Grassoline - Fuel of the Future

Scientific American explores the possibility of certain alternatives to oil in the July 2009 issue. Interestingly enough, Destiny's Sustainable Energy Farm is testing several grass crops, including jatropha.

"By now it ought to be clear that the U.S. must get off oil," states the article. "We can no longer afford the dangers that our dependence on petroleum poses for our national security. Yet civilization is not about to stop moving, and so we must invest a new way to power the world's transportation fleet."

It's obvious we need to change, but as this article concludes, that change will take more than green grass, it will take the other kind of green. Petroleum companies for nearly a century have had dedicated research and development, investment in technology, and most already own their equipment... alternative fuel production requires investment in all of these areas.

With the cost of fuel at $60 a barrel, it's difficult for the greener alternative to prevail. But, with technology and new developments in producing sustainable energy crops - and with the inevitable increase in oil prices - greener alternatives are sure to make it to market very soon. Destiny is proud to be a part of this crucial development in the way we fuel our economy and our nation's future.

Read the full text of "Grassoline: Biofuels beyond Corn."

July is "Celebrate Park & Recreation Month with Family, Friends and Fun!"

Governor Charlie Crist recently officially recognized July as 'Park and Recreation' month in the State of Florida.

Whether visiting the state on vacation, or if you live in this beautiful region, visiting a Florida State Park is a great way to help kids connect with nature and learn about the environment.

"We encourage residents and visitors to experience the treasures of state parks in their backyard," says Mike Bullock, Florida Park Service Director.

To find a park near you, visit:

The map above illustrates "that if current growth policies continue, the amount of developed land in Central Florida will double by 2050.... City boundaries will meld into one another, with little distinction or "green space" between developed areas," according to conclusions reached by MyRegion.org in it's groundbreaking planning document, "How Shall We Grow?"

The organization's 2009 progress report, "Where in the World are We?" suggests that many counties, including Osceola County have moved in the right direction to implement the vision for a better tomorrow.

The residents and leadership of the seven county area known as Central Florida prefer an approach to preserve the area's precious resources, open space and rural countryside by concentrating development in urban centers with transportation corridors, as Destiny will do.

The following map illustrates the vision adopted by Central Florida that incorporates the 4C's:

• Conservation
  
• Countryside
  
• Centers
  
• Corridors
  

America's First Eco-Sustainable City™ is located in an area specifically designated by the planning documents and embraces the 4C's.

Wish you were here. The weather is beautiful!

Site selection requires much more than beautiful weather, of course. But, it doesn't hurt.

Here are a few more reasons to select Destiny, Florida as a location for your company. Destiny is located in Central Florida where:

• If Central Florida were an independent nation, its gross domestic product would rank 45th in the world.
  
• At a hefty $145 billion, Central Florida's GDP ranks close to Singapore's.
  
• Central Florida's per capita GDP would rank 6th among the G-20 nations, ahead of Japan and Germany.
  
• Residents of Central Florida are youthful and educated (nearly two thirds of residents are under the age of 35 and most have post-secondary education.)
  
• Globally competitive, Central Florida is on par with international regions such as Barcelona, Montreal and Milan.
  

*Statistics provided in "2009 Progress report for the Central Florida Region," available at: http://www.myregion.org/Aboutimyregionorgi/ResearchPublications/2009CentralFloridaProgressReport/tabid/231/Default.aspx

Where in the World are We?

Destiny is in the heart of Central Florida. Ten years ago leaders from the seven counties in the region created a cooperative planning and growth management board. The resulting organization, known online as "myregion.org" first completed research and published reports about 10 years ago concerning the vast growth in Central Florida, one of the fastest growing areas in the nation.

A progress report, entitled, "Where in the World are We?" was just released. Information included covers:

• Economic Leadership
  
• Education
  
• Environment
  
• Quality of Life
  
• Smart, Quality Growth
  
• Regional Resolves and Collaboration
  

To download the report, visit: MyRegion
Stay tuned to Destiny Florida's blog for more information and follow-up commentary on the report.

Eco+Muscle - Can we have both?

Is it possible to make a muscle car eco-friendly? Classic car lovers sat up and took notice when Dodge released its reincarnated 2009 Challenger. While more efficient than its early 1970s predecessor, off the lot, it's still an 8-cylinder with as much as 425 hp. Not exactly "green" and it wouldn't occur to most folks that it ever could be green.

Popular Mechanics rebuilt a standard R/T model of the Challenger, and created a parallel power system - electric and gasoline powertrains - and probably the first ever hybrid muscle car.

