One Man’s Trash Is a Treasure for an Expert in Circular Economy

30.01.2019

During the September and October of this year, the Academy of Circular Economy is being held in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the company “CirEkon”, which suggests one of the changes that we should embrace in order to preserve the Earth. Plato taught his contemporaries philosophical thinking, and after a series of centuries and revolutions, mankind should adopt a new, different knowledge that will pave the way for a sustainable future in which there is no waste. “Take-Use-Make-Use …” is the perpetual motion of this approach that integrates the economy and waste management system.

The postulates on which the circular economy model is based, whether Serbia keeps pace with the world, how to attribute to waste the value it has in itself and how to make a production system that will allow us to develop on the only planet we have, we talked with Milan Veselinov, one of the organizers and lecturers at the Academy.

EP: How would you explain the term circular economy to a layman? What are its advantages over linear?

Milan Veselinov: Very important questions in the whole story about the circular economy (CE) are “Why” and “Do we need the CE?” It is clear that we used to fix the refrigerator, telephone and iron. Today, it does not pay off. The question is, does that make sense? Admit how many old cell phones you have in the drawer. You have in it: gold, copper and rare elements that are expensive and difficult to procure. And it will become more expensive and harder. The point of the circular economy is to start making products that will serve a person, moving from product ownership to its functionality.

This ensures that producers see benefits in the production of long lasting products, in saving needed electricity, and in a more careful selection of materials for production. Currently, our products are not designed for such an economy, we make products in which it is difficult to separate materials and they are used on the “Take-Make-Use-Throw away” principle.

The circular economy, if properly implemented, provides significant savings in the use of resources, up to 70 per cent, and energy up to 90 per cent. In addition, it keeps the environment cleaner, with no waste, since we always observe all the resources only as such.

EP: What are the postulates of industrial ecology and how can we achieve them in the context of the Serbian economy?

Milan Veselinov: Circular economy actually emerged from the idea of industrial ecology (IE). Within the industrial economy, the industry is considered as a part of the natural system, it is very easy to see the ingress of matter and energy into the industrial system, their origins, changes within the industry and exits from the industrial system. It is observed how these outflows affect both nature and the economy, and how it all affects the society as a whole.

Industrial ecology is essential to answer one question: How to make a production system that will allow us to live and develop on this planet, the only one we have? IE does not observe the planet emotionally, but rather rationally through the analysis of available resources for our devices, land for food production, energy sources for everything that a person wants to create.

Serbia is at the beginning of such a development and it is good that we know our position. There are two roads ahead of us. The first is much more expensive and it assumes neglecting of the trend of industrial ecology and circular economy development, and the other is more inventive, pragmatic, more effective and cheaper. An important difference between these two roads is the approach to innovation, from social, organizational, market-to-technological. The first approach neglects them and deals with the traditional values of the economy, the other approach innovates and pushes us along with the world scale of possibilities. The only question is who can recognize it – from companies to local governments, consumers or civil societies.

EP: The advantages of a circular economy are obvious, but how will you approach a person who does not want to change and who is trying to feed his family without extra costs?

Milan Veselinov: In every story, there are winners and losers. Today you almost do not have traditional crafts, such as coppersmith, quilt maker, dyer… The world is progressing and is waiting for no one. The Latin proverb says, “There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out,” and therefore we must constantly learn. There is no rest from learning if we want to progress. There is actually only a division between those who accept and make changes and those that will be brought about by a change.

EP: Many people have applied for the Academy of Circular Economics. Do you think that means that our people turn to a more sustainable future? What is the overall situation in the field of waste management in Serbia, in your opinion?

Milan Veselinov: Our goal is to form a critical group of people from companies who see the meaning of doing business through circular postulates and which will grow in time, improve and grow to the level when they will have enough power to change the system. CirEkon and the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia are absolutely committed to this as program implementers.

