The hippies are coming! The hippies are coming!

That may have been what the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival initially attracted in its first few years of existence. The four-day festival at Clinton Lake State Park in Lawrence, Kan., prides itself in bringing in plenty of big names from the jam band scene along with premiere acts in alt-country, Southern rock, reggae and bluegrass while raising awareness for environmental issues.

For its fifth year, Wakarusa is trying something different.

The festival, which takes place Thursday, June 5 through Sunday, June 8, is expanding its musical horizons even further. They are bringing in indie rock mainstays like Built to Spill, piano-playing singer/songwriter Ben Folds, country legend Emmylou Harris, goofy alt-rockers Cake, underground hip-hop acts like Blackalicious and Del the Funky Homosapien and Uncle Monk, a bluegrass duo featuring none other than Tommy Ramone, the last surviving member of the seminal punk rock quartet The Ramones.

These are just a few groups on a jam-packed lineup including headliners like The Flaming Lips, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Keller Williams, Zappa Plays Zappa, Mickey Hart Band featuring Steve Kimock and George Porter Jr., Galactic, The Avett Brothers and a ton of others.

Brett Mosiman, co-director of Wakarusa, realized that this year instead of having similar genres competing for the festival’s crowd over the four-day period, it would be beneficial to the festival to do a little bit of counter-programming with the more than 120 bands on the festival’s lineup.

“I think of part of it was just getting a handle on the fact that we have 300 or 400 hours or music,” Mosiman says. “If we wanted to keep five or six stages, we had to broaden the booking.”

The festival’s five stages will have music playing nearly 24 hours a day, which will be perfect for attendees who pay between $129 to $169 for a four-day pass.

But this year, Wakarusa is hoping that their diverse lineup featuring several big-name acts will get more of a local audience from Kansas City and other areas close by to get the Wakarusa experience, even if it’s only for a night.

“We kind want to offer a little something more for the people here in the regional community,” says David Barrett, director of marketing for Wakarusa. “We want people just to come out to Wakarusa for a day and see what it’s like.”

Or a weekend. Wakarusa is offering its usual single-day tickets for $49 while also offering a weekender pass for $99 in case people couldn’t take off four days because of something silly like jobs or kids or things like that.

While you are at Wakarusa, you may notice how friendly the festival is to the environment it occupies. The generators run on biodiesel. Recycling also is a huge emphasis. Last year’s festival recycled 8,000 pounds of waste that would normally end up gracing local landfills. They are also instituting their first-ever composting program, so whatever food you don’t want (or think tastes like crap) can go towards growing a happy little plant. Bob Ross would be proud.

They will also have a sustainability meeting featuring the editor of Mother Earth News, Brian Welch, a campus tour of human rights awareness and a no-sweat fashion show to display clothes not manufactured in sweat shops.

If you ask Mosiman, these activities are an essential element of Wakarusa’s identity.

“(They’re) all the normal things for us, but I don’t think they are normal for most festivals,” Mosiman says. “We just consider that part of the brand now.”

And another characteristic of the Wakarusa brand is the vendors. The 75 food, arts and crafts vendors will be selling a little bit of everything. On the arts and crafts side, you could pick up clothing, glass marbles, art, glow-in-the-dark light covers, bottle holders and goods made of bee wax. As far as food goes, Madina Salaty, Wakarusa’s vendor coordinator, says they have everything from “healthy options to junk food.” You’ve got your pizza, hamburgers, fries, but you’ve also got organic and vegetarian options, Cajun, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Chinese food to choose from.

Salaty says that while the number of vendors has slightly increased this year, high gas prices have kept vendors who consistently travel many miles to sell their products at Wakarusa from making the trip.

“We have lost several vendors,” she says. “They have specifically told me that that’s the reason.”

