Confessions from a green blogger with a big carbon footprint

—By Katy Devlin, commercial glass and metals editor, Glass Magazine

I don’t make a habit of hugging trees, but I do consider myself an environmentally conscious, green person. I don’t have a car, I live in an apartment with Energy Star windows, I recycle and eat organic, I’m a vegetarian, I use those swirly energy-saving light bulbs. Yet, my estimated carbon footprint still sits about four times higher than the world average.

My greenhouse gas emissions average 20 tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the Nature Conservancy’s carbon footprint calculator. The U.S. average per person is 27 tons, and the world average is 5.5 tons. Have you calculated your footprint yet? The results might also surprise you.

According to the calculator, about 68 percent of my emissions—or 14 tons of CO2 annually—comes from the driving and flying category, which in my case is almost entirely flying.

I found this number unbelievable, so I went to TerraPass to use their flight emissions calculator. Unfortunately, the Nature Conservancy’s estimate was right on track.

In 2007, the 4,483 mile, round trip flight from New York to Las Vegas for BEC created 1,748 pounds of CO2 emissions. The 8,205 mile, round trip flight from New York to Tampere, Finland, for Glass Performance Days, created 3,142 pounds of CO2 emissions. I added my other industry trips and my own personal travel, and my emissions from flight travel alone actually topped the Nature Conservancy’s estimate of 14 tons. Scary.

I know there are many more folks who travel much more frequently. Since I don’t think the industry is ready to host trade shows and meetings via teleconference, I checked out the Nature Conservancy’s site for some other ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Home energy is the next largest target for emissions reductions. According to the Web site, reducing the use of heat and air conditioning, unplugging appliances when they’re not in use and cutting hot water consumption can drastically reduce carbon emissions. People can also purchase carbon credits to offset their footprint even more.

And finally, check out blogger and AutoGlass Editor Jenni Chase’s green tips from the AutoGlass conference here.

It's a fussy business

By Jenni Chase, Editor, AutoGlass

In a recent interview with John Dwyer, president of New York’s Syracuse Glass Co., I asked him to identify his biggest challenge as a glass company owner. His answer was one I think many industry executives can identify with: “Maintaining a positive culture and accommodating lots of change day in and day out in an environment of rising customer expectations and costs. This is a fussy business. If we’re not attentive to the details and working as a team, we can get in trouble quickly.”

I have never owned a business, but from a consumer perspective, I agree that attention to detail is crucial to any company’s success. Americans keep their wallets closer to the vest these days, making any expenditure subject to scrutiny. When we do spend money, we want more than just a great product or service. We want an exceptional purchasing experience, and oftentimes, that’s all in the details.

A complimentary mug of good coffee, a follow-up courtesy call and a spotless post-installation vehicle or room can go a long way in the retail world. On the commercial side, a quick, efficient and convenient product delivery can make or break a sale.

At fabricator Syracuse Glass, repeat business is critical to success, says Dwyer. “We put a lot of work into making sure our employees and customers have a good, enjoyable, even fun, experience with the company.”

Fun? Now there’s a concept. If you can make a windshield or shower door installation fun, I have one word for you: SOLD.

To read John Dwyer’s interview in its entirety, check out “Looking Glass” in the May 2008 issue of Glass Magazine.

Green to the core

By Sahely Mukerji, managing editor, Glass Magazine/Auto Glass

Word has it that plumb glazing jobs are up for grabs in the Midwest. California is no longer the only state passionately pushing for environmentally sustainable buildings, good old homeland Kansas has joined the movement too.

Latest in the list of small towns to acquire green as its favorite color is Greensburg, Kan., 109 miles west of Wichita, and the county seat of Kiowa County. Main attractions of the town include the world's "largest hand-dug well," 109 feet deep and 32 feet wide, and a 1,000-pound meteorite, according to a USA Today article. Per U.S. Census Bureau figures, 26.4 percent of Greensburg's population was 65 or older in 2000, more than double the national average of 12.4 percent.

The town, heavily hit by a tornado May 4, has decided to build back and live up to its name, according to an article in Time magazine’s March 10 issue. To get the ball rolling, an entrepreneur from a nearby town, Daniel Wallach, formed a nonprofit, Greensburg GreenTown, soon after the storm blustered through.

