The Sustainable Australia Report 2013 advises that global trends such as population growth and growth of the middle class in Asia will place increasing demands on energy, water and food systems. In Australia one such impact, caused by population growth within its major cities, is the increased cost of waste landfill as sites reach capacity limits.

Biomass waste-to-energy systems help address this issue by reducing both landfill and reliance on fossil fuels.

What is biomass?

Fossil fuels are formed from biomass and while both can produce energy, biomass is sourced from the atmosphere as part of the planet’s balanced carbon cycle, and can be therefore considered “carbon neutral”.

Biomass is organic matter including forest and mill residues, agricultural crops and wastes, wood and wood wastes, animal wastes, livestock operation residues, fast growing trees and plants, industrial and some municipal wastes such as construction and demolition wastes. Biomass is the only renewable energy source that can provide on-demand energy, heat and electricity, as well as carbon-based fuels.

Selecting the right biomass energy system

There are several processing technologies to convert biomass into energy, each with specific application depending on the biomass resource. These are typically thermal (direct combustion, pyrolysis, gasification), or biological (anaerobic, fermentation) processes. | Environmental news…

 

Since thermal processes are the most flexible, as they can process all forms of biomass, and the majority of proven commercial applications for heat and power utilise direct combustion and gasification technologies, this article will focus on these two technologies

Fuel supply | Most projects only consider the biomass fuels that are readily available at the time they are initiated. However, after five years, many plants operate with a very different fuel mix to that for which the plant was originally designed. It is therefore important to select a technology that allows for changes in fuel composition, for example, different energy value, moisture content, density and size. Also, the chosen technology should have the ability to accept fuels in liquid or gaseous form.

Environmental / Permit issues | Public opinion can have a significant influence on the ease or difficulty that a project experiences during the planning and permitting stages. To avoid potential difficulties, the technology should be demonstrably the best available to minimise emissions and environmental impacts.

The technology supplier | It is important to question both the maturity of the technology and the experience of the supplier. Is the technology innovative yet commercially proven?  Is it out-dated? Or is it a research and development project in disguise? Is the supplier a recent start-up or an established company with many references to its name? What about the financial strength of the supplier? And finally, will the project investors and lenders support the project based on the selected technology supplier?

Thermal biomass systems

A thermal biomass energy system is comprised primarily of a fuel handling system and a biomass boiler system.

Fuel receiving and handling system | The fuel receiving and handling system can be very simple or highly automated, depending on the fuel and the plant operating philosophy. It will normally include weighing, unloading, screening, storage, reclaiming and transfer systems and should be designed to ensure reliable, consistent fuel supply to the biomass boiler.

Biomass boiler system | There are a number of biomass boiler technologies that convert biomass to steam or energy, however, for this article, we will consider only mature commercialised technologies. These are suspension fired boilers, grate boilers and fluidised bed boilers.

1. Suspension fired boilers | Suspension fired boilers consist of a horizontally mounted tube, or combustion chamber, with an open end. A fan blows combustion air into the boiler, and fuel is introduced from the side with high velocity air. Combustion is promoted when fuel and air mix as they swirl through the combustion chamber. Hot gases exit at the open end. The suspension fired boiler normally has the lowest capital cost, however it has limitations. Fuel needs to be sized to ≈5mm or less and must have less than 15% moisture (wet basis). The burner typically operates above 1250oC, and this causes thermal NOx to be formed. In addition, a percentage of the nitrogen contained in the fuel is converted to NOx during combustion. The NOx generated can be partly alleviated by selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) but the effectiveness of this treatment is limited because of the short reaction time available due to the boiler design.

2. Grate or stoker boilers | Grate boilers are available in many forms including slotted, pinhole, shaker and traveling. The grate supports a bed of fuel that allows air to pass up through the bed. The bed typically contains up to 45 minutes of fuel inventory; a feature that limits the boiler’s ability to adjust quickly to load changes or variations in the fuel composition heating value. The fixed grate spacing restricts the ability to switch fuels, (for example wood chips to sawdust). Moisture must be kept quite constant, and since the burner operates above 1200oC, thermal NOx is an issue, as per the suspension type boilers.

