Bizkaian Technology Park presents “Ecopadev Project” in China

Bizkaian Technology Park presents “Ecopadev Project” in China
09/04/2005 - 10:00

The scientific and technical objective of the ECOPADEV project is the development of decision-making tools and methodology for local authorities for promoting the sustainable city management in basis of Eco-industrial Parks development.


The Bizkaian Tecnology Park presented in China the “Ecopadev project” within the European-Chinese Summit of Sustainable Development being held in China. The ECOPADEV project is focused in developing decision-making tools for local authorities to improve town planning and local living conditions.

Local authorities are an important catalyst to achieve sustainable development objectives, but in order to facilitate the application and suitability of these tools, the project will use an approach through Eco-industrial parks development in cities, as a potential strategy to join industry, citizens and administration efforts, integrating environmental socio-economic aspects.

The project seeks to promote a change in urban planning policy of industrial and business areas, to reach greater sustainability, improve quality of life and enhance eco-efficiency, by the development of a decision-making tool and methodology based on Eco-industrial parks development strategy.

The involved city authorities and parks managers (from cities of Zamudio (Basque Country), Tampere (Finland) and Almada (Portugal)) with different characteristics in each case, will represent the links between the industry and cities, forming a union for the promotion of sustainable development in their area of influence.

In order to cover the specific scientific needs several research partners are involved, ROBOTIKER (computing and data management), GAIKER (recycling and waste and water minimisation), ECN (energy efficiency), ERASMUS UNIVERSITY (transport and logistics), KTH (green Building, sustainable construction and city planning), and UNINOVA (Human resources and social aspects).

New power plant proposed

New power plant proposed
Friday, August 26, 2005 Mail to a friend Printer Firendly Version

By Ann Pierceall

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

LOUISIANA, Mo. — Negotiations are under way to build a $115 million waste-to-energy facility — the first in Missouri — and develop an eco-industrial park in Louisiana.

Mark Twain Waste and Energy Corporation and Hercules Inc., a chemical plant in Louisiana, are negotiating a deal that could lead to an environmentally friendly facility to replace the 65-year-old coal-fired power plant used by Hercules. The plant also provides power for neighboring Dyno Nobel, which makes ammonia nitrate.

An eco-industrial park also could be developed on about 120 acres in the industrial park that also houses Hercules. There has been interest in building an ethanol plant on that location.

Drex Rothweiler, executive director of the Mark Twain Waste and Energy Corporation, said the plan has been on the drawing board for 10 years. He said public meetings will likely be scheduled in the next month, when details of the potential project will be released.

Rothweiler said the facility would burn renewable fuel instead of fossil fuel, so "it helps the global warming situation." He said the facility would have the ability to burn about 1,000 tons of garbage a day.

"I can stress it will be burning only regular garbage, nothing toxic," he said.

Rothweiler said there's not enough trash generated in Northeast Missouri — only about 200 tons per day — to meet the facility's requirements. But he said local haulers and other large trash providers would be contracted to deliver enough material to meet the facility's needs.

Replacing the coal-fired plant with a cleaner-burning fuel means the removal of more than 7,000 tons of sulfur dioxide from the air, he said.

Rob Malnight, plant manager at Hercules, said the time was right to restart negotiations on the project.

"This has always been a good idea," he said. "There are significant benefits for the community — both economical and environmental."

However, Malnight cautioned that "it's not a done deal ... but we're making a push to make it happen." He admits the Hercules power plan its "pretty old" and needs a "significant upgrade" to remain as it is.

Rothweiler said the $115 million price tag is a rough estimate. "Our construction costs are being re-evaluated because of the increase cost of steel and cement in recent years," he said.

An ethanol plant could also buy power from the waste-to-energy facility. Rothweiler declined to comment on a possible ethanol plant, other than to say "we've been approached by an ethanol group."

Mark Twain Waste and Energy Corporation is a non-profit organization formed to make use of waste-to-energy technology to assist with municipal solid waste disposal and provide an alternative to landfills.

Eco-Industrial Development For Aceh

Eco-Industrial Development For Aceh
Updated:2005-08-10 13:09:49 MYT


Several initiatives have been declared to implement sustainable development in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of post-tsunami Aceh, including to the plan to design Aceh as a green province with 40% of its area to be protected as limited utilisation areas.

The usage of local materials in building houses has also been encouraged.

However, we must be careful in our of the use the term "green" so as not to narrow our understanding of sustainable development to merely mean saving trees.

Essentially, sustainable development is about creating and assisting a new lifestyle and mindset that fully understands communities as living systems embedded in natural systems.

It therefore requires working on solutions with a multisectoral approach such as energy, industry, materials, consumption, design and communities.

As a result, improvement in the quality of human life is achieved in harmony with improving and maintaining the health of ecological systems; and where a healthy economy's industrial base supports the quality of both human and ecological systems.

Sustainable materials, in terms of not using illegally logged timber, are indeed important. Yet, this approach does nothing to address the critical question of how to make more efficient use of limited resources in the context of a growing population, high demand and tightened economic situations.

