Environmental Awareness Blog

Age of sail boats inspires green solutions

Age of sail boats inspires green solutions

By George Webster for CNN | Filed under: Innovation

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• B9 energy plans to build first fleet of carbon-neutral "sail ships" for transporting cargo
• Project represents a return to traditional maritime trading methods.
• Comes as a handful of companies turn to sail boats to reduce emissions
• Shipping industry skeptical about economic viability for use on long-haul journeys

London (CNN) -- With its long hull, towering masts and expansive sails, it resembles a schooner from the 19th century. But fitted with a series of high-tech features, this so-called "sail ship" is designed to cut carbon emissions on the high seas today.

Part of a fleet of carbon-neutral, wind-powered sail ships planned by Britain's B9 Energy, it's just one example of how companies are looking to the past for greener alternatives to the gas-guzzling vessels that transport the world's cargo.

When it comes to wind power replacing fuel in shipping vessels, "it's not a question of if, but when," according to David Surplus, the chairman of B9 Energy, Britain's largest windfarm operator.

"By most people's estimates, we have reached peak oil -- sooner or later the fuel will run out and there will simply be no alternative," said Surplus.

Roughly 87% of international trade is carried out by the shipping industry, figures from the International Maritime Organization show.

With the majority of world trade traveling by sea, the shipping industry is responsible for around 4% of global carbon emissions, according to the latest figures available from the United Nations.

B9 claims its vessel will be the first commercially produced merchant ship to harness alternative energy, but it certainly isn't alone in using old-fashioned sail boats to move goods.

"At the moment it's happening on a fairly small, fairly local scale," said Jan Lundberg, founder of Sail Transport Network, a group that promotes sailing as a means of eco-friendly, cost-efficient trade.

But the trend is growing, he said, pointing to examples like El Lago Coffee Company, which uses traditional sail boats to ship Guatemalan coffee beans to the United States, and the Sail Transport Company, a Seattle-based group that uses sailboats to deliver "petroleum-free organic produce."

B9's new eco-friendly ships, planned to be in production by 2012, signify a return to a much more traditional form of merchant shipping. Before diesel-powered steel tankers came to dominate the seas, international trade was conducted on vast, wooden sail ships.

The 100% carbon-neutral freighter will feature automated, self-adjusting sails that respond to minute changes in the wind to maximize propulsion. The boat will also take advantage of "skysail" technology -- a kite-styled towing system currently used on some cargo ships to improve fuel efficiency.

In addition, a biofuel-powered engine will operate under less windy conditions.

Surplus says that with these technologies, the B9 sail ship will be able to carry up to 9,000 tons of cargo. That's just a fraction of the more than 100,000 tons that much larger ships used for long-haul trade can carry, he admitted.

But B9 will initially just operate within Europe, particularly in the North Sea and Baltic where the winds are strong.

Surplus added: "There are currently about 1,500 similarly sized fossil fuel-powered ships working along these routes and our dream is to replace all of them."

Whether sail ships can replace modern freighters on a large scale, however, remains to be seen. Jeremy Harrison, communications director at the British-based Chamber of Shipping, has his doubts.

"I would love to see sail boats replace the current system," he said. "But I just can't see how it will be economical, even as fuel prices rise."

According to Harrison, advances in fuel efficiency onboard super-large cargo ships will help offset the rising cost of fossil fuels.

"Big shipping companies have already made huge savings just by 'slow steaming' -- reducing their speeds to save on fuel consumption," he said.

Earlier this year Maersk, the world's largest container shipping firm with more than 600 ships, announced that it had adapted its giant marine diesel engines to travel at super-slow speeds -- reducing emissions by 30% and saving a reported $100 million in the process.

"Unless you can build a sail-powered boat as big as the ships that are out there today, it will be very difficult to achieve the economies of scale to make it competitive," Harrison said.

Surplus, however, is undeterred.

He said: "A lot of people don't understand what renewable energy has achieved onshore. If you simply transfer those economic models across to shipping, it completely transforms the economic proposition."

 

Reduce Lunch Waste and Save Money...

From our friends at the Port Of San Diego: Reduce Lunch Waste

Did you know you can save $250 each year if you packed your lunch in reusable containers instead of buying disposable bags? With reusable drink containers, a reusable lunch box, cloth napkins and silverware you can reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill by 67 pounds every year!

Here's a few tips to help you reduce the waste you produce at lunch:

• If you use a lot of plastic baggies, try using reusable snack bags. There are even sandwich bags that double as a placemat.

• Keep a reusable plate, cup, silverware and napkin at your desk. The next time you go to a potluck or eat at your local cafe, you will have everything you need!

If you have plastic baggies that you can't reuse just rinse them out, cut off the zipper or seal, and recycle them with the rest of your plastic grocery bags. Most grocery stores have plastic bag collection bins at the front of the store where all your plastic bags can be recycled.

