Second week in Portland, OR #Sustainability

The second week of our study trip to Portland, OR went quickly and we are safe back in Madrid. We had the chance to visit Sokol Blosser – a certified organic winery. What I found quite interesting, is that they prefer soils for the grapevine that makes them struggle. The plant should go deep with its roots, and because of the challenge it will generate better grapes. This could be seen as a metaphor for situations in life – the more you get challenged the better you become. Sokol Blosser had the motivation to do the right thing from the beginning on. It is impressive to hear what efforts they do: starting with the organic cultivation of the fields to the most sustainable printer they could find in their office. This shows one of the difficulties businesses have to face if they start with responsible actions: where does the responsibility of a company start and where does it stop? Not easy to answer, each business has to find this out by itself and find the right balance.

Our trip brought us also to the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC) which researches in wave energy, a challenging energy with potential. Wave energy machines are huge and the center has to test them in small scale. This scaling can be applied to any other sustainability measures in companies – successfully tested pilot projects can be scaled up and implemented in other facilities.

One of the trip highlights was the visit to the HQ of Nike (& nikebetterworld.com) where we got a whole program with different presentations plus a campus tour. My impression is that Nike takes the sustainability issue very serious. They implemented a sustainable growth strategy into all its business units, because they know that they depend on natural resources and its availability. The resource scarcity has a direct impact on Nikes bottom line. In order to have a market for its products made of recycled material Nike wants to transform the market and make the consumer conscious about environmental and social issues. Additionally they believe in a sector approach and stakeholder involvement to maximize impact. What we need is to make sustainability sexy and attractive!

“Sustainability means a healthy body in a healthy community in a healthy planet” Nike

The main ideas I took with me to Madrid are:

1. Question basic assumptions – why do we do what we do and why do we do it how we do it?
2. Think innovative & creative – there is not one solution to climate change, but many innovative and creative ones. Think out of the box! A door must not be used as a door again.
3. For a real change we need collaborative sector action. This could look like the Eco Index for the outdoor industry.
4. Partnerships & Dialogues are essential and relationships matter.
5. First create pilot projects, if the idea works scale them up!
6. As Nike is doing it, it is important to transform the market and create consumer awareness. This increases the attractiveness of sustainability for other companies as well and they will join.

I had a really good time in Portland, OR and want to give my thanks to Howard Feldman who organized all our visits and lectures! Thank you!

Comments Off on Second week in Portland, OR #Sustainability / 15 Mar 2012 por Marie Glück
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Portland experience #2

To connect my two posts I will give you an example of a social program done by Columbia Sportswear, one of the big

companies we have visited. We were told that an average kid in America spends only 15 minutes outdoors per day!! 15 minutes is the time you spend to get from your house to your car and than to school. The program they have developed consists of making the kids want to go out and actually know what to do outdoors. In my opinion it is a great way that combines their business improvement (outdoor gear) with an action that may change the society’s behavior.

Unfortunately I was a little bit disappointed at the end of the presentation that was given to us. Yearly Columbia spends around $10 million to social and sustainability purposes. Sounds good! The only problem is, that we should look at those $10 million out of $1.4 billion of their profits. It is really a scarce amount. The same kind of presentation we heard at Nike. We were listening for 3 hours about all the projects that Nike have developed and the numbers where even more disappointing. I am not saying that big companies actions are bad. I am just stating a very important fact that there is a lot of space for improvement in the CSR and sustainability field as far as big players are concerned. The biggest problem is that big companies will always be mostly focused on profits and as far as the social problems are concerned it is very hard to convince the corporations to do something in that field on a larger scale. It is just widely considered unprofitable.

We have also visited some smaller enterprises that not only are great business ideas, but also have a great positive impact on the environment. It was really inspiring, because in Europe there are less people that try to take things into their hands. In

America the individual initiative, innovation of entrepreneurs and leadership make it somehow easier to implement a lot of ideas into practice. One of the places we have visited was called Portland Purple Water. Jason Gravey is selling a rainwater harvest system with filters to use it in homes. In addition to that, he also provides an aquaponic plant growing system. It is a combination of hydroponics with aquaculture. In this closed cycle fish filter the water and provide nutrients for the plants to grow. Basically it is a simple way to become self-sufficient in both water and food supply.

