A New Mexico radio station is using sunshine to increase its listening audience tenfold… and in doing so has become the nation’s only radio station transmitting solely on solar power.

Thanks to its solar boost, KTAO-FM, located in the resort community of Taos, can now tap an additional audience in New Mexico’s capital of Sante Fe, said Brad Hockmeyer, the station’s owner and general manager.

The system uses 135 photovoltaic panels to collect the sun’s energy, then stores the power in a bank of batteries weighing 44,000 pounds. The batteries can hold more than five days’ worth of power to transmit the station’s signal. And a six-day stretch of sun-less weather is unheard of in Taos, Hockmeyer said.

The solar system was built on top of 10,800-foot Picuris Peak overlooking Taos, a town of about 4,000 in the mountains of northern New Mexico. By transmitting KTAO’s signal from such a high elevation, the station’s potential listening audience grew from 15,000 people to 150,000.

Getting electricity to the top of the mountain would have cost at least $300,000, Hockmeyer said, and would have required an eight-mile trench through an archaeologically rich area. So solar power became a cost-effective alternative.

“I didn’t consider alternative energy until I had to,” he said. “Conventional power ended up being too expensive, so this became the best way we could get it done.”

Hockmeyer said he estimates the station will save $4,000 a year in electricity costs, making pay back on the $60,000 project very reasonable — especially considering the alternatives.

Since hooking up the system, Hockmeyer said he has been contacted by a number of radio station owners trying to find out if solar might be an option for their stations.

“I’d love to get people thinking solar,” he said. “The benefit that comes from just thinking of an alternative method — even if they can’t do it — is better than not even considering it.

“If this project gets them looking into the possibilities, maybe they’ll say, ‘Well, I can’t do it for my radio station, but I can do it for my hot water heater at my house or maybe I can do it to power part of my radio station.”

Earth Fact — The housing unit for KTAO’s new transmitter was built out of recycled tires and aluminum cans, then covered with adobe plaster to blend into the natural landscape.

Technorati Tags: radio stations, solar powered, solar energy

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Did you know you can build your own solar panels, saving $10,00’s off retail price? You have probably read about it or seen it on TV, but have you tried it yourself?

There is a step-by-step video guide online right now that can show you how to reduce your power bill by making your own solar panels.

Take a look at it: Build Your Own Solar Panels

Why pay thousands of dollars for solar energy ($27,000 average cost) when you can build your own solar panel system for just a fraction of the retail cost. You can build a single solar panel or you can build an entire array of panels to power your whole house.

Some people are saving 50% on their power bill, some people are reducing their bill to nothing. But what’s most impressive is that just by following these instructions some are even making the power company pay them!

Get your video instructions here: Build Your Own Solar Panels

Technorati Tags: solar panels, solar energy, solar power

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A one-of-a-kind environmental magazine is helping children channel their fears about the environment into constructive activities in their homes, schools and communities.

P3 Magazine, which stands for planet No. three or Earth, was first published several years ago and has grown steadily in circulation size since then, said Publisher Randi Hacker. More than 20,000 children, parents and teachers now receive the publication.

“We were alarmed about what was happening to the environment and noticed there wasn’t an environmental publication for children,” Hacker said about her effort to start P3 with her partner, Jackie Kaufman. “Kids need a consistent source of information to tell them what is wrong with the environment and empower them to do something about it.”

Recent surveys have shown that environmental problems rank near the top of lists of children’s biggest fears, Hacker said. By prompting them to take action, she said the magazine helps children control that fear.

The 32-page magazine, aimed at a 4- to 13-year-old age group, is printed on recycled paper periodically when funds permit. Seven issues have been printed so far, but Hacker said her goal is to publish on a regular basis as soon as possible.

P3 is filled with stories about the environment, along with colorful graphics, puzzles and comics. One section, called Earth Patrol, honors children’s activities to help the environment, and letters to editor are printed in each issue as they were received, complete with the children’s accompanying artwork.

Response to the magazine from both children and adults has been “better than we ever dreamed of,” Hacker said. More than 4,000 letters of appreciation have been received since P3’s inception. A four-year-old in Florida reportedly sleeps with the magazine like a Teddy Bear or favorite blanket, Hacker added.

“Children are committed to making the future a cleaner and greener place,” she explained. “They just want to save everything. And everything is black and white — either it’s good for the environment or it’s not.”

