Education, My Dear Watson

Here at Better BTU, we’ve said that instead of carrying the financial burden of jumpstarting the clean energy industry, one of the best things the U.S. government can do is promote the benefits of the waste-to-energy process through education. And it looks like our friends across the pond are trying to relay the same message.

BPF Director General Peter Davis

Director General of British Plastics Federation Peter Davis called on the government to “get off the fence” in a published letter to The Times on Apr. 11. His message came in response to an article by John Simpson two days earlier that claimed “millionaires and local activists have joined forces across Britan to fight proposals for scores of huge incinerators.”

The fundamental catalyst for change is education and we think it’s an excellent starting point for the British and U.S. governments. Just as Sherlock Holmes would boil things down to the most elementary level to solve his cases, educating the public on the basic facts of our environmental situation and the waste-to-energy process will stop the frenzied protests that often break out at the word ‘incinerator.’

 As we discussed in an earlier blog post, San Jose has taken on an ambitious initiative to radically reduce its carbon footprint. While the city’s success in diverting trash from landfills and creating green jobs is impressive, perhaps more important is the success it has had in educating the public on WHY the changes are necessary, resulting in an active and supportive community. (See: San Jose Sets the Emerald Standard for Green Cities).

Statue of Sherlock Holmes

Davis reinforces this point when he calls on the local councils to “consult in depth on proposals so as to ensure the whole community understands the benefits, rather than just engage with head-in-the-sand local groups.”

Waste-to-energy (or energy for waste as it is referred to in the UK) technology has made substantial progress over the past 30 years.  Studies by both government and independent entities have proved that today’s processes, whether incineration, gasification or anaerobic digestion, are clean and effective without releasing harmful emissions or endangering the health of the surrounding communities. Davis even uses Denmark an example to show that “higher recycling rates are not negatively affected by increased energy from waste.”

Of course there will always be a small percent of people who will never be convinced, no matter how much factual evidence is presented (hey, we still have folks that think the lunar landing was staged!) But by educating the greater community with updated information on waste-to-energy processes, it will reduce the effect of radicals showing decades-old images of incinerators spewing black smoke from its stacks.  Our advice to government: get off the fence and get in the game!

Further Reading:

BPF Slams Government Over Lack of Support For 'Energy From Waste' – Plastics & Rubber Weekly, Apr. 11, 2012

Consulted and Ignored: Council Takes Legal Action Over Incinerator – The Times, Apr. 9, 2012

EFW Hindered by Lack of Incentives – Packaging News, Apr. 24, 2012

Memo to Obama: Follow Brazil to Energy Independence

As our dependence on foreign oil continues to be a concern for Americans, the topic of alternative energy is sure to be a hot-button issue in November’s presidential race. Obama has made appearances in several key states over the past few months to argue the importance of developing alternatives to foreign oil and to defend his “all of the above” plan from critics who say he’s abandoned oil and coal industries.  

The president states that America is producing more oil today than it has at any other time in the past eight years. He adds that the number of operating oil rigs has quadrupled to an all-time high.

However, it is the success of natural gas that Obama wanted to focus on in the Tar Heel state. in March. Surrounded by workers on the production floor of a Freightliner plant in Mount Holly, N.C., Obama praised Daimler Trucks for the production of its 1,000^th natural gas-powered truck in November 2011.

“Here at Daimler, you’re not just building trucks, you’re building better trucks,” he told the hundreds of employees who had waited for more than four hours to hear him speak.

Daimler Trucks is the feel-good story of a company that is experiencing a growth spurt while successfully implementing alternative energy procedures through the manufacturing of natural gas-powered trucks. The plant in Rowan County, N.C. recently added a second shift and employment at the three Charlotte-area facilities has almost returned to pre-Great Recession levels.

Better BTU has always been interested in the topic of natural gas as an alternative to oil because we fundamentally believe it represents a better transportation fuel. While Obama has made progress in developing the industry, we can’t help but feel there has been a missed opportunity, and a large one at that.

CNG-powered vehicles have struggled in part because our country lacks the infrastructure to support them. The availability of CNG refueling stations is sparse, limiting the use for large trucks to short runs and preventing the average consumer from viewing it as a realistic option. We would have loved to see some of the money that has been passed out go towards developing a highway infrastructure that could support natural gas. Not only would prices at the pump be lower, we would also be less dependent on foreign oil. Jobs would be generated as stations would need to be built and piping laid.