3. Fluidised bed boilers | Fluidised bed boiler technology can be used in thermal oxidation and gasification operations, and has the advantage of inherently lower emissions and greater fuel flexibility. The fluidised bed comprises a layer of sand-like material that is suspended by an upward flowing stream of air. When the air velocity is sufficient to lift the sand particles and keep them in suspension, the bed resembles a violently boiling pot of water, hence the term “fluidised bed”. The turbulence in the bubbling bed acts to efficiently spread the fuel as it is fed to the boiler and the sand particles act to abrade the fuel as it is oxidised to expose fresh fuel to the combustion process. These systems are flexible because they can accept a wide variety of fuels (singly or blended) through the same plant even with varying moistures (5%-55%) and high ash contents (55%). Fluidised bed systems typically have stable operating characteristics because the turbulent nature of the operation results in even distribution of temperature and oxygen. Fluidised bed thermal oxidation and gasification processes will be described here.

Academy manager - what are the best practices? what to do before, during and after to bring the effect?

Over the years there have been many interesting approaches, and solutions that help in ensuring that the Academy was not only intellectual adventure, an opportunity to break away from work and integration with colleagues. How to make the knowledge is in the minds and change attitudes and skills have turned into habits of daily use at work? have presented innovative solutions to support the Academy include: - effective sourcing engagement academy participants (focus groups) - show planning method based academy of Success Case Method - no matter what you have learned, it's important that you applied " - effective solutions - we will show examples of reinforcement tools to be used between training modules: gadgets substantive knowledge of film pills - How to connect the academy with the implementation of a competency model? - In a practical way rehearse together design selected item academy. Thank you for participating, under presentation of the lecture:

HR Breakfast

Concept development managers - Developing Through Challenges
Breakfast will be held on 15 January 2014 from 8.30 - 12.00 in the restaurant Halka Street. Lord 85 in Warsaw.
Research on the effectiveness of development managers confirm that training is only 10 percent. impact on their development.
70 percent. the effects are, in turn, properly selected tasks in the workplace.
What to do in order to successfully develop managerial staff?

During the January Breakfast Dr. Victor Vekselberg HR and Mieszko May, consultants from the Institute for the Analysis. Karl Gauss Sp. Ltd., will present the results of research on the effectiveness of different forms of development managers.

The meeting will be devoted to the presentation and discussion of the concept of development managers - Developing Through Challenges with concrete examples of the application in practice and open discussion and exchange of experiences.

Before breakfast we invite you to read the article studies refute the myths about developing managers published in the yearbook Employer Handbook 2013, which can be found in the annex to the invitation.

For More Information:
Westhill Consulting

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/emma-waverman/eco-friendly-travel-tips_b_4703230.html

I can't forget those big eyes looking up at me. Angelica is two years old and she has been living at one of the Dominican Republic's SOS Children's Villages since she was six months old. A social worker first found her alone in a hovel, covered in flies. Her brothers were out scavenging for food on the streets -- they were only two and four at the time.

Now, they have a permanent home at SOS Children's Villages, where they live with their SOS mother Anna and seven other children.

Today, Angelica thrives; she walks down the street holding her brothers' hands. When she turns four she will attend the local school, which is part of the village. Her future is bright and the odds are she will leave her tough start far behind her.



Angelica is just one of the current 78,000 children who has been given a home by SOS Children's Villages. You may never have heard of them, but SOS Children's Villages cares for more abandoned and orphaned children around the world than any other aid agency.

The vision of SOS Children's Villages is "a loving home for every child" and they provide stability and a family for abandoned and orphaned children in 133 countries. The children are housed in groups of approximately ten with an "SOS mother." Their "SOS mother" cares for the children as if they were her own, and usually continues a relationship with them long after they leave the village. Some of these children have suffered unspeakable horrors; their families in one way or another had abandoned all of them. There are often schools, medical clinics and social workers in the community as well.

