Grist.org has a good article on what Phoenix is doing right in terms of sustainability.
So how is it that this poster child for sprawl and environmental ills is being hailed — albeit by its own government — as an exemplar of sustainability? City leaders are quick to tell anyone willing to listen that not only are they finally getting hip to environmental matters, they’ve been attending to some of them for upwards of thirty years. From using cleaner fuels in their fleet of trucks and buses to implementing an environmental purchasing program, from building a new 20-mile light-rail line to signing the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, officials have taken concrete steps to right past wrongs.
ASU president Michael Crow.
Perhaps more important than these piecemeal sustainability steps is the city’s partnership with the local university. What’s wrong with the city — the temperature’s rising, for one thing, and development is still skidding out of control — is what makes it such an attractive candidate for a living laboratory. The city’s environmental deficits are educational opportunities for the students and teachers of Arizona State University’s four-year-old Global Institute of Sustainability.
We previously wrote about PC911’s plans to expand to Arizona here and now that they are here we decided to pay them a visit. In many ways PC911 is a typical mobile computer repair company, they provide in home residential computer repair services, business services such as network installs, phone systems, maintenance plans, and surveillance systems. What sets them apart is their commitment to reducing their environmental impact. I’ve worked for a mobile computer repair company before and it involves A LOT of driving. In sprawling cities like Phoenix it is easy to drive 100 miles or more a day criss crossing around to different homes and businesses. This is the biggest environmental impact businesses like this have and is where PC911 works the hardest to reduce. They do this by buying used diesel ambulances and converting them to run on waste vegetable oil. Running a vehicle on veggie oil is cleaner than running running petroleum diesel, provides a local use for a waste product, and reduces demand for foreign oil. This also saves the business a lot of money in fuel costs. The $1200 install for the conversion is paid off after only 10 tanks of fuel. Another way PC911 works to reduce their impact is by recycling as much of their waste as possible. They have opted to pay for a recycling dumpster behind their office to accommodate this. The owner of PC911, Chad Stone, also runs his personal vehicles on waste veggie oil, he has a VW TDI and 1984 Mercedes.
We contacted Chad about taking a tour of their office here in Phoenix and met up with him on a Monday morning. They have a very typical office except for the fact that their garage has 4 ambulances stuffed in it. Chad popped the hood of one of them and started telling us about the WVO systems they have. They use Lovecraft conversions which are single tank systems. Typically with these systems you have two tanks, one with diesel or biodiesel to start the vehicle and than another tank with the WVO to switch over to once the vehicle is warmed up. WVO needs to be warmed up to thin it out to a viscosity closer to diesel fuel so that it can be more easily injected into the engine. Lovecraft systems preheat the oil in the fuel filter and use a booster pump to get rid of the need for two tanks. Most of the people I’ve talked to recommend the two tank system, but Chad says they’ve never had any problems. Here’s a video of Chad cold starting one of their ambulances after it has sat unused over the weekend.
PC911 collects and filters the oil themselves. They first pre-screen the oil into a drum and then it is forced through a sock filter which I believe filters it down to 10 microns. Here’s a video of Chad filtering some used oil and then filling up a ambulance with it. At the time of our visit they hadn’t secured any sources of waste oil in Phoenix, but are working on that.
Basically that is it, these systems are pretty simple overall and easy to operate. Thinking of running waste veggie oil in your car? Sure it is a free source of fuel, but you should also know there can be downsides. Systems improperly installed, or bad oil, especially oil with water in it can cause catastrophic damage to your engine. Check out this horror story of one man’s journey with running his VW TDI on waste oil. Not to end with a downer, but be sure you know what you could be running into if you decided to go down this path.
If you need any computer services we’d highly recommend PC911 for their high quality computer work and their commitment to the environment. They are currently located in Las Vegas Nevada and Phoenix Arizona, perhaps one day in a city near you.
