj.wordpress.com
Who knew older buildings used less average energy than their modern counterparts? Photo: Preservationnation.org
“As economist Donovan Rypkema has pointed out, preserving a building is equal to preserving land,” said Wallace. “When preserving buildings in an urban center, you’re discouraging sprawl. The focus on building rehab is about reinvesting in urban centers.”
“When we think of sustainable development, with preservation and rehabilitation, it also speaks to culture and economic sustainability which isn’t talked about as much, but is still as important,” said Massler. “If you are rehab-ing any building in a city, the labor costs are a lot more than the actual materials, helping provide jobs. For example, Rypkema said that if you spend more money on the labor, you’re spending more money for the economy, because the laborer will spend the money again.”
“The preservation community has been advocating for federal tax credits for rehab-ing for exactly this issue, especially for retrofits – using resources already there, specialized labor that pays better, they put people back to work,” said Wallace.
LEEDing on
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and a number of other organizations, are working with the U.S. Green Building Council (the council responsible for the LEED program) to incorporate more preservation aspects in LEED certification. In fact, the new 2009 LEED Green Building Rating Systems will reflect the sustainable benefits of historic preservation.
But what can you do in the meantime? Even if you don’t have a big preservation project in the works, little steps in your own home still make a big difference. According to Wallace, “small efforts like weather stripping, really do add to your energy savings.” Massler also added that, “Most people want to be green or want to help out in whatever way they can. Just thinking about it and being aware is the first step.”
But what does this concept mean? Aren’t new green buildings the way of the future?
According to TAE, “The Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimates that 43 percent of carbon emissions in the United States are attributable to energy used in residential, commercial and industrial buildings, making the building sector the largest source of greenhouse gases in America. This figure does not even include the energy required to build new structures or to demolish established structures.”
As much as new green buildings are the boon to our continued interest in sustainable development, there is a great deal of misunderstanding in what is lost when older buildings are demolished in the name of progress. The main loss is what is known as “embodied energy,” the concept encompassing “the sum of all of the efforts in the building of the structure itself: the harvesting of organic resources plus the manufacturing development (making those materials into building materials), transportation and the building itself,” according to Lindsey Wallace, donor relations assistant for the TAE. “With new construction, you have to make all that, and it creates a lot of waste.”
The crucial element in the loss of embodied energy is that it cannot be regained. Granted, building salvage businesses are alive and well, but on the whole, a great deal of energy, carbon emissions, materials, time and labor are gone when a building is taken down.
According to Richard Moe, president for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, “Demolishing a 50,000 square foot building creates 4,000 tons of waste, enough to fill 26 box cars – a train one-quarter mile long.” Additionally, “Constructing a new 50,000 square foot building releases as much carbon as driving a car 2.8 million miles.”
TAE also reports, “The Brookings Institution estimates that, at current rates, one third of the existing building stock in the United States will be demolished in the next 25 years. The refuse from construction, primarily from demolition, represents approximately 25 percent of the waste added to our landfills each year.”
New Vs. Old
“We’re not completely forgetting that new construction is ‘green,’ but it should be pointed out that some studies show that the rehab of a historic structure achieves the same energy efficiency,” said Heather Massler, director of operations and stewardship for TAE. When it comes to the environmental benefits of rehabilitating and retrofitting older structures, you may be surprised at your energy savings.
According to Moe, “It takes approximately 65 years for a green, energy-efficient building to recover the energy lost in demolition of an existing building even if 40 percent of the building materials from the demolition are recycled.”
A classic example of a reused, rehabilitated building is when an old factory (for example) is converted into loft apartments. Rather than tearing down the older structure and replacing it with a new high rise, the integrity of the structure itself remains (many people, in fact, enjoy the scuffed, burned or nicked floors and walls of buildings like these for their “character”) and the resources used to complete it in the first place are intact.
Massler also pointed out that if you’re looking to update your existing home, reaching for older materials is also a savings in energy. “Your choices are about consumption. Can I live with what I have, or does this really need to be replaced? Why rip out old floors to replace them with new bamboo? Old buildings usually have really durable materials, and there’s a whole salvage world out there.”
One With Nature
Another important consideration for older buildings is their use of the site on which they were constructed, or as Wallace put it, “taking advantage of how people have built for thousands of years.”
“Historic buildings already use the natural resources as much as possible [...] Several studies have shown that with proper repair and upkeep, they can be just as energy efficient,” said Massler.
Historic buildings typically have high ceilings, transoms and large windows for light and ventilation. Site selection and placement on the site, as well as porches and the use of landscaping, contribute to the efficient use of energy, according to TAE.
“People used to think about the site more, because modern conveniences weren’t already in place,” said Massler.
Along these lines, TAE reports that, “Data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency indicates that structures built prior to 1920 are more energy-efficient than those built through the year 2000, when the concept of sustainability began to take hold.”
Additionally, the General Services Administration estimates that the utility costs for historic buildings in its inventory are 27 percent less than for modern structures.
Economic Centers
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) found that utility costs for historic buildings were 27% lower than for more modern buildings. - Preservationnj.wordpress.com
Who knew older buildings used less average energy than their modern counterparts? Photo: Preservationnation.org
“As economist Donovan Rypkema has pointed out, preserving a building is equal to preserving land,” said Wallace. “When preserving buildings in an urban center, you’re discouraging sprawl. The focus on building rehab is about reinvesting in urban centers.”
“When we think of sustainable development, with preservation and rehabilitation, it also speaks to culture and economic sustainability which isn’t talked about as much, but is still as important,” said Massler. “If you are rehab-ing any building in a city, the labor costs are a lot more than the actual materials, helping provide jobs. For example, Rypkema said that if you spend more money on the labor, you’re spending more money for the economy, because the laborer will spend the money again.”
“The preservation community has been advocating for federal tax credits for rehab-ing for exactly this issue, especially for retrofits – using resources already there, specialized labor that pays better, they put people back to work,” said Wallace.
LEEDing on
The National Trust for Historic Preservation and a number of other organizations, are working with the U.S. Green Building Council (the council responsible for the LEED program) to incorporate more preservation aspects in LEED certification. In fact, the new 2009 LEED Green Building Rating Systems will reflect the sustainable benefits of historic preservation.
But what can you do in the meantime? Even if you don’t have a big preservation project in the works, little steps in your own home still make a big difference. According to Wallace, “small efforts like weather stripping, really do add to your energy savings.” Massler also added that, “Most people want to be green or want to help out in whatever way they can. Just thinking about it and being aware is the first step.”
Saturday, May 1, 2010
The Hottest Trend in Eco Housing
Old shipping containers may not be the first resource that comes to mind when thinking of sustainable living options, but as an up-and-coming green manufacturing company has already proven, they just might be a viable option for those seeking to live in an eco-friendly environment.
Upcycle Living, a Phoenix-based construction firm, provides affordable ecological housing for residential communities around the world. In November 2009, a demonstration project at the Green Street Festival showed off what could be accomplished with four remodeled shipping containers.
“We have many ways that we can treat the exterior, and most of them involve putting an exterior skin on the container and concealing the steel from any direct radiation from the sun and also concealing it from view," says co-founder Jason Anderson. Photo: Upcycleliving.com
The display contained two floors, two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, with stylish bamboo cabinets, dual-flush toilets, ENERGY STAR appliances and low-flow showerheads to boot.
“The inspiration for Upcycle Living came from our desire to create a quality housing project that was sustainable yet affordable, durable and mobile in nature,” says Ashton Wolfswinkel, co-founder of Upcycle Living.
As to why shipping containers are his company’s choice of material, he explains, “Shipping containers are very abundant, especially in our country where we import so much more than we export.”
“We thought they would be a great platform for us to start from since they are extremely durable and are designed to be shipped with heavy loads and to withstand the rigors of ocean travel,” he adds. “And because the shipping containers are so plentiful, we are able to get them at a reasonable price, thus allowing us to shift costs, to improve quality and make our homes more sustainable.”
The company’s innovative designs have already attracted a handful of clients throughout Arizona, with one couple now residing in the very first home that Upcycle Living constructed. In addition to these private projects, the firm is currently working on a larger-scale development, which entails providing affordable housing units for a Native American tribe.
Though Upcycle Living is a for-profit organization, Wolfswinkel hopes that once the company becomes a bigger presence in the world of sustainable living, it will be able to pursue nonprofit projects, such as donating housing units to low-income families.
With high hopes and big dreams for the future, Upcycle Living continually looks to better the quality and sustainability of its products by implementing smart and innovative designs. Photo: Upcycleliving.com
But even in an economy that is less than ideal, Upcycle Living is working hard to expand into a successful business.
“The only way we will be able to do this is to offer a superior product at a competitive price point,” Wolfswinkel explains. “We want to stay flexible enough to fulfill our customers’ wants and needs, yet still fit within their budget.”
“We hope to engage our customers in a way that makes sustainable living accessible to anyone who has the desire to live more consciously and become more aware of how we live and the impacts that we have on our environment,” co-founder Jason Anderson adds.
In light of the disaster in Haiti, Upcycle Living has already reached out to a number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on what the company can do to help.
“Shipping containers are a very versatile platform which we can convert into almost any type of structure that is needed,” Wolfswinkel says. “From medical operating rooms to basic shelter, we would like to offer our services to design and build structures that would help in the rebuilding of Haiti.”
Upcycle Living, a Phoenix-based construction firm, provides affordable ecological housing for residential communities around the world. In November 2009, a demonstration project at the Green Street Festival showed off what could be accomplished with four remodeled shipping containers.
“We have many ways that we can treat the exterior, and most of them involve putting an exterior skin on the container and concealing the steel from any direct radiation from the sun and also concealing it from view," says co-founder Jason Anderson. Photo: Upcycleliving.com
The display contained two floors, two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, with stylish bamboo cabinets, dual-flush toilets, ENERGY STAR appliances and low-flow showerheads to boot.
“The inspiration for Upcycle Living came from our desire to create a quality housing project that was sustainable yet affordable, durable and mobile in nature,” says Ashton Wolfswinkel, co-founder of Upcycle Living.
As to why shipping containers are his company’s choice of material, he explains, “Shipping containers are very abundant, especially in our country where we import so much more than we export.”
“We thought they would be a great platform for us to start from since they are extremely durable and are designed to be shipped with heavy loads and to withstand the rigors of ocean travel,” he adds. “And because the shipping containers are so plentiful, we are able to get them at a reasonable price, thus allowing us to shift costs, to improve quality and make our homes more sustainable.”
The company’s innovative designs have already attracted a handful of clients throughout Arizona, with one couple now residing in the very first home that Upcycle Living constructed. In addition to these private projects, the firm is currently working on a larger-scale development, which entails providing affordable housing units for a Native American tribe.