One of the most promising strategies for sustainable development is known as Industrial Ecology, which provides a conceptual framework and an important tool for the planning of economic development, particularly at the regional level.

Combining conceptual frameworks with a practical approach to sustainability, it represents one path to provide real solutions to the question--"How can the concept of sustainable development be made operational in an economically feasible way?"

As a relatively new field of research that is rapidly emerging on a global scale, industrial ecology focuses on the sustainable co-existence of the environment, technology and society.

Processes in nature, where cycles are closed and waste from one process is input for another, are models for socio-technological processes.

Frosch and Gallopoulos (1989) first introduced the term Industrial Ecology together with the concept of Industrial Ecosystems, referring to the design of production sites in analogy to natural ecosystems. By taking lessons from nature, where waste from one process is raw material for another and cycles are closed, society may develop towards sustainability.

It is also important to highlight that the word "industrial," in the context of industrial ecology, refers to all human activities occurring within a modern technological society.

Thus fisheries, housing, medical services, transportation, agriculture, etc., are all a part of the industrial system.

The rehabilitation and reconstruction phase in Aceh provides us with a huge opportunity to model sustainable development using an industrial ecology approach. Public planners and local officials now face a number of pressures in planning for economic growth and managing local environmental issues especially after the tsunami.

Such developments must be socially just, economically fair, and ecologically healthy, while also enabling the recovery of physical, psychological and social systems.

Meanwhile, aid has to be given to support sectoral developments like housing, health services, and education, as a matter of urgency.

As consequence, revising local and regional spatial plans should reckon ongoing activities relative to the environmental, social and economic capacity of local people.

Poor planning will reduce potential land use, or interfere with urban activity or important natural ecosystem biodiversity.

This is where the bulk of industrial ecology design should take place.

Applying industrial ecology to the development at the local level implies looking at activities from a life-cycle perspective--from cradle-to-grave, including energy and materials at the location but also in a wider perspective.

Let say, for example, we are going to design a system of sustainable fisheries. There are materials needed to build boats, but these materials are made in industrial processes which also require energy.

So the nature of the boats and scale of industry determine the life-cycle impacts of the fishery system and its infrastructure and there is a need to look for more sustainable materials.

An alternative for fueling fishery boats could perhaps be biofuel. Bio-diesel can be made from plants--vegetable oils or sugar, that will also open an alternative local agricultural opportunities. It also fits into the scale and support for local energy self-sufficiency.

In closing cycles and waste streams, it is worth processing fishery waste to be used as feed for local fish ponds, or in shrimp farms. The by-products could also serve as fertiliser, while waste water from the industry could be purified in a small local waste water treatment plant, together with household organic waste.

Management of these activities would be chain management. Closing cycles, re-using waste streams or looking at waste as a resource, sharing facilities and infrastructure belong to the most important of industrial ecology principles.

Where, for example, there are several different industrial activities in the same area (for example, coal mining, fisheries, power plants, and housing altogether in a city), the development of an eco-industrial park (EIP) is strongly recommended.

The most acknowledged model of an eco-industrial park is the Danish coastal city of Kalundborg. In this city, the main industries and the local government turn by-products into raw materials by trading and making use of their waste streams and energy resources.

Kalundborg community and other similar cases developed entirely through market forces.

In dealing with the energy crisis, industrial ecology strategy goes further than just cutting consumption or applying an end-of-pipe approach. It supports eco-efficiency because a regional circular economy is encouraged.

Therefore, the objectives of sustainable development are more feasible to achieve.

Public planners and policymakers would be well to examine these concepts for application in post-tsunami Aceh so that the available aid used optimally.


By Erita Narhetali
The Jakarta Post/ANN

The 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006

The 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006
April 6-8, 2006 Hong Kong (Download pdf version of the conference pamphlet)



Aims and Scope


As part of the celebration for our 25th Anniversary, The Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management (CUPEM), The University of Hong Kong, in association with ERP Environment, publishers of the international journal Sustainable Development are pleased to announce the 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006. The conference will be held at The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong on April 6-8, 2006.

We are seeking offers of papers from researchers and practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, sustainable cities, environmental policy and industrial ecology (in association with Progress in Industrial Ecology - An International Journal). We are particularly interested in papers that critically assess the progress that has been made in sustainable development research and practice in terms of integrating policy studies and issues of governance and management. Papers may address any relevant area but contributors may find guidance from the list of suggested themes.




Suggested Themes


Sustainable cities
Definitions, concepts and implications of sustainable development
Ecological economics and sustainable development
Business and sustainable development
Sustainable development and urban housing
Sustainable development and transport
Environmental management and policy
Industrial ecology and industrial metabolism
Material and energy flow studies and life cycle assessment
Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking
Cleaner production
Global governance
Free trade, development and globalisation
Voluntary agreements
Networks, stakeholder management and sustainability
Strategies and policies for sustainable development
Indicators of sustainable development
Institutional arrangements and the practice of sustainable development
Planning and implementing sustainable development and Agenda 21
Local action for sustainable development
Compact city debates
Poverty, population and health promotion
Cooperation and alliances for a sustainable future
Public-private cooperation
Corporate social responsibility
The contribution of sustainable investments to sustainable development
Education and sustainable development
The role of women and minority groups
Developing country perspectives and examples


Abstracts

Initial abstracts of under 200 words should be uploaded to our conference website http://www.hku.hk/sdconf06 between August 1, 2005 - November 30, 2005.





