Using Crushed Rock to Tackle Climate Change

A previous article focused on the need for large scale carbon sequestration with a look at a project in northern British Columbia that shows promise for meeting this challenge. Its approach takes biodiverse seed packets enveloped in biochar for nutrients and moisture retention and uses drones to spread these casings over wide areas to regenerate forests. This method of reseeding forests works especially well in remote, inaccessible terrain where replanting by hand is impossible.

Forests, or more specifically, the growing of trees, have been scientifically proven to pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The calculations of some scientists, however, suggest that this natural process cannot achieve the scale of carbon drawdown required to offset our ever-growing carbon emissions. They cite the availability of land for forest restoration being the limiting factor. Consequently, another natural process is being considered to enhance and accelerate the storing of carbon not only in forests but on farms as well.  This process occurs when rain dissolves the carbon dioxide that is present in air creating a weak carbonic acid. If this acid falls on basalt rock, it reacts to form a carbonic mineral (calcium carbonate) that locks up the dissolved carbon for hundreds of thousands of years.

Basalt is the most common rock found on Earth’s surface. It is formed primarily from volcanic eruptions. Various forms of basalt are widely used in construction as aggregate in asphalt and concrete mixes and as base layers for highways and railroads. Although dense, this igneous rock crushes easily. Once pulverized into dust it can be spread relatively inexpensively on forest and farmland, making it readily available for rain to wash carbon out of the air and accelerate the process of sequestration. The understanding of this process, called “enhanced weathering” is not new, but because it speeds up a natural process it has only recently been explored for its potential to offset human-made emissions that are causing climate change.

The Future Forest Company, a recent start-up company, is conducting a trial of this speeded up weathering approach on a large birch and oak forest on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. Results of the trial will be known soon. If the data show the expected increase in carbon sequestering, then this accelerated weathering process could potentially capture gigatons of carbon dioxide when applied to forests and on farms around the world. Reseeding of forests is still needed, but enhanced weathering can supplement forest restoration and be applied to farmland as well.

Greening a Bathroom

Bathrooms, along with kitchens, are the most expensive spaces to construct in a home, because of the plumbing needed, the greater density of lighting and numerous appliances. To create a sustainable bathroom, it must be energy efficient, use minimal water, be comfortable, non-toxic, quiet and basically maintenance free.

California codes keep nudging all new and remodel construction to be more sustainable. Consequently, any remodel project today triggers upgrading ALL plumbing fixtures throughout the home or business. The most recent State standards are: 1.8 gallons per flush for toilets; 1.2 gallons per minute (gpm) for bathroom faucets and 1.8 gpm for showerheads, giving California the toughest standards of any US state. For comparison, these flows are about a quarter or less of what was standard 3-4 decades ago.

Not only are these standards saving hundreds of billions of gallons of water each year, but also lots of energy and greenhouse gas emissions, since 19 percent of energy consumed in California is used to pump, transport, treat and heat or cool water.

Selecting an efficient and effective showerhead has become easier in the last decade, due to the Federal WaterSense program. To carry the WaterSense label, a showerhead must list its flow rate, which must be below the maximum allowable federal standard, and meet strict user satisfaction standards. A popular WaterSense model by Niagara, rated at 1.5 gpm and receiving stellar customer reviews, costs only about $8.

A promising development that cuts water consumption even more is the atomizer mist technology. Showerheads using this approach disperse water through millions of microscopic droplets into an effective wet area while saving 70 percent of water. Similarly, with sink faucets, the fine mist produced is a 98 percent reduction in water use, with no loss in functionality.

Controlling humidity in bathrooms is key to promoting health. Good natural ventilation (operable windows) as well as effective air-moving equipment avoids mold, mildew and rot. A good bathroom fan needs to move about 150 cubic feet of air per minute while having a noise rating of 1 sone or less, making it virtually unnoticeable.

The leading green-building thinking today emphasizes all electric homes, where the loads are minimal, and the power needed is produced on-or-off-site by the sun or wind. LED lighting and super-efficient equipment keeps loads to a minimum without sacrificing performance. Hot water can also be heated by solar electric panels or directly by solar thermal panels. Water and heat can be additionally saved by on-demand hot water delivery. At the push of a button, a pump turns on, rapidly bringing hot water to faucets while pushing the cold in-line water out into the cold-water lines rather than wasting it down the drain.

Good insulation, high performance windows, using only non-toxic materials and avoiding carpeting are additional strategies to improve sustainability in bathrooms and are even more important for the entire house. Savings on water and electricity are often easily calculable. Putting a price on good health is not easy but for most of us it is priceless.