Though Upcycle Living is a for-profit organization, Wolfswinkel hopes that once the company becomes a bigger presence in the world of sustainable living, it will be able to pursue nonprofit projects, such as donating housing units to low-income families.
With high hopes and big dreams for the future, Upcycle Living continually looks to better the quality and sustainability of its products by implementing smart and innovative designs. Photo: Upcycleliving.com
But even in an economy that is less than ideal, Upcycle Living is working hard to expand into a successful business.
“The only way we will be able to do this is to offer a superior product at a competitive price point,” Wolfswinkel explains. “We want to stay flexible enough to fulfill our customers’ wants and needs, yet still fit within their budget.”
“We hope to engage our customers in a way that makes sustainable living accessible to anyone who has the desire to live more consciously and become more aware of how we live and the impacts that we have on our environment,” co-founder Jason Anderson adds.
In light of the disaster in Haiti, Upcycle Living has already reached out to a number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on what the company can do to help.
“Shipping containers are a very versatile platform which we can convert into almost any type of structure that is needed,” Wolfswinkel says. “From medical operating rooms to basic shelter, we would like to offer our services to design and build structures that would help in the rebuilding of Haiti.”
Friday, April 30, 2010
Traditional Inuit Knowledge Combines With Science to Shape Weather Insights
April 2010:
Using skills passed down through generations, Inuit forecasters living in the Canadian Arctic look to the sky to tell by the way the wind scatters a cloud whether a storm is on the horizon or if it's safe to go on a hunt.
Thousands of miles away in a lab tucked in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, scientists take data measurements and use the latest computer models to predict weather. They are two practices serving the same purpose that come from disparate worlds.
But in the past 20 years, something has run amok with Inuit forecasting. Old weather signals don't seem to mean what they used to. The cloud that scatters could signal a storm that comes in an hour instead of a day.
Now researchers are combining indigenous environmental knowledge with modern science to learn new things about what's happening to the Arctic climate.
"It's interesting how the western approach is often trying to understand things without necessarily experiencing them," said Elizabeth Weatherhead, a research scientist with the University of Colorado at Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. "With the Inuit, it's much more of an experiential issue, and I think that fundamental difference brings a completely different emphasis both in defining what the important scientific questions are, and discerning how to address them."
For years, researchers had heard reports of unpredictable weather coming in from Arctic communities. But the stories didn't seem to match up with the numbers. By scientific measurement, weather around the world appeared to be growing more persistent with less variation. The disparity left scientists scratching their heads, said Weatherhead.
"I had been hearing about this problem from other environmental statisticians for a number of years," said Weatherhead, who also works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., and who is chief author on a new study on the subject. "But the Inuit used a different language than what we statisticians used, and none of us could really figure out what matched up with their observations."
That's where Shari Gearheard, a scientist with CU-Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center, also part of CIRES, comes in. Gearheard lives in Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada, an Inuit community on eastern Baffin Island, and for the past 10 years has been working with Inuit hunters and elders to document their knowledge of the environment and environmental change.
Weather has a special importance in Arctic environments, where a reliable forecast can mean the difference between life and death. There are members of the Inuit community who possess the skills to predict the weather, but that knowledge is dying off as both the culture and climate change, according to the scientists.
"The impacts of that are a loss of confidence in those forecasters and concerns about incorrect forecasts," said Gearheard. Forecasters don't want to send somebody out to go hunting if they're going to be unsafe and be in poor weather conditions."
Gearheard meticulously collects the stories told to her by the Inuit and makes systematic records of indigenous environmental knowledge. Through this, patterns begin to emerge, she said.
Of special importance were changes experienced by the Inuit during the spring, a time of transition for many environmental processes. During spring, the Inuit would notice that the top layer of the snow melted during the day and then would refreeze at night, forming a crust.
"In fact, in a lot of places, the season is named after a particular process by the Inuit," said Gearheard. "In cases like this where the Inuit are not seeing that process anymore, it is an indicator to them that something had changed."
Gearheard's records created a resolution of detail for Arctic weather observation that, by bringing the two studies together, gave Weatherhead the information she needed to bridge indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge. "What was incredibly helpful was Shari's detailed description of what they were experiencing on what sort of timescales," said Weatherhead. "That really allowed us to start focusing on our statistical tests and try to find exactly what matched their observations."
Statistical analysis of day-to-day temperatures at Baker Lake, Nunavut, showed that in May and June the persistence of temperature had recently declined, matching Inuit reports of greater unpredictability at that season. "People hadn't previously looked at persistence in this way," said CIRES fellow Roger Barry, also director of the World Data Center for Glaciology at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at CU-Boulder and a study co-author along with Gearheard.
What they found was a scientific story more in line with what people were witnessing on the ground. Weather along the Arctic latitudes was behaving more unpredictably than in other parts of the world.
"That's an incredibly important parameter to care about," said Weatherhead. "The way I try to describe it to some people is if we get an inch of rain out at my house in the month of July, I don't need to turn on the sprinklers. But if we get an inch of rain on July 1, and no rain after that, my lawn is dead.
"Ecosystems have evolved under a certain type of pattern. So if that is changing, that could be just as important as a small increase in temperature or some of the other changes we're talking about," Weatherhead said.
The new study helps scientists refine and test climate models, while also providing such models with a new category of information to consider, said Weatherhead. And Gearheard's work with the Inuit is demonstrating the value of indigenous environmental knowledge to modern climate science.
"When we first started talking about this, indigenous knowledge didn't have the place it does now in research," Gearheard said. "It's growing. People are becoming more familiar with it, more respectful of it."
Weatherhead and Gearheard said they are intrigued by the insights that incorporate indigenous knowledge and climate studies, but they don't want to stop there. The new study has sparked an interest in the type of environmental knowledge other communities could provide to climate scientists, from ranchers and farmers to indigenous groups. "When you treat these perspectives as different forms of evidence or knowledge and see where that takes you, that is when exciting stuff happens," said Gearheard.
The study appears this month in the journal Global Environmental Change. The National Science Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada provided funding for the study.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder.
Journal Reference:
1. Weatherhead et al. Changes in weather persistence: Insight from Inuit knowledge. Global Environmental Change, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.02.002
Using skills passed down through generations, Inuit forecasters living in the Canadian Arctic look to the sky to tell by the way the wind scatters a cloud whether a storm is on the horizon or if it's safe to go on a hunt.
Thousands of miles away in a lab tucked in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, scientists take data measurements and use the latest computer models to predict weather. They are two practices serving the same purpose that come from disparate worlds.
But in the past 20 years, something has run amok with Inuit forecasting. Old weather signals don't seem to mean what they used to. The cloud that scatters could signal a storm that comes in an hour instead of a day.
Now researchers are combining indigenous environmental knowledge with modern science to learn new things about what's happening to the Arctic climate.
"It's interesting how the western approach is often trying to understand things without necessarily experiencing them," said Elizabeth Weatherhead, a research scientist with the University of Colorado at Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences. "With the Inuit, it's much more of an experiential issue, and I think that fundamental difference brings a completely different emphasis both in defining what the important scientific questions are, and discerning how to address them."
For years, researchers had heard reports of unpredictable weather coming in from Arctic communities. But the stories didn't seem to match up with the numbers. By scientific measurement, weather around the world appeared to be growing more persistent with less variation. The disparity left scientists scratching their heads, said Weatherhead.
"I had been hearing about this problem from other environmental statisticians for a number of years," said Weatherhead, who also works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., and who is chief author on a new study on the subject. "But the Inuit used a different language than what we statisticians used, and none of us could really figure out what matched up with their observations."
That's where Shari Gearheard, a scientist with CU-Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center, also part of CIRES, comes in. Gearheard lives in Clyde River, Nunavut, Canada, an Inuit community on eastern Baffin Island, and for the past 10 years has been working with Inuit hunters and elders to document their knowledge of the environment and environmental change.
Weather has a special importance in Arctic environments, where a reliable forecast can mean the difference between life and death. There are members of the Inuit community who possess the skills to predict the weather, but that knowledge is dying off as both the culture and climate change, according to the scientists.
"The impacts of that are a loss of confidence in those forecasters and concerns about incorrect forecasts," said Gearheard. Forecasters don't want to send somebody out to go hunting if they're going to be unsafe and be in poor weather conditions."
Gearheard meticulously collects the stories told to her by the Inuit and makes systematic records of indigenous environmental knowledge. Through this, patterns begin to emerge, she said.
Of special importance were changes experienced by the Inuit during the spring, a time of transition for many environmental processes. During spring, the Inuit would notice that the top layer of the snow melted during the day and then would refreeze at night, forming a crust.
"In fact, in a lot of places, the season is named after a particular process by the Inuit," said Gearheard. "In cases like this where the Inuit are not seeing that process anymore, it is an indicator to them that something had changed."
Gearheard's records created a resolution of detail for Arctic weather observation that, by bringing the two studies together, gave Weatherhead the information she needed to bridge indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge. "What was incredibly helpful was Shari's detailed description of what they were experiencing on what sort of timescales," said Weatherhead. "That really allowed us to start focusing on our statistical tests and try to find exactly what matched their observations."
Statistical analysis of day-to-day temperatures at Baker Lake, Nunavut, showed that in May and June the persistence of temperature had recently declined, matching Inuit reports of greater unpredictability at that season. "People hadn't previously looked at persistence in this way," said CIRES fellow Roger Barry, also director of the World Data Center for Glaciology at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at CU-Boulder and a study co-author along with Gearheard.
What they found was a scientific story more in line with what people were witnessing on the ground. Weather along the Arctic latitudes was behaving more unpredictably than in other parts of the world.
"That's an incredibly important parameter to care about," said Weatherhead. "The way I try to describe it to some people is if we get an inch of rain out at my house in the month of July, I don't need to turn on the sprinklers. But if we get an inch of rain on July 1, and no rain after that, my lawn is dead.
"Ecosystems have evolved under a certain type of pattern. So if that is changing, that could be just as important as a small increase in temperature or some of the other changes we're talking about," Weatherhead said.
The new study helps scientists refine and test climate models, while also providing such models with a new category of information to consider, said Weatherhead. And Gearheard's work with the Inuit is demonstrating the value of indigenous environmental knowledge to modern climate science.
"When we first started talking about this, indigenous knowledge didn't have the place it does now in research," Gearheard said. "It's growing. People are becoming more familiar with it, more respectful of it."
Weatherhead and Gearheard said they are intrigued by the insights that incorporate indigenous knowledge and climate studies, but they don't want to stop there. The new study has sparked an interest in the type of environmental knowledge other communities could provide to climate scientists, from ranchers and farmers to indigenous groups. "When you treat these perspectives as different forms of evidence or knowledge and see where that takes you, that is when exciting stuff happens," said Gearheard.
The study appears this month in the journal Global Environmental Change. The National Science Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada provided funding for the study.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by University of Colorado at Boulder.
