Page 913 – Soapbox

Zoo train will be partially fueled by french-fry grease

By Newsroom

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May 4, 2010

The iconic train at the Cincinnati Zoo is about to become a shade greener.A new user-friendly vegetable oil-to-biodiesel converter designed by UC Engineering seniors will start turning the waste oil from four zoo restaurant's fryers into biodiesel next week. The bulk of the fuel will be blended with the petroleum diesel that currently powers the train.The program is one of many energy-saving initiatives that the Cincinnati Zoo has enacted in the past couple of years, and one of four energy projects by UC engineering students that will be on display at the Technology Expo and Energy Conference in downtown Cincinnati on May 4.Mechanical Engineering and Technology (MET) senior Jamie Judd built a cart with a tank and pump that will collect the grease, and her partners Lawrence Nurre and Jonathan Meyer built a "homebrew" style reactor out of hot water heaters and plastic tanks that will convert the used vegetable oil into biodiesel. The unit also captures methanol, a byproduct of the reaction. While most "homebrew" operations are time-intensive, the students automated a few steps to create a user-friendly system for Zoo employees, Meyer said.Like many green initiatives gaining ground around the country, the biodiesel program will boost the zoo's bottom line as well as its image.The converted biodiesel will cost about $1.40 to $1.50 per gallon after labor and materials are factored in, which is about half the price of biodiesel, Meyer said. The only thing preventing the Zoo from saving even more money is the limited supply of waste vegetable oil that it produces - about 25 gallons per week during its busiest season.Meyer estimated the project's material cost to be around $4,000, and said it should pay for itself in less than five years through reduced fuel costs and money saved on grease removal.The biodiesel converter is one of four energy-related projects produced by engineering seniors this year, UC professor and physical plant director Ray Miller said. The other projects include an energy audit for arts groups like the Aronoff Center for the Arts, a project that recycles paper into pellet fuel and a home wind turbine kit that could be sold at a hardware store.All four of the projects will be on display at the Energy Expo, today Tuesday May 4. Writer: Henry SweetsSources: Jamie Judd, Jonathan Meyer, Ray Miller

KY Green Bank funds could come to NKY cities

By Newsroom

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General

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May 4, 2010

Northern Kentucky cities this year could get greener if Congress passes an energy bill that would expand an existing Kentucky program that offers loans for public building energy efficiency upgrades.Kentucky is the first state in the nation to create a Green Bank, a revolving loan fund offering low-interest loans for energy efficiency projects at state buildings. The $14.4 million fund uses federal stimulus money and is currently limited to publically owned state buildings.The Green Bank of Kentucky was launched last fall by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear; dollars are awarded through a competitive application process. Loans can be used for energy efficiency upgrades like LEED certified construction projects, energy efficiency upgrades or retrofits that result in reduced energy usage. "When the governor first came into office, one of his early goals was to create a comprehensive energy proposal. Energy efficiency was going to play a major role in that. We thought before we started asking homeowners and businesses to be more efficient, we should start first," explained Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller. The cabinet administers the program.So far the Green Bank has announced one loan, $1.3 million to the Kentucky Department of Education which will use the funds for projects at the Kentucky School for the Blind in Louisville and other department buildings. Several other applications are under review, but none in Northern Kentucky so far.Though the current Green Bank program is limited to state buildings, local cities and counties could be included if a provision to create a national Green Bank in the current federal Clean Energy Bill passes this year, Miller said.Though some parts of the bill are very controversial including the so-called cap-and trade proposal, the idea of a national Green Bank fund has much wider support, Miller added."A national Green Bank has national support, and if it does pass we feel pretty confident (we could use federal funds) for the state Green Bank. We could loan that to city and county facilities so that folks on the local level can become more energy efficient," he said.Several other states already are looking to model Kentucky's innovative program, including Delaware and South Carolina. Officials there have been talking to Kentucky officials in an effort to launch their own Green Banks, Miller said.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Jonathan Miller, Secretary of the Kentucky Finance and Administration CabinetYou can follow Feoshia on twitter here.