Important Dates


Deadline for abstract submission November 30, 2005
Notification of acceptance December 31, 2005
Deadline for submission of full papers Feburary 28, 2006
Deadline for early bird registration January 31, 2006
Deadline for registration March 06, 2006




Conference Fees


Full fee (Early Bird) US$590 (on or before January 31, 2006)
Full fee US$640 (after January 31, 2006)
Reduced rate for students, developing countries and NGOs (Early Bird) US$390 (on or before January 31, 2006)
Reduced rate for students, developing countries and NGO US$440 (after January 31, 2006)

The conference fee includes:

Admission to sessions, workshops and exhibition
Conference materials including sample copies of relevant journals
Coffee/refreshments, lunch and conference dinner
Membership of the International Sustainable Development Society (the special conference membership subscription is US$90, the normal membership subscription is US$100)



International Sustainable Development Research Society
The conference in Hong Kong will see the launch of this new Society which aims to build a network of researchers interested in sustainable development. Membership includes a monthly newsletter, access to the Society website with interactive bulletin board and a complementary copy of the international journal Sustainable Development.

[Call for Presentations] GIN2005-2 Conference

[Call for Presentations] GIN2005-2 Conference

Dear Colleagues,



While summer holidays are winding down, please keep in mind that the next GIN conference GIN2005-2 will be held in Canada, October 20-22, 2005. Go to http://www.greeningofindustry.org/gin2005-2.htm for the full announcement, Call for Presentations, and travel information.



1) The Call for Presentations for the GIN2005-2 Conference is NOW OPEN!

Go to http://www.greeningofindustry.org/gin2005-2.htm



What:

GIN2005-2, The Greening of Industry Network’s International Conference on

“Global Shifts and Regional Development: Innovating for Sustainable Energy, Finance, and Agriculture”

When:

October 20-22, 2005

Where:

Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Call is now open to all for participation in the conference discussions and for presentation of case study posters. Visit http://www.greeningofindustry.org/gin2005-2.htm for full details. You are invited to submit brief proposals of 200-300 words responding to the Conference Themes, Crucial Issues, Specific Questions, or Sector Focus. Proposals that reflect your experiences or are based on analyses of the specific sectors, or the interplay between the global and regional, or international collaborative patterns along the value chain are most welcome. We encourage you to submit your summary early since proposals will be reviewed and acceptances made on a continuing basis, with final acceptances made by September 19. If submitting a proposal, you must also register for the conference. Registration will open in August.

Collaboration and partnerships are longstanding themes within the GIN debate. By looking more closely at specific sectors and product value chains, this debate will gain depth, relevance, and applicability. For this conference we will focus specifically on integrating topical areas of Environment & Finance with Energy & Agriculture. We will aim to create an agenda and strategies for financing sustainable energy and agriculture for regional development in a global society. Of course, if you have any questions or comments on the conference, please don't hesitate to contact us. We hope to see you in October. The GIN conference is just one of many good reasons for visiting Nova Scotia. Flying in, your destination is Halifax International Airport (YHZ).



The GIN conferences:

23 events in 12 countries around the world since 1991, comprise a unique experience record of bringing people and the issues together for a big perspective on sustainability, forging connections among research, policy, and practice. See http://www.greeningofindustry.org/events.html for the series to date.



******************************************



2) Conference in Bangkok, January 10-12, 2006



Planning ahead for January 2006, GIN-Asia Coordinator Somporn K. is chairing an international conference in Bangkok, and she extends this invitation to the GIN community.

---------------------------------

Dear friends and colleagues:



The National Research Center for Environmental and Hazardous Waste Management, a consortium of five leading universities in Thailand, would like to invite you to attend and submit abstracts/papers for the International Conference on “Hazardous Waste Management for a Sustainable Future” in Bangkok on 10-12 January 2006. In collaboration with our international partners, the conference will address environmental and hazardous materials management in various areas, connecting technology, policy, and industrial strategy.



For more information, please contact conference secretariat (NRC_CONFER@chula.ac.th).

Conference updates will be posted at www.nrc-ehwm.chula.ac.th/conference.



January is the perfect time to visit Thailand. We hope to see you!



Sincerely,



Dr. Somporn Kamolsiripichaiporn

Conference Coordinator

P90-M world-class eco-zone soon to rise in Sagay

Tuesday, August 09, 2005
P90-M world-class eco-zone soon to rise in Sagay
By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan

A MODERN and world-class economic and industrial zone will soon rise at Barangay Paraiso, Sagay City in northern Negros.

