User:L.Gardner: Difference between revisions

Who Am I?

I am above all else a sailor, next and more relevant to this website I am a Chemical Engineering Graduate from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (Sci'10). I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada but with today's globalization I consider myself a citizen of the World. I am currently working in Mexico for a sail loft to develop the skill sets needed to sail around the world. Lastly, I am a true believer Web 2.0 - and it's ability to support collaboration to improve our world.

My Interests

My interests with respect to Appropedia are not too ambitious, I simply want to leave Earth in a better state then I found it. What do I think needs fixing? General environmental destruction, the pollution of natural water and air, and foods that indirectly/directly damages the environment (pesticides and fertilizers, hormone contaminated meats, GM foods,etc...). Other obvious problems that I would like to solve are: Species extinction and decreased ecological biodiversity, overpopulation and mass natural resource consumption.

My vision is that human impact can have a positive impact on the environmental state of the world.

Why Appropedia?

I have been inspired to sign onto Appropedia through the 4th Year Mechanical Engineering course "Engineering for Sustainable Development", a course taught by Dr. Joshua Pearce at Queen's University, I took this during Winter of 2010. To see our schedule and/or the course layout, CLICK mech425 or Mech425 schedule.

THE Project

I want to sail around the world, I want to live within the sustainable limits of my surroundings, I want to help others realize their potential and satisfy real needs all over the world. I want to help connect people, with great ideas and endless possibilities - that inspire real action. I want to improve how we live, and help connect my actions - and those of people in the first world - with the results felt by other people and the long term consequences to the environment (both good and bad).

How will I do this?

1. Acquire and retrofit a Catamaran. 2. Set up my own 'farm on a boat', catch fish - purify my own water. 3. Set up my own renewable energy power system on the boat. 4. Go from port to port, learning from people and sharing what I know. Bringing long lasting solutions and keeping in contact to solve further problems.

Other Requirements

I will need sponsorship to finance this, I will need help with the research, development and installation of these mechanisms. I'll need a team around me helping to coordinate where I am to go - safety, weather, etc.. With teamwork - this is achievable.

Lastly, I believe that the vast number of people in this world is a benefit to these problems - not a hindrance. I use this TED Talk and 'Crowd Accelerated Innovation' as my argument:

http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_how_web_video_powers_global_innovation.html

Appropedia Contributions/Mech 425 Course Projects

1. Attain Copyright of the AT Sourcebook and post PDF for the 'Local Self Reliance' section.

Summarized Local Responses to Global Problems: A Key to Meeting Basic Human Needs - by Bruce Stokes, 1978. Competed by myself and my teammates: Jerome Arthur, Graeme Armster, Landon Gardner & Bryn Sexton.

2. Energy monitoring

Created a Green Information Technology [Green IT] spreadsheet evaluating a Financial Feasibility Analysis evaluating metrics like: expected payback, Internal Rate of Return environmental impact with the investment in Energy Monitoring Technology. The project description page can be found here: [:Category:Mech425 GreenIT Project]

3. Our third team project was to develop a Green IT evaluation for a business client- the evaluation is not available online as the information is confidential solely for the client. We investigated the financial payback and other financial measures for: the installation of photovoltaics with the Ontario FIT, how Energy monitoring and Phantom power reducing power bars. Our group was:

3. My CAPSTONE PROJECT was Construction of an Affordable Greenhouse

This was an individual Appropriate Technology project and contains a matlab file as well as instructions for how to install (and when) an Affordable Greenhouse as an extention of your Bedroom window to grow crops.

Please Check them out!

Other Capstone Appropriate Technology Projects from the Mech 425 group can be found here: Mech425 AT Project

Other Engineering Projects and Green Interests Completed in 4th Year

Completed the following Projects at Queen's University in 4th year - however, they are not available online:

• Technology, Engineering and Management APSC 400 - Partnered with Canadian Wollastonite and Lafarge Canada in a Multidisciplinary Engineering project evaluating the feasibility of sequestering carbon dioxide in Wollastonite rock. Involved performing bench scale experimentation, statistically evaluating the results, problem solving errors, created a process model using HYSIS process modeling software and finishing with an economic feasibility for the market using an expected price for carbon. Results are confidential to the client; multidisciplinary engineering project in group of 3.
• The Management of New Enterprise (Entrepreneurship) (COMM 405) - Created a Business Plan for the PV Marketplace in Ontario. Groups of 4, commerce students only.
• Transport Phenomena (CHEE 412) - Mathematical Modeling of a Solar Thermal panel(using Matlab), final results include the energy transfer from the sun to the water per day per time of day for an average year in Kingston. Chemical Engineering students only, group of 3.
• Life Cycle Engineering (MECH 424) - Life Cycle Assessment of the energy requirement of and CO2 use in mining Oil Sands VS 'Sweet' Saudi Arabia Oil. Mechanical Engineering students, group of 4.

*Design of Manufacturing Process: Biodiesel (CHEE 470) - Final year Chemical Engineering project involving: process research of the safety, side reactions, main reactions, optimization specs, etc...; use of process modeling software HYSIS to optimize Biodiesel production, examining environmental impact and economic feasibility as well as a recommendation for the client on how to act. Groups of 4, Chemical Engineering students only.

• Sustainable Strategies and Practices for Commerce (COMM 408) - Evaluation of the effects of climate change in 50 years, the movement of Climate Refugees and resulting effects on the Canadian Economy. Created 'blue sky' ideas for how to solve climate change. Multidisciplanry teams, mostly commerce students.
• Fuel Cell Technology (MDEP 437) - Multidisciplinary engineering course with a final capstone project evaluating the feasibility of a fuel cell in a subdivision. Recommendation, not economically feasible at this time. Group of 5, engineers only.

My Company: GreenTownes

Myself and my 2 partners, an MBA Candidate and a Software Engineer started GreenTownes: a solar installation company. After a successful summer, the business is on hold as the partners are back to school for the year.

SUPPORT

Some helpful links that I have found when using appropedia:

PDF Maker: http://www.cutepdf.com/

Uploading difficult files: http://www.appropedia.org/Special:Upload