World is Green

X Prize: $100 Million for Clean Fuels

In its richest and largest competition yet, the foundation will divvy up some $100 million for transformations in biofuels, clean aviation fuel, energy storage, the provision of basic utilities for developing nations, and other categories.
[...]
The X Prize Foundation has previously launched competitions for breakthroughs in private space travel, genome mapping, and high-mileage cars. In 2004 aerospace entrepreneur Burt Rutan won the Ansari X Prize by sending his rocket-powered SpaceShipOne to an altitude of more than 367,000 feet with a pilot and the weight equivalents of two passengers. More recently, Google ( GOOG) has backed an X Prize of $30 million for the first team to send a robot to the moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit video, images, and data back to Earth.

Google Lunar X Prize Team Announcement
[...]
He says one prize will be for innovation in providing water, broadband, and clean electricity to villages in the developing world. Other energy categories will be for innovation in energy transmission and the construction of energy-efficient houses and commercial facilities.

More details on their website (PDF). The incentives of X Prize has proved before to be powerful enough to solve issues never before solved like non-government space flights.

Last year when the Sydney Earth Hour was conducted, followed by Light’s Out London, I was not very happy with the initiative. Now this year, with more than 20 cities participating, it has become an internation event.

Well, the Earth Hour organizers say that “Earth Hour is about more than one night. Its about inspiring you everyday to make changes that will help achieve Earth Hour’s ultimate goal of reducing emissions by 5%.” That is good. Like some of the comedy lines on the radio, hopefully people did not switch off their lights and switched on their Plasma TVs to watch how much energy they saved.

However, the measurement systems used by their official releases do not suggest that.

The press release on AFP says that

Tens of millions of people switched off lightbulbs this weekend as part of a global campaign to throw the spotlight on climate change, organisers of the Australian-led ‘Earth Hour’ initiative said.

“We had 2.2 million last year; I reckon by the time we finally count it up, we will have about 100 million people involved around the world,” he said.

Energy Australia, which supplies much of Sydney’s electricity, said a drop of about 8.4 percent in energy usage had been recorded in the city during the hour, equivalent to 1.6 million light bulbs being switched off.

It is not important how much energy consumption decreased in the cities that participated for that hour but it will be interesting to see how many people were informed and involved in energy conservation before the event and how many increased their understanding after the event. That would be a good outcome.

100 million participants is a big number either way.

The issue is whether participants understand this to be a small part of the challenge or whether they think that energy conservation is easy. As we can see from the articles all around the world, the entire effort was on switching off lights but not on general energy conservation principles.

Adelaide, the city where I live, hosts the Solar Cities Congress this year.

The goal of this congress is:

The objectives of the International Solar Cities Initiative are to support UN energy and climate policies by stimulating the interest of cities into becoming benchmark cities that commit to ambitious emission reduction goals; help cities systematically integrate renewable energy and energy efficient technologies and industries into environmental, economic and city planning; and provide scientific support for the validation and design of effective measures and policies for Solar Cities.

I did check out the possibility of attending this however, it costs about $1200 which was a bit dear and then I had to take leave for atleast 3 days which was tough.

Anyway, today I walked into the Adelaide Convention Center where the sessions where conducted. Today is the business day sessions including Keynote address by Robert F. Kennedy Jr in the afternoon. The convention center is located right beside our office building. Most of the sessions were in progress and I picked up some pamphlets and brochures which were freely available.

There were people from all over the world. I saw a large number of young people which was very encouraging. As expected there were carbon offsets advertisements for $5 per attendee. There was strict security and I could not spend anymore time.

As I wrote yesterday, there is a growing interest from consumers to move towards solar electricity is growing. This congress may bring about more business offerings in this area. For those interested, I found an interesting presentation on Geothermal Energy by petratherm.

The Sustainable Living Foundation is conducting the Sustainable living festival in Melbourne on Feb 15th, 16th and 17th this week.

The Festival draws together diverse approaches that focus on social and ecological sustainability. Staged at Federation Square, this unique event fuses interactive displays, demonstrations, artworks, exhibits, designs, films, multimedia and live performances.

The festival’s goal is to make sustainability a living idea that consists of education, business, art, film and play.

I would love to be there but cannot attend due to previous commitments in Adelaide and also the India-Australia cricket match this Sunday. It is at times like these that I start to question the reason for living in Adelaide and moving to a lively city like Melbourne.

Gil Friend of Natlogic is conducting a webinar on Carbon footprint and reduction. It is a 4 session series based upon how to measure a company’s carbon footprint and ways to reduce.

All the sessions are right in the middle of my vacation plan. However, if anybody is interested they should check it out.

It’s been 2.5 years since I arrived in Australia and now at last I am going back to visit my beloved country. It has been a fantastic experience in Australia. Now, I need to go back and witness the rapid growth which India is experiencing first hand.

