The maned wolf is one of the more unique species living in the region. This animal has a striking appearance, often compared to a fox on stilts with a bushy mane. As these solitary animals stalk their prey in this hot and relatively humid area, stepping on ancient soil and brushing past tall grasses, termites and leaf cutter ants diligently toil away around them.

Cerrado’s woodlands, now making up 21% of Brazil, are shrinking as the area is being converted to farmland. In an attempt to study the area in detail, scientist from Conservation International (CI) and various Brazilian Universities found 14 undocumented species in the Serra Geral do Tocantins Ecological Station and 440 species of vertebrates as a whole.

The most notable animals discovered last month, during this 29 day expedition, included a legless lizard, dwarf woodpecker and rough skinned horned toad. The snake-like lizard uses its pointed snout to make its way through the sandy soil of the Serra Geral. Legs would make this a less efficient process.

Excellent photos of these animals can be found on the National Geographic website.

It is always exciting to discover new species, especially ones that have evolved unique adaptations to adjust to their environment. It is also a reminder of how important it is to conserve these areas before we lose more animals we never even knew existed.

Numerous Photovoltaic companies have been covered by ecoworld and solar power has raised the eyebrows of many: It is a great concept and is environmentally friendly, but can have incredibly expensive start up costs. Innovalight takes all this into consideration and has plans to market a new version of the solar panel concept: a nanocrystal solvent made from silicon.  These silicon nanoparticles (also called quantum-dots) are extremely efficient; capable of absorbing various forms of light-infrared, ultraviolet and light from the visible spectrum-and able to produce multiple electrons from a single photon of light!

Silicon is the second most common element on the planet and is used in most solar panel products in today’s market.  Unfortunatley, with suppliers constantly raising the price of silicon due to soaring demand, the less material used, the better.

The unique technology developed by Innovalight uses a silicon powder that has been converted to an ink rather than a solid. The silicon is suspended in a fluid which, in turn, can be printed directly onto polymer sheets to product flexible solar panels. This method is efficient and requires less silicon, which helps cut down on production costs. Plans for the future, involve printing this versatile ink onto other products, such as glass or batteries.

Conrad Burke, President and CEO, is more than qualified to guide Innovalight towards a successful future with almost 20 years of experience preparing semiconducter and optical technologies for the market with such companies as Bookham Inc. and OMM Inc-while also being the first executive hire of the latter (a MEMS based optical switching systems company).

As stated on their website, Innovalight “is harnessing a proprietary silicon-ink process, developed by the company to print thin-film solar power modules. Leveraging the advantages of solvent-based processing, Innovalight will help accelerate the promise of more affordable solar power solutions for residential and commercial applications.”

Innovalight plans to market their product in 2009.

This subsurface system wastes little water by allowing it to drip out directly onto the root zone while a miniscule amount of the liquid is lost to drain-off or evaporation.  This is an attractive choice, especially when one considers that water is not always an abundant resource.

Drip irrigation doesn’t only benefit those concerned about saving on water, however. This system is also an environmentally friendly alternative to the more wasteful systems (like sprinkler or surface irrigation).  Ideally,when it is an option, wastewater (or effluent) is used to grow crops and maintain grasses, in order to preserve the limited freshwater for other uses. 

GeoFlow, based in Corte Madera, California and founded in 1990 with the goals of preserving water quality and quantity, specializes in wastewater irrigation systems and explains that “since the effluent is dispersed underground where it is absorbed in the biologically active soil layer, there is no surface contamination, no ponding, no run-off problems, no bad smells.” Another added benefit is that with an underground drip system, pesticides are not washed off plants with every watering, so plants do not need to be treated as often.

With GeoFLow’s WasteFlow system, secondary reclaimed water can be used and is pumped into the drip-field and released under plants on a time-activated cycle. The drip systems provided by GeoFlow are easily installed about eight inches in the soil, where treated effluent is absorbed.

GeoFlow takes things a step further with their patented RootGuard and Ultra-fresh treated emitters. Flexible tubing carries water under the soil where it is released by evenly spaced emitters. The emitters are equipped with self-cleaning filters while the non-toxic active ingredient in RootGuard, Treflan, keeps roots from growing around the emitters. The drip lines are also coated with the anti-bacterial, Ultra-Fresh, which inhibits bacterial growth inside the tubing and the emitters. This prevents slime build up inside the tube.

A subsurface drip system does have a high initial investment cost, however, ranging from $800-1500 per acre. Fortunately, Geoflow stands behind their product, offering a 10-year warranty for root intrusion, workmanship and materials.

