Juneau heeds the call for sacrifice

Avalanche and power cut in Alaska lead to remarkable experiment in energy efficiency.

The residents of Juneau, Alaska have achieved an astounding 38% drop in electricity usage in a matter of weeks through simple conservation measures:

Schoolchildren sacrifice Nintendo time and boast at show-and-tell of kilowatts saved. Hotels consult safety regulations to be sure they have not unscrewed too many light bulbs in the hallways. On a recent weekday, all but one of the dozens of television screens on display at the big Fred Meyer store were black — off, that is.

Yet even as they embrace a fluorescent future, the 31,000 residents of Juneau, the state capital, are not necessarily doing it for the greater good. They face a more local inconvenient truth. Electricity rates rocketed about 400 percent after an avalanche on April 16 destroyed several major transmission towers that delivered more than 80 percent of the city’s power from a hydroelectric dam about 40 miles south.

Stories like this always highlight to me the promise and the limits of energy conservation. On the one hand — 38% in less than a month! You just can’t beat energy conservation and efficiency for speed or cost-effectiveness. No other solutions have such promise in the very near term.

On the other hand, the central irony of the situation is that Juneau’s carbon footprint has undoubtedly gone up during the past month, probably by a massive amount. The city just switched from clean, cheap hydroelectric power to expensive, dirty diesel power. Conservation is a means, not an end, and in this case the environment was better off when residents were less efficiently using clean energy. Moreover, a lot of the conservation measures don’t sound all that sustainable in the long term. Residents are rightly thankful the power cut didn’t come during the long Alaskan winter.

Hopefully the happy ending to the story is that residents will get their hydroelectic power back later this summer and also retain some of their new energy-thrifty habits, tracing a path in microcosm that we all eventually need to follow.

Image by Flickr user MarmotChaser.

Low carbon barbecue

Some tips for low-carbon entertaining during Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day weekend and the smell of barbecue is in the air. As you pick up the propane tank to check if there’s any juice left from last summer, you may be wondering about the carbon impact of the outdoor grill. A few thoughts:

The actual grilling process isn’t really the big carbon part of this. If you’re using a propane grill, you’d have to make your way through a whole tank of propane (roughly eight and a half hours of cooking on a modern grill) to equal the carbon emissions of the average daily commute (a little under 50 lbs of CO2).

But if you’re inviting friends round for the inaugural 2008 barbecue this weekend, here are a few other things to think about:

• Consider transportation. Where are your guests coming in from? Can they carpool? Walk or bike? Take public transportation? Make it easy for them.
• It’s about what you cook, not how you cook it. Think about your actual ingredients. Meat (and especially beef) has a high carbon content. A recent study found that a pound of beef can take 36 times its weight in carbon dioxide to produce. Diversify your menu choices, and buy local, fresh and organic where possible. Where you can’t do all three… well, let’s not get into the local vs organic debate here.
• Use reusable plates and cutlery. It might seem easier to use the paper plates, but you’ll look so much more sophisticated if you use the real things and wash them afterwards.
• Lose the heat lamp. The cool evening air just isn’t supposed to be reheated. We’re doing well enough as it is with global warming.
• Get a keg. Beer tastes much better from a keg than the bottle or can. Serve it in glasses and you won’t have to worry about emptying out those half-drunk cans when you’re clearing up.

And if you’ve been through all of this and you’re still worried about the impact, Climate Change Chocolate has a day’s worth of offsets bundled in, and we hear it makes great s’mores!

Image by Flickr user D'Arcy Norman.

Aussies cultivate ‘burpless’ grass

Moving beyond cleaner cars, researchers look for a cleaner cow.

Researchers in Australia have received funding to develop more digestible feeds for cattle — “burpless” grass, in industry parlance — that result in less methane being produced as they are broken down in cows’ stomach(s).

