Teams bidding for glory in Cambridge University Entrepreneurs’ £1k challenge in February are set to unveil game-changing technologies worth billions in potential revenue but carrying the promise of priceless benefits for humanity.

Healthcare and CleanTech are very much to the fore as more than 50 candidates bid for prizes and progress at the CUE showpiece on February 22 at the Wolfson lecture Theatre.

Hot contender OreCell has invented a patent-pending solar cell that can generate electricity cheaper than fossil fuels – and can be on the market straightaway.
            
Another challenger has devised a health monitor that puts a chip into a medicine bottle cap and can be tapped via mobile to ensure patients hit their dosages on time.

Cambridge Stem Cell Systems pitches in with the claim that it will become the major supplier of custom-made human brain neural stem cells and functional neural tissues to academia, biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

Hygenomics will exploit cheap DNA sequencing technology for automated microbial testing – a market worth $3.2bn.

Plays in cost-effective solar power and cheap water battle with e-health and social media ventures in the CUE £1k competition.

Pragmatism screams out of the entry list: Self-Cervix is a safe, home-use cervical smear kit. Using a device similar to a standard tampon, it allows women to take their own cervical cell sample and post it off for both DNA and cytological analysis.

Eighteen million women in the US opt out of cervical screening, citing high costs, discomfort and inconvenience. This product aims to target the market and improve on the competition in terms of user experience and price, cutting front-end expenses with a simple device design.

Plans to diversify into service models, bundled products and the emerging African market will support viable business growth.

CUE co-presidents Jun Chen and Jing Zhang that this year’s awards ceremony (www.cue.org.uk/) promises to present “a banquet of fresh and exhilarating business ideas, including pitches and poster presentations from all entrants of the £1K competition. Up to 10 £1K prizes will be given out during the evening.

“There will also be the chance to network with the CEOs and representatives from ARM, Red Gate Software, Cambridge Angels, Cambridge Enterprise, venture capitalists and CUE mentors.”

To get a taste for what’s in store on the night, feast your eyes on this innovation extravaganza:-

Simple Tax Calculator – For a small business, keeping records of sales and expenses over multiple years is time consuming. SMEs want to focus on their business. The Simple Tax Calculator is an easy to use system that keeps all required information in one place and allows sole traders to keep a running total of their tax liability throughout the year.

Cambridge Stem Cell Systems will become the major supplier of custom-made human brain neural stem cells and functional neural tissues to academia, biotech and pharmaceutical industries. It will provide solutions to establish patient cell-based systems for brain disease modelling and drug screening by 1) generating a collection of patient-derived neural stem cell lines from common neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases, and produce stem cell lines of rare diseases on demand; 2) producing optimized neural stem cell culture reagents and tools to suit the research; 3) providing consulting services to help design patient cell based drug discovery platforms.

HAP.com    – HAP is a free online software for standard-format CV management, storing and browsing. The product provides time-saving CV creation, processing, updating and archiving solutions for applicants and application management and browsing for recruiters. The unique selling point of the
product lies in CV management by means of smart tags making automatic updates into customised versions of a user’s main CV matching the applications requirements for different positions. With English and Polish-speaking jobseekers and recruiters as its target customers, HAP aims at a huge market sector, witness 135 million LinkedIn users alone.

Working In Film.com – The film and TV industries are very competitive and getting yourself noticed is becoming more difficult. Working In Film.com is a networking website for people working in film and TV designed to showcase talent and promote partnerships through geographical aware searching.
Working In Film hosts jobs, events and films and is free to register and create your talent profile.

Sreijan    Mithun, student, Judge Business School – Has invented a new e-health monitor that works through a chip attached to a medicine bottle cap which records each time a bottle opens. Via the patient’s mobile phone, a reminder message is sent to the patient and caregiver. Data will also be transferred to an e-health record system. The technology has potential use in clinical trials to monitor compliance among busy or elderly people or Alzheimer’s sufferers; in e-health record management; to help physicians proactively monitor side effects and modify prescriptions; and for evidence with health insurance companies, who can deny claims to patients who don’t take their medicine.

