sustainability and renewable energy what’s our role?
TRANSCRIPT
Education inside and outside the classroom
• Infusing concepts of sustainability into the curriculum• Creating workforce training• Transforming the campus into a living laboratory
Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example
• Choice of crop makes a big difference in energy efficiency.
• Corn requires large amounts of water, biocides, and energy to produce.
• Affects global price of a basic food stuff in many developing countries.
• Average fill up of a 25 gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol requires same amount of grain as it takes to feed a person for 1 year. http://www.energybulletin.net/node/24169
Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example
• U.S. grows more corn for ethanol.
• Grows less soy. • Brazil
compensates and grows more soy.
Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example
• 20% of greenhouse gas contribution is from land use changes including deforestation.
• The draining of peat swamps in Indonesia results 2 billion tons carbon dioxide emissions per year
• Indonesia 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the U.S. and China, despite small industrial base.
Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example
• Cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass?
2nd generation biofuels
• Biodiesel from algae?100,000 gal oil/acre?
2nd generation biofuels
Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example
Workforce training
• Energy efficiency• Renewables: solar, wind, geothermal, tidal?• What about water, food, urban planning?
Total US 94.6 Quad BtuEIA- annual review 2009
• Biocides: chemical structures come from petroleum• Fertilizers: Haber Bosch Process uses natural gas for
the Hydrogen and requires high energy• Irrigation: pumps depend on diesel and electricity
(coal, natural gas)• Mechanization (tractors): diesel, gasoline• Transportation: trucks, ships, planes and the
refrigeration required
Food = Fossil Fuels
Energy conservation requires change in the food system
• 10 calories of petroleum required to produce 1 calorie of food
• 20% of current US fossil fuel consumption is used to grow, process, and distribute food (FF p. 102).
Water use = Energy use
• 19% of the state’s electricity,
• 30% of its natural gas, and
• 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel every year
…and this demand is growingCalifornia Energy Commission
In CA water-related energy use consumes:
Ecocity Builders
• Majority of human population now urban
• Many cities designed around the car = massive energy use
• Design for being there, not getting there
Expanding our idea of energy conservation
• Organic agriculture
• Rain water catchment
• Grey water systems
• Nutrient cycling• Ecocity design
What are we doing to train a workforce in: