Green News
Tebar renungan-info Go-Green (bahan dari
Vivek S)
PTDI-CReTi
Centre for Recycling
Technology Indonesia
Anton J Hartomo et al.
Green Gone Wrong’: Can Capitalism Save the
Planet?
IT
may seem quaint to recall this now, but on the eve of the financial crisis, one
of the biggest business stories was how large corporations were going to save
the planet and make billions of dollars for their shareholders at the same
time.
Go to Blog USA Today wrote glowingly about Wal-Mart’s push to sell
environmentally friendly light bulbs. Fortune gushed that Goldman Sachs,
Continental Airlines and DuPont had jumped on the ecological bandwagon.
The global economic collapse pushed the rise of green
capitalism
off business magazine covers, but it will surely resurface. After all, Wal-Mart
and
G.E. are still pushing it. In a recession, they need all the good publicity
they can get. Now, along comes Heather Rogers, who warns about the dangers of
buying into this mind-set with “Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is
Undermining the Environmental Revolution” (Scribner, 272 pages, $26). She says
green capitalism is actually undermining ecological progress.
Green
initiatives
Earth Day on April 22 has started getting more
buy in from corporates. Going beyond customary tree plantation under their
corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, companies
are now increasingly marking the annual day with the launch of green products
and services. The emphasis is also on striking partnership between governments,
companies and NGOs.
Of course, awards stay all time favourites to mark the day. This year
Indian-American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla got the top UN green award.
Earth Day also witnessed Ingersoll Rand
unveiling its last mile refrigeration solution, which is not only energy
efficient, but is also expected to help preserve perishable agricultural
products. A new eco-friendly paint from Kansai Nerolac
Paints launched to mark the occasion cuts down on the use of volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), which can be harmful for eyes and respiratory system.
Green
buildings: how to redesign
There is a buzz about green buildings. But the question is:
what does one mean by building green? And how does one design policies to make
the green homes of our dreams?
Green is not about first building structures using lots of material and energy,
and then fixing them so that they become a little more efficient. Building
green is about optimizing on the local
ecology, using local material as far as possible and, most importantly,
building to cut the power, water and
material requirements.
Take the glitzy airport building Delhi will soon get. Developers say it will
come with a green tag. This is because the airport is investing in
energy-efficient lighting, sewage disposal and
rainwater harvesting.
All these are important initiatives but the question remains: could the airport
have been designed differently so that it used much less energy in the first
place? For instance, the challenge before green airports today is to make them
compact to reduce the time it takes
from entering the building to entering the aircraft. This ‘frugal’ planning
will make everything more efficient—take less building materials to build and
less energy to cool and heat. But planners first think of building the biggest
structures and then try sugarcoating them. I say this without even discussing
the need for airports to give way to other modes of much more efficient
transport like railways.
If one begins to think green in a locally appropriate way, one will realize
that traditional architecture was green in many ways.
Every part of India had its unique stamp of buildings. This is because creative
and architectural diversity was built on biological diversity. So buildings in
hot regions would ensure corridors directed the wind so that it naturally
cooled the interiors. In wetter regions architects would build using the
natural breeze and light. All in all, traditional architects knew how to
optimize the use of elements.
Today, Indians have forgotten how to build
for their environment.
Instead, modern buildings are examples of monocultures—lifted from the building
books of cold countries where glass facades are good to look at and appropriate
for their climate. The same building in India is a nightmare; the glass traps
the heat. The building cannot be naturally cooled because windows cannot be
opened. It needs central air-conditioning and heating. In this situation,
turning the building green means using very expensive glass to insulate better.
Builders avoid this. So the only band-aid green measures left are to include a
few token items like efficient lights and water-saving devices in the toilets.
Architects say God is in the details. In this case, the
details are about both simplicity and diversity. In large parts of India, where
the sun is both the source of light and heat, traditional architecture made use
of a small but critical detail: the window shade. Modern facades are built
without these shades because they don’t fit the image of the western building.
Just raise your head and look at the glitzy building out there, you won’t find
this simple but effective detail.
Clearly, the buildings of the green future have to be different.
This will require setting the right policy so that practice can follow. The
fact is even today we have no mandatory green standards for builders to follow.
The National Building Code does not include energy, water or material
efficiency standard. The only standard that exists is for energy—the Energy
Conservation Building Code—and it is voluntary. The first and urgent step is to
incorporate this voluntary energy code into the mandatory National Building
Code. The second step is to ensure its implementation so that builders measure
and reduce the energy usage of their construction.
