getting the word out

Since moving towards sustainable projects with ECOwaves and an effort to help promote green projects, I was hitching a ride down the mountain with a co-worker when we started talking about composting. One of natures natural ways to bring something back to the earth through the process of decay.  We talked of how so much organic waste was being sent to the landfill to take up space and how this nutrient rich soil would only enrich the soils of a rubbish pile if sent to the landfill. Promoting a sustainable lifestyle and green projects is one thing, an important aspect of making sustainability a realization. But without action, it remains a pop fad and all the networking and words will be as fleeting as if spoken a single time.

Back in the car, we began talking of starting a company that would focus its efforts on the individual homeowner that was unable to compost themselves for one reason or another and how we could offer the service to that home owner to reduce their footprint by allowing the possibility to dispose of all their organic waste. My partner Cari Flower and I have since started Sunlit Composting .  Find out how we’re doing and how the project is designed at www.ECOwaves.org or contact us at sunlitcomposting@gmail.com

Actions speak louder than words

              While studying Bottlenose dolphins in Peru I learned a valuable lesson from the whole experience of scientific study. Our purpose was to photograph dorsal fins of each bottlenose dolphin we encountered and identify it. When this is done over a 3-year period, one will re-photograph the same individuals many times within the 200km area we were studying. When re-photographed, we learn habitat ranges of individuals, which ones are found together, areas of sparse populations and dense ones, which raise question of why are they there? Food? Habitat? Needless to say the study can answer a lot of questions.                    

 But what effort is put into the study? To photograph 1500 animals with hundreds of photographs taken each day and then translated; that days work takes over a week to process. This is a lot of work and a time consuming process. This is research. The amount of gas, lodging, food, and statistics involved with any true scientific work is mind-boggling.

            Then what is it for? Why do we do it? We do it to answer questions like how many of these animals are there? What areas are important to protect? These are important ecological questions. But there is an important gap I observe at the moment between this ecological scientific community answering these important questions and getting the results of these answers into the correct hands. If the research is published, fantastic, we increase our records and understanding of the world. But when literature is not delivered like the thousands of papers published in journals each month, we have a serious gap, and a serious problem.

            In many ways this is what I have observed in Peru. A project aimed at answering the questions we need answered and those answers falling of def ears. In that sense the research feels as if it were a history project. We had this many dolphins at this moment and here is the proof, as it remains as fleeting as the paper it is printed upon.

            Meanwhile, pouching, rampant pollution such as the plastic bag, bad fishing practices and construction of large factories in ecologically sensitive areas continues. This is where sustainability has entered my life. To do something, anything is a step towards real results on many levels. Help fishermen learn good practices, teach children not to pollute, to reuse. It’s simple, if we educate and practice a sustainable livelihood, we will save our resources, habitats, and ecological wonders to be studied forever into the future.

Although this will certainly deviate me here and there from my passion of Marine Biology, it has also opened the doors to a new one.

Arriving in Copenhagen Denmark on the first of the month, I was to represent Atmocean pump technology for the weekend prior to the Copenhagen Climate summit or Cop15. Setting up the booth in the Oksnehallen building in downtown Copenhagen, I was pleased to be surrounded on all sids by a variety of green sustainable projects! From energy saving lightbulbs, to educational zones for students all the way to entire Danish energy independent islands and microchips to make standby appliances use no energy.

Being in an atmosphere of this magnitude brings a proud light to human kind as we identify the problems at hand and work to find an array of solutions. Not only do the booths fill the large conference hall, a continual flow of students and citizens alike from around the globe search out projects and ideas to take home to their families and representatives. Having identified 20 or so projects already myself, a real buzz radiates through the center.

How can one feel bad about the state of the climate crisis when surrounded by such positive energy? The question now is whether we will be able to capitalize on this surge in innovation and media attention and the world’s leaders take the lead in putting together real incentives and regulation to help make a green revolution a true reality. This waits to be seen over the coming weeks as the Cop15 summit progresses.

For over four years, the design to use wave driven upwelling pumps to pull nutrient rich water from the depths to the surface has been spear headed by Phill Kithill, a Native New Mexican inventor. The idea is simple; use the kinetic energy of waves to pull up deep nutrient rich water to the surface allowing phytoplankton to blooms, which in turn provide food for fish and sequester CO₂.

These pumps would operate offshore helping to amplify natural blooms and create algae blooms in dead zones or areas of water with no life in the photosynthetic zone. These pumps do not only sequester carbon and create food, but they create jobs in the countries that choose to produce them and possible carbon credits in the future for those countries or companies.

 Do the pumps work though?