As a recent returnee to the world of eating meat, I cringe when thinking about the impact raising that meat has on the environment. Here on the TerraPass carbon project team we spend quite a bit of time thinking about what we like to call the “business end” of a cow. TerraPass funds projects that clean up the methane from cow manure, but as it turns out, the natural digestive process in a cow’s many stomachs produces quite a bit more methane than the manure itself. This process, known in industry lingo as enteric fermentation, produces some very significant “methane burps.” Shy of putting some kind of gas mask on the cow, this source of emissions has been treated as largely unmanageable — until now.

This is one of several interesting initiatives originating down under that seek to curb methane emissions from raising animals. Another study is attempting to shed light on why kangaroos are naturally burpless.

Coupled with anaerobic digester projects this strikes us an exciting and potentially holistic approach to mitigating some of the environmental impacts of consuming animal products. It does make you wonder though, to what lengths are we willing to go to continue the consumption of animal products when the easiest solution is just to forego them all together?

(Via Earth2Tech)

Image by Flickr user foxypar4.

‘Drive less’ update

I found the stat I was looking for about the effect of conservation on gas prices. Courtesy of Geoffrey Styles:

If we all drove just 12 miles less per week, fuel demand would fall by 5%, the equivalent of almost half a million barrels per day, or all the ethanol produced last year. The impact of that on gas prices would be much more dramatic than waiting for someone else to fix the problem.

The whole post is interesting. The basic premise is that in the short run, the only possible way to lower gas prices is to curb demand through conservation and efficiency. This could be true in the long run as well, given the realities of the oil market.

Speaking of curbing demand: sign our gas tax petition. We’re over 2,500 signatures now.

Words of wisdom for bike commuters old and new

A few tips for overcoming mental obstacles.

Today is National Bike to Work Day.* So bike to work.

Or if it’s raining, like it is in New York, consider postponing your ride. The Commute by Bike blog recently ran a very sensible slacker’s guide to bike commuting for people who aren’t trying to win the Tour de France. Among the tips:

• Skip the bike when the weather is nasty.
• Wear normal clothes. The only bits of cycling gear I wear are a helmet and strap for my pant leg, and even the latter is expendable. In a pinch, just roll up your cuff.
• Ditch the repair kit. Bring a cell phone instead.
• Use lights that run on generators. Better yet, use lights that don’t need external power at all.
• Pick the easiest —meaning flattest — route.

All good advice, because the biggest obstacles to bike riding are often psychological. Which brings me to this suggestion for long-time cyclists, also from the Commute by Bike blog: invite a coworker along for the ride, or organize a convoy. It might take you a bit out of your way, but it will pay off in camaraderie. Besides, if you can get enough people biking to your workplace, then you can lobby for goodies such as showers and secure parking.

* BTW day was yesterday if you happen to live in San Francisco. What’s up with that?

(The photo of an actual bike commuter was taken during a recent trip to Amsterdam by friend of TerraPass and awesome photographer Dana Underwood.)

Gas tax petition hits 2,000 signatures

Sign it, share it, publicize it.

That’s more 1,000 per day — not too shabby. We delivered the first batch of signatures to Senators Clinton and McCain last night. Let’s keep it going.

If you haven’t yet signed, please do so.

If you have signed, share the petition with friends, Digg it, stumble upon it, etc.

And if you have your own blog, please post a link:

http://www.terrapass.com/campaigns/gas-tax/

What is the right global temperature?

The “global warming will be great!” crowd makes an encore appearance.

Tim Haab says George Will raises an interesting question in a recent Washington Post column:

The housing perhaps-not-entirely-a-crisis resembles, in one particular, the curious consensus about the global warming “crisis,” concerning which, the assumption is: Although Earth’s temperature has risen and fallen through many millennia, the temperature was exactly right when, in the 1960s, Al Gore became interested in the subject.

This strikes me as the opposite of an interesting question. It strikes me as utter sophistry, but in case anyone is really wondering why we shouldn’t be enthusiastic about the prospect of a more pleasantly balmy world, here are a couple of reasons off the top of my head:

1. The current world is the one humans actually live in.

Here’s a chart of human population growth over the course of history.

