Author Archives: JPierce

About JPierce

Jerrad is a environmental policy person, and watches a lot of PBS.

IBM survey suggests awareness is not enough

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Japanese tea pot A recent study conducted by IBM in Great Britain uncovered some non-intuitive trends. Although millenials seem to be the most aware of environmental issues in general, they still remain grossly ill-informed about the specifics, and waste more resources than their elders. It seems, having rarely experienced shortages themselves, British youth consume utilities with little consideration while professing eco-consciousness. For instance, approximately half of millenials surveyed waste a dozen or more gallons of water per day by running the shower before use, and not turning off the tap while brushing teeth. More astoundingly, 55% of youth—and 43% of Britons overall—were unable to indicate that a dryer uses more energy than a typical light-bulb!

Frugality is founded on the principle that all riches have limits. – Edmund burke

Unfortunately, conscientious use of resources does seem to correlate more with personal experience of scarcity rather than expressed concern for the environment. So, next time you’re rinsing out your coffee pot, consider using the fluid to brew your next batch, or make flavored ice cubes for an iced coffee. Cooking pasta? Water the garden after draining.

Cooler coolers

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Having a tough time getting you or your loved ones to not stand in front of the fridge with the door open? While behavioral changes are almost always the cheapest and most efficient means of reducing consumption, there are some interesting technical solutions available in this area. You could try installing a curtain (opting for the thinner Mylar/polyester over PVC), or purchasing a chest refrigerator. This little known refrigerator format has the advantage of keeping the cool air inside (it sinks and stays trapped) while also providing a secondary work surface in a crowded kitchen.

New fridge not in the budget? Well, you might be interested in this oldie but goodie which has recently sprung up again: “convert” a chest freezer into a chest refrigerator for about $60. Your custom fridge could end up running a whole year for the cost of one month of power for a typical refrigerator! (140 kWh/yr reported energy use, vs. 144 kWh/mo energy use for 17.5 ft3 frostless refrigerator/freezer) Of course, one disadvantage to this format is that you’ll need a separate freezer, but you should still end up far ahead.

Global Climate Chicken

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Sign: Watch out for Chicken

Congress will have a lot on its plate when it returns to session in approximately two weeks: health care, war/torture, food safety and of course climate change. Indeed, it’s beginning to look like, once again, the hopes of significant international effort to redress global warming are—arguably with good reason—landing square on the shoulders of Uncle Sam. As reported in many places yesterday, the Indian government has all but asked to be shamed into participating, and for developed nations to “call it’s bluff.” In a similar vein, and also making the rounds on Wednesday, was a statement from the Swedish minister of environment suggesting that: If the U.S. leads, China will follow. Alas, the fate of Waxman-Markley is still unclear, but at least this time Congress seems to be working towards the goal before international negotiations begin rather than against it. Perhaps you’d like to give your elected officials an encouraging nudge?

Re: Title

Applied Chemistry

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Beakers by Move The Clouds

This month’s Sierra magazine includes a blurb about some of the lesser known impacts of fossil fuel use & global warming.

Half of the carbon dioxide we’ve put into the atmosphere since 1800 has been absorbed by the world’s oceans, increasing acidity by 30% and changing seawater to carbonic acid. In terms of pH (lower numbers equate to higher acidity), that means a drop of 0.1 from preindustrial levels [8.1] to today’s 8. If trends continue, ocean pH will be 7.7 by the end of the century. At 7.8, however, shell formation ceases. Barnacles, sea snails, and corals will decline precipitously.

In fact, the Caribbean is already impacted, as are sensitive Alaskan waters.

For those of you whom may have forgotten your high school chemistry: Like the Richter scale, pH is logarithmic and each whole number actually corresponds to a ten-fold change in the measured value. Thus the drop from a pH of 8.1 to 8 amounts to the cited 30% increase in acidity, or more specifically a 26% decline in alkalinity.

