Cleaner Greener China

This clip, created by Philips Design, looks at why sustainable housing needs to be developed.  And they have used China as the peg board to hang their pitch on.  A quick overview of all of China’s sustainability is presented with its paired solution.

Graphics work is great… albeit, a bit dark

Following the ubercomprehensive US Commerce Report on China’s Cleantech opportunities for US manufacturers looking to craxk the market, ChinaVest has put out their own.

Geared for the investor, this report at 11pages is much easier to consume, is much more highline, and is exactly what you need if you need a few quick stats on the industry to show your boss.

Going through the traditional overview of cleantech (a prerequisite for any report), the report is then split between the major categories of cleantech (wind, solar, biomass, etc).

So, if oyu are looking for some light reading through lunch, this is an easy report.  If you already read the Commerce Report, perhaps you are full enough.

The WWF in China has been in China longer than any other environmental NGOs.  Originally invited by the Ministry of Forestry to assist on Pandas, they have grown across China and now manage a wide variety of programs related to the environmental conditions.

In their recent report, Ecological Footprint in China, WWF worked with the International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED)

Looking not just at the issues related to China’s development, one of the more interesting sections is in how China should look to develop a circular economy and the steps to doing so:

1. Compact: A strategy to control urban expansion ( Spatially compact city and Eco-functional city)
2. Individual: a strategy to promote responsible consumption
3. Reduce: a strategy to reduce China’s hidden consumption impacts
4. Carbon: a strategy to diversify the energy Footprint
5. Land: a strategy to increase land productivity
6. Efficiency: a strategy to gather information for moving toward a circular economy and society

To read the entire report, you can download the PDF HERE

Spend any time at all in China, and you will begin to see that solar hot water heaters are installed all over china.  One city in Shandong province, Rizhao, has a 90% acceptance rate in the city, and as I wrote  over at Crossroads through my article China Solar Water Industry Saves 40 Nuclear Plants Worth of Energy, there is a lot of energy savings that can be achieved through these products.

So I thought.

When writing a client in Phoenix (no better city in the US for solar potential) about my interest in seeing what the opportunities existed for these units in his market, I received the following response:

The solar water heaters were all the rage here in Phoenix over 20 years ago. I know when my folks put one on their house in the 80s they received a $1,000 solar State Solar Energy Rebate. The issue with the Chinese models is appearance. Most new developments have HOA rules that stipulate solar equipment cannot be visible or must be the same color as the surrounding roof area. The only solar water products still popular are pool heaters that have panels in the same color as the roof. . . with the tank on the ground somewhere or tankless. I would think we would have much more market if we could import a solar electricity panel that would easily hook to the home power panel and could be mounted on the ground. Rather than focusing on hot water, the free electricity could be used for anything in the house or business. Ideal would be a base unit that would allow expansion by easily adding more panels.

At the time, that was disappointing to hear… but after a few months of meeting people in architecture, seeing what a couple of skilled industrial designers can do.. I believe that the following modifications in product and policy would turn the situation around

Product Changes:

1) Improve the efficiency of panels and seperate the tank from the panels to allow the tank to be stored in the attic (would be a better place anyway dur to heat trapping)

2) Install a pump between the tank and the main line to increase the pressure

Policy Changes:

1) Remove barriers for homeowners who want to install solar panels or other renewable technologies within their property lines.

2) Begin looking at the cost structure as a whole and offer incentives/ rewards based on that.  Many fail to take into consideration that going off the grid has impacts that go further than the fuse box.

Perhaps these four measure are a bit oversimplified, but with an improved product that performs better, minimizes external components, and has a short payback period, the market for these products in the US and other parts of the world could be much larger.. and they should be given that chance.

Say the word Caterpillar, and one thinks of construction and earth moving equipment, not clean energy technologies. However, as we can see through this clip, their generator technologies are now offering solutions for China in dealing with the large about of methane gas that is produce in its 30,000 coal mines.

Over the last year, China’s water quality has received a lot of attention as a result of various algae blooms that have plagued some large bodies of water. A complex and large set of problems, I found a recent presentation by Auria Styles of Morrison & Foerster and thought readers interesting in learning some quick basics would find it useful.

The speech covered a wide range of topics: current issues, regulations, investment, and private sector involvement.

If interested, you can download the document here

The very fact China has had this week to halve and then almost abolish transport on Beijing’s streets to achieve its clear sky objective, is more than a massive publicity necessity,”

- Vmoto managing director Patrick Davin

This statement is potentially the most powerful/ dangerous in Vmoto’s announcement that it would begin producing two of its motos in China: the World Scooter and the Scartt Road UTV

According to another announcement

the World Scooter will be available in either a 125cc fuel-efficient petrol model or a 2,000-watt electric model, while the 4WD Scartt Road will offer a ‘dual-fuel’ combination of a 620cc fourstroke engine and a 4,000-watt electric engine.

Electric bikes and motos are products that have already done quite well in China, and as we recently saw through the destruction of nearly 5000 gas motorcycles in Shenzhen, there is a market for clean products. For Vmoto, their primary market to date has been in Australia, and in reviewing some of their materials and website, my concern is not on the product side..

it is on the pricing side, and if they will be able to bring a competitively priced product to the market

Global Supply Chains filed with inefficiencys and carbon offer a lot of opportunity going forward from those looking to be involved in developing sustainable products and services, and one of the product I recently ran into  (t/h Spendmatter) is the plastic pallet by iGPS.

A leap about wood pallets, what I like about this company is not just that they have created a solution to wood, but they have developed a product that is actually a solution to many other issues for business -RFID Tracking and pallet pooling that minimize the need to own pallets (It is amazing how expensive they are) and improves shipment tracking and security.

Where this product sells me though is its sustainability:

• protect forests
• reduces waste
• better hygiene

oh - and as it is lighter than wood pallets, it also saves on the oil needed to ship the goods they support around the world (hear that freight liners - you save money by promoting these!)

One area that I would like to see an improvement on though (information or product), is that while the pallets themselves are designed to be 100% recyclable, I am not sure if they are initially made from recycled or virgin plastic.  One would hope they have found a way to use recycled materials

One sugestion (if I may be so bold) would be to offer a swap out service to manage the removal and recyling of old wood pallets as well. think of it as waste management.

Appetite for China has been a favorite website of mine for a while, and its author Diana Kuan, has put together some fantastic vegetarian dishes.  Going forward, I will make sure and highlight new dishes as she creates them, but for now, here are a couple of recipes that I really enjoyed.

Noodles with Hot Bean Sauce and Kung Pao Tofu

A play off Kung Pao chicken - one of China’s staples - this dish is easy to make,

Just in time for mooncake season comes news that China is about to do something about its propensity to overpackage everything.

For the first time in Chinese legislation, packaging is required to be designed in a simple style in order to prevent resource wastage and environmental pollution.

This is part of the draft circular economy promotion law, which will be deliberated for the last time by lawmakers this week and is likely to be passed before the weekend and will be officially put into force next year.

A cultural issue, this policy change will hopefully be clear in its guidance and there will be a lasting enforcement mechanism for any/ all laws.

To see more on this issue, watch the clip below.  It was put together by a former intern of mine, and a currently writer for Crossroads, and offers a lot of insight into the problem of packaging in China.