Whole Foods Criticized in Resignation Letter

SpiroFlo shares some brief commentary on a long resignation letter sent by a disgruntled Whole Foods employee.

A lot of people like Whole Foods—their commitment to natural/organic produce, local communities and the environment—but a resignation letter from a now ex-employee is looking to burst the bubble.

To start with, the letter is long, really long, and not that all that interesting. Most people aren’t surprised that a supermarket chain has some easily criticized practices in at least some of their 300+ stores. The big problem is that “healthier” stores like Whole Foods—much like the green industry—can use the “we care” aspect to capture a more conscientious crowd while not really doing anything different. While most people are not fooled by this marketing magic, they might not be aware of just how similar to an everyday grocery store Whole Foods really is. According to the writer, they’re “a faux hippy Wal-Mart.”

A “faux hippy Wal-Mart”? Yeah, I guess I can see that in the lettering…

Now let’s be honest: Resignation letters sent to the whole (pun!) company are designed to go public, and they don’t go viral without a level of dirt digging. Thus this letter has—surprise!—extensive criticisms of their “we care” practices and a number of name redacted personal insults.

Apparently it’s not enough to leave a job that didn’t work out, griping to your friends who will, in turn, not shop there anymore. Nah, you’ve got to make it a public gripe that, while it will fizzle quickly in the blink of a closed internet tab, still gets taken as credible from someone who may just be bitter.

These claims (along with follow-up articles) got propelled along by Gawker, the super classy folks who feature things like stolen celebrity sex tapes. All this is to say, while much of it is likely true, take it with a grain of salt (organic or otherwise).

Personally, I was never up for paying nearly ten bucks for eggs anyway.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

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More Honesty From Airplane Pilots

SpiroFlo shares some pilot confessions on how long your flight really takes, the truth on turning off your electronics during takeoff and landing, and where pilots can use their in-flight (licensed) guns.  

A while back I commented on one of the ways airlines lie to us.

“We’ll make it up in the air” is a bogus phrase because of how little time they can make up vs. how much fuel they’ll waste, yet you often still land on time. How so? Because airlines lie about how long flights actually take. This happens partly because a) moving multiple people naturally involves contingency; and b) if said people knew about said contingency, there’d be a pile of gripes

I’ve got a friend who’s a pilot. This friend texts from the plane. While in flight.

At first I thought, “Shouldn’t you be watching the road, or uh, the sky in front of you?” According to him, with so much of plane travel being automated, he could stare at the console the whole time and likely still take off and land safely.

That bit about turning off your electronics during takeoff and landing? My pilot friend thinks it’ll go away soon, as all they really get is a bit of hum over the equipment. He’s legally allowed to keep a gun in the cockpit, too, but only there and only on his plane. A pilot recently lost his license because he came out if the cockpit, gun brandished, and tried to commit a citizen’s arrest. The belligerent passenger called him on it, and as the pilot’s authority stopped at the locked door at the front of the plane, he’d overstepped the limit of where and how he could use that weapon.

Maybe you’re like me where you wonder what would happen if a pilot was placed in the unfortunate position where he had to fire on someone trying to get into the cockpit. I know they’d be half-deaf firing that thing in such a small space, but what if they miss and the bullet strikes the plane? I’ve seen action movies where someone gets sucked out of that teeny depressurized hole.

Apparently it doesn’t work that way either. You can cover the hole up and will be fine until landing. A towel will probably do (hope they don’t hit the window or a passenger).

Now action movies aren’t accurate? Maybe cool guys do look at explosions.

Well, here’s what I planned to write about in this blog: Recently I was on a business trip—an early flight from the Midwest. De-icing (where they spray chemicals all over the plane to remove/prevent freezing) was a gimme.

That day I got a pilot who was publicly honest over the intercom: “We’re going to turn off the air because the de-icing fluid smells bad,” he said. “You can try fiddling with your air port above you if you really want to, but it still won’t work.”

He then went on to say, “We will land on time.” I waited for the lie about making time up in the air, but instead this pilot said, “We’ve got three hours and 20 minutes allocated for flight time, but it only takes two hours, five minutes, so we’ll be fine.” It’s the first public acknowledgement I’ve ever heard of that.

Unfortunately, he did not explain the airlines’ obsession with peanuts. Some secrets just go too deep.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

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The Flaws of Obama’s Energy Security Trust

Vortex Tools looks at a recent infographic release from the White House on the Energy Security Trust and explains why it makes a flawed boast.