The next brilliant idea was the Rebuilding Center. It is a place, where people donate old furniture or any building material that then is sold for a relatively low price. Not only the not wanted items are avoiding the landfill, but it has also become a place where architects or designers look for inspiration. One of the best parts of the center is that all of the items come with a history, what makes them so much more valuable.

Another business model I really liked was the Hot Lips Pizza. It is a small pizzeria that tries to follow where all of the ingredients for their pizza come from. The pizzeria itself is also designed in a sustainable way, so as little of energy as possible

is used. Such practices become really expensive, but this is how business should be done.

One of the most important things I understood is that, if one wants to have a sustainable and socially responsible business, one has to dedicate almost all his time and effort. It may sound too much, but what all of the speakers we met told us is that it is totally worth it. The satisfaction of making “the thing” right is incomparable to the amount of time and effort you give to it. The bottom line is that everybody should understand that sometimes it is actually pleasant to put more work and time, because at the end of the day we end up happy!!

3 comentarios / 13 Mar 2012 por Piotr Adam Lubiewa-Wielezynski
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Portland experience #1

After a 10 hours flight from Amsterdam, we arrived to the rainy north Pacific area. My first impression of the city of Portland

was that it looks like any other urban area in the USA. But looking a bit closer and starting the first observations I have noticed that the people are different. The Portlanders seem to be calmer and you can actually tell that they are more environmentally friendly. A lot of people that visit Portland say that it resembles more an European city than any other in America (maybe together with San Francisco). For instance, Portland has the highest share of people using bicycles in the USA. It amounts up to 6%, while other cities do not get through the 1% level.

We were very well hosted not only by the organizers, but also by the people living in Portland. As it is quite a distant place they don’t get much visitors from Europe. Everybody was very interested in talking to us, asking question and just changing experiences. We were mostly talking about sustainability issues, because this was the focus of our study trip, so it was very interesting to hear the North American approach. I will describe this issue in my next post. For now, I would like to focus on other thoughts I had during that trip.

Even though American society derives mostly from the Europeans, one can notice very easily that it is a completely different society culture and behavior wise. The core is the same but the small details are making the difference. As we were visiting all those companies and organizations to hear their approach towards sustainability and environment friendly solutions, I got inspired. Maybe it is not some great discovery or any new innovation. I felt as a global citizen more then ever, because I realized that there are people all over the world wanting to make a change. I felt that it is our planet and we all have room for improvement, no matter where we come from, no matter where we work. During our free weekend some of us (including me) went to the Olympic National Park, which was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. All the four of us agreed that we are “in the middle of nowhere”.  While we were admiring the amazing landscapes being almost alone, it occurred to me that it is a key mission of any person to do whatever they can to make sure that future generation will also be able to admire those landscapes.

Some other thought that I want to share, is how people feel and behave being out there, in the nature. We are used to living in the cities, which makes us totally disconnected from the rest of the world that surrounds us. In my opinion people become more human being “out there” than being closed in a concrete jungle, where they fight between each other for no particular reason. What we also saw is that people are so much nicer in the nature. They smile to each other, want to help, respect their environment and so on and so on. I believe that some changes should be made in order to change people’s behavior and the way they spend their free time. I realized that being “out there” in the nature and doing nothing, just living is more educational than doing tones of stuff in the city.

2 comentarios / 13 Mar 2012 por Piotr Adam Lubiewa-Wielezynski
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”You are what you eat” reloaded: >> You are how you shop (or not shop)

Responsible consumer workshop, for those who want to be responsible, find out what it means responsible

 

There is a failure somewhere in the system, indeed. Isn’t food meant to be something essential for life and also a tasty, healthy social activity without hurting anyone or anything? Nowadays, it isn’t. If we think of cheap junk food packed in several layers of plastic, or the fruits, which arrive after a long way of transport (CO2 emission) to be halfway ripe and, or our favorite fish and meat sold in a big supermarket coming from industrialized farms facing animal cruelty, containing antibiotics and causing big pollution? Why don’t we care more about our meals? For many people it seems to be easier to stay loyal to a cloth brand (which we wear outside our body), than to spend more thoughts, time, energy, money on what they eat (and gets inside the body). Let’s make sure the failure is not in our system!

Do you ever stop for a moment before buying something (food, cloth, electrical device etc.) to check the details on the package and think about the impact (health, environmental, social) that product has made so far? If so, thank you! If not very often, then this is the time to think about it and give it (and yourself) another chance. Our little practical customs in our behaviour, what needs to be changed as they make the change!