The location of Wakarusa should be enough for people to ignore the prices at the pump. The festival will once again place at Clinton Lake State Park, southwest of Lawrence, Kan. The 1,500 acre facility has plenty to offer those who aren’t just there for the music, with beaches, an 11,000 acre lake, horseshoe pits and hiking trails.

“The amenities are really like no other festival that’s held in a field or a polo ground,” Mosiman says. “It’s really like a family vacation.”

Mosiman knows the traveling aspect of Wakarusa may be less tempting with gas prices so high, but he thinks that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying a unique musical experience, no matter how long you decide to stay.

“I think it’s impacting everybody, and our big message is that you still got to have fun. You have to cut loose,” Mosiman says. “Don’t let those greedy oil bastards take away your fun and your Wakarusa weekend.”

For more information, go to www.wakarusa.com.

by Blake Hannon

http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2008/may/30/loud-outdoors/?diem

Store offers earth-friendly food and fuel

Dallas,TX - The Green Spot is not your typical gas station and mini mart – it is instead a biodiesel-carrying “ecovenience” store. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and animal fats that many vehicles use as fuel. The Green Spot not only serves customers this domestic renewable fuel, but also offers organic products similar to Whole Foods and Central Market.

Alvaro Garza, a previous owner of two Smoothie Factories, and Bruce Bagelman, a biodiesel enthusiast, are behind this operation. They recognized a need in East Dallas for a store that caters to health-conscious and earth-friendly consumers. It is an area that Garza says “is ignored by the natural industry,” even though it is considered a “greener” geographic area in the Metroplex.

Biodiesel options at The Green Spot include B5 and B99, mixtures with 5% and 99.9% vegetable oil, respectively. Although biodiesel is currently only compatible with unmodified diesel engines, Garza mentions that Audi and BMW have vehicles in the works that could eventually use biodiesel. Regular gas is also available for non-biodiesel engines.

“When people care about what they are putting in their vehicle,” Garza says, “they usually care about what they are putting in their body.” Certainly, there is a connection between those who use The Green Spot’s gas and shop their convenience store, but the store serves a wide clientèle.

Close to White Rock Lake, athletes regularly stock up on goods needed for an intense training session. Other customers span from vegans and people with gluten or peanut allergies to dieters and parents who are relieved their children have a store full of options they can feel good about.

Between its renewable resources, healthy foods and community involvement, The Green Spot hopes to continue acquiring loyal customers. The store is already involved with nearby schools and For the Love of the Lake, a group dedicated to preserving White Rock Lake.

So far, Garza has received positive feedback from people who are excited to have access to healthier options, support a local business, or “reduce their carbon footprint.” It is this positive feedback that Garza hopes will continue to bring business to the store. He says, “Word of mouth is best - giving back to the community is a great marketing plan.”

One especially distinguishing characteristic that may deter customers from visiting is the store’s lack of alcohol and cigarettes, a major source of profit for convenience stores. While the absence of alcohol is a result of location – the store is in a dry area – the lack of cigarettes is a conscious decision.

“We want to feel good about our products and promote a healthy lifestyle. We don’t feel that cigarettes fit that healthy image,” says Garza.

As for now, it seems The Green Spot is doing just fine without peddling those vices.

By Stephanie Parker

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/apr/02/green-spot-works-enhance-community/

Oil palm companies are subjecting themselves to scrutiny to meet consumer demand for eco-friendly palm oil.

PALM oil is heading for certification – the first tangible sign of a commitment towards sustainable production of the versatile yet controversial commodity.

The first certificate is expected to be issued by the first quarter of 2008, after the call for environmentally and socially responsible production of the crop came five years ago.

Buyers are waiting anxiously for the certification as they have promised to supply certified palm oil to their clients – oil refiners, food manufacturers, consumer goods producers, retailers and even biofuel plant operators – who in turn have set deadlines to phase out the use of palm oil from uncertified sources.

Environmental campaigns in the West linking palm oil production to orang utan extinction, peat fires and displacement of indigenous communities have resulted in consumer boycotts of supermarket chains and demand for sustainable palm oil.

