3p Contributor: Nick Aster
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Video Tour: Abu Dhabi’s Zero Carbon, Zero Waste Masdar City
Among the highlights of last month’s trip to the World Future Energy Summit was a tour of Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s living laboratory in sustainable development and what is held out to be among the most sustainable cities ever built (at least in the modern sense). Masdar City has progressed significantly since my last tour a little over a year ago. Most interestingly, Siemens has chosen to locate their Middle East headquarters at Masdar City – validating both the city’s ambition and representing a solid commitment to sustainable development for the company.
I hope the short video below gives you an idea of what it’s like to walk around the city, and a little more information about what’s going on:
In case you’d like to see more about the personal rapid transit program at Masdar City, I made the following video last year which gives you a nice taste:
Get Ready to Get Eco-Social During State of the Union
For those of you not paying attention, tonight at 9pm Eastern, President Obama will give his annual State of the Union address. In keeping with our enthusiasm for social media, we’ll be participating in a Twitter chat tonight during the speech to offer reactions, ideas, and the occasional snarky commentary on issues of sustainability mentioned (or ommited) during the evening.
Tim Hurst of ecopolitologist has cooked up a hashtag, #ecoSOTU, that you can monitor to see the discussion live, as it unfolds. We’ll be mining Twitter after the evening is over to see what the big topics were and what sustainably minded folks think needs to be addressed.
Follow along on twitter live on Twitter or the client of your choice simply by searching for #ecoSOTU. See you tonight!
Is There a Future in Solar Boats?
Proof of Concept: PlanetSolar's Turanor Cruises the Mediterranean (Stock photo)
One of the highlights of this year’s World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi was a tour of Planet Solar’s incredible solar powered yacht – the Turanor. The largest solar powered boat ever to set sail, the Turanor is on the final leg of a round-the-world tour, the first time anyone has managed to sail around the world powered entirely by solar energy. The massive 8.5 ton boat comfortably carries a crew of a half dozen or so with plenty of room to host a dockside party for 100. It cruises comfortably at 5 knots but is capable of double that speed on particularly good days as it cuts through the waves with its knife-like design. Most impressive – the boat can can store as much as 3 days worth of sailing power in a huge rack of lithium ion batteries – thus allowing it to sail in the dark of night without a hitch.
Swiss founder Raphaël Domjan conceived of the project as a way of proving what’s possible with today’s technology in terms of clean transportation powered by the sun. TreeHugger’s Brian Merchant captured the vision on video here. The realities of price (the boat cost at least $20 million to develop) will likely prevent it from turning up at your local yacht club any time soon, but the many investors and sponsors in the project are already reaping ROI in terms of concepts proved, ideas tested, and lessons learned. Additionally, the media buzz generated in each of dozens of ports along the journey have brought priceless interest in solar technology from sailors and landlubbers alike.
Bill Richardson: We Need an “Arab Spring” for the Environment
From right to left: Brian Merchant (TreeHugger), Bill Richardson, Nick Aster & Tim Hurst (LiveOakMedia)
Former Energy Secretary and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has spent the last few days in Abu Dhabi at the World Future Energy Summit discussing renewable energy and sustainability issues with world leaders and luckily for us, a few bloggers.
Our conversation this morning was a mostly optimistic look at the inevitability of renewable energy’s rise to dominance – and the various roadblocks and catalysts along the way. We all admired, in particular, the wisdom that the United Arab Emirates has had with regards to prioritizing r&d in renewable energy despite being overflowing with fossil fuel wealth. By hosting massive conferences on the subject and by creating renewable energy companies like Masdar, the UAE has made a very skillful move to become a center of renewable energy innovation. Even in the US, increased costs, political instability, price fluctuations, and a growing environmental consciousness indicate that fossil fuels’ singular dominance will eventually wane, despite our rather meek political commitment to the fact.
That’s not news to anyone reading TriplePundit, so I asked the Governor what kind of role government can and should play in moving things along.
Siemens to Locate Middle East Headquarters in Masdar City
Soon to be Siemen's new Middle East headquarters at Masdar City
If you still don’t know much about Masdar City, I’ll have an in-depth photo essay and tour online in a day or two.
