Green Issues

Biodiesel fuel is a fuel made from the oil of certain oilseed crops such as soybean, canola, palm kernel, coconut, sunflower, safflower, corn and a hundreds of other oil producing crops. The oil is extracted by the use of a press. The oil is then mixed in specific proportions with other agents which causes a chemical reaction. The results of this reaction are two products, biodiesel and soap.

After a final filtration, the biodiesel is ready for use. After curing, the glycerin soap which is produced as a by product can be used as is, or can have scented oils added before use.

Biodiesel fuel is not a new development; however it has gotten quite a lot of publicity lately. This is largely due to the rising cost of crude oil which puts a strain on the consumer’s wallet at the gas pump. Biodiesel fuel is one alternative to relying on fossil fuels to operate our vehicles.

In 1895 Dr. Rudolph Diesel introduced the first diesel engine intended to run on vegetable oil. In 1900 he presented his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris. This diesel engine used peanut oil as fuel.

In 1912 Dr. Diesel predicted that in the future the use of vegetable oils as a fuel may be as important as the use of petroleum and coal was in his day. With the volatile nature of oil producing countries, and the ever surging cost of crude oil, interest in vegetable oils as fuel has been rekindled, so it seems Dr Diesel may have had a glimpse into the world of today.

Biodiesel fuel has several advantages over fossil fuel. The most celebrated advantage is that biodiesel fuel is less costly to make than gasoline. As an added bonus, biodiesel is environmentally friendly fuel. The use of biodiesel in an unmodified diesel engine will substantially reduce the emissions of harmful unburned hydrocarbons, sulfates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide.

Biodiesel fuel works in almost any diesel engine. Just some of the equipment where these engines can be found is cars, trucks, tractors, planes, trains, boats, buses and almost all agricultural equipment. As you can see this adds up to a lot of potential use for biodiesel, and just as many chances to reduce the harmful emissions created from the use of fossil fuels.

So what makes biodiesel fuel such a promising fossil fuel alternative? Here are a few of the surprising facts pertaining to biodiesel.

Biodiesel fuel can be made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils and animal fats.

Biodiesel fuel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80%.

Biodiesel reduces the formation of acid rain because it produces no sulfur dioxide, which is the key element in creating acid rain.

Biodiesel fuel smells better at the tank, so filling up is a more pleasant task than with regular diesel. Biodiesel also smells better on the road, with the exhaust sometimes being described as smelling like French fries or doughnuts.

Biodiesel burns much cleaner, so the black smelly smoke one usually sees puffing from vehicles which use diesel engines can be eliminated.

An added advantage over regular fuel is that biodiesel fuel takes considerably less time to degrade in the event of a spill, usually about twenty eight days, which is about four times faster than gasoline or regular diesel fuel.

The extra lubrication provided by biodiesel fuel helps improve the longevity of your engine, as well as boosting engine performance, also helping eliminate engine knocks and noise.

Biodiesel fuel can be stored in any type of tank already approved for fuel storage, giving more savings to both businesses and consumers.

Biodiesel has a much higher flash point at 300 degrees to be exact, than regular diesel, at 150 degrees.

Biodiesel can be mixed with regular diesel fuel to make blends, such as B5 or B20.

Most diesel engines can use biodiesel without having to be modified in any way.

With all the advantages biodiesel fuel has over conventional diesel, it makes a smart alternative which not only makes a difference in our wallets, but also to the Earth itself.

There’s no question that consumers are starting to pay attention to eco-friendly companies. With the threats of global warming, over-filled landfills, water shortages, and many other environmental concerns looming on the horizon, some businesses that want to make a difference in the world-and attract a large amount of consumer goodwill-are choosing to go green.

There are plenty of reasons to consider environmental factors when planning for your next exhibit. If your industry is not traditionally linked with environmental movements, having a “green exhibit” is a great way to stand out from the crowd. Add to that the fact that you’re doing your part to make the world a better place, and you’ll feel less guilty for blowing your competition out of the water. Here are ten tips for going green at your next exhibit.