The march towards biodiesel production using palm oil has also met with warnings that the so-called green fuel could be a net emitter of greenhouse gases and accelerate, instead of stalling, climate change. There is also concern that the biofuel rush could come at the expense of food production, given that palm oil is the world’s most important edible oil.

At the recently-concluded fifth meeting of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Kuala Lumpur, the verification and implementation mechanisms of the certification system were presented to some 500 participants from 30 countries representing major players in the palm oil supply chain, from growers to retailers, banks, investors, and pressure groups from environmental and developmental organisations.

The certification process will authenticate growers’ claims that their products are derived from plantations that follow the Principle and Criteria (P&C) set by the initiative. It will also enable manufacturers to assure consumers of product “traceability” through eco-labelling.

Palm oil is the most popular vegetable oil in the world commodity market, with 37 million tonnes produced last year. With its membership accounting for almost 40% of palm oil production and utilisation in the world, RSPO is regarded as an influential force for sustainable palm oil.

But several issues remain unresolved after five years of deliberations. Expansion of oil palm estates on fragile ecosystems and displacement of indigenous communities are two contentious issues that divide supporters and critics of RSPO.

Indonesia overtook Malaysia as the largest oil palm producing country with an output of 16 million tonnes last year. The area of land under oil palm plantation in Indonesia tripled between 1995 and 2005. Close to six million ha of plantation has been developed and millions more are planned.

A report by the Indonesian Forest Ministry and European Union states that to meet the rising world demand for palm oil from 20 million tonnes to 40 million tonnes by 2020, some 300,000ha of new estates will be needed each year. It added that inevitably, most new estates would come up in wetlands, as the more desirable dry lands are already occupied.

Such expansion plans are largely driven by the demand for biofuel in rich nations. In early 2007, the European Union endorsed a minimum target for biofuel to constitute 10% of its transport fuels by 2020.

Greenpeace has called for a moratorium on deforestation of peat swamp forests for oil palm expansion. Its political advisor for energy Wolfgang Richert says just like the campaign on soybean in the Amazon which got three major traders agreeing to stop expansion in the Brazilian rainforest, Greenpeace will continue to pressure RSPO members to commit on this important move.

“It’s crucial for RSPO to get rid of partial certification. Otherwise, it’ll just be another green-washing exercise, undermining its credibility.”

Richert also notes that Principle 7, which forbids new planting on primary forests or areas of High Conservation Value from 200, is weak.

“You can argue that most Indonesian forests are not primary forests anymore. So, RSPO will actually (end up) certifying palm oil produced from deforestation of secondary forests. RSPO members should commit to develop on the millions of hectares of abandoned, degraded land instead,” he says.

Friends of the Earth (FOE) highlights that as RSPO only gives sustainability certifications for each plantation, other plantations in a company could remain unsustainable.

“Inevitably, palm oil companies will use a sustainability certification to green-wash, even though it will by no means guarantee that the company is guilt-free of environmental and social violations. The RSPO must refuse to certify palm oil coming from any company still involved in destructive palm oil production,” said Paul de Clerck, FOE corporate campaigns co-ordinator.

FOE Europe chapter is campaigning against the EU biofuel policy, cautioning that the demand for palm oil will drive conversion of forests to plantations on a scale far beyond what the RSPO could guarantee is sustainable. It has called for a moratorium on European financial subsidies and targets that encourage the development and production of large-scale biofuels.

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/1/1/lifefocus/19561783&sec=lifefocus

By HILARY CHIEW

http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/weekend_extra/story.html?id=81016d91-65c4-4464-b40d-ac83f36ce09b

By Laura Robin

While acknowledging that travelers burn gas to get to their destinations, the editors of an online B&B directory are urging vacationers to choose green B&B’s to help offset the environmental costs of their carbon emissions. “Innkeepers are moving toward greener getaways by investing in earth-friendly practices,” says BedandBreakfast.com, which lists 35 “Earth-friendly” packages. Here’s a sampling:Ocean View B&B

Victoria, B.C.