In the concept of waste management there is a so-called waste management pyramid, which states that the priorities are as follows: 1. Prevention of waste generation 2. Preparation for reuse 3. Recycling 4. Waste utilization in terms of energy recovery and 5. Landfilling. The CE is preparing a strategy for achieving priorities 1 and 2. Serbia is in the middle of editing the fifth priority and is slowly switching to recycling and incineration, energy recovery of matter. So, we lag 35 years behind Europe. In this situation, if we seriously focus on creating products that do not produce waste according to EU practice, how much do we actually need to manage waste?

However, the plan and practice are different categories and we need to provide sufficient capacity to treat waste, which will inevitably exist for another 20 to 30 years, does not cost too much and solves the problems of numerous landfills that are constantly poured into the ground and lead. More importantly, we should not tie our hands with excessive investments in the old technologies in the next 20 years, thus preventing faster development in line with the EU. The situation is such that we can not estimate exactly how much resources we can return to production through recycling, but also, even if we could, current laws do not allow this. People are working on this, and changes in laws are expected, recyclers are appearing and there are more and more of them.

EP: You often mention the power of the circular economy and the value of the circular economy. What value is created there?

Milan Veselinov: CE is a new way of creating value. Under its umbrella, we can expect that the products are made of materials that do not harm our environment and can be easily degraded in nature. The EU introduces rules that will motivate manufacturers to make such products, but also buyers to behave more responsibly towards the things they use.

The value is in: significant material savings, in energy savings, in cleaner sources of resources themselves, in the longer product lifetime, we can expect that the products will be increasingly shared, that we will have organizations that will return your worn out products to the factory instead to the landfill, a situation where you purchase resources from recycling centres instead of pulling them out of the mine, customers who create products online to their extent, we perceive that we will determine the price of a product by how much the product is harmful or contributing to your environment, how much it makes your day easier. In addition, we have more than 9 million tons of resources at the annual level, which we can, but we stop using them.

Benefits are also anticipated, re-awakening the refinery industry, repairs, spare parts, recycling, online sharing of products from screwdrivers to cars, a significant shift to services besides production, etc.

Prepared by: Jelena Kozbasic

Read the whole interview in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine on CIRCULAR ECONOMY, September-November 2018

Lions Have Adapted to Hunt Seals and Seabirds in Namibia, Study Finds

30.01.2019

lion-2882936_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Lions in Namibia have turned to hunting seabirds and seals in the face of scarce food resources in the desert landscape, research has found.

The desert lions, which are found exclusively within the country’s Skeleton Coast region, are the only lions known to target marine life. Among the creatures they have been recorded eating are fur seals, flamingos and cormorants.

The conservationist Flip Stander, the author of the study published in the Namibian Journal of Environment, said the discovery showed the big cats have learned diet adaptability is key to survival in this unforgiving terrain.

The Skeleton Coast spans the coastal backbone of Namibia and is the driest place in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving as little as 5mm (0.2in) of rain a year. The desert lion’s usual prey of oryx and ostriches are thin on the ground there. The neighbouring ocean, however, is rich in life, sustaining nearly 1m Cape fur seals that breed on the shoreline, and a multitude of seabirds.

Stander explained “lions have to be resourceful by hunting a range of different prey species in a wide variety of habitats in their home range”. Seals are prime targets for these big cats, being slow to manoeuvre on land and rich in fat.

While this is not the first known record of lions feeding on marine life in Namibia, such rare behaviour has not been documented for decades. “In 1985, an adult male lion was seen feeding on a beached pilot whale,” said Stander, but the behaviour was eliminated along with the lions.

Desert lions became locally extinct in 1990 due to persecution from livestock farmers. However, by 1997, a pride returned to the area and numbers have been increasing ever since. The area now sustains approximately 130-150 lions.

The first time lions were recorded feeding on marine life since returning to the desert was in 2006, where lionesses were observed eating a seal. Then, in 2017, a lioness in poor condition was spotted hunting cormorants, while others were seen hunting flamingos and teals. Stander said he has observed lions foraging in intertidal areas, so it is possible their diet could expand to other marine life such as shellfish, crabs and sea turtles.