Building a booth? Use eco-friendly materials. If you’re building a custom booth this year, you have several options for greener materials. First, try to avoid wood. The earth’s forests are nearly 80% depleted, and that’s bad news for our atmosphere. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen-so they may be our first line of defense against global warming. Leave a few trees standing by choosing another material to build your booth.

One more eco-friendly choice is recycled metal. While this may not seem like the most biodegradable choice, it’s much better than using non-recycled metals. For example, the process of recycling aluminum takes about 95% less energy than it does to create new aluminum from ore. Recycling steel uses about 60% less energy than making it from scratch.

Another option is wood/plastic composite. This building material is made up of sawdust from lumber and furniture companies mixed with fragments of plastic trash, such as soda bottles and garbage bags. There are many different brands, and the wood comes in colors ranging from deep ambers to espresso browns-as beautiful as natural wood, without the environmental price tag.

Consider your paints. Oil and latex-based paints are toxic to the environment-they contain poisonous chemicals that can’t be removed at a treatment plant. Leftover paint is often poured down the drain, and it gets into oceans and waterways. It also leaches from painted items in landfills, further damaging the environment. Even worse, VOC’s-volatile organic chemicals, such as cyanide-in paint evaporate at room temperature, contributing to global warming while coating your booth.

Instead of traditional paints, look for non-VOC paints made by big-name paint manufacturers such as Sherman Williams and Behr. Other eco-friendly paints are made from talcum powder, clay, and chalk.

Get green giveaways. When looking for a good giveaway item, choose with an eye toward minimizing trash. Avoid items that come in plastic packaging. Avoid plastic altogether, in fact, unless it’s recycled. Good ideas include cotton or hemp tote bags, food in recycled-paper wrapping instead of plastic, recycled plastic Frisbees, pens and other items, and ceramic mugs. Stay away from plastic bags, wood, and non-recycled materials.

Use energy-efficient lighting. Incandescent light bulbs are notoriously inefficient. They emit only 10% of the energy they use as light. The rest is given off as heat-which is why these bulbs can catch your lampshade on fire if you’re not careful. Instead, use fluorescent bulbs. These are much more energy efficient.

Use recycled paper. There are a lot of paper products involved in a typical exhibit: business cards, signs and displays, brochures and promotional materials. Why not use recycled paper? While most people think of rough, textured and off-white paper when it comes to buying recycled, there are many companies that make smooth, bright-white papers that are comparable to virgin papers.

Consider green printing. Some inks can be as toxic as paint. You can go green with your printing by choosing a green printer. Not all are created equally; their commitment to green printing can range from using energy-efficient operating procedures to printing with soy-based inks on recycled papers. Be sure to shop around when looking for eco-friendly printers.

Talk to your vendor. Some booth vendors are more eco-friendly than others. Some may operate under environmentally mindful conditions-using alternative energy and energy-efficient practices, for example-while others may have pre-fabricated booths built from eco-friendly materials. Be sure to ask your vendor for more advice on how you can create a green display for your next exhibit.

Going green doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. While you may have to buy a custom booth to go green, recycled and eco-friendly materials sometimes cost less than their non-recycled alternatives. Talk to your vendor, research your options, and take your time in designing an approach to green exhibiting that works for your company. No matter how far you go with it-from using recycled papers to building an entire booth from eco-friendly materials-you’ll be making a positive contribution.

We’re not talking hunter green, sea-foam green or Wint-o-Green Lifesavers, just to be perfectly clear. This green is gray, black, charcoal, red and any other color found in the rainbow. It’s all about sustainability, LEED certification, environmental honors, structures under construction and a little dreaming for the future. And though the title of “Greenest Building of the World,” is based somewhat on a subjective notion, there is much to be said about the following group of buildings. Some for living, some for working and all for taking care of our planet, in one way or another.

The National Resources Defense Council led the charge towards greener living and working in 2003, when they went green in their SoCal headquarters. Named in honor of the man who has offered generous support to the organization for over two decades, Mr. Redford was on hand nearly 5 years ago to cut the ribbon, and welcome another green building into the 21st century. Taking an existing building in downtown Santa Monica, the NRDC could easily see the potential of greening this location due to all that the environment already offered. Sun, fresh ocean breezes and recycled water helped to make this location simplistic, energy and environmentally efficient.