NKU students developing housing options for Haitians

By Newsroom

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Environment + Sustainability

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May 4, 2010

Months after a 7.0 earthquake devastated the poor, island nation of Haiti, hundreds of thousands of families remain homeless without the basic necessities and safety that we take for granted.But Northern Kentucky University Construction Management students are among those working to help some Haitians build a brighter, more sustainable future through an innovative housing initiative. The undergraduate students in Dr. Sean Foley's construction management class are working on a plan to provide permanent and reliable housing for nearly 500 people.The project, to be presented May 3, is one of three capstone projects for the university's construction management classes. The other projects are a proposed renovation of NKU’s baseball complex and a renovation of the Winton Hills Medical Center in Cincinnati for a new dental office.The Haiti project would provide housing for about $400 per person and was completed with input from Hearts and Hands for Haiti (or HHH), a ministry-based, non-profit that provides housing and other necessities for Haitians. Students worked with HHH board member Harry Lyness."Mr. Lyness has worked to guide us through some of the more uncertain areas in the process," Ohlhaut said. "With the help of experienced mentors like Mr. Lyness and the NKU faculty and some diligent work on the parts of our group members, we will have a proposal that provides comfortable housing, shower and bathroom facilities and a sanitary water supply for 480 of the western hemispheres most impoverished people," said student Patrick Ohlhaut.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Northern Kentucky University CommunicationsYou can follow Feoshia on twitter here.

Progress in Cincinnati Public Schools may help efforts to improve Minnesota schools

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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May 4, 2010

A former representative of Cincinnati's Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation looks to Cincinnati Public Schools as a positive example to improve the racial high school graduation gap in Minnesota. Cincinnati was among the first major urban districts to eliminate this type of gap using the right strategies with open-minded collaborative people, developing a Union leadership, creating focused partnerships, and rewarding progress within the school systems. Read the full story here.

Cincinnati Bell’s Fioptics Fiber Now On Fountain Square

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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May 4, 2010

Cincinnati Bell's new product known as Fioptics Fiber to the Home (FTTH) recently upgraded from local homes to the video message board of Fountain Square. Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation named Cincinnati Bell the primary provider of digital TV and Internet connection in the Fountain Square area. This product will display multiple programs such as local and national newscasts and sporting events.Read the full story here.

Cincinnati ranked number twenty on list of America’s Top 100 Cities for Walking

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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May 4, 2010

Cincinnati ranked number twenty on Prevention's list of America's Top 100 Cities for Walking. Prevention partnered with the American Podiatric Medicine Association to evaluate the 100 most populous U.S. cities based on the percentage of people who regularly walked for fitness reasons or as a mode of transportation. Other criteria to determine these rankings also included walking-friendly attributes such as low crime rates and the number of cultural attractions. Read the full story here.

Connect + Develop allows Procter & Gamble to work with Ohio’s most creative university minds

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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May 4, 2010

Procter & Gamble signed an agreement with the 14 Ohio universities in order to strengthen the state's economy, to establish Ohio as a leader in innovation, and to create more jobs. The Connect + Develop Program allows Procter & Gamble to work with Ohio's most creative research minds and universities to collaborate on new P&G products. This new agreement, which represents a great step forward in university collaboration with business, will be signed within the next few weeks. Read the full story here.

Xavier’s MedCon Brings Global Medical Device Ideas Here

By Rick Bird

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Higher Education

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May 3, 2010

Medical device makers from all over the world are coming to an all-star event this month at Xavier University. "MedCon 2010: A Global Conference for Medical Device Makers" will host over 70 companies who will get a rare chance to meet face-to-face with U.S. and international officials who regulate and approve their products for market. The first time gathering of these innovative thinkers and the government regulators who keep them in business puts Xavier University on the biotech resource map.

Cincinnati chili-industry gives $159 million back to the local economy

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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May 2, 2010

Gold Star executives recently conducted a study to learn how much of an impact the 200-plus chili parlors have on the local economy. After reviewing outside contributions of chain and independent chili parlors, the study estimated that the Cincinnati chili-industry gives $159 million back to the local economy. CEO of Gold Star claims that no other restaurant concept has this kind of positive impact by giving the city employment and fiscal health. Read the full story here.

University of Cincinnati Ohio’s only “green” public university

By Newsroom

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Cincy In The News

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April 27, 2010

The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council ranked 286 U.S. colleges and universities that are exemplary green institutions. The University of Cincinnati is Ohio's only public university to make the new national guide of green colleges. Each school listed demonstrates the urgent need for students to live and learn sustainably through careful design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible. Read the full story here.