Wedu – Wedu provides education financing options and mentorship for underprivileged university students with high leadership potential in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), especially girls. It seeks to initiate a positive cycle of building and developing local leadership talent by identifying students committed to working on local issues, helping them to complete university and giving them access to a global network of mentors. When students return to serve their communities they become mentors to other future leaders while repaying the financing received into a revolving fund to serve more students.

Greenol    – Large-scale non-enzymatic production of Bioethanol. A world without abundant and cheap energy is not the future most people imagine, but it is a fact. Bigger and more powerful automobiles, faster air travel, bigger homes, etc. are what most people expect the future to bring. None of these are possible without abundant and cheap oil and natural gas. The first step toward a long term solution is energy conservation. The project would develop a novel strategy to design Bioethanol production plants without the use of expensive enzymatic processes.

TeamThirteen – VirtualGuide. MuseumGuides Inc. (MGI) will completely redefine the museum experience by developing a smartphone app (called VirtualGuide) that will present audio, pictures and videos about the artwork on display. It will not just replace existing audio guides but become a personal guide to the visitor like a human. For visitors, it will provide superior customer service, better functionality, lower costs, better hygiene and souvenir value. Museums will benefit from higher revenue, broader reach, easy update and increased store sales. Becoming the chosen partner for world’s leading museums, MGI will reach a market value of over £150m in less than three years.

Hygenomics – Accurate identification of bacteria is vital for hygiene monitoring. DNA sequencing is the ideal technology for this, as it can distinguish between closely related harmful and harmless germs. Until recently costs have been too high to make sequencing economically feasible. This is changing. Hygenomics will exploit cheap sequencing technology for automated microbial testing, a market worth $3.2bn. Due to its sequencing-based technology, Hygenomics is likely to succeed in areas where accurate test results and avoiding false alarms are essential. Applications include the monitoring of hygiene conditions in food production and in hospitals.

CNSERs – The team has developed a sensing technology to rapidly and accurately analyse the chemical composition of breath. It is looking at incorporating the technology into a handheld test to screen road users under the influence of illegal substances. The technology identifies characteristic signals to unambiguously confirm the presence of a drug in a gas or solution. The team is building a prototype for proof of concept and envisages other applications in the bio-diagnostic industry.

SMARTμCAPS – The billion-dollar global vaccine market is suffering from expensive and inefficient transport and administration of the vaccine antigens. SMARTμCAPS offers an unprecedentedly facile and reliable solution that will revolutionise the market by fabricating uniform microcapsules with customisable functionalities that encapsulate vaccines for better storage, more efficient delivery and easier administration. With its ability to encapsulate a variety of antigens in a single step with stimuli-responsive release and sustained delivery of vaccines, the patent-protected SMARTμCAPS will enjoy sustained competitive advantages over conventional microencapsulation technologies via non-exclusive licensing strategy.

CamPores – Ultracapacitors and pharmaceutical filters underlie very different industries but are the most promising applications of this technology – a method to produce a novel nanoporous material. The manufacturing process is cheap, quick and easily scalable and the pore size can be reliably tuned from 5-100nm with a high degree of uniformity across the substrate. In polymeric form, the substrate has already attracted interest from leading filtration companies. As a porous metal-oxide, it will be a key component of hybrid ultracapacitors, a fast growing industry with applications in grid management and hybrid cars. Other applications include fuel cells and enhanced Lithium-ion batteries.

Memnon Medical – Memnon Medical’s technology transforms the way patient medical records within the UK are stored, transferred and accessed by offering a secure, web-based solution, utilising Cloud computing. Through only a web browser healthcare professionals can maintain a single online record for a patient that can be updated or distributed as a referral at the click of a button. The service’s unique encryption methods, enhanced feature set and simple operation mean that no longer will patients face risks such as medical record loss, prescription duplication and data theft,  posed by current outdated systems still used by most GPs.

TeraWand Systems Limited – Terahertz radiation can be used to identify illicit drugs and explosive substances, which give specific colour signatures when irradiated. This radiation can also pass through soft materials like clothing and paper and, unlike x-rays, is harmless to humans. Handheld terahertz scanners can fill a void in the $130 billion global airport security equipment market by allowing security personnel to easily identify and locate drugs or explosives hidden under clothes or in luggage without invasive methods or sniffer dogs which are potentially unreliable. Such scanners can also find a secondary market in postal facilities for mail screening.

