EnviroWave by Robert Green

Planktos' (PLK) Weatherbird II has yet to set sail for it's voyage to dump 100 tons of iron dust into the waters off the Galapagos Islands, in hopes of seeding the dwindling algae population, as a mechanism to absorb carbon dioxide from the oceans, resulting in a huge windfall of emission reduction credits. ER's that can be sold on the carbon market for a tidy profit.

The fact that Planktos expects to make money from this eco-engineering project should not be offensive to anyone. It is a prime example of a company thinking big, in order to capitalize on an open exchange. It is brave of Planktos to take on such a ambitious and daring project.

However, there is much debate about whether their operation will have such a tremendous negative impact (i.e. algae bloom and bust) in the Galapagos would be detrimental to that ecosystem, and possibly have much further ranging effects as the algae and diatoms flourish, consuming more oxygen than expected and stink up the atmosphere and cloud the waters when the algae die.

The tactics that the US and Ecuadorian government are pursuing to delay Planktos' imply this is a merely ocean dumping, for which the proper permits must be obtained.

Compared to the millions of tons of sewage and agricultural runoff into our oceans, with untold damages and environmental impact, would it not be reasonable to conclude that a load of 100 tons of iron dust poured into the ocean would be minor risk to the marine ecosystem and have potentially significant benefits if Planktos is right? If the size of Planktos' "experiment" is too grand for a first trial, would it not be reasonable to ask Planktos for a scaled down test? Say 1 ton or 10 tons of iron dust, in a less sensitive ecosystem?

The ethical question is not "Should Planktos pursue it's original quest?", but "at what scale (and where else), should Planktos demonstrate their carbon sequestration technology before industrial scale algae seeding takes place?"

If Planktos' process can reduce carbon from the atmosphere (which may benefit all), and can make them a dollar in the carbon market (which may benefit the share holders of Planktos), is this not an equitable and ethical experiment?

I look forward to your comments and discussion...

One of the current catch phrases found in the news on a daily basis is "sustainability." Can we find products that we can use that raw materials can be produced in quantities that will not deplete the whole or imbalance the environment. Few raw materials have the potential for true sustainable production and consumption as bamboo. It is a highly versatile grass, with a tremendous growth rate and ability to survive in a both temperate and tropical environments. It's woody fibers produce products that are both strong and beautiful, such as in bamboo flooring or cutting boards, "cane" poles and bamboo fly fishing poles, each being prized for their strength and grace under pressure.

Now, the latest manifestation of bamboo uses though has to be in the textile industry. Bamboo can be processed into a fine, silk like fiber or yarn, both of which produce some amazingly soft and durable clothing, bed linens, towels, and even socks and underwear. Bamboo fabric is both hypoallergenic and naturally anti-microbial, so your clothes will be more stain and odor resistant.

Ecological sustainability may be a topical buzzword, but the ethics of such sustainability can help carry the resource demand that we place on our planet. Using bamboo woods and bamboo products in our daily lives can have a major impact on the pace of deforestation of hardwood forests, in favor of faster growing bamboo forests. However, until bamboo rises in public demand, we will still have a high reliance on cotton for our fabrics, while our hardwood demands are met by oak, pine, and maple.

Consider trying bamboo fabrics in your wardrobe or linen closet. They look and feel great, and have a positive effect on our environment.

Please check out my blog Bamboo You for more information about bamboo fabrics, bamboo products and other discussions on bamboo options.

How did you celebrate Earth Day 2007?

This years Earth Day punctuates the importance of our impact on the environment more so than any other in the history of Earth Day celebrations. With Google's logo embedded as iceberg art, Discovery Channel's showing of "Green, the new Red, White and Blue", and the IPCC's recent release of the latest summary of global impact due to Global Warming, I believe we have achieved main stream awareness of the issue.

Now, to get people motivated into doing something about it. This weekend, I spent time preparing my house for a new baby, and along the way replaced some incandescent bulbs with mini-florescent bulbs, cleaned dryer vents, opened windows instead of blasting the air conditioning, and spent time spreading the word.

What's going on in your environment?

Robert

One trend that seems to be making more headway is that of algaeculture. This is the agrarian process of growing and harvesting algae for its many byproducts. These byproducts include food, fertilizer, ethanols, and biofuels. Algae is also a good medium for water treatment plants for water purification.

Two companies that I am aware of are making headway with growing algae for biofuel production is Green Fuel Technologies Company and Petroalgae, LLC. Both of these companies produce biofuels, each with proprietary technologies for growing and harvesting the algae.

Green Fuel's system partners with fossil fuel plants and siphons the carbon dioxide from the flue for input into bioreactors containing the algae. When the algae concentration is high enough, the biomass is harvested and the oils expressed, creating a biofuel that can help offset the outside fuel demands of multi-fuel furnaces, or the biomass may be harvested for protein extraction for other food related products.

Petroalgae claims to use a high oil percentage algae, which is grown in some modular system, for the express purpose of producing biofuels. This species of algae, is believed to double at an rate of once per 24 hours, making harvesting a continuous process.

After much research on this same subject, I believe I have invented a means of growing and harvesting large amounts of algae, which by itself can be processed on site into whatever desired product line should be, depending on the species of algae cultivated, without the costs of huge tracts of land, manual labor, and additional fossil fuel costs, with the added benefit of measurable carbon dioxide emissions reductions, think 'CDM' project, and measurable oxygen production.

I am happy to describe my invention and process to anyone interested in learning more about it, in hopes of generating a business from this idea. If you, or someone you know may be interested in algaeculture, for biofuel production, food or food supplement production, or other biomass derivatives, please email me directly at rjgreenwave@gmail.com.


Robert

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a landmark document this week called the Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. This document does an extroardinary job of explaining the probable causality of Global Warming. This should be a punct

"Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values determined from ice cores spanning many thousands of years (see Figure SPM-1). The global increases in carbon dioxide concentration are due primarily to fossil fuel use and land-use change, while those of methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture. {2.3, 6.4, 7.3}"

To me, this confirmation of the global warming phenomenon stops at showing us some reason for the cause.

I would suggest that regardless of the cause, we find a solution quickly. This phenomenon has momentum already building in the environment and needs to be corrected quickly before future generations suffer the costs and heartache to follow.

Today, the US Department of Interior requested that Polar Bears be considered a threatened species. They will now spend the next year learning and substantiating this request including studying the reasons for its concern.

I hope this is a precident setting action by this administration to recognize the role of global warming and the risks that are inherent in the climate crisis of global warming. Scientists have recently reported risks to other species of creatures, including fish, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants around the world because of global warming, but Polar Bears have a relatively small enough population to be at high risk of "downsizing" and the ever important cuteness factor.

It doesn't matter what begins the main stream acceptance of the reality of global warming, so long as we accept it and do something intelligent about it.

Robert

I believe we have a certain responsibility towards the management of the earth, its inhabitants and its environment. To further this statement, it pains me to see the failure of our stewardship responsibilities cause the unnecessary deaths of millions of dogs and cats.

The number one responsibility as pet owners, or shelters of unwanted pets is still to prevent unnecessary population growth by spaying and neutering these creatures. This should be mandatory for anyone who seeks to own a pet, but unfortunately it's up to the owner.

The ethics of a society can be measured in how we treat other beings. We in the United States are killing between three and four million animals a year due to unwanted overpopulation. We could be serving our wards much more ethically by not allowing the population to grow so large by simply spending a minor amount of time and money to prevent a greater dilema.

In the words of Bob Barker "Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered."

Support your local dog and cat shelter and adopt responsibly.


Robert