Do your homework as it’s likely that the global audience will start to hear about progress at Masdar more regularly in the future. The (almost) entirely self-sustaining, carbon free experiment in the desert of Abu Dhabi has landed its first big corporate tenant – Siemens.
Technically this is old news (it was announced in 2010 and ground was broken in October) but coupled with the energy of Masdar City’s second phase the partnership with Siemens takes on a lot of meaning. No less than 1000 Siemens employes (and ultimately as many as 2000) will work at Masdar City. Many may choose to live there as well. It’s both a validation of progress at Masdar City itself as well as a brilliant move by Siemens to get in on the action taking place in research, experimentation, and ultimately a massive piece of publicity for smart urban design in general (at least that’s my theory).
Abu Dhabi to Power Scotland’s Renewable Energy Revolution
First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond Discusses the Masdar Partnership
Last week we reported on Scotland’s ambitious target to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2020. It turns out a major component of the plan may derive from another ambitious development – a tight partnership with Abu Dhabi on technology development and investment. Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond outlined the agreement today at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.
Why does this matter?
Both Scotland and Abu Dhabi are small semi-independent geographic entities who also happen to have a lot of oil and gas resources (just a wee bit more in Abu Dhabi). Despite possessing fossil fuel riches, both also have made ambitious and legitimate commitments to developing alternatives to fossil fuels – and are working on using fossil fuels as a bridge to get there.
By taking on investment, Scotland stands to move forward quickly in a variety of ways. More importantly, if any of the following are successful, Scotland stands to reap a windfall in both cheap energy and intellectual capital while the rest of the world crawls to keep up.
Ban Ki Moon Talks Big About Future Energy
As an American, I’m always a little doubtful about how much good the United Nations can actually accomplish – especially when it comes to radically changing the face of worldwide energy production. Nonetheless, Ban Ki Moon gave a motivated and well-thought-out talk this morning at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Even if it was mostly talk, it was a good talk and the room, which included heads of state from China, Korea, and the UAE seemed to be paying attention.
The main gist – the launching of the “International Year of Sustainable Energy For All“. The UN Secretary General plainly stated he found it “unacceptable” that over 3 billion people globally are still cooking with charcoal, wood and animal waste (among other things) and set out his goal to address three specific objectives by 2030:
1) Achieve universal access to modern energy services – specifically reliable clean energy for lighting and cooking to combat what is known as “energy poverty.”
2) Doubling the “rate of improvement” to efficiency – a somewhat vague term which implies accelerating innovation on many things from energy production to storage and use.
3) Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global mix – although the specific types of renewable energy were not mentioned.
World Future Energy Summit Kicks off in Abu Dhabi
The UAE flag flies over "heritage village" - a recreation of older times as modernity looms in the distance
It’s that time of year again – when global thought leaders and politicians descend upon the desert emirate of Abu Dhabi to discuss the future of energy and all that relates to it. The World Future Energy Summit begins tomorrow and I’ll be here to cover it.
This year’s theme ‘Powering Sustainable Innovation,’ will manifest in both a high-level conference and enormous trade show exhibition, with companies from all over the world promoting their latest products and services. From giant corporations like ExxonMobil and General Electric to scrappy solar startups, renewably minded and not, they’re all here.
Highlights to come:
New Electric Ford Fusion Takes Detroit by Storm
The level of drama associated with the unveiling of a new model of car is something to behold – especially for someone who’s not particularly into cars. At the crack of dawn this morning, with appropriately dramatic pomp at the North American International Auto show in Detroit, Ford CEO Alan Mulally and his team revealed several new varieties of the Ford Fusion. You might have though it was the next Apollo moon landing by the volume and excitement in the room.
Although I was disappointed the cars did not fly, the innovation they represent is significant in a number of ways, most notably in terms of fuel efficiency, hybrid technology and a solid commitment to fully electric drive.