Every article in the magazine concludes with an action children can take. In a story about snow leopards, P3 asked readers to write the director of the Wildlife Institute of India. Later, the director, inundated with the children’s letters, wrote to Hacker explaining he was doing all he could to save the leopards.

Another issue covered the affects of last year’s Gulf War on the animals and environment of the Persian Gulf, Hacker said. Letters from children voicing their concerns about the situation prompted the coverage.

Technorati Tags: environmental tips, environmental magazine, recyled paper, environmental problems

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Fashion designer Lynda Grose wanted to create an environmentally sensitive line of clothing. But before she put a proposal into final form, Susie Tompkins, owner of Esprit International, approached Grose with the same idea.

The result is Ecollection, a new line of clothing that incorporates innovative manufacturing processes — from handicrafts to high technology — to produce garments that are both ecological and fashionable.

From buttons made of reconstituted glass to organically grown cotton, each element of the line contributes to a better environment. The first of its kind, Ecollection consists of 14 pieces of apparel, including pants, shorts, jackets and shirts, Grose said.

“We’re attempting to make environmental considerations a part of the whole design process,” she said. “Designers should not be designing in a vacuum anymore — the environment should be considered as part of the criteria.”

Ecollection items cost more than other Esprit products, so at first the line will be offered only in Esprit stores to keep retail prices as low as possible. Grose said the hope is once a demand is created for environmentally friendly clothing, prices will drop along with the cost of manufacturing, allowing wider sales of the clothes in other stores.

“The product line benefits the environment, the customer and the supplier because we’ll be choosing suppliers that are thinking environmentally and producing products this way,” she said. “The idea is that Ecollection will create a catalyst — it will encourage changes in a positive way by helping people make a shift.”

Some manufacturing processes are eliminated and others modified for production of Ecollection. Naturally colored cotton that grows either brown or green, or low-impact, vegetable-dyed cotton, is used for the items.

Fabrics are mechanically, rather than chemically, pre-shrunk, removing resins and formaldehyde from the process. And non-rusting alloys are used for zippers to eliminate the toxic residues created by electroplating.

Additionally, the clothing company supports disadvantaged people and endangered environments by encouraging sustainable trade through Ecollection. Hand-painted wooden buttons are bought from a low-income cooperative in North Carolina, while other versions come from indigenous cooperatives in Ghana and Ecuador.

Eventually, as Esprit tests and refines these alternative production processes, these modifications will be incorporated into the company’s main collection, Grose said.

“If all designers thought this way or all companies made their purchasing decisions based on these types of environmental things — and we can certainly get so many layers deeper — the impact would just be amazing,” she said. “We know we can’t change the world overnight, but we need to start somewhere.”

Earth Fact: Bags used for the Ecollection are made from sustainably harvested ixtle cactus fibers and are handwoven in a Mexican cooperative.

Technorati Tags: ecollection, efashion, environmental things, environmentally friendly clothing

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In an effort to create a “good-forest-keeping seal,” a nonprofit institute in northern California has developed a system to identify lumber harvested in an ecologically sound manner.

The labeling program calls for land owners and logging operations to follow 10 elements of sustainability in harvesting their forests. To receive a seal of approval, the affected forests cannot be clearcut, doused with harmful chemicals or torn up by an abundance of logging roads.

“Realistically, we know we can’t stop logging,” said Tracy Katelman, co-director of the Institute of Sustainable Forestry. “What we need is a more ecologically sound and sustainable way to do it.”

The idea for sustainable logging grew out of a company called Wild Iris Forestry in Redway, Calif. Owners Peggy and the late Jan Iris selectively harvested hardwoods on their land and sold the kiln-dried wood for flooring and cabinets.

The institute is taking the forestry system developed at Wild Iris and building a model that can be used to save forests around the world. A pilot project is planned for three pieces of land where the institute will carry out the logging and determine the exact costs of conducting operations in a sustainable fashion.

“You can’t have ecological stability without economic stability,” she said. “So in a lot of ways, this is a community-development project, as well as an environmental effort.”

The labeling program, called Pacific Certified Ecological Forest Products (PCEFP), first requires land owners or logging operators to develop a timber management plan. This plan provides a tree inventory, lays out long-term goals for the land and describes how the 10 elements of sustainability will be met.

