Just getting my thoughts together on Biomass. Is this kind of how everyone else is going to go about this? Let me know.
Biomass
What is it: If you have ever burned wood then you have used a renewable source of energy known as biomass to produce heat. Biomass is defined as “organic material made from plants and animals.”
But energy does not exist is a vacuum, it comes from somewhere. On earth we get our energy from the suns rays. Plants absorb that energy through photosynthesis and animals chow down on plants (and sometimes other animals) to get energy as well.
So lets go back beside the fire for a moment. When you torch a log you are burning the suns stored energy and releasing it as heat and steam.
There are many other ways to gain access to stored energy in natural materials though. Below are some of the different types of technology.
Wood/Garbage waste
Biofuel
Biogas -Methane
Ethanol
Algae
Advantages: TK--
Disadvantages: Chemical reactions often have byproducts, which is just a fancy way of saying leftovers. In biomass reactions there is always waste left behind. TK--
Local Information:TK--
http://news.mongabay.com/bioenergy/2008/03/cu-boulder-awarded-project-solar.html
The Obama Factor: Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will receive a huge boost in funding. The Biomass Program will receive a hefty $800 million dollars in funding.
The Biomass Program's vision:
“A viable, sustainable domestic biomass industry that produces renewable biofuels, bioproducts and biopower, enhances U.S. energy security, reduces our dependence on oil, provides environmental benefits including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and creates economic opportunities across the nation.”
The stimulus sets aside this money for TK---
Additional Resources:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/biomass.html - an informative and basic description of biomass.
Information on Biomass lobbyist spending: http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?lname=US+Biomass+Power+Producers+Alliance&year=2008
Graphics/interactive ideas: TK--
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
NPR story on Stimulus
NPR had a story last night about the stimulus package where different people could call in and ask questions. Some of the questions were relevant to renewable energy so this might be a good thing to link up with....
-Joanna
-Joanna
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Wind Challenge? and Stimulus Dollars
Cassie - This might be interesting for you, or maybe you know something about it. I saw an ad in a mag - something about ClimateSmart and a Boulder County wind challenge. I don't know anything about it or if it's even current, but I thought you might find it interesting.
Also, on a general policy note: The White House blog site, http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/02/17/Signed-sealed-delivered-ARRA/, includes Obama's remarks about the stimulus package and provides a link to http://www.recovery.gov/, a site that will allow the public to track where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. Transparency made easy!
-Lauren
Also, on a general policy note: The White House blog site, http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/02/17/Signed-sealed-delivered-ARRA/, includes Obama's remarks about the stimulus package and provides a link to http://www.recovery.gov/, a site that will allow the public to track where the money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. Transparency made easy!
-Lauren
On renewable energy
I watched Obama's speech last night...good stuff that we should quote on the site! Here, from the NY Times transcript:
"Because we know we can’t power America’s future on energy that’s controlled by foreign dictators, we are taking a big step down the road to energy independence, and laying the groundwork for a new, green energy economy that can create countless well-paying jobs. It’s an investment that will double the amount of renewable energy produced over the next three years, and provide tax credits and loan guarantees to companies like Namaste Solar, a company that will be expanding, instead of laying people off, as a result of the plan I am signing.
In the process, we will transform the way we use energy. Today, the electricity we use is carried along a grid of lines and wires that dates back to Thomas Edison – a grid that can’t support the demands of clean energy. This means we’re using 19th and 20th century technologies to battle 21st century problems like climate change and energy security. It also means that places like North Dakota can produce a lot of wind energy, but can’t deliver it to communities that want it, leading to a gap between how much clean energy we are using and how much we could be using.
The investment we are making today will create a newer, smarter electric grid that will allow for the broader use of alternative energy. We will build on the work that’s being done in places like Boulder, Colorado – a community that is on pace to be the world’s first Smart Grid city. This investment will place Smart Meters in homes to make our energy bills lower, make outages less likely, and make it easier to use clean energy. It’s an investment that will save taxpayers over one billion dollars by slashing energy costs in our federal buildings by 25% and save working families hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills by weatherizing over one million homes. And it’s an investment that takes the important first step towards a nationwide transmission superhighway that will connect our cities to the windy plains of the Dakotas and the sunny deserts of the Southwest."