“Leave the car behind and travel by ferry to Victoria, then use foot power to explore ocean front pubs and parks,” say the editors of BedandBreakfast.com. “Garbage restrictions mean recycling — non-packaged and locally grown goods are the norm here.”

Owner Yvette Craig buys her eggs from a local farm (the farmer drops them off on her way to work at a downtown bank), her bacon and sausage from a local butcher and she tries to use mostly organic coffee.

“My breakfast is a little buffet — fruit salad, granola, local yogurt, an egg dish and toast, or sometimes homemade pancakes with local blueberries or homemade scones.”

Craig says there’s less waste with a buffet “since folks eat what they want and I have very little leftovers.”

She runs her six-room B&B with just one large garbage can and blue boxes. “I try to purchase goods with the least amount of packaging.”

“We use as many non-chemical cleaners as possible, and I’m always adding new ones so that I’ll be chemical-free very soon,” says Craig. “My washing machine is a front loader which uses very little water therefore only one-eighth of a cup of soap. It has a very strong spinner and therefore it takes less time to dry the sheets and towels. We also use linen (rather than paper) napkins.”

Featured green scheme: “Fabulous savings come from the Incredible Shower Heads (that’s their official name),” says BedandBreakfast.com, which is based in Austin, Texas.”

Chez Sven B&B

Wellfleet, Massachusetts

“Committed to eco-tourism, this B&B provides a natural, chemical-free environment geared toward those with environmental sensitivities. Allergy-free suites feature 100-per-cent organic cotton bed linens and hypo-allergenic comforters and pillows for those allergic to down. Non-toxic green detergents are used in a front-loading, energy-efficient washer and whenever possible sheets are line-dried. HEPA filters in vacuums help to maintain air quality. The inn is totally smoke- and pet-free. Organic raspberries, tomatoes and potatoes, plus homemade organic yogurt, are guest favourites for breakfast.”

Featured green scheme: “During warmer weather, dry sheets and towels outside. Not only will you save energy, but they’ll smell and feel fabulous.”

Pilgrim’s Inn

Deer Isle, Maine

“Certified by the state of Maine as an environmental leader, this country inn and restaurant is sweet on recycling. They use biodegradable ‘to go’ containers made of sugar cane.

Used cooking oil is donated to those driving cars fueled by bio-diesel. Soaps and shampoos are no longer packaged but provided via dispensers in guest baths and showers. Natural kitchen waste is composted, and island-grown organic vegetables are served as often as possible. Low-flow showers and toilets help to conserve water.”

Featured green scheme:

“Swap traditional light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, saving energy on both lighting and cooling. These new bulbs last eight to 10 times longer, use about 75 per cent less energy, and produce 90 per cent less heat while delivering more light per watt than incandescent bulbs.”

HUNTINGDON — Having a mom who saved twist-ties, rubber bands and anything she felt had potential for a second life, Tony Seguin said the seeds of his waste-not philosophy were sowed at an early age.

When he opened Boxer’s Cafe 17 years ago, Tony said its wasn’t long before he felt overwhelmed by the amount of waste a restaurant can generate and since has worked with his wife, Paula, to track down ways to reduce and recycle their output.

“Waste is so much harder to ignore when you’re dealing with this kind of volume. It’s maybe easier for a household to ignore,” Tony said.

A week’s worth of french fries and hot wings translates to about 13 gallons of used vegetable oil. The Seguins used to pay to have the oil trucked away, but now they get extra mileage out of the grease by using it as fuel for their Volkswagen Jettas.

Investing about $1,400 a car for parts and labor, Tony sought out mechanics Chris and Isaac Fisher to convert his and Paula’s diesel fuel cars to run on vegetable oil. The Fishers have a loyal customer base of Volkswagen drivers, so the family-run service garage Car Tunes was the Seguins’ top pick for the project.

