Publishing Industry to Cut Carbon Emissions 20 Percent by 2020, 80 Percent by 2050

I used to work in the publishing industry, and while it was a super awesome place to work (as my homeboy Thomas Jefferson once said "I cannot live without books"), I was always bummed by the amount of waste we created every day. For example, we would have a pdf file of a first draft of a manuscript, and instead of e-mailing that pdf file around, my boss would have me print out a separate copy for each person who needed it (single sides, anywhere in between 100 and 300 pages).

Even worse, we didn't even have accessible recycling bins. There was literally one recycling bin on each floor, and people were too busy to go to it. They would just dump piles and piles of paper in the trash every day. And this was only for the first draft - same thing would happen with successive drafts, with the promo copies, and with the preview copies we sent for around for PR. And all of this before the printing of the actual book!

There are some "good" reasons for why we had to print all these copies out instead of sending pdf files. My generation is the first generation to really get used to spending more than 30 minutes reading on a screen, and even we are still slightly uncomfortable with it. My guess is that it won't be until the next generation that people are completely committed to online or electronic books. All of the higher ups, even in the publishing industry, just can't handle reading an entire manuscript on their screen.

A perfect example of this is the Amazon Kindle. Here is this amazing device, the same size as a book, where you can buy "books" for cheaper than in their paper versions and where you can carry 50 or so "books" around at the same time and in the same amount of space as a single book would usually take. People should be buying these by the truckload! And while Kindle sales are taking off, they are doing so very slowly and mostly with the younger generation. But I digress.

The fact of the matter is that people who grew up reading physical books still like reading physical books. They are uncomfortable reading them on a computer screen. The end result of this is that the publishing industry routinely cuts down 30 MILLION trees to make into the books that we buy each year.

There is some good news though: The Book Industry Environmental Council said today that it has set goals of cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020 -- and slashing them 80 percent by 2050.

While my problem with the publishing industry has more to do with the physical waste of paper than with overall CO2 emissions, cutting down on CO2 will also mean cutting down on paper waste. According to ClimateBiz.com, "the production, acquisition and use of paper are responsible for 65 percent of the U.S. book industry's carbon footprint. Increasing the use of recycled paper, ramping up the efficient use of all paper products, reducing returns and diverting books from landfills are among the steps that companies can take to reach the emissions goals."

It may not be perfect, but until we help out by doing all our reading electronically (something I admit I do not do, I LOVE my dog-eared paper books) it is a huge step in the right direction.

Can Algae Outperform Other Biofuels?

Here’s an article on the ever growing “algae revolution” where people stop chanting “drill baby, drill” and start chanting “grow baby, grow.” There are definitely upsides to algae, but do they outweigh the problems?

One group of people who say yes are the shrimp farmers in Gial Bend, AZ. Here, the newest algae project is not controlled by an army of scientists or funded with millions of dollars worth of government research grants. Rather, it's a desert shrimp farm changing with the times to produce biodiesel from algae, using some of the same algae that feed the shrimp.

With biodiesel prices at $4.81 a gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, these shrimp farmers hope to produce it for less than $3 a gallon. With these small farms being capable of producing 5,000 gallons of biofuel per acre in two years, there is definitely something to be said.

Algae is transformed into biofuels by pressing the oil out of the algae and then adding lye, sodium and ethanol as a catalyst to make the fuel more pure. The lye, sodium and ethanol can be reused.

Biofuels made from algae have an advantage over biofuels made from soybeans, palm oil or corn because algae is not a source of food, growing algae does not use agriculturally fertile land and algae can be grown in treated wastewater.

FROM ALGAE TO FUEL

* Algae is turned into biofuel in a process called transesterification.

* Biofuels made from algae contain around 90 percent of the energy in regular diesel but produce less CO2.

* Some forms of algae consist of more than 50 percent oil.

* Many vehicles would not have to convert to run on biodiesel.

FUEL POTENTIAL

Biodiesel potential, according to a report from the University of New Hampshire :

* 7.5 billion gallons of biodiesel can be produced in an area of 780 square miles.

* Biofuels take advantage of solar energy because plants use photosynthesis to convert solar energy into fuel.

* Certain strains of algae are among the most photosynthetically efficient plants.

* 15,000 square miles of algae production could replace all the petroleum-based transportation fuels needed in the United States.

Now if I could only start selling the algae growing on my f*&#ing fishtank...