Behold, the glory… (video and photos after the jump)
Google Helps Drive Electric Ford Focus to Market
We’ve been following along with Ford’s answer to the Nissan Leaf for some time, and not just because we like butterflies. The all-electric version of the Ford Focus is expected to be the first five-passenger electric vehicle that will exceed “100 MPGe” – a measurement that allows better comparison of electric and gas vehicles.
The Focus is supposed to charge in half the time that it takes a Nissan Leaf – an accomplishment that means more driving and less hassle for enthusiastic new electric car owners. Additionally, recycled and renewable materials coupled with clever partnerships with solar energy producers make the Focus a contender among the many new electric car offerings.
Walmart’s Green Room Blog Launches
At long last, Walmart has entered the sustainable blogosphere with a new site called “The Green Room” (not to be confused with our own green room project with BBMG). Walmart’s new offering is a self described “platform for an ongoing conversation with NGOs, suppliers, the media, and others who want to share ideas and partner with us in helping people live better around the world.” It’s simple, clear and a good start. Whether it becomes a deep and productive conduit for progress on sustainability shall remain to be seen in 2012.
The site is based around the three goals handed down by former CEO Lee Scott a few years back:
- To be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy
- To create zero waste
- To sell products that sustain our resources and the environment
All of these are likely more theoretical than truly achievable, but having them front-and-center in a publicly facing conversation effort is commendable.
Yellow Pages: Will the Madness Ever Stop?
Special Delivery
This post gets easier to write every year. As I’ve reported many times in the past, a truckload of yellow pages has been dropped off at my apartment building. This year, there seems to be a new technique – actually putting the individual bags at each apartment’s door instead of just dumping them in the foyer. This likely increases uptake of the books since no one wants to be blamed for having debris in the hallway in front of their door.
Turns out the timing was quite good this year as I have a broken slat under my bed. The phonebook fits nicely underneath it and gets rid of an annoying sag that I’d noticed last week. This is probably the most well-used phonebook in the building.
On a more serious note, let’s think about what all these phonebooks amount to. Millions upon millions are printed every year for an ever decreasing number of users. The best statistics I can find suggest that a little less than 50% of Americans used the print yellow pages in the last month. That’s actually a lot higher than I would have thought, but considering the source of that data is the Yellow Pages trade association, it might be a wee bit optimistic. Needless to say, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that printed directories are quickly going downhill. Furthermore, judging by the number of phone books that never left my foyer last year, and the scorn with which my neighbors discussed them, it’s obvious that an increasing number of people view the books as little more than a public nuisance. I also argue they are a scam on advertisers who think they are reaching far more people than they actually do.
But I have an idea…
How Black Friday Creates a Marketing Opportunity for Alternatives
At BSR a few weeks ago I was excited to have Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn directly answer my question “Is promoting Black Friday midnight sales contrary to social responsibility?” His answer was pretty straightforward: No, it’s not irresponsible, it’s responding to what the market wants. Best Buy’s competitors do it, people want it, and it’s a part of modern culture that a lot of people look forward to.
Additionally, Dunn mentioned that he himself would be at a local Best Buy store at midnight, in the parking lot, directing traffic and working to pep up the crowd. As long as we’re concerned about employee welfare and the desire for some employees to be home with their families, you can’t call the man a hypocrite.
With last Friday’s sales apparently the best in history, it’s hard to argue that Black Friday is not an important economic event. Perhaps begrudgingly to many of us, it’s also an important cultural event – satisfying a certain core instinct to hunt and gather treasure and gain the satisfaction that comes with finding a bargain.
Stephanie Clifford of the New York Times even implied last week (perhaps unintentionally) that shunning Black Friday might be a tad elitist. She argued that the days following Thanksgiving are the best opportunity all year for folks of modest income to meet their annual needs and that those sitting at home enjoying themselves on Friday were more likely to be higher income individuals. Black Friday may be unpleasant in many ways, but it’s a critical for millions of Americans. Granted, the definition of “critical” could depend on how badly you actually need that new TV.
Sustainable Logistics Can Really Make a Difference
In the previous post in the series, we talked about measuring a supply chain’s carbon footprint and a few ways to reduce it. Today, I’d like to expand upon that, and discuss the importance of logistics in achieving substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions while saving money at the same time.