Fisher, 19, said he never expected to create a grease-powered car.

“It was decent — not bad at all,” he said of placing a 13.2 gallon tank in the trunk of a turbo diesel Jetta where the spare tire used to sit.

“There [were] a lot of people asking questions about it,” Fisher said. He since has completed four conversions and is about to begin a fifth.

Tony said there are several alternative fuel kits available, but he chose Grease Car which allows him and Paula to fill up on straight vegetable oil. Tony had read about Massachusetts-based Grease Car’s simple conversion process that pairs two fuel tanks — one for diesel and one for vegetable oil — which the driver alternates between with the turn of a switch.

Tony said driving a Grease Car has called for a few changes in motoring habits, namely keeping an eye on the engine temperature so he knows when to hit the switch to transfer the fuel source from the diesel tank to the vegetable oil tank.

“Usually, you drive one or two miles before you can switch over,” he said, adding that in winter he typically drives about four miles before the engine warms up enough.

En route from the fryer to the fuel tank, the oil is filtered through canvas bags to remove food particles, then it is stored until it’s time to fill up. At a rate of about 13 gallons of vegetable oil waste a week, Tony said he has enough fuel to supply a small fleet including his Jetta, Paula’s and a friend’s Grease Car.

The filtering process, he said, doesn’t call for a fancy lab, but a simple setup of buckets and bags he keeps in the basement.

Besides switching between fuel tanks and filtering oil, Tony said it’s driving as usual.

“There’s no noticeable difference in performance,” he said.

“And no difference in mileage,” Paula added. “I’m still getting about 40 to 50 [miles per gallon] on the highway.”

The Seguins have traveled all over in their Grease Cars, saving on fuel and gaining peace of mind in the knowledge that they’ve found yet another way to recycle.

Among the most disturbing places in the Seguins’ travel log was a landfill they visited years ago to dispose material left over from a remodeling project that they couldn’t recycle.

“There were these tractor-type vehicles, about the size of the trucks you’d see at the sand plant, with steel knobs sticking out of their tires, driving over this mountain of trash,” Tony recalled.

Paula said she’ll never forget that first eye-opening experience amid rolling hills of garbage.

“We drove up into it and it was just upsetting, really upsetting, to see all that waste.”

“The saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ is so true. Once you become aware of the problem, you can’t not do anything about it,” Paula said.

It was a sight that strengthened their desire to go the extra mile.

Before the restaurant switched to Earth-friendly paper containers, Tony would travel to Lancaster County several times a year to return washed and rinsed polystyrene to the manufacturer for recycling.

He and Paula have tracked down suppliers for all types of environmentally-sound goods: bio-degradable straws, menus printed in soy-based ink on recycled paper and organic cotton T-shirts printed with water-based ink.

Leftovers from the 150 to 200 lunches and dinners they serve each day help feed hogs at a local farm.

What the hogs won’t eat — coffee grounds and citrus peels — are composted at home.

In other words, where there is waste, Tony sees potential for reduction or reuse.

“I think being in this business magnifies the whole thing. We’re all such consumers and there are so many alternatives people just aren’t aware of,” he said.

By Rebecca Berdar

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/15051.html?nav=742

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070906005793&newsLang=en

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA):

