I&I gets paid to dispose of old fridge

Recently your I&I editor made use of Fridge Buyback and got paid to dispose of an old fridge which was inefficiently cooling drinks. The system was very easy to use and the pick-up truck came when they said they would!

Fridge Buyback is an energy efficiency program that actually pays you to reduce your electricity bill and help save the environment. Old fridges are big energy users, consuming up to three times the energy of new fridges. Running your second fridge adds an average of $190 a year to your electricity bill and puts 1 tonne of greenhouse gas into the environment.

If you live in metropolitan Sydney or Wollongong and have a working second fridge that is in regular use, is at least 10 years old and larger than 250 litres (8.83 cubic feet) you can participate in Fridge Buyback. Experienced removalists will collect your fridge free of charge from your home if removal involves 20 stairs or less. A $35 rebate is available if removal involves six stairs or less. If removal involves 21 or more stairs, a fee will apply. The refrigerant gas in your fridge will be properly removed and safely disposed of and the metals recycled.

Fridge Buyback is supported by the NSW Government's Climate Change Fund and local Councils. The program has already collected 7000 fridges and aims to collect more than 22,000 by 2011, reducing NSW's greenhouse gas emissions by over 180,000 tonnes. For full details and conditions see www.fridgebuyback.com.au 

Vehicle Innovations – recycling and electric

Innovation 1 - Green Innovations for future Fords:
The Ford Motor Co is recycling plastic soft drinks bottles into suede-like fabrics for vehicle interiors, processing soy into seat cushions, working on sugarcane-based plastics to replace fossil-fuel based ones and using nanotechnology to develop stronger, lighter materials, the company said in a report during a recent US auto conference. It said it is “retooling its operations” and pursuing electric and fuel-efficient technologies.

The company’s research areas include in bio-based materials such as soy-based rubber fillers and plastics that can biodegrade in 90 to 120 days -- compared to 1,000 years for conventional petroleum-based plastic. It first introduced soy-based polyurethane foam seat cushions and backs in 2007, and has since included the cushions in more than a million vehicles, with a million more planned this year. The move has helped it cut emissions, Ford said.

Other materials being investigated include natural-fibre composites to replace glass fibres that are typically used to strengthen plastic auto parts; bioplastics derived from polylactic acid in corn, sugarbeets, sugarcane, switchgrass and others; recycled and reassembled ebony wood; recycled resins from used detergent bottles, tyres and battery casings that can be used in systems such as aerodynamic shields, splash shields and radiator deflector shields; seat fabrics from 100% post-industrial recycled yarns; and faux suede fabric from recycled plastic drink bottles.

Nanotechnology is also being used, to create nano-filler materials that increase the strength of metal and plastic composites while reducing the materials’ weight. The development bodes well for better fuel efficiency in future vehicles.

Story sourced from: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003273
More on Ford’s Innovation ideas can be found at: http://www.ford.com/innovation/automotive-technology/greener-manufacturing/design-green/environmentally-friendly-interiors-378p

Innovation 2 - Planning for more affordable electric vehicles:
Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi is planning to make more affordable electric vehicles that could cost some 3 million yen ($38,800) by 2012, based on their iMiEV model, by building smaller batteries, the Nikkei newspaper reported. The cost of the battery make up some half of the cost of an electric vehicle, the report said. Mitsubishi is scheduled to start selling its iMiEV model by August 2009. The release of the more economical version following that is hoped to boost sales to some 30,000 units by 2013.
Story Sourced from: www.EnvironmentalManagement News.net

Elephants and sweet potatoes reduce urban heat

The mayor of Osaka, Kunio Hiramatsu, has announced that the city will carry out a closed-loop project using sweet potatoes and elephants during 2009. To mitigate the urban heat island effect in summer, the city aims to green the rooftop of City Hall with sweet potato plants and use the plant vines and leaves that are usually disposed of for feeding elephants in Tennoji zoo. The elephant's dung is then used as fertilizer to grow sweet potatoes.

The mayor said this is an "ultimate example of recycling," and that it would be a good opportunity for adults and children to become more conscious of the environment. Other ward offices, as well as elementary and junior high schools also plan to create "green curtains" of goya (bitter gourd). Story and picture from Japan for Sustainability: http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029073.html . Story sourced via www.resourcesnotwaste.org

NSW launches green buildings guide

NSW has launched a new Sustainable Property Guide that contains comprehensive step-by-step guidance, checklists and worksheets to integrate sustainability into property portfolios. The guide is expected to assist property managers in improving the environmental performance of commercial buildings.
The resource, which can be downloaded from the Department of Environment and Climate Change website (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sustainbus/SustainPropertyGuide.htm) would help commercial building owners, managing agents and building managers gain knowledge and skills to minimise the impact of commercial buildings on the environment, said NSW Environment and Climate Change Minister Carmel Tebbutt.

The guide will help inform action and work for buildings including offices, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, education facilities, and retail and wholesale premises. It provides advice on managing energy, water, waste and recycling as well as responsible refrigerant use and indoor air quality; and details how to incorporate sustainability into project delivery, tenders, fitouts and retrofits, as well as supply chains and procurement.

The guide contains checklists, worksheets and other tools and resources – such as energy, water and waste efficiency action planning help – as well as a list of emerging and established “best practice” benchmarks from around the country. Colonial First State Global Asset Management, which partnered the state government to develop the guide, said it would trigger “positive change in the property industry and the broader business community”.

Story extracted from: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003140  

Small wave power in Queensland

New technology to harness energy from smaller ocean waves has been launched by Queensland’s State Energy Minister Stephen Robertson. The Advanced Wave Powers Nautilus prototype is expected to use the small waves in Moreton Bay near Brisbane to generate up to 100kW of electricity every hour.

A commercial version will be aimed at small scale generation in Queensland - predicted to able to support 30-40 homes. Robertson said the government had invested $160,000 to help bring wave power to life, adding “in the right locations, technology such as this has the potential to support our electricity network around Queensland”.
http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003423

Your Ideas, Innovations or Events?

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