Packaging Waste

Until around the turn of the 21st century before it officially had a name, road rage was just simply thought of as impatient drivers with intolerance toward anyone else sharing the road with them.  These days it seems that you can’t turn on the television or surf the internet without hearing some new “rage” related condition, such as the likes of email rage, computer rage, Myspace rage, phone rage, internet rage, believe it or not “line range” where an elderly woman was run over by a shopping cart, but get ready for it, now there’s “wrap rage”.

The smart people at Amazon.com heard the cries and frustrations of a nation and answered their call by creating “Frustration Free Packaging” for their physical products.  If you’ve opened a toy encased in plastic you’ll no doubt have experienced this for yourself at some point, short of needing an instruction manual, or a hammer to free a toy from its plastic prison.  After a while, even Barbie’s Mona Lisa smile turns to a smirk at your unwrapping incompetence.

Amazon.com has aligned themselves with some big name market players like Mattel, Fisher-Price, Microsoft, Transcend offering around 19 products containing considerably less wasteful packing materials that are not only 100% recyclable but have themselves been created from at least 50% recycled materials.  CEO Jeff Bezos intends to employ this type of packaging for all of Amazon.com’s physical products in the future.

Keeping their eye on the eco-prize has its share of long terms benefits such as reduced waste ending up in the landfills, its affiliated partners building a reputation of being cleaner and greener while saving money on reduced production costs associated with this new, minimized packaging.  Green definitely has its rewards.

In addition to reduced packaging waste, Amazon.com has devised a way to further help the environment by using its employees “Amazonians” to identify and amend any inefficient energy practices within its organization.  And if the name Amazonian wasn’t special enough, this group of  people are known as the “Earth Kaizen’s”, Kaizen translated from the Japanese phrase meaning “change for the better”, an apt name for a group dedicated to making that happen.

Earth Kaizen’s are essentially all employees from Amazon.com at every level whose fingers are all on a common pulse for the conservation of energy.  As an example, Earth Kaizens in the Lexington, Kentucky, fulfillment center realized that a large amount of the bulk storage facility went unused during weekends yet the power remained on at all times.  120 lights were permanently turned off resulting in the savings of nearly 500,000 kilo-watt hours, enough electricity to generate power to over 30 homes in Kentucky for a whole year.

The bid to go greener isn’t just a passing fancy with Amazon.com who recently diversified by adding a “green” range of products to their inventory, which you can find on Amazon’s “Green Page”.  It sports products for every aspect of life from electronics to baby products, home and garden supplies, children’s toys, grocery and household supplies, wind and solar power generator kits, books, shoes, etc.

Amazon.com’s Green Page has 3 different sections for the green enthusiast, Ease Into Green, Eco Chic and Go Extreme Green.

Their “Ease Into Green” section is for those wanting to do their part for the environment in baby steps by incorporating little green aspects into their daily lives, like using greener household alternatives in lieu of their less eco-friendly regulars, light bulbs, storage containers, garbage bins, etc.

Eco Chic is their range of clothing constructed from sustainable materials as well organic products for baby, beauty and bathroom and a range of environmentally sound furniture.

Go Extreme Green is for the diehard green buffs who want to take their green living to the next level.  The types of products this
market want are alternative energy sources to help them live semi independently or completely off the main power grid, eco-designed shower heads for conscious water use and hydroponic kits to grow their own gardens.

If you want to purchase your everyday household items while helping the environment at the same time, then Amazon.com’s Green Page is the way to go, whether you want to ease into green or jump with both feet into it, Amazon.com has the solution for you.

Tags: energy footprint, hybrid car, environmental awareness

Plastic Bottles

It turns out that plastic is not as solid as we thought it was. There are several types of plastic used in our homes that have been found to leach cancer-producing toxins, and many of them are commonly used to store food and beverages. The dangerous effects of these plastics range from hormone disruption, obesity and reproduction problems to cancer.

Some people question the research and say there hasn't been evidence to prove that plastics actually harm humans. But why take the risks, when there are easy and safe alternatives? Here are the plastics to avoid.

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is dangerous because of the dioxins produced during manufacturing. Dioxins are known to cause cancer, and they accumulate in fatty tissue, so are not easily flushed from our systems. The flexible type of PVC is commonly used to wrap meat in the US contains phthalates, which are suspected of causing cancer and problems with hormonal development. The hard type of PVC has been used in the building industry to make residential and commercial plumbing pipes which carry drinking water.