The fact that the system is built to last many years, saves an abundance of water and is incredibly simple to operate has enticed many to switch over to drip irrigation.

Unfortunately, demand for fossil fuels is still immense: According to the Energy Information Administration, almost 90% of the world’s primary energy production was reliant on fossil fuels in 2005.

Ethanol production is becoming more popular, but it is still unrealistic to think that it will replace the more efficient fossil fuels. It is good to have options, though: BioFuelBox  makes the process of biofuel production a more attractive one by providing a unique product that is capable of manufacturing biodiesel from waste products ranging from algae and cooking oil to chicken fat and waste fish oil. 

In addition to being so versatile, the BioFuelBox is designed to be portable: “Not only can our system be moved to where the feedstocks are, cutting down on the expense of trucking feedstocks to the refinery, but also, our unique patent-pending biodiesel process technology enables you to directly process wet feedstock such as algae or high FFA by product material such as animal tallow, chicken fat, or grease into ASTM quality biodiesel.“

Steven Perricone, President and CEO, has over a decade of experience in start up technological companies such as SonicWALL where Perricone played a major part in helping the company evolve from a small business of 20 employees to a company of almost 500. Another major name at BioFuelBox is Greg Anderson. As Chief Scientist at BioFuelBox, Anderson brings 24 years of biomedical, chemical, separation and fermentation science to the business and is the proud founder of McBain Laboratories.

BioFuelBox’s main goals are highlighted on their website which include:
• Ensuring that producers are able to take advantage of the widest range of feedstock including feedstock from waste streams.
• Providing opportunities to turn problem waste streams into revenue opportunities.
• Minimizing cost to make biofuel production accessible to more producers.
• Eliminating the technical challenges associated with conventional production methods.

The company is successfully eliminating almost every reason NOT to become a part of the biodiesel revolution.

The Marquiss Wind Power homepage explains why wind turbines are so appealing:
• An ROI of 2 - 7 years
• Payback twice as fast as solar
• Allows for “rolling back the power grid” during high wind times
• Enables businesses to publicly embrace a green power source

In addition to the points above, wind power has the potential to generate power all day and night. MWP estimates that “at a constant wind speed of 28MPH, we expect the Marquiss Wind Power ducted wind turbine will be rated at 12Kw.”  This may be enough of an incentive to drop $30,000-40,000 for a wind turbine.  These turbines also come with a 10 year warranty and are expected to work without any issues for over 25 years.

An interesting question is whether wind power can provide more energy than solar.  MWP states that “the payback period for an investment in a Marquiss Wind Power ducted wind turbine is shorter than an investment in solar. Across the solar industry, the payback period ranges from 7-12 years depending on discounts, latitude, and many other factors. The payback period for a Marquiss Wind Power product will depend on your location, wind speed, and model purchased, but your maximum payback period is expected to be no more than 5 years.”  The great news is that wind turbines can be used in conjunction with solar panels to create a hybrid system.

After 2 decades of research in wind turbine design, Stanley Marquiss founded the company in 1996.  Paul A. Misso, CEO, has over 20 years of experience in management and IT for a fortune 100 firm, while COO, Steve Mathias, has been a part of many successful businesses including a Fortune 500 biotech firm. 

MWP is currently accepting orders and will begin setting up the turbines this year.

With these concerns in mind, a group of retired Aerospace engineers formed Clean Energy Systems in Rancho Cordova, CA, with the goal of creating power without the release of adverse chemicals into the environment. Having worked at Aerojet Corporation, it is no surprise that these engineers integrate rocket engine technology into the design of the systems. CES has achieved the goal of converting coal to energy with almost full C02 capture.

In 1999 the group received a small grant to construct a small scale oxy-combustor able to produce 110 kWth. Since then, numerous designs have been implemented and more recently, CES has developed a 170MW gas generated system. CES explains that this system “will produce the drive gas for a nominal 50 MWe Zero-Emission Power Plant (ZEPP). Such a power plant will provide the electricity needs for approximately 50,000 homes using fossil fuels (natural gas or syngas derived from coal) and will emit no pollutants or the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, (CO2), to the atmosphere. With expected improvements in turbine performance, this same sized unit will produce up to 90 MWe.”  This model will be tested in Bakersfield, CA during 2008.

