Recent news releases

MEDIA CONTACT: Ron Walli, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Communications & Community Outreach, (865) 576-0226

Rites of spring play in big carbon picture

gardener

Spring's lush green lawns and hot pink shoes contribute at least in a small way to the world's total carbon picture, say researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Indeed, the latest fashions on Fifth Avenue and fertilizers that help homeowners achieve that "barefoot" lawn have their associated carbon dioxide costs, and ORNL's Gregg Marland and Tristram West keep up with them. Their task is to track the total carbon produced worldwide and estimate how much is taken up and cycled through trees, plants, soil and goods produced from these resources. The overall goal is to determine the net impact that people and their activities have on our planet.

"Energy use is embodied in everything that we use and buy," Marland said. "And just because you may not be burning the fossil fuel yourself, don't kid yourself into thinking that someone isn't burning it on your behalf."

Each person's annual share of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States is 5.4 metric tons, or nearly 12,000 pounds. One-third of those emissions is from power generation, another third is from internal combustion-powered vehicles, and the remaining third is from other sources, including fossil fuels used in factories, office buildings, homes and for daily activities like lawn mowing.

Carbon dioxide, considered a greenhouse gas, is increasing in the atmosphere each year and is thought to be a major factor in climate change.

"From producing the latest in shoes to building cars and home improvement products, it all requires electricity and power plants to generate that electricity," Marland said. "So staying in fashion can actually be costly to the environment because people are constantly replacing perfectly good clothing, shoes, furniture and home accessories with the latest styles."

Full story.

http://www.ornl.gov/info/press_releases/get_press_release.cfm?ReleaseNumber=mr20040422-00

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"Report shows Smokies 'beginning to die' (USA Today)"...Conservation association program analyst Jill Stephens and ORNL/UT researcher Sandy McLaughlin describe the scope of the park's air-pollution problem.

"Alexander pushes funding for ORNL computer" (Knoxville News-Sentinel): U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander recently got a chance to see "the fastest computer in the world"—a designation he hopes will soon apply to a machine here at ORNL, if the Lab is successful in the nationwide competition for the project. Story also covered in USA Today ("Senator backs funding for supercomputer at ORNL."

"ORNL reactor leak minimized; restart scheduled for this weekend" (Knoxville News-Sentinel): Munger talks with Jim Roberto about the restart of HFIR, which was shut down following the discovery of a leak in a seal around one of the beam tubes.

"ORNL Studies Big Rig Pollution" (WVLT, TN): ORNL has set up equipment (a field lab) near the Watt Road junction with Interstate 40/75 in West Knox County, to measure real-world emissions from heavy trucks, in an effort to show what role 18-wheelers play in East Tennessee's pollution equation. Comments from Ralph McGill.

"Learning how to get a win-win" (Knoxville News-Sentinel): Jeff Wadsworth attended a program for senior executives on negotiation and dealing with difficult situations, sponsored at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass.

"Lab chief wants supercomputer" (Oak Ridger): ORNL director Jeff Wadsworth told a Lunch with the League audience that ORNL "intends to win" the competition to house the fastest computer in the world.

"Konarka Technologies Announces Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory" (SolarAccess.com): ORNL has partnered with Konarka Technologies, Inc., "an innovator in developing and manufacturing breakthrough products that convert light to energy" as its exclusive partner for R&D of chemistry related to solar cells.

"EarthFirst Technologies, Inc. Announces Operational Status Of Tire Processing Plant" (Business Wire): Dr. Michael Maskarinec is working with ORNL to provide the necessary certifications, and permitting assistance for EarthFirst Technologies, Inc., and its Catalytic Activated Vacuum Distillation plant, "which processes tire shreds through a reactor that reduces the input material to carbon, oil, gas and steel."

"Getting Molecules To Do The Work" (Business Week): ... Glow Alerts: A brief look at the work of ORNL's Gilbert Brown, who's working on "a sensor...that's designed to replace the current, cumbersome methods of checking on storage tanks that contain radioactive waste."

"UT-Battelle's fate eyed" (Oak Ridger): DOE has sent letter stating their intent to extend UT-Battelle's contract to manage ORNL. Comments from Billy Stair.

"New UT president will have role on UT-Battelle board" (Oak Ridger): One of John Petersen's duties as UT's new president will be to serve on the UT-Battelle board of the directors. Comments from Billy Stair.

"Researchers Focus on the CO2 Big Picture" (Newswise; press release): "Spring's lush green lawns and hot pink shoes contribute at least in a small way to the world's total carbon picture," say ESD's Gregg Marland and Tristram West in this ORNL news release.

"Scientists Study Soybean 'Futures'"(Knox College, IL): Features the work of Kelly Ramig, a student at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., who studied plant genetics at the Lab last fall.

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