Whole Travel Blog

This week, ExxonMobil announced that it will invest more than $600 million into research and development of next-generation biofuels produced from sunlight, water and waste carbon dioxide by photosynthetic pond scum. In a collaboration with Synthetic Genomics expected to last 5-6 years at a new test facility being constructed in San Diego, the hope is to develop the technology to a point where ExxonMobil can invest billions more into bringing it to commercial markets.

Pond Scum: the next source of renewable energy?

Craig Venter, founder and CEO of Synthetic Genomics, said, “There are different approaches to what is truly economically scalable, so we’re testing things and giving a new reality to the timelines and expectations of what it takes to have a global impact on fuel supply.” It’s a big strategy shift for ExxonMobil to move into developing renewable biofuel technology after years of publicly opposing investment in renewable energy. If all goes well, ExxonMobil and Synthetic Geonomics hope to be producing biofuels similar in structure to today’s conventional hydrocarbons, but from completely renewable sources, by the end of the project. You can read more about it at Synthetic Genomics’ website: www.syntheticgenomics.com.

Smart grid start-up Tendril and General Electric announced that later this year they will test a smart-grid system that allows GE’s networked appliances to take advantage of cheaper electricity rates. This joint test will allow consumers to control their appliances remotely - from home, a web-browser or even an iPhone application. GE’s use of Tendril’s software will also allow consumers to take advantage of utility special incentives. By cutting use during peak demand times, consumers will save money on their electricity bills.

The control panel of a GE smart fridge.

In order for this pilot study to work, the appliances must communicate with the electric utility company to determine when to use power and when to conserve based on fluctuating, real-time prices. Based on this information, a refrigerator can decide when to use the ice-maker and assumedly do so during off-peak hours for energy demand. Great way to improve energy efficiency in the home without changing your personal habits at all!

Thursday, Continental Airlines announced the results of its January 7 biofuel demonstration flight. Not only was the flight successful, the biofuel showed approximately 1.1% greater fuel efficiency over traditional jet fuel. So, not only was the fuel made from renewable sources, it actually beat traditional fuel outright. This type of fuel is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60-80% as well.

Flying the greener skies

“We look forward to working with our partners as biofuels go through the certification process, and we hope to see these fuels proceed into commercial quantities in the near future,” said Leah Raney, Continental’s managing director of global environmental affairs. Hopefully it’s not long until we see all jet fuel from sustainable sources.

The United States Global Change Research Program, a joint venture of 13 federal agencies and the White House, released a study this week confirming that even if the nation takes significant measures to reduce carbon emissions, the impact of global warming is expected to become more severe in upcoming years. Some of the impacts expected are already being seen, including more powerful tropical storms and erosion of ocean coastlines.

Where's my iceberg?

Thomas Karl, director of the National Climatic Data Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), stated, “What we would want to have people take away is that climate change is happening now, and it’s actually beginning to affect our lives.” He did continue to say that if we implement controls and measures to reduce our environmental footprint these effects could be significantly smaller.

The study is posted here: http://www.globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts. We encourage everyone to give it a browse if you have time - it’s 188 pages but has good summaries of the effects we’re having on our planet.

Back in November 2008, FedEx Express announced a plan to purchase vehicles that combine Azure Dynamics’s hybrid system with a Ford gasoline engine and chassis. Last Thursday, the Hybrid Truck User Forum sponsored an event in Washington, DC, fittingly called: “Hybrid on the Hill Day.” This event featured 17 medium- and heavy-duty commercial hybrid trucks with participants including FedEx Express, Mack, Peterbilt, Freightliner and Kenworth.

FedEx Express already uses hybrids in city fleets.

The event on Capitol Hill took place next to the Capitol Reflecting Pool with speakers addressing the benefits of hybrids for the commercial trucking industry and how to roll-out hybrid fleets in a rough economy. Duke University also released a report on the hybrid truck sector and how it could impact the industry going forward.

Garbage giant Waste Management announced last week at the US Conference of Mayors that it will be distribution BigBelly Solar’s solar powered trash compactor in North America. These units will mostly be sold to municipalities and events venues, and 15 have already been installed at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, the new home of the New England Patriots.

Compacting your trash with the power of the sun.

The solar-powered trash compactors look like traditional trash cans, but they are outfitted with solar panels that power a motor that crushes the trash. What does this mean for sustainability? Garbage colleciton can occur less frequently, offsetting carbon emissions by the trucks and distribution network. Small things can really make a difference!

In anticipation of the United Nations climate conference COP 15, global business leaders came together at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen last month. There, the World Economic Forum presented  a report titled “Towards a Low Carbon Travel and Tourism Sector” that was a collaboration between the United Nations and several key organizations. The study opens a discussion on how to shift progressively towards a sustainable low-carbon lifestyle and analyzes the impact of the travel and tourism sector on carbon emissions.

Direct and Indirect Carbon Emissions Sources in Travel & Tourism

The expected growth of the tourism sector is 4% annually through 2035, and without further emissions reductions measures, carbon output may outpace that. The study points out how governments, industry stakeholders and consumers can collectively improve the sustainability of travel, which will enable the sector to be a point of sustainable economic development for much of the world. There’s an opportunity to fix environmental and social problems while we fix this economy, let’s hope they get it right this fall at the meeting. To read the full report, click here.

The City of San Francisco launched a revolutionary online mapping project last week, Urban EcoMap. The site tracks the amount of carbon emissions by zip code, and even breaks down the information to the source of the greenhouse gases: transportation, energy use or waste. It was announced by Mayor Gavin Newsom on Earth Day, and it’s finally up and running. We’re excited by the many tools this site has to empower you to evaluate and reduce your carbon footprint.

Which San Francisco neighborhood is greenest?

The overall goal of this project is to reveal San Francisco residents’ bad habits and lower the City’s emissions back to 20% below their 1990 levels (as per the Kyoto Protocol). If this takes off, it could provide a great case study for local action providing a global impact. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Committed to doing their part to fight global warming and reduce green house gas emissions, airplane manufacturers are vowing to become less oil dependent and transition to a 30% biofuel blend in the next three to five years. Boeing spokesperson Andrew Davis declared that, “the industry has signed up to a pledge of trying to gain carbon neutral growth, which we don’t claim at any point is an easy target to make but we have to have that kind of goal.”

The great news is that the planes won’t have to be rebuilt or altered in any way in order to use biofuels. However, the big challenge lies in fulfilling the huge demand of biofuel that’s needed to get planes green.

According to Boeing’s environmental expert, Darrin Morgan, “fueling the world’s 13,000 commercial planes with soya bean-based fuel, would require setting aside the equivalent of the entire land mass of Europe for soya bean production.”

Via The Guardian.

Snow and pleasant air travel hardly go hand in hand. That is, unless you’re New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan which, come 2010 will start converting the mounds of annual winter snowfall into air-conditioning for the summer months.

Known for its icy winters where temperatures drop to well below freezing, Hokkaido will begin utilizing the abundance of snow to replace 30% of the airport’s cooling energy needs. This translates into a reduction of 2,100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

What other natural resources can airports harness to reduce their carbon emissions?