You might think: this is just one drop in the ocean. What if this is the last and most important drop before the water overflows? Consumers have the power of purchasing and to influence producers and distributors. It is always a demand – supply question. As Jane Goodall, one of my personal heroes, says: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Do you remember the red and the blue pills Morpheus offers? You decide! Video: The MEATRIX:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_pzPrMTrs&feature=player_embedded#!

So, are you interested in turning to a more responsible, conscious, sustainable consumer, participate in the Green Economy and make a positive impact? It is not that hard. It is just one decision away!

Come and learn more about it at our Net Impact workshop on March 15^th.

 

Comments Off on ”You are what you eat” reloaded: >> You are how you shop (or not shop) / 09 Mar 2012 por Ildiko Heim
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First week in Portland, OR #Sustainability

After 15 hours of travel we landed safe in Portland, OR with quite a jet lag – the day had just +9 hours. On Sunday we had time to explore the city. Honestly I didn’t really liked first. It was cold, rainy, nobody on the street, everything closed. And why it should be the greenest city in the US? I don’t know what I expected, but this city was everything else than green for me. Luckily I know it better now and each day I liked it more – with all its cosy restaurants, organic food and great products it offers. Sometimes it just needs some more time and good food

Monday was the first time we met Howard, our coordinator from Portland University and started with our 2-weeks program. During the first week we visited Columbia Sportswear, Portland Purple Water and had a delicious sustainable pizza at Hot Lips Pizza in the Ecotrust building. On campus we had the pleasure to enjoy oral presentations from Bonneville Environmental Foundation, New Buildings Institute, Natural Step and Portland General Electric about the institutions and its sustainable visions. It is very interesting for me to get to know insights into sustainable businesses practice – how to actually break down this impalpable word into manageable goals and to see different approaches.

What really kept me busy during this week was the question we raised in one class on sustainability about the motivation of companies to decide to be “green”. Some are changing and see an competitive advantage in it. I would call this sustainable businesses rather “responsible”, because they take responsibility for the impacts their business activities causes. But why are there still many businesses which do not move? Is it lack of awareness, lack of knowledge or the investments they expect to make? What else do they need to take responsibility and create an action plan to change business practice?

The necessity to move is there and I can see the direct link between the environment, the businesses and the society. Briefly the agriculture depends on a functioning nature and most industries are based or dependent on agriculture. And the industry produces goods to satisfy the needs of the consumers. Hence, if businesses don’t care about the environment and social sustainability they can be threatened from both sides. My conclusion is that taking environmental and social considerations into account is simply risk management! Let me find out more about it the coming week!

Comments Off on First week in Portland, OR #Sustainability / 05 Mar 2012 por Marie Glück
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La RSE y la movilidad

La movilidad comienza a ser incorporada como parte de las estrategias de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) de las empresas. Aún cuando las empresas comiencen a asumir un rol importante dentro del tema, el éxito de poderse mover fácilmente se basa en la suma de esfuerzos de los diferentes actores que están implicados dentro de esta temática. 

Los actores dentro de la movilidad van desde entidades gubernamentales diversas hasta la propia ciudadanía. El éxito de una movilidad eficiente está garantizado sólo en parte por las autoridades competentes, ya que hay un área donde el ciudadano y sus decisiones hacen que las estrategias diseñadas sean realmente efectivas, razón por la cual la comunicación entre quienes planifican y quienes se mueven tiene que ser fluente. En este juego no se trata sólo de tener las posibilidades de movilizarse, se trata también que los esfuerzos realizados puedan mantenerse financieramente y convertirse en soluciones sostenibles en el tiempo por su impacto social.

