Today's theme is Sustainability. We heard from both Dr. Walker and Dr. Volk on the topics of energy development and technology. We also watched a short documentary, "Designing a Great Neighborhood"about the conversion of an old drive-in movie location into a co-housing development centered around sustainability and community. Lastly we toured Ecovillage, Ithaca and saw the future of sustainable planned communities.
Dr. Walker, a Michigan native and Michigan State graduate, spoke about fitting biofuels into the larger picture and about how to bring all the players (Government, Universities, Industry, and the Consumer) together to work towards a sustainable energy future. A self-proclaimed "capitalist," Dr. Walker spoke about how "science is not technology," but rather "technology is applied science." More importantly, he related this idea to the National Bioeconomy Blueprint proposed by President Obama this past April (2012). It is important to realize here that the ability to spur innovation exists within government, as well as within the educational and private sectors.
Dr. Walker continued his talk by looking specifically at the science and emerging technologies for the extraction of simple sugars from complex cellulosic organisms (grasses, woody fibers, etc.) so that fermentation and thus ethanol could be produced. He also talked about how an extreme thermophilic bacteria discovered at a thermal vent in Naples, Italy that is potentially capable of converting CO2 to H2 and the potentials for industrial scale hydrogen production as a result.
Lastly, Dr. Walker peeked my interest by brining up the topic of how plant pathogens and parasites could possibly be use in the biofuel industry. When you consider that these organisms are designed to consume and destroy the cellular structure of a plant for it's own use, it becomes obvious how, if they can be discovered, isolated, and grown, they could be of great use to the biofuel industry as it works to refine the process of converting cellulose to glucose for the purposes of fermentation to ethanol. Specifically, Dr. Walker spoke of Shipworm and a fungus that plagued WWII soldiers by eating uniforms, Tricoderma reesi, as potential cellulosic converters that could propel biofuels forward in the near future.
Later in the morning we heard from Dr. Volk, a professor at SUNY ESF in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Volk focused his talk on the energy system of the United States and what portion of it is derived from biomass and biofuels. About ~60% of the oil consumed in the US is imported, and only 8% of the energy consumed in this country could be considered renewable. The argument here is that there is an awful lot of potential for growth in the the renewable sector, and not all of it, in fact not even the majority of it, needs to be from what we would consider to be conventional sources: PV, Wind, Hydroelectric, etc. Instead there is a huge potential for biomass as a viable alternative.
Lastly, we watched the film "Designing a Great Neighborhood" and visited the Ecovillage here in Ithaca. The film looks at the inception, design, and implementation of a planned co-housing community in Boulder, CO. Paramount to the people and the city of Boulder was the creation of a sustainable housing project that would also be economically within reach for homebuyers that are middle-class. After viewing the film, we left Cornell's campus and headed off to the Ecovillage site. Part commune, part self-segregation by principles, the village is quaint and has the feel of Montessori classroom for people of all ages. There are community meals offered between two and four times a week. The main thoroughfare of the community is a walking path and all car parking is behind the homes, away from the flow of the community. Each home has rainwater catchments and they maintain a small pond for both recreation and fire protection via dry hydrants. The community runs on a model similar to a condominium association and residents own "from the studs in." An interesting factoid, Liz Walker, co-founder of the community, pays around $300/year in heating and hot water costs. This is about what my family pays for one winter month of heat only.
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| Liz Walker touring participants through Ithaca's Ecovillage |
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| Owner managed front yards and the main thoroughfare |
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| SONG neighborhood - Second Development |
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| Rain Catchments on a downspout |
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