Source: Guardian

Prosecco Production Is Destroying Soil in Some Italian Vineyards

30.01.2019

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Sorry to burst your bubbly, prosecco lovers, but skyrocketing demand for the sparkling wine might be sapping northeastern Italy’s vineyards of precious soil — 400 million kilograms of it per year, researchers report in a study posted online January 10 at bioRxiv.org.

That’s a lot of soil, but not an anomaly. Some newer vineyards in Germany, for example, have higher rates of soil loss, says Jesús Rodrigo Comino, a geographer at the Institute of Geomorphology and Soils in Málaga, Spain, who was not involved in the study. And soil erosion isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it can help generate new soils to keep an ecosystem healthy.

But the amount of erosion from Italy’s high-quality prosecco vineyards is not sustainable, he says. Letting too much earth wash away with rain and irrigation could jeopardize the future of the region’s vineyards, which produce 90 million bottles of high-quality prosecco every year.

Concerned that the recent bottle boom was taxing the local environment, a team led by researchers from the University of Padua in Italy calculated the “soil footprint” for high-quality prosecco. It found the industry was responsible for 74 percent of the region’s total soil erosion, by studying 10 years-worth of data for rainfall, land use and soil characteristics, as well as high-resolution topographic maps.

The team then compared their soil erosion results with average annual prosecco sales to estimate the annual soil footprint per bottle: about 4.4 kilograms, roughly the mass of two Chihuahuas.

Prosecco vineyards could reduce their soil loss, the scientists say. One solution — leaving grass between vineyard rows — would cut total erosion in half, simulations show. Other strategies could include planting hedges around vineyards or vegetation by rivers and streams to prevent soil from washing away.

Comino agrees, saying: “Only the application of nature-based solutions will be able to reduce or solve the problem.”

Source: Science News

French Study Finds Harmful Chemicals in Disposable Diapers

29.01.2019

rawpixel-480209-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Rawpixel)

Banned substances and probable carcinogens are not what any parent wants next to their baby’s sensitive skin.

Parents in France are worried that disposable diapers are harming their babies. A new study, just published on Wednesday, revealed a number of harmful substances in diapers, including banned chemicals and the weedkiller glyphosate, which is not illegal but classified by the World Health Organization as a probable carcinogen. Even some brands claiming to be eco-friendly contained potentially dangerous additives.

The study was conducted by Anses, which is the French agency in charge of food, environmental, and occupation health and safety. It examined 23 diaper brands between 2016 and 2018. As reported in the Guardian, it determined that “a number of hazardous chemicals in disposable nappies… could migrate through urine, for example, and enter into prolonged contact with babies’ skin.”

The researchers found traces of more than 60 chemicals, some of which have been banned in Europe for over 15 years. “Other substances, usually found in cigarette smoke or diesel fumes, were also discovered.”

Although the report did not name specific brands, it says they are well-known; and the French Ministry of Health has given diaper manufacturers 15 days to get rid of these chemicals. Pampers has spoken out in its own defence, saying its diapers are safe and “do not contain any of the allergens listed by the European Union.” Another manufacturer, Joone, called the report “alarmist.”

Health secretary Agnès Buzyn told French parents that there is no immediate health risk to babies wearing disposable diapers, but that the concerns should not be ignored. She also made an interesting comment: “Obviously we should keep on putting our babies in nappies. We’ve been doing it for at least 50 years.”

By this, of course, Buzyn meant disposable diapers, because parents have been putting their babies in diapers for far longer than 50 years. The difference is that they used to be cloth. This brings us to a crucial point – that if parents were willing to go back (or forward, shall we say?) to using cloth diapers, they could avoid a lot of the chemical concerns associated with disposables.

The study findings shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who’s researched diapers before. Disposable diapers have been linked to allergic skin reactions; overheating baby boys’ testicles during prolonged use, which is linked to low sperm count; and creating difficulties with potty-training because kids can’t detect as easily when they’re wet.