La comunicación efectiva permitirá que los diferentes actores implicados tengan la posibilidad de participar, comprometerse y generar sinergias. Las propuestas de movilidad desde las empresas tendrán impacto en la medida que se conozcan las necesidades y posibilidades de los empleados. Así, si se conoce la disposición y la conveniencia  de moverse en metro, las políticas de RSE deberán orientarse hacia ello mediante bonos de transporte, no obstante, el metro no siempre está presente y dependiendo de las distancias y respectivos tiempos podría no convenir. Igualmente sucede con el resto de los medios de transporte, responden precisamente a necesidades diferentes y a circunstancias concretas. La reducción del uso del vehículo no sólo depende de incentivar que se comparta, sino de brindar alternativas e incentivarlas paralelamente. Para una ciudad como Madrid, una empresa puede favorecer las tres principales formas de movilidad mediante incentivos específicos a cada forma (por ejemplo, bono por vehículo compartido, premio por mayor uso de la bicicleta y bono de transporte público) teniendo asimismo incentivos para los cambios de un tipo de movilidad a otra (si alguien deja el vehículo para venir en metro, puede dársele un bono de transporte especial o cualquier incentivo relevante para generar cambio). Charlas y jornadas para el debate de movilidad en las empresas son necesarias, ya que dichos cambios dependerán de que la gente decida cambiar por sí misma. Los empleados podrían dejar el vehículo y preferir el uso del metro si conociesen los impactos de moverse en cada uno de dichos medios, sea en tiempo, dinero o calidad de vida. Por otra parte, la promoción de reuniones a través de teleconferencias, trabajar desde la casa (si el cargo lo permite), o un día libre cada dos semanas si se trabaja una hora adicional cada día son políticas que la empresa puede adoptar para impactar positivamente por sí mismas sobre la movilidad general. De un lado de la balanza está la empresa y sus políticas, del otro lado están los empleados decidiendo por sí mismos, la suma de ambos es lo que generará una movilidad más repartida en su sentido modal y sostenible.

Es bien sabido que una movilidad adecuada supone altos beneficios para las personas, sea porque pueden disponer de más tiempo para el resto de sus responsabilidades o deseos, porque disminuyen el estrés o porque hacen desaparecer cada vez más las barreras de la distancia. El hecho que las empresas hagan su respectivo aporte por la movilidad general puede favorecer sus propios climas internos, menos estrés y mayores posibilidades para sus empleados de organizar su tiempo es calidad de vida, disminución de ansiedades y mejores resultados en consecuencia.

En síntesis, la movilidad vista desde la RSE es un tema complejo, ya que necesita de decisiones responsables por parte de sus empleados más allá de lo interesada que puedan estar las empresas. Las necesidades de los empleados son distintas, y una política efectiva y responsable por parte de las empresas pasa por levantar las necesidades de los empleados, tener políticas internas, interesarse por el tema, crear el interés individual de sus empleados mediante jornadas específicas y generar soluciones acorde a los problemas de movilidad que se presentan para cada empresa. El impacto sobre la calidad de vida de los empleados, teniendo en cuenta la movilidad, puede ser grande, no sólo se trata de medios de transporte, se trata de toda una estructura interna, ya que toca desde políticas internas hasta comportamientos particulares, existe una oportunidad de mejora para todos, sea en productividad o en calidad de vida.

Fuentes:

Pimentel et al. (2009). Guía de Movilidad Sostenible para la empresa responsable. Fundación Movilidad (Madrid).

 

Comments Off on La RSE y la movilidad / 04 Mar 2012 por Rodrigo Capriles Mazzei
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Sociedad y Medio Ambiente

La Responsabilidad Corporativa de las empresas es muy importante dentro de la sostenibilidad del mundo.

Cada empresa tiene dos áreas en las que se necesitan enfocar: sociedad y medio ambiente. Los dos son muy importantes, ya que cada empresa tiene un gran efecto sobre estas dos áreas.

Sociedad

La sociedad es la parte más esencial para las empresas, ya que la calidad de vida de cada trabajador va a determinar el éxito y la rentabilidad de éstas. Si el trabajador está feliz, tiene una vida cómoda, y puede enfocarse en su trabajo, su eficiencia será más alta y podrá cumplir con sus responsabilidades en menor tiempo. Si las empresas se preocupan por sus trabajadores y los ayudan con sus problemas, tendrán trabajadores más dedicados y mejorarán la retención de los mismos.

La realidad es que, “más que 36% de trabajadores quiere trabajar para otra empresa a los 12 meses.”  Los trabajadores tienden a sentir exceso de trabajo y que sus jefes no están interesados en cosas que son importantes para ellos. Entonces, para cambiar este sentimiento, las empresas necesitan cambiar su estructura. Esto puede lograrse mediante cambios en el horario, por ejemplo, con una sistema “flex hour”, donde los trabajadores pueden trabajar cada día una hora más, y recibir una día libre cada dos semanas. También, ellos pueden usar “tele-working”, donde los trabajadores pueden trabajar un día de cada semana desde su casa.

