wherethere is will,there is a way

wherethere is will,there is a way

Updated March 7, 2015Photo by Melissa Dinwiddie and lifehack.org

DISCLAIMER: This summary is for general information and use only. By publishing this summary, I am not endorsing, supporting, representing or guaranteeing the truthfulness, accuracy or reliability of any of the included articles or news sources and do not endorse any opinions expressed in the articles presented. I expressly disclaim any and all liability and responsibility for any action or decision made in reliance on the information presented. Updated March 7, 2015.

People all around the world invest themselves every day to create a sustainable way of life, no matter how daunting the challenge. It is so easy to miss their progress and achievements. This is for them.

Eco system and public health are being restored in India as a result of the 2006 ban of diclofenac,

a painkiller for cattle that causes rapid liver failure and death in vultures. In India, where cows are

sacred, vultures are the undertakers of decaying cattle carcasses often left to decompose naturally.

Vultures had declined 97% by the mid-90s. Sources: The Nature Conservancy; PBS; Bird Conservation

International; zsl.org; countercurrents.org; newscientist.com; The Independent.

REVIVING A MENACEPhoto by ZSL Living Conservation

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COUNT-ME-IN

Two Massachusetts towns and Boston University signal composting momentum at all levels. Hamilton

and Wenham, 7,764 and 4,875 residents, respectively, have a 90% curbside composting adoption rate

while at BU, with 30,000 students, 85% said they would sort their trash into the appropriate bins, if

given the option. Both towns report substantial cost savings and waste reduction. In 2014, BU diverted

73% of waste from landfills at its GSU food court. Sources: bu.edu/dining, nerc.org, Manchester Cricket.

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Photo by notrashproject.com

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THE CLEAN ENERGY CITYWith the purchase of a 7.4 MW hydroelectric facility, ultra-liberal and free-thinking Burlington, VT,

became the first American city to use 100% renewable electricity. The move also keeps electricity

rates steady into the future. Sources: pbs.org, cleantechnica.com, benjerry.com.

Photo by davidseaver.com

SCALING LOW CARBONREAD READ

Big move towards low carbon world: The 2014 UN investment in new State Street Global Advisors

and BlackRock ETFs tracking the MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target Index. The investment is estimated

at $165 million from the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, in holdings producing 81% less carbon emissions

relative to the standard ACWI Index. Sources: marketwatch.com, blogs.barrons.com, msci.com.

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Photo by flickr.com/photos/lifeexposed

URBAN SPROUTSWATCH

Growing produce closer to home is here: Brooklyn Grange is a 2.5-acre NYC rooftop farm that grows

50,000 lbs of produce/year for local restaurants, CSA members and weekly farmstands; BrightFarms

helps grocers grow fresh produce onsite or nearby, with long-term deals in 8 cities; and, urban startup

Lufa Farms locally distributes 190 metric tons of produce year-round for 10,000 people. The outcomes

are fresher produce, less food waste, energy efficiency, better land-use. Sources: citiscope.org, lufa.com,

washingtonpost.com, upstart.bizjournals.com, brooklyngrangefarm.com, brightfarms.com.

Photo by Bob Wiebes and popupcity.net/apps-for-urban-farmers/

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THE GOVERNINGOF FOOD WASTE

In the U.S., the EPA’s “Food Recovery Challenge,” a government food donations program to reduce

food waste, is taking aim at 30 million tons of food that go to landfills each year. Per an analysis by

ResponsEcology, 99% of those donations feed people in need while preventing 13,000 metric tons of

greenhouse gas emissions — the same as not consuming 1.5 million gallons of gasoline, 31,000 barrels

of oil, or 57 rail cars of coal. Sources: epa.gov, foodforthoughtfulaction.com, responsecology.com.

Photo by Laura Dunn and faowashington.org

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NIGHTLYSUNSHINE

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In 2013, renewable energy became available 24/7. That summer,

after operating for two years, solar thermal plant Gemasolar

owned by Torresol Energy produced energy 24 hours per day

over 36 consecutive. Sources: torresolenergy.com, sener.es.

Photo by torresolenergy.com

1000X SOLAR POWERResearchers at MIT found that a stack of two one-molecule-thick materials, Graphene and

molybdenum disulfide, could be used to make effective solar cells. Jeffrey Grossman, who led this

work with the support of the MIT Energy Initiative, feels this new approach to producing super-

thin solar cells "pushes towards the ultimate power conversion possible from a material.” While

not as efficient in converting sunlight to electricity as standard silicon solar cells, overall power

generation is projected to be far greater than conventional solar cells -- as much as 1,000 times

more energy per pound. Sources: web.mit.edu/newsoffice (June 2013), sciencedaily.com.