--Tiffany
"Because we know we can’t power America’s future on energy that’s controlled by foreign dictators, we are taking a big step down the road to energy independence, and laying the groundwork for a new, green energy economy that can create countless well-paying jobs. It’s an investment that will double the amount of renewable energy produced over the next three years, and provide tax credits and loan guarantees to companies like Namaste Solar, a company that will be expanding, instead of laying people off, as a result of the plan I am signing.
In the process, we will transform the way we use energy. Today, the electricity we use is carried along a grid of lines and wires that dates back to Thomas Edison – a grid that can’t support the demands of clean energy. This means we’re using 19th and 20th century technologies to battle 21st century problems like climate change and energy security. It also means that places like North Dakota can produce a lot of wind energy, but can’t deliver it to communities that want it, leading to a gap between how much clean energy we are using and how much we could be using.
The investment we are making today will create a newer, smarter electric grid that will allow for the broader use of alternative energy. We will build on the work that’s being done in places like Boulder, Colorado – a community that is on pace to be the world’s first Smart Grid city. This investment will place Smart Meters in homes to make our energy bills lower, make outages less likely, and make it easier to use clean energy. It’s an investment that will save taxpayers over one billion dollars by slashing energy costs in our federal buildings by 25% and save working families hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills by weatherizing over one million homes. And it’s an investment that takes the important first step towards a nationwide transmission superhighway that will connect our cities to the windy plains of the Dakotas and the sunny deserts of the Southwest."
--Tiffany
Monday, February 16, 2009
Energy ideas
I think renewable energy could be an awesome topic. Its timely because Obama has promised to generate new green jobs and work towards this goal, but I think Tiffany is right that there are not many specifics.
Some initial things that might be interesting to look at are:
Some initial things that might be interesting to look at are:
- Is Boulder ahead of the rest of the country in terms of its use of renewables and how?
- Is renewable energy feasible on a large scale? From what I understand we use wind power only during peak energy times and we don't have the infrastructure to distribute green energy yet.
- Will renewable energy require a massive effort to re-grid the U.S.?
- How have some people used renewable energy off-the-grid in Boulder? Will they go back to the grid if the country changes?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
What the stimulus package means
I was reading this article in the NY Times about how the stimulus package breaks down.
"Programs to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are big winners in the stimulus package, receiving more than $45 billion in new spending and tax breaks."
Maybe we use the site to explain exactly how renewable energy is funded (now and in the past)? We'd have some good sources at NREL. I just don't think I've ever read anything that coherently explains how the government is/isn't supporting renewable energy.
-Tiffany
"Programs to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources are big winners in the stimulus package, receiving more than $45 billion in new spending and tax breaks."
Maybe we use the site to explain exactly how renewable energy is funded (now and in the past)? We'd have some good sources at NREL. I just don't think I've ever read anything that coherently explains how the government is/isn't supporting renewable energy.
-Tiffany
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Responses
I have to say, I'm leaning more toward the generational profiles than the one-stop shop idea. While I think that's interesting, I also think it could take away from the marketing campaigns the NRDC, Sierra Club, etc. have in place. I guess I'm having a hard time envisioning how users would interact with it in addition to/instead of directly with the organizations. It also would be really hard to make evergreen--we'd have to keep updating content.
On the "seeing the environmental movement through multiple generations" front, I really like that it could be rife with pictures and audio, and would give people a better understanding of where our grandparents (and undergrads) are coming from. Work wise, it would be easy to divvy up, since we each could take one or two profiles and do all the work on them. Then we could add in the contextual history about the times these people are talking about.
I think we should try to meet again early next week to finalize. Maybe before Thomas Friedman?
--Tiffany
On the "seeing the environmental movement through multiple generations" front, I really like that it could be rife with pictures and audio, and would give people a better understanding of where our grandparents (and undergrads) are coming from. Work wise, it would be easy to divvy up, since we each could take one or two profiles and do all the work on them. Then we could add in the contextual history about the times these people are talking about.
