Charm City Chills

Find out what Baltimore is doing to squeeze more efficiency out of the grid; essentially load-leveling by storing energy in the latent heat of fusion of ice. Neat stuff!

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Green Marines: Camp Lejeune Buys Into Solar Power

FLS Energy has outfitted many of the homes at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base in North Carolina with assemblies to produce solar-heated water. Hopefully this is part of a larger trend on the part of the Pentagon, the world's single largest energy consumer, of embracing efficient and renewable energy.

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Carbon Hunters in the Brazilian Amazon

"A middleman will sell it to a mill for $1,000," one agent says about the price of one tree. In other words, a tree worth $1 on the carbon market could be worth a thousand times that to an illegal sawmill. Reversing these economics, the UN estimates, will take an immediate global investment of $25 billion. But who will pay for it? And to whom?"

Follow this link to watch a 20-minute documentary about the new carbon market and how it affects the Amazon and its people. It's a truly fascinating look at how the new and old carbon economies intersect, and may change the way you think about carbon offsets based on land conservation.

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Cape Wind, first U.S. offshore wind farm, approved

Yesterday the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, announced that after years of review, the U.S. has approved the construction of Cape Wind, which would be America’s first offshore wind farm. The project will consist of 130 Siemens turbines producing (at peak capacity) 420 MW of electricity- roughly half the production capacity of a modern nuclear power plant. It’s a serious project, in terms of scale, precedent, and politics. The Cape Wind project has been a divisive one drawing the support of many organizations, but also harsh criticism from some environmental groups, powerful families (e.g. the Kennedeys) with views of Nantucket Sound, and Native American tribes with ancestral claims to the region. The project is considered something of a bellwether for American off-shore wind projects, which Salazar cited as one of the reasons for its final approval.

The Cape Wind project would be the first of a number of proposed off-shore wind projects in the U.S. Not shown on this map is Evanston’s own proposed off-shore wind farm, since it is far from being a mature project. At Evanston’s city council meeting on April 13, Evanston’s Sustainable Programs Coordinator Carolyn Collopy gave a report on the proposed project, and the Council voted unanimously in approval of a request for information, which is essentially a feasibility study.

For some background information on wind power, please visit NETG's resources page on wind.

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Chicago Climate Action Plan (CCAP)

Ever wonder what efforts the City of Chicago is taking to curb climate change and promote sustainability? Well look no further than the CCAP.

About a month ago Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the Commissioner for the Chicago Climate Action Plan, gave a great talk at Norris providing a synopsis of Chicago's efforts with regards to sustainability. Launched in September 2008 the CCAP outlines the city’s roadmap for addressing global climate change at the local level and proposes strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to changes already underway. The City of Chicago is currently implementing over 40 different action items that fall into five broad categories: Energy Efficient Buildings, Clean & Renewable Energy Sources, Improved Transportation Options, Reduced Waste & Industrial Pollution, and Adaptation. For more information about the CCAP and all their efforts and progress, please check out their website at www.chicagoclimateaction.org.

For even more information, there is a talk TOMORROW night, March 30th, in downtown Chicago, that will provide an update on the progress of the Action Plan. Check out the NETG calendar for details and a synopsis!

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Hybrid Power Plant

A Florida utility is adding significant solar generating capacity to its natural gas-fired power plant. This coupling of technologies simultaneously addresses solar intermittency and peak-load issues (inefficiently firing up additional turbines when we all have our air conditioners on full blast). All this while reducing the carbon footprint of the facility. The solar technology is not photovoltaic, but instead is a central-receiver system, in which an array of reflectors concentrate solar energy onto an oil-filled thermal mass, whose heat is then transferred to water in a steam generator.

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A refreshing dose of honesty

A junior senator from Washington state, Maria Cantwell, is is pushing a simpler, more voter-friendly version of cap-and-trade, called “cap-and-dividend.”