Putting sails on ferries to save fuel

By David R. Baker

Ferries plying the San Francisco Bay in the future could be equipped with sails to slash the amount of fuel they consume, if Jay Gardner has his way.

Gardner co-owns a small startup, based in Napa, that plans to build ferries with tall, solid sails, using the bay's strong winds to help haul commuters across the waves.

The sails, made of carbon composite materials, would more closely resemble aircraft wings than the canvas rigging of standard sailboats. They wouldn't eliminate the need for an engine.

They could, however, cut each ferry's fuel use by at least 40 percent, said Gardner, with Wind+Wing Technologies.

"Especially with the Bay Area and the amount of wind we have, it's something that really clicks with people," Gardner said. "Once you get past the initial resistance and start showing them the studies we've developed, the light comes on."

He and his partners at Wind+Wing already run a 18-year-old company called Adventure Cat Sailing Charters that takes tourists on catamaran cruises around the bay.

Many ferries burn 70 gallons of diesel per hour, or more, giving ferry companies and transportation districts a big incentive to try more efficient designs. Gardner has presented his plans to three of the local ferry operators, and they've expressed interest.

"We're excited about it," said Carolyn Horgan, vice president of operations for Blue & Gold Fleet, which runs 14 ferries and tourist boats on the bay. "If someone wants to come to us with a fuel-saving technology, we'll take a look at it."

Gardner has signed up noted boating engineers Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering of Huntington Beach (Orange County) to work on the vessel's design. He is negotiating financing for the project, although he won't say with whom. Building the "wind-assisted" ferry could cost between $3 million and $9 million.

There is, of course, no guarantee it will be built. The Bay Area, with its entrepreneurial culture and ecological bent, has seen many promising green ideas go nowhere. But some succeed.

"Every ferry route could benefit from something like this," Gardner said. "Would the ferry districts like to save fuel? Oh my gosh, who wouldn't like to save fuel? Would they like to save greenhouse gases? It's a question of how you do it."

Wind+Wing isn't the only company trying to design a greener ferry.

Solar Sailor, based in Australia, makes ferries with sails covered in solar panels, tapping both the wind and the sun. In San Francisco, Hornblower Cruises & Events started shuttling tourists to Alcatraz last year aboard its Hornblower Hybrid, which uses solar panels and two small, vertical wind turbines to generate electricity.

Hornblower considered using sails but decided the solar panels and wind turbines would be more useful. Unlike a sail, they provide power even when the ferry isn't moving, said Cameron Clark, the company's director of environmental affairs.

"With a ferryboat, you spend the majority of your time sitting at the dock," he said. "You sit for 30 minutes and sail for 15."

Together, the panels and wind turbines generate about 5 kilowatts of electricity, enough to run the ship's electrical systems. When tied up at dock, the engines shut off, saving fuel. Before Hornblower retrofitted the ferry, burned 20 to 26 gallons of diesel per hour, Clark said. Now it burns six. The entire retrofit cost nearly $4 million, and Clark estimates that building another hybrid boat would cost 20 to 30 percent more than a regular ferry.

"If your vessel is running 4,000 hours a year, it'll pay back," he said. "If you're running a couple hundred hours a year, you'll never pay it back."

Wind+Wing envisions a single-deck catamaran hull with two sails. If financing comes through, Gardner plans to build a small demonstration version of his vessel next year, letting the local ferry operators see how well it works on their routes. A full passenger ferry capable of hauling 300 people or more could be ready in 2015.

E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker@sfchronicle.com.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/16/BU051BVNKL.DTL#ixzz0fiOFZoFX

California Air Resource Board - CARB for short's mission is:

To promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering the effects on the economy of the state.

They publish a quarterly newsletter providing the means for Californians to see what's going on in their state. Check it out when you have sometime.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/newsletter/winter2010.pdf

There are even some resources available to help you - Kickoff 2010 by Estimating Your Household or Small Business Carbon Footprint

Follow Respect Our Planet on facebook or our blogs to learn about other ways that you too can make a difference.

EPA to Improve Ozone Standards

The US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing the strictest health standards to date for smog. Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The EPA is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.

Ozone pollution is created when chemicals from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight. That's why ozone tends to be higher in sunnier climates or during hot weather. It is a main part of smog, that brownish-yellow haze sometimes seen hanging over cities on the horizon.

Ozone in the upper atmosphere is protective of the environment by blocking UV light.  Too much ozone at the ground level may lead to smog with negative environmental and health effects.

Using the best science to strengthen these standards is a long overdue action that will help millions of Americans breathe easier and live healthier.  The EPA is proposing to set the primary standard, which protects public health, at a level between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million (ppm) measured over eight hours. The last standard was set in 2008 and was 0.075.

Turning Trash into Gas

About 500 Waste Management trucks in San Francisco, California are rumbling down city streets using clean fuel made from a dirty source: garbage.