Journal Reference:
1. Weatherhead et al. Changes in weather persistence: Insight from Inuit knowledge. Global Environmental Change, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.02.002
Massive Arctic Ice Cap Is Shrinking, Study Shows; Rate Accelerating Since 1985
Close to 50 years of data show the Devon Island ice cap, one of the largest ice masses in the Canadian High Arctic, is thinning and shrinking.
A paper published in the March edition of Arctic, the journal of the University of Calgary's Arctic Institute of North America, reports that between 1961 and 1985, the ice cap grew in some years and shrank in others, resulting in an overall loss of mass. But that changed 1985 when scientists began to see a steady decline in ice volume and area each year.
"We've been seeing more mass loss since 1985," says Sarah Boon, lead author on the paper and a Geography Professor at the University of Lethbridge. The reason for the change? Warmer summers.
The High Arctic is essentially a desert with low rates of annual precipitation. There is little accumulation of snow in the winter and cool summers, with temperatures at or below freezing, serve to maintain levels. Any increase of snow and ice takes years.
This delicate equilibrium is easily upset. One warm summer can wipe out five years of growth. And though the accelerated melting trend began in 1985, the last decade has seen four years with unusually warm summers -- 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
"What we see during these warm summers is the extent of the melt is greater," says Boon about the results of a five-year remote sensing study that ran between 2000 and 2004.
The white surfaces of snow and ice reflect heat -- a process known as the albedo effect. Retreating ice exposes dark soil and gravel, which absorb heat and increase the melt rate of ice along the periphery of the cap. But it's not only the edges of the cap that are losing ice. At lower altitudes the ice is thinning as well.
Changes to the Devon ice cap, which covers approximately 14,400 sq. km, could have multiple impacts on everything from ship traffic to sea level.
There has already been an increase in the number of icebergs calving off from outlet glaciers that flow into the ocean. Boon explains that melt water runs between the bottom of the glacier and the ground, creating a slippery cushion that allows the glacier to slide forward more rapidly than it would in colder conditions.
"There are a lot of things we need to consider. One is the iceberg calving and its implications for shipping. These things don't just go away, they float out into the ocean," says Boon. A second area of concern is the contribution of increased glacier melt to rising sea level.
The work of Boon and her colleagues demonstrates the importance of long-term research. Work on Devon Island began in 1961 with researchers from the Arctic Institute of North America, including long-time Arctic scientist Roy 'Fritz' Koerner, who was part of the current study until his death in 2008. This ongoing research, which is continuing thanks to federal International Polar year funding, has created a comprehensive dataset that contributes to the understanding of the complex play between the ice cap, the atmosphere and the ocean.
"We all know long-term studies are important but they are really hard to pay for."
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Arctic Institute of North America, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
A paper published in the March edition of Arctic, the journal of the University of Calgary's Arctic Institute of North America, reports that between 1961 and 1985, the ice cap grew in some years and shrank in others, resulting in an overall loss of mass. But that changed 1985 when scientists began to see a steady decline in ice volume and area each year.
"We've been seeing more mass loss since 1985," says Sarah Boon, lead author on the paper and a Geography Professor at the University of Lethbridge. The reason for the change? Warmer summers.
The High Arctic is essentially a desert with low rates of annual precipitation. There is little accumulation of snow in the winter and cool summers, with temperatures at or below freezing, serve to maintain levels. Any increase of snow and ice takes years.
This delicate equilibrium is easily upset. One warm summer can wipe out five years of growth. And though the accelerated melting trend began in 1985, the last decade has seen four years with unusually warm summers -- 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
"What we see during these warm summers is the extent of the melt is greater," says Boon about the results of a five-year remote sensing study that ran between 2000 and 2004.
The white surfaces of snow and ice reflect heat -- a process known as the albedo effect. Retreating ice exposes dark soil and gravel, which absorb heat and increase the melt rate of ice along the periphery of the cap. But it's not only the edges of the cap that are losing ice. At lower altitudes the ice is thinning as well.
Changes to the Devon ice cap, which covers approximately 14,400 sq. km, could have multiple impacts on everything from ship traffic to sea level.
There has already been an increase in the number of icebergs calving off from outlet glaciers that flow into the ocean. Boon explains that melt water runs between the bottom of the glacier and the ground, creating a slippery cushion that allows the glacier to slide forward more rapidly than it would in colder conditions.
"There are a lot of things we need to consider. One is the iceberg calving and its implications for shipping. These things don't just go away, they float out into the ocean," says Boon. A second area of concern is the contribution of increased glacier melt to rising sea level.
The work of Boon and her colleagues demonstrates the importance of long-term research. Work on Devon Island began in 1961 with researchers from the Arctic Institute of North America, including long-time Arctic scientist Roy 'Fritz' Koerner, who was part of the current study until his death in 2008. This ongoing research, which is continuing thanks to federal International Polar year funding, has created a comprehensive dataset that contributes to the understanding of the complex play between the ice cap, the atmosphere and the ocean.
"We all know long-term studies are important but they are really hard to pay for."
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Arctic Institute of North America, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
New Material for More Ecological, Efficient and Economic Refrigeration Systems
Two teams based at the Barcelona Knowledge Campus, one from the University of Barcelona (UB) and one from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), have worked with a group from the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) to develop a new solid material that produces a caloric effect under hydrostatic pressure (solid-state barocaloric effect). The work was carried out using a high-pressure system developed by the UPC, which is the only one of its type in Spain.
he research is described in an article published in the scientific journal Nature Materials and was inspired by guidelines in the Kyoto protocol on renewing current refrigeration systems based on the compression of harmful gases.
Research into materials showing large caloric effects close to room temperature is one of the areas currently being explored to develop new refrigeration systems. Until recently, the most promising materials for applications in this field were giant magnetocaloric materials, which change temperature under the influence of an external magnetic field. The authors of this new study show that application of a moderate hydrostatic pressure to a nickel-manganese-indium alloy (Ni-Mn-In) produces results comparable to those achieved with the most effective magnetocaloric materials.
According to Lluís Mañosa, a professor with the Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter at the UB and principal investigator of the study, "the aim of this field of research is to identify materials that are efficient, economic and environmentally respectful, and the advantages of the alloy used in this study is that all of the component materials meet these requirements."
In addition, Antoni Planes, a professor with the same UN department, explains that, "this type of material can produce much greater caloric effects with only slight variations in pressure, which makes it ideal for domestic refrigeration systems (refrigerators, air conditioning, etc.)." When these alloys are submitted to an external field, either magnetic or pressure, the material undergoes a solid-state phase transition, and Lluís Mañosa explains that, "this phase change generates a considerable latent heat exchange." The physical principle involved is the same as the effect observed when an ice cube is placed into a glass of water: the ice absorbs heat from the water, lowering its temperature.
The experiments were carried out using a unique high-pressure system developed by the Materials Characterization Group at UPC, directed by Josep Lluís Tamarit, a professor with the Department of Nuclear Physics and Engineering. The system was designed to measure the temperatures during state changes according to the pressure and heat exchanged in the process.
According to the researcher Maria Barrio, who works for the same UPC department and co-authored the study, "studying the behaviour of materials under different pressures has a wide range of uses in many fields," and applications include various types of refrigeration systems, such as domestic refrigerators and air-conditioning systems, food storage facilities, industrial machinery and supercomputers. Scientists have understood the magnetocaloric effect for some time, and it has been used extensively in work requiring extremely low temperature, but it was not until the 1990s that experts discovered materials capable of producing a large magnetocaloric effect close to room temperature, or giant magnetocaloric effect.
In 2005, an article in Nature Materials presented the inverse magnetocaloric effect, under which the temperature of a material submitted to an external magnetic field decreases instead of increasing, which is the standard response of most magnetic materials.
The study, carried out as preparation for the doctoral thesis of Xavier Moya, under the direction of Lluís Mañosa (UB), was awarded the 2009 Ramon Margalef Prize by the UB Board of Trustees.
In addition to the barocaloric effect described above, the Ni-Mn-In alloy also exhibits the inverse magnetocaloric effect. As such, the magnetic field can be combined with exertion of hydrostatic pressure to produce the caloric effect, which can be modulated with a series of parameters to control the temperature. With this new material it is possible to observe the pressure and the magnetic field to control the state change at a desired temperature.
he research is described in an article published in the scientific journal Nature Materials and was inspired by guidelines in the Kyoto protocol on renewing current refrigeration systems based on the compression of harmful gases.
Research into materials showing large caloric effects close to room temperature is one of the areas currently being explored to develop new refrigeration systems. Until recently, the most promising materials for applications in this field were giant magnetocaloric materials, which change temperature under the influence of an external magnetic field. The authors of this new study show that application of a moderate hydrostatic pressure to a nickel-manganese-indium alloy (Ni-Mn-In) produces results comparable to those achieved with the most effective magnetocaloric materials.
According to Lluís Mañosa, a professor with the Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter at the UB and principal investigator of the study, "the aim of this field of research is to identify materials that are efficient, economic and environmentally respectful, and the advantages of the alloy used in this study is that all of the component materials meet these requirements."
In addition, Antoni Planes, a professor with the same UN department, explains that, "this type of material can produce much greater caloric effects with only slight variations in pressure, which makes it ideal for domestic refrigeration systems (refrigerators, air conditioning, etc.)." When these alloys are submitted to an external field, either magnetic or pressure, the material undergoes a solid-state phase transition, and Lluís Mañosa explains that, "this phase change generates a considerable latent heat exchange." The physical principle involved is the same as the effect observed when an ice cube is placed into a glass of water: the ice absorbs heat from the water, lowering its temperature.
The experiments were carried out using a unique high-pressure system developed by the Materials Characterization Group at UPC, directed by Josep Lluís Tamarit, a professor with the Department of Nuclear Physics and Engineering. The system was designed to measure the temperatures during state changes according to the pressure and heat exchanged in the process.
According to the researcher Maria Barrio, who works for the same UPC department and co-authored the study, "studying the behaviour of materials under different pressures has a wide range of uses in many fields," and applications include various types of refrigeration systems, such as domestic refrigerators and air-conditioning systems, food storage facilities, industrial machinery and supercomputers. Scientists have understood the magnetocaloric effect for some time, and it has been used extensively in work requiring extremely low temperature, but it was not until the 1990s that experts discovered materials capable of producing a large magnetocaloric effect close to room temperature, or giant magnetocaloric effect.
In 2005, an article in Nature Materials presented the inverse magnetocaloric effect, under which the temperature of a material submitted to an external magnetic field decreases instead of increasing, which is the standard response of most magnetic materials.
The study, carried out as preparation for the doctoral thesis of Xavier Moya, under the direction of Lluís Mañosa (UB), was awarded the 2009 Ramon Margalef Prize by the UB Board of Trustees.
