Insightful and flexible, Liz Warren of SE2 added real value to our performance gap workshop and as a bonus, her blog of the event was picked up by the media.
Richard John, Knowledge Transfer Network
The Twelve Days of Christmas part 3
The last few weeks in the office before Christmas always fly by, and this year has been no exception at SE2. We’ve been busy working on our Christmas newsletter; our chance to share some of our favourite projects from this year and take a closer look at the exciting things we’ll be working on in 2013. You can read it here if you haven’t already!
We’ve also been having a think about our own Twelve days of Christmas- our favourite environmental stories of 2012. You can find numbers one to four here, and five to eight here, but below, as a precursor to the big day, are our numbers nine to twelve! We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
On the ninth day of Christmas… No more hunting for sport in Costa Rica
This month, after a unanimous and final vote, Costa Rica became the first country in South America to ban hunting for sport. Home to many incredible creatures, including jaguars, pumas and sea turtles, it is a hugely bio diverse nation, with 25% of its land covered by nature reserves. Foreign hunters often come to the country in search of exotic big cats, whilst others hope to catch vividly coloured parrots for pets, and the government hope the new legislation will reduce the numbers of animals killed or taken into captivity.
2012 was also a great year for wildlife elsewhere, as the Frigatebird returned to nest on Acension island for first time since Darwin had visited in the early nineteenth century. One of the world’s rarest seabirds, the island’s population was wiped out 150 years ago by feral cats, with only a few remaining nests surviving on a rocky outcrop where they were vulnerable to disease and oil spills. At the end of this year however, after a programme to eradicate hundreds of the predators, ornithologists spotted two nests guarded by the birds, suggesting that there is a real chance of saving the Ascension frigate from extinction.
A final piece of positive wildlife news for the year came from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, where pronghorn antelopes journeying 170 miles to their winter range found a new migration route built specially for them. Pronghorn face multiple obstacles including a high mountain pass, rivers, fences and energy development, but in the past their most dangerous challenge has been crossing Highway 191. In other areas underpasses have proved useful in limiting wildlife deaths, but pronghorn rely on powerful eyesight and fast running speeds and are reluctant to use them, so park authorities built them an overpass to enable them to cross the road safely. Those in charge said that it was a gamble, but the antelope knew just what to do: funnelled between 2.4m fences they sprinted over and continued south towards their winter range. We're sure Rudolph would very much approve!
On the tenth day of Christmas… Tremendous tree news?
2012 has been a terribly sad year for trees in the UK as ash dieback spread to many of our 92 million native ash trees. More positive news, however, came from the US where scientists believe they may have genetically engineered a blight resistant American chestnut.
These much-loved trees, known as the “redwood of the east” once numbered 4 billion in the US, but almost died out in just 50 years during the 20th century. However, the American Chestnut Foundation announced this year that they have grown a tree in one of their test orchards that is yet to show signs of the disease, despite its neighbours having succumbed. It’s great news, and all the more reason to treasure your Christmas tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas… A stinkily splendid energy source?
It has been estimated that Americans flush 350 billion kilowatt hours of energy into their sewers each year (roughly enough to power 30 million US homes for the same period): one of the reasons why sewage heat recovery has this year been hailed as an “astoundingly powerful source of energy”.
Technology is still relatively new, but certain projects- such as the one in the Olympic Village area of Vancouver- are showing just how much potential the method holds. Heat pumps are used to capture warmth from wastewater and transfer it to the clean water that is entering homes, which is then used in showers, washing machines, dishwashers and even radiators. The wastewater heat recovery system in the Vancouver based project is currently providing 70% of the community’s energy needs, and the stacks of the facility have been turned into a public art work: showcasing LED lights that indicate levels of energy demand. A not-so-stinky success!
On the twelfth day of Christmas…Truly terrific solar stories
An estimated1.6 billion people worldwide (more than one fifth of the worlds population) don’t have access to a public electricity grid and are forced to find alternative sources of light, often burning fuels that are expensive and have deleterious impacts on health. Solar power is a clean alternative and, due to recent advances in technology, is a relatively cost effective energy source in fuel poor countries around the world.
Whilst working in Benin however, the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) found that lack of light was often considered less of a problem than the six-month dry season that caused widespread malnutrition and sickness. As a result, SELF decided to provide a solar powered drip irrigation system, which has greatly improved food production. Drip irrigation systems normally utilise a diesel pump to push water along pipes to the base of a plant, but solar has proven to be a reliable and cost-effective alternative to drive pumps in the long run. The project now has plans to expand solar power to homes, schools, health clinics and community and internet kiosks, and install solar powered street and market lighting.
Solar power was also harnessed in a surprising place a little closer to home this year, as the Big Pit National Coal Museum of Wales fitted solar panels in a “symbolic and financially rewarding move”. The Museum’s manager was extremely enthusiastic about a step that will see a huge reduction in energy bills, whilst enabling children who visit the museum to both appreciate their heritage and look ahead to the future of green energy in Wales.
Don't forget to join us in the new year for our usual energy-related chat and updates on all of our projects and the positive things happening in the industry! We're also very excited be holding our second New Year Seminar in central London in January, for more information please see our newsletter, or contact Hannah if you'd like to attend!