Author Archives: tiz5080

Smaller Camps = Less Plastic

Have you ever noticed some caps of bottle water are smaller than others? I use to feel is not very convenient to open. However, the smaller bottle cap (eco-bottle) is actually a energy saving approach.

120515_OPERATIONS_polandspringsbottles.jpg.CROP.original-original

some water brands like Poland Spring, Arrowhead, and Deer Park manufactures about 20 billion plastic bottle each year. Those plastic bottles take 55% of those companies footprint.

The picture shows a Poland Spring half-liter bottle from 2005 and 2012. The capacity of the bottle is getting bigger, while the weight is getting much lighter. The cap of the bottle contains the majority of plastic from the entire bottle because it needs much denser plastic. The revolution of plastic bottles is that the 2005 bottle consume 14.6 grams of resin but the 2012 bottle uses only 9.2 grams of resin.

This is a (14.6 – 9.2) ÷ 14.6 = ~ 40% of resin saving

The changes is that they used to need 600 million pounds of resin yeah year but now reduced to 400 million pounds of resin. The new bottle is 40% lighter than it used to be. This small change made in plastic bottle producing leads less energy waste and footprint.

All those plastic bottles are 100% recyclable. The lighter bottles are also easier to crush (take less space) and easy to carry for recycling.

Also, the research shows by reducing the bottle weight, the cost and carbon emission produced by transporting also get down. 600,000 truck shipments are saved each year from transporting empty bottles.

http://www.slate.com/articles/business/operations/2012/06/poland_spring_s_new_bottles_why_are_they_so_thin_and_flimsy_.html

Hi

I just realized that I don’t have a self introduction post for week 1 because I added this course later on week 2. So I’d like to make it up now.

My name is Tongtong Zhou, a second year landscape architecture. I think sustainability refers to a health development process apply to many aspects. What I care about most is from an environmental perspective. Sustainability suggests a living style and also a design concept. And the notion of resilience has a lot to do with sustainable development. I would say it is a approach to achieve sustainability.

The reason I chose this course is also related. Honestly I don’t really into math in general, but this course topic, sustainability questions, interests me that math actually has lots of connection with daily life, human society, environment and more. And it may help us to get new ideas about certain things by using mathematics.

Here is a cool website I want to share with you. It contains lots of worldwide amazing landscape designs. http://www.landezine.com

Say No to Coal

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Since January 2013, Penn state started to use natural gas rather than coal to produce steam for heating, cooling, cooking, lab work and laundry in campus wide. Why do we want to use natural gas instead of coal to produce energy?

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Even though natural gas is a nonrenewable resource, it is much cleaner than coal. The burning of natural gas mainly produces small amount of NO2 and CO2, with much lower quantities than burning other fossil fuels. By switching steam plants to natural gar, Penn State can reduce a considerable amount of greenhouse gas and provides more fresh air for our living environment.

According to OPP datas, by using natural gas, Penn State estimates a 47% less in CO2 emissions, which equals 99,000 metric tons of CO2.

Average annual CO2 emission for a single car is about:

(all data based on average) 400g/mi x 12,000mi/yr = 4.8 x 106 g  of CO2,

4.8 x 106 g = 4.8 tons of CO2.

99,000tons/4.8tons = 20,625

which means, 99,000 tons of CO2 reduced by penn state equals around 20,000 small vehicles’ total annual CO2 emission.

 

 

Resource: http://www.opp.psu.edu/planning-construction/penn-states-switch-from-coal-to-natural-gas

Images: http://judithcurry.com/2012/05/02/the-future-of-natural-gas/

http://sierraclub.typepad.com/scrapbook/2011/01/penn-state-to-stop-burning-coal-on-campus.html

 

 

 

 

How Does Lowering Thermostat Save Energy?

I just saw someone made a blog posting about how to save energy at home and I realize that there are lot of small things we can do to save the bill. Those things are normally ignored by us because they seems not a big deal, but if we calculate how much we can actually save, the number will surprise you!

heating_2713455bAbout 48% of energy use is spend on heating in a typical U.S. home in the winter. In my apartment, the winter electricity bill normally doubled, or even tripled, compared with the summer bill cost, which means the energy I used on heating almost equal the total energy amount in the summer.

We can save a considerate amount of energy by adjusting temperature wisely. Firstly, The research shows about 35% people choose to turn up the thermostat immediately once they get into a chill home. We may think is can heat the room quicker but actually it won’t. Because thermostat does not control the speed, it only control the final temperature. So when we realize the home is over-warmed, the energy has already been wasted.

