I recently got back from a trip in the South. We took the easy, cheap route and flew Southwest, a no-frills airline that puts its employee’s first. Our flight attendant told us that a week earlier she counted Al Gore among the all-coach passengers. Much has been made by Al Gore’s political enemies of his energy consumption (in the name of environmental awareness), but no one can doubt his thrift.

This got me thinking about how the airline industry could become more green. There were some definite misgivings when Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic flew a plane on biofuel. Changing out jetfuel is a large step, but I think airports and airlines could take some very small steps to improve their environmental record. The TSA has made a lot of cash by picking up coins dropped from the security screening process. How much have they made from recycling all those water bottles they confiscate from folks at the gate?

Here’s a quick idea I drew out for making the refreshments on planes a little more environmentally-friendly, safer, and less staff-intensive. Each seat in the plane would have a magnetic valve projecting from the armrest that would act as a cup holder. A metal-bottomed cup could be passed out by flight attendants and cups would be filled from the bottom with pressurized refreshments stored in the back of the plane. Obviously, the planes would have to be fitted with piping for the drinks, but the system would cut down work for staff and would eliminate the waste of disposable cups, cans, and bottles.

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In Episode 4, we met Hakan and Laura, a couple who use bio-fuel made from waste vegetable oil. They introduced us to Ray Kemp, the man behind KF3 BioDiesel Production, and the subject of Episode 8. Ray has spent the last few years perfecting a process for locally made biodiesel that he produces with reclaimed equipment. He has also found valuable uses for the byproducts of the production process, making his company completely sustainable. Check out this four-part episode:

Part 1.
Ray shows us the differences between biodiesel and petrodiesel. He explains how he able to return all of the byproducts of his process to the earth.

Part 2.
Ray explains how localized production of biodiesel is best for a distributed resource such as used cooking oil. Using Ray’s business model, a community biodiesel production facility could be started with a capital investment from between $ 5-10 K.

Part 3.
We learn about the four parts to Ray’s process: Collecting the oil, processing the oil, distributing the fuel, and dealing with co-products of production. We find out which kind restaurants are preferred to collect from and we see the production facility that Ray uses to convert cooking oil into biodiesel.

Part 4.
In this final segment, Ray explains how a Biodiesel Users Group works. Due to the skyrocketing fuel costs, biofuels have become relatively cheaper, though Ray tells how his production costs have also gone up. Ray articulates his dream of all biodiesel going to power school buses and explains how the do-it-yourself mentality of his process hearkens back to America’s founding principles.

For Episode 6, we hit sunny Monterey Bay to speak with Graham Hunting of Blue Line Power, a clean energy company. We’ve split the episode up into three parts:

Part One:
Graham talks about how you can pay for a commercial or residential solar energy system. We visit the York School to see how real people have gotten off the grid and reduced their carbon footprint. We discuss rebates, tax credits, and green loans that are available to consumers. In the process, we find out how long a system lasts and how long it takes to get a return on investment.

Part Two:
Next, we learn what different types of solar panel systems are available and how efficient they are, including new innovations, like “spray-on” solar panels.

Part Three:
In the last segment, we visit a house that pays $0 in electricity bills. We see the components that make up a solar energy installation, including the inverter, the meter, and the solar panel modules. Finally, Graham touches on maintenance, cost, and why 2008 is the best year to get a residential solar system.

Stark contrast in deforestation along the
Dominican/Haitian Border (NASA)

In the 1980’s, free trade and environmental degradation virtually eliminated Haiti’s internal rice production. Haitians eventually became dependent on rice imports. Now, Haitians are starving due to rising food prices. There are reports of people making themselves sick, just so they can be admitted to the hospital and get food. There are many reasons for rising food prices including diversion of crops to biofuels and rising commodity and oil prices. Agricultural and oil interests lobbied for blended biofuel solutions such as ethanol, instead of promoting smart solutions such as electric vehicles or reusing waste vegetable oil.

To be sure, Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, is also effected by the global food shortage, but they have a huge advantage with their local food production. Dominicans produce 80% of the foods consumed locally, which insulates them somewhat from the global shortages. It would be interesting to hear the presidential candidates address some of these issues in the next debate. Much has been made during the campaigns about special interests and globalization, but this an actual example of how bad policy has created a disaster and the next president must provide leadership on issues like these.

To help the Haitian citizens check out http://www.foodforthepoor.org/donate/haiti. Just $12 will feed one family for a month.

Last month, Nader Khalili, an earth architect from Iran passed away. Khalili developed Super Adobe and Super Block construction. These structures, made of soil, barbed wire, and a little cement, withstand extreme climactic conditions and seismic activity. Originally conceptualized for lunar colonization settlements, these adobe buildings have been built by the United Nations Development Programme to house refugees and have been used widely in hot, dry climates of the developing world. Now that green architecture has caught on, even affluent Americans are getting in on the act.

The Cal-Earth organization in Hesperia, California has plans for homes that have been approved for construction in San Bernardino County. This short documentary shows how sandbag prototypes can easily be built by local people, using local materials.

Here’s a roundup of various green rappers and some of their musical stylings:

-Its a Disgrace by Cypher:Dissident.
-Pas de Feu by MC Tino34, a rapper from Togo.
-Charris Ford, aka the Granola Ayatollah of Canola
-My Name is Alex, and his sometimes band The Blood Thirsty Vegans
-My Life and Yours… its a British female green rap invasion!
-X10 performing their C02 rap with a dancing polar bear.

Oh, and last but not least you got our very own Green Rapper.

If you’ve ever traveled in the developing world you’ve probably heard loud motorcycles zoom by and breathed in the smoke that they produce en route. A group of social entrepreneurs decided to engineer an affordable solution to address 2-stroke engine emissions and lack of efficiency. Envirofit International is a non-profit organization that has developed a retrofit for motorcycles (and other vehicles) that reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 76%, carbon dioxide emissions by 35%, and hydrocarbon emissions by 89%, while reducing fuel use by 35% and oil use by 50%.

Using a process called Direct Injection, the carburetor is eliminated and fuel burning is optimized. The product has been successfully implemented in the Philippines, resulting in job creation, carbon emission reductions, and reduced fuel consumption. This is a great example of how a simple innovation can be used to improve both quality of life and the environment.