GREEN ISSUES
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18 Nov 08. Defence industries and militaries need to improve their collective response to rise to the challenge of finding alternative fuel resources for the future, Julius Pretterebner, director of Cambridge Energy Research Associates’ (CERA’s) Global Oil advisory group, told Jane’s. Pretterebner added that industries need to look beyond current alternative hydrocarbon fuels – including ethanol and biodiesel and fuels that are produced from the Fischer-Tropsch process – in order to find a solution that works effectively. “The military and the defence industries have three options: burn less fuel with higher-efficiency engines; burn different fuels that can be used as an alternative energy carrier; or improve military logistics, which will be done anyway,” said Pretterebner. “But I have doubts whether militaries and the defence industries are doing enough to evaluate the potential fuels and different synthetics,” he said. “Not every fuel must be a hydrocarbon fuel. We should expect that fuels other than oil will provide the transport energy of the future.” An example of a potential alternative fuel beyond hydrocarbons, stated Pretterebner, is currently being evaluated by Professor Norbert Auner from the Goethe University of Frankfurt in Germany: hydrogen poly silicon (HPS). “HPS might be a promising fuel alternative. As an energy carrier, HPS has some interesting features. It can be produced out of sand, sun and water, which would make it free of CO2.” (Source: Jane’s)
25 Nov 08. The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to a variety of contractors for $3 Billion. This contract is primarily for environmental requirements that include completion of a conceptual design, construction, implementation, demolition, repair, and operation and maintenance of installed systems prior to delivery to the government. At this time $60,000 has been obligated. AFCEE/ACV, Brooks City-Base Texas is the contracting activity (FA8903-08-R-8348).
24 Nov 08. Boeing announced that its Huntsville site has earned International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification, a global benchmark of an organization’s commitment to understand and continuously improve its environmental performance. Boeing is working to have all of its major manufacturing facilities certified to the ISO 14001 standard by the end of 2008.
Independent auditors from Det Norske Veritas, an accredited certification body of quality, environmental and safety management systems, audited the Missile Defense Systems site Sept. 30-Oct. 3 to ensure an established environmental-management system exists and that employees understand their roles in protecting the environment. The auditors commended the site for its communications, community outreach and conservation efforts, as well as its 5S (sorting, simplifying, sweeping, standardizing and self-discipline) procedures for reducing and eliminating waste.