Thursday, May 12, 2011

dfE CARBON FOOTPRINT REPORT

This May, we inaugurate a regular carbon footprint report, intended to be updated every 6 months, as part our target emissions monitoring, which is to reduce our consumption to no more than 2 tons of carbon per year per person (CO2 = 2 t / y / p).

The picture below summarizes the report, as follow:




For this report we tried to use a didactic form of presentation; a pictorial pattern of how our consumption was, how it has being reduced and how it should actually be. However, if someone is interested in details of how to perform the calculations, we are happy to share.


Analyzing our results, we believe that a great progress has being achieved since we began planning our slowdown in consumer spending. It has been reduced from over 30 tons per year, in 2007, to present 3 tons. A reduction of 10 times! However, we have not yet reached our goal of two tons per year. It means we still have 50% reduction ahead.


Nevertheless, we figured out that the reduction achieved so far is mainly resulted from drastic cuts in flights, bars, restaurants, non use of cars, housing sharing, the purchase of local and seasoning food, banning of every packaging possible, acquiring of secondhand clothing only and purchase of strictly needed electric/electronic equipment.


We have also calculated that we haven’t yet achieved our goal due to a high Infinity Diesel consuming in the last months. We’ve been force to use the Diesel propellant when ran out of wind or when approaching land or port. For safety reasons, the vessel shall not sail toward a port, for instance, nor stay drifting closed to land. Also, the Infinity Expeditions have had some scheduled commitments and, occasuonally, have to run the engine to reach to a place while wind isn’t blowing in the right direction.

Due to some of this facts alone, we have generated, in recent months, emissions around 0.95 ton / year / person. Therefore, for the next months we have an optimistic prediction of consuming much less Diesel as we stay in Fiji, without need for as much displacements.


Still, we need to further reduce the consumption of foods and beverages imported, the use of taxis. In the case of beer, we have started brewing in the boat. Our first batch was produced in the last month, and the first bottle should be open this weekend. The type of beer that we chose for this first attempt is Chocolate Mahogany Porter. We have great expectations to experience our first production! If it works, will greatly reduce our demand for this type of industrial product.


Thus, through this Footprint Report, we wish to share with you all our achievements in order to minimize Earth Climate Changes and, if worth, bring peoples awareness about every one’s consumption impacts on this issue.


To improve all this, we are willing to receive any comment, criticism, idea or contribution such as your own related stories!


Our best greetings!


dfE team

LESS CARBON EMISSION = LESS OIL DRILLING






In last April, dfE and Infinity Expeditions had actively participated in a important operation to protest the deep sea oil drilling in the coast of New Zealand.


Although our dfE Project hasn’t been designed to take into direct actions of protest, we believe that Greenpeace's initiative, in close cooperation with the local Maori iwi (tribe), is lined up with our objective to lower CO2 emissions. Therefore, we decided to participate in this operation as proposed by Greenpeace, supporting the discussion about drilling for oil in the depths New Zealand, and stop on going activities.




This operation was successful, since the seismic survey in the East Cape basin has been several times suspended. On the top of it, the New Zealand press has intensely covered the protests and Greenpeace understand that the issue has been highly raised among New Zealand society; so far, the population has been neglectfully excluded of Prime Minister Office’s decisions related to this matter and other energy issues.



There follow some links with New Zealander’s media coverage.


The Channel 3 has broadcasted the story as follow:


http://www.3news.co.nz/Greenpeace-unhappy-with-oil-

plans/tabid/1216/articleID/204285/Default.aspx


The next link shows the moment when, from inside the Infinity, Greenpeace requests the ship hired by Petrobras to stop seismic surveys, on behalf of the people of New Zealand:


http://www.3news.co.nz/Greenpeace-protests-oil-drilling-off-East-

Cape/tabid/1216/articleID/205551/Default.aspx




This photo, taken from the deck of the Infinity, hit the front pages of New Zealand news papers:


http://kiwi247.com/news/Greenpeace-protests-oil-drilling-off-east-cape


This photo is from Greenpeace inflatable, being transported to the surveys location on Infinity deck:


http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=22167



Here the Greenpeace activists swam in front of the seismic vessel hired by Petrobras, which had to cease operation. The interview with Vanessa Atkinson, in Infinity is at:


http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/protesters-stop-oil-research-vessel-4110061/video?vid = 4110171


This is the explanation of the protest at the site of Greenpeace Brazil:


http://www.Greenpeace.org/brasil/pt/Noticias/De-olho-aqui-e-acola/


In the next link you will find more photos of the protest, by dfE team:


STOP OIL DRILLING DEEP SEA




Greetings from dfE team!