As you can see, thanks to industrialization — the same process responsible for global warming — we’ve been a rather successful species this past century. We’ve also built our cities, our food production systems, and our, well, everything around the contours of the world as it presently exists. Although one can certainly imagine better worlds for humans (more fjords, please!), changing midstream is an expensive proposition.

2. Those stupid plants and animals just won’t stop dying.

It’s not just the change in temperature that’s a problem. It’s also the rate of change. Species and ecosystems that evolved over millenia have a difficult time adapting to climate change occurring over a scale of decades. Humans have compounded this issue by chopping up wilderness and potential migratory routes. Effectively, we’ve set a fire and blocked the exits. Biodiversity loss is one of the consequences of global warming that we’re likely least able to prevent, even if we act aggressively to cut carbon emissions now.

3. Feedback loops mean we’re rolling the dice.

No one knows what the full consequences of global warming will be, but one thing we do know is that we’re not adjusting a carefully calibrated thermostat that we can crank up or down at will. The distribution of possible outcomes tilts much more heavily to the very bad than to the good. And basically we’ve got all of our chips on the table. Would a nice, stable 0.11° C uptick in global temperatures be a net positive for humanity? Who knows? Who cares? That’s not the situation we’re dealing with.

Image by Wikipedia.

Do-it-yourself clean energy

Chinese farmer assembles solar water heater from hoses, used beer bottles.

Here’s a story that combines three of my favorite things: clean energy, technology for developing countries, and beer.

The beer bottles lie on a board in rows, all connected by hoses which allow cold water to flow through them and be heated by the sun.

“I invented this for my mother. I wanted her to shower at any time more comfortably,” says Ma Yanjun, a carpenter, of Qiqiao village, Shaanxi Province.

If you want to bulid your own solar water heater, the Make: blog has details, along with links to instructions on-the-cheap solar air heaters as well.

Low carbon flights on the internet

TerraPass helps you find air travel that’s lean and green(er).

If you travel a lot, you’re probably used to visiting airline web sites and being asked whether you want to see your flights sorted by price or schedule. How would you like to sort by carbon?

Until recently, only experts in aviation emissions could track down this information. But now the public can find comparative data using TerraPass’ new aviation calculator. The results can help you choose the flight with the lowest climate impact. Here’s what I found during a check of popular U.S. air routes:

* Per passenger, round-trip flight, economy class

The calculator takes into account aircraft type, average passenger loads, and fuel burn rates for ascents and descents. So the carbon emissions per passenger can vary widely — sometimes by a factor of two or more from lowest to highest on the same route. And across different routes, it’s not necessarily the same airline that pollutes the least. The type of aircraft and how full the planes are flying can make a particular airline a green leader for one route and among the carbon hogs for another route.

As travelers become more aware of these differences, we hope they will select flights based on which ones transport a passenger point-to-point with the least amount of carbon pollution. The cool thing for consumers is that less carbon means less fuel, which should eventually mean lower ticket prices.

Airline executives take note: TerraPass just gave your customers a tool to help them (and you) fight climate change.

‘Gas tax holiday’ lurches onward

State legislators launch their own petition asking consumers to donate money to oil companies.

States have been getting in on the fun. Efforts are underway in at least six states to enact regional gas tax holidays, and now New York Republicans are circulating a petition asking citizens to “JOIN The Fight! for lower gas prices.”

Or you could, you know, join the fight for a sane energy policy and clean environment by signing the TerraPass petition that asks politicians to stop insulting us with ineffective gas tax proposals.

Say no to the gas tax holiday.

(The New York state campaign claims to have thousands of signatures. We only just launched our campaign, but it would be nice to match their voice with ours. Remember to share the TerraPass petition with friends.)

It’s official: our flight calculator rocks

Enter your airline, seat class, and number of stopovers for most detailed carbon footprint yet.