I visited and stayed at two SOS Children's Villages, thanks to Air Transat who flew me to the Dominican Republic so I could see first-hand the good work of SOS Children's Villages. Transat has been a generous partner to SOS Children's Villages since 2009 when they chose to focus on children's organizations that work in their destination countries. They have donated almost a million dollars and helped thousands of kids get better lives. Everyone from the executive level to the grounds crew and passengers has donated to SOS Children's Villages. Some of that money goes to the running of the villages; and some of the money goes to projects like a needed water filtration plant in the Children's Village in Haiti.



During my week in the Dominican, I learned a lot about the organization, and also about unconditional love and how the feelings of permanence and security can help a child heal from trauma. It changed how I think about children in need, and also about how I look at travel.

The Children's Villages were far from the all-inclusive resorts that make the Dominican Republic a desirable destination. Our guides took us to downtown Santiago and Santo Domingo to show us their country, and it was beautiful. We ate local food, and were schooled in the correct avocado to eat with dinner and the wonders of the plantain.

The trip got me thinking about how I could be a better, more responsible traveler. How could I teach my children to enjoy travel, but also do it in an eco and culturally responsible way? I was not surprised to find that I am not alone in trying to find that balance. A study by Transat Holidays found that 87 per cent of Canadian package travelers prefer a vacation carrier that takes part in socially responsible tourism like environmental protection efforts and giving back to the communities in which it serves.

Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Travel Tips

1. Take photos, and leave the natural environment as is -- leave your sand, shells and coral souvenirs on the beach.
2. Support the local economy by purchasing unique gifts and souvenirs made by local artisans.
3. Go out to tourist-friendly restaurants outside of your hotel, to support local business.
4. Look for a company that gives back to the destinations in which it travels to by supporting social or humanitarian causes.
5. If you have a specific set of skills, research trips where you can use your skills to help a community in-need.

Recommended Sites:
http://westhillconsulting.info/
http://pages.rediff.com/westhill-consulting-travel-and-tours/1928892

http://syosset.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/westhill-consulting-travel-and-tours-jakarta-travel-tips_cad475dc

The city is finished with a display of regions and suburbs. All of which are particularly dissimilar, which makes this hub of Asia is a true melting pot of cultures.

The city has had a chaotic history going back to the 12th century and the influence conquering nations have had on Jakarta is obvious. Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese and British architecture can be seen in different parts in the entire city.

Jakarta is one of the extravagant cities you would want to visit and represented globalization in almost every admiration.

After deciding on what hotel you want to stay, then the next thing you have to worry about is getting there. The most convenient means to roam around the city is to fly into Soekarno Hatta International Airport. The airport is serviced by most major airlines and you will find that getting to your Jakarta hotel from here is easy just 20 km outside the city.

There is a free shuttle bus into the city, but it can be random, so pre-booking a taxi could be the better choice. But, these can be very costly.

One more option is to rent a car so you can go directly to your Jakarta hotel without any trouble, but be very patient with the traffic because it can be a nightmare.
Travelling to and from the city is trouble-free by train and there are many of excellent connections. Commuter services start running early from 5.00 a.m. local time, and they frequently up until late into the night. The service is usually dependable and you can choose from four distinctive services such as air-conditioned non-stop trains, semi-express trains, ekonomi AC – which will stop at every station but is air conditioned – and ekonomi.

If you are tight on cash, an upgrade is worthwhile since your journey will be a great deal.

Bus connections are good and the means of transport are rather comfortable because not so crowded than the train. On the other hand, it is suitable not to travel from your hotel in Jakarta during rush hour.

There are also less considerable means of transport like other destinations. Jakarta has an enormous number of bajajes. This can be used as a fast and convenient if you know precisely where you are headed.