Bank of America Tower — New York City

It’s phenomenal how fast they build these buildings, and to know that it was done with renewable materials in an effort to score as many LEED points as possible… it makes me want to reconsider those mean things I’ve said about Bank of America hiking their interest rates. You can’t win them all, I suppose, but the Bank of America tower presently stands as the only completed, sky-scraping structure that has scored a Platinum U.S. LEED rating.

Clinton Presidential Library — Little Rock, Arkansas

Just down the avenue bearing the name of former President Bill Clinton, kudos to team Clinton for making drastic renovations to a building that was only recently constructed, dedicated and opened in 2004. By creating a roof-top garden to help absorb carbon and implementing the use of recyclables, the building has received the U.S. LEED Platinum rating.

Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre — Hyderabad, India

Of course your building is going to be a paradigm for green commercial structures when you’re in the business of creating green structures. Earning a prestigious award from the United States Green Building Council, the Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre was named the most “environmentally advanced building in the world.” Being the “center of excellence” for energy efficiency, renewable resources, water consumption, recycling and all things “green” in India, it is potentially one of the most important buildings in operation in the Eastern world. Completed in 2004, they’ve employed the venturi effect in cooling the structure, helping to drastically lower the amounts of energy needed to create a comfortable work environment.

Queens Botanical Garden Visitor and Administration Center — Flushing, NY

Who would have thought that a building in Queens would have become the greenest building in the city? Mayor Bloomberg asked the same question as they cut the ribbon and dedicated the new visitors and information center. Receiving a platinum rating from the EPA, there couldn’t be a more perfect structure to serve as the foundation of this 39 acres of natural beauty, just east of Manhattan. Implementing photo-voltaic panels, the new visitors center is able to produce 20 percent of its own electrical needs.

Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability — Vancouver, British Columbia

Nearing completion, it is anticipated that the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) will be the most “innovative and high performance” green building in North America. Taking the successes of recent architectural designs, CIRS will be capable of 100 percent rain capture and the ability to harvest daylight through exterior transformation. Construction is scheduled to be completed this year.

La Maison du Developpement Durable — Montreal, Quebec

There’s a wall of mystery that is still surrounding this building with its hopeful completion date some time off in 2010. The French name translating to “sustainable development house,” the architects have laid claim to this structure being the greenest building in Canada upon completion. Using both geothermal and thermal accumulators for heating and cooling, recyclables in construction materials, a wall garden for oxygen and air filtration… yeah, there’s a good chance it could become Canada’s most self-sustaining structure.

Alberici Corporate Headquarters — Overland, Missouri

Give it up for the Show Me State! Having been incorporated for nearly 100 years, the Alberici Corporation constructed their new green headquarters in the early 21st century, seeing completion in 2004. They were the 9th newly constructed building to receive a platinum rating from the United States Green Building Council. Not only did Alberici choose to go green, but they formed Vertegy in the same year, a new company branch focusing on the consultation of building and renovating to green standards.

The Greenest Buildings of the Not-Too-Distant Future

Now for a look into what we all thought the 21st century would consist of — concepts that are not just under consideration, but are actually in the number crunching phase of development. Not only would buildings like the following help to generate more attention for the green movement, but they would simultaneously up the world’s architectural ante.

Residence Antilla — Mumbai, India

I saw a few rooftop gardens during my days in NYC, and that was just as the green surface was beginning to be scratched. Not only was it great to see for the sake of the environment, but it was just awesome to admire in regard to aesthetics. The Residence Antilla will take the whole concept of urban farming and gardening to the next level! This residence will actually serve as a home for Indian property mogul Mukesh Ambani. Could we see “the Donald” follow in these footsteps? This will definitely be a building that will create a big green stir upon completion.

Crystal Island — Moscow, Russia

Will this idea and concept ever come to fruition? Who knows. Bottom line, it looks like something from “The Never-Ending Story,” and the type of building you cartoon-draw as a child, only to be told that such a thing could never be built. Bent on housing a million Moscow residents, this “city within a city” will be built to incredibly high green technology standards.