When harvesting is started, periodic inspections are undertaken by the institute, along with the normal inspections conducted by the state government, Katelman said. If all conditions are met, the eventual lumber produced will carry the PCEFP label.

By purchasing the certified and labeled wood, consumers will know their buying power is supporting sustainable forestry and allowing them to influence forest-management policies, she said. Lumber producers will in turn have a marketing advantage through the creation of a market niche, much like that enjoyed by organic food producers.

The institute’s efforts are being supported by both forest-advocacy groups, along with the forestry establishment, including the U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry, Katelman said.

“People who never used to talk to each other are now sitting down and agreeing on some plans and ideas,” she said. “This effort shows we can start working together to get things done.”

Tip/Stat — The information gathered from the institute’s pilot project will be used to create a Handbook of Ecological Forest Practices.

Technorati Tags: forestry, forest-advocacy groups, ecological stability, forestry system

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In 1976, Alan Davis wanted to print an annual report on recycled paper, but had a difficult time finding a supply of it. So he switched careers and started a recycled paper company.

Today, the Conservatree Paper Co. is the country’s only paper wholesaler to distribute strictly recycled paper. Over the years, the San Francisco-based firm founded by Davis has introduced a number of new papers to the marketplace, including types using high percentages of post-consumer waste.

“From the beginning, we’ve been a trailblazer working ahead of the environmental movement,” said David Assman, vice president of information services. “We’ve led the way in introducing people to recycled paper and bringing new papers to the marketplace.”

Conservatree, like any normal business, works to make a profit and has performed well in the past. The company has made Inc. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the nation three different years.

But the company also has a social agenda. By its calculations, the thousands of tons of recycled paper sold by Conservatree have saved 687,000 trees and 246,000 kilowatts of energy, Assman said. Additionally, more than a million tons of air pollution effluents have not poured into the atmosphere thanks to the firm’s efforts, and nearly 30,000 tons of solid waste have been diverted from landfills.

Along with its efforts to pump more recycled paper into society, Conservatree also carries out an information-services effort to inform policy makers, manufacturers, businesses and consumers of important developments in the recycled-paper field.

The company produces a bi-monthly publication called Environmentally Sound Paper (ESP) News. Story topics include pending recycling laws, public-policy updates and new developments in the industry.

To receive ESP News, individuals or businesses can join the company’s Greenline Membership Program. Members receive three of the newsletters, three fact packs and an introductory library of articles containing more information on various recycled-paper issues.

“We treat Greenline members as a resource,” Assman said. “They help us support the recycling movement — a movement that is making recycling work for consumers, manufacturers and public-policy makers.”

Started in 1991, the program already has 1,500 members. They include corporate purchasers, environmentalists, printers, publishers and designers, policy makers, direct-mail marketers and recycling officials.

“We’ve definitely had an impact and have become a resource for the many recycled-paper issues,” said Assman. “But there’s room for more information to be passed along. We’re happy with our progress, but we still have a long way to go.”

Tip/Stat- Paper makes up 40 percent of all the material hauled to landfills.

Technorati Tags: recycled paper, environmental movement, energy , landfills, recycling laws, recycling tips

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Some people proudly wear buttons proclaiming, “Save the Rain Forest.” Now they can also wear buttons that actually do help save the rain forest.

Thanks to an ongoing program that links human needs with conservation practices, tagua nuts from South American rain forests are being used to make ivory-like buttons for more than 30 clothing manufacturers around the world. The effort requires a complicated mix of diverse fields, including biology, business, community development and conservation planning.

More than 30 million of these buttons already have been sold through a unique partnership created in 1990 by Conservation International (CI), a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving rain forests and other threatened ecosystems. The more than 15,000 tons of tagua used has generated more than $3 million in button sales, said Robin Frank, CI’s director of SEED Ventures – an acronym for Sound Environmental Enterprise Development.

“Deforestation of the rain forests is driven by a lack of alternatives for the local people. We want to offer viable economic alternatives for the long run that will help them and save these ecosystems,” she said.

Called the Tagua Initiative, sportswear makers Patagonia and Smith & Hawken Ltd. were the first companies to join the venture, which demonstrates that rain forests are more valuable left intact rather than cut for lumber. Companies such as Esprit, The Gap, Banana Republic and Timberland have since boosted the effort with more tagua-button purchases.