Esta flexibilidad es muy importante, porque las vidas de los trabajadores pueden estar complicadas y en ocasiones éstos  necesitan un tiempo para resolver otros asuntos. Cuando ellos tienen días libres o pueden trabajar desde sus casas, suelen tener un gran beneficio, especialmente aquellos que tienen familia o necesita ayudar a familiares de la tercera edad.

Medio Ambiente

Cada persona tiene una responsabilidad en la salud y la seguridad del medio ambiente. Cuando tenemos una atmósfera altamente contaminada, tendemos a tener problemas con la salud. Buscando huir de esta situación, los trabajadores tienden a irse a las afueras de la ciudad, incrementándose la distancia entre el hogar y el trabajo. Las distancias hacen necesario el uso del coche o el transporte público. En caso que las vías estén congestionadas o el transporte público sea deficiente, los trabajadores asociarán con facilidad su trabajo con estrés y una baja calidad de vida.

Por las razones mencionadas, las empresas necesitan ayudar con el transporte a sus trabajadores. Ellos pueden hacer eso con “car pooling”, acción mediante la cual los trabajadores que residan cerca o en el mismo camino se van en un solo vehículo. Esta estrategia puede ayudar a tener trayectos menos estresante y más económicos al pagar la gasolina en conjunto. Bonos para el uso del transporte masivo puede asimismo ayudar a disminuir el número de vehículos en las calles.

Otra oportunidad para la movilidad puede ser el desarrollo de vías de transporte sostenible, tales como el de la bicicleta. En tal caso, incentivos para su uso puede constituir una estrategia por parte de la empresa. Para incentivar este tipo de transportes, puede realizarse el “Día de transporte sostenible” o concursos que permitan premiar a aquellos trabajadores que tengan en uso alternativas más sostenibles.

Comunicación

La movilidad sostenible dependerá de que las empresas tomen conciencia sobre las dos dimensiones planteadas, es decir, sociedad y medio ambiente. Partiendo de ahí, conocer las necesidades de los empleados es importante. Una mesa presencial o virtual para proponer ideas puede incluir a los empleados y realizar sugerencias pertinentes.

La comunicación de estas intenciones puede generar vínculos de pertenencia con la empresa y favorecer la innovación interna. Un futuro más sostenible y rentable lo queremos todos, las empresas pueden dar su aporte enfrentando estos temas.

Fuente
Leopold, Ronald. (2011) “Employee Loyalty is Declining: Helping Employers Use Benefits as One Retention Strategy.” Benefits Pro. Accessed on March 1, 2012 from: http://www.benefitspro.com/2011/04/01/employee-loyalty-is-declining-helping-employers-us

Comments Off on Sociedad y Medio Ambiente / 04 Mar 2012 por Hokuma Karimova
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Movilidad sostenible: Reducir el tráfico es más que una hipótesis. El ejemplo de París.

Reducir el número de coches en la carretera en una ciudad? 

Es posible, pero sólo con un enfoque estratégico para el objetivo final.
En París, por ejemplo, después de décadas de políticas inspiradas en los antiguos conceptos de movilidad, las cosas están cambiando muy rápidamente, gracias a la aplicación de una política de transporte intermodal, integrada, cuidadosamente articulada en su sfaccetature y poner en primer lugar de la agenda de las distintas instituciones implicadas.

Todo comenzó con la identificación de prioridades para la ciudad de París:
• Importancia de la calidad del aire para la salud pública. El tráfico es la principal causa de degradación de la calidad de vida en la capital parisina hasta el punto que en muchas zonas urbanas los niveles de CO2 son muy superiores a los límites de tolerancia establecidos por la OMS y la UE.
• Proporcionar la movilidad de todos los ciudadanos mediante la eliminación o minimización de los impedimentos para la situación económica y social. En otras palabras, incluso aquellos que no pueden o no quieren conducir un coche deben ser capaz de moverse con facilidad.
• Divide el espacio público de manera equitativa entre los diferentes modos de transporte y peajes, para garantizar a todos la posibilidad de viajar cómoda y segura. Esto hace que la ciudad sea un lugar más agradable y placentero para ser vivida, con la consiguiente mejora en la calidad de vida.
• La importancia del transporte para la economía local: las empresas y sus empleados tienen un papel vital que desempeñar en el logro de un mejor sistema de transporte. Todas las categorías, desde el comercio a las embarcaciones de turismo se trata de proponer soluciones que faciliten sus actividades y reducir al mínimo los efectos secundarios adversos.
• Reforzar la solidaridad entre ciudades y suburbios. Cada día cerca de 900 mil pasajeros van en la ciudad a trabajar y cerca de 300 mil salgon. Las autoridades de París han recogido el guante para asegurar la igualdad en el acceso a todo tipo de usuarios y al mismo tiempo reducir la contaminación y mejorar la calidad del medio ambiente urbano.

