Category Archives: Sustainability

The interaction between the Renewable Fuel Standard, drought and hunger

Posted on September 2, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Opinion section of the Wall Street Journal (August 11, 2012) describes the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS, which requires use of 13 billion gallons of ethanol based fuel this year and 36 billion gallons by 2022) and … Continue reading →

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Trading zero emission credits to comply with state regulations

Posted on June 9, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (June 7, 2012) describes California’s regulation requiring 2 % of cars sold by automakers selling 60,000 cars annually to be zero emission by 2014 and 15 % by 2025. But automakers can also buy credits from … Continue reading →

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Export US gas or keep it to reduce energy costs at home

Posted on June 1, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) describes a US decision to hold exports of natural gas, whose generation capacity has grown rapidly. Countries like Japan want to use liquified US gas in the future to replace … Continue reading →

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Battery manufacturing capacity rampup and short and long term impact

Posted on June 1, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) describes the US government’s $ 1.26 billion investment in battery capacity, and demands for rapid ramp up and hiring to create 6400 jobs. The slow growth rate implied only 2000 … Continue reading →

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Pipeline flow direction in Canada to accomodate tar sands output growth

Posted on May 27, 2012 by aviyer2010

A article in the Economist (May 26, 2012) describes the increased oil production from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada, estimated to gow to 72 % of Canada’s output by 2020 (from 58 % now). But getting that oil, which … Continue reading →

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The deceptive global supply chain for Mercury

Posted on May 26, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (May 28, 2012) describes the demand for mercury in Colombia, to extract small gold deposits, the lethal impact of vapors and errant disposal, and the global supply chain for its supply. Mercury exports were banned by … Continue reading →

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Should GMO food be labeled ?

Posted on May 25, 2012 by aviyer2010

An artcile in the New York Times (May 25, 2012) describes an unlawful effort to put stickers identifying food conatining GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) – now prevalent in most corn or soyabeans grown in the US. Proponents of GMO foods … Continue reading →

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Nature’s closed loop supply chain at the Palmyra Atoll

Posted on May 19, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (May 19, 2012) describes a closed loop supply chain fosterd by nature. Birs, in this case red-footed boobies, nest high on the trees and feed on fish and squid. Their waste, guano, is … Continue reading →

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Including the pesticide in the paint to fight malaria

Posted on May 19, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (May 21, 2012) describes a microcapsule technology to embed pesticides in paint developed by Inesfly Africa – a Spanish company. The technology embeds a mix of pesticides in microcapsules and releases them slowly – thus decreasing … Continue reading →

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Rising palladium prices and drivers

Posted on May 1, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 25, 2012) describes rising prices of palladium, a metal used in gasoline car exhausts. It is the sister metal of platinum, used in diesel car exhausts. Rising sales in the US and … Continue reading →

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