“Delivering Tomorrow: Towards Sustainable Logistics”, a study released in October 2010, suggests that sustainability is key for the future success of the logistics industry. According to the study, logistics plays a key role in comprehensive carbon reduction efforts because of its expertise and positioning along the supply chain. The study also points out a number of interesting facts, including:
- 63% of business customers believe that logistics will become a strategic lever for CO2 abatement.
- 38% of risk managers consider the availability and price of fuel and power as one of the top future risks for companies.
- Out of 1.62 billion tons of truck emissions in Europe, roughly one quarter are caused by trucks running empty – often due to legal requirements.
- Aerodynamic drag is responsible for 40% of the fuel consumption of heavy trucks at highway speeds.
- 253 million tons of packaging is used annually in the consumer industry — half paper, half plastic. The paper requires 7 million trees to be felled.
- 84% of consumers in China, India, Malaysia and Singapore say they would accept a higher price for green products. By comparison, only 50% of consumers in Western countries are willing to pay more.
Just the one item about the number of trucks running empty gives some inkling of the kind of difference logistics can make.
UPS, which recently received the highest score in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Global 500 Leadership Index, also knows a thing or two about logistics and its relationship to sustainability. For example, working with Toto USA, a plumbing supply company, UPS was able utilize offsets to provide carbon neutral shipping as part of that company’s overall sustainability strategy. UPS uses its proprietary Carbon Emissions Calculator V3.1, which includes the GHG Protocol Scopes 1, 2 and 3 in its calculations.
In the first year, they achieved 75,000 carbon neutral shipments. That translates into a lot of positive work being done through the offsets that are verified by SGS Group and implemented by myclimate.org andCarbonneutral.com.
According to the study mentioned earlier, logistics generates around 10% of the EU’s GDP. Meanwhile the 2009 World Economic Forum found out that the logistics industry is responsible for around 2.8 m metric tons of GHG emissions per year, which is around 5.5% of global GHG emissions. It is clear that improving logistics efficiency is essential. Around 60% of this burden comes from road freight.
Logistics companies are clearly motivated to do something about this since it directly impacts both their competitiveness and their bottom line. Options today are limited but growing. Moving to a less energy-intensive mode of transport such as rail, for example, is not always an option. But as new technologies are becoming available, logistics companies are quickly incorporating them.
Meanwhile, UPS announced last year that it was adding 130 hybrid electric trucks to its existing fleet of 250 hybrids. The trucks are made by Freightliner with drive systems from Eaton.
All told, UPS utilizes over 2,400 alternative vehicles including all-electric, CNG, LNG, hydraulic hybrids and propane powered drive trains. UPS also is one of the largest users of rail transportation in the U.S.
Other measures they take include:
- Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMIs): The PMI process ensures peak performance and results in better fuel economy and lower emissions.
- Package Flow Technologies (PFT): Effectively and efficiently delivering more than 15 million packages and documents a day. UPS has implemented several tools and procedures, called Package Flow Technologies, to optimize delivery routes.
- Routing technology: Since 2001, UPS has optimized its processes of allocating pickups and deliveries to the most efficient number of vehicles. Through this optimization, UPS has avoided driving 183 million miles, resulting in reduced fuel use and less emissions.
- Idling: UPS drivers are trained to always turn off their package cars when they stop for a delivery, never idling at the curb or in a driveway. Even if the driver is out of the truck for a few seconds, the vehicle is always turned off.
- Lido: UPS uses a special program to calculate the most efficient air travel routes based on weather, winds, terrain and other factors. Through various strategies, including the re-dispatch of international flights, the program has managed to save more than one million gallons of fuel.
- Continuous Decent Approach (CDA): Working to conserve fuel, limit emissions and reduce noise, UPS has tested CDA, which uses the jet’s idle power to glide toward the airport. At 1,000 feet, the aircraft’s power is again engaged to land the craft. UPS is currently awaiting FAA approval to implement this procedure on a broader basis.
As our society continues to evolve in a more sustainable direction, there will be many changes, but sustainable logistics, as we have seen here, can clearly make a difference.
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