But most importantly, the code must be developed so
that it sets the mandatory benchmark for builders to follow—tough standards for
energy usage for each square metre of built-up area. This will then allow
architects and builders to do things differently. They can build for efficiency
and cut costs rather than build for inefficiency and then spend money on making
the building more efficient. This will bring back the
knowledge and practice of building to maximize
passive energy, natural light and wind, while keeping away the heat.
Simultaneously, the code needs to be expanded to include water and waste
standards—to reduce water usage in
toilets—and to ensure that institutions and large residential complexes recycle
and reuse sewage. Similarly, these complexes must be provided space to compost
kitchen waste. But priority should be segregating solid waste. Separate what
can be
composted or recycled and minimize what cannot be reused (like plastic).
This is only the beginning. Green buildings alone won’t make a city green. If
green homes cannot be connected with public
transport
then the lives of the people living in them and the environment would still be
brown and dirty.
Meeting
the demands of Hong Kong’s challenging climate with High Performance – Low
Environmental footprint coatings
(Images on the project are supplied courtesy of Hong Kong Electric )
With the tightening of government legislation around the globe to reduce the
use of materials containing air polluting VOC, including architectural
and industrial coatings, Abcite® is being recognised as a promising alternative
by metal finishing companies and their clients embracing the challenge of a
cleaner environment.
An example in Asia Pacific is the Hong Kong Air Pollution Control Regulations
being phased in over 3 years from 1 April 2007. These regulations aim to
control VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions, a
major category of pollutants, in the territory. As a result, all coatings have
to be registered with the authorities, and those with a VOC content above the
regulated limit are to be prohibited.
Abcite® is a VOC free, high build (250 to 1000 micron), tough thermoplastic
coating which provides an environmentally safe and user friendly long term
corrosion protection solution. Offering excellent adhesion without the need for
a primer, Abcite® can be applied in one step in areas where maximum resistance
to mechanical damage and extended service life to first maintenance are
required. Thanks to its fire safe properties (low smoke,
low toxicity and halogen free), Abcite® coatings are suitable for use in
confined spaces including rail, road and mining tunnels plus off-shore oil rigs
and shipping.
Putting Abcite® to the test
Project: The Hong Kong Electric Lamma Power Station Extension Unit 9 Cable
Supporting System
The Hong-Kong Electric Lamma Power Station located on Lamma Island, planned to
expand their generating capacity and due to limited space within the existing
site, land was reclaimed from the sea. Abcite® was selected as one of the
coating materials for the cable supporting system of Unit 9 in 2005.
“The subtropical climate of Hong-Kong, with seasonal high temperatures around
35 Deg.C. accompanied by high UV, humidity, and salinity, is very aggressive
and the selection of Abcite® protective coatings was considered suitable for
this project" comments Nick James, business development consultant in
Asia.
“Its technical features, such as VOC free, UV tolerance,
durability, mechanical, impact and chemical resistance, salt water and fire
resistance
and the fact that no adhesive primer is needed makes it an
ideal coating solution for demanding construction projects above and below
ground in the region. In addition, Abcite® can be easily repaired in situ. The
alternative would have been stainless steel but at treble cost vs the current
solution”.
Along with the existing Abcite® standard and custom colour range supplied to
meet the needs of a wide range of industrial markets including Automotive
Components, Cable Supports, Fencing, Garden and Street Furniture, Ship and
Dredging Barge Pipework and Potable Water Pipe and Fittings, It is developed a
range of ‘Stainless Steel look”’ topical silver finishes for demanding outdoor
applications where inflated stainless steel costs have become prohibitive and
where an affordable stainless steel look offers a lasting visual enhancement of
the final product Anti-microbial Abcite® coating grades
are also available.
>From a practical and logistics point of view, Abcite® coatings are particularly
user friendly in warmer climates as
they require minimum temperature control for bag or tank storage to retain the
quality of the material, and also provide labour
cost
savings and improved delivery times as the high build coating is applied in one
single step Furthermore, the flexibility of application method
(fluidised bed dipping, rotational tumble, flock spray, electro-spray and flame
spray) minimises or even avoids capital investment.
Applied to suitably prepared substrates such as pre-treated mild steel,
galvanized and stainless steel, the result is a high build coating with full
coverage of dressed welds, edges, wire mesh intersections and fabrication
blemishes. Repair methods for accidental mechanical damage or damage caused by
cutting coated items on-site include compatible multi-coat wet paint systems,
preheat and localised powder application, flame spray, and the unique Abcite®
patch repair system developed and tested (application in 10 seconds).
