BOBCAT SUSTAINABLES CO

Sustainable Living

MAY 2012

Project By: Kyzer Gardiola Domingo Perez Zifeng Zhu Browning Wipper

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Introduction Without a doubt, we live in the most prosperous and dynamic society that has ever existed in this world. However, we have also dragged ourselves into a path to destruction. This society has an ecological footprint, or a measure of the waste and resources we use, that requires 5 planets1. Problem is, we only have one. Today, there is a big debate about oil, energy, and the environment. This is the story of our time and it leaves no one untouched. This is about you and me. We are part of this world consisting of 8 billion people and rapidly expanding. The main problem is that everyone will need energy to live but where will this energy come from? What steps can we take to improve our ecological footprint?

Sustainability What is Sustainabil ity? Sustainability is the ability to prolong this world’s existence. It’s the ability to ensure that our future generations will enjoy the conditions and resources that we have learned to enjoy today.

Energy What is Energy? Energy is nothing but the ability to work or ability to cause motion and change. Energy Basics Energy that powers our household is measured in Kilowatts hours and is nothing but an amount of energy (KW) for every hour we use it. The raw energy that it comes from is measured in Btu, which stands for British thermal unit. It represents the amount of energy that changes 1lb of water from 39°F to 40°F. A basic unit of conversion between watts and Btu is 1W = 3.414btu.

Why do we need to be aware about Energy? With the rising demands for energy, us humans need to be more mindful about our energy usage. In today’s world a regular 60watt light bulb takes 214 Btus to power every hour. Now if you were to keep

1 Statement made by Alex Steffen http://www.ted.com/speakers/alex_steffen.html

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this light bulb on for a full month, you would have used nearly 43,000 Btus. If a gallon of oil, which has 150,000 Btus, were put into the equation, a gallon of oil and 3.5 light bulbs would hypothetically last you for only a month.

Typical Household Appliances (based on typical use) Energy Usage Gallons of Oil

Used per month on avg. use

TV (8h/day) 133 watts 0.21 gallon Computer (24hr/day) 75-100 watts 0.5 gallon 60 watt light bulb (8hr/day) 60 watts 0.1 gallon Fridge (4hr/day) 725 watts 0.6 gallons Oil Heater (4hr/day) 23,000 watts 18.4 gallons

Total 24,018 watts 19.81 FACT: Believe it or not, the United States only accounts for 5% of the world’s population but it uses nearly 20% of the world’s energy resources, similar to china who accounts for 21% of the population.

Where does all this energy comes from? Many may be unaware of the fact that it takes more than a switch to make a light bulb glow. Energy is needed to make something work and cause change. In today’s world, there are diverse sources of energy, each one having a set of pros and cons. More specifically, these sources can be divided into two categories- Renewable and Non-Renewable. Most energy that is harvested doesn’t initially take form as usable electricity. They often go through a mechanical or a chemical process in order to be usable electricity.

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The most typical way that we get energy from is from the combustion of fossil fuels to power big turbines that transform mechanical energy into usable electricity. Unfortunately, energy from fossil fuels isn’t the most sustainable as it falls into the category of non-renewable resources. Fossil fuels consist of coal, oil, and natural gas, which come from the remains of animals and plants buried deep in the Earth, from several thousand years ago. The process also produces green house gases, which are harmful to our ecosystem and produce a larger ecological footprint. Another popular one is the use of plutonium to produce nuclear energy in order to generate electricity. Even though this does not produce any greenhouse gases, the process involves dangerous materials that are difficult to dispose of because it can possibly harm the environment and people. However, there are other “cleaner” ways in which energy is produced. Biomass is a process in which waste, wood, organic materials, hydrogen, and alcohol fuels are used to generate electricity. Another popular one is Wind power, which harnesses wind to power turbine, which then produces energy. There is also Hydropower where the power and weight of strong water currents are used to turn the

turbine to produce electricity. Solar power is another common source of electricity, which harnesses sunlight to produce electricity through the use of photo voltaic cells. Finally, Geothermal energy is another renewable source of energy where the heat from deep within the Earth’s core is used to produce steam, which is then used to propel turbines that generate usable electricity. Geothermal energy could also be used solely for heating and cooling systems of small homes to large buildings.