I think we should try to meet again early next week to finalize. Maybe before Thomas Friedman?
--Tiffany
More on Molly's idea
I like the idea of providing a service that lets users sort though a bunch of different environmental sites and choose the best one for their interests. Maybe we could have a report card that rates each site. We could answer questions like:
There are tons of environmental advocacy groups here in Boulder so we could even just focus on Boulder groups.
What do you think?
- Where does the money you donate actually go?
- What have they done in the past?
- Who is behind the site/campaign
There are tons of environmental advocacy groups here in Boulder so we could even just focus on Boulder groups.
What do you think?
Monday, February 9, 2009
a one-stop soapbox
Do you ever feel like you believe in a bunch of worthy causes, follow those movements, subscribe to their newsletters, and once in awhile sign petitions to tell your local or national politicians how you feel? Well, a lot of people do (including my mom). But who wants to get five e-mails a week from the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, SaveOurEnvironment.org, the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, and the list goes on?? Even the most ardent environmentalist probably doesn't have the time to read each letter, learn up on each issue, sign a petition or donate to each cause.
What if there were one Web site that streamlined these groups according to one's concerns and sympathies? You want to see about the bills out there affecting endangered species, so click on the Wildlife section of our Web site: we've aggregated all of initiatives by interest groups, legislation in the government, and current events going on with polar bears or picas. Or, you're more interested in carbon, renewables, so click on Energy: see the national policies, bills, and global goings-on with "clean" coal, nuclear, etc. So we help you be an activist by doing the legwork.
There are so many environmental groups and non-profits dedicated to spreading awareness, but the issues are spread out across a wide spectrum of organizations. We would bring them all together (and analyze, possibly) and be a one-stop shop for concerned citizens to come, show support and direct their signatures or donations to whichever causes they choose.
This would be less original content-driven and more of a gateway for users who are in some way, some form, interested in the environment but are tired of keeping up with so many valuable groups independently (not to mention sick of the ad campaigns.) It's a super practical idea that hasn't been done a thousand times, wouldn't require originating a ton of content, and would be all about the design, structure and usability of the site. - Molly
What if there were one Web site that streamlined these groups according to one's concerns and sympathies? You want to see about the bills out there affecting endangered species, so click on the Wildlife section of our Web site: we've aggregated all of initiatives by interest groups, legislation in the government, and current events going on with polar bears or picas. Or, you're more interested in carbon, renewables, so click on Energy: see the national policies, bills, and global goings-on with "clean" coal, nuclear, etc. So we help you be an activist by doing the legwork.
There are so many environmental groups and non-profits dedicated to spreading awareness, but the issues are spread out across a wide spectrum of organizations. We would bring them all together (and analyze, possibly) and be a one-stop shop for concerned citizens to come, show support and direct their signatures or donations to whichever causes they choose.
This would be less original content-driven and more of a gateway for users who are in some way, some form, interested in the environment but are tired of keeping up with so many valuable groups independently (not to mention sick of the ad campaigns.) It's a super practical idea that hasn't been done a thousand times, wouldn't require originating a ton of content, and would be all about the design, structure and usability of the site. - Molly
One More Idea
I love the topics below, and I'm especially interested in the Millenials as hipster tree-huggers given our recent in-class discussion on their journalistic values. How do these attitudes relate to the environmental movement at large? The potential for sources is obviously incredible here at the University. My sense is that making it timely could mean making the history meet the contemporary. Even within a singular environmental organization, such as Thorne Ecological Institute here in Boulder (who doesn't love Oak Thorne?), viewpoints and issues might be divergent depending on generation.
Another project idea I'd thought I'd throw out:
"Feeling the Climate Change at Altitude": Examining climate change "at altitude" meaning we could look at pine beetles, ski areas, alpine ecosystems and lakes, run-off/snowpack/water supply, INSTAAR, etc. It seems like a lot of our work could perhaps unite under this theme...And has excellent multi-media potential.