So the White House recently released this infographic explaining the perks of the Energy Security Trust:

There’s a lot that sounds good here—no extra costs, more clean energy, and supporting American jobs, research and innovation—but there’s an obvious burning question that this style of marketing often misses: If this $2 billion revenue is from profitable oil and gas companies, and it’s used to “shift our vehicles off oil for good,” why would the oil and gas industry support it? Natural gas isn’t enough (as an industry that has yet to recover), and anyone in oil and gas just assumes it’d be next on the chopping block anyway.

If I looked at Bill Gates and said, “I want to take some of your profits and use them to invest in companies that will shift computer use away from PCs for good” I’d expect him to look at me and say, “Um… no.” So when I see this type of stick it to ‘em marketing, I just assume that there’s something dishonest going on. While I’ve run across some in-depth rebuttals already, the short version is this:

• The oil and gas industry is only giving what they have to, by royalties and fees paid to the government for using federal land.
• While there is no increase in the budget for this program, these funds could be used to pay down the deficit.
• These types of subsidies already exist… and many would argue that they already don’t work. I spoke to a guy who got out of solar recently. He said, “We’re all playing a game of last man standing, waiting for the subsidies to stop so that we can cash in after many solar companies crash. The only way to make money as a small, innovative company is to get acquired by the big energy companies, because they’re the ones with the funds to last to the end.” Who are the big energy companies? They’re the ones who’re tied to the oil and gas industry, either directly or indirectly, so you’re just pouring in money to delay the inevitable and still have the guys you don’t like make a profit (if that’s your bent).
• While there’s duplicity for subsidies, not surprisingly, none of the Energy Security Trust is going towards oil and gas expansion in the U.S.

Of course I hope that the Energy Security Trust increases jobs, innovation and clean energy, but when I see flawed tactics covered by iffy marketing, I’m not expecting much.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

Rising Water Costs Explained

SpiroFlo looks at how drought conditions are shaping water utility pricing and why some of these increasing costs are necessary.

Last time, I covered how Colorado has officially moved deeper into its drought, hitting the stage two level (meaning forced water restrictions as opposed to mere suggestions). In recently attending a Q & A with Denver Water CEO, Jim Lochhead, one of the main topics that came up was how they’re reacting to drought conditions. After hearing his comments, I have to say that while Denver Water isn’t government run, when I look at some of their pricing tactics, it feels like it is. Here’s what I mean:

Denver Water is aiming to reduce water use in Colorado by 20% in 2013. With the stage two drought limitations, this seems like a fair goal. However, on May 1^st of this year, Denver Water will assign people a “drought charge” – a fee assigned to cover their reduced revenue from customers’ reduced water use… which Denver Water is enforcing with their rules and fines.

I don’t think this is completely unfair—given that there is actually less water to use with the drought, and it needs to be aggressively conserved—but Denver Water’s customer fees went up in 2010, too. They didn’t go up then because of a drought; they went up because 2009 was such a wet year and people didn’t use enough water.

So in the end, if you don’t use enough water because of good water conditions, you get charged more, and if you aren’t allowed to use water because of drought conditions, you get charged more. Admittedly, this feels like any old company that charges its customers more because they’re not making enough, but there are some differences. First off, people need clean water and someone has to treat it. Every utility has fixed costs: the base level pieces that are required to maintain any business at all. For Denver Water, these fixed costs include maintenance of pipelines, infrastructure and the overall system—you know, the parts necessary to treat and deliver clean water. According to Lochhead, as Denver Water does a decent job of keeping their fixed costs down—which make up 20-30% of their costs, as opposed to the 40% average for other utilities—only 4% of the customer’s rate is made up of these fixed costs.

Inevitably, there is that awkward conflict where Denver Water is providing a need (with fees that are at least somewhat regulated on the state level), yet, like any business, they’re trying to make a profit. Considering 2012 and 2013 will stack up as the two worst consecutive water years in Colorado history—and Denver Water is slated to lose $50 million in 2013 alone—water utilities are not in an enviable position.

That said, should water utilities simply feel the pains and costs of slower years like any other business, or with the need of clean water on the line, are they allowed to? If their provision of a need doesn’t allow them to face the pains of drought years, should they be allowed to reap the rewards of good water years? However it goes, I’m not sure you can argue that a different company could do a better job without being allowed to have a successful business model.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

Colorado Hits Stage Two Drought

SpiroFlo covers the impact of the 2012-2013 Colorado drought and how water utilities are responding.

With 2012 and 2013 slated to be the two worst Colorado drought years on record, Denver Water has declared a stage two drought.

I’m going to assume the term ‘stage two drought’ doesn’t magically fill your mind with water restriction information, so let me break it down a little: Basically, as a water utility — in this case: Denver Water — declares a higher level of drought, the more restrictions (fines and flow limits) there are. Stage one is “We’re asking nicely for you to limit your own water use”; stage two is the start of “We’re done asking. Here’s what you have to do.”