Secondly, about 38% of people think it can save more energy if we turn off the thermostat when we leave the home. According to Energy Saving Trust, it actually means “these homes are heated when no-one is there to benefit and then the home is too cold when people are in the home”, because it need to warm the entire home again from the lowest temperature. Lower thermostat by 10° to 15° when you are asleep or out of the house.

Assume the indoor temperature is 70°, outdoor is 30°, house area is 300 sq.ft.

Q= U A ΔT  (U: the quantity that accounts for the insulation and how well the materials conduct or resist heat. A: the area of the surface. ΔT: the temperature difference)

Q = 300 sq.ft x (70-30)= 300 x 40 = 12,000 Btu/hr

If we make a setback of 10° for  8 hours daily, we got total heat loss

Q = 300 sq.ft x (70-10-30) = 9,000 Btu/hr

Therefore, if we simply turn 10°F down when we are asleep and out the house for 8 hours per day

(12,000 Btu/hr – 9,000 Btu/hr) x 8hr = 24,000 Btu of heat loss can be avoid.

Therefore, we can save 24,000 Btu x 30 days = 720,000 Btu of energy

Since 1 BTU/hr = 0.00029307107 kW

720,000Btu=~ 211KW

The average residential electricity rate in State College is 7¢/kWh

211KW X 7.46¢= 1,574¢ =~ $16  we can save from our monthly bill

Here is an EPA default program schedule from ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Residential Climate Controls

Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 9.14.12 AM

 

Since the research does not quite take the home size into consideration, no matter what the temperature you choose in your home, on thing to remember is the lower the better.

 

http://www.energyvanguard.com/blog-building-science-HERS-BPI/bid/50152/If-You-Think-Thermostat-Setbacks-Don-t-Save-Energy-You-re-Wrong

Solar Power

As we all know solar panels can capture the sunlight and convert the sun’s energy into electricity for us to use. I made a post about penn state’s green roof last week. There are 4 buildings on campus, with 84,200 sq. ft. of green roofs in total. Actually, solar panels can be installed among vegetation to create more efficient green roofs.

Assume half of the penn state’s green roof installed solar panels, then we got about 42000 sq. ft. of solar panels.

Solar-Greenroof

 

 

 

 

According to datas from the internet, the average an exceptionally powerful solar panel is around 345 W. And the average panel conversion efficiency is about 12%.

The average of daylight can be used to providing energy for solar power in Pittsburgh is 3 hours per day. So let’s assume we have the same.

Sun hours per day  x System efficiency x Rated power x area x 365 = kWh per year

3 x 12% x 345w x 42,000sq. ft. x 365 days = 1,903,986 =about 1,900,000 kWh per year.

The average residential electricity rate in State College is 7.46¢/kWh

Therefore if my calculation is correct, our school can save 1900000 x 7.46 = 14,174,000¢  = $141,740  per year!

We can see using solar energy on campus can save a money. Since it is also a renewable, sustainable energy, which is also environmentally friendly.

 

http://solarpowerauthority.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-install-solar-on-an-average-us-house/

http://pureenergies.com/us/how-solar-works/solar-panel-output/

photo from http://www.greenrooftechnology.com

Carbon Dioxide Footprint & How to Reduce Food-Related Footprint

I used a carbon dioxide calculator to see how much I generate per year. I was so surprised to the number when I saw the result, 25 tons per year! I noticed the great portion of carbon dioxide I generate is on home energy (heating and cooling).

One thing I did not pay too much attention before is that whether you eat organic food or not also contribute to the carbon emissions. The reason for this is because organic farms use natural methods to growing vegetables and rising animals while conventional farms use pesticide and other chemicals. For instance, GWP shows that the manufacturing of pesticide contributes 3% of the 100-year Global Warming from crops.

Also, shop local food can also reduce footprint since importing food need transportation which considered to be a greate contributor in general. Because food transportation over long distance also generate considerable amount of carbon dioxide through car emissions. Moreover, transportation by air generate 50 times more CO2 than sea shipping. The fact is sea shipping is much slower than air which may influence the freshness of the food. Therefore, the more fresh food we wan to get from importing, the more pollution caused.

The difference of average distance from farms to market depends on its in terminal market or farmers market is huge. U.S. Department of Agriculture find that the average transportation for apples in terminal market is about 2400km (1500miles), however, its only around 160 km(100 miles) for farmers market.

Suppose using a heavy duty truck for transportation, the CO2 emission we can avoid by shopping in farmers market would be:

110g x (2400km – 160km) = 246,400g = 246 tons

Suppose using a airfare for transportation, the CO2 emission we can avoid would be:

500g x (2400km – 160km)  = 1,120,000g = 1,120 tons

See those number, and consider how much we generate per year. Therefore, if local food supply can meet all our needs, it is definitely more sustainable to shop in the local farmers market due to fewer transportation emissions.