 Karl and Letelier, 2008 research and others support the hypothesis that controlled upwelling can in fact lead to phytoplankton blooms. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton absorb CO₂ and release O₂. Once they are eaten or die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, that CO₂ is sequestered or stored. The key factors determining CO₂ ocean sequestration by N₂- fixation or photosynthesis depend among other things on extra residual Phosphate found at higher concentrations in deep water or up welled water (Karl and Letelier, 2008). If wave driven pumps can be made to bring up Iron (Fe) and Phosphorus (P) to the photosynthetic zones, algae booms or diazotroph blooms will be triggered allowing for CO₂ sequestration and food production (Karl and Letelier, 2008).

Preliminary tests off the coasts of Hawaii and the pacific coast of Mexico show that not only are the pumps feasible, they are functional. In the Hawaiian two-week test, increased fish presence around the pumps was noted as well as the presence of a whale shark (Kithil, 2009). This is not scientifically significant, but indicative of possible increased food sources. To see how they work, please view an interactive diagram on the Atmocean website under pump technology.

Why do we need upwelling pumps?

These upwelling pumps may not only increase productivity but also help stop the spread of dead zones. Due to climate change models, it has been found that increased atmospheric temperatures have created a greater stratification of natural upwelling cycles (Polovina et al. 2008). Polovina et al. 2008 data has also been consistent with previous data that supports increased vertical stratification, limiting natural upwelling cycles of oceans since the 1950’s which remains consistent with output models on global warming. Low surface chlorophyll areas in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans have expanded by 6.6 million km² or by about 15% from 1998 through 2006 (Polovina et al. 2008). The North Atlantic with the smallest oligotrophic gyre (less than 0.07 mg chl/m³) is expanding most rapidly at around 4.3%/year (Polovina et al. 2008). These pumps would help amplify natural blooms and limit vertical stratification perhaps reversing the studied trend of increasing dead zones. This is of course in conjunction with increased food sources and sequestered carbon which remain the main goals and purpose of these natural pumps. To see more applications, please visit Atmocean application page.

This is a brief background into how wave driven upwelling pumps work as well as the reason for having them. To find out more about this exciting project or get involved, join atmocean upwelling pumps project found at ECOwaves.org.

 References

 Karl, David M., Letelier, Ricardo M. Nitrogen fixation-enhanced carbon sequestration in low-nitrate, low chlorophyll seascapes. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Inter-Research 2008. www.int-res.com

 Kithil, Phil. Atmocean Inc. 607 Cerrillos, Santa Fe, NM. 2009. Website: http://www.atmocean.com/index.htm

 Polovina, Jeffrey J., Howell, Evan A., Abecassis, Melanie. Ocean’s least productive waters are expanding. Geophysical Research Letters. Vol: 35 L03618. 2008

To help promote environmental initiatives, jobs, and overall sustainability, it remains vital to encourage our students and young professionals from all backgrounds through program incentives and rewards. Helping our energy sector curb dependency on foreign oil and fossil fuels will help create and begin the process of establishing a sustainable-based economy, but it is within our students and young professionals that we should be putting equal or greater importance towards.

They are the ones who will bring about the innovation, invention, and implementation of new design needed to help a sustainable economy become a reality. Scholarships, directed student programs, and rewards, are a great way to help our young and future generations get not only the tools they need to implement a sustainable future, but also the motivation. Here are 10 such scholarships.

 Some may notice that from what I have written over the last few months has been geared towards sustainability and green living rather than solely a bio-world and what experiences and creatures are found within one. It was while working in Peru on the bottlenose population that real light was given to the past 5 years or so I’ve invested in biology. Working all day to identify individuals, we hope that our work will yield real conservation results of that species. But while looking at the pressures of fishing, pollution, and human population growth all around, it seems often more like a history degree rather than a marine bio. degree finding out how many dolphins we “had at this moment”. The downward trends echo across many different species and ecosystems and while blamed on many different issues, share the common cause of mankind.

It is a difficult truth to accept we are consuming our planet in so many different regards, but it is also a relatively new phenomenon really taking root at the dawn of the industrial age and realized in only the past decade or two! So how does one respond? We could throw our hands up, dig our feet in the ground and hold fast, but I don’t believe this to be inherently human nature. To this point we have adapted, grown, and taken on new ideas and solutions with each passing problem ranging from democracy to equality. So it is with this that I say we embrace the facts and the change. Find solutions to our carbon emissions, specie depletion, and resource management while maintaining economic growth and security… and it starts with us. 

