Sustainability and Renewable Energy What’s our role?

Sustainability and Renewable Energy

What’s our role?

Education inside and outside the classroom

• Infusing concepts of sustainability into the curriculum• Creating workforce training• Transforming the campus into a living laboratory

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

• Choice of crop makes a big difference in energy efficiency.

• Corn requires large amounts of water, biocides, and energy to produce.

• Affects global price of a basic food stuff in many developing countries.

• Average fill up of a 25 gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol requires same amount of grain as it takes to feed a person for 1 year. http://www.energybulletin.net/node/24169

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

• U.S. grows more corn for ethanol.

• Grows less soy. • Brazil

compensates and grows more soy.

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

• 20% of greenhouse gas contribution is from land use changes including deforestation.

• The draining of peat swamps in Indonesia results 2 billion tons carbon dioxide emissions per year

• Indonesia 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the U.S. and China, despite small industrial base.

Land conversion creates carbon debt

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

• Cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass?

2nd generation biofuels

• Biodiesel from Jatropha?

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

2nd generation biofuels

• Biodiesel from algae?100,000 gal oil/acre?

2nd generation biofuels

Tell the larger story: Biofuels as an example

Workforce training

• Energy efficiency• Renewables: solar, wind, geothermal, tidal?• What about water, food, urban planning?

Total US 94.6 Quad BtuEIA- annual review 2009

• Biocides: chemical structures come from petroleum• Fertilizers: Haber Bosch Process uses natural gas for

the Hydrogen and requires high energy• Irrigation: pumps depend on diesel and electricity

(coal, natural gas)• Mechanization (tractors): diesel, gasoline• Transportation: trucks, ships, planes and the

refrigeration required

Food = Fossil Fuels

Energy conservation requires change in the food system

• 10 calories of petroleum required to produce 1 calorie of food

• 20% of current US fossil fuel consumption is used to grow, process, and distribute food (FF p. 102).

Water use = Energy use

• 19% of the state’s electricity,

• 30% of its natural gas, and

• 88 billion gallons of diesel fuel every year

…and this demand is growingCalifornia Energy Commission

In CA water-related energy use consumes:

Ecocity Builders

• Majority of human population now urban

• Many cities designed around the car = massive energy use

• Design for being there, not getting there

Expanding our idea of energy conservation

• Organic agriculture

• Rain water catchment

• Grey water systems

• Nutrient cycling• Ecocity design

What are we doing to train a workforce in:

Living Laboratory

• Green Building• Transportation• Food systems• Water• Landscaping• Purchasing• Maintenance• Investments