#6 PS is polystyrene, or styrofoam, which is commonly used for disposable plates, cups and carry-out containers. The styrene has been found to leach into foods, and may cause cancer or hormonal disruption.

#7 PC contains bisphenol A (BPA) which causes problems similar to those caused by phthalates. Other potential problems include possible insulin disruption which may lead to pancreas problems including Type 2 Diabetes. This type of plastic is commonly used in plastic baby bottles, plastic eating utensils and microwave oven cookware, as well as to line the metal containers of canned foods.

The good news is that there are some plastics that are safe to use. They have proven to be stable enough that they don't transfer chemicals into food or the environment. Here's a list of the most common plastics that are considered to be safe.

#2 HDPE has not been shown to have any negative health effects, and is recyclable.

#4LDPE is being used for beverage containers, and has not been shown to leach chemicals.

#5PP has not been shown to have any negative health effects, but is difficult to recycle.

#1 PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is most commonly used for beverage containers like sports water bottles. They are recyclable, but are only intended for a single use. Some studies have shown that the PET leaches into the beverages when these bottles are stored for long periods of time (several months), so they’re far from ideal. But the harmful effect of leaching appears to be limited to gastrointestinal distress with no long term effects.

PLA (polylactide) is made from starchy plants like corn. There is no need to recycle them because they biodegrade in less than 2 weeks.

Of course, the safest thing is to avoid using plastics whenever possible. That way, you won’t be adding to the growing surplus of non-biodegradable plastic that is multiplying all over the planet.

Tags: recycle, air quality, environmental awareness

Regular Care And Maintenance Of Your Car

It’s important that you regularly measure your tire pressure.  This has a two-fold benefit:

1. When the tire pressure is at the optimum level you actually use 15% less gas.

2. You increase the life of your tires by 15%.

Change your oil every 3,000 to 4,500 miles if you make short runs under 6 miles at a time, if you frequent city traffic with many stops and starts, if your car tows a trailer or heavy load regularly, or if you drive in salty, sandy or dusty conditions.

If your oil isn't changed often enough this can result in advanced engine wear and tear with the loss of fuel economy and overall performance which means accelerated oil consumption and with it, increased carbon emissions.  Doing this on a regular basis will not only extend the life of your engine but keep your car in optimum working condition while helping it burn less fuel.

Check and replace windscreen wipers when the rubber in them has worn out, if you don’t, not only will they be ineffective, but they may also scratch the windscreen causing you to replace them earlier and pay more money in the long term.

Water Conservation

Most people aren’t aware that how they clean their car can be almost as important to the environment as how you maintain it.  It only takes 1 quart of oil in our waterways to contaminate 1 million quarts of water so it pays to know what we’re putting into our storm water drains.

Before you wash your car, especially as it gets toward those summer months, are there any water restrictions currently in place?  Car washing is likely to be out if your area is experiencing drought conditions and will likely to be the first activity to be restricted.

Hosing your car while on your driveway should be avoided because not only does it waste water but it introduces dirt, grease, detergents, oil and gas residue into storm water drains eventually ending up in our river systems which gradually make their way into our oceans, the very oceans that we depend upon for our survival.

Instead, place your car on a grassy area to minimize the amount of water run-off.

Using biodegradable vegetable oil based soaps to wash your car are a good option as they readily breakdown if any runoff escapes down storm water drains.  If you opt to use car shampoos always wash your car on your lawn as these types of shampoos usually contain phosphates similar to those found in fertilizers.  The reason why this is a disadvantage is because it artificially introduces nutrients to photosynthetic algae where there otherwise would not have been, enabling them to overgrow clogging natural waterways and killing marine life by overwhelming entire ecosystems.  You can opt to use phosphate free alternatives in place of the regular kind.

It’s ironic that manufacturers include this component to their cleaning products knowing that it will eventually end up in our waterways, tighter regulation needs to be put in place while a ban on phosphates in all cleaning products become a reality.  The positive outlook is that at the state level change is gradually taking place.  Through greater awareness policy-makers are working to ban the use of phosphates in cleaning products with the state of Virginia joining the cause to phase out the use of phosphate based cleaning products by 2010.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031002744.html

Using a sponge and bucket or a watering can takes a little more time than using a hose but can save a lot more water, in fact using a hose to wash your car uses four to five times more water than a humble bucket and sponge alone.  This is because when using a hose you’re unaware of the volume of water you use, however a set amount of water as you would when using a bucket not only saves on your water bill but you save our greatest precious resource in the process.

