Blogs & Ecology

Cascades Park, photo courtesy of webshots

photo: D'Arcy Norman

The technology involved in plasma gasification, or perhaps more properly plasma arc waste disposal, has been around for about fifty years, but few facilities exist that utilize it to both dispose of waste and create energy, and none are in the United States. That’s about to change.

Image source: Getty Images

photo: Chandra Marsono

Now that the legislative dust seems to have settled and the issue of renewable energy tax incentives resolved, at least for the time being, in the United States it might be tempting to overlook the following announcement coming out of Gainesville, Florida, but you shouldn’t.

In a plan outlined on Monday, Gainesville has indicated that it is considering adopting feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy along the lines of the program which has enabled Germany to become a world leader in the industry.

Photos by Jorge R. Perez: Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, left

Coke's Hybrid Delivery Truck Armada
Adding to the 132 hybrid trucks it already has in circulation across the nation, green (ish) going Coca Cola deployed 10 more to the Miami area last week. The new grand total of 142 evidently makes them the largest “heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America.”...

Turning Ships into Artificial Reefs
Some naval vessels such as the U.S.S. Oriskany get a second life. Instead of being sent to ship-breakers, they get a second career as artificial reefs and are turned into habitat for marine species.

U.S.S. Oriskany

Image source: Getty Images

No we're not kidding. The San Diego Union Tribune reported this morning that as Anheuser-Busch, owner of SeaWorld, is about to be gobbled up by Belgian brewer InBev, they are looking to rid themselves of their theme parks and just focus on the beer. PETA has put in a proposal for at least one of the available parks - Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego - to be funded by an anonymous donor.

When we recently pointed out that some school districts were eyeing a four day school week as a way to cut costs and save energy there were some who thought the whole idea was just too outlandish to pull off. And at the K-12 level it just may be; but when faced with huge cuts in state aid the officials at Brevard Community College in Dayton Beach, Florida took the plunge and the students and staff members are reaping enormous benefits.

But what benefits are they now enjoying?

...

I’ll be honest. When I think of Orlando, Florida I don’t exactly have pleasant thoughts flooding into my head. Apologies to any Orlando residents reading this, but based on the time I’ve spent there, the city’s charms are entirely lost on me. So, when I heard about this next bit of news, I did a double take. Orlando? Yes, Orlando.

Orlando-Area Public Busses to be Converted to Biodiesel

Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Beginning in Tampa, FL and Dallas, TX Pizza Hut chains, the popular pie company will soon offer a pizza made with a multigrain crust, organic tomato sauce and preservative-free toppings, dubbed "The Natural."

photo: Paul Johnson/The Ledger

The beauty of "largest" records is that they just keep on growing. Florida Power & Light Company announces the selection of SunPower to build the largest solar photovoltaic power plant in the United States, a 25-megawatt power plant in DeSoto County, Florida, expected to go on-line in 2009, contingent on approval of the Florida Public Service Commission. SunPower's reputation rests on the high-efficiency (22 percent efficient) Gen 2 technology photovoltaic chips, which have been in mass production since 2007....

Here's one for the "What were they thinking?" file. An audit report from the Florida Public Service Commission makes it seem as if Florida Power and Light (FPL) saw renewable power as "the competition" instead of as a way to do good by doing well.

The voluntary program charges FPL customers $9.75 per month - on top of the regular energy bill - to help develop alternative power sources...Public Service Commission staff said only 24 percent of the $11.4 million collected from customers went toward developing renewable energy. The rest went to marketing and administr...

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Source: TreeHugger

A while back we made a big splash about Celine Dion's use of 6.5 million gallons of water per year for a house that she didn't even live in, and got hosed in the comments by many of her fans. It turns out that her staff doesn't check the bills they pay too carefully, and just sent in a cheque for $36,343 to cover the bill. Once the story came out, they looked more carefully and found a broken water main. According to the Palm Beach Post:

photo by Bill Swindaman

Kenya may be set to destroy its wetlands to cultivate sugar for biofuels, but Florida is moving in the opposite direction.

Sugar Plantations to Be Bought for Wetland Restoration