What They’re Saying…

• Run-Off Harms the Chesapeake. “Despite rising food prices, it seems that nearly everyone is turning to corn-based ethanol as their choice for alternative fuel. Hidden behind these headlines, though, is an equally important but less visible cost: water pollution. Corn is a ‘leaky’ crop, losing more nitrogen per acre than most other crops. In the Washington region, much of this excess nitrogen ends up polluting the Chesapeake Bay and robbing fish, crabs and oysters of oxygen. For farmers, the demand for alternative fuels has brought much-needed, and deserved, increases in corn prices. Unfortunately, this summer’s drought will keep mid-Atlantic farmers from realizing their potential windfall, and any unused nitrogen will wash into the bay this winter.” (Tom Simpson and Daphne Pee, op-ed, “How Corn Ethanol Could Pollute the Bay,” The Washington Post, August 26, 2007 [emphasis added])
• Increased Levels of Farm Waste Are Hurting Gulf Waters. “The crop that is bringing prosperity to farmers is making it harder for commercial fishermen in Louisiana to make a living. U.S. farmers this spring planted the most acreage with corn since 1944, after demand for ethanol pushed the grain’s price to a 10-year high. That has increased the level of farm waste flowing into the Mississippi River basin, which scientists blame for creating a pocket along the Louisiana coast where shrimp and other sea life cannot survive. The Gulf of Mexico’s so-called Dead Zone is expected to cover a record 8,543 square miles, or 22,126 square kilometers, this year and stretch into waters off Texas, said Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for a study team at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. … Corn fuels the zone because it requires more nitrogen-based fertilizer than crops like soybeans, said Eugene Turner, a Louisiana State University oceanographer. Nitrogen and other nutrients eventually reach the Gulf of Mexico, feeding microscopic organisms that deplete oxygen levels as they die and decompose on the sea floor. Shrimp and fish suffocate unless they escape. … ‘The rah-rah sort of drowns out the environmental side,’ [Rabalais] said. ‘If our federal government subsidizes more corn, they’re working against water quality.’” (Tony Cox, “Ethanol Demand Seen Harming U.S. Fishermen,” Bloomberg, July 23, 2007 [emphasis added])
• Little or No Net Savings in CO2 Emissions. “Unfortunately, what passes for mitigation and aversion of global warming often amounts to doing nothing under the guise of doing something. Take the nation’s new infatuation with ethanol. Ethanol derived from corn, as it is in the United States, is so energy intensive to produce that it provides little or no net savings in carbon dioxide emissions. Meanwhile, the diversion of corn from the food supply to government-subsidized energy production has some unintended consequences of its own, driving up feed and corn syrup prices at home and tortilla prices in Mexico. Ethanol is a boon for corn farmers. As a way to limit global warming, it’s a spectacularly inefficient bust.” (Editorial “Climate solution too hot for left to handle,” San Antonio Express-News, February 11, 2007 [emphasis added])
• All Cost, Little – If Any – Benefit. “The United States, in its quest to reduce its reliance on expensive imported oil, may soon consume as much as half its domestic corn crop for fuel production, although the economic benefits have yet to materialize. Ethanol produces one-third less energy than a gallon of gasoline at an average wholesale cost of 33 percent more, according to a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. … All told, ethanol has cost Americans an additional $14 billion in higher food prices. … Meanwhile, the U.S. government has yet to discover whether its 51- cent-per-gallon ethanol subsidy is efficiently stimulating production of the fuel. One thing the bureaucrats know for sure: It cost the U.S. Treasury $2.7 billion last year with possibly more subsidies on the way.” (John F. Wasik, op-ed, “In Ethanol Debate, Don’t Forget Realities,” Bloomberg, July 23, 2007 [emphasis added])
• Food, Other Consumer Goods Prices Are Rising. “A steak dinner, a cold beer, a tank of gas, a bowl of cornflakes. Prices on these items and others are rising, all in the quest to produce more ethanol, the corn-based product touted as a way to reduce dependence on foreign oil and lessen the impact of global warming. America has embraced the promise of the renewable fuel, pouring billions of tax dollars into its development. But as Congress prepares to spend billions more for ethanol use and production, people are starting to see higher costs for a wide range of consumer goods. ”(Anna M. Tinsley, “Push for ethanol has ripple effect across economy,” The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, August 5, 2007 [emphasis added])
• More Energy to Make Ethanol Than What’s Produced. “The big problem with ethanol is in the chemistry, said Henry Groppe, founder of Groppe, Long & Littell, an energy consulting firm in Houston. It takes more energy to make ethanol than the ethanol produces, he said. Corn must be grown, fertilized and harvested, which takes oil-powered machinery. It must be processed, refined and then shipped, which takes more oil. ‘You’re having to use as much oil to produce that gallon of ethanol as the energy that you produce from it,’ Groppe said.” (Loren Steffy, “A test tells the story of ethanol vs. gasoline,” The Houston Chronicle, March 11, 2007 [emphasis added])
• Distribution Problems. “The link is corn — impact of growing the corn and producing the ethanol, not only in greenhouse gas emissions from farm equipment, but from the trucks, ships and trains that haul the ethanol (nearly all of which comes from Midwest corn) for delivery to refineries. Because of its corrosive qualities, it can’t be shipped through pipelines.” (Editorial, “Corn, ethanol and other subsidized stupidities,” The Sacramento Bee, August 8, 2007 [emphasis added])
• Ethanol Will Not Replace Gasoline. “[C]orn ethanol will neither replace gasoline nor lower its price. It may even raise gas prices. First, at the pump, ethanol is priced according to what consumers will pay, not what it costs to make. So, according to research by Soren T. Anderson of the University of Michigan, ethanol prices follow gas prices very closely. It’s unlikely that gas will make a U-turn and start following ethanol. Second, even if a ready supply of ethanol does put a bit of downward pressure on gas prices, ethanol’s real cost is much higher than whatever we shell out at the pump. Consumers actually pay twice for this corny goodness: once when they fill up and once on April 15. In 2006, ethanol makers and sellers received subsidies of $1.87 for every gallon of gas they managed to displace, according to Doug Koplow of Earth Track, a Boston-based consultancy. Finally, even if we can stomach these nutty subsidies, illogical incentives to tempt automakers to produce ethanol-friendly cars actually increase the amount of oil we use. Blame a little-discussed loophole: In exchange for producing ethanol-ready ‘flex fuel’ vehicles, Congress lets auto manufacturers make their cars less fuel-efficient than corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards require.” (Lisa Margonelli, op-ed, “Myths About That $3.18 Per Gallon,” The Washington Post, June 3, 2007 [emphasis added]

