As if turning grapes into wine wasn’t enough, now wineries are aiming to transform their waste into fuel.

The first example of a new renewable method for generating hydrogen fuel from wastewater is now operating at a California winery. The refrigerator-sized generator takes waste from the Napa Wine Company in Oakville, Calif., and feeds it to microbes inside. With the aid of a little electricity, these naturally occurring bacteria break the organic material in the wastewater into hydrogen gas.

There is a lot more energy locked in the wastewater than is currently used to treat it, explained researcher Bruce Logan, an environmental engineer at Penn State University. Eventually, the winery would like to use the hydrogen to run vehicles and power systems.
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California residents are widely regarded as some of the most eco-friendly citizens in the nation. Now state lawmakers aim to make local consumer electronics extra green as well. A rule before the California Energy Commission would impose the nation’s first energy-efficiency requirements for flat-screen TVs, a mandatory standard that is expected to be copied by other states.

“The goal here is a simple one,” Noah Horowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, told commissioners at a hearing Tuesday. “We want to ensure that every TV sold in California is an efficient one.”

While there has been tremendous effort among consumer electronics and PC manufacturers to eliminate hazardous toxics and to reduce the overall power consumption of our gadgets and devices, progress comes in dribs and drabs without official oversight, some argue.

To that end, a vote on the standard could come as early as next month.

Some manufacturers argue a mandatory power standard would hamper innovation, limit consumer choice and hurt California electronics retailers. For example, the LA Times spoke with Doug Johnson, the Consumer Electronics Association’s senior director for technology policy. He argued that “voluntary efforts are succeeding without regulations,” warning that too much government interference could hamstring industry innovation and prove expensive to manufacturers and consumers.

At January’s consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, I noticed that pretty much every manufacturer of televisions was already touting innovations to reduce power consumption. But did that message get through to consumers? When you bought your new high-definition flat screen TV, did energy consumption factor into the decision?

Can a lifestyle double as college credit, even a certificate?

The University of Iowa is offering a certificate in sustainability this fall, and one person has signed up so far.

But recent UI graduate Eric Holthaus has dedicated his job, apartment, and habits to being environmentally friendly.

“The idea is being aware and learning a formalized way to show a lifestyle,” said Holthaus.

He is an intern in the UI Office of Sustainability, created last December as an effort to bring green to a solidly black-and-gold campus.

On July 10, Holthaus manned a table at the information fair at freshman Orientation.

Approximately 40 students signed up, expressing interest in the new certificate. Only one person enrolled, but Holthaus said the program is valuable to students in all majors.
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There were many successes throughout my month of green living. My compost pile, above, was not one of them. Photo by Andy Kroll

So this is it. My final post for “Going Green: Cutting Environmental Impact on Campus,” this fascinating, frustrating, peculiar, enjoyable and enlightening month-long project to live as sustainably and “green” as possible.

No more blogging and writing and filming about solar-powered vibrators or Zipcars or “green” grocery shopping or unsatisfying Wendy’s salads or phantom energy. (At least for UWireGreen.com) In that sense, this post is an ending of sorts.

But it’s a beginning, too. The question I’ve been asked most often by friends, family and other journalists is whether I’ll keep up with my new green lifestyle.

To be honest, I didn’t think twice in responding. With all this knowledge about sustainability and eco-friendly consumption, I fully intend to keep living as “green” as I can from now on.

I may not be writing about it (as much), but that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave all of my appliances plugged in, indulge in 30-minute showers and eat steaks and pork each night of the week. Read More…

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. negotiator on climate change said Tuesday that he is slightly more optimistic about striking a new international agreement to curb global warming after a two-day meeting with the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

Todd Stern, the U.S. special envoy for climate change, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday that he is “a bit more optimistic” that the U.S. will be able to broker a new deal in Copenhagen in December.

But he warned that it is not going to be easy, since many of the potential sticking points for a new global pact still need to be worked out.

“I walk away more optimistic,” Stern said at the conclusion of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. “It does not change the fact that the issues are extremely difficult, that it is not going to be easy to reach agreement, or we wouldn’t be doing this.” Read More…