Disposable diapers are one-quarter plastic, which isn’t a substance we should be putting against bare skin for prolonged periods of time, especially sensitive baby skin. Nor should we be tossing so much plastic into landfill, not to mention untreated feces.

Choosing cloth can eliminate all of these issues, and although it comes with its own environmental footprint (the fabric used to make the diaper, the water used for washing), it fits much better into the circular lifestyle that we should all be trying to achieve.

In the meantime, parents in France (and likely the rest of the world, where chemical laws are notoriously more lax than in the EU) have every right to be concerned. In the report’s words: “There is evidence the safety thresholds for several substances have been crossed… It is not possible to exclude a health risk linked to the wearing of disposable nappies.”

Sounds like it’s time to look for an alternative.

Source: Tree Hugger

Germany Agrees to End Reliance on Coal Stations by 2038

29.01.2019

dominik-vanyi-625911-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Dominik Vanyi)

Germany has agreed to end its reliance on polluting coal power stations by 2038, in a long-awaited decision that will have major ramifications for Europe’s attempts to meet its Paris climate change targets.

The country is the last major bastion of coal-burning in north-western Europe and the dirtiest of fossil fuels still provides nearly 40% of Germany’s power, compared with 5% in the UK, which plans to phase the fuel out entirely by 2025.

After overnight talks, the German coal exit commission of 28 members from industry, politicians and NGOs, which has worked since last summer to thrash out a timetable for ditching coal power, agreed an end date of 2038. A review in 2032 will decide if the deadline can be brought forward to 2035.

Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, a member of the commission and an adviser to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, said: “This is an important step on the road to the post-fossil age – a step that also opens up new perspectives for the affected regions through innovation-driven structural change.” But he said it had been difficult to reach a consensus on how quickly to phase out coal.

Stefanie Langkamp, a coal expert at the Climate Alliance Germany network, cautiously welcomed the decision.

She said: “It is good that the long-overdue entry into the coal phaseout is now beginning and that new perspectives are being developed in the regions. Measured against the climate crisis, however, the coal phaseout should have been much more ambitious.”

However, RWE, which runs many of the country’s coal plants, said the 2038 date was “far too early” for the company and said the 2032 review would be a chance to extend the final end date. In a statement the firm said the proposals: “would have far-reaching consequences for the German energy sector and in particular for RWE.”

Rolf Martin Schmitz, RWE’s chief executive, warned the plan would have “serious consequences” for the company’s lignite, or brown coal, business.

Coal union members greeted a meeting of the coal exit commission in Berlin on Friday with a demonstration urging against a hasty phaseout.

Meanwhile, thousands of schoolchildren took part in a protest on the same day in the German capital, calling for the end of coal to tackle global warming.

The final 336-page document agreed by the coal commission, seen by the Guardian, shows Germany plans to reduce its 42.6GW of coal power capacity to about 30GW by 2022, falling to around 17GW by 2030. The deal will be formally published next Friday.

Greenpeace has called for an end date of 2030, but other environmental groups in the country supported a 2035 cut-off. Almost three quarters of Germans believe a quick exit from coal is important, according to a poll of 1,285 people by the broadcaster ZDF.

Dave Jones, a power analyst at the London and Brussels-based thinktank Sandbag, said: “2035 is really the ambitious solution. The bigger question is about how quickly it happens [for example, interim goals].”

The commission said that gas would become Germany’s backup power of choice, rather than coal, which would make it more similar to the UK energy system.

Merkel, speaking in Davos last week, said that, as the country ditches coal and closes its last nuclear plants in 2022, “we will need more natural gas, and energy needs to be affordable.” Her government has a goal of increasing the share of renewables in electricity supply from 38% today to 65% in 2030.

One of the most contentious issues has been the cost of compensating energy firms for shutting coal plants before the end of their lifetime.