We pre-announced this a few weeks ago, but now you can see for yourself: the new TerraPass flight calculator gives you the most personalized carbon footprint information available, using data provided by TRX that takes into account not just your route, but also your airline and even your seat class.

Check it out.

It’s surprising some of the disparities you uncover when you have data like this at your fingertips:

• Marvel at how Delta is 34% more efficient than US Airways on the JFK to SFO route.
• Delight in the ability to indicate the number of stopovers for your flight.
• Shudder at the outrageous carbon footprint associated with first class travel.*

The new calculator is so detailed that it even takes into account the direction of travel. Factors such as prevailing winds means that the same route has a different impact depending on which way you’re going takes into account a range of factors including plane type, route anomalies such as weather detours and holding patterns, cargo loads, seat pitch and width, etc. TRX engaged an outside expert to validate their emissions methodology. Here’s a quote from the validation statement:

In ICF’s opinion, the TRX calculator employs an appropriate methodology and the best publicly available industry data. The TRX Calculator adjusts for all significant factors that affect the calculation of a flight’s emissions and the appropriate allocation of those emissions to the individual passenger. Where specific information is not available, the TRX calculator employs appropriate assumptions and relevant industry averages which result in a reasonable calculation of the environmental impacts of a specific flight.

* Incidentally, people often wonder why there’s a difference in carbon impact between seat classes. It’s because first class travel takes up a greater amount of the available passenger space, and therefore lays claim to a greater proportion of the emissions. Basically, it’s sort of like buying two seats.

McCain announces climate plan

Speech is a political watershed, but proposed policy could go farther.

This week John McCain delivered a speech (full text here) on his long-awaited climate plan, the first of a series of talks on energy policy. The highlights:

• McCain favors a cap-and-trade program with roughly 15% reductions by 2020 and “at least” 60% by 2050.
• McCain will proposed giving allowances away for free, but over time an “increasing fraction” could be auctioned to raise revenue for infrastructure in the post-carbon economy.
• Regardless of what China and India do, “we still have an obligation to act.” McCain hopes to use “effective diplomacy” and technology transfer to motivate developing countries. (In the published version of the speech, McCain also alluded to trade restrictions on uncooperative countries, but he dropped those comments from the delivered version.)
• Heavy plug for nuclear energy, although — at least in this speech — no mention of subsidies. Instead, McCain just mentioned that carbon pricing will make the economics of nuclear energy more favorable. It’s unclear whether this represents a policy shift.

So, what to make of this? There are two very different ways to look at the speech: as a statement of principle or as a statement of policy.

As a statement of principle, the speech is watershed moment. McCain’s language was unequivocal:

We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters, and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring. We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great. The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge.

The speech provided an urgent enumeration of the dangers of global warming and mapped out a clear and credible set of principles for addressing the problem. In both tone and content, it marked dramatic departure with the current administration, and signaled that our next president, whoever that might be, will take the issue seriously.

As policy, the proposal is…OK. Decent, but not in any way bold, and certainly not as good as Clinton or Obama’s plan:

• McCain’s long-term reduction target of at least 60% is well below the level scientists deem necessary, and also below his rivals’ proposed cuts of 80%. It bears mentioning, though, that this long-term target isn’t really the most important element of a climate plan. Over the next forty years, more data about the pace and consequences of global warming will come to light, and these long-term targets will undoubtedly be adjusted many times.
• The short term targets are roughly in line with what the other candidates have proposed. This is a much more important figure, because it affects near term infrastructure decisions.
• Clinton and Obama both propose auctioning 100% of allowances, which is quite a bit better than McCain’s 0% auction. This issue doesn’t effect the stringency of the cap, but it does mean that McCain is giving away a large pot of money to polluters that could be put to much better uses.

We’ll have more to say about all of this over the coming days.

