Methane gas contributes to the warming of the planet 34 times more than carbon dioxide, making it a very dangerous gas. Organic waste, if not dealt with carefully, emits methane gas as it decomposes. In order to regulate this production of methane, sealed tanks called methane or anaerobic digesters have been created to trap the methane released which can be used as energy in the form of biogas. The solids left over from this process are good sources of fertilizer as it is extremely nutrient rich. The use of biogas reduces the demand for wood and coal as sources of fuel, limiting their harmful impact on the planet and human health, leading Project Drawdown to rank methane digesters as the 30th best solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The following stories (see below) discuss how communities around the world are currently utilizing biogas to not only provide for their energy needs but also improve their local economies. One project, ISABEL, is striving to bring biogas to Europe by creating strong community involvement where biogas stations are implemented. Another helps a school in Rwanda provide food for their students, using one-third the amount of resources as before and less money spent on fuel, through the use biogas created from the school's bathrooms. One entire city completely turned themselves around and is now seen as the cleanest city in India, the use of biogas as alternative fuel improving the quality of life for the people living their and their economy through tourism. The last article explains how hog farms in the US are helping Duke University reach its goal of zero emissions by turning pig waste into green energy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/21/climate/biogas-curb-deforestation-rwanda.html
Amy Yee
The New York Times
21 September 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
Moving from an ineffective approach of using pit toilets, communities in Rwanda are finding success through the implementation of a biogas system. This effort, part of a government-led initiative to reduce deforestation, has spread to much of the country including school and prisons.
https://perspective-daily.de/article/514/a8mqE5Li
Felix Franz
Perspective Daily
25 April 2018
Text / 1500-3000 Words
When garbage threatened the tourism industry in Alappuzha, residents protested enough to spur lasting change. The city is now recognized as the cleanest city in India for its efforts in decentralizing waste management. This consists of a government program to subsidize the cost of biogas plants for families, in addition to 24 composting centers spread throughout the city. Now, residents take ownership of their waste, and the attitude shift has made the city cleaner for everyone.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/04/17/601857456/in-north-carolina-hog-waste-is-becoming-a-streamlined-fuel-source
James Morrison
NPR
17 April 2018
Text / 800-1500 Words
Swine biogas are making an appearance across North Carolina, a state with more hogs than any other state in the U.S. Turning methane from hog waste into electricity has allowed the state to earn valuable carbon offset credits as they work towards brining emissions to zero.
Our issue area taxonomy was adapted from the PCS Taxonomy with definitions by the Foundation Center, which is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International License.
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Fondriest Environmental, David De Wit / Community Eye Health, Linda Steil / Herald Post, John Amis / UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, Andy B, Peter Garnhum, Thomas Hawk, 7ty9, Isriya Paireepairit, David Berger, UnLtd The Foundation For Social Entrepreneurs, Michael Dunne, Burak Kebapci, and Forrest Berkshire / U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs
Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license, and are credited to the following photographers:
Ra'ed Qutena, 段 文慶, Fabio Campo, City Clock Magazine, Justin Norman, scarlatti2004, Gary Simmons, Kathryn McCallum, and Nearsoft Inc
Photos are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:
Burak Kebapci and SCY.
Photos are licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) and are credited to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Conference attendee listening to speaker, Jenifer Daniels / Colorstock getcolorstock.com.
Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Sonia Narang
