Category: Policy

Australia’s Wave Energy System

Leave a comment

Australia’s wave energy system proposal, the Perth Wave Energy Project, utilizes the motion and pressure of the ocean’s waves to convert into an energy source on land. The method functions by placing generators that acts as buoys in the water that essentially move back and forth, up and down with the currents to then translate the wave’s energy into electricity. As of March 15, 2015 the first wave farm of its caliber is up and running in Western Australia, and is projected to continue growth immensely in the coming years. The project is a groundbreaking new tool for energy and water desalination that utilizes Australia’s wave-energy technology, CETO, named after the Greek ocean goddess, to produce zero-emission power and works towards reducing the overall need for fossil fuels. CETO has been made possible through various grants and funding by the Western Australian government, with hopes of successfully developing a full transition of the removal of reliance on fossil fuels for energy. Almost 60% of the world’s population is located near the shoreline, so CETO has the potential to reach more than half of our population and provide a sustainable energy source through capturing the natural motion of waves and transforming them into energy. Although the buoy units are large, they would be placed in deep water, minimalizing any obstruction to views near the ocean or the impact of potential destruction from breaking waves on the surface of the water. This technology could revolutionize the way our future world is powered, and shines light on the potential to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and other toxic products that provide the necessary energy sources needed for human sustainability.

The CETO technology model functions solely from the cooperation between our knowledge of predicted wave schedules and the translation of such energy back onto land. By utilizing resources in the water to create resources on land, CETO is directly contributing to the UN Sustainable Developmental Goals focused on life on water and life on land. If the research, development and experimentation with the technology and infrastructure of CETO continue to progress, it is highly likely that this energy resource could replace other forms of energy, such as fossil fuels, that negatively impact our environment; thus, slowly returning our planet back to a healthier state.

Rose Kazanowski

Carnegie Wave Energy. (2015). Retrieved April, 2016, from http://carnegiewave.com/ Casey, T. (2015, March 15).

First-Of- Its-Kind Wave Energy Farm For Largest Naval Base In Australia. Clean Technica. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://cleantechnica.com/2015/03/15/first-kind- wave-energy- farm-largest- naval-base- australia/

Gallos, C. (2015). Carnegie’s CETO 5 Operational. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://www.wavehub.co.uk/latest-news/carnegies- ceto-5- operational

Ottaviano, M. (2016). Perth Wave Energy Project. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://arena.gov.au/project/perth-wave- energy-project/

Vorrath, S. (2016, January 27). Carnegie completes final milestone for CETO 5 Perth wave energy project. REneweconomy. Retrieved April, 2016, from http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/carnegie-wave- 69826

Promoting Sustainable Food Security

Leave a comment

A necessary path that needs to be taken in order to make our world a better place and provide a healthy home for future generations is the fixing of failed states, and organization of poor and hungry people who seem to be voiceless. One obvious part of the world in need of aid in these areas is Rwanda.

Rwanda is doing absolutely everything they can individually from within the country. There happen to be many organizations with ongoing projects in the country working towards sustainable development as it is using the UN’s SDG’s as its guide. Rwanda faced a terrifying and tragic genocide in 1994 and has been in a state of fragility and recovery ever since. These goals are helping the international community and Rwanda itself decide how to organize, and prioritize its social, economic, and food related issues using the UN’s SDG’s in hopes that Rwanda will be able to thrive as a self-­sustaining country, no longer in need of international aid. I felt that this message of self-­sustainability is the exact premise of our project. We are starting small which is important. Building a strong society starting with our own streets, neighborhoods, communities, and cities lead to eventual change on a more massive scale such as a country (Rwanda) and maybe as a species eventually.

In a country where 20% of family homes are food insecure at the moment, Rwanda is definitely an urgent case. While they are not the only one, it will be important to examine Rwanda as help is provided. Using these sustainability goals as a guide we will be able to learn how to better provide services and build or rebuild sustainable, efficient and habitable countries. These good habits will subsequently affect neighboring countries and eventually the entire world as the blueprint for a more manageable pace of life for a healthier future continues to unfold.

Kyle Noviello

Google Images, Rwanda. http://www.csmonitor.com.

Ervin, E. (2016, April 14). Sustainablesolutions.org, blog. http://globalsolutions.org/blog/2016/04/Sustainable­Agriculture­One­Way­Promote­Food­Security­Fragile­Countries#.Vx_12BMrKCQ