Archive for the ‘building materials’ Category

« Older Entries

Rio+20: Cities and Sustainability

Thursday, May 31st, 2012


Share

Rio+20, or The Earth Summit as it is widely known, is fast approaching and will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 20 – 22, 2012. Rio is a city transformed from where it was and what it looked like in 1992 when the world first met there at the “First Earth Summit” to try to figure out a plan to work together to create a more sustainable future for us all. Rio is a more well known example of some of the amazing cities that you will be introduced to in Ashley Halligan’s guest post on Cities and Sustainability.

Ashley’s post is the first in a series on the hopes, dreams and ideals behind this important Summit. Join us as we find reason to hope and feel positive about the future, as we learn more about the people, cities and companies that aren’t waiting on National governments to “figure it out” (’cause we aren’t sure they ever will) but that are forging ahead and creating a sustainable and promising world for tomorrow, today. Grab the kids in your life and “read on” as Ashley shares with us some of the exciting and innovative success stories found in cities around the globe.

“Lesser Known” Global Urban Sustainability Projects: by Ashley Halligan

Sustainability as a trend is certainly not new, but its popularity and and level of innovativeness is certainly growing. Some cities have been world leaders in environmental initiatives for quite some time. Perhaps serving as inspiration for other cities to create their own sustainability projects, these cities have set the bar respectably high.

Some of the latest innovations, from development, social, and even full-blown makeovers, have shown us that any city can either begin or become sustainable–even if it seems quite a challenge. Today, we’ll take a look at four cities serving as up-and-coming global leaders in sustainability initiatives–all with vastly different approaches.

Medellin, Colombia is first on our list–and is an example of a “makeover city” with its emphasis on transit development. Once deemed the most violent city in the world and a mecca for drug trafficking, Medellin has surprised us all by winning the 2012 Sustainable Transport Award alongside San Francisco, awarded by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy. With a new slew of public transit options making transportation available to all Medellin residents, and the implementation of an innovative escalator system connecting Medellin’s formerly poorest neighborhood to its city center, its initiatives have also resulted in a 90 percent reduction in crime rate since the projects began–credited by Mayor Alonso Salazar.

Naples, Italy is another example of a “makeover city,” tackling challenges of both excess waste and violence–though, Naples is a

Credit: Ashley Halligan

prime example of a social initiative. Naples’ residents have countered the ongoing trash crisis (much accredited to the Camorra–a local Mafia-like organization) by hosting things like flash-mob park clean-ups, and guerrilla gardening groups in an effort to clean the city’s waste-lined streets, Mount Vesuvius National Park, beautify parks and gardens, and restore the city to its former grandeur.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a city whose current mayor, Mike Nutter, decided to overcome the city’s recent declaration by the U.S. Department of Energy calling Philadelphia a “Solar America City,” stating the city displayed “both a compelling need and an important opportunity to accelerate solar application.” Nutter decided he’d make Philly the “greenest” city in the country with a six-year, 14-initiative plan addressing all points the city was previously lacking in.

Lastly, Songdo, South Korea represents that development and made-from-scratch urban metropolis can, in fact, be quite sustainable. Literally built on top of swampland just 40 miles outside of Seoul, Songdo has more Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) facilities than any other city in the world. A state-of-the-art city designed with sustainability as the primary focus, the city also has 40-percent green space with a 100-acre Central Park–but also boasts South Korea’s tallest building–in South Korea’s first LEED Neighborhood. Songdo is a great example of a sustainability blending with inventiveness.

Whichever direction you’re coming from, these cities give a broad example as to the possibilities when an eco-consciousness is paired with innovative mindfulness.

Ashley Halligan is a market analyst at Austin-based Software Advice, a consumer resource. A freelance journalist and travel writer, she’s also editor-in-chief of Austin Lifestyle Magazine. Connected with her via LinkedIn or follow her travels on Facebook.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Construction, In The News, Politics, Recycling, Renewable Energy, building materials | 1 Comment »

My Take on The Canadian Tar Sands

Tuesday, July 12th, 2011

My take on the Canadian Tar Sands?! A juggernaut, seemingly unstoppable, a source of unimaginable profits for multinational energy companies versus shortsighted Russian roulette for the rest of us, for our planet, for our environment and for our economy. Development of the Tar Sands needs to be slowed and stopped if we have a hope of reducing our global carbon emissions, but to do this we need to slow down the “receiving end, our demand for oil, as well as development of proposed pipelines that would take the oil from the tar sands to refineries around the world”….at the same time we need to build up capacity of renewable energy.

