Sustainability news

- www.thegreenpages.com.au

More “green” cars on the way

When Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced his “green car plan” last year, the aim was to get more fuel efficient cars on the road. Now, auto manufacturers are stepping up to show off their green creds. Last week, Ford Australia announced the debut of its EcoBoost engine in its Ford Falcon range, which it says is 20% more fuel efficient and produces 15% fewer emissions compared to other family sized sedans.

The new EcoBoost engine, is a four cylinder engine that delivers that power of a six cylinder by marrying fuel injection technology with turbocharging.

“We’re absolutely committed to playing our part in addressing climate change and energy challenges and giving Australians what they want,” says Marin Burela, President and CEO of Ford Australia. It is our responsibility to develop affordable, clean and environmentally friendly engines, he adds.

The Ford Motor Company’s advanced EcoBoost technology and a newly developed LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) fuel system will be optional across the Falcon range. Meanwhile, a new clean diesel option will be introduced for the Territory in 2011.

The changes to the Falcon and Territory are supported by the Federal Government’s Green Car Innovation Fund which supports the research and development of Australian technologies that reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of passenger vehicles.

Source: Ford Australia

Fuel cell flight

As the world debates the future of hydrogen fuel cell cars, this eco glider demonstrated its fuel cell abilities in Hamburg Germany last week.

The Antares DLR-H2, the world’s first piloted aircraft capable of taking off using only power from fuel cells, was developed by the German Aerospace Center and flies with no carbon emissions and less noise pollution compared to motorised gliders.

The centrepiece and greatest innovation on the Antares DLR-H2 is the fact that it is powered directly by means of an ultra-efficient fuel cell. “We have improved the performance capabilities and efficiency of the fuel cell to such an extent that a piloted aircraft is now able to take off using it,” stated Prof. Dr-Ing Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the Executive Board at DLR. “This enables us to demonstrate the true potential of this technology, also and perhaps specifically for applications in the aerospace sector. Coupled with our expertise in fuel cell technology, DLR’s many years of extensive experience in gaining official approval for aerospace systems are what made the Antares DLR-H2 a feasible proposition.”

The fuel cell system used to power the Anares delivers up to 25 kilowatts of electrical power. When flying in a straight line, the aircraft only requires about ten kilowatts of power. In this situation, the fuel cell is operating at an efficiency level of approximately 52%.

With the success of this flight, scientists and engineers are hoping that more research will be conducted on the feasibility of fuel cell technology being adapted for commercial flights. The Antares DLR-H2 will be based at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg where, over the next three years, it will be acting as a flying test platform for the fuel cell test activities of DLR as part of its Fuel Cell Labs project.

Designing your own green home

Have you ever wanted to design your own home? With the growing popularity of computer design software and programs like Grand Designs, more and more homeowners are going to their architects with their dream home perfectly in mind.

What’s more important, however, is that homeowners need to recognise the importance of having a “green home” with good energy efficiency. And fortunately, Australians are finally waking up to the fact that they’re throwing away money on air conditioning and excess heating simply because their homes are draughty and poorly conceived for the climate in their area.

Enter Think Bricks’ new Climate Design Wizard that puts you at the drawing desk. The nifty online wizard includes helpful ideas for designing a better “green home” in 27 different regions across Australia.
“The key to energy efficiency is designing the home to fit the climate,” says Environmental Architect, Tone Wheeler. “A house designed with environmental sustainable design principles looks like a normal house, but it is responsive to the local climate.”

The Wizard provides homeowners, builders and architects clear and simple information about their local climate, as well as simple design strategies that can help achieve a more environmentally sustainable outcome. The information is compiled from a century of climate data across Australia’s varying climate zones - as an energy efficient house in Sydney would have very different needs to an energy efficient house in Darwin.

Taking a walk through the Wizard might seem a little daunting - at first. There’s charts and schematics and mountains of climate data to consider. But the tool clearly outlines some of the most important principles for good climate performance.

Design Green home

For example, in Sydney, I’d want a house facing North to North East to optimise morning sun in the winter and to avoid the harsh afternoon sun of the summer. I’d look into windows and doors that face South to make the most of cool night time breezes in the summer. Then I’d need some more windows to the East for cross ventilation and air circulation. And maybe some nice trees to the West to help shade up that wall which gets exposed to the summer heat. Oh and a good solid block of thermal mass going through the middle of the house to keep the internal temperatures comfortable.

There are other considerations such as water collection, sun and shading. The drawings are all printable for clients to take their architects to illustrate the concepts and help them improve their designs with these considerations in mind.

“The benefits of learning how to live in the Australian climate, no matter where, is profound,” says Linda Ginger, CEO of Think Brick Australia. She hopes the tool will help provide simple and easy advice to anyone looking to reduce their reliance on artificial heating and cooling.

Source:  designforclimate.com.au

A Good Booze Guide

Need help picking a good “green” drop? Greenpeace has released the first Alcoholic Drinks Edition of the True Food Guide, a guide to buying beverages without genetic engineering.

Launching the guide was celebrated wine journalist Max Allen, who said, “Genetic engineering of grape vines and yeasts, currently being researched, is not the answer to the challenges facing Australia’s wine industry. The Australian wine industry would be taking a huge risk by choosing to adopt GM technology.”

According to the Guide, Beer brands Toohey’s, Hahn, Heineken, and James Squire, and spirits like Bacardi are listed as “green” in the GE-free Alcoholic Drinks guide and do not contain ingredients derived from GE crops. Australian wines by De Bortoli, Tyrrell’s and Yellowtail are also free of GE ingredients.

The pocket-sized GE-free shopping guide also provides information about alcoholic brands, which may contain GE-derived ingredients. Crown, Strongbow, Foster’s are some of the “red” listed brands.

“Aside from the unknowns in the use of GE products, the concept that the food chain can be tied up in patents or intellectual property rights is repugnant,” says Rob Glastonbury, spokesperson for De Bortoli Wines.

Find out more at truefood.org.au