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Oil and Food: A Rising Security Challenge

by Danielle MurrayFrom farm to plate, the modern food system relies heavily on cheap oil. Threats to our oil supply are also threats to our food supply. As food undergoes more processing and travels farther, the food system consumes ever more energy each year.The biggest political action individuals take each day is deciding what to buy and eat. Preferentially buying local foods that are in season can cut transport and farm energy use and can improve food safety and security. Buying fewer processed, heavily packaged, and frozen foods can cut energy use and marketing costs. Eating lower on the food chain can reduce pressure on land, water, and energy supplies.Fossil fuel reliance may prove to be the Achilles heel of the modern food system. Oil supply fluctuations and disruptions could send food prices soaring overnight. Decoupling the food system from the oil industry is key to improving food security.The U.S. food system uses over 10 quadrillion Btu (10,551 quadrillion Joules) of energy each year, as much as France’s total annual energy consumption. Growing food accounts for only one fifth of this. The other four fifths is used to move, process, package, sell, and store food after it leaves the farm. […]

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Clinton Presidential Center Attains LEED Silver

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park is the first project to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating in the State of Arkansas, and the first presidential library to be LEED rated. The library, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, exemplifies various sustainable design strategies. The energy efficiency and LEED consulting were provided by Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA).Located on the banks of the Arkansas River in the city’s River Market District, the 32-acre presidential center has more open space than any other presidential library. The library takes the form of a glass bridge symbolizing President Clinton’s theme of “Building a Bridge to the 21st Century,” reaching out towards the river. There are a number of sustainable design features throughout the center, reflecting the Clinton administration’s commitment to the environment. For example, the welcoming exhibition hall has flooring made entirely of bamboo – a sustainably harvested, renewable product. The building is equipped with a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, which was shown in energy simulation models to reduce the energy required to air condition a comparably sized museum building by more than 40 percent. There are also no CFC-based refrigerants used in the cooling system, […]

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FuelCell Energy Powers SUNY Syracuse Campus

FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NasdaqNM:FCEL) today announced the sale of a 250-kilowatt Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plant to generate onsite electricity and provide residual heat for domestic hot water and heating at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse. The transaction, arranged by Milton Cat Inc., the Caterpillar Inc. dealer representing the Syracuse area, includes site engineering and installation of the DFC300A power plant and related equipment. Caterpillar and FuelCell Energy have an alliance agreement to distribute and develop ultra-low emission fuel cell power generation products for industrial and commercial use. FuelCell Energy will provide maintenance under a long-term service agreement with SUNY-ESF. The fuel cell to be installed at SUNY-ESF is expected to provide about 5 percent of the campus’s power. New York Gov. George E. Pataki previously announced this project would receive $1 million in funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The New York Power Authority (NYPA) also is participating as the purchaser of the fuel cell system and administrator on behalf of SUNY-ESF. The “ultra-clean” DFC power plant will play a key role in the campus’s continuing efforts to meet and exceed the renewable […]

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