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Photo by americanplainsartists.com

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SELF-CLEANING BUILDINGS

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In 1974, Professor Wilhelm Barthlott discovered that certain plants have a micro-roughness on

leaf surfaces which causes water droplets to bead up and collect dirt. Known as the Lotus Effect,

his work inspired paint which today enables self-cleaning buildings that help keep our air and

water clean. Sources: Tom McKeag of BioDreamMachine, UC Berkeley; mother nature network,

mnn.com; greenbiz.com; odewire.com.

Photo by Claire Houck, flickr.com/photos/unforth

In 2012, Guangzhou implemented license plate auctions and lotteries to put quality-of-life

issues ahead of short-term economic growth. The ambition is a dramatic reduction in new

cars on the streets, by roughly half. Most interesting is that Guangzhou is one of China’s

largest cities and one of its biggest auto manufacturing centers.

Sources: inhabitat.com, nytimes.com.

OUTING CARS

Photo by spfaust.wordpress.com

SOLAR-POWERED INDEPENDENCE

About $100 billion of solar was installed around the world in 2012, the average project about 34 kW or

$100K. That is roughly 1 million very local solar projects. Sources: Jigar Shah, Author of

“Creating Climate Wealth”; John Farrell of The Institute of Self Reliance.

Photo by solarbusinessfocus.com

WHEN KIDSLOVE BEESMomentum towards sustainable

living is exceptionally visible in the

younger generation, thanks to

parents, teachers and caregivers all

over. By committing to their passions

and beliefs, they raise the human

spirit every day, like the young

beekeeper who opened the world of

his bees to his curious classmates by

starting the Thacher Bee Club.

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Photo by sowingbysea.com

CULTURALPOWER

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Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 2012 drilled eight 1,500 ft geothermal wells and

installed ground source heat pumps with an efficiency of up to 300% . That means 3x the thermal

energy put into the system will be used -- much more efficient than traditional heating and cooling

sources. Great solve for maintaining the 65-70 needed to preserve the museum’s collections.

Most interestingly, geothermal heat pumps have been around since the late 1940s.

Sources: masscec.com, gardnermuseum.org, energy.gov.

Photo by Eva Chan Photography

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100% GREENTRAIN TRAVEL

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By 2018, the roughly 1.2 MM daily train trips

operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)

across Holland will be climate-neutral. To

run the trains, Eneco’s wind farms, local and

in Scandinavia and Belgium, will be providing

electricity comparable to Amsterdam’s needs

each year. Sources: energymatters.com.au.

windpowermonthly.com.

Photo by Dirk J. Ambtman, flickr.com/photos/dirk_jan

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12,000 cells powered Solar Impulse HB-SIA’s flight from San Francisco to NYC to provoke dialogue

about CO2 reduction targets. With the wingspan of an Airbus A340, the aircraft accommodates

enough photovoltaic cells to charge its batteries for flying through day and night without jet fuel.

Sources: bbc.co.uk, solarimpulse.com.

WATCHREAD

Photo by Solar Impulse / Associated Press

CLEAN FLYING

Re-usable totes for internally distributing chocolate annually save

800 tons of food waste, 660 tons of corrugate, $520,000 in costs,

and, equally importantly, all those chocolates that no longer

get crushed inside collapsing cardboard boxes.

Sources: stopwaste.org, Ghirardelli.

Photo by Dianne Faw

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CHOCOLATE S(H)AVINGS

From bike-only

days to shared bicycle

programs, two-wheeled

non-motorized transport is on a

dramatic rise. The Economist reports

10x growth since 2004. The Earth Policy

Institute projects bike-sharing bicycles in America

to quadruple to 37k in 2014. Best of all is that 43% of B-cycle

members in Denver use the program’s bikes to replace car trips.

Sources: economist.com (blogs, news), peopleforbikes.org, bmj.com.

Photo by pentaxforums.com member Ikoflex

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READPEDALPUSHING10X

SOLAR ARTISTRY

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The Science of Light at Grass Valley

Elementary School is making electricity

from sunshine beautiful. At the Cathedral

of the Holy Family, solar-stained glass is

generating upwards of 2,500 KWH annually

to offset energy costs. One stunning project

at a time, Sarah Hall’s work is getting

people excited about renewable energy.

Sources: thebreakingfreeshow.com,

solarenergy.com, sarahhallstudio.com.