Don’t let water go to waste.  Using “grey” water to wash your car can get maximum usage out of the same water.  Grey water is typically water that has been recycled from the other processes such as water from your laundry for example.  Collect the water in a bucket as it drains off during a rinse cycle to wash your car with.  This ensures you get double the use from the same batch of water.

Washing your car in the shade ensures slower evaporation, helping conserve water and avoids telltale streaks on the paint finish.

Eliminate the use of expensive chemical finishing treatments.  Armed with a simple chamois with some good old vigorous polishing is the best way to achieve a streak free finish.

Getting the most out of your car through eco conscious methods will not only ensure you save money but will extend the life of your car too.

Tags: lower emmission, ecology, hybrid car

Before the Kyoto Protocol as we know it came to be, most of the world was in blissful slumber in regards to the issue of global warming, most people had no idea what that even was.  You can say that in terms of global action, we are like a 50,000 ton megaship that only now is finally, yet ever so slowly, turning its rudder in a direction for the positive, but like with big ships as in our consuming habits as a nation, it takes time to change.

With environmental lobbyists rallying to raise awareness of the reality of global warming we have been able to take stock of the situation and make changes in our own lives that can help make a difference.  This is the key if we are to turn the situation around for the better.

One such program that has had its finger on the pulse long before most people were even aware of the environment was Energy Star.  Their objective was to save money and the environment by way of energy efficient practices and products.

With its humble beginnings, Energy Star has gone from strength to strength and has become a frontrunner in energy efficiency.  It began with the Energy Star label on a handful of appliances starting with computers and monitors until in 1995 that range grew to include office equipment and heating and cooling systems for residential properties.

So prolific is Energy Star that it now encompasses over 60 different products ranging from refrigerators to microwaves ovens, televisions, sound systems, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, home electronics and lighting to name a few with the more recent expansion of the EPA to now include energy efficient solutions for both residential home and commercial buildings.

Each passing year has seen Energy Star’s global reach extend even further with its joint venture alliances with over 15,000 private and public organizations while providing options to consumers to make better informed decisions when choosing energy efficient solutions.  Customers can rest assured in the knowledge that their product will in the long term save money by using less energy and emitting fewer greenhouse gases than some of their less efficient market equivalents.

2008 alone saw Energy Star save nearly 20 billion dollars through reduced energy usage from their inventory of approved products carrying the Energy Star logo.

In April of 2009, the EPA launched their campaign “Change The World – Start With Energy Star” encouraging consumers to join the fight against climate change through small changes in their daily energy using habits and by replacing older, energy wasting appliances with Energy Star recommended products.

By 2012 Energy Star predicts a reduction of around 50 MMTEC of greenhouse gases released into the earth’s atmosphere as a direct result of its initiatives.  This total saving is equal to the output from more than 30 million vehicles while saving over 15 billion dollars annually in energy bills alone.

So how do we make this life changing global impact for energy conservation?, simple, just by one energy compliant appliance at a time.

Tags: environmental awareness, reduce fuel consumption, pollution prevention

Nowadays celebrities are lending their names and their support in the global
message for environmentalism. Leonardo Dicaprio, who spearheaded the film that
raised awareness of environmental issues, “The 11th Hour” has been a committed
activist for years and walks his talk by living green every day.  Leonardo’s
home runs on solar energy and he drives a Toyota Prius which is the new hybrid
car of the 21st century, emitting 90% less green house gases than its gasoline
powered rival.  Leonardo believes that we now have the technology to produce
more inexpensive, environmentally friendly, energy efficient cars.

Brad Pitt brought New Orleans under the microscope with his “Make It Right”
project in a bid to build cleaner, greener more energy efficient “eco-homes”
from sustainable materials for Hurricane Katrina survivors.  His goal was to
build 150 homes and pledged to match up to $5 million dollars in donations of
his own money.  The project was born out of frustration at the lack of effort
from the government to rebuild New Orleans.

Sheryl Crow is another activist passionate about the environment and does her
part by visiting colleges around the country spreading her message about the
consequences of global warming.  She also encouraged youths to rally at Capitol
Hill to influence the change of laws and policy governing the environment.