I'm also wondering how we can see who authors the posts? (This is Cassie)
Another project idea I'd thought I'd throw out:
"Feeling the Climate Change at Altitude": Examining climate change "at altitude" meaning we could look at pine beetles, ski areas, alpine ecosystems and lakes, run-off/snowpack/water supply, INSTAAR, etc. It seems like a lot of our work could perhaps unite under this theme...And has excellent multi-media potential.
I'm also wondering how we can see who authors the posts? (This is Cassie)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Time
We're trying to weave some history into our Web site without making it a snoooore. When it comes to environmental issues, many people lack a big-picture view because they're not familiar with how things came to be the way they are - suburban sprawl, our nightmarish automobile infrastructure, land development, pollution, etc.
We could weave these histories in through focusing on several generations of Americans, interviewing and profiling some of these folks, and tracing their outlooks, habits and assumptions about the environment back to the era they grew up in and the philosophies that dominated at the time.
For example, we could find an undergrad from the millenial generation from, say, the midwest, who has differing notions of public transportation and recycling than her contemporary who grew up in Boulder.
We'd talk to some people in their 60s who lived through the Wilderness Act, the development of the EPA, Earth Day, the Reagan Administration. How do they make sense of Boulder's Carbon Tax and other environmental issues facing us today?
Our worldviews and leanings are shaped by our experiences and environments. We would talk to people with strong feelings and opinions about the environment and do a sort of taxonomy of those feelings and opinions. Might be too wishy-washy, but the idea of making it generational has potential.
We could weave these histories in through focusing on several generations of Americans, interviewing and profiling some of these folks, and tracing their outlooks, habits and assumptions about the environment back to the era they grew up in and the philosophies that dominated at the time.
For example, we could find an undergrad from the millenial generation from, say, the midwest, who has differing notions of public transportation and recycling than her contemporary who grew up in Boulder.
We'd talk to some people in their 60s who lived through the Wilderness Act, the development of the EPA, Earth Day, the Reagan Administration. How do they make sense of Boulder's Carbon Tax and other environmental issues facing us today?
Our worldviews and leanings are shaped by our experiences and environments. We would talk to people with strong feelings and opinions about the environment and do a sort of taxonomy of those feelings and opinions. Might be too wishy-washy, but the idea of making it generational has potential.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Environmental History/Report Card
A few interesting pieces in the NY Times this week in the vein of what we've been talking about.
First, this Environmental Views, Past and Present article from yesterday. Click on the graphic on the left to see a good comparison of where Bush started and where he ended in terms of our environmental impact.
Second, a sort of score card about Obama's promises and what he's delivered on (though the environment is only a small portion).
Though we probably want to stay away from too much policy, I thought these would be good to have on hand.
On another note, Molly and I started discussing the possibility of an interactive feature that rates how environmental you are. We were thinking of a spectrum type thing, with climate change naysayers on one end and serious scientists on the other--you could roll over and see pictures/quotes from them about their opinions (and Thomas Friedman would be the perfect voice to have in here).
We could also integrate some sort of "quiz," where you could read a bunch of statements and click on ones you agree with (similar to ones during the election that resulted in a perfect candidate for you based on what you agreed with). The result would be your own placement on the spectrum, relative to how dire you think the environmental issue is. I think it would be interesting for people to be able to put themselves in context of the broader issue.
First, this Environmental Views, Past and Present article from yesterday. Click on the graphic on the left to see a good comparison of where Bush started and where he ended in terms of our environmental impact.
Second, a sort of score card about Obama's promises and what he's delivered on (though the environment is only a small portion).
Though we probably want to stay away from too much policy, I thought these would be good to have on hand.
On another note, Molly and I started discussing the possibility of an interactive feature that rates how environmental you are. We were thinking of a spectrum type thing, with climate change naysayers on one end and serious scientists on the other--you could roll over and see pictures/quotes from them about their opinions (and Thomas Friedman would be the perfect voice to have in here).
We could also integrate some sort of "quiz," where you could read a bunch of statements and click on ones you agree with (similar to ones during the election that resulted in a perfect candidate for you based on what you agreed with). The result would be your own placement on the spectrum, relative to how dire you think the environmental issue is. I think it would be interesting for people to be able to put themselves in context of the broader issue.
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