About €40bn will be awarded under the commission’s plans; the industry had hoped for €60bn. The German energy secretary, Thomas Bareiß, has said the move away from coal was necessary but would be a “very expensive transition”.

Source: Guardian

Sheep and Solar Panels? Not a Baaa-d Idea!

28.01.2019

sheep-3379578_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A new solar plant in Hawaii relies on a flock of sheep to keep vegetation from growing over its panels.

The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative’s new 28MW facility in Lawai has employed the services of 300 of the animals to keep the former sugar plantation’s 155-acre fields suitably trimmed.

The plant was commissioned on the 8th of January and pushes the utility past the 50% mark in terms of the amount of its power it produces from renewable sources.

Around 100MW of battery capacity means it is able to produce and store power in daytime and release it at night – it is expected to be able to supply 11% of Kauai’s total electric power needs over a 24-hour period.

Source: Energy Live News

The Chemical Elements That Make up Your Smartphone Are ‘Endangered’

28.01.2019

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The average smartphone is made up of about 30 chemical elements. But at least half of those elements could be in danger because of increasing scarcity. Now, scientists from the University of St Andrews have developed a new, unique periodic table that highlights the “90 natural elements that make up everything.” The table also focuses on the scarcity and vulnerability of elements that we use in our devices like smartphones and televisions.

In the European Union alone, more than 10 million smartphones are discarded every month, and they are often not recycled properly. So the chemical elements that make up cell phones are now on an “endangered list” created by The European Chemical Society (EuChemS).

This new periodic table was launched this week at the European Parliament by British MEPs Catherine Stihler and Clare Moody. The event is also celebrating the recent discovery at the University of St Andrews of the oldest known wall chart of the periodic table.

The biggest concern about the elements that make up our smartphones is increasing scarcity from limited supply, their location in areas of conflict and our inability to recycle them.

Because of the limited resources, some are questioning the practice of upgrading cell phones every two years. EuChemS is hoping that shining a spotlight on the lifespan of the elements that make up our devices will promote better recycling and reuse practices.

“It is astonishing that everything in the world is made from just 90 building blocks, the 90 naturally occurring chemical elements,” said David Cole-Hamilton, EuChemS vice president and emeritus professor in chemistry at the University of St Andrews. “There is a finite amount of each, and we are using some so fast that they will be dissipated around the world in less than 100 years. Many of these elements are endangered, so should you really change your phone every two years?”

Stihler said it is fascinating to see the periodic table updated for the 21st century while celebrating the 150th anniversary of the classic periodic table. But she said it is “deeply worrying” to see the number of elements that are endangered, and it is a lesson for all of us to care about our planet, because these elements will not last forever.

Source: Inhabitat

Heatwave Wipes Out Third of Spectacled Fruit Bats in Australia

27.01.2019

bat-525326_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

A heatwave that swept Australia in November killed a third of an entire bat species.

On the 26th and 27th of November last year, temperatures soared above 42°C, resulting in around 23,000 spectacled fruit bats dying of overheating.

Before the incident occurred, the country was home to an estimated 75,000 of the creatures, which lived mostly in the trees of Queensland.

Locals reported seeing bats fall out of trees en masse and aimed to nurse surviving animals back to life – around 10,000 black flying foxes also died during the heatwave.

Researchers at Western Sydney University only managed to finalise the death count last week.

Dr. Justin Welbergen said the bats were “the canary in the coal mine for climate change” and added: “It is clear from the present data that these events are having a very serious impact on the species and it’s clear from climate change projections that this is set to escalate in the future.”

Climate change could also severely threaten hummingbirds migrating across the US.

Source: Energy Live News

Tommy Hilfiger Unzips 100% Recycled Luxury Denim Range

26.01.2019

pocket-2324242_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Luxury global fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger has unveiled plans to launch a range of 100% recycled cotton denim styles this spring.

They include mom jeans, a unisex oversized trucker jacket and modern tapered jeans and will be made from leftover cotton that may otherwise have been lost from cutting tables and factory floors.