She lives what she preaches by using only the cold water cycle for washing her
clothes, she drives a hybrid and proudly sports solar panels as a permanent
fixture of her home. Sheryl is the prime example of how celebrity can be used as
an influence for the better and how it can help unite society in a common goal
for the positive.

The Hulk’s Edward Norton wanted to make the hulk more “green” than ever before
by reducing the productions carbon footprint, setting the tone from the very
beginning starting with the first production meeting which included an environ-
mental consultant to help keep their green vision tightly within focus.

They reduced the amount of plastic bottles and utensils used on the set which
markedly reduced the amount of throwaway garbage.A green perspective was used
with regards to set construction, resource management and conservation, recycling
and energy usage making “The Hulk” the first ever film to feature the Green Seal
of the Environmental Media Association in its closing film credits.  The goal of
the film industry is to proudly sport more Green Seal logos in more films for
the future.

Not only are celebrities pushing the green message but the film studios that
back them are also supporting the cause in an effort to create more environment-
ally friendly productions.

Tom Shadyac's film "Evan Almighty" took green thinking to a whole new level by
donating around 2,000 trees to the Conservation Fund to offset any greenhouse
gases emitted during its production.  The tons of wood used for the elaborate
sets were also dismantled and donated to anyone that needed them, reducing the
amount of wastage that usually ends up in landfills with a production of this
scale.

Fox Studios “24” made a pledge to introduce both solar and wind energy for
providing power to their productions where all materials would be recycled and
reused.

Film sets used on the film “The Matrix” were re-used in the construction of
homes in Mexico.  Nonprofit organization “ReUse People Of America” believe that
it costs less to reuse materials than it does to demolish them, an encouraging
incentive to reuse and recycle.

You’ll find celebrities driving their Hybrid Prius cars, opting for green
cleaning products and recyclable cloth bags with the “Apple” brand of computer
being at the top of the list for its sustainability through its recyclable parts.

So as you can see, celebrities are more than just pretty faces and can lend
their status to good causes to give our planet a voice.

Tags: biodiesel, environmental awareness, energy footprint

Employing environmentally sustainable business practices not only benefits the
environment, it also gives it a competitive edge over other firms in the same
field.  Businesses of the future will need to be environment friendly and making
a move towards that right now gives your business that advantage.  Going green
can be a challenging thing for businesses since it requires a certain amount of
effort and the co-operation of multiple groups, vendors, employees, investors
etc.

Here are some ideas that can help take your business into the future:

1) Energy audit

It’s best to carry out a complete energy and environmental
audit for your business operations and practices and use the findings to draft
sold policies and management systems that can help “green up” your business.
Even doing something as simple as following the basic 3R’s (reduce, reuse and
recycle) can help contribute to big differences yet it’s amazing how few people
do this.

2) Enlist your employees to your cause

It’s difficult for employees to care
about your business unless you take care of their basic needs first and give
them the feeling that it’s their business too. You can do the former by sharing
or underwriting their healthcare costs and the latter by having them involved in
decision-making while also appreciating their contributions.

3) Better Business Model

It’s no secret that businesses which operate on a profit-sharing basis have
happier employees who are committed to the success of the organization. A good
profit-sharing program boosts employee morale, increases profits and helps
employees feel a sense of ownership. A business that invests in the growth of
its employees by making them partners through an employee stock ownership plan
will continue to prosper over time.  Consider implementing a plan that allows
your employees to share in the wealth generated by your business and put it into
action.

4) Better Product Design

How do you design your products? Are they designed to be environment friendly?
Do they have a long life span? How can they be disposed of? Consider every
aspect of product design from the materials that go into them to the time they
will be disposed of before you design them. Aim for creating energy efficient
greener products. Also try to deal with suppliers and vendors who share similar
values. Do they follow environmental polices? Are they socially responsible?
Are they aligned with your long-term vision and goals?  Try to do business with
those who more closely support your own vision for a
sustainable, greener business.

5) Greater involvement with the community

Get the word out on your environmentally sustainable business practices. Let the
whole world know your stand. Describe your position, vision, values and mission
on your website or print out flyers and distribute it to investors, employees
and leaders in your community. Get your employees involved in any activity that
helps your local community or support an environmental cause that benefits the
community in a tangible way. It’s a great way to inspire your employees and to
create awareness of your vision to make your business sustainable and ‘greener’
to one and all.

