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== First Assignment == | |||
We started our day at a suburb of the city of Graz at the headquarters of the Saubermacher company that was established with regard to sustainable development using modern technologies and solar panels as an ecological source of energy. This private company is located next to Graz and has gradually developed from a family-size company to become a large international specialist engaged in the sorting and subsequent treatment of waste. Although the company is active in more European countries, the day’s presentation dealt only with the issue of handling communal waste in Austria. | We started our day at a suburb of the city of Graz at the headquarters of the Saubermacher company that was established with regard to sustainable development using modern technologies and solar panels as an ecological source of energy. This private company is located next to Graz and has gradually developed from a family-size company to become a large international specialist engaged in the sorting and subsequent treatment of waste. Although the company is active in more European countries, the day’s presentation dealt only with the issue of handling communal waste in Austria. | ||
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[[File:max_saubermacher_5.jpg]] | [[File:max_saubermacher_5.jpg]] | ||
Img 1: Saubermacher company. | Img 1: Saubermacher company.[http://www.hda-graz.at/event.php?item=6435][http://www.hda-graz.at/event.php?item=6435] | ||
In the afternoon we went to the southeast border of Styria. In the city of Mureck we visited three companies working together on one site. From 1990 SEEG, Nahwärme and ökoStrom have worked with bioenergy here. Before Nahwärme was set up, the Mureck district was dependent on fossil fuels whereas the surrounding forests were full of "useless" wood. The idea of having a local source for heating developed into today's company which collects wood from surrounding areas and during the winter it burns the material and produces heat for Mureck's schools, municipal buildings, church and 210 households. | In the afternoon we went to the southeast border of Styria. In the city of Mureck we visited three companies working together on one site. From 1990 SEEG, Nahwärme and ökoStrom have worked with bioenergy here. Before Nahwärme was set up, the Mureck district was dependent on fossil fuels whereas the surrounding forests were full of "useless" wood. The idea of having a local source for heating developed into today's company which collects wood from surrounding areas and during the winter it burns the material and produces heat for Mureck's schools, municipal buildings, church and 210 households. | ||
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Because of the lower price of electricity, the companies are not only dependent on subsidies and other new investments must be found. Therefore, there is new PV power plant on the field next to the site. Even more efficient is the idea to build a glasshouse with organic vegetables and PV panels on the roof, which is better subsidized. | Because of the lower price of electricity, the companies are not only dependent on subsidies and other new investments must be found. Therefore, there is new PV power plant on the field next to the site. Even more efficient is the idea to build a glasshouse with organic vegetables and PV panels on the roof, which is better subsidized. | ||
The motto of the company: Nature-Energy-Mureck Region-Peace, aptly expresses its philosophy and the emphasis on local development and self-sufficiency. It may also be caused by the fact that a majority of owners are local farmers. From the presentation of this place, we would highlight the complexity of the bioenergy cycle and the best technologies available. | The motto of the company: Nature-Energy-Mureck Region-Peace, aptly expresses its philosophy and the emphasis on local development and self-sufficiency <ref>http://www.seeg.at/</ref>. It may also be caused by the fact that a majority of owners are local farmers. From the presentation of this place, we would highlight the complexity of the bioenergy cycle and the best technologies available <ref>http://www.bdi-bioenergy.com/</ref>. | ||
[[File:Bioenergy_Cycle.jpg]] | [[File:Bioenergy_Cycle.jpg]] | ||
Img 3: Mureck Energy Cycle | Img 3: Mureck Energy Cycle, Source: [http://www.seeg.at/en/index.php Bio-energy Mureck brochure] | ||
[http://www.seeg.at/en/index.php Bio-energy Mureck brochure] | |||
'''BIODIESEL''' | '''BIODIESEL''' | ||
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- More at: | - More at: [http://www.berkeleybiodiesel.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biodiesel.html Berkeley biodiesel], [http://kfch.upce.cz/htmls/vedecka_cinnost_bionafta.htm Bionafta] | ||
http://www.berkeleybiodiesel.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-biodiesel.html | |||
http://kfch.upce.cz/htmls/vedecka_cinnost_bionafta.htm | |||
'''BIOMASS''' | '''BIOMASS''' | ||
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- More at: http://www.ianswer4u.com/2012/02/biomass-energy-advantages-and.html#axzz2ec18o6tQ | - More at: [http://www.ianswer4u.com/2012/02/biomass-energy-advantages-and.html#axzz2ec18o6tQ ianswer4u.com] | ||
'''CRITIQUE''' | '''CRITIQUE''' | ||