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FACT: The United States produces about 1.03 billion kW-hr of energy every hour to meet the energy needs of 300 million people or nearly 150 million homes.

Source of Energy Renewable or

Non-Renewable

Pros Cons

Coal Combustion Non-Renewable

-Abundant -Easily stored and Transported -Proven Reliable

-Low Cost

-Harmful Emissions (SOx, NOx, CO2)

-High demand for water -Ash landfills

Natural Gas Combustion Non-Renewable

-Proven technology -Huge network of pipelines (easily transportable)

-Abundant -Uses 1/3 water which coal uses

-Emits ½ as much CO2 -Clean Fuel

-Public Opposition in urban areas

-Non Renewable

Nuclear Fuel Non-Renewable -Low Cost

-No CO2 emissions

-Expensive Construction -Nuclear Waste Disposal -Dangerous (Biohazard) -Huge Public Opposition

Hydro Power (Dams) Renewable -No CO2

-No Fuel Cost -Never Ending

-Ecological impacts -High construction cost -Limited Resources in rivers

Solar Panels Renewable

-No fuel cost -Power produced during peak hours

-No CO2

-Large land needed -Produce power less than

35% of time -No storage availability, yet

Wind Power (Turbines) Renewable -No fuel cost

-No CO2

-Peak power used when not needed

-Large land needs -Only available less than

40% of the time -No Storage, yet

Geothermal Renewable

-No fuel cost -No CO2

-Non Stop Production -Proven

-Limited availability -Remote location -Diminish over time

Waste Combustion (Biomass) Renewable -Proven

-Make use of waste products

-Public opposition -Cheap Landfills

-Emissions -Ash disposal

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A SUSTAINABLE BOBCAT

Our Ecological Footprint Living in the fast paced life in the Brewster community, many of us are negligent about our ecological footprint. We have grown to enjoy consuming the common commodities of life such as electricity, water, heat, and food, but we constantly fail to conserve. Even though we do not make up a significant part of the world’s population, our actions most certainly have an impact on this planet. After an analysis of our energy consumption, it is obvious that action towards sustainability is imperative.

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Brewster Academy’s population: 450 Average electric use per year: 1,560,000 kWh Electric costs per kWh: 16¢ usd Average electric costs per year: $300,000 usd inc. Demand Charge Average heating use per year: 155,000 gallons Heating Oil Cost per gallon: $3.55 usd Average heating yearly costs: $550,000 usd Average water use per year: 4,734,680 gallons Water cost per gallon: $3/1000 gallons Average water yearly costs: $14,204 usd Average waste production: 1120 tons Waste management yearly costs: $84,000 usd

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Building A Sustainable Brewster Academy Having just celebrated our 125th year anniversary of Brewster Academy, we only owe it to ourselves to ensure the longevity of the future of this community and academic institution. It is not an easy process but it is surely possible. We can begin with small changes such as promoting a sustainable environment and soon progress to the big changes in the future such as building sustainable facilities, sustainability will be achieved. Step 1: Small Steps It is truly impossible to make the transition from the present to a sustainable future if the citizens are not pro-active about this as well. Before we go ahead and spend our time and efforts building facilities that will ensure Brewster’s sustainability, it is up to us, its citizens, to live the lives that reflect our great desires to protect our lone world. These small steps would surely generate a big impact.

One problem that we have noticed is that Brewster Academy promotes little action towards conserving energy. In none of this school’s policies does it show our desire to live in an environmentally responsible environment. Because of this, the citizens of Brewster think that activism about the environment is not important.

Game Plan

1. We should start off the year with an emphasis on energy conservation and environmental awareness. This would enable the citizens to get an initial picture that part of being a bobcat is being pro-active about making the world a sustainable place.

2. Dedicate an Environmental awareness course into the curriculum, similar to the Environmental

Club. Here, students will not only do work that are beneficial to our planet but would also be able to influence the entire community as a whole.