Tags: energy efficient, greenhouse gardening, reduce fuel consumption

With constant payments going to toward the gas, electricity, water, phone, insurances, food, rent, mortgage it’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and frustrated as we’re forever stuck running on the spot, never advancing anywhere.  Some days it seems that all we work for is to pay the bills never mind having any money left over to put away for a rainy day.

There is a solution that increasingly more people are opting for these days allowing them to save more money at the end of the month in reduced utility bills by living independently of the main energy grid.  Not only does this save money as you essentially produce your own energy but you can actually make money by selling your excess energy back to the power companies.

The concept of “net metering” came about during the 1970’s when Federal legislation named the “Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act” was passed enabling any residential energy producer residing in the United States the right to sell excess power to their local energy provider at retail rates.  There are currently over 30 states in the US that support net metering, to find out if yours is one of them you can find out here:

http://www.dsireusa.org/

Earth 4 Energy is the ideal solution if you wish to choose this path.  Not only do you get to keep more of your hard earned money but you’re also doing something beneficial for the environment at the same time.

With Earth 4 Energy you’ll learn how to assemble your own solar panels and wind generator. The advantage to these forms of energy is that they are fully renewable unlike fossil fuels where there is only a finite amount ever produced and when that runs out, that’s it.

The usual set up costs associated with independent energy is usually steep and without of reach of most people, however with Earth 4 Energy you can learn how to be up and running for under $200.  You’ll find that the savings over time will enable you to recoup your cost within a year, a shorter timeframe if you choose to sell energy back to the power company.

Why alternate energy sources are the way to go:

As mentioned previously because the energy source is renewable and unlimited and doesn’t harm the environment as it captures, stores and expends energy, in fact there are no carbon emissions associated with this form of energy production.

Using “Photovoltaic” systems such as solar energy reduces the need for energy storing dry cell batteries.  Sadly batteries when past their usefulness are discarded into our landfills at a staggering rate of 3 billion, and that’s just per year.  These batteries are laced with toxic chemicals such as Mercury and Cadmium and Lead and corrosive acids like sulphuric acid which can cause severe burns when in contact with the skin, and like with any landfill, each has the potential to leak and leach contaminants into our environment.

Incorporating solar and wind energy into your life on a bigger scale reduces the need for these batteries and the less they clog up and pollute our landfills.

This is one of the cleanest sources of energy production that doesn’t emit CO2 greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, in fact over a 30 year period you would have saved over 7 tonnes of CO2 emission just with your energy use alone.  That’s one huge carbon footprint reduction.  This also means that you’re contributing to cleaner, emission free air for the future which means better health for everyone.

So if you want to reduce your lifelong carbon footprint by over 7 tonnes and truly do something of benefit for your environment, then using Earth 4 Energy could be the solution you’re looking for.

Tags: lower emmission, reduce fuel consumption, pollution prevention

The smart people at Amazon.com heard the cries and frustrations of a nation and answered their call by creating “Frustration Free Packaging” for their physical products.  If you’ve opened a toy encased in plastic you’ll no doubt have experienced this for yourself at some point, short of needing an instruction manual, or a hammer to free a toy from its plastic prison.  After a while, even Barbie’s Mona Lisa smile turns to a smirk at your unwrapping incompetence.

Amazon.com has aligned themselves with some big name market players like Mattel, Fisher-Price, Microsoft, Transcend offering around 19 products containing 100% recyclable  packaging materials that have themselves been created from at least 50% recycled materials.  CEO Jeff Bezos intends to employ this type of packaging for all of Amazon.com’s physical products in the future.

Keeping their eye on the eco-prize has its share of long terms benefits such as reduced waste ending up in the landfills, its affiliated partners building a reputation of being cleaner and greener while saving money on reduced production costs associated with this new, minimized packaging.  Green definitely has its rewards.

In addition to reduced packaging waste, Amazon.com has devised a way to further help the environment by using its employees “Amazonians” to identify and amend any inefficient energy practices within its organization.  And if the name Amazonian wasn’t special enough, this group of  people are known as the “Earth Kaizen’s”, Kaizen translated from the Japanese phrase meaning “change for the better”, an apt name for a group dedicated to making that happen.