Governor Joseph Marañon said Monday that officials of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) have approved the province's proposed loan application through "Bridge Loan."

The governor said the proposed loan, worth P90 million, will be credited to the province but will be turned over immediately to the local government of Sagay City.

The governor said the eco-industrial zone will be established in a 200-hectare property of Gamboa and Piccio families near the Lopez Sugar Central.

To be called Negros Occidental Agro Industrial Export Processing Zone, the project will address the serious economic problem of the province by creating an advantage thru the food production industry.

The program also includes aqua culture, fishing and sugar related food products where Negros Occidental has proved a distinct advantage.

Production site for organic muscovado sugar is also being mulled in the proposed eco-industrial zone.

Livestock and marine production program are also being mulled.

The finished food products will then be exported to the United States, Japan, Europe and other countries.

Other accessories being contemplated to be established within the eco-industrial zone also include an isolated policed area adjacent to a port of entry like sea port or airport and where imported goods may be unloaded for immediate trans-shipment or stored, repacked, sorted, mixed or otherwise manufactured or manipulated or assembled and then re-exported.

With these, proposed incentives have already been drawn out that include income tax holiday for five years, option to pay five percent tax on gross income, exemption from duties and taxes on imported capital equipment, spare parts, supplies and raw materials, equivalent tax credit on these items if purchased locally, exemption from wharfage dues and export taxes, imports and fees, permanent resident status for investor and his family, employment of foreign nationals and simplified import and export procedures.

To be administered, regulated and supervised by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), this eco-industrial zone will become a quasi government corporate body attached to the Department of Trade and Industry; governed by a board; headed by an administrator who is usually vice chairman of the board; responsible for formulation and implementation of policies, plans and programs; establishment and enforcement of. Rules and regulations and standards in the free trade zone and govern establishment and operations of all free trade zones.

The project will also be the construction of a state-of-the-art world-class industrial estate that will be phased in an approximate 10 phases of 10 to 20 hectares each in order to match the rate of new enterprises locating in the development.

It will also be equipped of full class A engineering, properly graded site, road network and street lighting, drainage system, sewer system, power supply distribution system, telecommunication, water supply and distribution system, waste management and security and administrative facilities.


(August 9, 2005 the Sun.Star message board)
(http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bac/2005/08/09/news/p90.m.world.class.eco.zone.soon.to.rise.in.sagay.html)

The 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006

The 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006

The 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006
April 6-8, 2006 Hong Kong (Download pdf version of the conference pamphlet)



Aims and Scope


As part of the celebration for our 25th Anniversary, The Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management (CUPEM), The University of Hong Kong, in association with ERP Environment, publishers of the international journal Sustainable Development are pleased to announce the 12th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference 2006. The conference will be held at The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong on April 6-8, 2006.

We are seeking offers of papers from researchers and practitioners in the fields of sustainable development, sustainable cities, environmental policy and industrial ecology (in association with Progress in Industrial Ecology - An International Journal). We are particularly interested in papers that critically assess the progress that has been made in sustainable development research and practice in terms of integrating policy studies and issues of governance and management. Papers may address any relevant area but contributors may find guidance from the list of suggested themes.




Suggested Themes


Sustainable cities
Definitions, concepts and implications of sustainable development
Ecological economics and sustainable development
Business and sustainable development
Sustainable development and urban housing
Sustainable development and transport
Environmental management and policy
Industrial ecology and industrial metabolism
Material and energy flow studies and life cycle assessment
Industrial symbiosis, eco-industrial parks and eco-industrial networking
Cleaner production
Global governance
Free trade, development and globalisation
Voluntary agreements
Networks, stakeholder management and sustainability
Strategies and policies for sustainable development
Indicators of sustainable development
Institutional arrangements and the practice of sustainable development
Planning and implementing sustainable development and Agenda 21
Local action for sustainable development
Compact city debates
Poverty, population and health promotion
Cooperation and alliances for a sustainable future
Public-private cooperation
Corporate social responsibility
The contribution of sustainable investments to sustainable development
Education and sustainable development
The role of women and minority groups
Developing country perspectives and examples


Abstracts

Initial abstracts of under 200 words should be uploaded to our conference website http://www.hku.hk/sdconf06 between August 1, 2005 - November 30, 2005.





Important Dates


Deadline for abstract submission November 30, 2005
Notification of acceptance December 31, 2005
Deadline for submission of full papers Feburary 28, 2006
Deadline for early bird registration January 31, 2006
Deadline for registration March 06, 2006




Conference Fees


Full fee (Early Bird) US$590 (on or before January 31, 2006)
Full fee US$640 (after January 31, 2006)
Reduced rate for students, developing countries and NGOs (Early Bird) US$390 (on or before January 31, 2006)
Reduced rate for students, developing countries and NGO US$440 (after January 31, 2006)

The conference fee includes:

Admission to sessions, workshops and exhibition
Conference materials including sample copies of relevant journals
Coffee/refreshments, lunch and conference dinner
Membership of the International Sustainable Development Society (the special conference membership subscription is US$90, the normal membership subscription is US$100)



International Sustainable Development Research Society
The conference in Hong Kong will see the launch of this new Society which aims to build a network of researchers interested in sustainable development. Membership includes a monthly newsletter, access to the Society website with interactive bulletin board and a complementary copy of the international journal Sustainable Development.