In addition to the barocaloric effect described above, the Ni-Mn-In alloy also exhibits the inverse magnetocaloric effect. As such, the magnetic field can be combined with exertion of hydrostatic pressure to produce the caloric effect, which can be modulated with a series of parameters to control the temperature. With this new material it is possible to observe the pressure and the magnetic field to control the state change at a desired temperature.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
'Missing' Heat May Affect Future Climate Change
ScienceDaily (Apr.2010) — Current observational tools cannot account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on Earth in recent years, according to a "Perspectives" article in this week's issue of Science. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) warn in the new study that satellite sensors, ocean floats, and other instruments are inadequate to track this "missing" heat, which may be building up in the deep oceans or elsewhere in the climate system.
"The heat will come back to haunt us sooner or later," says NCAR scientist Kevin Trenberth, the lead author. "The reprieve we've had from warming temperatures in the last few years will not continue. It is critical to track the build-up of energy in our climate system so we can understand what is happening and predict our future climate."
The authors suggest that last year's rapid onset of El Niño, the periodic event in which upper ocean waters across much of the tropical Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer, may be one way in which the solar energy has reappeared.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor, and by NASA. A Science Perspectives piece is not formally peer-reviewed, but it is extensively reviewed by editors of the journal. Science had invited Trenberth to submit the article after an editor heard him discuss the research at a scientific conference.
Trenberth and his co-author, NCAR scientist John Fasullo, focused on a central mystery of climate change. Whereas satellite instruments indicate that greenhouse gases are continuing to trap more solar energy, or heat, scientists since 2003 have been unable to determine where much of that heat is going.
Either the satellite observations are incorrect, says Trenberth, or, more likely, large amounts of heat are penetrating to regions that are not adequately measured, such as the deepest parts of the oceans. Compounding the problem, Earth's surface temperatures have largely leveled off in recent years. Yet melting glaciers and Arctic sea ice, along with rising sea levels, indicate that heat is continuing to have profound effects on the planet.
In their Perspectives article, Trenberth and Fasullo explain that it is imperative to better measure the flow of energy through Earth's climate system. For example, any geoengineering plan to artificially alter the world's climate to counter global warming could have inadvertent consequences, which may be difficult to analyze unless scientists can track heat around the globe. Improved analysis of energy in the atmosphere and oceans can also help researchers better understand and possibly even anticipate unusual weather patterns, such as the cold outbreaks across much of the United States, Europe, and Asia over the past winter.
There's more to climate change than warmer air
As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, satellite instruments show a growing imbalance between energy entering the atmosphere from the Sun and energy leaving from Earth's surface. This imbalance is the source of long-term global warming.
But tracking the growing amount of heat on Earth is far more complicated than measuring temperatures at the planet's surface. The oceans absorb about 90 percent of the solar energy that is trapped by greenhouse gases. Additional amounts of heat go toward melting glaciers and sea ice, as well as warming the land and parts of the atmosphere. Only a tiny fraction warms the air at the planet's surface.
Satellite measurements indicate that the amount of greenhouse-trapped solar energy has risen over recent years while the increase in heat measured in the top 3,000 feet of the ocean has stalled. Although it is difficult to quantify the amount of solar energy with precision, Trenberth and Fasullo estimate that, based on satellite data, the amount of energy build-up appears to be about 1.0 watts per square meter or higher, while ocean instruments indicate a build-up of about 0.5 watts per square meter. That means about half the total amount of heat is unaccounted for.
A percentage of the missing heat could be illusory, the result of imprecise measurements by satellites and surface sensors or incorrect processing of data from those sensors, the authors say. Until 2003, the measured heat increase was consistent with computer model expectations. But a new set of ocean monitors since then has shown a steady decrease in the rate of oceanic heating, even as the satellite-measured imbalance between incoming and outgoing energy continues to grow.
Some of the missing heat appears to be going into the observed melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as Arctic sea ice, the authors say.
Much of the missing heat may be in the ocean. Some heat increase can be detected between depths of 3,000 and 6,500 feet (about 1,000 to 2,000 meters), but more heat may be deeper still beyond the reach of ocean sensors.
Trenberth and Fasullo call for additional ocean sensors, along with more systematic data analysis and new approaches to calibrating satellite instruments, to help resolve the mystery. The Argo profiling floats that researchers began deploying in 2000 to measure ocean temperatures, for example, are separated by about 185 miles (300 kilometers) and take readings only about once every 10 days from a depth of about 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) up to the surface. Plans are underway to have a subset of these floats go to greater depths.
"Global warming at its heart is driven by an imbalance of energy: more solar energy is entering the atmosphere than leaving it," Fasullo says. "Our concern is that we aren't able to entirely monitor or understand the imbalance. This reveals a glaring hole in our ability to observe the build-up of heat in our climate system."
"The heat will come back to haunt us sooner or later," says NCAR scientist Kevin Trenberth, the lead author. "The reprieve we've had from warming temperatures in the last few years will not continue. It is critical to track the build-up of energy in our climate system so we can understand what is happening and predict our future climate."
The authors suggest that last year's rapid onset of El Niño, the periodic event in which upper ocean waters across much of the tropical Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer, may be one way in which the solar energy has reappeared.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR's sponsor, and by NASA. A Science Perspectives piece is not formally peer-reviewed, but it is extensively reviewed by editors of the journal. Science had invited Trenberth to submit the article after an editor heard him discuss the research at a scientific conference.
Trenberth and his co-author, NCAR scientist John Fasullo, focused on a central mystery of climate change. Whereas satellite instruments indicate that greenhouse gases are continuing to trap more solar energy, or heat, scientists since 2003 have been unable to determine where much of that heat is going.
Either the satellite observations are incorrect, says Trenberth, or, more likely, large amounts of heat are penetrating to regions that are not adequately measured, such as the deepest parts of the oceans. Compounding the problem, Earth's surface temperatures have largely leveled off in recent years. Yet melting glaciers and Arctic sea ice, along with rising sea levels, indicate that heat is continuing to have profound effects on the planet.
In their Perspectives article, Trenberth and Fasullo explain that it is imperative to better measure the flow of energy through Earth's climate system. For example, any geoengineering plan to artificially alter the world's climate to counter global warming could have inadvertent consequences, which may be difficult to analyze unless scientists can track heat around the globe. Improved analysis of energy in the atmosphere and oceans can also help researchers better understand and possibly even anticipate unusual weather patterns, such as the cold outbreaks across much of the United States, Europe, and Asia over the past winter.
There's more to climate change than warmer air
As greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere, satellite instruments show a growing imbalance between energy entering the atmosphere from the Sun and energy leaving from Earth's surface. This imbalance is the source of long-term global warming.
But tracking the growing amount of heat on Earth is far more complicated than measuring temperatures at the planet's surface. The oceans absorb about 90 percent of the solar energy that is trapped by greenhouse gases. Additional amounts of heat go toward melting glaciers and sea ice, as well as warming the land and parts of the atmosphere. Only a tiny fraction warms the air at the planet's surface.
Satellite measurements indicate that the amount of greenhouse-trapped solar energy has risen over recent years while the increase in heat measured in the top 3,000 feet of the ocean has stalled. Although it is difficult to quantify the amount of solar energy with precision, Trenberth and Fasullo estimate that, based on satellite data, the amount of energy build-up appears to be about 1.0 watts per square meter or higher, while ocean instruments indicate a build-up of about 0.5 watts per square meter. That means about half the total amount of heat is unaccounted for.
A percentage of the missing heat could be illusory, the result of imprecise measurements by satellites and surface sensors or incorrect processing of data from those sensors, the authors say. Until 2003, the measured heat increase was consistent with computer model expectations. But a new set of ocean monitors since then has shown a steady decrease in the rate of oceanic heating, even as the satellite-measured imbalance between incoming and outgoing energy continues to grow.
Some of the missing heat appears to be going into the observed melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, as well as Arctic sea ice, the authors say.
Much of the missing heat may be in the ocean. Some heat increase can be detected between depths of 3,000 and 6,500 feet (about 1,000 to 2,000 meters), but more heat may be deeper still beyond the reach of ocean sensors.
Trenberth and Fasullo call for additional ocean sensors, along with more systematic data analysis and new approaches to calibrating satellite instruments, to help resolve the mystery. The Argo profiling floats that researchers began deploying in 2000 to measure ocean temperatures, for example, are separated by about 185 miles (300 kilometers) and take readings only about once every 10 days from a depth of about 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) up to the surface. Plans are underway to have a subset of these floats go to greater depths.
"Global warming at its heart is driven by an imbalance of energy: more solar energy is entering the atmosphere than leaving it," Fasullo says. "Our concern is that we aren't able to entirely monitor or understand the imbalance. This reveals a glaring hole in our ability to observe the build-up of heat in our climate system."
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Milk and Juice Carton Recycling Made Easy
Milk and Juice Carton Recycling Made Easy
Tropicana and Waste Management recently announced they are joining forces to launch a national initiative to increase the rate of juice and milk carton recycling. The initiative kicks off the long-term goal to increase beverage carton recycling nationwide, a program being promoted through the Carton Council.
Milk and juice cartons are made largely from paper sources and fall under the material category of paperboard. Though not accepted by all municipal curbside programs, more than 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to paperboard recycling.
Though 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to paperboard recycling, not all paperboard recyclers will accept milk and juice cartons. Photo: G-can.net
Waste Management will be accepting juice and milk cartons at all its recycling processing facilities across the country in order to increase their recycling rate. Waste Management separates the cartons from the other recyclables and sends them to a secondary mill for recycling.
Recycled through a process called hydropulping, which recovers a material’s paper fibers, the cartons are recycled into paper towels, tissue and other paper products. A typical Tropicana carton is made of 85 percent paper and 15 percent polymer, making the product largely recyclable.
“We are proud to be working with Waste Management to promote the expansion of carton recycling across the country and finding new ways to recycle our products into environmentally beneficial products,” says Andre Hartshorn, senior marketing manager for Tropicana Products, Inc.
This national carton recycling program builds off a successful pilot program in Tampa, Fla., where Tropicana and Waste Management, along with the Carton Council and Dean Foods, successfully expanded carton recycling availability and educated consumers about carton recycling.
Tropicana and Waste Management recently announced they are joining forces to launch a national initiative to increase the rate of juice and milk carton recycling. The initiative kicks off the long-term goal to increase beverage carton recycling nationwide, a program being promoted through the Carton Council.
Milk and juice cartons are made largely from paper sources and fall under the material category of paperboard. Though not accepted by all municipal curbside programs, more than 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to paperboard recycling.
Though 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to paperboard recycling, not all paperboard recyclers will accept milk and juice cartons. Photo: G-can.net
Waste Management will be accepting juice and milk cartons at all its recycling processing facilities across the country in order to increase their recycling rate. Waste Management separates the cartons from the other recyclables and sends them to a secondary mill for recycling.