From Denver Water:

• Stage 1 Drought: A Stage 1 drought will alert customers that water supplies are below average and continued dry weather could lead to a Stage 2 drought declaration. Stage 1 calls for customers to voluntarily reduce water use.
• Stage 2 Drought: A Stage 2 drought imposes mandatory water use restrictions and requires a significant effort on the part of customers. Stage 2 water use restrictions will appear in the Operating Rules. A surcharge program may be used to support water use restrictions and help reduce customer water use. Customers who violate Stage 2 drought restrictions will be subject to increasing penalties, including the possibility of a flow restrictor or suspension of water service.

As this is the worst Colorado drought on record (and overall, 2012 was both the hottest year on record and it made the top 10 worst U.S. droughts), Denver Water hasn’t yet reached stages three and four, but they do exist:

• Stage 3 Drought: A Stage 3 drought imposes mandatory water restrictions on Denver Water’s customers. Stage 3 drought restrictions are severe and will probably result in significant damage to or loss of landscapes. Customers who violate Stage 3 drought restrictions will be subject to increasing penalties at levels higher than in a Stage 2 drought, including the possibility of a flow restrictor or suspension of water service.
• Stage 4 Drought: A Stage 4 drought activates a rationing program for Denver Water’s customers. Conditions that would lead to a Stage 4 drought are highly unlikely. However, if conditions warrant, Denver Water may implement a rationing program for an indefinite period of time to ensure, to the extent possible, that there is adequate water for essential uses.

Interestingly enough, there is no limit to the drought stages, so while a stage 42 drought may require an initial 41 stages of catastrophic water shortages, it should also reveal the answer to everything:

In the meantime, many environmentalists see a silver lining in water being more valued during periods of extreme dryness.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

30 Million Locusts Swarm Egypt

SpiroFlo covers how a large swarm of locusts recently descended upon Egypt and how the government, the green crowd and some people of faith have reacted.

Say I mention to you that a monstrous swarm of locusts descended upon Egypt. When do you think that happened?

Maybe you’d think Biblical plague, putting it roughly around 1313 BC if you’re using Exodus 10 as the marker, or, if you’ve seen YouTube lately, the answer would be last week.

Nearly 30 million locusts swarmed over Egyptian cities and farms. The current timing of this gets awkward, as the Biblical plague of locusts—when all the crops were destroyed—also occurred right around this time of year (the Passover). As this is the kind of apocalyptic news that can unhinge people—as well as fuel several Weekly World News cover stories—government officials responded: “The current inspection teams at areas targeted by locusts did not witness swarms damaging a single inch of crop.” Egyptian Agricultural Minister Salah Abdel Moamen went on to note that the locusts are “sexually immature and do not depend on plants for energy since they mainly rely on fat stores.”

Ah, so when the locusts hit puberty, that’s when the apocalyptic munchies will commence.

In the meantime, it’s important to note that these locusts’ swarms naturally occur each year as part of their migration pattern. The uneasiness is because this swarm is much larger than usual.

The Atlantic Wire noted:

Conflicting reports aside, Moamen insists that the government has everything under control. “Egyptian armed forces and the border guards are attempting to fight the swarm with the means at their disposal,” the agriculture minister said. “I ask the families living in the locust-plagued areas not to burn tires. This does not chase away the locusts, but only causes damage and could ignite large scale fires that would cost in lives.” Also, that smoke isn’t doing Egypt’s grandchildren any favors. Scientists anticipate that, as global warming worsens, plagues like this will also get worse.

When I hear of armed forces fighting bugs, I immediately think of several sci-fi action/horror movies capped off with giant insects, flamethrowers and unloading fully automatic weaponry (without regard for friendly fire and/or long-term hearing), though I imagine the reality is likely akin to some lackey dual-wielding cans of OFF!® bug spray.

Inevitably, there are multiple ways to view any situation. For those on the John the Baptist survival mode diet—a la Matthew 3:4b: “His food was locusts and wild honey”—this mega swam of locusts looks like the best flying buffet in town. For the rest of you, you can watch the locusts below (without the need to scream and flail your hands above your head):

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

Al Gore Responds to Current TV Sale Controversy

Vortex Tools shares notes on Al Gore’s recent interview with David Letterman.

I recently covered the sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera and how many viewed it as Al Gore getting a big oil payday from selling off a green media company.

While Gore has only granted interviews to shows that are likely to be easier on him, the same questions keep coming up. Whether it’s MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart or this clip from “Late Night with David Letterman,” everyone sees the same problem… except Al Gore.