ECOWaves is a project-based company designed to locate and assist sustainable projects around the world realize profit and growth whilst educating the greater community. By creating a network of specialists, projects, and a platform where information and resource can be shared, we will help to facilitate the modern world’s move into a sustainable future. I hope you can join me by becoming part of this exciting social network and help shape our future together. You can find us here at ECOWaves.

Cradle to cradle derives an inspiration for innovation, change, and opens ones eyes to what the coming green revolution is all about. Authors William McDonough & Michael Braungart describe a new system of production with far reaching implications leapfrogging the legendary 3’rs of Recycle Reduce and Reuse. “Up-cycling,” is a central theme they define as producing a product with not only a primary use but also a continual use at that material stage or even a more valuable use as a future product.

I was shopping in a small market in Cairo a few weeks ago, there guest lecturing high school students on biodiversity and local coral eco-systems when I stumbled across this jar (seen here) of chocolate spread. As one can see, a handle is conveniently designed so that when the jar is finished, the glass gains value as a drinking mug. This is a perfect example of “up-cycling”. The product is distributed and sold with a primary purpose while a secondary purpose was designed prior to production. This is where “up-cycling” differentiates from the 3 R’s. Although it is important to maintain our push for recycling, reducing, and reusing; “up-cycling” should naturally be applied where possible and considered before production of any product.

Systems are inherently connected and dependent on webs of all sorts. The simplest example is that of the spider web. A web is less likely to break with more anchor points to hold it up, and strengthened by the connections within the web. This well-constructed web is not only more likely to be effective in catching a tasty morsel but is more resistant to failing when disturbed. This example repeats itself throughout earths different systems ranging from food webs exhibiting predation and prey connections, to freeway networks and how traffic flows through a well-connected infrastructure. If a single highway is expanded to carry more and more traffic without alternate routes or side roads, the highway becomes a lifeline we are dependent on and as such, when it fails, the road network fails.
The Energy Connection
This same principle applies to the different energy sources we use to supply our global population. If we look at current global energy usage, 85% is currently derived from Oil, Coal, and Gas (fossil fuels) with the remaining 15% comes from ALL OTHER ENERGY OPPORTUNITIES! This makes our web of energy look like one of the sicklier spider webs with 3 big lines holding the whole thing up and little to no connections within the web. But I see society and mankind represents a brilliant spider. From Wind and Solar, to Thermal and Wave, new strings of energy are ready to be made. Even smaller threads ranging from Kite energy to Solar Thermal are emerging as both economical and beneficial threads. We must demand the movement of this engine and connect these threads to repair our web decreasing our dependency on fossil fuels while distributing our risk and impact of this energy web on this global level.

…and it starts with us!

On September 22 2009, the United Nations met in New York to outline talks on numerous issues ranging from climate change to sustainable economic development amongst many other pressing matters. This was followed by G20 talks held in Pittsburgh, USA two days later on the global economic situation and ways forward for the global community.  

Throughout the conference of nations and coverage from the media, at least one thing can be deduced clearly; a continual debate over climate change and best way forward still lies before us all. The “Green Room” is one such sight that exemplifies this clearly. Hosted by BBC news, the “Green Room” is a news feed dedicated to not only Green Living and the sustainable debate, but also the opinions from those around the world. The most recent article “Climate change – where the center leads” hosts over 100 responses or comments posted by readers. I hope that we continue to search for answers to not only the climate change issue, but also sustainable living, renewable sources of energy and how to help developing or industrialized countries make these issues not only prominent but also economically rewarding.

It is only through healthy and continual debates that we may best reach answers to these pressing matters. If you have yet to join the conversation, share an opinion, or even better a solution… now would be that time. Embrace our ability to communicate and change our future with your thoughts over the web, radio, telephone, or dinner table. Let it be with co-workers, government representatives, and family alike for this is indeed a debate worth having.

Working with a nonprofit organization called Mundo Azul for five months, based out of Lima Peru, I was involved in an effort to document the coastal Bottle Nose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Our study site streches from Paracas two hundred km south of Lima to Lima itself. It is an ongoing study and is currently in its fourth year. We have documented over 1500 individual animals thus far which stands to be one of the highest densities in the world known to date. The first results of this study will appear in a paper describing a population estimate, although future papers on sound disturbance, habitat, and family structure look promising. Although much time was spent in the field photographing these magnificent animals, even more work was required in front of a computer sorting through fin after fin. Although effective, Photo-ID takes a lot of grunt work and data processing. I looked forward to both days in the field as well as helping teach volunteers how to carry on the work. Not only do I hope to help push this publication through quickly, but return one day to help carry on the work of marine conservation off the coast of Peru.