Recycled through a process called hydropulping, which recovers a material’s paper fibers, the cartons are recycled into paper towels, tissue and other paper products. A typical Tropicana carton is made of 85 percent paper and 15 percent polymer, making the product largely recyclable.
“We are proud to be working with Waste Management to promote the expansion of carton recycling across the country and finding new ways to recycle our products into environmentally beneficial products,” says Andre Hartshorn, senior marketing manager for Tropicana Products, Inc.
This national carton recycling program builds off a successful pilot program in Tampa, Fla., where Tropicana and Waste Management, along with the Carton Council and Dean Foods, successfully expanded carton recycling availability and educated consumers about carton recycling.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saltwater poisoning threatens Ghana
Saltwater poisoning threatens Ghana
How is sea level rise poisoning Ghana?
Written by Will
Popular images of sea level change are flooded houses, displaced people and eroded landscapes. In Western Ghana, a sinister new picture is emerging: salt water poisoning. Rising sea levels have polluted the water sources of thousands of inhabitants, infecting their drinking water and creating an unprecedented rise in salt-related health problems.
The head of water quality at the Ghana Water Company has admitted providing drinking water with almost twice the recommended salt levels, whilst the medical director of the regional hospital has reported a 70% increase in strokes, hypertension and heart problems.
Largely ignored in the Ghanaian press, this is a candid portrait of environmental abuse and political mismanagement set to mushroom if current climatic trends continue.
A town on the edge
The focus of the problem is Ada, a town of 20 000 people perched on the estuary of the Volta river. Throughout history the river has provided for and protected the people. Its seasonal floods replenished the floodplain and its powerful flow prevented sea water from travelling up the estuary.
However in the 1950s, the Volta underwent a profound change when the Akosombo dam was constructed. Much of the river’s drainage basin was flooded to create Lake Volta and the flow of water became controlled by the corporate priorities of the Ghana Water Company. Suddenly Ada’s umbilical chord to the interior was cut.
Over the last fifty years, mismanagement of this river system has caused a reduction in water reaching Ada, allowing sea water to encroach upstream and pollute the purification plants supplying the town’s fresh water. Writing in 2007, Dr Philip Narh of Dangme East District Hospital warned that if this problem was left unchecked, it could soon affect the whole 130 000 inhabitants of the South Tongu district. The situation has been created by three major environmental changes.
Rampant deforestation
Thick forest once covered northern Ghana, stretching from the Togo border to Tamale. Rampant deforestation by farmers and charcoal burners has left much of the land barren. The impact on the Volta drainage system has been profound. “Deforestation has completely removed the canopy layer. This layer slowed the rate of run off and supplied the spring source” says Evans Balaara, head of water quality at the Ghana Water Company. “Evaporation rates have also increased as there is no vegetation to provide shade. As a result far less water is now reaching the lake in a normal year than when I was young.” Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns (drought 2007-08, severe flooding 2009) have also added to the problem and in 2006 the only dam in the Damongo (northern) region had to be shut down when its lake dried up. With less water reaching the lake, the ball is set rolling for major problems downstream.
Rising urbanisation
Accra is the 32nd fastest growing city in the world, expanding at a rate of 3% per year. Rural-urban migration - particularly from the northern regions - has been a catalyst for this growth. This has put huge pressure on the urban infrastructure. “The infrastructure cannot keep pace with this increase” says Mr Balaara. “At the moment Ghana Water Company cannot meet the demand from the city. We have to do expansion, but the expansion money is not available yet.” The problem does not lie in the amount of water available, but in the piping and purification system. The pipes are too narrow and the treatment plants too small to process the millions of gallons of water used by the city every day.
Looking to the future Mr Balaara says that the government’s priority is to increase extraction from the lake by building new plants and installing wider pipes. The knock on effect of this is a further reduction in the amount of water trickling down to Ada. Combining this with reduced water inputs, the town’s future looks increasingly bleak.
The rising tide
With the supply of fresh water reaching Ada decreasing, salt water has been able to encroach further upstream. This has been magnified by high spring tides, whose waters have reached Ghana Water Company’s purification plant at Ada. “we have results from Ada when there is a spring tide. The salt levels get up to 350mg per litre, 150mg in excess of our limit of 200mg per litre.” The medical consequences of this have been dramatic. Dr Philip Narh confirmed that a higher number of deaths in the area are caused by hypertension and other heart related diseases. “2.7% of Ada residents are suffering from chronic heart related diseases and this will increase dramatically in the future.”
What is the government planning to do about this? Nothing.
Our hands are tied
Ghana Water Company has no solution to this problem. There are no facilities for desalinising contaminated water at Ada. Replacing the current purification plant with a desalinisation plant is “too capital intensive” to merit consideration. “Our only option is to shut the water purification plant down. But we have no back up supply.”
If the purification plant is shut down, then residents will be forced to use hand-dug wells for their water. These are found further downstream from the purification plant and Ghana water “does not monitor the quality of these sources.” Ada it seems is to be sacrificed.
When you frame this within climate scientists predictions of a one metre sea level rise in the next 100 years the future looks grim. Mr Balaara conceded “If sea level change happens, things will become much worse and we are likely to lose Ada. The buildings will go and the whole land will go. At the moment we don’t have the money to do anything about this.”
The circle of life
Whilst it is easy to criticise the government in its handling of the situation, finding a longer-term solution remains a challenge. An obvious stop gap is to relocate the purification plant further upstream. However this only buys time.
As long as the demand for water from Accra keeps growing Ada’s future remains bleak. The challenge is to find a way to increase the flow of water into the lake and reduce the rampant rate of rural-urban migration to Accra. Putting it another way, to manage the remaining forest (and plant new forest) in a sustainable manner and increase rural capacity to prevent people leaving for the cities.
The options here are much wider. Possible REDD funding could provide an incentive for forest conservation (see Tim’s case study here), whilst a number of other West African countries have small scale projects that increase rural capacity without endangering local resources. One of these is run by Environmental Foundation for Africa, focussing on sustainable forest management. Renewable forest products – bamboo, raffia, cane – are harvested to construct furniture and baskets that are be sold at local market, whilst the hardwoods and canopy layer remain untouched. Sustainability is a vital element to prevent the exhaustion of opportunities that often leads to rural-urban migration.
The fate of Lot’s wife
The story of Ada is a depressingly familiar tale of environmental mismanagement, whose innocent victims are found hundreds of miles from the cause of the problem and whose culprits act out of ignorance or greed. If nobody confronts this then Ada will be swallowed by the sea. But when the first buildings tumble into the ocean, they will tumble on a land that has been desertified by the salt. Spring tides and storm surges will have forced salt water further up the Volta estuary. The medical bills at Dangme district hospital will have climbed and life expectancy will have plummeted. Fields will have been sterilised by high salinity irrigation water and livestock killed off by contaminated drinking water. The population will have either perished or migrated to Accra, perpetuating the vicious cycle that underlies this problem. Like the biblical tale of Lot’s wife, if we fail to heed the warnings of mightier forces, all will soon be turned to salt.
In Ada, sea level did not begin with beach erosion or flooding, it began when the first person turned on their tap to taste the salty solution infecting their waterways.
Acidifying Oceans Dramatically Stunt Growth of Already Threatened Shellfish, Research Finds
New research shows that global warming and its effects -- in particular, ocean acidification -- have descended upon shellfish reefs, particularly those formed by the Olympia oyster.
More than one-third of the world's human-caused carbon dioxide emissions have entered the oceans, according to Brian Gaylord, a biological oceanographer at the Bodega Marine Laboratory of the University of California at Davis.
"Similar to what happens in carbonated soda," says Gaylord, "increasing carbon dioxide in seawater makes it more acidic."
Even with small changes in acidity, seawater becomes corrosive to the shells of aquatic organisms.
That's not good news for most marine life, especially for oysters.
Gaylord is investigating the consequences of this increasing ocean acidity on the growth of larval and juvenile Olympia oysters native to the U.S. West Coast.
"Such early life stages can be extremely sensitive to environmental stresses like ocean acidification," says Gaylord.
"These stages operate as bottlenecks that drive overall population numbers. If larval and juvenile Olympia oysters decline as a result of an acidifying ocean, what does that mean for the species as a whole?"
Likely nothing good, he and colleagues say.
"Changes now happening in the ocean's chemistry are expected to continue far into the foreseeable future," says David Garrison, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s biological oceanography program, which funds Gaylord's research. "They may have myriad effects on marine animals."
Gaylord conducted experiments on larvae and juveniles produced by adult oysters in Tomales Bay, California. Adults were collected in the bay, then held at the Bodega Marine Laboratory until they released larvae.
In the lab, the free-swimming larvae were reared into early juvenile life.
Carbon dioxide concentrations in laboratory seawater were controlled to match present-day conditions in the oceans, 380 parts per million (ppm), as well as two carbon dioxide scenarios projected to occur by the year 2100 (540 and 970 ppm).
Mid-way through the larval phase at day nine, oysters in the high carbon dioxide treatment had shells that were 16 percent smaller than those reared in control, or ambient, conditions.
These effects continued through the time the larval oysters settled onto hard substrate at day 12. Shell size was seven percent smaller for oysters in the 970 ppm treatment than in the control group.
By a week later, the effects were dramatically magnified. The bottom-dwelling juveniles in the 970 ppm treatment had grown 41 percent less than juveniles under control conditions.
The consequences persisted, even after the juveniles from all treatments had been returned to present-day conditions.
"One and a half months after being transferred back to normal seawater," says Gaylord, "juveniles that had come from the high carbon dioxide environment were still 28 percent smaller than oysters reared for the entire experiment in control conditions."
The results strongly suggest that the effects of ocean acidification on oyster larvae persist well into the juvenile phase, he says, with potential consequences for oyster populations.
"If similar impacts happen to species beyond the Olympia oyster, there could be repercussions for oysters around the world."
Globally, 85 percent of shellfish reefs have been lost, making oyster reefs one of the most severely threatened marine habitats on the planet.
"Shellfish reefs in some places are at less than 10 percent of their former abundance," says Garrison. "Oysters have gone extinct in many areas, especially in North America, Australia and Europe."
Just as coral reefs are critical to tropical marine habitats, shellfish like oysters are the ecosystem engineers of bays and estuaries, creating dwelling places for countless plants and animals that find refuge in their three-dimensional structure.
The surface area of an oyster bed across its dips and folds and crevices may be 50 times greater than that of an equally extensive flat mud bottom.
Shellfish reefs also provide important services to people by filtering water, and serving as natural coastal buffers from boat wakes, sea-level rise and storms.
Oysters have supported civilization for millennia, from the ancient Romans to railroad workers in California in the 1880s. In the 1870s, eastern oyster reefs extended for miles along the James River in Chesapeake Bay. By the 1940s, they had largely disappeared.