A "cool solution" of vegetable oil could save the metalworking industry billions

July 18, 2005

A "cool solution" of vegetable oil could save the metalworking industry billions


ANN ARBOR, Mich—In a classic example of a simple idea solving a very complex problem, researchers have developed a new class of lubrication technology that could save industry billions of dollars in metalworking operations, while reducing pollution and wear and tear on cutting machines and tools.

The lubricant is a solution of vegetable oil in carbon dioxide, said Steven Skerlos, University of Michigan assistant professor of mechanical engineering and co-author of "Vegetable Oil in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Metalworking Fluids," which was awarded top honors last month by the International Society for Industrial Ecology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Today, companies around the world spend billions on metalworking fluids which are used as coolants and lubricants to control heat buildup during metal cutting. These metalworking fluids are typically emulsions of oil and water, where the oil is used to reduce heat generation and the water is used to conduct heat away from the cutting zone.

But industry is looking for alternatives. Since oil and water don’t mix, current metalworking fluid systems are inherently unstable. They are also corrosive and, because they are fluids with similarities to milk, metalworking fluids can breed bacteria unhealthy to machinists.

To solve these problems, the U-M research team substituted supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2) for water, mixed it with soybean oil to make a metal working lubricant, and saw a level of performance that was much higher than they had ever observed. "Supercritical" means the carbon dioxide is pressurized to a state where it becomes a solvent to vegetable oil.

"The level of success was somewhat surprising," Skerlos said. "For example, we found that soybean oil dissolved in supercritical carbon dioxide performs much better than straight soybean oil, even if the amount of soybean oil applied is ten times less in the supercritical carbon dioxide system."

The scCO 2 system is also a much more effective coolant. This is because as the pressure is released as a spray, dry ice is formed which can be thought of as a cryogenic spray. Skerlos explained that this is the same phenomenon that makes your finger cold when you release the air through the valve on a bike tire.

The patent-pending technology is generating a buzz in the industry, particularly in the aerospace sector, which is currently trying to achieve high speed machining rates on titanium parts. However, Skerlos says the technology will have applicability anywhere that metalworking fluid is used now, including automotive steel and aluminum machining

U-M researchers are developing a business case for the patent-pending technology and selecting a launch application. Discussions regarding license agreements are active among metalworking fluid companies and companies that can supply the scCO 2-based cooling and lubrication system.

Public consultation on long-awaited draft

Public consultation on long-awaited draft
Robyn Murray
Tuesday, 12 July 2005

Public consultation on the long-awaited draft Wingecarribee Shire Local Environment Plan (LEP) began this week with the first of a series of displays to be held over the next two weeks.

The shire-wide LEP will guide the direction of Wingecarribee Shire, in line with the Wingecarribee Our Future (WOFE) strategic plan adopted in 2002.

The WOFE strategic plan identifies East Mittagong (Renwick), Gibbergunyah, South East Moss Vale, New Berrima and East Colo Vale (Wensleydale) as potential residential release areas to provide around 1500 new residential allotments over the next 10 years.

The plan also commits council to begin planning for a new small town, to address housing needs after 2011.

Under the WOFE strategic plan Bowral would remain the main sub-regional centre for the shire, but the Mittagong business centre would be expanded and an eco-industrial zone developed between Moss Vale and Berrima.

Discount department stores would be prohibited within the town centres of Bowral and Mittagong, but the plan allows for the development of a department/discount department store and bulky goods retailing in Moss Vale.

Existing village boundaries would be maintained. New Village Business Zones proposed for Exeter, New Berrima and Burrawang would allow "village scale" businesses such as general stores, taverns, butchers and bakeries, art and craft shops and rural supplies.

Residents of shire villages would also be able to run home-based businesses.

The plan also provides for a wider range of residential options within the shire, including mixed residential apartment/retail/commercial office developments in Bowral, Moss Vale and Mittagong, a new residential apartment zone close to business centres, and provision for dual occupancy on corner only allotments and courtyard housing.

There would be new opportunities for small lot sub-divisions in areas formerly set aside for medium density housing, and provision for the development of adaptable units for older and disabled residents. The plan recommends that council investigate specific sites for a tourist zone or corridor.

New Date For 'Greener Homes And Buildings'

New Date For 'Greener Homes And Buildings'

Due to huge public and professional interest, the Greener Homes and Buildings Event will now be held on the 30th September – 1st October 2005. “Some restrictions on space meant that the event simply had to be postponed for a few weeks to ensure that we would have enough room for additional exhibitors and more seminars – such has the response been so far,” commented Project Manager Louise Owen.