They have been recycled using an innovative mechanical process that uses less water and energy and fewer chemicals, reducing waste and generating less carbon dioxide.

The sewing thread used is also made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, buttons from unused stock from previous seasons and hangtags will be made from recycled paper.

The sustainable denim is the result of research at the PVH Demin Centre in Amsterdam, the first hub in Europe dedicated to setting new standards for producing denim more efficiently and in a more environmentally-friendly way.

Founder Tommy Hilfiger said: “We have a responsibility to future generations to manufacture products in a more thoughtful way to protect our environment. Starting with how we design and produce some of our denim styles, we want to inspire consumers to make sustainable changes.”

Source: Energy Live News

What Does ’12 Years to Save the Planet’ Really Mean?

26.01.2019

louis-maniquet-684906-unsplash — Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Louis Maniquet)

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Louis Maniquet)

It’s a number that’s been thrown around a lot recently. There’s a danger it will be misunderstood.

When I wrote about a report suggesting the pace of decarbonization needs to treble, I also mentioned the recent IPCC report which has garnered various versions of the following headline: “We have 12 years to save the planet.”

This phrase, or something like it, has been bandied about by politicians, journalists and activists alike. In many ways it’s a useful framing that drives home the urgency of the situation we face. There is also, however, a strong danger (nay, certainty) that it will be misunderstood and/or misrepresented. So let’s first cover what it doesn’t mean:

1) It does not mean that we have 12 years before we have to act.
2) It does not mean that we have 12 years to completely decarbonize.
3) And it does not mean that the fight is over if we fail to reach our target in 12 years.

What the 12 year figure in the IPCC report does refer to is that, if we are going to have a reasonable chance of keeping warming to 1.5 degrees, we have just over a decade to cut global emissions some 45% based on 2010 levels. We then have another two decades (until 2050) to reach zero net emissions.

It’s still an astoundingly daunting task. But many argue that the challenges that lie in the way of achieving it are largely political, not scientific. Among all the depressing headlines and scientific reports (of which there are many), there are plenty of bright spots to suggest we could make significant progress if our leaders would put our minds to it.

The UK has already brought power-sector emissions to Victorian-era levels. Shenzhen, China—a city of 11.9 million people—has already transitioned its entire bus fleet to electric vehicles. Norwegian oil demand may be peaking due to electric cars. Both utilities and cities are setting near net zero emissions targets within the timeframe we are talking about.

Of course, none of this is anywhere near enough. In fact, Lloyd covered at least one idea of what meeting this target would look like when the IPCC report first came out. But there is more than one way to skin a plant-based cat substitute.

What we know is this: A climate movement is stirring and we now need very bold commitments and near-term efforts to move us toward them fast. The “12 year” figure is useful in focusing the mind and spurring us to action—not least to dispel the myth that we can sit on our hands and engineer ourselves out of the crisis—but it should be understood in context:

It simply means we need to move as fast as possible to the most ambitious goal we can muster. Should be easy, right?

Right!

Source: Tree Hugger

Golf Is Not as Green as Grass: Teen Finds Golf Balls Are a Major Source of Plastic Waste in Our Oceans

26.01.2019

golf-clubs-1633748_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

The plastic waste in our oceans is a major environmental problem thanks to humans tossing out single-use items like take-out containers, plastic straws, water bottles and plastic bags. But there is also an unexpected source of plastic waste that a teenage diver recently discovered — golf balls.

When 16-year-old Alex Weber was swimming in a small cove near Carmel, California two years ago, she looked down and discovered there were so many white golf balls in the water that she couldn’t see the sand.

Weber immediately decided to pick up as many as she could. Over the next few months, she and her father hauled hundreds of pounds of golf balls out of the water and stored them in the garage. But with five coastal golf courses nearby, golfers continued to hit the balls into the ocean.

Eventually, Weber discovered Matt Savoca, a Stanford University scientist who studies plastic waste in the oceans. The teen emailed Savoca and invited him to look at her stash, which featured thousands of golf balls.

