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Continental Airlines, Boeing, and GE Aviation have scheduled a biofuel test flight for early 2009, citing the desire to identify sustainable fuel alternatives for the aviation industry. Continental may be the first US carrier to do so and, in the words of president and CEO of GE aviation, is “taking an important step in advancing the use of sustainable biofuels in aviation.”
The three companies are working together to identify a non-food based, second-generation biofuel that won’t significantly impact forests or water resources. No details on the fuel are available, but it will have to be production ready in quantities sufficient to power the test-flight and mix seamlessly with kerosene aviation fuel (Jet-A).
By Max Lindberg •
February 2, 2008
Airbus beat Boeing to the punch and flew the first commercial aircraft using an alternative fuel in one engine. The really interesting thing is the two airlines are using different alternative fuels in their test flights.
Boeing announced in January they would test an alternative fuel in one engine of a 747, but did not disclose what that fuel would be. They did, however, talk a great deal about an algae-derived fuel, without being […]
By Mark Seall •
January 24, 2008
Commercial aviation is coming under increasing environmental pressure due to its high emissions, noise and rapid growth. Militarily aviation in Switzerland is now starting to feel some of the same pressures.
Swiss hotel owner and environmentalist Walter Knutti has become tired of the noise and concerned by unnecessary emissions from military aircraft on training flights from the nearby airbase of Meiringen. Taking action, Knutti has collected enough signatures to force the issue to a popular vote - under the Swiss system of direct democracy voters have a right to challenge parliamentary laws or pass constitutional amendments by collecting a minimum number of signatures to force a ballot.
Under Knutti’s initiative, Swiss voters will decide next month if military jets should be banned from tourism zones.
Depending on whom you ask, emissions from air travel make up 2-6 percent of the planet’s total CO2 emissions (as a whole, the transportation sector makes up about a quarter of those emissions). But airlines in particular have been getting a bad rap among some in the environmental community because of it, and a recent conference of European airline industries debated how to brighten their image.
One British strategic communications firm argued that the airline
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By Gavin Hudson •
October 2, 2007
GO and ENN news articles have reported on Ecuador’s high-minded decision to leave its largest oil reserve untapped. The unexploited oil fields lie in Yasuni National Park, home to at least two indigenous tribes. Drilling them would add a pretty penny to the country’s purse. However, under the YasunÌ-ITT Initiative, President Rafael Correa has vowed to leave the oil in the ground. The initiative also sets the lofty goals of developing greater
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By Alicia Erickson •
September 27, 2007
You can now enjoy your ethical brew is the sky.
Virgin Atlantic announced earlier this week that they are now offering Fair Trade coffee and tea to all passengers. The selection will consist of "organic green and white teas from QI teas, a range of fresh and instant coffees by Costa Coffee and specialist supplier FFI UK and a range of organic and Fairtrade teas from Clipper." This will be a significant impact, as
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A booming airline industry might be great for the economy, but it’s wreaking increasing havoc with the environment. Aviation today spews out only 3 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, but the segment is expanding fast — faster, in fact, than any improvements in efficiency are likely to keep pace with. According to the Christian Science Monitor,
"Efficiency is only set to improve at 1 or 2 percent per year at best,
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By Heidi Strebel •
August 14, 2007
Hundreds of climate change activists gathered near London’s Heathrow airport yesterday to protest against extension plans and greenhouse gas emissions. Demonstrators assembled just north of the airport for a week-long campaign aimed at highlighting both the double standards of the British government and the aviation industry’s damaging impact on the environment.
The British government has vowed to reduce green house gas emissions, but at the same time it supports plans to expand […]
By EcoGeek Blog •
August 7, 2007
When Ron Hochstetler graduated from Purdue with a degree in aviation technology, he didn’t know how different his path would be from the other graduates of his class. Though trained to work with the helicopters and jets that we today associate air travel, Ron became fascinated with a different type of craft. An aircraft that "belongs in the sky."
Now, twenty years later, Ron is one of the world’s leading experts in "lighter than air"
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Air travel turned a bit greener yesterday as Boeing unveiled their 787 Dreamliner. This new jet, their first since 1995, has been in development for the past 6 years with the goal of reducing it's environmental impact. Rather than the typical aluminum, with which other planes are made, the Dreamliner is comprised mostly of carbon fiber (50%), a lighter alternative which produces 20% less carbon emissions than its competitors.
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