Although, like in cap-and-trade, carbon credits are auctioned off and traded, which results in an increase in cost for products made with energy (which is to say, just about everything), under this interesting twist on the old idea, American taxpayers are issued payments from the government as compensation. To quote this article in the Economist, which calls the idea “honest” for its transparency and simplicity (the bill is a mere 40 pages long), “To discourage the use of dirty energy, [the bill] says, it has to be more expensive. To make up for that, here’s a thousand bucks.” This way there is an inherent consumer-driven incentive to purchase less energy-intensive goods, which would translate to an incentive to produce them on the industrial scale. Here is a link to Senator Cantwell's page in which The Carbon Limits and Energy for America's Renewal (CLEAR) Act is introduced.

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NETG Tour of Winthrop Club

Northwestern Energy Technology Group (NETG) in association with this year’s One Book One Northwestern program, organized a tour of the LEED Gold (being certified) condominium building in Evanston - The Winthrop Club. Around 20 people including graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff participated in this event last Thursday Jan 21st, 2010. The group left from Scott Hall on campus and walked to the Winthrop Club. After the group settled in with some coffee and snacks, Mr. Bob Horner, co-developer, started the program off with a presentation on Green buildings. He explained to the audience the LEED accredition system; criteria that go into the measurement of credits, as well as the various credits Winthrop club had accumulated. He touched upon recycled materials for construction, sustainable materials for flooring, and energy and water conservation measures that had gone into these condos. Additionally, the importance of sourcing material from close geographical proximity was highlighted. Bob also discussed elements of sustainable urbanism while emphasizing the location of the building. He pointed out that the building scored 98 out of 100 points on walkability due to easy access to mass transit (CTA and Metra), entertainment, shopping and educational facilities. The group then toured a number of condominiums. Green roofs and the garden space attached to the condos, although sparsely populated in this weather, were appreciated by the audience. Low water-use fixtures and energy efficient lighting was used in order to minimize the use of water and electricity in all the condos. Mr. Horner also mentioned a plan to introduce energy efficient shared cars (I-go and Zip car) to encourage a less energy intensive lifestyle. The preeminent role of the location in an urban setting in facilitating change to a more sustainable lifestyle was made evident from this visit. All-in-all, for the people who came despite the light rain, it was an interesting and informative learning experience. If you are interested, a second tour of the Winthrop Club is being organized on Tuesday Feb 16th, 2010. Please RSVP for that event here.

Mr. Bob Horner, co-developer, Winthrop Club, explains to participants what it means to be Green

A look out the window shows green roofs and garden areas of the condominiums

Participants ask questions about recycling and energy use

Elements of sustainable urbanism: Mass transit, entertainment and educational institutions within walking distance.

See more photos from this and other NETG events on our media page.

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Candidate Forum 2010

Citizens for a Greener Evanston asked candidates for the 18th legislative district of the Illinois House of Representatives (election to be held next Tuesday, February 2nd) to respond to the following three energy- and sustainability-related questions:


1. What bills are currently pending in the state legislature that would support significant improvements in energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings and would increase the production of renewable energy in Illinois in a major way?

2. How would you as state representative work to provide assistance to Evanston in its efforts to make significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in our community?

3. Indicate how your past work as advocates for various programs bears on the goal of achieving sustainability in Evanston.

Follow the title link of this post to read their responses.

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Project Survival

One Book One Northwestern recently compiled a great deal of information on Project Survival, the nation's first large-scale environmental movement event, which happened at Northwestern in 1970.
It was an extremely successful "teach-out" that was planned, organized and carried out by Northwestern Students for a Better Environment, the grassroots movement that preceded SEED. Learn more about who was involved and what resulted from the event by visiting the Project Survival section of the OBON site.

Also check out the Northwestern University Library Archives' page on Project Survival for press reports and other materials related to the event.

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NU Library Environmental Committee

The Northwestern University Library Environmental Committee recently created a LibGuide to provide patrons with resources on environmental issues and information on how to be more sustainable.

Go check out the LibGuide and click on the tabs at the top to learn more about environmental and sustainability issues on campus and beyond. While there, you can also browse related research guides on topics such as Energy and Evironmental Impact Assessment that provide great resources to help get you started in your searches.

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Letting Nature levy taxes

This interesting idea ties the rate of carbon taxation to the temperature of the troposphere: if the Earth continues warming, the tax increases.