Resources:

Click to access Estimation_of_the_greenhouse_gas_emissions_from_agricultural_pesticide_manufacture_and_use-2009.pdf

http://www.cuesa.org/learn/how-far-does-your-food-travel-get-your-plate

http://timeforchange.org/co2-emissions-shipping-goods

Penn State Green Roofs

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Green roof is a vegetated roof that also can be installed with other green technology such as cool roof and solar panels. Green roof brings lots of benefits for the natural environment, as well as the indoor spaces.

Green roofs can manage stormwater. In summer, depending on the plants and how deep the plants growing, green roofs can retain 70-90% of the precipitation that falls on them; in winter they retain around 25-40%. Because green roof can hold the water, and the water and plants can absorb the heat, research published found that an extensive green roof can reduce daily energy demand for air conditioning. The research shows that a green roof can be 50° to 60°F cooler than a conventional roof on a hot summer day.

Speaking of green roofs on campus, are four large scale green roofs in penn state: Forest Resources Building, Student Health Center, Dickinson Law School, and the Root Cellar behind Tyson Building. Forest Resources Building has 4,700 ft of green roof; Root Cellar has 4,5000 ft, Student Heath Center 12,500 ft and Dickinson School of Law 22,000 ft.

Using the heat loss law we discussed in the class. Suppose a building has 10,000 ft² (not too big for a teaching building) with R-value of 60 ( heavily insulated). In a summer month, the daylight is approximately 8 hours, green roof can save:

50°F x 10,000ft² x 1/60hr·ft²· °F x 8h x 30days = 2 million Btu of energy per month!

Considering the amount of buildings on penn state campus, only four of them have green roofs. if there would be more buildings have green roof, we can save a significant amount of energy during the summer day!

There are lots of benefits to installing green roof on top of the building. There are some websites I found are very interesting for you to check out if interested.

http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php/about/greenroofbenefits

Recycling at Beaver Stadium

Beaver Stadium and its surrounding parking lots occupy 110 acres site. Each game generates and estimated 50 tons of waste while sometime it can result in upwards of 100 tons of waste in a single day depending on the opponent and scheduled time.

Depending on how the waste packaged, disposing of one ton of trash coasts $70 to throw away, whereas one ton of recycling cost $12.5 per ton on average.

Therefore, disposing 50 to 100 tons of waste cost about:

50x 70 to 100x 70= $3500 – $7000 after per game!

There are large amount of recyclable materials are actually thrown into the trash bins by fans.

Assume 1/10 of them can be wisely collected as recycling, penn state can save

($70-$20)x 5 tons to ($70-$20)x10 tons = $250 to $500 per game.

In 2014, 13 home games happened in Beaver Stadium, if we can manage the waste and recyclable materials more wisely, up to $6,500 can be saved from depositing 1/10 less waste.

Moreover, volunteers hand out blue bag for fans to put their recyclables. The stadium reduced the number of labor hours needed for cleanup. All the saving can be used for other facilities improvement.

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The image shows the recyclables collected by volunteers at Beaver Stadium after a Saturday’s football game.

 

 

 

image: http://www.psu.edu/ur/archives/intercom_2002/Sept26/gallery.html

Sources:

http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/P1005N44.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=2006+Thru+2010&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C06thru10%5CTxt%5C00000012%5CP1005N44.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=p%7Cf&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL

http://sustainability.psu.edu/external-spotlight/beaver-stadium-zero-waste-future-works

What if the Greenland ice melt…

Greenland is the second largest ice body in the world, after the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The melting of the ice is considered to be a great contribution of global sea level rise.

According to the given data, the Greenland ice sheet is roughly 600,000 square miles, and on average is over a mile thick. The volume of Greenland ice is 600,000 mi³

1mi³  roughly equal 0.24km³, so 600,000 mi³ = 2,500,000 km³

The density of ice is 0.9 x 10³ kg/m, while the density of water is 1x 10³ kg. Therefore, the volume of ice to water is 0.9:1. When ice melt into water, since the quantity stays the same, the water becomes 2,250,000 km³

The oceans occupy 361 million square kilometers ( 361 x 106  km²) of the Earth’s surface 2,500,000 ÷361,000,000=0.007km

0.007 km = 22ft

So, if the ice of Greenland melt and end up in the ocean, the sea level will rise about 22 ft.

If the sea level keep rising, the effect on Florida’s coastline (in red) given a 1,2,4 or 6 meter rise in sea level. As we can see, a large area of south America would be flooded…

florida-sea-level

http://www.miamisci.org/lindsayinthearctic/florida-and-alaska-a-5000-mile-connection/