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3. Providing systems and services that encourage behavior, innovations, and technology that

reduce our resource consumption.

a. Installation of electric and water usage meters in every dorm. They would also be given an allocated amount of electricity and water that they could not surpass. If successful, a reward would be given but if the opposite happens, they would then have to reflect to see how they could reduce their consumption. This would make the citizens more proactive about environment and believe that a bobcat truly cares about the planet.

b. Implementation of a water fountain system. This would greatly reduce our consumption without loosing our ability to enjoy drinking water. To go further a water bottle can be issued to each student at the beginning of the year which would also get the point across.

c. Transforming the Microbird buses run on left over vegetable oils from our Brewster Kitchen.

d. Replacing old appliances with more efficient ones. e. Having baths and faucets that only work through sensors

4. Purchase goods and services that are ecologically responsible.

a. Purchasing locally b. Purchasing from farms that produce food through sustainable means

5. Empowering current members of the community to be active stewards for an equitable and

ecologically healthy earth. Done by implementing constant recognition awards for actions that show environmental awareness, which would then eventually turn these actions into daily habits. Soon, everyone will reduce, reuse, and recycle.

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Payback If we ever get to a point where we are able to consume less than 20% of our current energy consumption, we are able to save 312,000 kWh of electricity, 31,000 gallons of heating oil, and 234,195 gallons of water, which is nearly $175,000 usd of savings. This money could be then used for infrastructure improvement that would make our campus more sustainable. Part 2: A Revolution In order for Brewster Academy to be sustainable, many of its bigger facilities have to be greatly changed. As mentioned earlier, one of our bigger problems is our consumption of unsustainable and non-renewable energy. We must partake in a revolutionary movement towards the implementation of renewable and clean energy along with eco-friendly infrastructures within our school.

The Plan Rebuilding of The Older and Inefficient Buildings Its obvious that many of the buildings that stand within Brewster Academy are old in age and no longer meet the standards of efficiency needed for a sustainable tomorrow. Luckily, there are new ways and technologies that can be used to make a home nearly 95% efficient with its electric, heating, and water use.

Passive Solar Design: A way of designing a home so that its orientation captures the sun’s heat during the winter times and deflects it at the summer times. If designed properly, it is in tune with the nuances of climate and temperature, resulting with fewer fluctuations in temperature. This would reduce heating costs and incorporate more natural light into homes.

Cost: $0

Straw bale structure and insulation: Straw is a renewable resource that could be used to build and insulate homes. It is a dense material that is able to help maintain the indoor temperature constant. Not only is it reliable and renewable, but also cheap in comparison to synthetic foam insulations. Cost: $2,000 for a home

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Natural Clay Interior Walls: The use of plaster made with ingredients that are less highly processed and less synthetic than conventional wall coverings. Clay and Lime are the typical mixture used. It is non-toxic, low-impact, vapor-permeable, and can be quite beautiful. It also helps insulate the home. Cost: $2000 Rainwater Collecting Systems: NH has an average 40 inches of waterfall each year. By installing a low-cost Rainwater collection system, we are able to help reduce our dependency on the local water distributor and take advantage of this free resource. This also promotes self-sufficiency and helps conserve water. Cost: $900 Centralized Waste Collection Systems: By having our waste sorted out and centralized, we are able to collect waste efficiently so that they can be transported to a biomass waste site rather than ending up to the landfills. Right now, Brewster spends $7,000 usd for waste management. A biomass site asks for a $50 fee for every ton of waste. 2 Cost: $2,300 initially and $500 to transport monthly Return of Investment: 19 months A rough estimate of the cost of building a more sustainable dormitory to replace the old buildings to be built by a company called Build It Green NE3 would cost roughly $130,000 usd. This particular number is how much this school could save if it cuts its energy consumption by 20% as speculated on “Small Steps”. Then, by the implementation of these new efficient buildings, which is typically anywhere between 30-40% more efficient, we would be able to further reduce our energy consumption, leaving room for more improvements within the Brewster community. Cost Analysis: 1 Dormitory: $130,000 usd Dorms needed: 20 Total Cost: $2,600,000 usd Efficiency on Energy Consumption: 65% on heating; 20% on electricity; 40% on water Current Total Brewster’s Energy Consumption Cost: $864,204 usd After Total Brewster Energy Consumption Cost: $438,704 usd Return of Investment: 6 years