New name same blog! This is the name I had originally wanted but it wasn’t available back in February when I first started this site. I recently noticed it was available so I bought it! You shouldn’t notice any difference all the old links still work and will continue to. Let me know if you see something that isn’t working right.
3 Roots Coffee House & Cafe
480.966.4949 1020 S. Mill Ave. Tempe, AZ 85281
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-11pm Sat/Sun 9am-11pm (Kitchen closes at 10pm) Visit their MySpace page
On another adventure for local food and coffee, where vegan goodies and a sincere concern for the environment can be found, we made our way to Three Roots Coffee House and Cafe in Tempe, AZ. This is a stone’s throw from the Arizona State University Campus and has been there in its quaint and charming location across Mill Avenue from the Gammage Auditorium and Fine Art Museum since 2003 yet some how it had been overlooked by us for five long years. Our patronage there was long overdue and worth the slight struggle to find a parking spot as the feel of the place is fantastic. Quiet, studious college kids reading and clicking away on laptops with free wifi filled the cozy cafe. Eclectic artwork, fabrics, and colors adorned the walls and furniture and made for an inviting space. We were greeted by genuinely friendly baristas who had been casually chatting with other customers near by.
Their small menu is 100% vegetarian and nearly all vegan with the exception of one grilled cheese sandwich that comes with Meunster. They have all of the comfort food any vegan could ever desire, from fresh vegan potato salad to warm creamy vegan mac and ‘cheese’. I thoroughly enjoyed and devoured my eggless egg salad sandwich on my first trip and on my second I enjoyed their ceasar “chicken” wrap. Their jasmine-green tea was fabulous, as was their house iced tea, refreshing and light with a hint of cooling mint perfect for the warmer weather.
They make an effort to buy organic and local ingredients to support sustainable agriculture and local businesses which is good for our local economy and for the environment. After my first trip I was absolutely hooked. I would recommend you give them a try if you are in the Tempe area and looking for a great little spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner or a perfect place to have tea or coffee. They even have local musicians that perform there on a regular basis. Their prices are very reasonable, the food is wonderful, the staff is extremely friendly and they are making an effort to decrease their impact on the environment. What more could you want?
Maricopa County has been working on a green initiative to save taxpayer’s money and be more environmentally friendly. They plan to enact policy to save energy, use more fuel efficient vehicles, use renewable energy such as solar, and plant roof top gardens to help reduce the heat island effect. Overall this sounds like a great start.
Among the county’s goals and actions to be reached over the next several years:
• Increase recycling and decrease the use of paper. Several departments will increase the use of electronic documents to cut down on hard copies. They also plan to increase by an average of 5 percent each year the amount of recycled and remanufactured products.
• Beef up efforts to reduce air pollution and cut down on travel. By 2012, Environmental Services will have replaced half of its fleet with alternative-fuel or hybrid vehicles. Increasingly, staffers will attend out-of-town meetings electronically rather than in person.
The Department of Public Health, for example, will increase Web use and videoconferencing and, by 2011, will buy a fleet of hybrid vehicles for employees.
• By 2011, at least 5 percent of full-time county employees will telecommute each day. A shorter workweek will be available for eligible employees.
• The Public Works Department will use biodiesel fuel and liquid-propane gas for at least half of its new vehicles and equipment. It also will work with ASU’s sustainability institute to calculate and track the county’s carbon usage and measure the effectiveness of green programs.
• By July 2010, Public Works will implement a program designed to make sure that 75 percent of all new county-owned and county-managed facilities have a renewable energy source - such as solar, wind or hydrogen-fuel cell - as part of the building’s design and construction.
“Our goal is to have every element of Maricopa County - every staff member, every manager, every supervisor - to constantly be looking at the way we do business, so we can save as much resources as possible,” said Joy Rich, an assistant county manager who oversaw the creation of the program. “There are a lot of resources that we consume as an employer. We frankly should’ve done it sooner.”
James Towner | 
06 10th, 2008| 
ASU president Michael Crow.
3 Roots Coffee House & Cafe
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