The fuel is derived from rotting refuse that San Francisco and Oakland residents and businesses have been discarding in the nearby landfill in Livermore.  Since November, the methane gas created by decaying trash has been sucked into tubes and sent into an innovative facility that purifies and transforms it into liquefied natural gas.

In a state that has passed the most stringent greenhouse gas reduction goals in the United States, the climate change benefits of this plant are twofold — methane from the trash heap is captured before entering the environment and use of the fuel produces less carbon dioxide than conventional gasoline.

Although San Francisco would eventually like to reach zero waste by 2030, this is a great solution in the meantime to decrease the release harmful gases to the atmosphere. Be on the look out for more Waste Management facilities using this innovative technology in Los Angeles and Houston.

EPA Aims to Cut Shipping Emissions

The US EPA has finalized a rule setting tough engine and fuel standards for large US flagged ships, a major milestone in the EPA's strategy to slash harmful marine diesel emissions.

This regulation will lead to significant air quality improvements throughout the country that align with international standards. This rule, under the Clean Air Act, complements a key piece of EPA’s strategy to designate an emissions control area for US and Canadian coasts.

Air pollution from large ships, such as oil tankers and cargo ships, are predicted grow rapidly as port traffic increases. By 2030, the EPA's strategy is expected to reduce, from present levels, annual emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from large marine diesel engines by about 1.2 million tons and particulate matter emissions by about 143,000 tons.

When fully implemented, this coordinated effort will reduce NOX emissions from ships by 80 percent, and particulate emissions by 85 percent, compared to current emissions.
The emission reductions from the strategy will yield significant health and welfare benefits that go well beyond the US port where the vessel is located.

This action represents another milestone in EPA’s decade-long effort to reduce pollution from both new and existing diesel engines. This effort includes similar emissions from other diesel fueled engines including passenger cars, trucks and other internal combustion engines.

Rich to help the poor fight climate change?

A pledge of funds from rich countries to help poorer ones fight global warming will be a key ingredient for any climate change deal in Copenhagen, where talks slowed on Monday due to a protest by African nations accusing rich countries of doing too little to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Japan will offer $10 billion in aid over three years to 2012 to help developing countries fight global warming, including steps to protect biodiversity.

The European Union has promised around $3.5 billion a year for three years as its contribution to a start-up fund that could eventually grow to $100 billion or more annually.

The United States says it will do its fair share but has not yet promised anything beyond $1.2 billion for this year.

Stay tuned for more on Copenhagen and the fight against global warming.

Fighting Climate Change in Copenhagen

The highly anticipated climate conference at Copenhagen is finally here.  The conference began yesterday at 10 a.m. and  will run until Friday December 18th.  The New York Times Energy and Environment Blog is posting relevant news items from Copenhagen and is also encouraging people from around the world to participate by sharing thoughts about climate change and clean energy. Time Magazine has also posted an interesting article detailing the Top 5 things to watch for in Copenhagen.

The United States will have representation in Copenhagen throughout the negotiating process by the State Department and Cabinet officials who will highlight great strides in a clean energy economy. President Obama will speak at the end of the event on December 18th. Al Gore will be giving a speech as well on December 15th.

Highlights of the conference to date include:
-  The United States Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward in regulating greenhouse
   gas emission in the US from both mobile sources (principally autos and trucks) and stationary
   sources (industrial and power generation sources).
-  Call for a "global fund" provided by the EU and other wealthy nations to finance
   climate initiatives in developing countries.
-  Of the 36 wealthy countries who made commitments as part of the Kyoto Protocol
   to reducing their emissions, only about half are on track to meet their targets.

Hopes that the US will pass new laws vital to limiting carbon emissions were given a major boost on the opening day of the Copenhagen climate summit.  Stay tuned over the next two weeks to see how the fight for climate change plays out.

Reducing Your Toxic Footprint

The buzz nowadays in the green community is about companies reducing their environmental footprint, but what about a company's toxic footprint? Companies need to start moving towards the use of environmentally safe products and greener chemicals.

Product toxicity reduction should be a core element of business strategy because it not only provides a safe and healthy work environment, but also drive sales in the green product marketplace. 

Companies that stand out for making toxic footprint reduction part of their corporate sustainability strategy are SC Johnson who are part of the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council and Nike with its Considered Chemistry program.

As part of our green procurement policy, Hornblower purchases products and services that minimize environmental and health impact to workers and our customers in all aspect of our business. To ensure that we are reducing our toxic footprint as a company, we follow these chemical acquisition guidelines:
 
1) Before a new chemical can be purchased, it must be approved by our Chemical
Committee. Once a product is approved, it can be repurchased as part of our regular inventory.
2) Material Safety Data Sheets must be made available for all chemical products and all chemicals shall be properly labeled.
3) The number of chemicals in inventory will be minimized.
4) Preference will be given to bio-based chemicals that do not become hazardous
waste at the end of their useful life.
5) Purchase Green Seal products