One of the event’s aims will be to demonstrate to homeowners and professionals how ‘greener’ concepts in building, design, renovation and refurbishment are equally as good as, if not better in many cases than today’s ‘traditional’ methods. Visitors to the event will be able to see for themselves how many of the exhibitors’ products and services could save them money in their annual home fuel bills, as well as increase their quality of life in the home.

“With an increase in awareness of ecologically sound methods and concepts, people are beginning to realise that living ‘greener’ does mean living better, and whilst the ecological benefits to the environment are a major factor, the added bonus of potentially saving a significant percentage of the annual home fuel bills are sure to strike a chord with many more,” added Louise.

In addition, the event will also cater for those professionals who work within the trade. Specific seminars and demonstrations during the event will be held for architects, surveyors, planning officers, construction executives and others within the housing sector to give them a more detailed approach into the concepts that the project is promoting. The ‘trade only’ part of the event, entitled ”Driving Sustainability Within the Welsh Construction Industry” is being organised in conjunction with a number of industry consultants to offer a broad range of seminars, topics, demonstrations and forums where delegates will be able to interact directly with key figures in the eco-industrial sector.

Louise continued, “We have a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference to the way people think about their homes and buildings, without forcing the issue of being ‘green’ upon them. We’re trying to dispel the myth that living ‘greener’ means living ‘poorer’. We will show people that living greener actually means living better, healthier, and is far more modern in its approach than people actually realise.”

Householders, builders, architects, planners installers, equipment manufacturers, facilities managers and technology specifiers will all be able to gain confidence in the sustainable technologies through targeted workshops with topics ranging from basic marketing and presentation skills for exhibitors, to in-depth looks at how the new technologies can work to benefit householders’ lives. Details of conferences and workshops will be available within the next few weeks.

Creating An Eco-Industrial Park

TEDA Special Report—Creating An Eco-Industrial Park
2005-6-10 11:49:38 CRIENGLISH.com

[Audio File]

After 20 years of efforts, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area or TEDA has transformed from a salty beach to a modern city. The ecological miracle has enabled TEDA to be one of the top Chinese cities with a high coverage rate of afforestation. The environmental friendly planning also boosts its economic development.
In today's TEDA Special Report, we will tell you how TEDA promotes the idea of ecological economy.

As early as the beginning of the 1980s, TEDA was set up on a saline and alkaline beach besides Bohai Sea in North China. Salt makes up nearly 7 percent of the soil here. Such bad conditions make it hard for any planting. The First Director of TEDA's organizing committee, Zhao Zhaoruo, told reporters that he once sought advice from a Japanese expert on forestation.

"The expert said he had worked in many countries and couldn't think of a place that was infertile. He said he could plant trees and grass here."

However, after testing TEDA's soil samples, the expert said he had never seen such a high percentage of salt and alkali in soil. Conclusion—TEDA is no plant's land.

The expert's conclusion did not make TEDA's pioneers lose their confidence. After many experiments, they managed to plant trees in TEDA and the area becomes greener and greener.

Today, there is a shelterbelt in the east of TEDA. The soil in this belt is a combination of ash, and waste residue from the nearby power generator and chemical factories, as well as sea soil. TEDA's forest park is also built on such waste residue. The 1.5-million-square meter park can effectively help adjust TEDA and its neighboring area's temperature and humidity.

Statistics show that the current coverage rate of afforestation of in TEDA has exceeded 30 percent. It has nearly 8 million square meters' of green land.

TEDA welcomes investment. But not every kind of enterprise can enter TEDA. For heavy polluters, TEDA has a strict policy. Once they can't reach the environmental standards, they won't be allowed to keep their factories here.

Years of efforts in improving its ecological environment have enabled TEDA to become one of the top choices for foreign investors.

Novozymes, a company headquartered in Denmark, is the world's biggest industrial enzyme producer. Several years ago, the company set up Novozymes Biological (China) in TEDA. Its officer in charge of environmental affairs Wang Xuebin had this to say:

"During our production, the primary raw material will be used as cleanly as possible. We all know that Tianjin is in great shortage of water. Having the lowest consumption of water and energy will be our annual goal. We are also making a three or four-year long-term plan to track the consumption of water and energy on each ton of product we make."

Wang Xuebin said the Novozymes processes the residue from the production and makes it into fertilizer without pollution but having a strong disease resistance function. The company gives the residue to the nearby farms for free.

Because of its fast development, TEDA is now encouraging an economic system based on recycling and reducing energy, raw material, and residue during the industrial production.

In TEDA, some waste materials from one factory can become raw material for the others after being processed. For instance, the car factories in TEDA produce large amounts of waste steel. It is then collected by the steel refinery and made into steel ingot. The ingot is made into car parts reused in car factories to make cars.

Now, even rubbish is used to generate electricity. TEDA Environmental Production Company can process 400,000 tons of rubbish and generate 120 million kilowatt hours of electricity, which means it can save 48,000 tons of coal each year.

TEDA is also trying to recycle its wastewater to reuse it in manufacturing and planting. At the moment, the system can recycle 40,000 tons of wastewater and raise the water-recycled rate by 30 percent. The manager of the Tianjin TEDA Sewage Factory spoke to a reporter:

"Our scale may be the biggest in the country by far. Since it started to operate, the system has received positive comments from clients. Some users think it is very convenient to use the recycled water. Above all, it also helps save some costs during the production."