I will be reaching India on Oct 15th and staying for 6 weeks. If anybody wishes to catch up, I will be in the city of Hyderabad and will travel to other cities in November. Please e-mail me or leave a blog comment.

I am not sure if I can blog at all while on vacation but if something interesting comes up and I find the time I will share it here.

Have fun!

Opportunities in India are growing and New Ventures India is conducting a Investor Forum in Mumbai on 16–17 November 2007 for Sustainability investments.

The New Ventures India Investor Forum is India’s premier event focusing on sustainable investment opportunities in sectors such as: Clean Technologies, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Green Building Materials, Water Technologies, Eco-tourism and Socially Responsible sectors.

This event will showcase business opportunities in:

1. Green products & technologies

2. Socially responsible businesses with high returns

3. Innovative business models in the sustainability space

At the Investor Forum you will have the opportunities:

1. To know market trends in energy & clean technology, innovative ways of doing business latest opportunities to maximize your profits.

2. To meet Indian & global investors, international experts on sustainable investments and Indian Green SMEs.

3. To engage in interesting, cutting-edge discussions on sustainable business with investors and other entrepreneurs in the sustainability space.

The New Ventures India Investor Forum is an opportunity for Sustainable SMEs to interact with Venture Capitalists, Banks and Financial Institutions and know more about the growing green investment opportunities in India.

I have interacted with the team in New Ventures India and considering that I will be in India during that time, I may be able to attend it.

This week I have the opportunity to host the Carnival of the Green. This is a weekly event which captures the ideas that the green blogosphere has to offer. For more, check this initial post at Tree Hugger.

Last week’s Carnival was hosted at Karavans and next week’s carnival (October 8th) is at Planet on a Plate.

For this week, here are the submissions.

Sara Goldstein writes about “How to choose better-quality clothes” at The Bargain Queen on Fashion and Beauty. She says, “As long as public nudity is outlawed, we all have to buy clothes. Here’s some tips on Reducing the amount of clothing you need, by buying better-quality things that will last way longer.”

GP at Fishcreekhouse submits a post on Yellowstone going Green by Horsewomen. Here she explains the work of Xanterra, a company in the United States which took over ownership of of hotels and restaurants in many state and national parks and its drive towards sustainability.

Julie Dunlap reviews the book Nature’s Engraver: A Life of Thomas Bewick which chronicles the life of Thomas Bewick who “elevated the craft of wood engraving to a fine art”.

Jimmy Atkinson presents How to Get a Green Education | OEDb posted at OEDb: Online Education Database. Atkinson talks about the “green state of mind” and suggests that “one solution to how to achieve a green education is to focus on educational sources that focus on the environment and social constructs within that environment.”

Beth Terry presents Wait! Are you sure that’s recyclable? at the Fake Plastic Fish. Beth talks about the do’s and dont’s of household recycling. A good pointer to help your council but do keep in mind that these “do’s and dont’s” change from council to council. So check with your council before you do the right thing.

Mel Rimmer writes about Green Cleaning at Bean Sprouts. Rimmer says, “The internet has lots of pages of green cleaning tips, but many of them are confused and the tips don’t work. This blog entry helps you sort the good ones from the rubbish.”

HairySwede informs that Stockholm Rated the Most Livable City in the World at A Swedish American in Sweden. In a world of urbanization, the greening of cities are paramount.

Mike crunches the sales data on the Prius at Hybrid Car Review. Prius is fast picking up and “1 in 10 cars sold by Toyota in the US is a Prius”. Mike questions that “When 2 out of every 100 cars being sold in the US is a Prius, can you really call hybrids a niche?”.

Ali Kriscenski explains with a lot of images the SIEEB Solar Energy-Efficient Building in Beijing at Inhabitat. Ali says that this building is “Designed to maximize passive solar capabilities and fitted with state-of-the-art active solar elements, the SIEEB is a dynamic energy-efficient oasis that optimizes its urban location with ecological considerations.”

John discusses the recent Climate Change meeting of 16 nations’ Climate Change Leadership at A DC Birding Blog. He suggests that “Bush’s intervention in this week’s talks at the U.N. is likely to waste the time of leaders who actually want to accomplish some concrete results to stem climate change.”

eltiorob presents Helpful sites to encourage eating seasonal, local foods posted at At Home | Living from MORE TH>N.

Holly Ord presents Hippie posted at Menstrual Poetry. She talks about the “natural alternatives to disposables”.

Leon Gettler presents The challenges of going green posted at Sox First. Leon questions: “How do you make companies and countries go green? the fundamental issue is coming up with a scheme that will provide incentives for the developing world to cut emissions. It’s all very well for the developed nations to talk about emissions reductions but in places like China and India it’s a different story altogether.”