Earth Kaizen’s are essentially all employees from Amazon.com at every level whose fingers are all on a common pulse for the conservation of energy.  As an example, Earth Kaizens in the Lexington, Kentucky, fulfillment center realized that a large amount of the bulk storage facility went unused during weekends yet the power remained on at all times.  120 lights were permanently turned off resulting in the savings of nearly 500,000 kilo-watt hours, enough electricity to generate power to over 30 homes in Kentucky for a whole year.

The bid to go greener isn’t just a passing fancy with Amazon.com who recently diversified by adding a “green” range of products to their inventory, which you can find on Amazon’s “Green Page”.  It sports products for every aspect of life from electronics to baby products, home and garden supplies, children’s toys, grocery and household supplies, wind and solar power generator kits, books, shoes, etc.

Amazon.com’s Green Page has 3 different sections for the green enthusiast, Ease Into Green, Eco Chic and Go Extreme Green.

Their “Ease Into Green” section is for those wanting to do their part for the environment in baby steps by incorporating little green aspects into their daily lives, like using greener household alternatives in lieu of their less eco-friendly regulars, light bulbs, storage containers, garbage bins, etc.

Eco Chic is their range of clothing constructed from sustainable materials as well organic products for baby, beauty and bathroom and a range of environmentally sound furniture.

Go Extreme Green is for the diehard green buffs who want to take their green living to the next level.  The types of products this
market want are alternative energy sources to help them live semi independently or completely off the main power grid, eco-designed shower heads for conscious water use and hydroponic kits to grow their own gardens.

If you want to purchase your everyday household items while helping the environment at the same time, then Amazon.com’s Green Page is the way to go, whether you want to ease into green or jump with both feet into it, Amazon.com has the solution for you.

Tags: green lifestyle, energy efficient, lower emmission

In 2008, the seed of the Jatropha plant was used as an ingredient in a 50:50 biodiesel, jet A1 fuel cocktail in one of 4 engine fuel tanks.  This mixture was used to power an Air New Zealand 747-400 aircraft (amongst a handful of others) in a bid to test its viability as a potential replacement for jet fuel, with encouraging results, it withstood the usual pressures that come with high altitude flying.

Jatropha curcas is fast becoming a major contender for the title of biofuel heavyweight champion.

Father Inacio Almeida of Goa, Southern India nicknamed the “priest of biodiesel” has been praising the Jatropha plant for the past 6 years for its ability to replace regular gasoline.

What makes Jatropha special is that it’s very robust and can grow in arid conditions with little maintenance.  It has a high tolerance to heat and can withstand light frosts.  It can also grow in saline environments and in soil that is deficient in nutrients producing seeds for up to 50 years at a time, making it the ideal solution for natural, clean burning sustainable fuel.  So confident with the test results that Air New Zealand believes that future aircraft travel will no longer contribute to global warming and that passengers can travel guilt free.

Another advantage of Jatropha is that it doesn’t need to use the precious, nutrient rich space reserved for food crops due to its ability to flourish in low nutrient conditions while encouraging diversity of income for local farmers yielding around 2,000-4,000, or more tons per hectare with the potential creation of some 18,000 jobs.

The reason why Jatropha is a of hub of interest lately is because it can be a viable replacement for regular diesel and requires minimal processing.  So potent and accessible is Jatropha that it contains up to 40% oil content that can be extracted from its seeds and used immediately without processing, unlike regular fuels in the extraction of diesel, heating is required for fractional distillation to separate petrol from its petroleum by-products.  This means that Jatropha is so concentrated that technically you should be able to crush and extract the oil from the seed and use it immediately in a diesel powered engine.  The obvious benefit with the less processing is the less energy and emissions associated with its creation.

After oil extraction, its pulp doesn’t go to waste either, it can be used as fertilizer and makes for a good, natural insecticide, an environmentally conscious fuel with no waste or harmful by-products that does not contribute to CO2 emissions, a dream come true for the aviation industry.

There are 3 non-negotiable requirements that Air New Zealand have for the use of Jatropha

1. The land the Jatropha is grown on is not to be virgin or forest land

2. Environmentally sustainable and grown on land not suitable for crop growing

3. Rain fed and not artificially irrigated

Air New Zealand is confident that they can replace 10% of their regular jet engine fuel with biodiesels by 2013.  Because the average Jatropha yield takes 2 to 5 years, Air New Zealand believes that they will be ready to implement Jatropha fuel on a grand scale by the time it can be grown in volume to keep up with aviation industry demand.

Tags: biodiesel, recycle, EV conversion