At present, TEDA is stepping up efforts to build up the largest Sea Water Desalination as a long-term plan to provide support for TEDA's sustainable growth.

Our question for today: What is the coverage rate of afforestation in TEDA?

Eco-park lands $5.5 million in funding

Eco-park lands $5.5 million in funding

By Bradley Fehr
bfehr@bowesnet.com
Monday June 13, 2005
Hinton Parklander — The Federation of Canadian Municipalities showed Hinton the money last week to the tune of $5.5 million for one of the town’s pet projects.
Those funds are to be doled out from the federation’s Green Municipalities Fund for the proposed Hinton Eco-Industrial Park.
The $5.5 million, which is split between a $3.3 million grant and a $2.2 million low-interest loan, is a big step forward for the town project.
“They gave it final approval. It’s a done deal,” said an elated Lisa Graul, project manager with the town.
The idea behind the eco-industrial park is to develop pristine green space and allow industrial development of the land without spoilage.
The plan includes a 108-acre industrial park to be developed by the town on land bordered by Hwy. 16 to the south, the CN rail line to the north, Switzer Drive to the east and Hardisty Creek to the west.
Graul said the town is still negotiating with the province to purchase the land for $500,000.
The funding windfall was made known during the FCM’s annual general meeting in St. John’s, NL, held June 4-6.
Some details still need to be worked out and the official status report has not yet gone to council.
Graul’s liaison with the FCM board called to inform her of the good news, but she’s already looking towards the next step.
“We have a lot of work to do to recruit tenants,” she said.
Tenancy, however, is a condition attached to the money. The town must sign on at least three tenants before actually starting development.
To that end, town council recently gave approval for a letter of support for Eastern Slopes Generation to try to obtain feasibility study funding for a co-generation plant. The plant would burn garbage at a very high temperature and use the resulting steam to produce electricity.
The company could possibly supply other park tenants with electricity, provincial regulations permitting.
The town endorsed the grant request, also to the Green Municipalities Fund, because the FCM usually doesn’t provide funding to private businesses. In this case, the town would manage the money for the study on behalf of the company.
Graul said the town is now going to have to pressure the provincial government for the remaining $1.5 million dollars needed for the project.
She said the town could absorb that amount over 10 years, but additional funding would ease the burden.
Hinton is currently surveying the land to make a subdivision, as it is a prerequisite of purchase. She said the town is hoping to sell the land for $150,000 per acre, but still needs a few anchor tenants.
Graul said discussions are ongoing with several companies.
The eco-industrial park is a $10 million investment for the town over the next 10 years. However, the town could stand to receive a 14-15 per cent internal return on investment, plus potentially millions of dollars in future tax revenue.
As for aesthetics, 56 per cent of the park will remained treed.
Phase 1 of the project will include 12 parcels of land developed with specific design guidelines and bylaws to ensure green facilities are built.
“What we’re looking at is alternative methods for dealing with waste water and potable water,” Graul said.

"From jail cells to solar cells"

Or "from the present "gulag" economy to the future "green" economy". Nice comment, indeed.

Excerpt from
Alternative visions
Five Bay Area conservationists are thinking globally – but outside the mainstream consensus – about sustainability
By Matthew Hirsch

Joshua Abraham: Green Jobs, Not Jails

The path to peaceful streets and true community safety is not more prisons but ecologically sound economic development. The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights' latest initiative, Reclaim the Future, will help forge public-private partnerships to promote healthy communities.

In the future, we envision eco-industrial parks on land once blighted by brownfields and prisons. We envision nonprofit "solution centers" training young urban workers in new technologies and ancient wisdom. We imagine kids, who are now fodder for prisons, instead creating zero-pollution products. And healing the land. And harvesting the sun. We dream of a day when struggling cities – like Oakland, Watts, Detroit, and Newark – blossom as Silicon Valleys of green capital. We're building a pathway from the present "gulag" economy to the future "green" economy. At U.N. World Environment Day, we are coordinating the social equity track to help ensure the participation of people of color at the eco-summit. In the future, we want to move urban America from jail cells to solar cells.

Stonyfield Institute offers entrepreneurs inspiration, advice

Stonyfield Institute offers entrepreneurs inspiration, advice
By Jeff Feingold
Published: Friday, May. 27, 2005

Launched in 1994, the Stonyfield Farm Entrepreneurial Institute – which will be held June 9-10 at Southern New Hampshire University — was the brainchild of the New Hampshire-based yogurt maker’s chief executive officer, Gary Hirshberg. The goal, he says, was to give entrepreneurs a chance to share with and learn from their peers how to navigate the often dangerous waters of owning a business.

Hirshberg and Michael Swack, dean of the School of Community Economic Development at SNHU – who has been instrumental in relaunching the program — recently discussed the upcoming institute, its target audience and ideas behind its format.