Photo by ecoartsofla.org

WATCH

In 2013, Lockheed Martin announced its deal with Concord Blue USA “to offer an advanced waste

conversion system to address waste disposal, energy security and climate control issues.” With 2012

net sales of $47.2 billion, this public commitment to advanced waste conversion is a major vote of

confidence for this emerging technology. Sources: waste-management-world.com, lockheedmartin.com.Photo by RAF Crown

READGREENING GREEN BIRDS

small livingBEATS DRIVING

Steve Sauer’s Pico Dwelling is an 11'3" x 16'2" x 10'4" storage room turned full-featured

Seattle living for two people. With an area of roughly 182 sq ft and inside 1900 cubic feet,

it is a cool achievement and example of small, high-quality, supplemental urban living that

could become an efficient alternative to spending hours in traffic between office and home

each day. Sources: oixio.com, Kirsten Dirksen, tinyhousedesign.com, realestate.aol.com.

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Photo by Steve Sauer

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SUN BARRIER

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Marine cloud brightening explores if seeding clouds

with moisture from seawater sprays can increase

how much heat from the sun they can reflect back into

space while reducing global warming caused by CO2

emissions. Sources: scientificamerican.com, Jonathan

Latham, sciencedaily.com, youtube.com/ChemTruthers.

Photo by plantsciences.ucdavis.edu

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SWITCH(GRASS) TO PLASTICMetabolix patents point to reducing our reliance on petroleum for plastics. The company’s goal is

genetically engineered Switchgrass to make a biodegradable polymer that can be extracted directly

from the plant. One outcome would be lowering the cost of biodegradable, plastic shopping bags

since the new plant-based process would use crops grown on marginal lands and require less

equipment. Sources: metabolix.com, technologyreview.com.

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Photo by fieldbioinohio.blogspot.com

Photo by Boon Edam Inc.

GREEN REVOLVERThe “door without draft of air,” invented in 1888 by Theophilus Van Kannel and

known as the revolving door, dramatically reduces air exchange compared to

traditional swing doors. In 2006, MIT students demonstrated that increasing

the usage of a revolving door from 50% to 100% can cut energy consumption

by 75% and prevent CO2 emission close to 5x. With 64% of participants in that

MIT study choosing traditional swing doors, the revolving door – unfortunately

and fortunately – is a big idea in sustainability with potential that is yet to be

realized. Sources: greenovateboston.org; slate.com; “Modifying Habits Towards

Sustainability (MIT Revolving Door Usage) Study”, web.mit.edu; www.good.is.

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The ambitious outcome of ITER is commercial reactors that generate more than 10x the power they

consume and that use the overabundant fuel source hydrogen. “Terawatts of power with no carbon,

virtually no pollution and scant radioactive waste”. Now in its 29th year, ITER is a pursuit to solve

the world’s energy problems for millions of years. It may be humanity’s greatest sustainability

endeavor -- ever. Sources: iter.org; Raffi Khatchadourian, The New Yorker; ecofriend.com.

Photo by ITER Organization, April 2013

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INNOVATINGTHE RETURNON POWER

HOME-FIELDADVANTAGE

The Cleveland Browns braved a big home game to show

how they reclaim food scraps for conversion to renewable

methane gas versus sending it to a landfill. Replicated across

the NFL, Grind2Energy or similar systems would annually

divert about 620 tons of food scraps, reduce CO2 emissions

by 465,000 pounds and create over 80,000 pounds of natural

fertilizer. Best, fans would be buzzing about renewable energy.

Sources: T. Casey, TriplePundit; Cleveland.com; rewmag.com.

Photo by Chris Brown, flickr.com/people/zoonabar/

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LIGHT AT THE ENDOF THIS TUNNEL

WATCHREAD

Photo by enfinitycorp.com

16,000 photovoltaic panels installed on 164,000ft2 of roof

of a 2.1 mile rail tunnel between Paris and Amsterdam are

expected to generate 3.3 GWh and cut CO2 emissions by

2,400 tons yearly. The panels have an expected life span

of 30 to 40 years and are projected to reduce the cost to

run the trains by about 30%. Sources: enfinitycorp.com,

examiner.com, gizmag.com.

In Vienna, old-fashioned technology is being used to run shiny new electric buses by making it

possible to recharge their batteries using the older trams’ overhead power lines. That integration

of new technology and existing infrastructure is making it achievable and financially feasible for

the city to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 300 tons a year.

Sources: ec.europa.eu, nytimes.com.

NEW OLD TECH

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Photo by Siemens

WATERINGOUR WORLD

Simple solar-powered hand pumps are improving the supply of water to villagers in India and

Africa. The impact is remarkable. From more reliable, uninterrupted water to better sanitation

and hygiene to higher quality standard of living to greater opportunities, especially for women

and children. Sources: grundfos.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com

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SOCIAL PLASTIC

WATCHREAD

Plastic waste that washes up in 3rd World countries may soon help reduce poverty. Still early

in its development, The Plastic Bank sees value in plastic waste that can be harvested for free

and by anyone in exchange for credits to acquire new objects. Those new objects could be

anything from small household items to toys, and would be made from recycled plastic pellets

using new 3D printing technology. The start-up is on a mission to “turn waste into a life and

ecosystem-changing currency called social plastic.” Sources: kalev.com, plasticbank.org.