Now I’ll be honest: The video isn’t all that interesting or heated. Gore has never been Mr. Charisma and late-night TV humor depends on you being half asleep, but it’s notable that Gore keeps getting the same questions (and giving the same answers focusing on Al Jazeera’s commitment to good journalism rather than Qatar’s connections to big oil).

Notes by time (as the video –with its unfortunate branding — will likely be pulled at some point):

• 0:06: Letterman notes that no one could ever find Current TV to watch it.
• 0:13: Gore cites that he wanted Current to be independent news (it wasn’t).
• 0:20: Gore cites all the awards Current won (read: consolation prize for crap ratings).
• 0:45: Letterman notes inherent suspicion over Al Jazeera in the States, asking if it’s “propaganda for Muslims, violence and terrorism.”
• 1:45: Gore jokingly notes he better Google what Al Jazeera means.
• 1:56: Letterman questions the conflict of interest in selling Current to a “foe” of climate change.
• 2:39: Gore laughs off the accusation and refutes the claim.

As long as he stays away from disgruntled ex-Current employees, it looks like Al Gore will be fine.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

Green Leader Al Gore Gets Big Oil Payday

Vortex Tools discusses the sale of Current to Al Jazeera and what people think of Al Gore getting $100 million from an entity with ties to Middle Eastern oil.

When it comes to legitimate creations, former Vice President and green movement face Al Gore was responsible for Current, a media company he launched in 2002 with businessman Joel Hyatt. Their goal was to provide independent news for the 18-34 demographic. Of course, independent news goes out the window as soon as money and ratings are involved, and by the end, Current had little credibility in that area.

What Current was known for was short-lived partnerships, entertainment shows that drew more interest than their (sorta) objective news shows, a painful 2009 (financial issues and two of their journalists – later pardoned – each sentenced to 12 years hard labor for entering North Korea illegally), major format changes in 2011-2012, and, in general, not getting much traction with any of it. Keith Olbermann, freshly booted from MSNBC for the controversy surrounding his donations to Democratic congressional candidates, came on board in 2011, but was fired a year later. Gore and Olbermann sued each other while New York Attorney General / Governor / hooker aficionado Elliot Spitzer replaced Olbermann’s show.

And then, as of January 2^nd, 2013, Current was sold to Al Jazeera for $500 million.

Yeah, the Al Jazeera that, up until 2011, was owned by the government of Qatar—a large oil player. Al Jazeera has also had its fair share of worldwide criticism and controversies, as well as having to deal with attacks and censorship.

Gore’s take of the Current sale was $100 million (before taxes), bringing his personal fortune up to $300 million. As others have noted, this means that Al Gore is richer than 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney—a guy grilled for being out of touch with the average American thanks to his personal fortune of $230 million. By way of comparison, pre-green Al Gore—in 2000: the year he lost the presidential election—was worth $2 million.

Reaction from Current staff members was, well… cover your kids’ ears:

On Al Gore not showing up to the press conference announcing the sale:

“Of course Al didn’t show up,” said one high placed Current staffer. “He has no credibility. He’s supposed to be the face of clean energy and just sold [the channel] to very big oil, the emir of Qatar! Current never even took big oil advertising—and Al Gore, that bulls***ter sells to the emir?”

And later:

“We all know now that Al Gore is nothing but a bulls***ter,” said the staffer bluntly.

We do stories on the tax code, and he sells the network before the tax code kicked in?

“Al was always lecturing us about green. He kept his word about green all right—as in cold, hard cash!”

(Although both sides tried to get the deal done before the end of 2012, the sale officially went through in early January, with higher taxes in place. Regardless, the green cash joke is an easy one to make.)

Granted the quotes are (not surprisingly) anonymous and promoted mostly on the conservative side of the web, but the sentiments still seem accurate. Even CNN’s Howard Kurtz noted that “there is something unsettling about Gore making off with such a big payday from a government-subsidized channel after making such bad television.”

Since that time, Al Gore has spent some of his earnings on Apple stock. As for Current, Time Warner Cable has already dropped the channel from its lineup for low ratings and an exodus of staff continues. Time Warner has stated that they would be open to Al Jazeera America if it makes sense for their viewers.

In the meantime, let the Al Gorezeera jokes roll.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

E15 Fuel Voids Car Warranties

Vortex Tools looks at AAA and car companies’ concerns over E15 fuel.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) has come out against E15 fuel as it could damage your car engine if your car model is older than 2012. So what is E15 and how does it differ from what we currently have?