When everything falls into place, Greensburg will have energy-efficient homes and offices powered by wind and biofuel resources. Residents of the town are busy working with the Department of Energy and the National renewable Energy Laboratory officials to build houses that are 50 percent more energy efficient than the old ones; and in January, the city council approved a resolution that would make all city building projects meet the platinum rating of the USGBC’s LEED standards. That’s a first among American towns.

Read the Time article here. Read about other U.S. cities doing their bits to turn green and fight global warming here.

Presidential politics and the glass industry

What the candidates have to say about health care, immigration and the economy

—By Katy Devlin, commercial glass and metals editor, Glass Magazine

During the past several months, we issued two e-glass polls about the upcoming presidential elections—one about the issues and another about the candidates. Both received high response rates from readers, indicating that we need to do more to address the election and how it relates the industry.

The Dec. 11 poll that received 375 responses asked about the most searing issue in the election. No issue received more than 20 percent of responses. Education came in on top with 19 percent, followed by health care, the war in Iraq, immigration, the economy, taxes and energy.

The March 4 poll asked respondents which candidate would help the industry most as president. About 54 percent said John McCain; 17 percent, Barack Obama; 16 percent, Mike Huckabee; and 13 percent Hillary Clinton.

I wanted to use my blog today to briefly spotlight the remaining candidates’ positions on several issues that directly affect most, if not all, glass companies.

This information was pulled from each candidate’s Web site, as well as from a New York Times election guide detailing how all the candidates stand on the top issues. Please leave comments below and contact me if you have suggestions on other ways we can cover the election with an industry eye.

Health care

Hillary Clinton: Health insurance for everyone, subsidized by the government and employers. Large companies will be required to provide insurance or help pay the cost; small companies will receive tax credits to fund health care. Rollback in tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000 to help pay for the plan. More information.

John McCain: Health care in a free-market system driven by consumers, available to everyone, without a mandate. Focus on controlling health care costs by promoting drug competition and improving early diagnosis and education. Remove bias toward employer-sponsored programs; provide tax credits for individuals and families. More information.

Barack Obama: Universal coverage by the end of the first term. Require employers to provide insurance or contribute to its cost; exempt small business that meet certain revenue thresholds; reimburse companies for large health costs. Roll back tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000. More information.

Immigration

Clinton: Secure borders—voted for border fence along Mexican border. Develop a universal, accurate and timely employer verification system. Path to legalization for illegal immigrants. Opposes guest worker program. More information.

McCain: First priority to secure borders—voted for border fence along Mexican border. Provide opportunities for immigrant workers. Path to legalization for illegal immigrants. More information.

Obama: Secure borders—voted for border fence along Mexican border. Path to legalization for illegal immigrants. Supports guest worker program and a crack down on employers that hire illegally. More information.

Economy

Clinton: $70 billion jump-start plan to go toward mitigating housing foreclosures, energy conservation grants to create jobs, and unemployment insurance, among others. Tax rebates to working and middle-class families. More information.

McCain: Stimulate economic growth by permanently repealing the alternative minimum tax and reducing the estate tax. Eliminate deficit spending. Make tax increases more difficult. More information.

Obama: Stimulate the economy through tax cuts for the middle class. Keep estate tax. Protect workers’ rights and raise the minimum wage. Support research, renewable energy and technology sectors to boost job growth in those areas. More information.

Transparent aluminum windows: fantasy or the future?

—By Katy Devlin, commercial glass and metals editor, Glass Magazine

Feb. 24, the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story about the future of the automobile—specifically, how car designs of tomorrow will adapt to meet the world’s energy efficiency needs. The cars will likely run on alternative fuels, be connected to other cars on the road through Wi-Fi, and possibly feature transparent aluminum as an alternative to glass.

In the article, Frank Markus, technical editor for Motor Trend, Detroit, said the idea of aluminum windows is science fiction at this point. However, researchers at St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M have developed an alumina glass that could evolve into an everyday product in the next 25 years, according to the article.

Transparent aluminum windows would be lighter and stronger than glass, making it an attractive alternative for cars, according to the article.

According to a September 2004 article from Technology Research News, 3M’s non-silica glass product, alumina glass, is also scratch resistant and transmits a broader range of light. Manufacturing methods at the time of the article only allowed for thin film applications of the product.

So, are transparent aluminum windows really the future? Will we start seeing aluminum windows on buildings and in homes? Should the industry prepare? Or, is it just science fiction?

Tell us what you think.

For the Star Tribune article, click here (registration required).