Photo by plasticbank.org

CLIMATE PROOFProving that we can move beyond blame, government and

community came together in Copenhagen to address climate

change. No matter the cause of the dramatic changes in our

environment, the city now has countless proactive design

solutions in one master plan, potentially making it the first

climate proof, attractive and green capital in the world.

Source: designtoimprovelife.dk.

WATCHREAD

Photo by inhabitat.com

EARTHBREWSierra Nevada diverts 99.8%

of its waste from landfills and

incineration. In 2012, 261 tons

of the brewers’ organic waste

were composted for fields

and gardens. Sierra Nevada

also captures, recycles and

then reuses 95% of CO2 from

fermentation. Sources: Mike

Hower, TriplePundit; USZWBC.

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Photo by Rob Hill @TWMBeer, blog.totalwine.com

WATCH

.Photo by Robert Heazlewood

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Shipbuilder Incat Tasmania in July 2013 delivered

the world’s fastest ship. Equipped with two

22MW GE LM2500 gas turbines operating

on liquid natural gas (LNG), the ship

travels at speeds of up to 58 knots

or 107 km per hour and has

cargo capacity of over 1,000

passengers and 150 cars.

Sources: incat.com.au,

shipbuildingtribune.com.

GREEN OCEAN FLYING

THREE SUNSIn this story, renewable energy is only 1 of 3 big wins for the sun. The other two are reducing

energy poverty and empowering women in rural Africa. Through non-profit Solar Sister, women

entrepreneurs in Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan receive a ‘business in a bag’ -- including

tools, training and networking -- for selling solar-powered lamps. The impact of teaching and

supporting these entrepreneurs to switch out kerosene lamps for clean energy is staggering.

Every $1 that is invested in a Solar Sister Entrepreneur results in $46 of economic impact.

Sources: solarsister.org, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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Photo by UNFCCC

One of the pioneers and drivers of cloud computing, Salesforce, is stepping up to transform

the cloud to a beautiful green by committing to become fully powered by renewable energy. It

is a great signal from a prominent IT leader that rising demand for electricity to support cloud

computing must be addressed with renewable sources. Facebook and Google recently made

similar commitments. Sources: sustainablebrands.com, salesforce.com.

GREEN CLOUD

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Photo by twitter.com/heatherface

CAR CULTURE 2.0Many years in the making, Tesla’s Model S is now the best-selling U.S. electric car despite costing

more than $70,000. It has a 265 mile range, zero emissions and goes from 0 to 60 in a mere 5.4

seconds. Tesla’s momentum continues through the second half of 2014. Still more buyers than

cars, and a stock price up +84% over the past year. Sources: teslamotors.com, techcrunch.com,

reuters.com, bloomberg.com, technologyreview.com, ibtimes.com.

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WATCHREAD

WIND ON DEMAND

When Duke Energy installed a 36-megawatt (MW) battery alongside

its 153-MW Notrees wind farm, it began to answer a key question

for renewable energy. What happens when the sun is not shining

and the wind is not blowing? By storing energy and managing the flow of power to the grid with

the biggest battery connected to a wind farm ever, the Notrees project is answering that question.

And, it is increasing the value of the renewable energy it provides, which for the people of Ector

and Winkler is like to wind energy on demand. Sources: duke-energy.com, nytimes.com.

1 MW unit similar to systems at Notrees

Photo by americanplainsartists.com

WATCHREAD

This green roof mitigates urban island effect -- when hard surfaces joined together result in

higher temperatures than green areas. Since it decreases heat absorption, Chicago’s City

Hall keeps cooler in the summer and requires less energy for air conditioning. The garden

also absorbs up to 75% of a 1-inch rainfall before storm water runs off. Non-profit Green

Roofs for Healthy Cities recorded 982 projects like this in 2012, or 5.6 million sq. ft. of new

green roofs, up +24% over 2011. Sources: greenroofs.org, cityofchicago.org.

Photo by greenroofs.com

ROOF ENVY

Earth Hour in 2014 took place in over

7000 cities and towns, 162 countries

and territories across all 7 continents.

It is considered the world's largest

voluntary action for the environment.

Iconic landmarks, entire skylines and

millions of homes went dark as the hour

moved around the globe and brought

energy consumption, sustainability and

climate issues into our individual lives.

Sources: earthhour.org, theatlantic.com,

worldwildlife.org, minnesota.cbslocal.com.

ALL DARK READ

Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images (2013)

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