Weber’s haul impressed Savoca, and he told her that she should write a scientific paper, but Weber didn’t know how to do that. So the two ended up working together, and he started diving with her. They also brought kayaks so they could take the golf balls back to land.

After grabbing the golf balls, Savoca said they would put them on the kayak, and Weber explained that the kayaks were “so filled with plastic” that they had to tow them by swimming them to shore. The biggest threat to the pair while they were recovering the golf balls wasn’t the sharks in the water. Instead, it was golf balls flying from the nearby courses right into the spot where they were collecting.

Golf balls are coated with a thin polyurethane shell, and overtime as the shells degrade, they emit toxic chemicals. The balls also degrade into microplastic pieces that marine animals eat.

Since the first discovery, Weber continues to collect golf balls and manages The Plastic Pick-Up to encourage eliminating ocean pollution. Weber said, “If a person could see what we see underwater, it would not be acceptable.”

Source: Inhabitat

Ukraine to Build Its Largest Ever Wind Farm

25.01.2019

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Ukraine is to build its largest ever wind farm.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has issued a loan of €150 million (£130m) to the country for the construction.

Upon completion, the 250MW project will generate enough renewable electricity to power around 100,000 houses, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 470,000 tonnes annually.

EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti said: “This shows that Ukraine’s commitment to carry out energy sector reforms is increasing the investor confidence needed to achieve the country’s energy transition.”

“This project is good news for Ukraine, investors and for the planet.”

Source: Energy Live News

Bristol Appoints New Company to Fight Environmental Crime

25.01.2019

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Bristol City Council is to appoint a new company to fight environmental crime in the city.

Officers from environmental enforcement company 3GS will operate across a large area of the city, focusing on issues such as fly-tipping, fly posting, commercial waste, abandoned vehicles and graffiti tagging.

People who commit offences such as dropping litter or failing to clear up dog mess will be given fixed penalty notices (FPNs).

The cost of delivering the service will be met through the FPN payments – any surplus will be reinvested by the council to tackle environmental issues.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said: “Making the city a cleaner, more pleasant place to live and work remains one of my main priorities. Over recent weeks, many people have contacted me about unacceptable levels of fly tipping and littering in their areas, so it really need tackling.”

“Keeping our city clean is the responsibility of everyone; we can all take small actions which go a long way, like reporting fly-tippers and ensuring we always pick up our dog mess.”

Source: Energy Live News

Samsonite Packs Its Suitcases for a Sustainable Trip

24.01.2019

airport-519020_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Samsonite has introduced a new sustainable material that involves knitting together recycled plastic.

The travel luggage company says its innovative Neoknit product will enable a new generation of sustainable luggage to be made – it works by threading 100% recycled plastic bottle yarn together, minimising the cuts needed on each panel and helping reduce the amount of waste produced during the manufacture of the bag.

Samsonite says products made of the material can be recycled again and again into new bags, enabling a fully circular process.

Don Wilson, Design Director Europe, said: “At Samsonite, we have been curious about the knitting technique for some time.

“We have seen the benefits of its usage in the apparel and shoe industry and when you think about it, it is a really smart way to produce a durable fabric product. With the Neoknit collection, we are really pushing the boundaries of construction and what it means to create bags in a more sustainable way.”

Source: Energy Live News

Schneider Electric Launches Go Green in the City 2019

24.01.2019

Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, launches Go Green in the City 2019, its annual global student contest to find bold ideas and innovative solutions for smarter, more energy-efficient and sustainable cities.

Now in its ninth year, Go Green in the City is a major event for business and engineering students worldwide. In 2018, over 24,000 young innovators from more than 3,000 universities in 163 countries took part, including 58% women. The stakes for Go Green in the City competitors are high. Not only do the competitors get a chance to make an impact in powering the digital economy, but they also get a chance to win an international trip to Schneider Electric’s Global Innovation Summit 2019, a 2-days event on October 2-3, 2019, in Barcelona (Spain) which will bring together Schneider Electric experts and world-leading industry thinkers to share insights and bold ideas on the challenges and opportunities of Powering the Digital Economy. Students will have opportunities to be connected and be mentored by industry experts, ultimately to work for Schneider Electric.