2 This rough estimate was given by Wheelabrator Concord Inc, a company involved in Biomass Energy Production - http://www.wheelabratortechnologies.com/ 3 A company in New England built by Scott Morgan, a Brewster Academy Alumni - http://builditgreenne.com/index.html

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Installation of Geothermal Wells for Heating and Cooling One of the biggest expenditures for Brewster Academy is our energy consumption for heating. Today, we are using an out of date boiler system that is probably less than 65% efficient. To make things worse, these boilers run on oil, which is a very costly non-renewable resource. One way to save this problem is to install a Geothermal heating and cooling system in the Brewster Community.

A Geothermal heating and cooling system uses the renewable heat resource inside the Earth to heat or cool our buildings. These systems have a lower operating cost than conventional heating systems, lower air emissions, and it has higher energy efficiency. How It Works:

1. Water or a refrigerant moves through a loop of pipes buried within the Earth’s crust

2. When the weather is cold, the water or refrigerant heats up as it travels through the buried pipes

3. Once it gets back above the ground, the warmed water or refrigerant transfers heat into the building.

4. The water or refrigerant cools down after the heat is transferred. It is pumped back underground where it heats up once more, starting the process again.

This is a very popular alternative to heating and cooling systems to most homes and buildings. Our next-door neighbor, Kingswood Regional High School uses Geothermal-heating systems and has over 300 underground wells, generating enough heat to keep their students warm within their newly expanded buildings. Not only would we be able to reduce our carbon footprint but we’d also be able to save money as it has a relatively fast and reasonable return of investment rate. Cost Analysis: 1 Geothermal Well: $8,0001 usd Number of Geothermal Wells needed for Brewster Academy: 300 Heat Pump System: $3,000 usd

1 This estimate was given by Yeaton Associates Company- http://www.yeatonassociates.com/

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Number of Heat Pumps needed for Brewster: 34 Rough Estimate: $2,500,000 usd Current Heating Costs for Brewster: $550,000 usd Geothermal System average yearly operating costs and maintenance: $60,000 usd Return of Investment: 5 years Installation of Wind Turbines If Brewster Academy truly wanted to go above and beyond the road towards sustainability, the installation of a few windmills on our campus could relieve some of our reliance from the energy grid. The electricity that Brewster currently uses comes from non-renewable resources 94% of the time. Wind in NH is often found 27% of the time and is blowing at an average speed of 25.4 miles per hour. Although this may seem like a relatively small number, it is enough for Wind power to be beneficial for Brewster Academy and our environment in the long run. For Brewster Academy, most dorms are used within the nighttime as students settle in and study throughout the night. Simultaneously, the wind picks up at night, which causes the windmill to generate more electricity to power our electric needs. The Aeoronautica Norwin 29-225 turbine can generate up to 1,971,000 kWh of electricity every year. However, due to limited wind availability in NE, this number drops to 532,170 kWh (27% wind availability). Brewster’s current electric use is about 1,560,000 kWh yearly, however, if we cut our consumption by 20%, our electric use would only be 1,248,000 kWh yearly. Now, by implementing 2 wind turbines within our campus, each generating an average of 532,170 kWh, we are able to cut our energy reliance on the national grid to 183,660 kWh yearly. Cost Analysis: 225 kW wind turbine: $425,000 incl. installation Number of turbines needed: 2 Total Cost: $850,000 usd Brewster’s current yearly electric usage: 1,560,000 kWh

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Yearly Costs: $300,000 usd Remaining electric needs on National Grid after installation of Turbine: 183,660 kWh Speculated Costs: $29,385 (90% less) Yearly Savings: $170,294 usd Return of Investment: 5 years