National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA)
Bill Holbrook

http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=3&storyid=4995

USA: Scientists from the University of California Irvine (UCI) and CODA Genomics are partnering on new research aimed at turning a common strain of yeast used in the production of beer, wine and bread into an efficient producer of ethanol.

Researchers at UCI’s Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics (IGB) are using CODA Genomics’ patented gene-protein-production algorithms to tweak the genetic structure of Saccharomyces, a yeast strain. Saccharomyces has the potential to efficiently turn switchgrass, hemp, corn, wood and other natural materials into ethanol - a clean and environmentally safe fuel that could help meet the nation’s increasing thirst for “green” energy.
The US$1.67 million collaboration, which began on Sept. 1, is funded by CODA Genomics, an Orange County synthetic biology company, and a UC Discovery Grant that provides matching funds for innovative industry-university research partnerships.

Saccharomyces produces ethanol as a byproduct when it ferments sugars found in plant materials. In its natural state, the yeast processes the glucose that grows in these materials, but does not contain the necessary enzymes to process other sugars, such as xylose and arabinose, that are components of biomass. The bio-engineered version of the yeast will produce enzymes that can help it digest these and other sugars with equal ease, maximizing its ethanol production.

Scientists believe the bio-engineered yeast could use 80 to 90 percent of the sugars in biomass for ethanol production, up from about 20 percent with current technologies.

“Ethanol could be an answer to the U.S.’s dependence on fossil fuels,” said G. Wesley Hatfield, principal investigator on the grant, UCI professor emeritus and co-founder of CODA Genomics. “While there currently are yeast strains that can make ethanol from biomass, the existing process is very expensive and inefficient. We’re trying to build a better yeast strain - one that can produce more ethanol from the same amount of biomass by breaking it down naturally.”
The multidisciplinary research project involves UCI researchers in the schools of information and computer sciences, engineering and medicine, as well as researchers at CODA Genomics, which spun off in 2005 from UCI research.