The first negative thing about alternative fuels such as biodiesel and biomass is the need of a large initial investment, which could be a problem for the expansion of the technology to poorer countries or regions. Therefore, there is a big need for state subsidies, but as we know, they aren’t inexhaustible and infinite. There is also a big risk that the resulting income will be much lower than the expected income due to changing market prices over time. As our guide mentioned, there is also a problem with sufficient capacity in the region needed to grow rapeseed, therefore we don’t understand why the photovoltaic panels have been built mainly on the (arable?) ground. We think that the company should, for example, try to use available space on roofs to reduce the built-on area. Also, the resources needed for the production of biodiesel are more and more limited, which leads to growth in prices of the resources and which naturally also leads to growth in the price of biodiesel. This process then disadvantages smaller manufacturers. We could of course find many other controversial aspects. | The first negative thing about alternative fuels such as biodiesel and biomass is the need of a large initial investment, which could be a problem for the expansion of the technology to poorer countries or regions. Therefore, there is a big need for state subsidies, but as we know, they aren’t inexhaustible and infinite. There is also a big risk that the resulting income will be much lower than the expected income due to changing market prices over time. As our guide mentioned, there is also a problem with sufficient capacity in the region needed to grow rapeseed, therefore we don’t understand why the photovoltaic panels have been built mainly on the (arable?) ground. We think that the company should, for example, try to use available space on roofs to reduce the built-on area. Also, the resources needed for the production of biodiesel are more and more limited, which leads to growth in prices of the resources and which naturally also leads to growth in the price of biodiesel. This process then disadvantages smaller manufacturers. We could of course find many other controversial aspects. | ||
[[File:bioplynkaCZ.jpg]] | [[File:bioplynkaCZ.jpg]] | ||
Img 4: Number and distribution of biogas plants. | Img 4: Number and distribution of biogas plants. [http://biom.cz/cz/produkty-a-sluzby/bioplynove-stanice BIOM] | ||
The situation in Czech is not so bad. Even though the topic of green energy is not very popular in politics, according to the Biom’s map there are quite many biogas stations around the country. A positive fact is certainly that the majority of them is small-scaled so that they can use less material only from nearer distance. Furthermore Greg mentioned in his book ''Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy'' <ref>http://books.google.cz/books?hl=cs&id=gJIyU-DWYPoC&q=had+the+largest#v=snippet&q=had%20the%20largest&f=false</ref> that Czech “had the largest number of biodiesel production plants in the world” among only three had high production capacity . For our work is interesting that the biodiesel industry came here from better developed Austria and adopted the model of small farmers’ cooperatives. | |||
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== Second Assignment == | |||
Eisenerz, an old mining town in the center of the country, is situated in the middle of the mountains, which means that it is quite isolated and on the periphery. From the presentation about a historical evolution of the town and current situation, which led Mr. Gerfried Tiffner, was obvious that most mining towns challenge similar problems. Rich iron ore was found in Eisenerz and later on this was followed by an “iron rush”. Due to the rich iron ore it was possible to quarry in the open cast mines. This process developed into today’s face of Eisenerz with its dominating Ore Mountain. But the change is not the only one caused by mining. | |||
During the “iron rush” in the middle of 20th century many people came here to work so that the population grew to 18 000 inhabitants. Later mining, hand in hand with employment opportunities, fell away, which caused unemployment and a huge outflow of people – today’s population is less than 6 000 and there are many abandoned houses. Therefore, the town had to deal with an aging population, unemployment and social changes. In the Czech Republic, there are also towns with a similar history; from really historical mining sites such as Příbram or Kutná Hora to present-day towns in the northwest of the country, such as Sokolov, Most or Chomutov. | |||
Mr. Tiffner focused in his presentation on the social aspects of mining cities. He spoke about the reemergence of a traditional mining culture and its encouragement by local authorities. Traditional culture, present in the town during the last century, was lost after the fall of mining and was replaced by many social problems – the loss of traditional customs and lifestyle, [weakened connection with the surrounding, negative psychological impact – as a result many people decided to move. Local authorities observed the trend: bad English] and started to work on a new identity of the town and its inhabitants in order to attract young people but also to build a relationship between the people and the place they live. | |||