Para lograr estas prioridades la Administración de la Ciudad está siguiendo una estrategia clara y coherente que incluye cuatro momentos claramente identificables:

1. Aumentar el número y calidad de los servicios que ofrece: Es importante desde aquí. No se puede pensar en reducir el número de automóviles en las calles sin dar alternativas viables. En París, se inicien y ultimen numerossissime opciones relacionadas con la filosofía de la nueva movilidad en un tiempo rápido. A partir de los carriles-bici para peatones a los nuevos servicios de transporte público que están tomando forma en este inicio del siglo XXI, ampliando así el espectro de las formas intermedias de la movilidad de los cuales necesita una ciudad moderna y móvil.
2. Reducir el tráfico. Reste continuamente el espacio vial al uso “normal” (lo que significa que los coches privados con un ocupante) para proporcionar un mejor servicio a un usuario más eficiente en términos de ocupación del espacio. Esto se puede hacer a través de la aplicación de diferentes tipos de medidas como el rediseño de las calles, las políticas de aparcamientos, señalización, medidas de gestión de la movilidad, control de acceso y el seguimiento de las medidas adoptadas respecto a los objetivos.
3. Incorporar los diversos servicios de transporte con el fin de obtener un sistema de movilidad sin solución de continuidad. Los coches son populares precisamente porque garantiza esta continuidad, que es lo que los nuevos sistemas de movilidad tienen que ofrecer.
4. En la fase de ejecución se le da gran énfasis a los procesos de comunicación y consulta. Una vez que usted puede averiguar qué hacer, el paso más difícil de tomar es convertir grandes ideas en la ciudad real. Para ello es esencial para asegurar un continuo proceso de doble vía de comunicación entre las ciudades y las instituciones desde las primeras etapas de la ejecución de cada proyecto.

Entre las herramientas más eficaces que se han utilizado para lograr estos objetivos podemos señalar los más significativos:

• Carte Orange: es una tarjeta de viajes universal. Se utiliza para utilizar los autobuses, metro, tren, utilizar los servicios de uso compartido del coche y ahora comparte la bicicleta. Introducido por primera vez en el año 1975 ha sido objeto de mejoras continuas. En París es una cosa que no se puede prescindir.

Fuente: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carte_orange

• Mobilien: Bus Rapid Transit ha sido de largo, liso y de alto desempeño. Usa las carriles reservados para autobuses, taxis y bicicletas, y está siendo constantemente mejorado y ampliado, reunidos en un gran favor por parte del público.
• Estrategias para reducir el tráfico: una circulación garantizada de modo de espacio más eficiente del transporte en términos de ocupación de terrenos públicos reservados para la creación de carriles y pistas, la introducción de las restricciones de estacionamiento, persigue sin descanso violaciónes, utilizando como herramienta la congestión y, por supuesto , ofreciendo alternativas viables. Resultado: tráfico reducido en un 18% en dos años.

Fuente: http://connectedcities.eu/showcases/mobilien.html

• El Vélib: Este es el revolucionario servicio de intercambio de bicicletas de París se caracteriza por la presencia de 1351 puntos de bicicletas estáticas, 20600  bicicletas públicos, financiados en su totalidad por la publicidad. A pesar de los diversos problemas a los que se encuentra en sus primeros dos años de vida, en primer lugar de todos los robos y el vandalismo, Vélib goza de gran éxito entre la población con más de 3 millones de suscriptores.

Fuente: http://www.pierrekopp.com/downloads/Congestion%20in%20Paris%20and%20Public%20policy.pdf

• Compartir coche: Presente en la capital francesa desde 1999, en los últimos meses ha mejorado mucho a través de acuerdos con empresas de transporte público, a una mayor conciencia de la ciudadanía en relación con su potencial, la diversificación de proveedores y un’ampliamento de la zona de captación.