Mile-high bargains
Check the airline’s website to its foreign-language website, it could have a potentially cheaper ticket there. Use Google Chrome’s translation feature and make sure your credit card has a low international-transaction fee prior to making a deal. Who knows you might be in luck so always do so. Check if there is a sale in the region.

Use soap to soothe an insect bite
Just rub a bar of soap in the insect bite, you can use what’s available, hotels usually has soaps in their bath, and leave it dry. This will save you time and money going to the pharmacy to buy some relief for the bite.

Cancel your booking without paying for it
If you miss the cancellation window for your hotel or rental car booking don’t worry because you can still change the reservation date for free. Here is what you should do, move the reservation several weeks or months ahead, then call back and speak to a different person to attempt to cancel it.

Venting can be good
A sick seatmate on the plane can be bad, you might get sick as well so if you are worried about germs on planes, experts suggest that aiming your air vent in front of your face can deflect any circulating germs away from you.

Save on phone bills
You can save on phone bills using apps like Skype or Facebook’s Video Calling, just the WIFI will do. Both have unlimited calling while you can use WhatsApp and Kik to text with loved ones back home for free.

Be more supportive
Some airline seats are uncomfortable because they do not have lumber support; this makes passengers back and neck sore. Here is what you can do, put a blanket or rolled up piece of clothing behind you so your back can maintain its natural curve. And for the armrests, drape a folded scarf over it to boost the comfort factor.

Just roll with it
Use an expandable bag rather than bringing multiple suitcases, or running out of room to pack all your items after a huge shopping spree overseas

Pack like a pro
Organize your clothes well and save them from getting crumple in your bag by using packing folders or you can roll your clothes instead of folding. You can also zip it up and reopen it and you’ll often find more room has emerged in the corners.

Think outside the box
You can go and check out some site like HomeAway.com, they have a list of ranges of properties you can rent for your holiday, and most importantly they are usually cheaper than hotels. And it is negotiable! You can negotiate the price and length of stay when renting these types of properties.

Use Vaseline to remove makeup
Petroleum jelly can work as a make-up remover. But avoid getting it in your eyes.

Use a pillowcase for your dirty clothes
Pillow cases can be practical for separating your dirty clothes from the clean ones and are also useful to wrap delicate souvenirs collected during your trip.

Remove lint with your bag tag
Get rid of that fluff, or animal hair, by removing the baggage tracking sticker placed on your suitcase.

Timing is everything
Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the least expensive days to fly because most people tend to take to the skies on Friday and fly back home on Sunday making air travel more expensive on these days.

Airlines also tend to pull discounted airfares in advance of the weekend.
What’s more, never buy airline tickets earlier than three-and-a-half months before departure, and be warned that prices can go up radically within two weeks of the scheduled flight.

The early bird gets the worm
According to deal websiteFarecompare.com, the first flight out in the morning is usually the cheapest. You’re also usually more likely to avoid the worst delays, because airlines are starting with a clean slate.

RELATED SITE:
http://westhillconsulting.info/blog/travel-hacks-for-2014/
http://rileyfraser3.newsvine.com/_news/2014/01/10/22249384-travel-hacks-for-2014-westhill-consulting-travel-and-tours

OXFORD -- The smoke emanating from outdoor wood-burning furnaces can lie thick and low. Rather than rising and dispersing, it can spread out, leaving smoky particles hanging about.

In a time when indoor cigarette smoking is all but forbidden and greenhouse gases are a common concern, there are 500 to 1,000 wood furnaces in the state, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection estimates, and they are largely unregulated.

That's about to change.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency recently announced it will start regulating the amount of air pollution emitted from wood furnaces, wood stoves and wood pellet stoves in 2015. But talk to people who sell and use wood-fired heating sources, and you'll come away with the view that much-maligned outdoor wood boilers might be doing the environment a favor. Advocates of the wood boilers claim people who burn gas and oil for heat are ruining the planet.