Abcite® coatings range are manufactured under ISO 9001 & ISO 14001
certified conditions (full certification available upon on request).
A short history of VOCs
Traditional paints were developed by
solubilising a resin (polymer) into a solvent (generally an organic solvent
called “VOC”), and by adding colour pigments, additives and fillers or
extenders.
In the 70’s, environmental concerns began to grow and new coating developments
focused on reducing the amount of organic solvents used in liquid paints. This
marked the beginning of the era of waterborne coatings.
However, even when wet coatings are water based, a certain amount of coalescing
agents and co-solvents (which are VOC) are required. These
organic compounds are used for different reasons, for instance to help dissolve
the resin in water, to reduce surface tension during application, to better
control the drying process (ambient air drying or oven) and to obtain better
gloss.
At the same time, other high build thermoplastic and thin film thermosetting
coating technologies were developed to
avoid the use of solvents. These products, called powder coatings (or dry
coatings), do not contain organic solvents (or VOC) or water.
New EPA Rules Regarding Lead Paint Now in Effect
WASHINGTON
– As of April 22, 2010, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency requires that renovations and repairs of pre-1978 housing
must now be conducted using safe practices to protect children and pregnant
women from exposure to lead-based
paint.
EPA proposed the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, which requires
contractors to be trained and certified in lead-safe work practices, in 2006.
In 2008, EPA finalized the rule and set April 22, 2010, as the implementation
date. To date, EPA has certified 204 training providers who have conducted more
than 6,900 courses, training an estimated 160,000 people in the construction
and remodeling industries to use lead-safe work practices.
The new rule requires that renovation firms must
be certified by the EPA, individuals must be trained in lead-safe work
practices, and that all those providing training must be EPA accredited.
EPA will continue to provide support and assistance to states, industry and
communities on all aspects of implementing this rule. Recognizing the large
number of contractors and homes subject to the rule, EPA is increasing its
outreach efforts and providing guidance to facilitate compliance and ease the
transition period following the rule’s effective date. This guidance can be
obtained at www.epa.gov/lead. EPA has an 800 number to respond to inquiries
about the new requirements:.
Celanese
Advances Eco-friendly Paint Technology
At
a time when “environmentally friendly” is in great demand, paint and adhesive
manufacturers are seeking effective answers to their product development
challenges. That’s why Celanese Emulsion Polymers at this year’s American
Coatings Show (ACS) is inviting the industry to take a fresh look at
vinyl-based technology to help deliver a new generation of eco-friendly
products high in performance and low in environmental impact.
With a full line-up of new products on display at ACS, Celanese is
demonstrating the value of vinyl-based emulsions for a variety
of applications. Compared with other technologies, Celanese vinyl emulsions,
especially vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE), demonstrate greater performance while
having a smaller carbon footprint than other traditional acrylic-based
technologies, according to the company. Moreover, vinyl-based technology has
been shown to be a source-stable raw material even as others face supply
constraints and price hikes.
“Have you looked at vinyl-based emulsions lately? If you have, you can see that
we have so much to offer, whether your needs are for low emissions, excellent
wet scrub resistance or formulation compatibility,” said Craig Mitchell,
Celanese commercial director. “Vinyl-based emulsions such as VAE continue to
gain momentum under these industry conditions because formulators are
discovering
all the properties they offer while being cost-effective
JC
residents can hear what steps will be taken to clean long-contaminated site on
Garfield Avenue
Jersey
City residents can learn about the proposed cleanup of a contaminated site on
Garfield Avenue and steps to protect public health during a meeting tonight.
The Chromium Cleanup Partnership will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Mary
McLeod Bethune Life Center, 140 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Jersey City.
The partnership, headed by court-appointed site administrator Mike McCabe,
consists of representatives from the state Department of Environmental
Protection,
Jersey City and PPG Industries, the company responsible for overseeing the
remediation of 20 chromium contaminated sites in Hudson.
Representatives from PPG will present plans for the proposed
clean-up
of a 16-acre site at 900 Garfield Ave. Information on what steps will be taken
to protect public health while the work is being done will also be presented.
PPG Industries acquired the Garfield Avenue plant in 1954 and processed
chromium, a known carcinogen, until 1963, when it
opened a facility in Texas. The substance was later found to be hazardous.
(boleh terus bila mau --aktif japri/klien PTDI-CReTi)
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