We are going to start this increased and improved communication process by using our Ecolonomic Life Blog, and as time goes on we will be adding other media as additional communication tools (podcasts, webinars, subscriber based research sites, etc.).  There will be new information avaiable here and in other places almost daily, so please check here often.  We want to make sure we are adding value to your lives as we continue our efforts.

What about the Endings?  Well we are ending our drought of inconsistent communication for one.  We are also ending our silence about some of the really exciting projects we have been pursuing for the last couple of years. 

So lets get to it.  What are we up to here at IOE?  Well, we are working hard to establish ourselves as a private non-profit research and ecolonomic development business that can assist many entrepeneurs suscessfully launch and build their businesses that will improve the planet.  How are we doing that?  For one thing, we have developed some world class incubation locations here in Northern Colorado.  Today I am going to begin to introduce one of those campus facilities - the Campion Warehouse.

The Campion Warehouse is located on the South side of the city of Loveland, CO, which is about 45 minutes north of Denver at the base of the Rockies and just east of Rocky Mountain National Park.  This facility is 5000 square feet in size with about 1000 square feet of offices and conference room facilities, and 4000 square feet of an indoor laboratory. IOE uses the office area for our corporate headquarters offices which is shared with Mountain Sky Group, LLC.  The pictures below show some of the office and conference areas in the Campion Warehouse. Oh yes, there are three of our really key people in these pictures – Melissa Morris our unblievable Office Manager and my Personal Assistant, Paul Golden our most recent addition who just received his Masters in Engineering from Stanford, and Matt DeMassino who is our lead aquatic biologist.

Melissa in our Reception Area

In the laboratory we are doing cutting edge research on indoor sustainable agriculture technologies.  Currently we are working with aquaculture, aquaponics, coral culture, seed germination in alternative systems, low energy lighting alternatives, vericulture and innovative water treatment technologies.  We conduct ongoing experiments using acceptable and reproducible scientific methods. Dr. Wayne Dorband, IOE President, directs this research activity that is managed daily by a group of five scientists and our associated construction group.  At this point we are conducting the following specific experiments as well as others at the Campion Warehouse:

• Effects of worm additions to substrate based aquaponic systems (System 1).
• Efficacy of fish species polyculture  in small scale commercial recirculating aquaculture systems (Systems 1-4).
• Feasibility of rotating bed hydroponic plant production for commercial systems (System 9).
• Indoor aquaponic plant production using low energy alternative lighting (Systems 1-9).
• Potential for using aquaponics as a filtration source for home aquarioum systems (System 8).
• Potential of culturing South American Pacu in relatively low temperature environments (Aqua System).

As the results of these experiments are obtained, we will briefly describe them here in this format, and we will be publishing more formal scientific reports detailing the experimental outcomes.  We have been conducting research in the Campion Warehouse for almost three years, and we have conducted close to fifty different experiments like the ones described above during that time.  Again, we will be describing results of those efforts through our future reports. In the pictures that follow you will get a glimpse of some of the current systems (see the experiment descriptions above)  that we have here at the Campion Warehouse. We will be providing more detailed photos in future posts.

System 1 at Campion Warehouse. 300 gal. fish tank with trout and tilapia. Flood and Drain Aquaponics.

System 8 at Campion Warehouse. Raft aquaponics with minimal bacteriological surface area and T12 flourescent lighting.

System 9 at the Campion Warehouse. A Volksgarden rotating culture system from our partners in Canada.

System 3 at the Campion Warehouse. Flood and drain, with sump and fish tank above.

We feel we have a large obligation to the planet right now in this critical time in history.  We know that many are probably doing more than we are, but we are trying to do the best that we can.  We look forward to sharing what we learn with you and hope you can appreciate what we are doing. Please comment on our reports and give us experiences of your own.  Till next time.

There are many different plants that can be used to create fuel. One of the most common is corn which creates ethanol. Sugar cane and palm trees are also used. These plants are can’t make over 650 gallons of fuel per acre of production, where as algae can make 2,000 gallons per acre. Algae are able to take amble amounts of carbon dioxide and turn it into lipids which can be used to create biofuel. Exxon is partnering with a company that studies the genes of plant life and discovers ways to create alternative fuel. They have found a way to make algae take in more carbon dioxide. This will not only allow the algae to produce more fuel, but it will also be able to help with carbon emissions which is another hope of Exxon. They would like to be able to start algae farms near industries that produce a lot of carbon dioxide so as to reduce the amount of carbon that is emitted into the atmosphere.

These ideas are just formulations caused by the new standards that the Obama administration is putting into play. This is one of the many steps that are being taken to curb the impact of climate change. I believe that algae would be a great alternative fuel. I know from experience that it can grow in almost any water (fresh or salted) and it is not a product that is farmed immensely for other reasons (like food). Corn is such a substantial food in other countries that a mass use of it for biofuels could create a shortage of corn for food, not necessarily in the United States, but in third world countries. By using a plant that can grow quickly, can be grown wherever there is water, and is not used much in any other industries; we may just have ourselves a fine alternative fuel. Do you think so?

A solution to this problem has been in the formulating stages for a long time. Electric cars were the first to really be pushed out the door and into the market. All you have to do is plug your car in and let it charge for a while. Too bad those vehicles don’t hold a charge for very long. Now, there are electric cars run by hydrogen fuel. They are very eco-friendly because they do not let off any emissions, but they certainly aren’t economically friendly.

In an article from the Environmental News Network, I read about the 2009 Hydrogen Road Rally. A dozen or so hydrogen powered vehicles drove up California to Vancouver. This event may not seem that special, but the significance is grand for the future of hydrogen cars. You may not know it but IOE was the organizer and sponsor of the first alternative fuel vehicle rally, “The Drive to Survive,” that went across the country in 2003.
Currently, one hydrogen powered car would cost $500,000. That is extremely expensive, but if the cars were able to be mass produced, the cost would drop down to that of new cars on the market now.

So, why don’t they mass produce these vehicles? Just like any other car, hydrogen cars need fuel. You may not notice this, but at the gas station, there is no pump for hydrogen fuel. That was a big deal with this Hydrogen Rally. British Columbia, Canada, currently has a couple hydrogen fuel stations and they are planning on putting in a few more. This rally was in the hopes of getting a “hydrogen highway” through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. This highway would have fuel stations all along it so that people with hydrogen cars could drive from Baja, California to Vancouver, Canada.

This is the beginning of something big. Before you know it, we all will be driving hydrogen powered cars. Until then though, I would like to hear your thoughts on this new type of car.

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