CODA’s patented technology uses computer algorithms to design synthetic genes that self-assemble easily and generate protein in large amounts, allowing genes that occur naturally in certain organisms to be re-engineered to meet the needs of different organisms. When applied to Saccharomyces, the technology modifies the yeast so it can manufacture enzymes to break down a wider variety of sugars.

Even when the yeast is producing the necessary enzymes, inefficiencies in its metabolic pathways can slow the process. Pierre Baldi, IGB director and one of the project’s co-principal investigators, is computationally “optimizing” key enzymes to increase their efficiency. With computer algorithms, he is engineering compatibility of these key enzymes with various co-factors - the small molecules that help the enzymes work.

“Given the current energy crisis and global warming concerns, we are particularly pleased with this award,” said Baldi, who is also chancellor’s professor in UCI’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.

Also involved in the multidisciplinary project are researchers from IGB’s Computational Biology Research Laboratory (CBRL) in the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, and the labs of professors Suzanne Sandmeyer (biological chemistry) and Nancy Da Silva (biochemical engineering).

CBRL scientists perform the computation, gene design and gene assembly of the yeast proteins using CODA’s technology. Sandmeyer, a yeast molecular biologist, inserts the proteins into the yeast genome, ensuring the enzymes’ stability and their ability to function. Da Silva, a chemical engineer, ensures that fermentation conditions are optimal to maximize ethanol production.

“The CODA technology is already showing commercial success in therapeutic protein markets,” said CODA Genomics CEO Robert Molinari. “Now we are going to apply the unique approach to a large national problem.”

Filed from Singapore

http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/green-awareness-can-depend-on-life-factors/2007/08/29/1188067188444.html

By Leon Gettler

HOW green is your consumer? According to research from BP, people’s response to environmental issues and business depends on their age and family circumstances.

BP analysis reveals that people aged 18-29 want to be seen to be doing the right thing but are less likely to do much more than recycling.

Those aged 30-44 are generally less aware of the issue, but feel guilty. Often, their children prompt them into action.

People aged 45-54 are scared and worried about the future. They are concerned about what could happen to the next generation, but feel that environmental issues are out of their hands.

The findings, which could be relevant for businesses targeting sectors of the new green market, from automotive companies to home builders, also revealed that, while there had been a big increase in environmental awareness over the past 12-18 months, most people were only willing to do something about it if it did not cost too much time or money.

The research also found a big take-up of green purchasing activity and environmentally aware behaviour in such areas as using reusable shopping bags and buying environmentally friendly detergents and household cleaners.

The biggest change was in people buying “green” electricity for their homes. This had increased 45 per cent since 2005.

More people were installing solar energy (up 41.7 per cent) and buying low-energy white goods (up 34.9 per cent) over the same period. The number of people switching to environmentally friendly detergents had risen to 33.9 per cent.

More people were also using reusable shopping bags, taking shorter showers and refusing plastic bags. Slightly more people were reusing the blank sides of paper and throwing paper, plastic and glass into recycle bins.

BP Australia brand manager Peri Hunter said BP Australia was targeting the 30-44 age group, as this took in families.

“If you can create opportunities for families that are cost neutral, they will act,” Ms Hunter said.

“Our research shows that the children are the key influencers with their parents. They are also future consumers and they are the future earth keepers.”

Over the next year, BP plans to become Australia’s biggest marketer of biofuels.

A BP Citibank Mastercard will allow drivers to pay $2.25 a month to offset emissions from their vehicles.

BP Solar, Australia’s only producer of solar cells, has moved into profitability. BP Australia is also involved in the Federal-Government-backed Solar City project in Blacktown, NSW.