As they say, every little bit counts, but Hobson's Bay council in Victoria Australia is aiming to be carbon neutral by the year 2020. It seems they are going to be taking it one little step at a time, but then it all adds up so they must be commended on their latest announcement, although it is rather puzzling.
That announcement is that their quarterly eNewsletter is going to be launched next month and in so doing, the council has moved a step towards their goal of being carbon neutral. What the story omits (I hope) is that the eNewsletter will replace an already existing hardcopy newsletter, otherwise, the production of an email anything isn't going to do squat for the environment.
The fact that must be remembered is that, for people to access their eNewsletter they must logon to their computer which, of course, uses electricity. Of course, if Hobson's Council is also buying electricity that is generated using renewable sources, then they're still on track to reducing their carbon footprint.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Carbon Footprint of Wine
We’ve wondered about the carbon footprint of a t-shirt, now we can ponder the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine, thanks to the work of wine enthusiast Tyler Colman. Colman has, along with sustainability expert Pablo Päster of ClimateCHECK, calculated the carbon footprint of wine, in terms of both its production and transportation. Their findings were published as an American Association of Wine Economists working paper in October 2007.
The wine story starts on the vine with the first source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases coming from the chemical fertilizers used by some wine growers to nourish their plants. It was found though that fertilizers for wine production don't have much of an impact.
Grapes don't require the high levels of fertilizers that other crops do so the proportion of wine's overall footprint is quite minor.
It was the same story with the carbon dioxide released during the fermentation of wine grapes which make up an insignificant percentage of the total emissions associated with wine production.
It’s in the transportation of wine from the cellar door to the consumer where the largest portion of the carbon footprint is produced. The fact that wine is such a region specific product means that it must be transported long distances to get to wine drinkers.
Take the United States for example with the vast majority of wine produced on the west coast of the country while the majority of the population lives east of the Mississippi. Most of the West Coast wines are shipped east by truck, which results in a large carbon footprint.
Out of the various ways to transport wine, Colman and Päster found that air cargo was the worst, followed by trucking, with container shipping by sea having the lowest impact (five times less than trucking and 11 times less than air cargo).
These differences in emissions factors mean that distance isn't always the key factor in determining which wine has the lowest footprint for a given location. If you live in San Francisco, you can get your wine from the many California vineyards; but if you live in New York, it may be more environmentally friendly to buy wine sent by container ship from Bordeaux to a port in New Jersey than to buy American with a wine from Napa Valley, which would be trucked across the country.
Packaging also has an influence on transportation efficiency and on the wine’s carbon footprint. Transporting heavy glass bottles uses much more fuel, and therefore has a bigger impact, than lighter glass or other alternative packaging, which some winemakers are turning to.
Of course, wine's carbon footprint is low in comparison to other contributors, such as electricity generation, and even to other agricultural products, such as corn. But the trend is to become more aware of our carbon footprint and also that of the pleasures with which we indulge ourselves.
The wine story starts on the vine with the first source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases coming from the chemical fertilizers used by some wine growers to nourish their plants. It was found though that fertilizers for wine production don't have much of an impact.
Grapes don't require the high levels of fertilizers that other crops do so the proportion of wine's overall footprint is quite minor.
It was the same story with the carbon dioxide released during the fermentation of wine grapes which make up an insignificant percentage of the total emissions associated with wine production.
It’s in the transportation of wine from the cellar door to the consumer where the largest portion of the carbon footprint is produced. The fact that wine is such a region specific product means that it must be transported long distances to get to wine drinkers.
Take the United States for example with the vast majority of wine produced on the west coast of the country while the majority of the population lives east of the Mississippi. Most of the West Coast wines are shipped east by truck, which results in a large carbon footprint.
Out of the various ways to transport wine, Colman and Päster found that air cargo was the worst, followed by trucking, with container shipping by sea having the lowest impact (five times less than trucking and 11 times less than air cargo).
These differences in emissions factors mean that distance isn't always the key factor in determining which wine has the lowest footprint for a given location. If you live in San Francisco, you can get your wine from the many California vineyards; but if you live in New York, it may be more environmentally friendly to buy wine sent by container ship from Bordeaux to a port in New Jersey than to buy American with a wine from Napa Valley, which would be trucked across the country.
Packaging also has an influence on transportation efficiency and on the wine’s carbon footprint. Transporting heavy glass bottles uses much more fuel, and therefore has a bigger impact, than lighter glass or other alternative packaging, which some winemakers are turning to.