Photo Credit: M. Shugarman Suncor Plant 2011

These massive Tar Sands mining and processing projects aren’t against any local or national laws. Morally, I believe what is happening is wrong, but that is certainly debatable.

Reality however, as reported by scientists, is that human caused greenhouse gases, attributable to the burning of fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) are causing our climate to change. Reality, as reported by scientists, tells us that IF we keep the Tar Sands oil in the ground, we have a hope of managing our changing climate. Reality, as reported by scientists, tells us that if we burn all the tar sand oil “all bets are off.” The spin in Fort McMurray the epicenter of Tar Sands mining, and Reality, as reported by the Tar Sands Industry, the Alberta Government and broad public opinion, is that the Tar Sands are an important source of jobs (employing by some estimates directly and indirectly 20% of Alberta’s work force), a solid revenue stream for the province and a safe and secure source of oil for all. Reality as reported by scientists, isn’t high on the agenda of industry and government, when it comes to the Tar Sands.

With a current capacity of just over 1 million barrels, the oil industry is gearing up to double production in the short term, and almost triple production by 2025. Scientists tell us this would be equivalent to releasing a massive carbon bomb that would, to quote scientist James Hansen, “increase the atmospheric concentration of CO2 by 50%…” creating a planet permanently “out of balance.” This increase in C02 would result in worldwide extreme weather events that would become a regular part of life, threatening our very existence.

Born and raised in Alberta, it is obvious that the economy of the province rises and falls on oil production and mining. When I was growing up, unconventional oil like the Tar Sands were an “impossible dream” of many, too expensive to develop. However, current prices at close to $100.00 a barrel make the mining obstacles, no obstacles

Photo Credit: cbc.ca

at all.

My personal tour of the Suncor mine, one of numerous multinational oil companies that have leased land in Northern Alberta from the provincial government, was mindboggling. The scale of the operations, which are massive, are hard to comprehend, even when one is on site. I watched as “mega size” trucks, 3 stories high, costing over $4 million dollars each, with tires that can be had for a mere $70,000, received tar sands from shovel trucks 5 stories high – what I imagine to be every “little boy” and “big boys” dream – literally a Transformer Movie, coming to life.

The town of Fort McMurray is the fastest growing city in Canada. As well, its population may be the most diverse, with Ethiopians, Nigerians, Venezuelans, and Pakistanis, mixing with Canadians and Americans, and Native Canadians, all gearing up to “make their fortune.” As I was told by several people I met in Fort McMurray, and many people I talked to while visiting my home town of Edmonton, a commonly held believe is that the Tar Sands are providing, safe, secure access to a necessary commodity. Tar Sands oil keeps “the lights on” and the neighbors to the south in the USA, satisfied by shoring up access to relatively inexpensive oil and gasoline that runs cars, heat homes and keep the economy running.

The province of Alberta is about the size of Texas. The Tar Sands area is roughly equivalent in size to the state of New York. The Alberta Tar Sands are located in the Canadian Boreal Forest, on the banks of the mighty Athabasca River which provides water to the oil companies, an integral part of Tar Sands extraction and production. A massive and controversial area, Tar Sands expansion must be closely monitored, followed, studied and slowed down. Unfortunately, the Tar Sands are so far removed from large populations and so difficult to get to, that the old adage “what happens in Fort McMurray, stays in Fort McMurray” really seems to be the case.

THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE. THE PRESSURE NEEDS TO STAY ON. GET INVOLVED, BRING REALITY TO THE ALBERTA TAR SANDS.

Yours,

Climate Mama

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Climate Mama News, Construction, Politics, Recycling, Renewable Energy, Science, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy, building materials | No Comments »

Tar Sands Facts: What’s It All Mean, What’s All the Fuss?

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011


A few quick “Tar Sands Facts” are to help you understand the basics of ‘what all the fuss is about!”

As a general comment, the Tar Sands found in Alberta are in fact an oily, sticky, sand like substance (which looks a bit like “tar,” hence the name) which is actually a naturally occurring substance called “bitumen.” The bitumen is mined via various methods, “upgraded” on site to a synthetic crude oil, which is then shipped via pipeline to refineries all over Canada and the USA for further processing. The controversy lies both in the amount of energy and water required to mine and refine the bitumen in Canada, as well as the moral and ethical issue of what happens when all of the oil mined at the Tar Sands is “used” (in our cars, to heat our homes, and to run our factories) and the resulting release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which are the primary cause of global warming and in turn the cause of the dangerous precipice we humans have placed our planet, and our future on.

Location: Often called “Oil Sands” this oil reserve, is approximately 54,000 square miles, or about the same size as the state of New York and is located in the northern part of the province of Alberta, near the Athabasca River and the Canadian Boreal Forest.

