Author: jwbutler

Posted on

UBC Energy Dashboard

UBC has launched a Building Tune-Up program in partnership with BC Hydro, tweaking systems in 72 buildings to use less electricity and steam, while maintaining – or even improving – your comfort.
Visit this dashboard provided by Pulse Energy at any time to monitor your building’s monthly, weekly or daily energy performance — in real-time. 

https://ubc.pulseenergy.com/#/location/916

To learn more about what you can do to help save energy in your building, see the energy-saving tips in the top menu. For details on UBC’s Building Tune-Up program, please go to sustain.ubc.ca/tuneup

 

Posted on

HHS Truck rolling on Biodiesel

Another biodiesel fill-up for the Housing and Hospatality Services truck. This is the third tank of B20 used by the delivery truck with zero problems to date. Since inception last year the club has sold over 475L of B20 fuel. That’s 95L of biodiesel produced in CHBE from waste vegetable oil used to power campus vehicles. That add’s up to 192kg of CO2 emissions avoided vs. using straight petrodiesel.

Posted on

New Biodiesel Fueling Station

Undertaken by 4th year engineering students Patrick Wong and John Yuen, the new, the new fueling station allows for “blend on demand” fueling. The customer sets the desired biodiesel blend from B5 to B100 and when finished fueling  the new system will print a receipt for the fuel purchased, with separate prices for petro and biodiesel fuels set by the system operator. The new system also increases the storage capacity of fuel to 400L. Continue reading “New Biodiesel Fueling Station”

Posted on

More Biodiesel Sales!!

UBC Housing and Hospitality Services has purchased their second tank of CHBE Biodiesel. Their delivery truck was filled with 100L of B20 produced by members of the CHBE Sustainability Club. To date the Biodiesel project has sold 300L of blended fuel.
The operators tols us that they “have experienced zero problems thus far” running the truck off its previous fill up of 140L of B20 in the fall of 2012.  We look forward to the next fill up in our ongoing partnership with Housing and Hospatality services.

Posted on

CHBE Biodiesel on the Road


Biodiesel produced by the CHBE Sustainability Club was put into the tank of the UBC Housing and Hospitality Services truck today. This is an important milestone in the most recent incarnation of the UBC biodiesel project that the fuel has been put to use in a UBC vehicle.

The truck was filled up with 150L of B20 (20% biodiesel) produced in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department by a team of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers. The biodiesel was produced through the transesterification process from fresh vegetable oil donated by Allied Reclamation Services that was damaged in shipping and unfit for human consumption.The next phase of the project will see students producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil from the Totem residence cafeteria. This will close the loop of waste-to-fuel on the UBC campus.

The Club thanks Housing and Hospitality Services for their continued support and looks forward to fueling more of UBC in the future.

Posted on

PICS Free Lecture – The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars

Find out about this soon-to-be released book in a free Vancouver public lecture
by climate scientist and Nobel Laureate Michael E. Mann – author of the IPCC’s
“Hockey Stick” Report that sparked a bitter controversy between scientists and
science deniers.
Hear the real story of the science and politics behind this controversy – and
of the campaign to deny the reality of global climate change, one of the central
scientifi c and policy issues of our time.

When: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 19, 2012
Where: Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St
How: Register at www.michaelmanntalk.eventbrite.com or just turn up.
Live webcast: www.pics.uvic.ca/events.php

Continue reading “PICS Free Lecture – The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars”

Posted on

PICS Free Lecture – Why We Disagree about Climate Change

Understanding Controversy, Opportunity and Inaction
Scientists worldwide agree about the main causes of climate change, so why can’t the international community come to consensus on workable solutions? Hulme’s talk argues for the need to look beyond science and to connect with “people’s worldviews, beliefs and values” in the search for policy and societal solutions.

When: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Where: Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St
How: Register at www.profmikehulme.eventbrite.com  or just turn up.
Live webcast: www.pics.uvic.ca/events.php
Continue reading “PICS Free Lecture – Why We Disagree about Climate Change”

Posted on

Movie Presentation: A Crude Awakening

The Sustainability Club presents the movie: A Crude Awakening – The Oil Crash

Synopsis:
The story of how our civilization’s addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology. Compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining, the film visits with the world’s top experts and comes to a startling, but logical conclusion – our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-imagined and overhauled.
http://www.oilcrashmovie.com/film.html

Date: Wednesday February 1st
Time: 4:30
Place: CHBE Rm.202
Admission: Free – popcorn and pop for $1

Posted on

ESSA Career Fair

ESSA (environmental Science students) is having a career fair Feb 2nd at 5pm in the Ladha center! Although aimed at current and prospective Environmental Sciences students, all students are welcomed!!

When: Thursday, February 2, 2012 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Where:ABDUL LADHA SCIENCE STUDENT CENTRE, UBC

Spam prevention powered by Akismet