Tagua palm trees grow throughout western South America, but the species with the highest quality nuts grows only in northwestern Ecuador. The nuts are now harvested by local people, then dried and sliced before being shipped to button manufacturers for final processing. The initiative now employees more than 1,800 Ecuadorian community members in part- or full-time jobs, ranging from collecting the nuts to handcrafting buttons.

Tagua was a popular button material in the first part of this century, until inexpensive plastic versions took its place. At one point in the 1930s, one in five buttons manufactured in the United States was made from tagua.

Because the golf-ball-size nuts resemble elephant ivory in texture and appearance, markets for tagua jewelry, chess pieces and carvings also are opening up, she said. An artistry training center has been set up in Ecuador to teach local artisans how to create tagua carvings of endangered animal species and other subjects. Men who once cut down tagua palms are now protecting the trees so they can sell nuts. One Ecuadorian has quit working as a logger because he can now make a living handcrafting tagua buttons and carvings.

To ensure that SEED Ventures accomplish their goals, community development must be tied to scientific research to protect the rain forest from any possible damage, Frank said. Strict business and marketing practices also must play an important role in each project.

“The whole management issue is crucial,” she said. “We must harvest the rain forest using a scientific basis or there will still be a potential for harm. To that end, ecological monitoring assures that products are collected without damage to the surrounding forest, while social and economic monitoring provides insight into just how great our impact is.”

Conservation International currently has a number of other projects under way in other parts of the Developing World. Hundreds of other sustainable rain-forest products that have economic potential are being researched by the organization. For instance, the same Ecuadorian rain forest that provides tagua is being studied for its potential to provide a variety of waxes, oils and foods.

As an example of alternative land use, the initiative has become of focal point in local debates in Ecuador concerning how to manage the forest. Local people rejected a proposed 30,000-acre banana plantation in part because of the initiative’s success.

“The Tagua Initiative is providing a perfect example of how this can work,” Frank said. “If we can manage the rain forest and provide income and jobs for the local people year after year, these projects are going to make a difference.”

Technorati Tags: save the rain forest, tagua nuts, ecosystems, conservation planning, green nonprofit organizations, deforestation

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Cargill Inc. has created a new biodegradable packaging material from farm crops. The material could help limit the amount of disposable packaging that continues to pile up in the nation’s landfills.

The company, a farm commodities processor, will open a pilot factory in early 1992 to begin producing lactic-acid polymers from corn and other crops. Because the material is clear, degrades like paper and is not readily soluble in water, Cargill hopes it can start replacing packaging made from long-lasting petrochemicals.

“You hold this material up and you’d swear it was normal plastic, but it’s not — it’s made from renewable resources,” said Paul Dienhart, a Cargill spokesperson. “It’s an exciting project we’re hoping will work out. It’ll be good for the country if it does.”

The material can be produced in sheets or as a foam and can be molded for many different uses, he said. It also can be used as a coating for other forms of packaging, such as cardboard.

The term “biodegradable” has been tainted by earlier efforts in the 1980s to produce trash bags, Dienhart said. Although they were called biodegradable, the bags ended up leaving pieces of petroleum-based plastic behind when they decomposed.

“Through composting, however, this new material will leave no plastic residue, and you’ll end up with stuff you can spade right back into the garden,” he said.

This new plastic is not a replacement for materials that can be recycled, Dienhart pointed out, because recycling is still a better alternative to composting.

“But if this country makes a commitment to composting as an alternative to landfills, then a product like this has a lot of potential,” he said. “The big question is: Where is this country headed on the composting issue?”

After starting up its pilot plant, Cargill will determine the feasibility of large-scale production. The pilot program will help determine the cost to produce the new material, Dienhart said, and how much interest there is in this alternative.

“We’ve already received a number of calls from potential customers, so we’re pretty sure there’s plenty of interest out there,” he said. “But are people willing to pay a little more for it?”

Cargill has been researching lactic-acid polymers for the past 10 years. Other companies also have been studying these polymers, searching for a reliable plastic that is biodegradable and doesn’t require petroleum in its production.

“It will help if this country starts emphasizing composting in all forms,” Dienhart added. “That is the key to how useful this technology is going to be.”

Tip/Stat — The primary ingredient in Cargill’s new packaging material is lactic acid — a syrupy liquid created by fermentation and found in sour milk, molasses and various fruits and vegetables.