Q. How did you get the idea of starting the institute?

Gary Hirshberg: Stonyfield is a big business success now, but in the first eight years we went through what I call a period of darkness and storms. We weren’t even profitable. That was a period when I wished I could have been exposed to other entrepreneurs, people who could share their practical, day-to-day experience with me. I really suffered from the lack of exposure to other peers or mentors with small to mid-sized business experience.

So after we got through that period of darkness, I never forgot that desire or need.

Q. When did you first launch the program?

GH: We started this in ’94, and since then we have had about 30 of them, in New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, New York and Vancouver. It has evolved into a very practical, hands-on, intimate and safe place for entrepreneurs to get mentoring and get help and advice.

Q: What’s the program like?

GH: We cut to the chase. The best learning is through storytelling. We hear tales from the trenches, how this or that business got through the darkness, what they did when they were faced with a series of bad choices. We exchange a lot of stories and focus on the case study method. We invite participants to present their case or their problem. It’s all grounded, it’s not all theory, it’s not philosophy, just really hard-nosed stuff.

Michael Swack: It’s peer-to-peer learning. At the upcoming institute, we’ll hear from people like Gerardine Ferlins (of Cirtronics) and Howard Brodsky (CCA Global), people who have really grown their businesses, like Gary, from almost nothing to very strong businesses with a strong social mission as part of that. People will be getting together with others who have gone through this before and learn from them.

GH: Businesspeople by definition have their noses ground into the practical reality every minute, and when you hear some guy pontificating about academic theory, that’s a snooze. But when you hear the story about someone like Howard Brodsky and how he succeeded — that’s a page-turner.

Q. How successful has the institute been?

GH: We’ve got a long track record of success, of businesses that have benefited from this approach. We’ve had mergers happen, and people leave and set off in a whole new direction that quintupled their business. We’ve had people leave and go out and find their successor. It’s inspirational.

I get as much out of it as anybody who comes. I never leave without getting a couple of jewels, a couple of nuggets.

Q. You haven’t held one of these events in a few years. What prompted you to start it up again?

MS: For many years we’ve done a number of institutes and been deeply involved in microenterprise lending through the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund.

Gary and I met for lunch a couple of months ago, and we started talking about the institute and both thought it seemed like a really good match to do it again.

Q: What kind of entrepreneur would benefit from taking part?

GH: It’s an applicable approach for anyone in business, actually — real estate offices, developers, service people, accounting firms, manufacturers — anyone who can benefit having a tighter, better connection with your customers and vendors. They can be mom-and-pops, one person and their dog and companies that have a thousand employees, and everything in-between.

Q: There are a lot more pressures on businesses today.

GH: Retailers get much less time to succeed. There’s greater time pressure, greater cost pressure to succeed. All of the costs of being in business — health care, utilities, workers’ comp, liability insurance — are greater than ever.

These are all factors that I would say simply that entrepreneurs who know what they’re up against are, unfortunately, too busy being on a treadmill to do something about.

MS: I also would include non-profit entrepreneurs, who are dealing with the very same issues – how to provide services with the same cost structure Gary’s talking about, medical care, insurance, how to reach markets, cut costs, scale up, the same questions.

Q: What’s causing this kind of pressure?

GH: There are two things going on. The big are getting bigger and advertising is no longer as effective as it once was because consumers, customers are being bombarded by media from every portal. You can get ads on your cell phone or Blackberry.

The answer is, if you have an inherent story to tell, an inherent ability to find and build up on the loyalty to your customer — I don’t care if it’s industrial, consumer or retailer – then you have to find the way to get that message out.

Q: You describe the institute as a “boot camp” for community-minded entrepreneurs. Does that mean it’s for companies that want to emulate Stonyfield?

MS: When we talk about social entrepreneurs, it’s a pretty broad definition.

When you listen to Howard Brodsky, he will tell you he grew up when his parents owned a small pharmacy, and a lot of his parents’ friends owned small pharmacies, and they all went out of business because they couldn’t compete. He was highly motivated by that, and it became his mission, so he developed a really innovative, cooperative business. But you can learn that a number of sectors can benefit from his approach – it doesn’t have to be flooring stores. It can be bicycle stores or tuxedo shops that learn from such a great story.

GH: Every company has a mission. For us, proving that we could profitably support family farmers was our central mission.

But this is not a political orientation at all. We‘re looking for people who want to take advantage of inherent things they’ve got.

My sister and I have worked with developers in this eco-industrial park in Londonderry. There’s obviously enormous competition among industrial parks in southern New Hampshire, and these folks aren’t necessarily progressive, but they understand that doing good for the planet can be a competitive advantage.

Q: So it’s not only for people who are, pardon the expression, do-gooders.

GH: My bias is that the company’s advantage makes the world a cleaner, more peaceful, sustainable place, but it doesn’t have to be that.

This is about finding your competitive advantage. It could be on the revenue side or the cost side — it doesn’t matter where, but everybody’s got it. The mission of this workshop is to discover and capitalize on your competitive advantage.