Update: Much more policy detail here. Not all of this stuff is easy to decipher (there’s a lot of politician-speak), but two points of clarification: 1) McCain does like subsidies for nukes, he just opposes calling them subsidies; 2) the plan is actually very vague on the question of auctioning allowances. It clearly indicates that some auctioning will take place, but places final allocation decisions in the hands of a future commission.

Image by Bruce Ely.

Pedal-powered camaraderie

Celebrate National Bike to Work Day. That’s how we roll at TerraPass.

“Nice rig you got there,” said a cyclist as I lifted my bike into the Caltrain headed to San Francisco. I looked around thinking the guy was talking about somebody else, or perhaps referring to a big truck parked at the Palo Alto station. Then I realized he was talking to me.

My “rig” was my year old, less than $500, hybrid commuter with cushy seat and disc brakes. Thus began a familiar ritual in which bike commuters compare notes on their equipment. We talked about my rear wheel rack and how much weight I could carry in a reusable shopping bag secured with bungee cords. I asked him about his rear-view mirror that clipped to his sunglasses. “It really helps me keep an eye on cars coming up behind me,” he said. “You can get one for $20 at most bike shops.”

Among the most rewarding aspects of bike commuting is the kinship one feels with other people doing the same thing. Everyone has their routine (e.g., home to the office direct, home to the office with an assist from the train or bus, etc.) and it all starts with two wheels. A remarkable variety of bike models are on the streets. At TerraPass alone, you can find a mountain bike, a hybrid commuter, a touring bike, a vintage tourer, and a cyclocross. See pix of the gang in San Francisco (Erik, yours truly, Katie, and Tom) on the roof of our office last week —

— and brave Adam Stein on the Brooklyn Bridge about to ride into Manhattan.

Nothing is very fancy here — just practical transportation that suits the needs of each rider.

To help get your bike outfitted with practical, carbon-saving accessories, TerraPass is featuring a new section in our green store. Try out the HYmini personal wind turbine (to charge your cell phone or iPod), Trevor Baylis Eco Bike Light Set (wind it up with a crank), or the Reelight Battery Free Bike Lights (magnets power the lights by induction). Our product line is growing quickly, and we welcome your recommendations.

It’s National Bike to Work Day this week (Thursday in SF; Friday everywhere else). Many cities are running events to encourage people to get on the saddle. If you’re a bike commuter already, we’d like to hear your story about why you ride to the office. And if you’re not riding yet, what barriers can the TerraPass bike community help you overcome? Happy trails (I mean, bike lanes)!

Sign the ‘gas tax holiday’ petition

Take a few seconds to send a message to Senators McCain and Clinton.

We take a keen interest in politics as they relate to climate change, and recently we’ve written a bit about the “gas tax holiday” being proposed and endorsed by Senators Clinton and McCain. Unsurprisingly, we think this gas tax holiday is a Really Bad Idea, even if we recognize that the media coverage has become a little overblown.

But probably worse than the proposal itself is the fact that our political leaders (and possible presidents) feel that they can reap electoral rewards by playing games with climate and energy policy. They need to hear loud and clear from their constituents that these panders are simply not what the world needs right now. We could write them on behalf of TerraPass, but we think it will be much more effective if we ask our members and anyone else who shares our interest in sending this message to get involved.

So we’ve launched our first-ever bit of political action with our petition to “say no to the gas tax holiday.” Please join us in letting Senators McCain and Clinton know that you want them to pull their support for this idea. It will only take a couple seconds. And of course, please pass the petition along to like-minded citizens who are concerned about the environment and America’s energy security.

Sign the gas tax holiday petition.

Update: pandering state legislators launch their own counter-petition.

links for 2008-05-13

• Britain puts personal carbon trading plan on ice
  This was an intriguing idea, but it never did seem that practical
  (tags: emissions carbontrading)
• Say no to the gas tax holiday! Add your name to the petition.
  (tags: gastaxholiday,)
• Solar Impulse Virtual Flight 2008
  Follow the first around the world flight in a solar airplane. OK it’s simulated, but still pretty cool.
  (tags: solar impulse)