Sustainability and Technology Working Together

In 2019, the competition should attract even more interest, thanks to the four specific topic categories. Students are invited to submit their bold ideas in one of four categories: “Buildings of the Future”, “Plants of the Future”, “Grids of the Future” and “Sustainability and Access to Energy”.

The challenges are connected to Schneider Electric’s sustainability business strategy and reflects the company’s commitment with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), inviting students to share ideas to reshape the future and show a more effective side of sustainability: the connection of the social and environmental impacts with technology and the business world.

Olivier Blum, Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Schneider Electric commented, “The young generation today face considerable challenges in creating a bright future for themselves. Achieving a sustainable world future is only possible when empowering young people and helping them to become a driving force for innovation. I am proud that Go Green in the City has become a platform for students to develop their ideas for a better tomorrow.”

An ever-learning journey for students

Zvirevo Chisadza and Tariro Cynthia Mutsindikwa, from Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences in Algeria, shared their excitement as 2018 Go Green in the City global winners: “My Go Green in the City 2018 competition journey was such an amazing experience. It all started as a small idea but through the help of the Schneider Electric mentors it became big and more defined to fight against the world hunger”, said Tariro Cynthia. “Through the competition, we networked with Schneider Electric experts and had a chance to learn about sustainability challenges in the world”, commented Zvirevo.

Teams must be composed of two students attending accredited business, engineering, physics, computer science, mathematics and other sciences schools. They must be from the same country or region for the duration of the competition. Each team should include at least one female member, in line with Schneider Electric’s policy of promoting Diversity and Inclusion. The deadline for submissions is May 25th, 2019.

For more information, please visit: gogreeninthecity.se.com, www.facebook.com/GoGreenintheCity.

These Are the Most Endangered Species in the World

24.01.2019

animal-1555953_960_720 — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

As 2018 ended, it brought to light the reality that some animals — after existing on Earth for millions of years — are gone for good. At the end of last year, scientists announced that three bird species went extinct, and there are even more species that could vanish in 2019.

Unlike past mass extinctions, which were the result of things like asteroid strikes and volcanic eruptions, the current crisis is mostly caused by human activities. The Earth is currently losing animal species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural rate, meaning we could see 30 to 50 percent of the planet’s species going extinct by 2050.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, we are in the middle of the planet’s sixth mass extinction of plants and animals, and this latest wave of species die-offs is the worst we have experienced since the loss of dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

“Our results confirm that there is a growing wave of extinctions sweeping across the continents, driven mainly by habitat loss and degradation from unsustainable agriculture and logging,” Birdlife chief scientist Stuart Butchart told USA Today.

We have an abundance of animals that help the world’s ecosystems thrive, but what will happen when more animals become endangered and go extinct?

Eco2 Greetings has created an interactive map that highlights the animals that have recently become endangered and critically endangered, and it also shows where their natural habitats are based.

The world’s most critically endangered species include Vaquita (population 30), Javan Rhino (63), Sumatran Rhino (80), Amur Leopard (84), Cross River Gorilla (250), Malayan Tiger (295), Sumatran Tiger (400), Mountain Gorilla (880), Yangtze Finless Porpoise (950) and Sumatran Elephant (2,600).

The world’s most endangered species are North Atlantic Right Whale (325), Indochinese Tiger (350), Black-footed Ferret (370), Amur Tiger (540), Borneo Pygmy Elephant (1,500), Ganges River Dolphin (1,500), Indus River Dolphin (1,816), Galapagos Penguin (2,000), Bengal Tiger (2,500) and Sri Lankan Elephant (3,250).

The existence of these animals is in our hands. So now the question is what can we do to boost these numbers and save these species?

Source: Inhabitat

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