Brazil’s government opted drive the development of infrastructure to capitalize on the abundance of sugarcane in its region and today it is the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel. While we aren’t saying that Obama’s “all of the above” policy doesn’t have its pros, had he taken a page from Brazil’s book, Obama might be able to point to a well-developed and meaningful infrastructure when campaigning for re-election. Putting people to work and creating something we need could have done for his tenure what the Hoover Dam did for Roosevelt’s.

For Further Reading:

Building the Blend: How Brazil Grew its Ethanol Industry – Ethanol Today

President Obama Talks Alternative Fuel at Freightliner Plant – Charlotte Business Journal, Mar. 7, 2012

Obama Pushes Alternative Energy in North Carolina – ABC News, Mar, 7, 2012

San Jose Sets the Emerald Standard for Green Cities

Cities across the U.S. and around the world have proclaimed themselves as an emerging hub for the clean tech industry. But while some mayors may have visions of biodiesel-fueled buses and green collar jobs dancing in their heads, San Jose is leading the charge with its Green Vision plan.

Led by forward-thinking Mayor Chuck Reed, the Capital of the Silicon Valley adopted the Green Vision, an aggressive 15-year initiative for “economic growth, environmental sustainability and an enhanced quality of life for its community” in Oct. 2007. With good leadership, organized planning and focused execution, the Green Vision has been in full swing for almost five years and is making marked improvements.

The plan revolves around 10 goals for the city:

1. Create 25,000 Clean Tech Jobs as the World Center of Clean Innovation

2. Reduce Per Capita Energy Use by 50%

3. Receive 100% of Electrical Power from Clean, Renewable Sources

4. Build or Retrofit 50 Million Square Feet of Green Buildings

5. Divert 100% of Waste from Landfill and Convert Waste to Energy

6. Recycle or Beneficially Reuse 100% of our Wastewater

7. Adopt a General Plan with Measurable Standards for Sustainable Development

8. Ensure that 100% of Public Fleet Vehicles Run on Alternative Fuels

9. Plant 10,000 New Trees and Replace 100% of Streetlights with Smart, Zero Emission Lighting

10. Create 100 Miles of Trails Connecting with 400 Miles of On-Street Bikeways

Courtesy: San Jose Green Vision

Presently, the city reports it has made the most progress on the Zero Waste goal, diverting 71% of trash currently headed to landfills. The progress has been a result of efforts in both upstreaming (working with manufacturers on reducing the amount of packaging in products) and downstreaming (post-consumer waste). The Recycle Plus program gives San Jose one of the highest recycling rates in the nation as it diverts 293,000 tons each year from landfills. The city estimates it sends 569,000 tons to landfills annually.

In terms of waste conversion, the San Jose Green Vision 2011 Annual Report outlines the city’s plans for 2012 to partner with Zero Waste Energy Development and begin construction of an anaerobic digestion facility at the former Nine Par Landfill. Next to the waste water facility, the plant will use organics pulled from commercial wet waste. Additionally, San Jose will partner with Harvest Power to conduct a feasibility study of an ambitious gasification pilot plant which seeks to generate methane from thermal gasification suitable for use with CNG vehicles.   

Both of these actions are in line with the city’s announcement in 2009 of a $20-million deal with Green Waste Recovery, Zanker Road Resource Management and Harvest Power. The goal is a facility that will process 150,000 tons of waste to create 900,000 galls of biogas.

San Jose City Hall. Courtesy: SED Network. 

San Jose has also taken advantage of the clean energy credits and done a large amount of work with solar energy in an effort to satisfy its second goal. While we’d love to see a thermal waste-to-energy project in the city, the arduous permitting process may make that difficult. The city has sent a message throughout the industry that it is always open to being a demo site for any technology interested and willing to come to the Silicon Valley.

While we applaud San Jose’s immense progress in its initiative, the real success is in the format they used in approaching the problem. The 10^th largest city in America is using a multi-prong technological approach, educating the community and creating jobs. Organized planning, focused execution and a desire to educate and involve the community is the winning formula that has other cities green with envy.

Official Website: San Jose Green Vision

City of San Jose Green Vision 2011 Annual Report

In San Jose, Going Green Isn't Just About the Environment by Mayor Chuck Reed