An Option to Replacing Old Windows

Swapping out old single glazed windows with high performance dual or triple pane units is costly. Moreover, it is often not allowed in historic buildings. Architectural historians insist on maintaining the appearance and character of windows in classic old buildings, irrespective of their performance.

According to the US Department of Energy, around 30% of the energy used to heat and cool our homes is lost through inefficient windows, even though windows often make up less than 10 percent of the surface area of a house.

A less costly possibility, rather than replacing inefficient windows, is to install an insulating window film. Glazing films have been around for more than 50 years, but high performance films only in the past decade. They have evolved along with the great gains in window technologies. Coatings and films have become standard in high quality windows. The large choice of offerings can yield greater or lesser heat gain, visual clarity, ultraviolet blocking and insulating values, to name a few of the available options.

The cost of replacing residential windows can easily be $125 per square foot or more. Window films such as 3M’s Thinsulate Climate Control film offers good performance for a fraction of the cost. This type of low emissivity or “low-E” film improves the insulation value of a typical single pane window to approximate a double pane unit (up to about 92 percent). The emissivity rating can be as low as 7 percent, meaning that 93 percent of a room’s heat is reflected back into the space and doesn’t escape outside. Low-E coatings reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. As a result, the initial installed cost of $5-$15 per square foot (depending on film type and size of the job), is a 2-5 year return-on-investment (ROI). The comparable ROI for replacing old windows with high performance units is 30-50 years.

Some of the recently introduced low-E films have high visible light transmission (VT of 70 percent), meaning they have basically no impact on views-no darkening and no distortion. Furthermore, these coatings block 99 percent of ultraviolet rays to fully protect furniture, rugs, upholstery and artwork from fading. Window film application does not require a professional installer. Professional installation, however, is highly recommended for quality purposes and to have the 20-30 year warrantee apply. Installation by professionals takes only minutes per window. Full curing of the film takes a few days to a month.

For reasons of energy savings, modest cost, comfort and fade protection, low-E window films are important to know about.

Creating the Eco-Friendly Kitchen

The framework for an environmentally friendly home and kitchen is being all electric. Electricity is increasingly being generated by renewables, either on or off site, thus avoiding the pollution and climate issues linked to using fossil fuels. Clean electricity has none of the harmful health issues tied to home gas appliances. A Federal EPA report asserts that a gas stove adds between 25 and 39 percent more nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide to the air in a home.

Fortunately, a great alternative to gas stoves exists in the electric magnetic induction cooktop. Because it directly heats a pan using magnetic fields, an induction unit can provide great power, instant adjustability, excellent thermal efficiency and precise control—better than with gas cookers and without the negative impact on indoor air quality. The energy efficiency of induction coils is approximately double that of gas burners.

To create an eco-kitchen, all appliances need to be minimally Energy Star rated. The Energy Star label, a Federal program that evaluates energy efficiency of household appliances, enables shoppers to knowingly purchase appliances that use the least energy and water to operate. Created in 1992, the program now covers 40,000 products and saves more than $30 billion (2013) in energy costs annually.

Choose cookware and utensils that stand the test-of-time and won’t have to be thrown away and replaced. Stainless steel and cast iron are good choices for pots and pans (also metallic cookware is required for magnetic induction cookers). Similarly, choose high-quality knives. One only needs a few good ones, plus they stay sharp longer.

Good natural lighting and ventilation can reduce the need for artificial lighting and mechanical ventilation. Carefully locating windows and skylights can improve the ambiance in a kitchen and enhance air quality. When needed, electric lighting is best provided by LEDs (light emitting diodes). They are super-efficient—requiring fewer photovoltaic solar panels—and provide excellent task lighting.

Equipment, lighting and ventilation are important, but one’s devotion, passion, common sense and experience focused on efficient food prep and cleaning habits are as key, if not more so, in creating an eco-friendly kitchen. Examples:

·         Use cloth towels rather than paper towels.

·         Avoid bottled water.

·         Buy cleaning products from companies that make non-toxic, biodegradable, plant-based products

·         Shop at the farmers’ market for local, fresh, organic, highly nutritious food without packaging.

·         The difference between ordering takeout and tossing together a salad with farmers’ market ingredients shifts from big to small impact on our agricultural system and the larger eco-systems. Food accounts for a greater portion of our ecological impact than home energy.

·         Minimize gadgets.

·         Don’t install a garbage disposal. Learn how to compost. Set up for easy recycling.

·         Design an open pantry for maximum convenience.

·         Have only drawers below counters. Avoid cabinets with doors and pull-out shelves. They require 2 operations every time one accesses a cabinet.