Designed to run on traditional gasoline on the highway, the Eco+Muscle model can be switched over to electric power for "ultra-low emissions" for lower speeds.

The car will be on display in November at the Las Vegas SEMA show and will be auctioned off in Scottsdale in January 2010.


Check out the videos to learn more.

House Passes Clean Energy Bill

Now it's on to the Senate... Key provisions in the bill include:

• Electric utility companies must meet 20 percent of demand with renewable sources by 2020.
  
• $190 billion investment in clean energy technology and energy efficiency by 2025.
  
• New standards for energy efficiency for industry, buildings and appliances.
  
• A reduction of 80 percent in carbon emissions by 2050.
  
• Consumer protection from energy price increases.
  

Check out the latest version of the bill (H.R. 2454) at The Library of Congress (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.2454:)

This is good news for those companies looking to locate at Destiny. Destiny will be a clean technology hub. The city itself will be designed to have a carbon footprint as small as possible.

New Cellulosic Venture

The University of Florida announced a joint venture with Myriant Technologies LLC and Buckeye Technologies, Inc. to build a pilot-scale bio-refinery just north of Gainesville.

The plant will produce up to 400 gallons of cellulosic ethanol or 6,000 pounds of organic acid each day, according to a Myriant spokesperson.

To learn more about the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, visit: http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/

Teach Your Children Well...

Most schools include sustainability in the science curriculum, but in the middle of summer, if you'd like some fun activities to share with your little ones, you'll find some fun activities here: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/education/kids/planetprotectors/index.htm

Kids can join the Planet Protectors Club, and break the case of the "Broken Loop."

Energy Independence - It's Time for an Oil Change

Who has the oil and who uses it the most? The US only has 2 percent of the oil supply in the world, but we use 25 percent of all oil produced. Even if we begin drilling for more oil off-shore, we won't come close to meeting our current consumption needs.

To learn more about The Comprehensive American Energy and Security Consumer Protection Act, visit http://globalwarming.house.gov

The issue of Energy Independence seems a timely topic for this time of year. It's more than an issue of our environment and jobs, it's also our economy.

Helmut Kaiser Consultancy, specializing in Science and Technology research recently projected the market volume of worldwide renewable energy would increase from $96 billion (2007 figure) to nearly $200 billion by 2015.

To learn more about emerging technologies and recent news from the industry, visit the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy: http://jrse.aip.org/

Happy Independence Day!

Jatropha as a Biofuel Alternative

Jatropha is currently being tested at the Sustainable Energy Farm at Destiny. One researcher at the University of Florida recently pointed out that the plant can yield more oil than soy or corn. Many varieties of the plant aren't yet domesticated, making it difficult to have consistent yields. However, Destiny's research is focused on increasing yields.

In Southwest Florida, My Dream Fuel is working to increase jatropha tree growth for use in bio-fuel production.

"Jatropha is a perfect crop," said Dave Wolfley, a distribution manager for the company based in Fort Myers. "We have the resources to do away with importing foreign oil."

Both Continental Airlines and Air New Zealand recently ran test flights using biodiesel from jatropha. My Dream Fuel hopes to reduce cargo ship emissions by supplying Florida's maritime industry with fuel made from jatropha.

(Source: Associated Press)

To learn more about Destiny's Sustainable Energy Farm, visit: http://www.destinyflorida.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=energy_farm&category=Main

And, learn more about My Dream Fuel at: http://www.mydreamfuel.com

Batteries are Recyclable

While batteries of all types can be recycled, the question is where and how?

The best place to start is with your local solid waste management district or the State EPA website may also provide information.

Environment, Health and Safety Online offers several helpful resources. BestBuy, the HomeDepot, Lowe's, Office Depot, Sears, RadioShack, Staples and Target are a handful of national retailers that accept spent batteries for recycling.

To learn more, visit: http://ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php#where2recycle

Earth911.com has some helpful tips on recycling and purchasing batteries.

Repower America

Repower America was launched last July by Al Gore with the goal of "repowering" our country with 100 percent clean power within 10 years.

Visit the site and learn how you can take action to support the creation of high-paying jobs, lower energy costs, clean domestic sources of energy, and increase clean commerce in the US.

You'll even find clean energy job profiles, resources for training and the latest news in the industry.



Destiny Florida is actively recruiting clean technology companies. To learn about our recently announced Energy Independence Park at Destiny, visit our Website.