Clearly this is an older pic (those gas prices are low — even for now)

E15 is a 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline blend and can be used in your car or truck, but not in all those off-road vehicles, lawnmowers and chainsaws you left lying around. (This is not to be confused with E85: an 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline blend that is for use in flex-fuel vehicles.) Although E15 has only been allowed for use since 2010, E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) has been around for 30+ years and now makes up 90% of the U.S. gasoline market. Approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), E15 is only sold at 10 gas stations in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, but obviously the ethanol market hopes this will grow.

Alongside AAA, car manufacturers disagree (at least for now). Near the end of 2012, five car companies—BMW, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen—stated they would not cover any E15-related damage claim. Here in early 2013, it’s now up to 10 (including Ford, Honda and Mercedes-Benz). Worse than that, some of those car companies have now stated that E15 will void your warranty.

In a recent interview, Lauren Fix “The Car Coach” stated, “The problem is: there wasn’t a lot of testing done.”

Well, that’s actually not true. E15 is the most tested fuel in EPA history and they’ve stated that there’s no difference between E10 and E15. According to Fix, however, “There’s all kinds of damage to emissions systems, fuel systems, and engines.” She also notes that E15 is corrosive to gaskets.

Along with AAA and several car companies, this is not a unique opinion. So if E15 was tested extensively by the EPA, how did they miss this?

According to AAA, the EPA’s “research focused primarily on exhaust emissions and associated components such as catalytic converters. While this research was consistent with the EPA’s mission, it never fully examined whether E15 might damage engines and fuel systems.”

This doesn’t mean the EPA didn’t do their job. It means that E15 hasn’t been around long enough for the major flaws to start showing up (that this many flaws have shown up this early is alarming). It’s the same reason I don’t own a hybrid car – there isn’t enough data on the true cost of maintenance over the car’s lifespan yet.

AAA wants to make it clear they’re not opposed to ethanol though: “AAA believes that ethanol-blended fuels have the potential to save Americans money and reduce the nation’s dependency on fossil fuels. The problem is that available research, including the EPA’s exhaust emissions tests, is not sufficient evidence that E15 is safe to use in most vehicles.”

I can see them wanting to take the neutral approach, but I’ll state that there are plenty of problems with ethanol. Although it’s better for the environment than gasoline, at least when it comes to how mainstream cars are currently made, ethanol is not as fuel-efficient, so even if you pay the same price at the pump, you’re filling up more, and this is before you get into damaged engines and voided warranties…

Additionally, corn ethanol is not nearly as efficient as other ethanol processes (like Brazil’s sugar ethanol), and the standard for U.S. corn ethanol production remains above what can actually be created. There are also issues with how subsidies shape the industry, as well as how few places can use the extensive amount of water used to create corn ethanol.

Finally, corn ethanol detractors have their own share of misinformation. The oft-cited ‘food or fuel’ debate (basically: food costs more because we’re using our crop spaces for ethanol) is inaccurate, as the two don’t directly compete. If corn ethanol is to blame for rising fuel prices, it’s way, way behind a lot of the other contributing factors.

Here’s what we do know: E15 could well be the future of cars, but it’s too harmful and unproven in the present. The fact that it’s sold without these warnings (even minimally) is unfair to car owners who don’t know any better. Thus far, car companies seem unwilling to move towards E15 – especially as it forces them to make parts to deal with the corrosive nature of ethanol – but you know how a government mandate can change things.

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »

Natural Gas Flare Sounds Like a Jet Engine

Vortex Tools shares a video of a natural gas flare in North Dakota.

One of our key U.S. oil & gas markets is the Bakken field in North Dakota where, currently, they’re burning off (or flaring) 30% of their natural gas. In the aftermath of the 2012 election, flaring will be regulated down in the upcoming years. As Vortex Tools has a solution that increases and captures the natural gas liquids energy entrained in the gas, the flare burns smaller and cleaner, allowing oil & gas producers to increase their profits while remaining in compliance with environmental regulations.

This brief video, taken by one of our partners in North Dakota, captures the jet engine sound coming from the flare (without Vortex):

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Colin McKay Miller is the VP of Marketing for the SpiroFlo Holdings group of companies:

-SpiroFlo for residential hot water savings (delivered 35% faster with up to a 5% volume savings on every hot water outlet in the home) and industrial water purification (biofilm removal).

-Vortex Tools for extending the life of oil and gas wells (recovering up to 10 times more NGLs, reducing flowback startup times, replacing VRUs, eliminating paraffin and freezing in winter, etc.).

-Ecotech for cost-effective non-thermal drying (for biosolids, sugar beets, etc.) and safe movement of materials (including potash and soda ash).

Read Full Post »