"It's unclear whether we will ever be able to return to that by-gone era," says Gaylord. "The constellation of environmental and other pressures on oysters--including the consequences of ocean acidification--places them at grave risk."
Gaylord and colleagues presented early results of their research at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon, in February. They plan to publish a paper with updated findings later this year.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by National Science Foundation.
More than one-third of the world's human-caused carbon dioxide emissions have entered the oceans, according to Brian Gaylord, a biological oceanographer at the Bodega Marine Laboratory of the University of California at Davis.
"Similar to what happens in carbonated soda," says Gaylord, "increasing carbon dioxide in seawater makes it more acidic."
Even with small changes in acidity, seawater becomes corrosive to the shells of aquatic organisms.
That's not good news for most marine life, especially for oysters.
Gaylord is investigating the consequences of this increasing ocean acidity on the growth of larval and juvenile Olympia oysters native to the U.S. West Coast.
"Such early life stages can be extremely sensitive to environmental stresses like ocean acidification," says Gaylord.
"These stages operate as bottlenecks that drive overall population numbers. If larval and juvenile Olympia oysters decline as a result of an acidifying ocean, what does that mean for the species as a whole?"
Likely nothing good, he and colleagues say.
"Changes now happening in the ocean's chemistry are expected to continue far into the foreseeable future," says David Garrison, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s biological oceanography program, which funds Gaylord's research. "They may have myriad effects on marine animals."
Gaylord conducted experiments on larvae and juveniles produced by adult oysters in Tomales Bay, California. Adults were collected in the bay, then held at the Bodega Marine Laboratory until they released larvae.
In the lab, the free-swimming larvae were reared into early juvenile life.
Carbon dioxide concentrations in laboratory seawater were controlled to match present-day conditions in the oceans, 380 parts per million (ppm), as well as two carbon dioxide scenarios projected to occur by the year 2100 (540 and 970 ppm).
Mid-way through the larval phase at day nine, oysters in the high carbon dioxide treatment had shells that were 16 percent smaller than those reared in control, or ambient, conditions.
These effects continued through the time the larval oysters settled onto hard substrate at day 12. Shell size was seven percent smaller for oysters in the 970 ppm treatment than in the control group.
By a week later, the effects were dramatically magnified. The bottom-dwelling juveniles in the 970 ppm treatment had grown 41 percent less than juveniles under control conditions.
The consequences persisted, even after the juveniles from all treatments had been returned to present-day conditions.
"One and a half months after being transferred back to normal seawater," says Gaylord, "juveniles that had come from the high carbon dioxide environment were still 28 percent smaller than oysters reared for the entire experiment in control conditions."
The results strongly suggest that the effects of ocean acidification on oyster larvae persist well into the juvenile phase, he says, with potential consequences for oyster populations.
"If similar impacts happen to species beyond the Olympia oyster, there could be repercussions for oysters around the world."
Globally, 85 percent of shellfish reefs have been lost, making oyster reefs one of the most severely threatened marine habitats on the planet.
"Shellfish reefs in some places are at less than 10 percent of their former abundance," says Garrison. "Oysters have gone extinct in many areas, especially in North America, Australia and Europe."
Just as coral reefs are critical to tropical marine habitats, shellfish like oysters are the ecosystem engineers of bays and estuaries, creating dwelling places for countless plants and animals that find refuge in their three-dimensional structure.
The surface area of an oyster bed across its dips and folds and crevices may be 50 times greater than that of an equally extensive flat mud bottom.
Shellfish reefs also provide important services to people by filtering water, and serving as natural coastal buffers from boat wakes, sea-level rise and storms.
Oysters have supported civilization for millennia, from the ancient Romans to railroad workers in California in the 1880s. In the 1870s, eastern oyster reefs extended for miles along the James River in Chesapeake Bay. By the 1940s, they had largely disappeared.
"It's unclear whether we will ever be able to return to that by-gone era," says Gaylord. "The constellation of environmental and other pressures on oysters--including the consequences of ocean acidification--places them at grave risk."
Gaylord and colleagues presented early results of their research at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon, in February. They plan to publish a paper with updated findings later this year.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by National Science Foundation.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Calculating Agriculture's Phosphorus Footprint
Balancing phosphorus levels in crop lands is a key factor that is often overlooked in discussions of global food security, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology.
Current global issues include carbon footprints, water resources and climate change. However, the non-renewable element phosphorus for plant growth is often overlooked in the global context.
Biologist John Lott of McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues there and at the University of Sydney, Australia, point out that when food scarcity increases, instability in society increases. Given that the majority of the food we eat is from cereals and legumes, the phosphorus cycle is a critical element of food security. Phosphorus is essential for crop plant growth, but soils become depleted as it is removed from the land when the grain and seeds are harvested.
The researchers have analysed nine years of data on total dry cereal grain and total dry legume seed production, production of barley, maize, rice, soybean and wheat grains/seeds, yields, area farmed, the tonnage of phosphorus and phytic acid removed in these crops and the elemental phosphorus applied as mineral fertilizers to all plant crops.
The world estimate of the elemental P removed with the dry seed/grain and fleshy fruit crops that contain seeds is in the range of 56-71% of the elemental phosphorus applied as mineral fertilizer for all purposes worldwide. Depending on the soil type, considerable amounts of phosphorus may become unusable by plants, the team explains.
An analysis of the phosphorus data by the team reveals several significant imbalances in the agricultural cycling of phosphorus that could seriously affect global food security. For instance, Asia consumes significantly more mineral phosphorus fertilizer in proportion to crop production than any other region, which could represent a potential environmental, economic and social problem for that part of the world.
"This is a particularly relevant and important topic in the light of the increasing global population since high quality P reserves are diminishing and the cost of fertilizers are escalating rapidly with few options available to increase fertilizer phosphorus use efficiency," the team says.
There are various approaches to improving the position of phosphorus in food production and security, Lott and colleagues suggest. More effort must be made to combine all possible factors to increase the supply of our most important cereal and legume grain/seed crops in an efficient and environmentally sustainable way, they explain. That means optimising the use of phosphorus fertilizers, using selective breeding and genetic modification to produce crops that require less phosphorus depending on whether they are destined for animal feed or human consumption. Most of all, improving agricultural and governance practices can all play important roles in improving food security, in general.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Inderscience Publishers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Journal Reference:
1. John Lott et al. A review of the phosphorus content of dry cereal and legume crops of the world. Int. J. Ag
Current global issues include carbon footprints, water resources and climate change. However, the non-renewable element phosphorus for plant growth is often overlooked in the global context.
Biologist John Lott of McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues there and at the University of Sydney, Australia, point out that when food scarcity increases, instability in society increases. Given that the majority of the food we eat is from cereals and legumes, the phosphorus cycle is a critical element of food security. Phosphorus is essential for crop plant growth, but soils become depleted as it is removed from the land when the grain and seeds are harvested.
The researchers have analysed nine years of data on total dry cereal grain and total dry legume seed production, production of barley, maize, rice, soybean and wheat grains/seeds, yields, area farmed, the tonnage of phosphorus and phytic acid removed in these crops and the elemental phosphorus applied as mineral fertilizers to all plant crops.
The world estimate of the elemental P removed with the dry seed/grain and fleshy fruit crops that contain seeds is in the range of 56-71% of the elemental phosphorus applied as mineral fertilizer for all purposes worldwide. Depending on the soil type, considerable amounts of phosphorus may become unusable by plants, the team explains.
An analysis of the phosphorus data by the team reveals several significant imbalances in the agricultural cycling of phosphorus that could seriously affect global food security. For instance, Asia consumes significantly more mineral phosphorus fertilizer in proportion to crop production than any other region, which could represent a potential environmental, economic and social problem for that part of the world.
"This is a particularly relevant and important topic in the light of the increasing global population since high quality P reserves are diminishing and the cost of fertilizers are escalating rapidly with few options available to increase fertilizer phosphorus use efficiency," the team says.
There are various approaches to improving the position of phosphorus in food production and security, Lott and colleagues suggest. More effort must be made to combine all possible factors to increase the supply of our most important cereal and legume grain/seed crops in an efficient and environmentally sustainable way, they explain. That means optimising the use of phosphorus fertilizers, using selective breeding and genetic modification to produce crops that require less phosphorus depending on whether they are destined for animal feed or human consumption. Most of all, improving agricultural and governance practices can all play important roles in improving food security, in general.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Inderscience Publishers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Journal Reference:
1. John Lott et al. A review of the phosphorus content of dry cereal and legume crops of the world. Int. J. Ag
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Dry Regions Becoming Drier: Ocean Salinities Show an Intensified Water Cycle
ScienceDaily (Apr. 18, 2010) — The stronger water cycle means arid regions have become drier and high rainfall regions wetter as atmospheric temperature increases.
The study, co-authored by CSIRO scientists Paul Durack and Dr Susan Wijffels, shows the surface ocean beneath rainfall-dominated regions has freshened, whereas ocean regions dominated by evaporation are saltier. The paper also confirms that surface warming of the world's oceans over the past 50 years has penetrated into the oceans' interior changing deep-ocean salinity patterns.
"This is further confirmation from the global ocean that the Earth's water cycle has accelerated," says Mr Durack -- a PhD student at the joint CSIRO/University of Tasmania, Quantitative Marine Science program.
"These broad-scale patterns of change are qualitatively consistent with simulations reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"While such changes in salinity would be expected at the ocean surface (where about 80 per cent of surface water exchange occurs), sub-surface measurements indicate much broader, warming-driven changes are extending into the deep ocean," Mr Durack said.
The study finds a clear link between salinity changes at the surface driven by ocean warming and changes in the ocean subsurface which follow the trajectories along which surface water travels into the ocean interior.
The ocean's average surface temperature has risen around 0.4ºC since 1950. As the near surface atmosphere warms it can evaporate more water from the surface ocean and move it to new regions to release it as rain and snow. Salinity patterns reflect the contrasts between ocean regions where the oceans lose water to the atmosphere and the others where it is re-deposited on the surface as salt-free rainwater.
"Observations of rainfall and evaporation over the oceans in the 20th century are very scarce. These new estimates of ocean salinity changes provide a rigorous benchmark to better validate global climate models and start to narrow the wide uncertainties associated with water cycle changes and oceanic processes both in the past and the future -- we can use ocean salinity changes as a rain-gauge," Mr Durack said.
Based on historical records and data provided by the Argo Program's world-wide network of ocean profilers -- robotic submersible buoys which record and report ocean salinity levels and temperatures to depths of two kilometres -- the research was conducted by CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship and partially funded by the Australian Climate Change Science Program. Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System is a significant contributor to the global Argo Program.
