John Porterfield

Managed grazing to store carbon in soil > Lovell – lotsa numbers PLUS photos to support - Australian accent and FAST

OK, I pledge to complete EdX (on-line MOOC) Climate Change -  The Science by completing assignment (two papers).  This is a superb course! 

Just before the Challenge I joined Chicago Council for Global Affairs and signed to attend Renewable Energy event May 21, paying for the top student in energy technology sequence at Community College where I had taught to also attend.  The event will offer an opportunity to present request that CCGA follow up an excellent resilience/adaptation webinar with one that specifically identifies those climate impacts for which no amount of resilience/adaptation will be effective.  This in line with effort to have planning professionals forecast what US policy, lacking focus on Preventing climate change, can expect from Planning and Put Pieces back Together.  I ask planners to share their forecast directly (face-to-face) with legislative officials. 

I got to listen briefly to WRI's “An Intimate Conversation with 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners.”  Then tuned in to WRI's excellent “Powering Vehicles With Waste: Renewable Natural Gas as a Climate Strategy in the United States,” which will inform visit with MO-8 Representative Jason Smith, whose District lacks ethanol plant, wind turbines, or other renewables that increase farmers' revenue.  Later heard RFF's “What Research Says on Key Fracking Debate Issues.”  This interspersed with pilates exercise, Spanish lesson, and attending a play by Lorca at near-by community theater in Cuenca.   It’s been fun reading others’ posts.  Maybe there will be a template for collaborative efforts??!

Although requested by University of Azuay, at request of the climate research team at Pontificial Universidad Catolica Ecuador (OPSA),, I'll present a comparison of two on-line Carbon Footprint Tools to an assembly of students May 9 on a brief stop on way to visit USA.  The  tool from a group of Universities has recently been published in Spanish.  The tool from Carbon Footprint Network has recently been updated.  Given how hundreds of millions (billions?) of households will benefit by having clear, meaningful, accurate guidance from a footprint tool is a high priority. 

I have prepared a Technology Assessment presentation comparing "soot free" diesel, CNG, turbine/electric hybrid (multi-fuel), and BEV (100% electric) drive technologies for buses, and other large service vehicles. This may inform Cuenca, Ecuador as aged 480 bus fleet is replaced.   Today I arranged to attend CoInvest (aka "CleanTech") sustainable business start-up conference in Chicago, May 23.  Chief of ProTerra electric bus firm (USA) will keynote CoInvest, so I hope to chat about yet-another climate solution and how to best tap the full range of climate change solutions choices. 

Sunday AM, Apr 22, I tuned in to We Don't Have Time climate change conference in Sweden.  The "Time" rallying cry is as good as UndoYourPart that is found at CCL website.  Cathy Orlando provided a great orientation to Carbon Fee & Dividend!  Then I attended EarthDay event sponsored by Indivisible group in Cuenca, Ecuador.   

For carbon footprint presentation requested by automotive engineering dept at University of Azuay I'll compare Carbon Footprint Network tool, recently updated and in beta trial, and only in English, to the International Student Footprint Calculator, recently released in 2nd language, Spanish.  Both tools are very impressive, though the ISFC is "tuned" to capture more detail, and more behaviors customary in developing countries.

In a continuing task of forwarding information that may be helpful to extend detail on DRAWDOWN solutions I emailed Alexander Nikolov Hristov, PhD, who has researched dairy nutrition (A Cow Walks on to a Beach) that will reduce methane "burps."  For Hristov's Penn State work see link