Jeff Luff sells outdoor wood boilers out of an office building that he and his wife, Claudia, own on Christian Street in Oxford. "Twelve thousand square feet, and it's all heated with wood," Luff said. "I can tell you're just overcome with the smoke," he added with smirk.

Indeed. On the north side of the building that's home to a number of other small businesses besides Luff's operation, is a large outdoor wood boiler. It was 18 degrees in the shade, and the shed-sized unit was keeping the entire two-story building toasty warm. The boiler was vented by a 25-foot stovepipe from which only a faint blue wisp could be detected.

The new EPA regulations will not apply to fireplaces, outdoor fire pits, barbecues or pizza ovens. Existing wood-burning appliances would be grandfathered in, but those manufactured in 2015 and beyond would have to meet far stricter pollution standards. The current EPA regulations allow indoor stoves to emit 7.5 grams of particulate matter an hour.

"A cigarette is 0.5 grams an hour," said Tom Swan, owner of Black Swan Hearth & Gift Shop in Newtown. "I sell stoves that release 0.8 of a gram of pollution an hour. That's less than two cigarettes."

Old stoves, he points out, can release as much as 40 grams of smoke an hour. New stoves, he said, are much cleaner. Swan, who acted as a liaison between the wood stove industry and the EPA while it worked on 2015 regulations, said it's the older wood furnaces that are a problem. "There are new wood furnaces that are cleaner than fireplaces," Swan said. To be sure, the horror stories heard from some living downwind of outdoor wood boilers are real. People's lives have been up-ended by a wood-burning unit up the street.

The change in EPA rules can't come soon enough for Wilson Converse, of Weston, and his wife, Suzan. The Converses live across the street from a wood-burning furnace, and they have measured the particulate level in their home when their neighbor burns wood. It can reach dangerous levels. Converse said it's not just his house. The entire neighborhood is being overridden with smoke from the furnace. "Everybody," Converse said. "It's 24-7."

The neighbor who owns the wood furnace, Joe Tassitano, said the complaints won't deter him from using his furnace. "I have nothing to say," Tassitano said. "I love wood boilers."

The EPA's new regulations would require increased efficiency. At the end of five years, the EPA has said, the wood stoves and furnaces on the market will be 80 percent cleaner than those sold today. These new stoves will burn wood much more efficiently. Those who own them will spend less on wood, saving money on fuel. They'll also reduce the health costs caused by breathing smoky air.

In all, the EPA has said, the new standards will create a $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion a year in economic benefit in the United States. Unmoved, Luff estimates thousands of wood boilers are running in Connecticut alone -- he had sold 2,500 himself -- and the vast majority of them operate without complaint. He is quick to point out that photos in the paper of smoking flues are usually taken when the unit is cold.

"Once it's up to temperature, you see nothing," Luff said. "That's called gasification burn."

Burning wood, Luff says, is better for the environment because it's not a fossil fuel. Burning wood has a "zero carbon footprint" because the carbon dioxide generated by the burning wood is offset by the trees that are growing to replace the firewood.

Luff said the people who burn wood are no match for the clean-air lobby, which they view as wrong-headed when it comes to wood.

"If you have 4 1/2 acres, you'll have an endless supply of fuel," he said. "You'll never diminish your supply of trees."

From Westward plastics group to Brissco

The first time plastic came into the mass consciousness of people was in that scene in the 1967 movie, The Graduate, where a businessman advises Ben, the newly-graduated character of Dustin Hoffman, with this iconic line, “Just one word: Plastics. . . . There’s a great future in it.”

Well, the future has indeed come – in fact, a long time ago – even as early as the 30’s when the first polystyrene was made by BASF. Modern society would not have progressed as rapidly as it has without plastics. Think of the toys, furniture, appliances, textiles, computers, cars, planes, houses, buildings and factories that use plastic in one way or one form or another.