The potential uses of oxy-fuel combustors are outlined on the CES site:
• Combustion technology that can use multiple opportunity fuels
• Zero-Emission Power Plants with full CO2 recovery
• Efficient, cost-effective technology for enhanced oil and gas recovery (EOR and EGR) and enhanced coal-bed methane (ECBM) recovery processes
• Peaking power plant technology that addresses reliability-must-run (RMR) requirements
• Capability to produce power and hydrogen for the “hydrogen economy”
• Improved efficiencies with advanced turbine designs

CES’s technology can be used  in a variety of industries including power plants, grid reliability, desalination and coal or syngas power plants, just to mention a few. With potential to provide their oxy-fuel combustor to the very first zero emission power plant in the world CES is part of history in the making.

Ethanol has also played a role as a fuel source. Lamps were fueled by ethanol in the early 1800’s while certain Ford models were developed to run on the liquid in the early 1900s. The popularity of ethanol as a fuel dwindled with time, but has made a comeback in recent years.

Ethanol, also known as grain or drinking alcohol, is produced through the fairly simple process of fermentation where micro-organisms like yeast digest the sugars in plants to ethanol.

Lignol Biofuel, a Canadian Bio-fuel company that recently commercialized a unique ‘cellulose to ethanol’ technology, plans to take advantage of the renewable fuel demands. Their website states that “12% of the US corn crop is used to produce fuel ethanol. Increasing demand is expected to drive that figure to nearly 30% by 2012. New technologies are required to produce ethanol from biomass cellulose rather than from the fermentation of valuable grains. The company’s technology and know-how has positioned the company as one of the world’s most promising “Cellulose to Ethanol” solutions.”

Corn grain is the most common starch used to make ethanol in the U.S., but lignol is unique in the sense that it has found ways to convert both softwood and hardwood species to bio-fuel. Initially, Lignol plans on processing wood-chips and available cellulose feed-stocks (such as corn), but may find even more efficient alternatives in the near future.

Lignol is taking a variety of steps to insure success. For example, “Lignol is also considering several strategic investment opportunities in energy related projects, which have synergies with its bio-refining technology. Examples of such projects include: electric power projects, ethanol projects with access to cellulose feed-stocks and pulp mill conversions to alternative energy opportunities.”

There are many benefits associated with ethanol production: For example, Valuable bi-products from the fermentation process include carbon dioxide and distillers wet-grains used for animal feed.

Ethanol also has the advantage of blending with gasoline without an issue. In fact, it is even advantages in small amounts (less than 10%) since the addition of ethanol reduces toxic emissions from vehicles and keeps cars running smoother without the use of octane enhancers. One of the more attractive qualities is that ethanol is readily bio-degradable. The non-toxic liquid breaks down when spilled.

Companies invested in the popularity of bio-fuels, like Lignol, are bound to be successful.

The shiny black oil is found in porous rock formations underneath the earth’s crust. These petroleum reservoirs are made up of the crude oil, the natural gases that float on top of the oil and saline water that flows underneath. Extracting the petroleum involves drilling through the crust which then allows the oil to flow upwards through pre-made tubing.

Natural pressures under the oil are not always enough to induce the black liquid to ooze and sputter upwards, and in these cases, the oil needs to be helped along. In a ‘water drive’ oil field, for example, water is injected into the pre-existing brine below the oil forcing it to the surface. The water that bubbles up with the oil must be disposed of.

GeoPure - a company specializing in oilfield wastewater purification - states that “the oil and gas industry must dispose of approximately 6.3 million barrels of water per day at a cost exceeding $2 billion annually. At the same time, the availability of fresh water for oilfield operations continues to be a concern.”

Company President, David Crowe, together with his partners at the Texas A&M University Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, launched GeoPure in September, 2006. Since then, GeoPure has licensed the technology to transform the brine produced during petroleum production into quality drinking water through a specialized pretreatment and reverse osmosis (RO) filtration process.

GeoPure has confidence in their product and the rigorous testing done at various drilling sites in Texas showed impressive results: “The RO pilot system has been put through extensive testing in the Texas A&M laboratory as well as 12 separate field locations in Texas, and results show that dissolved solid levels up to about 50,000 mg/L can be reduced to the level of fresh water. Chloride levels are low enough that the fresh water may be discharged, or used as a base for fracturing fluid, drilling fluid, or oilfield chemicals…The process uses a uniquely staged pre-filtration approach to remove suspended solids and macromolecules before the stream is fed through the final RO filtration stage. This pre-filtration approach prolongs system life and performance, and reduces cost. The RO process paves the way for surface discharge of fresh water under a TRRC permit, or the sale of fresh water to end-users.”

Voted one of the top 100 private green companies by the GoingGreen panel at the GoingGreen executive event, GeoPure’s innovative technology has left many impressed.