Image provided by jurvetson

San Franciscans - How to Get a Free Bike Rack

When the bike improvement injunction is lifted in mid-2009, San Francisco is planning on installing nearly 1,000 new bike racks throughout the city. Make sure you get one where it will help you.


The SFBC (San Francisco Bike Coalition) has a handy little form you can fill out to request your bike rack. Just go to the Fix It! page and submit the quick form to let the city know. All they need is the address or business name and street. The city still needs additional requests to meet their goal, so keep them coming!

Image provided by LancerE

GM-Segway "PUMA" Hybrid - ROWR?

Wow, the blogosphere is really blowing up over this announcement. Apparently, GM and Segway are partnering to design a new "car" called the PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), a small, two wheeled vehicle designed to ease congestion and pollution problems in cities. So far, it seems to be getting mixed reviews.

According to GM, the PUMA runs on lithium ion batteries, can reach 35 miles per hour, and can travel up to 35 miles between charges. It also boasts some other sweet futuristic features, like the ability to know where other PUMA's are on the road, leaving the door open to the possibility of an eventual autopilot feature.

The attacks are coming from several places. Many people believe (I think correctly) that this is a PR stunt to clear GM of the stigma associated with the fact that it killed the electric car, and to boost its general standing as it attempts to restructure with help from the Obama Administration. I think these both go without saying, but it doesn't really bother me as long as we get a sweet, viable electric car out of it.

Others are miffed that a bicycle, a pair of shoes, public transportation or even a rickshaw are cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternatives. To these people I reply that comparing a bike or a pair of running shoes to the PUMA is comparing apples and oranges. We can't compare two products based on what they can do (get a person from place to place), but rather based on who will buy them (ie. potential market share).

I had an argument along these lines with a good friend back when the Segway first came out. To me, it seemed like the Segway was just the lazy person's bike (or worse, feet). Years before Wall-E, I was already envisioning a world full of fat lazy people who never had to walk anywhere.

The point my friend argued, which I now (mostly) agree with, is that the intended market share for the Segway was short distance commuters, ie. the people currently driving their cars short distances, not biking or walking them. The Segway was not meant to decrease market share for bikes or take over sidewalks -- it was intended to serve as a viable replacement for cars in urban areas. And it would have too, if not for the fact that (guess who!) the major car companies successfully lobbied to have Segways declared not street legal.

I see this new Segway/car the same way. The main difference is that this new version will now be labeled street legal because one of the Big Three has a vested interest in it. I have no intention of turning in my bike for one of these things, but I know a lot of short distance commuters who might be easily convinced to substitute it for their cars.

Although PUMA, guys -- really? I understand that you have a cool acronym there, but can't you at least come up with some sweet animal name that hasn't been used yet?

Ford Puma:Not so sweet.

Actual Puma:
Sweet.

Images provided by coltmaverick, exfordy and bslmmrs

Las Vegas Goes XERISCAPE

We all know that Las Vegas is the least sustainable place on the planet west of Dubai. As a born and bred LA native however, I still have a special place in my heart for Vegas as the only spot north of the border to do certain “unmentionable things” that would probably get you arrested just about anywhere else.

For this reason, and because I still love making my way to this Mecca of debauchery once or twice a year to blow a couple hundred bucks on blackjack and AMAZING food, I always cheer when I hear about some new green project Vegas is working on. Whether through the massive solar initiative they are pushing or the stricter building codes now being enforced for environmental reasons, there are undoubtedly some bright green spots in the tale of Sin City.

The latest one however caught even me by surprise.

Of all the wasteful things Las Vegas is known for, one of the most wasteful is its expanse of lush golf courses. Few landscaping techniques require as much maintenance, and produce as much waste, as golf courses. Acres and acres of fairways and greens require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a year, in addition to pounds of fertilizer and pesticides.

Enter Xeriscape (yeah, the name is pretty corny), a new way of designing golf courses meant to include as much local landscape in the layout as possible. In Vegas, this means losing some lush and beautiful (but unnecessary) decoration and fairway to rock and sand. It also means getting as much of your water as possible from greywater resources. A quick statistics on how much of a difference this makes:

Palm Valley

185 acres of turf – 34 acres replaced by xeriscape in 2002

Estimated water savings since then: 50 MILLION Gallons per year.

It may not be perfect (if they saved 50 million gallons a year by converting 34 acres, I wonder what the other 151 acres guzzles), but as there are few more perfect ways to spend a sunny day than out on the links with some good friends and good beer, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Image provided by danperry.com