If Ben, or any other enterprising individual, had followed that prophetic advice in 1967, he or she would have become a billionaire by now. With that “one word”, life today has been made not just clean, colourful, convenient and comfortable but also affordable, replaceable and durable.

Plastic as building component is one of Brissco’s main supply materials. Building plastics has various applications for domestic, commercial and industrial use. Name it, the possibilities are unlimited by our imagination. Or as the website says: Brissco “offers a wide selection of products to suit every need”. Whether it is new installations or constructions or replacement of existing building parts, Brissco delivers. Examples are: uPVC fascias, polycarbonate roofing sheets, canopies and walkways.

Plastic gutters and pipes are especially crucial in roof systems. Although essentially hidden or invisible to most of us, they provide an essential function to buildings. Brissco’s rainwater systems, in fact, offer a wide choice of profile design, both traditional and modern, in a variety of colours to suit all tastes and applications. These systems are made of a material which is not readily flammable and will not support combustion. Most of all, these products, including pipes and fittings, comply with the material requirements of government technical standards.

Ben was a fictional character in a movie. Yet the idea planted into his mind was real and is now a reality in our times. One word that we all need to know and appreciate, if not make or save money out of is: Plastics.

Tisha Lim, a sophomore journalism major, felt unprepared for future professional pursuits. Unsure of how to market herself to employers or how to act during interviews, Lim sought out what she believed was her best option: the university’s Career Center.
The Career Center and the President’s Promise aim to prepare students for prospective internships and careers. The center has a wide range of services available, including mock interviews, resume critiques and online career tools. The center is also responsible for organizing many of the university’s career fairs, including one that begins Tuesday and runs through Thursday.
“It’s a great place to get your feet wet,” Lim said. “I really encourage people to go there — especially competitive majors.”
In the last academic year, the Career Center interacted with more than 25,000 students, said Rachel Wobrak, a program director and academic liaison at the center.
Career assistance appointments are the center’s most popular service and the three-day fall and spring career fairs are the most highly attended events, Wobrak said.
However, working with the Career Center is a two-way street, and officials said students need to take the initiative. Wobrak said the first step for students is awareness of the many resources available to them.
“Part of it is knowing your industry,” she said. “Some things are going to be more helpful than others. Not every student is going to need every service.”
The Career Center is not the only viable option for students looking for professional advice. Many individual colleges, such as the journalism, business and engineering schools, also have career and internship advisers. In addition, many of these schools set up career fairs geared toward their specific studies.
Adrianne Flynn, the internships and career development director of the journalism college, runs three internship classes, sends out memos about internship and career opportunities and gives students career advice. However, Flynn said only about a quarter of her students fully make the effort to take advantage of these resources.
Many students simply aren’t aware of the resources available to them. Ryann Rineker, a freshman enrolled in letters and sciences, and junior economics major Zein Syed said they had never heard of the Career Center. Others, such as Priscilla Wu, a junior nutrition and food sciences major, don’t know where the center is located — the top floor of Hornbake Library.
There are also students like freshman biology major Aviva Mazurek, who didn’t make an effort to go because she felt she wasn’t having trouble in her career and internship searches and didn’t have a need to visit the center.
However, Wobrak warned that “it is important for students to start early. Don’t wait until senior year.”
Flynn said the only way students can make the most of the career resources provided for them is to make the effort and approach these centers.
“Just like in school, you get out of it what you put into it,” Flynn said.
Flynn also suggested that students create relationships with their professors who are in the fields they’d like to pursue.
“There is a certain matchmaking quality,” she said. “While in school students must interact with professors. These professors become a part of the network, and the best way to get a job is to energize that network on your behalf.”

... when a file you are editing has been edited by a 3rd person or application, it indicates that change in notepad++ and prompts the user if its ok to update the file

The only feature currently making me stick with textmate, is that I can cd into a folder on the CLI and type 'mate .' on that folder, to have the whole folder open.

Sublime needs a clone of the mate script.