Greenheart Initiative For "Zero-Emissions" Small Cargo Ships

I just want to promote a really good idea that some people are working on: they call it Greenheart, a way to "bring economic resilience to marginalized coastal communities around the world while combating the pollution of the shipping industry by putting a ship in the hands of the community thus eliminating the need to depend on polluting port towns and middle men who drive up prices for goods."

It is all about shipping. In a better way. Well, best of luck to them!

Jen over at Ten Thousand Things says:

...we are working hard to launch our first zero-emissions, environmentally low-impact, solar/sail container-ready ship for a global pilot voyage in 2013. To this effect, we have kickstarted our first major grassroots campaign here:

http://www.indiegogo.com/greenheart

We have an ambitious goal of $120,000 and we need to get the word out.

The Greenheart idea is to create a new type of low-cost, zero-emissions small cargo ships that use environmentally clean and sustainable sail and solar power, to provide needy coastal communities around the world with an affordable means of transport. Such ships can help impoverished coastal and island regions improve their standards of living, while preserving their traditions and protecting the environment. In addition, they will use the publicity generated by such an inspiring enterprise, to promote Fair Trade, renewable energy and international cooperation.

Frankly I have doubts about the "sail and sun" option as I think they ought to have a strong backup engine on board in case something goes seriously wrong on a long journey. And things often do, out at sea! But any attempt to reduce the ships' dependency on diesel fuel will be helpful. Discussion will be heated, no doubt! Current open design options are updated here.

Comments

Ἀντισθένης said…
Well it was all sail at one time! Too bad the attrition rate of ships, cargo and sailors was a significant part of the cost of product...
11:12 pm, September 09, 2012
Jen said…
Forgive me if I end up posting twice, but for some reason my comment does not appear below. Thank you Martin for spreading the word! I will get someone to respond to you more about the technical aspects of the backup engine, but that is what the solar is for. Take a look at the Tres Hombres ship. They have done over 50,000 nmiles on the wind ONLY. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toJZ6Ou1e2o&feature=player_embeddedtrading
https://www.facebook.com/FAIRTRANSPORT
http://svtreshombres.homestead.com/
3:14 pm, September 10, 2012
Martin J Frid said…
Thanks for the comments, I am all for sail but safety first to avoid mishaps... Tres Hombres looks impressive!
5:49 pm, September 10, 2012
Jen said…
This is a response from our director Pat to your very valid concerns! "The idea of having back-up power is a good one. That's why Gh ships are twice as safe as standard ships in this regard. A Gh ship will have more options. Should the wind lapse, we can run the powerful electric motors off the batteries, whether the sun is shining or not. Almost none of the present fleet - coastal or offshore - has back-up propulsion. If the power plant goes, or if they run out of fuel, they are dead in the water."
9:42 am, September 17, 2012
Martin J Frid said…
Pat and Jen, that suggestion makes a lot of sense! I hope lots of people will get interested in this project. Best of luck!
1:18 pm, September 17, 2012
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War

Image
A unique three-day international conference is being held at Makuhari near Tokyo, a day after the 61st anniversary of the enforcement of Japan's Constitution. It is organized by nongovernmental groups, including Japan-based Peace Boat . Organizers said the meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the significance of the constitutional article that endorses demilitarization and what people can do to promote its spirit, notes The Japan Times . While the constitution stipulates that Japan renounces war as a sovereign right and that it will not maintain land, sea and air forces, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has been keen to make amendments. "The war in Iraq has shown that even the strongest, biggest army in the world can not keep peace in a single city. It proves that aggression never instates peace," Tatsuya Yoshioka, director of Peace Boat and a representative of the event's organizing committee, said during the opening remarks. "Article 9 is a treasu
Read more

マーティンの鵜の目鷹の目 -世界の消費者運動の旅から

Image
  My new book has been published! マーティン・フリッド (著)   世界中の消費者が同じ課題を抱え、悩み、たたかっている。スウェーデンに生まれ、ヨーロッパ、そして日本の消費者運動の現場を歩いてきた著者が、人びとの日常によりそいながら軽妙なユーモアを交えて食、環境、エネルギー、社会のあり方、政治、経済を考えます。   https://nishoren.net/new-information/14177 Consumers all over the world are facing similar problems, worries, and struggles. In this book, the author, who was born in Sweden and has walked the frontlines of consumer movements in Europe and Japan, con
Read more

Salvador Dali, Hiroshima and Okinawa

Image
Spanish artist Salvador Dali was deeply terrified by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , and his exact, detailed style was very much suited to show the horror of the A-bomb, which America tried to keep a secret by classifying photos and descriptions until the end of the occupation of Japan in 1952. The Bureau of Atomic Tourism has more details if you want to know more about the legacy of nuclear weapons in the U.S. Even today, do people understand the real horror of atomic bombs? If not, then, why not ? Dali's paintings are on display in Fukushima prefecture, where you can view Melancholy Atomic and Uranium Idyll and The Three Sphinxes of Bikini at the Morohashi Museum of Modern Art . Long YouTube video from the Nihon University (Nichidai) channel with an interview featuring Morohashi Eiji, the son of the founder of the unique museum, and scenes from the Morohashi Museum (29:20): #271美術館への誘い ダリの世界 Is there a hidden message in Dali's Bikini hydrogen bomb painting
Read more