If global warming is not really happening, and the warming trend proves to be a temporary fluctuation unrelated to man-made carbon emissions, then the tax would decrease or disappear. This approach has appeal in that the tax is self-correcting, but there are some reasons to proceed with caution as well, not the least of which is the politicization of scientific research. Another benefit I can imagine is that we would find out rather quickly "what the market believes" is really happening, as investments should favor either companies that are planning for a low-carbon future, or companies that are betting on a fossil-based model.

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NREL's State of the State report

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released a detailed report looking into the status of each US state's renewable energies portfolio. Illinois tends to place low when looking at total renewables capacity, but fares much better when considering growth.

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Sears Tower to Be Revamped to Produce Most of Its Own Power

Plans are in place to make energy-reducing improvements to Chicago's Sears Tower. The $350 million project is to begin immediately, and could include placement of wind turbines and photovoltaic panels on its recessed rooftops, as well as upgrading the glass exterior by replacing the 16,000 windows with panes having a reflective coating. Other improvements under consideration relate to internal lighting, heating, cooling and elevator systems. Once the 5-year project is complete, the Tower's electricity consumption is expected to decline by 80 percent from current levels. Additionally, a hotel to be constructed adjacent to the Tower will draw "net zero energy from the power grid."

Interesting note for the local energy enthusiasts: "the Sears Tower plans to open a first-floor center to educate the public about the redesign."

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Sustainability at Northwestern

Here's a short 8:00 video on some recent green efforts at Northwestern University...

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Doug Farr at Northwestern May 5-7

Northwestern institute for Sustainable Practices (NiSP) will hold lecture series on human settlement and development, with renowned Chicago architect and green designer, Doug Farr, founding principal and president of Farr Assoc. (http://www.farrside.com/) and author of Sustainable Urbanism: Design with Nature (John Wiley, 2007).

NETG will be holding a special Q&A session with Farr on May 6th from 2-3:30 (Cook 2058)

Doug Farr is the founding principal of Farr Associates, an architecture and planning firm regarded by many as one of the most sustainable design practices in the country. Having a mission to create sustainable human environments, Farr Associate's unique niche is in applying the principles of LEED, a Green Building Rating System, at the scale of the neighborhood and in designing green buildings exclusively for urban contexts. Farr Associates also holds the unique distinction of being the only architecture firm in the world that has designed two LEED-Platinum buildings: the Chicago Center for Green Technology and the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

An architecture graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia University, Doug is on the board of the Congress for the New Urbanism and also chairs the LEED Neighborhood Development project (LEEDND), a first ever leadership standard for sustainable land developments, about to enter its pilot phase. Farr Associates designs healthy and valuable places and buildings for its private, not for profit and public sector clients. Having worked for John Vinci, Davis-Brody and Paul Rudolph, Farr's own work has been featured in Architectural Record, the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, and Doug is a featured speaker on an upcoming six-part PBS series on sustainability and green buildings.

NiSP Lecture Series: All lectures held in Pancoe Auditorium

May 5, 5-6.30 pm
Trends and Trajectories in Sustainability
Presenting the cutting edge of how sustainability is being applied to buildings, developments and cities, including the strategic plans for the LEED rating system, LEED-ND, One Planet Communities, and the Star Communities Index.

May 6, 4-5.30 pm
The Business Case for Sustainability
Sustainable products, buildings and communities are now widely perceived to be value added. Presenting the known data on ROI and the role of investment risk in time and how capital plays out in key sustainable case studies.

May 7, 4-5.30 pm
Role of the Professional: Obsolescence of Current Training
Our universities are turning out professionals trained to individually solve problems from the 20th, and even the 19th century, while the current trend is toward interdisciplinary solutions. This session will discuss integrating knowledge gained from the past, with cutting-edge practices from the present,to teach the professionals of the future.

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Graphic of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Here's a great graphic and accompanying article from the New York Times that examines the (self-reported) levels of carbon dioxide emissions from various industries in the year 2007. Also plotted is their revenue in the year 2008. 

Check it out here.

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Empire State Building is Going Green

Interesting news today on some upcoming retrofits for the Empire State Building that are projected to cut energy usage by as much as 38%. Expected to be completed in 2013, the $100 million project will serve as a model for other commercial buildings in NYC and around the world. One of the upgrades even includes an Internet-based system for tenants to monitor their energy use and show them how to conserve.

Read the entire article here.

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