Tar vs Oil: While the oil from the Alberta “tar sands” more resembles Tar than Oil, Tar is a synthetic substance and oil sands in its “natural occurring state” is oil mixed with sand. The Petroleum Industry uses the term “oil sands” rather than the term “tar sands.”

Capacity: The Tar Sands area is estimated to contains 170 of Canada’s 178 BILLION barrels of oil reserves and represents the world’s second largest reserve after Saudi Arabia. To put this into perspective, the Gulf Oil disaster is estimated to have leaked 4.4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the according to the CIA World Fact Book, the US daily consumption of oil is approximately 18.7 million barrels.

Barrel of Oil: Oil is no longer shipped around the world in “barrels” but is distributed via pipeline. Oil is “priced” per barrel, hence the measurement continues to be used. According to the Alberta Government, “a barrel is approximately 35 Imperial gallons, 42 U.S. gallons or 159 litres, roughly equivalent to the volume of liquid held by a standard bathtub.”

Tar Sand: Naturally occurring mixture of sand or clay, water and bitumen.

Tar Sands: Summer 2011

Bitumen: According to the Alberta Government bitumen “is a heavy and extremely viscous [sticky or gummy] oil that must be treated before it can be used by refineries to produce usable fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Bitumen is so viscous that at room temperature it acts much like cold molasses. A variety of treatment methods are currently available to oil sands producers and new methods are put into practice as more research is completed and new technology is developed.”

Crude Oil: is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon that when refined, or processed by a manufacturing method is turned into fuel used in cars, jets, heating oil and thousands of other petroleum based products , including plastics!

Synthetic Crude: is a hydrocarbon which is “changed” by a chemical process into a crude oil that can be further “changed” into a fuel. Bitumen, through a chemical process which changes the “stickiness” or viscosity of the substance, is “upgraded” to synthetic crude, which is then “further upgraded” along the lines at different refineries into a wider range of petrochemical products.

Bitumen Upgrading and Refining: Extracting bitumen from the Tar Sands is done using two methods of mining, Open Pit and In-Situ. Open pit, is, as you would imagine it, a mining operations using shovels and trucks to transport bitumen that isn’t too far below the land surface to an “upgrading” facility so that is becomes synthetic crude. In-situ (or in place) uses steam to heat the tar sand underground until it is “fluid” enough to be pumped by a a well to the surface. Only 3% of the Alberta Tar Sands is accessible via open-pit mining.

Did you miss our earlier posts on the Tar Sand? Check back to see why we are so interested and stay tuned for our next update. We will help you understand the carbon footprint of tar sands oil vs conventional crude ie. why this type of oil extraction and production is so much more controversial than “regular” oil, and, in our opinion, if this controversy is warranted.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Climate Mama News, Construction, Renewable Energy, building materials | No Comments »

Year of the Forest, Mass Extinctions, Living Plastic Free – It’s a wRAP, January 28th, 2011

Friday, January 28th, 2011

Did you know that the United Nations has designated 2011 as the Year of the Forest? Officially called Forest 2011 – With the theme “Forest for People” – countries and organizations all over the world will use a wide range of programs and events to bring attention to the importance of forests. The UN officially “launched” the program this week at UN Headquarters in NYC. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): “Forests protect our watersheds and conserve our soil. They help combat climate change by absorbing and storing vast amounts of carbon, provide food, building materials and medicine, and are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity.” Talk to the kids in your life, see if you can come up with your own family or community plan to celebrate our forests. Let us know!

In the News this week we take a look at a story from an old “friend” Raffi, as well as what the New York Times has to say about mass species extinctions. In our Video Peek of the Week we showcase the film “Climate Refugees” which was the talk of the recent Sundance film festival. Another one of our new “favorite” documentaries, Gasland, also recognized at Sundance, was nominated this week for an Oscar. We’ll talk “fracking” next week, stay tuned!

We wanted to let you in on our newest campaign and ask you to “jump on board” with us on this one. We have signed up with Rodale.com as a participant in their Plastic Free Challenge. Climate Mama has the kids on board, and we plan to bring you regular updates, starting February 7th, on our personal trials and tribulations of living in NJ, plastic free! Stay tuned, as the program begins next week on Rodale.com. Plastic has become ubiquitous in our society. It is a symptom and a byproduct of not only our throw away, consumption based economy, but also our demand and expectation for convenience. As our land fills fill up, and our use of single use plastics continues to increase, the role of plastics in our lives, and plastics role as a contributor to global warming, needs to be closely examined. Join us on our adventure, as we look closely at how intertwined plastics have become in our daily lives. We plan to get everyone involved, including the family dog, so stay tuned! Join us. Share with us how plastic has become an integral part of your day to day living, and how your life might change if you went “without!”