Corbett Kroehler writes about how Hurricanes Can Have Positive Results at Corbett Kroehler Keyboard Culture Global Warming. Corbett details the example of building a next-generation home with so much environmental sensitivity that they call it the American Standard Green Envirohome.

Jon provides an invitation to Green Festival - Save the Environment at The DC Traveler – Washington DC travel & tourism information.

That’s the Carnival for this week. I have enjoyed presenting it and I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

If you want to make a submission to the next Carnival at Planet on a Plate or want to host one yourself; check out the details at Tree Hugger.

The Mint reports that the Indian government is suggesting mandatory 10% ethanol mixed petrol.

In a significant move to deal with a massive oversupply of sugar that
could also give a major boost to environment-friendly fuel, a group of
ministers (GoM), headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee,
has recommended that India adopt a mandatory blending of 10% ethanol
with petrol to run motor vehicles.
[...]
India is the world’s second largest producer of sugar, behind Brazil,
and the largest grower of sugar cane. Ethanol is produced from the
fermentation of sugars such as corn, sugar cane, grains and beet. In
India, ethanol is mostly made from rectified spirit which, in turn,
comes from molasses—a by-product in sugar manufacturing. Molasses
comprise around 45-50% of total sugar production.

This is an interesting development. I use 10% ethanol-blend petrol for my car in Australia which is derived from sugar. Interestingly, the cost is less than normal petrol and has a higher octane content.

The World Clean Energy Awards will take place in a different country
each year, with the inaugural 2007 ceremony being held in Switzerland.
The winners of the World Clean Energy Awards set new standards for the
large-scale use of clean energy solutions.

The following individuals were honoured at the 2007 ceremony:

Construction (new buildings, urban development, renovation)
Josefin Wangel, Communications Officer, with Hammarby Sjöstad Sustainable City,
Sweden. Resource consumption in this new area of Stockholm, which is
home to 25,000 people, is at least 50% lower than the current standard
for comparable new developments.

Transport and Mobility
Bryan Willson, Chief Technical Advisor, with the Philippine Two-Stroke Engine Retrofit Project,
USA . The Envirofit company has developed a retrofitting kit for
two-stroke engines, which are found everywhere in the Philippines. The
kit improves fuel-efficiency and thus massively reduces greenhouse gas
and toxic emissions.

Products (agriculture, mining, industry, utilities)
Fredrick Ouko, Director, with the Simple Solar Assembling Project in Kibera Slum,
Kenya. The assembly of solar cells in one of Africa’s biggest slums has
provided inhabitants not only with work, but also with clean energy.
The project was also awarded with the “Faktor 4″ audiance award.

Services, Trade and Marketing
Srinivasan Padmanaban, Project Manager, with the Green Business Center and Water Energy Nexus Activity,
India. India’s leading centre for energy, the environment and climate
change supports “green” concepts for improving energy efficiency and
sustainable development.

Finance and Investment
Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, with the Masdar Initiative,
United Arab Emirates. As a first among the world’s oil-producing
nations, the United Arab Emirates, launched the Abu Dhabi-based
billion-dollar Masdar Initiative to promote renewable energies.

Policy and Lawmaking
Li Zhaoqian, Mayor of Rizhao, with the project: Popularization of Clean Energy in Rizhao,
China. Home to more than three million, the city of Rizhao, north-east
of Beijing, is using a combination of incentives and legislative tools
to encourage the large-scale, efficient use of renewable energies. Over
500,000 people have already benefited directly from the scheme. In some
areas, solar thermal collectors are installed on almost every single
roof.

NGOs and Initiatives
Russell de Lucia, CEO The Small Scale Sustainable Infrastructure Development Fund, Inc. (S³IDF), with the project: “Social
Merchant Bank” – Approach to providing efficient lighting services to
poor households, communities and SMEs in southern India. S³IDF
provides around 5,500 people in southern India with light from a clean
energy source. More light means that people can work longer and thus
generate higher incomes. It also improves health and safety. The
project is being extended.

The Jury’s Special Award
Anandi Sharan, Project Manager, Women for Sustainable Development, with the Bagepalli CDM Biogas Project,
India. The project is introducing biogas cookers as a substitute for
India’s traditional cooking methods, which use non-renewable sources of
energy. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the greenhouse gas emissions that the
project saves can then be sold in the form of certificates.

The Jury’s Special Award for Courage
Patrick Spears (President) and Robert Gough (Secretary), Intertribal COUP, with the Intertribal COUP/Rosebud Sioux Environmental Justice Revitalization Project: Tribal Wind Power Demonstration Project Plan,
USA. The Sioux are investing in wind power. In doing so, they are
generating clean energy, creating jobs and earning income for the
tribe. This is happening in an environment which presents many
obstacles to the development of renewable energies.