Fuente: http://blog.velib.paris.fr/en/

Las sinergias entre estos programas y la movilidad alternativa podría lograr resultados más allá de lo que se espera cuando se aplica de forma individual, ya que todas estas medidas se refuerzan entre sí al ofrecer medios innovadores de transporte que son “mejor que cualquier otra cosa “. Esto se traduce en los paquetes de servicios de transporte sin problemas, menores costos y mejor calidad de vida.

 

Comments Off on Movilidad sostenible: Reducir el tráfico es más que una hipótesis. El ejemplo de París. / 04 Mar 2012 por Luca Palma
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Clean Development Mechanisms: Guatemala’s Las Vacas project

Las Vacas Hydro Power Plant constitutes a relatively new example of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) developed in Latin America, specifically in Guatemala. Considering the low percentage of renewable energies in this country, the building of this power facility impels the use of local ad renewable sources of energy reducing environmental impacts, and additionally, the infrastructure created around the project is helping to minimize negative situations existing before the creation of the dam, especially regarding to the water quality of the river, recycling plastics from the water and the forestation measures taken after some concerns were raised by the community.

Las Vacas Hydro facility was built with the help of different companies, but mainly Iberdrola was the great investor for this project. Other companies such as FABRIGAS, dedicated to the production, distribution, transformation and commercialization of agricultural goods, and Cementos Progreso, dedicated to the production of industrial cement, were also highly involved. COMEGSA, owned mainly by Inversiones Eléctricas Centroamericanas, made possible the commercialization of the whole electricity produced by buying all of its 45 MW of production, helping to the feasibility of the project. Another crucial factor that made the project feasible- and permitted that the additional money needed through credits was actually lent- were the incomes generated by the trade of the Certified Emissions Reduction.

The environmental benefits of the project are various, considering that renewable energies are being pushed by the project. Seventy percent of Guatemala’s electricity consumption comes from thermal energy which, besides of generating high pollution, depends on fuels and raw materials coming from abroad. This dam brought the possibility of generating clean energy from a highly polluted river, diminishing air pollution and giving to the river some utility other that being a public dumpster. The project has also taken care of water quality by the removal of bottom solid waste, which is used for construction purposes or generating agricultural products. A recycling facility was built to reuse the abundant plastics that are thrown to the river, allowing the water to be cleaner. Reforestation has also become a part of the project, helping to prevent erosion and replanting with local species areas that used to be deforested.

All the mentioned parallel projects are helping Guatemala’s sustainable development due to several facts. In first place, energy is being generated from local and renewable resources, using water that otherwise would have no use for its high pollution and improving its quality at the same time. Also, this project is helping the nation not to depend somehow from incoming fossil fuels, helping Guatemala’s energy supply and security. Considering that the emissions from the construction don’t count taking in account that the building of another thermal plant would have created the emissions anyway, the plant is helping the country to reduce 90.363 tones of CO2 annually. The technology used is being managed mainly by local citizens, mainly from surrounding populations, which are trained to manage the facility. Local employees have alimentary, health and educational benefits aside from their salaries. A school was also built as a part of this project, not just seeking to improve educational levels and accessibility, but to create ecological conscience among the population.

As seen throughout the previous paragraphs, there are reasons that justify the additionality of the project. In first place, the project was made even if the Guatemalan financial conditions weren’t favorable, in fact, the lent money came from foreign financial institution, making the project still go on without critical constraints. The technology installed is being managed by locals in great majority, having now a new hydro facility inside the country which is bringing also the necessary know how that Guatemalans need to know to have this type of facilities. Additionally, the benefits from this project have been more than just the production of clean and renewable energies, social and environmental factors are also highly involved around it.

If this project would have been developed without looking at the different barriers that it had, it’s difficult that it would have been done. Baseline comes as an important factor in this sense, considering it measured operating and emissions, environmental impacts of the project when built and made it possible to justify the project enough so CER’s would count as part of the financing when operating, making the external funding possible when it was needed. Without this calculations the project may have not succeeded, leaving the country with such a complex and complete project in social, energetic and environmental aspects.

Considering that many environmental measures have been taken since the project was proposed, it can be inferred that the resistance that the project has in relation with the environment (including climatic issues in it) is high, the project seems to have been positive in relation to environmental previous existing conditions, minimizing the possible impacts that it could suffer from the modifications of the area. Water are being preserved through reforestation and cleaning, diminishing the probabilities of suffering the consequences of climatic adversities.