From our own experience, Czech historical mining towns preserve the glory of a bygone era with traditional celebrations, mining museums and overall presentations (such as in Příbram or Kutná Hora). Conversely, towns with a young mining history are rather ashamed of their history and public opinion changes very slowly. On one side, destroyed regions are recultivated at great cost so that the mining companies compensate for the damage of nature resources <ref>http://www.cbks.cz/sbornikRackova03/sections/common/Vrablikova.pdf</ref>. The recultivation of landscape has given rise to lakes, race courses or new green spaces. Even though mining companies during recultivation pay attention to diversity <ref>http://www.suas.cz/uploads/110170487247b2c8037de4b_07162_brozura_eko_su_mail.pdf</ref>, there are areas without a functional ecosystem, the water ecosystem is still insufficiently restored and there is unused land due to the bad economic situation of region. <ref>http://fzp.ujep.cz/projekty/wd-44-07-1/dokumenty/aktivity/WD-44-07-1_A413.pdf</ref> What wasn't involved in the effort and which was highlighted by Mr. Tiffner was the social aspect and belonging. <ref>http://fzp.ujep.cz/projekty/wd-44-07-1/dokumenty/KNIHA_Revitalizace_II_cast.pdf</ref> The industry in the region is mostly oriented toward mining, situated in centers, and middle and small-scale enterprises are missing. In comparison with Eisenerz's population, there are fewer middle aged people and education is neglected (high rate of uneducated or people with basic education only). What is well known is the fact that there is higher criminality in the region. <ref>http://fzp.ujep.cz/projekty/wd-44-07-1/dokumenty/aktivity/WD-44-07-1_A413.pdf</ref> | |||
These days the debate about the mining limits is a hot topic – there are two reasons why the whole of the Czech Republic is interested in the limits on mining. At the end of the August the Chamber of Deputies dissolved itself because the deputies voted against the Government in a confidence motion <ref>http://www.psp.cz/sqw/cms.sqw?z=5827</ref>. A date for new elections was also set: 25th – 26th October 2013. So we can definitely see the fight between the left wing and the right wing for the voters. The left wing - mostly represented in the Czech Republic by the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and the Czech Social Democratic Party - is trying to gain new voters by promising greater social security. One of these is higher employment. If mining in Northern Bohemia stops, the number of unemployed will visibly rise. | |||
The situation in Northern Bohemia is enshrined in legislation by the “Territorial limits of the mining of the brown coal in Northern Bohemia” which were adopted in 1991 <ref>http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Azemn%C3%AD_limity_t%C4%9B%C5%BEby_hn%C4%9Bd%C3%A9ho_uhl%C3%AD_v_severn%C3%ADch_%C4%8Cech%C3%A1ch</ref>. Now, the whole discussion about “breaking the limits” is also influenced by the situation in Northern Moravia, where the “Paskov” black coal mine is slated to close in 2014. In fact, changing the limits could be achieved by the newly elected government, but academics have already published an opinion that breaking the limits is not necessary and the social situation could be resolved by supporting other types of business that do not damage the environment, as well as human health <ref>http://usti.idnes.cz/neprolamujte-limity-0rp-/usti-zpravy.aspx?c=A130926_1981700_usti-zpravy_hrk</ref>. | |||
In connection with mining is always the question arises and it is: how to effectively restore territory,which was damaged by the mining? Since 1992, the mining companies in the Czech republic are obliged to restore place, which are mined by them. This proces is called restoration. How does it work? Even before restoration work must be clear, how the landscape will be used in the future. It is usually decided in collaboration with planning, municipalities, public authorities, but also with the general public precisely by the legal procedure. Most of the restoration projects has two main phases: | |||
1) In the first (technical) part, it is necessary to remove the damaged remains of the greenery and the top layer of soil. Greenery will be returned after completion of shaping the landscape. It is also necessary to solve the question of effective drainage of the area and utilities. | |||
2) The second (biological) part then includes the returning of the green. | |||
But there are scientist, who claimed that restoration in many cases damage the environment even further, so the result is the opposite. <ref>http://www.bc.cas.cz/zajimavosti.php?vedci-rekultivace-lomu-casto-poskozuji-prirodu</ref>. So where is the truth? In fact the problem is that although there is a law for mining companies that they have to restore the mined place, there isn't any law which would say that the mining company have to choose the most efficient restoration. So most of the companies choose the cheapest way, which isn't usually the best one. This leads to cases, in which is the enviroment being damaged even more. The successful restoration means a deep research of the place, which needs to be restored, in which will be involved experts from various fields. And then rational decisions about how best to restore the landscape with regards to the future development of the region (not only ecological but also economic and social). And that is the main problem of the Czech republic | |||
==References== | |||
<references/> | |||