Technorati Tags: biodegradable packaging, packaging, landfills, waste management, recycling, composting, going green

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From dead chickens to old potatoes to crab scraps — if a smelly material is causing problems, Will Brinton has a recipe to make it go away.

Brinton, president and founder of Woods End Research Laboratory in Mount Vernon, Maine, is developing new methods to compost animal and vegetable garbage that decomposes too slowly and smells too bad to be tossed into a normal compost pile.

In doing so, Brinton is creating a new avenue for businesses that must dispose of large quantities of undesirable material. Instead of paying high prices to have the material accepted at a landfill, they can have Brinton whip up a recipe to make the material decompose in a hurry. The remaining compost is then ready for farm or garden use.

For example, when a fire smothered thousands of chickens owned by a Maine egg producer, the company buried the carcasses on its land. However, state environmental officials — fearing ground-water contamination — told the company to dig up the birds and dispose of them properly.

With a thousand tons of rotting chickens on its hands, the company decided to call Woods End rather than pay the high cost of having the material hauled to a landfill.

Brinton and his 12-member team at the laboratory first analyzed the birds for their chemical composition, then started adding various substances to the material to see which ones promoted rapid decomposition. Eventually, a mixture of carbon, sawdust and chicken manure was used to turn the mess into compost in a matter of months, Brinton said.

“At $70 a ton to have waste dumped at landfills, in many cases it’s more cost effective to have it composted,” he said. “We can take your waste material, analyze it and tell you what kind of compost it can make.”

Brinton, a plant and soil scientist, uses a computer program he developed to determine the most effective way to compost different organic wastes. By finding the right mix of materials and combining them in proper proportions, Brinton said he can get almost any waste to decompose quickly into high-quality compost.

“By diverting these wastes, we’re buying time for our landfills,” he said. “And compost is much better for fertilizing than chemicals because it actually helps rebuild the soil naturally.”

With several dozen companies already on his client list, and samples continually arriving for opinions, Brinton said the future looks good. Perhaps a composting recipe book is on the horizon.

Tip/Stat — According to Brinton, between 12 and 30 percent of the waste hauled to landfills could be recycled through composting.

Technorati Tags: compost pile, landfill, waste management, composting, water contamination

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While many people take good care of their automobiles, statistics indicate thousands of others don’t. One quarter of the vehicles on the road cannot pass emission inspections, according to the Car Care Council, while another 21 percent have underinflated tires.

When it comes to the environment, this neglect spells trouble.”Every 60 seconds, 70 million gallons of water flow over Niagara Falls,” said Donald Midgely, president of the Car Care Council. “That’s how much gasoline is wasted every 10 days in this country by motorists who drive with underinflated tires and poorly maintained engines.”

In the past, service station attendants helped make motorists aware of possible problems. But now, 80 percent of all drivers pump their own gas. Surveys show self-serve gas customers don’t look under the hood or check their tires as often as they should, Midgely said.

“Vehicle maintenance is going down, not up,” he said. “As long as the car starts, most people are content.”

But according to the council — a nonprofit organization that promotes safety and environmental awareness through vehicle upkeep — nearly 90 percent of all vehicles need some sort of ignition work. Another 30 percent have low or dirty oil and 44 percent need to have their coolant checked.

A simple tune-up can do wonders for a vehicle and the environment. Dirty filters, worn spark plugs and underinflated tires can have a dramatic impact on air pollution and fuel consumption, Midgely said.

“Typically, an engine that needs a tune-up will use 10 percent more gasoline than one that’s running efficiently,” he said.

Additionally, as cars get older, their problems get worse. Since the average car in America is 7.6 years old and has been driven about 80,000 miles, it’s important to give these cars plenty of attention, Midgely said. By properly maintaining these vehicles, they will last much longer and reduce contributions to junk yards and landfills.

“People treat their cars like their health — they wait for problems to develop before taking action,” Midgely explained. “But if all cars were properly cared for, we could save 2.2 billion gallons of gasoline in this country next year.”

Tip/Stat — Tires can lose one pound of pressure for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. Not only does this waste gas, but it wears out the tires more quickly.

Technorati Tags: emission inspections, vehicle maintenance, tires, landfills, environment, green causes, fuel consumption

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