Airtricity develops wind turbines that are dispersed throughout Europe. These wind farms, made up of as many as 100 turbines have been built on hills, coasts and offshore sea beds where the 1MW  of power generated by one of these contraptions can supply 700 homes with electricity. The idea of these giant turbines in the way of an otherwise pristine ocean view might be of concern to some, but the location of these turbines is carefully thought out to put minimal stress on the environment while also maintaining the aesthetic appeal of a specific area.

Turbines are typically located in areas with predictable winds powerful enough to turn the massive blades that start the whole process of generating electricity. Generally speaking, wind turbines are best suited in areas with constant winds of 10mph or more. Wind generated power is not consistent in one area, however, and with Airtricity’s plan of arranging wind farms throughout Europe, and not just in one region, energy flow is constant. Airtricity explains that “by connecting and integrating geographically disperse wind farms across Europe, each experiencing a different phase of the region’s weather system, electricity is produced wherever the wind is blowing and transported to regions of demand, ensuring a reliable and predictable source of energy.”

The most impressive aspect of the company is their goal to implement the offshore “Supergrid”. Wind turbines are most efficient offshore, since environmental impact and noise is minimal, and wind speed is typically higher over water than on land.

Airtricity explains that “The first step in the Supergrid programme is the development of a 10GW* Foundation Project to prove both the concept of the Supergrid and the technologies to be employed. Located between the Germany and the Netherlands, the 10GW Foundation Project will consist of around 2,000 wind turbines covering 3,000 km ² with a capacity of 5MW each, delivering output to all three countries…10GW is enough capacity to power over 8 million homes.”

A major benefit of using wind generated power is that the cost is predictable. Frustratring fluctuations in prices, currently seen with fuel costs, do not apply to wind turbines making the clean, reliable and efficient energy generated by these wind farms very cost competitive.

The brochure explaining the details of the power grid-”Building a More Powerful Europe”-can be found here.

The practice of selling a variety of animals worldwide for slaughter or for the pet industry is a multi-BILLION dollar business and causes irreversible damage to habitats, wildlife populations and local cultures. Organizations like Wildlife Alliance educate local communities on the subject of animal trade in the hopes that doing so reduces demand for these products while also working with governments to provide an alternative means of income for families whose only form of sustenance is poaching.

Wildlife Alliance has a lot of history: Originally named Global Survival Network (GSN), the organization was created in 1994 by  a group of conservationists who wanted to make a difference. Within the next 5 years, GSN partnered with the Barbara Delano Foundation to assist India’s Wildlife Conservation Society increase Olive Ridley turtle populations, established a conservation NGO in Russia to protect the Amur tiger and Amur leopard from poaching and merged with partners in 1999 to become the well known WildAid. 

WildAid’s work conserving countless species and habitats throughout the world is impressive. Celebrities such as Jackie Chan have even helped educated the public about the repercussions of purchasing tiger or shark fin products.  In 2006, the WildAid board decided to split the organization: “Wildlife Alliance with same U.S. non-profit registration and founding directors conducting field operations in Southeast Asia, Russia, and the Western Pacific, and a new separate organization with the name WildAid conducting Active Conservation Awareness, Shark Conservation, and Galapagos Islands programs.”

A look at the Wildlife Alliance Website shows the level of ambition presented by the organization’s members: Founding Director of Wildlife Alliance, Steve Galster, is obviously passionate about conserving wildlife. He put himself at risk when leading numerous investigations into the black market trade of endangered species throughout the world and has designed numerous programs to protect local species. Galster can proudly say that one program in particular, “Operation Amba”, helped the Siberian Tiger evade extinction.

Another star of Wildlife Alliance is Suwanna B. Gauntlett who founded Wildlife Alliance  in 1997 along with Peter Knights, Steve Trent and Steve Galster. Her role is an impressive one: “She and her team advise and assist the Cambodian government in applying a front-line, comprehensive approach to wildlife protection. To date in Cambodia, Wildlife Alliance has saved over 18,000 animals from the hands of poachers and provides protection to over six national parks as well as the Southern Cardamom range in the southwest region of the country.”  Gauntlett’s efforts are noteworthy and she has been honored with two gold medals from the Prime Minister of Cambodia for her work.

Wildlife Alliance has a unique approach of looking at the entire picture-not just animals and habitats. They strive to ensure that the local communities’ lives are improved while also ensuring the survival of the endangered animal species. It is a daunting task, but their website provides various solutions.

It is refreshing to hear the positive outlook of Wildlife Alliance and even better to learn about the organization’s successes proving that nothing is impossible.

Ecoworld’s 2006 article, ‘Saving Endangered Species’  explains the issues involved with illegal wildlife trade in further detail.