Carbonic acid is the product of carbon dioxide dissolved in water and it is present in beverages from seltzer to soda pop. Although it is a very mild acid, large quantities of can take their toll, and carbonic acid’s presence in ground water is responsible for the formation of limestone caves. Limestone is of course a sedimentary rock formed from the skeletons and shells of ancient sea-life…

It is interesting to note that since 1976 the EPA has regulated alteration of of pH as a pollutant, permitting variance of 0.2 from normal. This standard has undergone some scrutiny recently, and is likely too lax.

4×10<8×5?

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Spring Forward A little over a year ago Utah adopted a 4-day work week for state employees, to combat rising energy costs. While energy costs have come down, the policy has remained in effect, resulting in a 13% reduction in energy use. This puts them well on the way to their goal of a 20% reduction by 2015. Should other locations follow suit? It’s an intriguing proposition, but dependent upon season and locale. One of the major contributions to savings in Utah has been the shifting of work hours from blistering mid-day heat on Fridays, to cooler mornings and evenings of other days; it’s a desert and cools down relatively rapidly once the sun is down. A similar program in Massachusetts should see some reduction in summer energy use, but could increase heating demand in the winter. It is interesting to note that these shifts, and the incumbent savings, are not unlike the complicated story of Daylight Saving Time

MA receives $71M for efficiency, with $106M to follow

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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act The Bay State has been awarded $22 million in the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy program, a little less than all other awards in New England combined; ME, RI and VT received $11M, $9.5M and $8.8M respectively.

Massachusetts will use its State Energy Program (SEP) Recovery Act funds to advance energy efficiency across the state, especially in the building environment. The Governor’s Energy Task Force identified a number of energy efficiency retrofit projects at public facilities with potential for energy and cost savings. The state intends to leverage SEP funds for these projects by using performance contracts wherever possible.

Additionally, Massachusetts will direct Recovery Act funds to help demonstrate solutions to a number of long-standing challenges in improving building energy performance which provides the opportunity to transform future energy efficiency efforts in the state. For instance, the state will provide funding for projects that will move toward the development of a net-zero energy building, along with examining ways to reduce the state’s petroleum usage by expanding energy efficiency opportunities to people and businesses that use oil and propane for heating.

The State also recently received $49M in Recovery Act funds to weatherize approximately 17,00 homes over the next three years, while ramping up a Clean Energy Center to train and support a growing energy-efficiency workforce in the state. Under the program, Massachusetts is increasing the number of auditors and other professionals that will be needed to meet the increased demand for weatherization activities. More than 25 additional auditors have already been hired, along with new private-sector employees that will work with local organizations responsible for weatherization work.

After demonstrating successful implementation of its SEP plan, the state will receive more than $27 million in additional funding, for a total of nearly $55 million. $61 million are available once the weatherization program has program has proven successful.

(Adapted from EPA Region I’s “Community Energy Challenge Monthly Update,” Vol. 10; DOE press release; Recap

Keep your cool

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LemonadeHere are some ideas to help you keep your cool without cranking the A/C down to 63°:

  • If your looking at installing an air conditioner, consider a whole house fan instead. En lieu of a window-mount A/C, opt for a window fan. Of course, if you’re lucky like me, and have two windows, setting a fan in front of one—with the screen out of the way—to blow the hot air out will draw a nice evening breeze in the other; especially if the door is closed.
  • Keep your refrigerator and freezer full. The more empty space there is, the more warm air you lock inside after opening and closing the door. Fill soda bottles with water and stick them in the freezer. When you need more room, move them to the refrigerator where their “coolth” will reduce the load on the system.
  • Take a brief cold shower before going to bed, and towel off lightly if at all. You may find you don’t need the A/C after all; especially with the aid of a low fan.
  • If you have the option, stay-up/sleep in later, this way you’re awake when it’s coolest. Granted, you might use a little electricity so you can see, but a CFL uses much less power than an air conditioner.
  • While it’s always a good idea to make sure unused devices are turned off and/or unplugged, it’s especially important in the summer. Any energy a machine does not use to make noise or light or espresso is given off as waste heat. In some cases this can mean the difference between an uncomfortable room and a tolerable one.

    Note: This does not mean that it’s a good idea to leave these devices turned on all winter long, electricity is one of the most expensive and least efficient means of heating a room.

Feel free to share any tips you have in the comments below.