Tags: ,
Posted in Art, Fashion, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle & Fun, Oceans & Water, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy, Weekly Climate Mama wRAP, building materials | 1 Comment »

Facebook Games, Cement, Plastic Bags in LA, Updates from our Partners and Climate Change Art from Space – It’s a wRAP, November 19, 2010

Friday, November 19th, 2010

Grab the kids in your life and together take the Trendsetter Pledge at Repower At Home! We know you are already a trendsetter: you turn the lights out when you leave a room, adjust the thermostat regularly, unplug energy “vampires” and generally promote environmental sustainability. By signing the Repower at Home pledge you can let the whole world know! And btw, while you have the attention of the kids in your life, tell them about a new Facebook Game eMission, which has a social mission (you don’t necessarily have to tell them that part!)—fighting climate change through offline actions. The game encourages gamers to build and save their habitat by completing offline energy-efficient and environmentally friendly actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions—such as changing incandescent bulbs to ENERGY STAR qualified bulbs; powering down computers; recycling plastic bags, bottles, or aluminum cans; walking, biking, or taking public transportation for a week; and more! Each action gives users a snapshot of their individual carbon savings as well as the collective savings impact if we all join together to fight climate change. Participants can also win eco-friendly prizes and scholarships from DoSomething.org

Did you know that Los Angeles County voted earlier this week to ban stores from using single-use plastic bags? Under the ordinance, single-use plastic grocery bags are banned at grocery stores, pharmacies and other shops in unincorporated Los Angeles County areas. The population in LA’s unincorporated areas is about 1.1 million people.

Did you hear that 350.org is taking the next two weeks to focus on “350 EARTH” — art projects visible from space? November 20-27, 2010 is the week before the

Photo credit: Juliet Mciver

UN climate meetings in Cancun – and 350.org is organizing the first ever planetary art show: 350 EARTH. In more than a dozen locations around the planet, artists are partnering with citizens to create massive art installations around the theme of climate change, from its impacts (like a sea-level rise design in New York City) to its solutions (like a solar-powered design in South Africa). Each image will be photographed from space, courtesy of DigitalGlobe’s generous donation of their satellite time to document the story (next best thing to a space ship!)

Check in with 350.org, some cities are still looking for volunteers to be part of “making” the art, you can also help just by spread the word about the art projects. We “almost” got to help Molly Dilworth, with her amazing installation in NYC, but she was too fast for us and finished before we could get there to help! Enjoy.

If you missed this week’s Green Mom’s Carnival on Cement, check it out at Retro Housewife Goes Green. We bet cement is a product that you have given little thought to, yet it is actually the 3rd largest producer of human caused greenhouse gases and a terrible pollutant that affects us all. See what the “Green Moms” have to say about it!

Also, if you somehow missed the “newsflash” about our appearance on The Balancing Act, check it out in Climate Mama News this week! Happy Friday.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Construction, Games & Toys, Green Moms Carnival, Lifestyle & Fun, Weekly Climate Mama wRAP, building materials | No Comments »

« Older Entries

Welcome to Climate Mama

welcome

You are a mother, a father, a grandparent, an uncle, an aunt, a teacher or a child at heart. When you hear the Native American saying, “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, it makes you stop for a moment and think. You love nature, travel, adventure and believing in a world that is special and unique. Climate change and global warming are words that alarm you, that often seem too big to get your arms around. You care about what’s happening to the world and notice small changes in your own life that seem to point in the direction of a threatened environment. But you wonder if these changes are real, and if they are you can’t imagine what you can do to help change what is happening.

Read more

Climate Mamas and Papas

mama papa

Climate Change so often seems too big to get our hands around. We wonder where we can start and how we can actually make a difference. Each one of us has a different path that we will follow. Some of us cut a wider swath than others, but each of us has a role to play. We would like to introduce you to some amazing individuals, Climate Mamas and Papas who are making a difference, who are, through their daily lives, affecting the lives of all of us. They inspire us, empower us, and challenge us to reach for the stars, to strive to do the best we can to help change the crash course we are currently on with our environment. Lets meet some of these amazing people and find out what inspires them. Meet our featured Climate Mama, Desiree Di Mauro today!

Read more

Featured Partner & Campaigns

 

The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change. With a global movement that is more than 2 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Leaders, Climate Reality is "spreading the truth and unleashing the cultural momentum to solve the climate crisis."

Read more