The study, co-authored by CSIRO scientists Paul Durack and Dr Susan Wijffels, shows the surface ocean beneath rainfall-dominated regions has freshened, whereas ocean regions dominated by evaporation are saltier. The paper also confirms that surface warming of the world's oceans over the past 50 years has penetrated into the oceans' interior changing deep-ocean salinity patterns.
"This is further confirmation from the global ocean that the Earth's water cycle has accelerated," says Mr Durack -- a PhD student at the joint CSIRO/University of Tasmania, Quantitative Marine Science program.
"These broad-scale patterns of change are qualitatively consistent with simulations reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
"While such changes in salinity would be expected at the ocean surface (where about 80 per cent of surface water exchange occurs), sub-surface measurements indicate much broader, warming-driven changes are extending into the deep ocean," Mr Durack said.
The study finds a clear link between salinity changes at the surface driven by ocean warming and changes in the ocean subsurface which follow the trajectories along which surface water travels into the ocean interior.
The ocean's average surface temperature has risen around 0.4ºC since 1950. As the near surface atmosphere warms it can evaporate more water from the surface ocean and move it to new regions to release it as rain and snow. Salinity patterns reflect the contrasts between ocean regions where the oceans lose water to the atmosphere and the others where it is re-deposited on the surface as salt-free rainwater.
"Observations of rainfall and evaporation over the oceans in the 20th century are very scarce. These new estimates of ocean salinity changes provide a rigorous benchmark to better validate global climate models and start to narrow the wide uncertainties associated with water cycle changes and oceanic processes both in the past and the future -- we can use ocean salinity changes as a rain-gauge," Mr Durack said.
Based on historical records and data provided by the Argo Program's world-wide network of ocean profilers -- robotic submersible buoys which record and report ocean salinity levels and temperatures to depths of two kilometres -- the research was conducted by CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship and partially funded by the Australian Climate Change Science Program. Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System is a significant contributor to the global Argo Program.
Friday, April 23, 2010
South-Facing is Best—But What If My Home Is Already Built?
Maximizing energy efficiency starts with large south-facing windows, which help to naturally heat your home in the winter and keep it cool in the summer. Also known as passive solar design, this is a key element in new homes that are working towards zero carbon emissions. Natural sunlight controls temperatures and also reduces your building’s lighting requirements and can therefore cut back on your electricity bill.
But what if you have an existing non-south-facing home and you want similar effects?
While retrofitting existing buildings to utilize passive solar design tends to be difficult, there are some easy ways to capitalize on small changes.
* When possible, retrofit your home with skylights to allow natural light to penetrate.
* Replace your existing windows with double-paned glass. This prevents heat loss during the winter and keeps out the heat during the summer.
* To keep your home cool during summer months, install awnings or low-emissivity blinds over windows.
* Plant deciduous trees on the southern and western sides of your home. They’ll shield the sun in the summer, and with the loss of leaves in the fall and winter will still allow light to access your windows.
* Really take advantage of the sun: install a solar hot water system to heat your hydraulic radiant floor!
But what if you have an existing non-south-facing home and you want similar effects?
While retrofitting existing buildings to utilize passive solar design tends to be difficult, there are some easy ways to capitalize on small changes.
* When possible, retrofit your home with skylights to allow natural light to penetrate.
* Replace your existing windows with double-paned glass. This prevents heat loss during the winter and keeps out the heat during the summer.
* To keep your home cool during summer months, install awnings or low-emissivity blinds over windows.
* Plant deciduous trees on the southern and western sides of your home. They’ll shield the sun in the summer, and with the loss of leaves in the fall and winter will still allow light to access your windows.
* Really take advantage of the sun: install a solar hot water system to heat your hydraulic radiant floor!
Super stars of Urban Areas - The Trees
Shade trees are the superstars of congested urban landscapes. In addition to their intrinsic aesthetic qualities, these low-tech workhorses reduce air and noise pollution, provide habitat for wildlife, increase property values, and offer cool respite for harried urbanites. Strategically planted shade trees decrease energy usage in urban buildings, absorb carbon dioxide, and supply fresh oxygen. It's no coincidence that researchers around the world are working to find the best shade trees for all types of urban environments.
Studies have proven on the "cooling effect" of shade trees in temperate urban areas, similar studies for sub/tropical areas are limited. Climate conditions & popular tree species in the tropics or subtropics are quite different from those in more temperate regions. Now, a research team from the Department of Horticulture at National Taiwan University has published a comprehensive study in HortScience that offers recommendations for landscape designers and urban planners in subtropical regions. Bau-Show Lin and Yann-Jou Lin evaluated the differences in cooling effect of trees and bamboo grown in Taipei, Taiwan.
The effect of shade trees on the air and surface-soil temperature reduction under the canopy was studied in a park in Taipei City, Taiwan. Ten species of trees and two species of bamboo, which had tightly clustered tall stems and spreading branches resembling trees, were chosen for the study. Microclimate conditions under the tree canopies and an unshaded open space were measured repeatedly at midday without precipitation. The researchers analyzed four characteristics of each plant related to cooling effect, determining that foliage density had the greatest contribution to cooling, followed by leaf thickness, leaf texture, and leaf color lightness. Regression analysis also revealed that solar radiation, wind velocity, and vapor pressure at the site had significant effects on temperature reduction attributable to shade trees or bamboo.
Twelve species in the study provided 0.64 to 2.52ºC lower air temperature and 3.28 to 8.07ºC lower surface-soil temperature under the canopies compared with the unshaded open site. When analyzed for "cooling effect," Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) and Rose wood (Pterocarpus indicus) were the determined to be the most effective, while Golden shower tree (Cassia fitula), Autumn maple (Bischofia javanica), and Swollen bamboo (Bambusa ventricosa) were the least effective. "The shading of U. parvifolia reduced air temperature by 2.52ºC but that of C. fitula only by 0.64ºC; the difference was almost fourfold," noted the authors.
"This research could help maximize the cooling effect of shade trees by careful selection of species based on their canopy and leaf characteristics," the authors said. They added that although the field studies were carried out in a park, the results can be applied to shade trees in other subtropical urban environments.
So people plant trees for our betterment.....
Each one plant one every year !!!! We cannot expect the Government to do all the works for us... lets take the initiatives
Studies have proven on the "cooling effect" of shade trees in temperate urban areas, similar studies for sub/tropical areas are limited. Climate conditions & popular tree species in the tropics or subtropics are quite different from those in more temperate regions. Now, a research team from the Department of Horticulture at National Taiwan University has published a comprehensive study in HortScience that offers recommendations for landscape designers and urban planners in subtropical regions. Bau-Show Lin and Yann-Jou Lin evaluated the differences in cooling effect of trees and bamboo grown in Taipei, Taiwan.
The effect of shade trees on the air and surface-soil temperature reduction under the canopy was studied in a park in Taipei City, Taiwan. Ten species of trees and two species of bamboo, which had tightly clustered tall stems and spreading branches resembling trees, were chosen for the study. Microclimate conditions under the tree canopies and an unshaded open space were measured repeatedly at midday without precipitation. The researchers analyzed four characteristics of each plant related to cooling effect, determining that foliage density had the greatest contribution to cooling, followed by leaf thickness, leaf texture, and leaf color lightness. Regression analysis also revealed that solar radiation, wind velocity, and vapor pressure at the site had significant effects on temperature reduction attributable to shade trees or bamboo.
Twelve species in the study provided 0.64 to 2.52ºC lower air temperature and 3.28 to 8.07ºC lower surface-soil temperature under the canopies compared with the unshaded open site. When analyzed for "cooling effect," Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) and Rose wood (Pterocarpus indicus) were the determined to be the most effective, while Golden shower tree (Cassia fitula), Autumn maple (Bischofia javanica), and Swollen bamboo (Bambusa ventricosa) were the least effective. "The shading of U. parvifolia reduced air temperature by 2.52ºC but that of C. fitula only by 0.64ºC; the difference was almost fourfold," noted the authors.
"This research could help maximize the cooling effect of shade trees by careful selection of species based on their canopy and leaf characteristics," the authors said. They added that although the field studies were carried out in a park, the results can be applied to shade trees in other subtropical urban environments.
So people plant trees for our betterment.....
Each one plant one every year !!!! We cannot expect the Government to do all the works for us... lets take the initiatives
Newest Material for More Ecological, Efficient and Economic Refrigeration Systems
An Extract from ScienceDaily dated Apr. 21, 2010 — Two teams based at the Barcelona Knowledge Campus, one from the University of Barcelona and one from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, have worked with a group from the University of Duisburg-Essen to develop a new solid material that produces a caloric effect under hydrostatic pressure (solid-state barocaloric effect). The work was carried out using a high-pressure system developed by the UPC, which is the only one of its type in Spain.
This research was described in an article published in the scientific journal Nature Materials and was inspired by guidelines in the Kyoto protocol on renewing current refrigeration systems based on the compression of harmful gases.
Research into materials showing large caloric effects close to room temperature is 1 of the areas currently being explored to develop new refrigeration systems. Until recently, the most promising materials for applications in this field were giant magnetocaloric materials, which change temperature under the influence of an external magnetic field. The authors of this new study show that application of a moderate hydrostatic pressure to a nickel-manganese-indium alloy (Ni-Mn-In) produces results comparable to those achieved with the most effective magnetocaloric materials.
According to Mañosa, a professor with the Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter at the UB and principal investigator of the study, "the aim of this field of research is to identify materials that are efficient, economic and environmentally respectful, and the advantages of the alloy used in this study is that all of the component materials meet these requirements."
In addition, Antoni Planes, a professor with the same UN department, explains that, "this type of material can produce much greater caloric effects with only slight variations in pressure, which makes it ideal for domestic refrigeration systems (refrigerators, air conditioning and other cooling systems)." When these alloys are submitted to an external field, either magnetic or pressure, the material undergoes a solid-state phase transition, and Mañosa explains that, "this phase change generates a considerable latent heat exchange." The physical principle involved is the same as the effect observed when an ice cube is placed into a glass of water: the ice absorbs heat from the water, lowering its temperature.
The experiments were carried out using a unique high-pressure system developed by the Materials Characterization Group at UPC, directed by Josep Lluís Tamarit, a professor with the Department of Nuclear Physics and Engineering. The system was designed to measure the temperatures during state changes according to the pressure and heat exchanged in the process.
According to the researcher Maria Barrio, who works for the same UPC department and co-authored the study, "studying the behaviour of materials under different pressures has a wide range of uses in many fields," and applications include various types of refrigeration systems, such as domestic refrigerators and air-conditioning systems, food storage facilities, industrial machinery and supercomputers. Scientists have understood the magnetocaloric effect for some time, and it has been used extensively in work requiring extremely low temperature, but it was not until the 1990s that experts discovered materials capable of producing a large magnetocaloric effect close to room temperature, or giant magnetocaloric effect.