Of course, wine's carbon footprint is low in comparison to other contributors, such as electricity generation, and even to other agricultural products, such as corn. But the trend is to become more aware of our carbon footprint and also that of the pleasures with which we indulge ourselves.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Fonterra's Eco-Efficiency Programme
Throughout the world there are companies making announcements detailing how they are reducing their carbon footprint. In fact, if a company is to be taken seriously as an environmentally aware company, they will have had to make some sort of statement letting their business partners know of their position because the carbon footprint of the next company down the line is affected. Every now and then I like to highlight a company that has been doing its bit to be more eco-friendly.
There are many ways a company can go about reducing its carbon footprint. Fonterra Kauri, a dairy factory in Whangarei, New Zealand has managed to reduce its carbon footprint through a rigorous eco-efficiency programme.
Over the past year Fonterra Kauri has recycled 63 tonnes of plastic, cardboard and paper which has reduced the amount of waste going to landfill by 77 per cent. Over the entire Fonterra sites across the country there has been more than 5000 tonnes of recycled products which has effectively saved around 2700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
As well as the recycling programme, Fonterra has introduced some changes in the way they go about their business in order to cut down on materials. For example, they have introduced a new milk sample carton using an electronic chip rather than a plastic label reducing more than 100 tonnes of plastic use each year. A new docketing system has also reduced printing requirements by 22 reams of paper nationwide each year.
The aim of Fonterra, who started their eco-efficiency programme in 2003, is to have reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by 90 per cent by 2009. It’s all about being seen to be carbon footprint aware which will prompt more companies to follow suit.
There are many ways a company can go about reducing its carbon footprint. Fonterra Kauri, a dairy factory in Whangarei, New Zealand has managed to reduce its carbon footprint through a rigorous eco-efficiency programme.
Over the past year Fonterra Kauri has recycled 63 tonnes of plastic, cardboard and paper which has reduced the amount of waste going to landfill by 77 per cent. Over the entire Fonterra sites across the country there has been more than 5000 tonnes of recycled products which has effectively saved around 2700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
As well as the recycling programme, Fonterra has introduced some changes in the way they go about their business in order to cut down on materials. For example, they have introduced a new milk sample carton using an electronic chip rather than a plastic label reducing more than 100 tonnes of plastic use each year. A new docketing system has also reduced printing requirements by 22 reams of paper nationwide each year.
The aim of Fonterra, who started their eco-efficiency programme in 2003, is to have reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by 90 per cent by 2009. It’s all about being seen to be carbon footprint aware which will prompt more companies to follow suit.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Commuting Your Carbon Footprint Reduction
Sometimes it’s the simpler practical ideas that give you hope that maybe we are capable of saving ourselves. Those who know about their carbon footprint and are seeking ways to reduce it would be aware that using their car less will play a major role.
A husband and wife team in North West Arkansas has come up with a way that expands the car savings beyond simply their own friends and family to, potentially, the entire region. They have founded a website called NWAcommute.com that is in place to help commuters find each other with the goal of forming car pools.
The goal of the Northwest Arkansas Commuting is to remove at least 1,000 cars from the road by 2009 which would decrease the NWA carbon footprint by 3.8 million pounds. The site got off to a good start with 70 members after only 1 week and that number is growing steadily.
There is room for two types of commuters - those who absolutely need their car on a daily basis who can offer space in their car to others for the ride to work, and those who are looking to leave their cars at home and be the passenger. The website gives both parties a means of finding each other and coming to an arrangement that is beneficial to both.
There are many other categories and options available for those looking to help the environment in this way. If you’re in the North West Arkansas region you might like to visit NWAcommute.com. If you’re not, you might feel inspired and start a similar initiative in your own part of the world.
A husband and wife team in North West Arkansas has come up with a way that expands the car savings beyond simply their own friends and family to, potentially, the entire region. They have founded a website called NWAcommute.com that is in place to help commuters find each other with the goal of forming car pools.
The goal of the Northwest Arkansas Commuting is to remove at least 1,000 cars from the road by 2009 which would decrease the NWA carbon footprint by 3.8 million pounds. The site got off to a good start with 70 members after only 1 week and that number is growing steadily.
There is room for two types of commuters - those who absolutely need their car on a daily basis who can offer space in their car to others for the ride to work, and those who are looking to leave their cars at home and be the passenger. The website gives both parties a means of finding each other and coming to an arrangement that is beneficial to both.
There are many other categories and options available for those looking to help the environment in this way. If you’re in the North West Arkansas region you might like to visit NWAcommute.com. If you’re not, you might feel inspired and start a similar initiative in your own part of the world.
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