Brummet's Conscious Blog

Positive News  I'm sure you've read my articles or posts here on this blog re: biofuels, in the form of manure, compost, and others. Today I'd like to mention sewage... yup sewage. Before you turn green and close the window, let me assure you it is possible to get a great deal of energy out of plain old sewage in a safe and sanitary way.   There are many exeprimental programs in place around the world, such as a large biomass power generation project in Japan that focuses on using sludge from sewage plants - this one in particular is so new it doesn't actually open for operation until 2019. However, this plant does expect to generate just about 13 million cubic meters of methane gas annually (enough to power 5,000 homes).  There are other projects out there that use sludge in a slightly different way - they collect hydrogen from the methane gas and that helps in the production energy to fuel cell vehicles, forklifts and other such machines.  The "waste...

-- Quote of the Day --  “There is a real competition between our energy needs and our need for healthy soil. …Whether that cellulose goes into the energy stream or whether it will be processed by microorganisms and builds healthy soil – is going to be both a marketing and regulation issue. …we are not saying that we don’t aren’t going to want to transition to bio energy because that is what green energy is, in addition to solar and wind. …Methane is a natural gas, as opposed to ethanol and alcohol in its liquid form. I like this option because we can produce it from plants and organic waste. There is no magic bullet (when it comes to global warming and managing organics) – but there might be magic buckshot solution… because there is a lot of different opportunities here.” ~ Dan Noble Access the full interview with Dan via:  http://tobtr.com/s/5058487  -- Referral Corner -- http://oedb.org/online-schools ...

 -- Positive News -- *source: http://www.unep.org/ccac/Media/LaunchofSolidWastePartnership/tabid/102246/Default.aspx The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Clinton Climate Initiative/C-40, the World Bank , and the Global Methane Initiative are launching a groundbreaking partnership to reduce methane and black carbon pollutants from municipal solid waste.  U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern had some comments on this new project: " This initiative encapsulates perfectly what we're trying to do with the newly launched Climate and Clean Air Coalition. Countries, cities, the World Bank, and civil society partnering together to make real-world, scaled-up reductions of 'short-lived climate pollutants,' which cause some 30% of current warming. With this solid waste initiative, we're making a big dent in the third-largest source of methane worldwide, and, at the same time, improving the health and environment of local commun...

-- Quote of the Day -- “Communities doing composting are assured of about 70% waste diversion. ...Our solid waste is 50% (urban areas) to 70% biodegradable waste (including agricultural waste in the rural areas) and with at least 20% recyclables to a high of 40%. Composting prevents the production of methane in landfills and is a big mitigating factor to address climate change (global warming).” ~ Sonia Mendoza of the Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines -- Eco-Resources -- - www.climatchoices.org : The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices. – www.inspirenelson.ca : Inspiring others to use everyday actions to make a difference. Find Dave & Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, informa...