In 2005, an article in Nature Materials presented the inverse magnetocaloric effect, under which the temperature of a material submitted to an external magnetic field decreases instead of increasing, which is the standard response of most magnetic materials.
The study, carried out as preparation for the doctoral thesis of Xavier Moya, under the direction of Lluís Mañosa (UB), was awarded the 2009 Ramon Margalef Prize by the UB Board of Trustees.
In addition to the barocaloric effect described above, the Ni-Mn-In alloy also exhibits the inverse magnetocaloric effect. As such, the magnetic field can be combined with exertion of hydrostatic pressure to produce the caloric effect, which can be modulated with a series of parameters to control the temperature. With this new material it is possible to observe the pressure and the magnetic field to control the state change at a desired temperature.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.
Journal Reference:
1.Lluís Mañosa, David González-Alonso, Antoni Planes, Erell Bonnot, Maria Barrio, Josep-Lluís Tamarit, Seda Aksoy, Mehmet Acet. Giant solid-state barocaloric effect in the Ni-Mn-In magnetic shape-memory alloy. Nature Materials, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/nmat2731
This research was described in an article published in the scientific journal Nature Materials and was inspired by guidelines in the Kyoto protocol on renewing current refrigeration systems based on the compression of harmful gases.
Research into materials showing large caloric effects close to room temperature is 1 of the areas currently being explored to develop new refrigeration systems. Until recently, the most promising materials for applications in this field were giant magnetocaloric materials, which change temperature under the influence of an external magnetic field. The authors of this new study show that application of a moderate hydrostatic pressure to a nickel-manganese-indium alloy (Ni-Mn-In) produces results comparable to those achieved with the most effective magnetocaloric materials.
According to Mañosa, a professor with the Department of Structure and Constituents of Matter at the UB and principal investigator of the study, "the aim of this field of research is to identify materials that are efficient, economic and environmentally respectful, and the advantages of the alloy used in this study is that all of the component materials meet these requirements."
In addition, Antoni Planes, a professor with the same UN department, explains that, "this type of material can produce much greater caloric effects with only slight variations in pressure, which makes it ideal for domestic refrigeration systems (refrigerators, air conditioning and other cooling systems)." When these alloys are submitted to an external field, either magnetic or pressure, the material undergoes a solid-state phase transition, and Mañosa explains that, "this phase change generates a considerable latent heat exchange." The physical principle involved is the same as the effect observed when an ice cube is placed into a glass of water: the ice absorbs heat from the water, lowering its temperature.
The experiments were carried out using a unique high-pressure system developed by the Materials Characterization Group at UPC, directed by Josep Lluís Tamarit, a professor with the Department of Nuclear Physics and Engineering. The system was designed to measure the temperatures during state changes according to the pressure and heat exchanged in the process.
According to the researcher Maria Barrio, who works for the same UPC department and co-authored the study, "studying the behaviour of materials under different pressures has a wide range of uses in many fields," and applications include various types of refrigeration systems, such as domestic refrigerators and air-conditioning systems, food storage facilities, industrial machinery and supercomputers. Scientists have understood the magnetocaloric effect for some time, and it has been used extensively in work requiring extremely low temperature, but it was not until the 1990s that experts discovered materials capable of producing a large magnetocaloric effect close to room temperature, or giant magnetocaloric effect.
In 2005, an article in Nature Materials presented the inverse magnetocaloric effect, under which the temperature of a material submitted to an external magnetic field decreases instead of increasing, which is the standard response of most magnetic materials.
The study, carried out as preparation for the doctoral thesis of Xavier Moya, under the direction of Lluís Mañosa (UB), was awarded the 2009 Ramon Margalef Prize by the UB Board of Trustees.
In addition to the barocaloric effect described above, the Ni-Mn-In alloy also exhibits the inverse magnetocaloric effect. As such, the magnetic field can be combined with exertion of hydrostatic pressure to produce the caloric effect, which can be modulated with a series of parameters to control the temperature. With this new material it is possible to observe the pressure and the magnetic field to control the state change at a desired temperature.
Story Source:
Adapted from materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona, via AlphaGalileo.
Journal Reference:
1.Lluís Mañosa, David González-Alonso, Antoni Planes, Erell Bonnot, Maria Barrio, Josep-Lluís Tamarit, Seda Aksoy, Mehmet Acet. Giant solid-state barocaloric effect in the Ni-Mn-In magnetic shape-memory alloy. Nature Materials, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/nmat2731
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Earth Care Awards 2010!
The Times of India in association with JSW organises the "Earth Care Awards 2010"
The Earth Care Awards is unique and is aimed at highlighting action of direct relevance to India to tackle challenges posed by climate change.
The award is for excellence in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is in response to the recently growing consciousness about issues associated with climate change and that it is important to identify and foster locally evolved options to reduce missions, approaches to protect land and water resources and other innovations for reducing impacts, emphasizing appropriate environmental action. The present second edition of the award will focus on three important areas, signifying action by industries, collaborative action by industry and community and by individuals covering a wide range of stakeholders.
Award Categories:
* Community based Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate change with respect to Water resources, Land use, Land use-Change and Forestry
* Innovation for Climate protection
* GHG mitigation in Small & Medium and Large Enterprises.
As far as I am concern the award might go to ITC. ITC has been ‘Carbon Positive’ four years in a row (sequestering/ storing twice the amount of CO2 that the Company emits.
To apply visit
http://gogreen.timesofindia.com or you can write to gaurav.bansal@timesgroup.com
Application deadline is 30 May 2010
Finally I am happy that India is thnking about going Green and sustainability.
Jai ho! India!!!
The Earth Care Awards is unique and is aimed at highlighting action of direct relevance to India to tackle challenges posed by climate change.
The award is for excellence in climate change mitigation and adaptation. This is in response to the recently growing consciousness about issues associated with climate change and that it is important to identify and foster locally evolved options to reduce missions, approaches to protect land and water resources and other innovations for reducing impacts, emphasizing appropriate environmental action. The present second edition of the award will focus on three important areas, signifying action by industries, collaborative action by industry and community and by individuals covering a wide range of stakeholders.
Award Categories:
* Community based Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate change with respect to Water resources, Land use, Land use-Change and Forestry
* Innovation for Climate protection
* GHG mitigation in Small & Medium and Large Enterprises.
As far as I am concern the award might go to ITC. ITC has been ‘Carbon Positive’ four years in a row (sequestering/ storing twice the amount of CO2 that the Company emits.
To apply visit
http://gogreen.timesofindia.com or you can write to gaurav.bansal@timesgroup.com
Application deadline is 30 May 2010
Finally I am happy that India is thnking about going Green and sustainability.
Jai ho! India!!!
Choosing an efficient air conditioner
Choosing an efficient air conditioner
As the summer is starting to grill us, many people have already started installing Air conditioners in their homes.
The most important thing to look for with an air conditioner is the star rating. You need to work out what size you require for the task and then choose the most efficient model that will perform the task.
The two main types of air conditioners for household use are window-wall systems and split systems. While both can be equally efficient, split systems tend to be more efficient for a particular size range as their components are generally less constrained by size (although this is not always true). Split systems have the advantage of being quieter indoors during operation but they are also more expensive. Some larger houses may choose ducted or packaged units. Be sure to check the stars before you buy.
A new innovation in air conditioner technology is the use of an inverter or variable speed drive in the motor system that drives the compressor (comes with Voltas, Hitachi and Onida now). While these systems tend to look less efficient at full load (ie their star rating at rated capacity is not always as high as conventional air conditioners), they tend to be very efficient at part load operation, which is a more common mode in a typical household. So if you are likely to use an air conditioner for long periods because you live in a hot climate, it may be worth considering an inverter system. They are, however, more expensive to buy, as a rule.
Sizing an air conditioner
The output capacity is a measure of the amount of heat that will be removed (cooling) or added (heating) to the room/s in your house by the air conditioner. The output range you need will depend upon your particular requirements. Air conditioner outputs are measured in kilowatts (kW). As an approximate guide for sizing a room unit allow:
125watts (0.125kW) per square metre of floor area to be cooled in living areas;
80 watts (0.080kW) per square metre of floor area in bedrooms.
These estimates depend on the climate and the efficiency of your house design (orientation, glazing and insulation levels).
It is advisable to get a full heating or cooling load calculation from an authorised air conditioning installer or manufacturer before you buy.
Simple thumb rule is that 1.5 tonne will do good for a 200 to 250 sq.ft area. And 1.0 or .8 tonne for areas lesser than 200 sq.ft.
Best suggestions as a user of AC: Go for brands like Hitachi and O General.
As the summer is starting to grill us, many people have already started installing Air conditioners in their homes.
The most important thing to look for with an air conditioner is the star rating. You need to work out what size you require for the task and then choose the most efficient model that will perform the task.
The two main types of air conditioners for household use are window-wall systems and split systems. While both can be equally efficient, split systems tend to be more efficient for a particular size range as their components are generally less constrained by size (although this is not always true). Split systems have the advantage of being quieter indoors during operation but they are also more expensive. Some larger houses may choose ducted or packaged units. Be sure to check the stars before you buy.
A new innovation in air conditioner technology is the use of an inverter or variable speed drive in the motor system that drives the compressor (comes with Voltas, Hitachi and Onida now). While these systems tend to look less efficient at full load (ie their star rating at rated capacity is not always as high as conventional air conditioners), they tend to be very efficient at part load operation, which is a more common mode in a typical household. So if you are likely to use an air conditioner for long periods because you live in a hot climate, it may be worth considering an inverter system. They are, however, more expensive to buy, as a rule.
Sizing an air conditioner
The output capacity is a measure of the amount of heat that will be removed (cooling) or added (heating) to the room/s in your house by the air conditioner. The output range you need will depend upon your particular requirements. Air conditioner outputs are measured in kilowatts (kW). As an approximate guide for sizing a room unit allow:
125watts (0.125kW) per square metre of floor area to be cooled in living areas;
80 watts (0.080kW) per square metre of floor area in bedrooms.
These estimates depend on the climate and the efficiency of your house design (orientation, glazing and insulation levels).
It is advisable to get a full heating or cooling load calculation from an authorised air conditioning installer or manufacturer before you buy.
Simple thumb rule is that 1.5 tonne will do good for a 200 to 250 sq.ft area. And 1.0 or .8 tonne for areas lesser than 200 sq.ft.
Best suggestions as a user of AC: Go for brands like Hitachi and O General.
2 great Simple ways to save energy
Do not use Air conditioners during winter
Do not use Geysers or water Heaters during summer
People just think !!!! you could save thousands by following the simple rule
Other ideas for saving energy and water: http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/energy-saving-tips-invitation.html
Do not use Geysers or water Heaters during summer
People just think !!!! you could save thousands by following the simple rule
Other ideas for saving energy and water: http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/energy-saving-tips-invitation.html
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