In conclusion, Las Vacas Hydro project has been a project that has contributed to Guatemala’s sustainable future, not just for the emission reductions reached, but for the social and environmental positive consequences. Rivers with no utility have a hope when looking through these initiatives, making it possible to work with already affected rivers rather than virgin ones. The meticulousness had throughout the design and execution of this project was key to accomplish the final purpose: having the dam with additional benefits around it.

 

Comments Off on Clean Development Mechanisms: Guatemala’s Las Vacas project / 24 Feb 2012 por Rodrigo Capriles Mazzei
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#Climate Change: CDM project in Brazil – Repowering small hydro plants

Project: 0489 Repowering Small Hydro Plants (SHP) in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Amount of Reductions: 18,583 tonnes CO2 eq. /year

Crediting Period (requested for renewal):  01 Jan 2010 – 31 Dec 2016

Total estimated reductions: 130,07 tonnes CO2eq

Participants: CPFL, C Trade, Lumina (Brazil),  Cantor Fitzgerald Europe (UK)

 

This project is an upgrade of CPFL’s (a holding, which distributes, generates and trades electricity in Brazil) Small Hydro Plants (SHPs) in the State of São Paulo, south-eastern of Brazil. A region, where all major hydropower potentials have long been utilized. Increasing the local generation in the area brings advantages of increasing energy supply in the country’s richest region with lower transmission losses and avoiding building hydropower plants in the very vulnerable Amazon region.  The plants were built in the early 1900′s and have been running with the original equipment.  As they were extending their lifetime, CPFL was seeking possibilities to repower them.(2) The project is considered as small scale (project activities that reduce emissions by less than 60 ktCO2eq per year (3) are considered small)

The repowering projects cause no additional environmental impact as maintain the same reservoir area and are run with the same head.  The gain is an efficiency increase by using modern generation technology: extra power is achieved with fewer turbines than before.  All the plants have the original buildings and work quarters as in the time they were built. The repowering of the six plants (Esmeril, Dourados, São Joaquim, Gavião Peixoto, Chibarro and Capão Preto) increased their total installed capacity from 25.6 MW to 35.93 MW, adding more than 86 GWh per year to the grid. It is worth to mention, that these are all run-of-river units, which represent a higher performance (108%) than the existing dams (69%). The six plants have a flooded area of 4,25 km2 all together. This minimizes the environmental impact on the surrounding area.

Without this CDM project the baseline scenario would mean shutting down the 6 old plants – because of financial barrier-, removing 25,6 MW from the grid and that this capacity would have to be supplied from other sources ( ie. large scale hydro plants or fossil fuels plants), which would mean a bigger environmental impact and higher CO2 emission.

A possible risk can mean the increasing agriculture in the area ( i.e. sugar plant), which requires a lot of water causing problems of water supply for the hydro plants. Also the fluctuations in rainfall are on the increase, threatening the country’s hydropower-dependent energy infrastructure.

For CPFL it was also of concern, following their commitment with the community they serve, to preserve local and national heritage and therefore all improvements to be made should be carried in way as to not affect this cultural asset. But as a negative consequence of the automation process, around 100 employees would no longer be needed as plant operators.  Instead of simply dismissing them, CPFL developed a special plan where those who where near retiring age received an extra incentive that overcompensated early-retirement and the rest passed through retraining courses and were relocated to better posts.

Up to now, 145 projects have been registered with a total annual volume of 18,752 kCERs, making Brazil the third-largest CDM market behind China and India, with annual carbon savings of almost six million t CO2-eq. The renewable energy projects dominate the portfolio. Brazil has a relatively clean electric energy matrix, with more than 77 % of the electric energy generated based on hydroelectricity. This emphasizes the importane of generating electricity in hydro plants in the future too.

 

References:

(1)Country Profile Brazil: http://www.jikobmu.de/english/service/host_country_information/doc/471.php

(2) PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENT FORM (CDM PDD) http://cdm.unfccc.int/filestorage/D/B/Y/DBYOJWPT7026K3UHICVX1AZRF9N5Q4/PDD%20Revalidation%200489%20v3.pdf?t=NGp8bHp3bTF3fDBLrz_F6TkRMQGp_8O9iib4

(3) http://www.jiko-bmu.de/files/basisinformationen/application/pdf/cdm_market_overview_brasilien.pdf

 

Comments Off on #Climate Change: CDM project in Brazil – Repowering small hydro plants / 24 Feb 2012 por Ildiko Heim
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