HopSkip    – HopSkip connects people when people want to be connected. HopSkip revolutionises how and when people are able to use their mobile phones. It does this by tunnelling connections through the latent mobile phone network on unused and available radio frequency bands. HopSkip utilises software embedded within the mobile phone to search, identify and connect to other roaming mobile phones until a connection with a network provider is achieved. As long as other mobile phones are in the vicinity and are HopSkip enabled, a connection through the latent mobile network to the real network will be established. This technology extends the coverage of existing networks substantially, allowing phone signals to be transmitted down into the London Underground, into concrete buildings and down alleyways. It also considerably extends the boundaries of existing cell-sites. Digital information literally hops and skips through other users mobile phones.  

TPS Limited – With the development of more advance tablet coatings, there is an urgent need for stricter control over tablet coating thickness and evenness, which can only be achieved with better analytical equipment. Terahertz-based imaging devices have recently been developed for studying pharmaceutical tablet coatings. These devices enable continuous, on-line monitoring of tablet coating thickness during the coating process, and can be fitted to existing manufacturing equipment without modifications. These benefits make them superior to current methods. The team believes these devices will be able to rapidly penetrate the $2.2bn pharmaceutical analytical equipment market.

MALSI TRANSLATOR – MALSI translator is a movement-based translation app for the iPhone Touch that translates your expression directly into five different languages by pre-determined movements. Unlike most voice-input apps it works best in any environment with no background noise. To start translating, you launch the app, choose targeted language and perform the movements that have been pre-determined. MALSI then translates the pre-determined movements into appropriate language, displays the translated text, and then speaks it using a synthesised voice with an included vocabulary of words for travellers in a variety situation, including medical emergencies, restaurant settings or general conversation.

Carbitrage – If you’ve bought a second-hand car in the last five years, you almost certainly will have used one of the many online services such as E-Bay and AutoTrader to find the right car at the right price. You also
probably found that the right car at the right price was located in North
Wales. Carbitrage says it fixes that. Carbitrage is a dealer-to-dealer spatial arbitrage system that generates revenue from the well-known fact that car prices in some areas are lower than others. This provides an arbitrage opportunity that Carbitrage says it can exploit efficiently and at low cost.

EasyFit – online clothes shopping: Do you hesitate when you shop online for clothing that you can’t try on? EasyFit is a web-based tool that uses your own photos to build a virtual representation of yourself that tries on clothing for you, incorporating your precise measurements and general physical features. It also works for accessories such as jewellery and bags. With EasyFit, you will be able to shop online with more certainty that the clothes you buy will fit and know how you look in them. This useful tool improves the shopping experience for retailer and consumer.

Desktop Genetics – Despite its critical role in biotechnology, the methods of making DNA have barely changed in nearly 40 years. Utilising the founder’s years of experience in the biotech industry, Desktop Genetics is developing a revolutionary system for making the DNA that is essential for discovering new medicines and renewable energy sources – the DNA Mini-Bot. The Mini-Bot will be to today’s giant lab robots what desktop inkjet printers are to newspaper presses. After providing a cartridge of supplies, the DNA Mini-Bot will automatically run the complex, repetitive reactions needed, while the user focuses on creative thinking and breakthrough research.

Cedric Deur – There are more than 25,000 students in Cambridge. Every year most of them face the same problem, finding furniture for their accommodation, finding the right textbook for their courses or just sourcing some cheap goods. When they finish their academic year they might not need the belongings anymore but future students will. Their priorities are a cheap price and access to the product right now. This venture opens up a student to student marketplace within the same college – no delivery fees, fast, the chance to see a product before buying it and it is all between students.

Self-Cervix – Self-Cervix is a safe, home-use cervical smear kit. Using a device similar to a standard tampon, it allows women to take their own cervical cell sample and post it off for both DNA and cytological analysis. 18 million women in the US opt out of cervical screening, citing high costs, discomfort and inconvenience. This product aims to target the market and improve on the competition in terms of user experience and price, cutting front-end expenses with a simple device design. Plans to diversify into service models, bundled products and the emerging African market will support viable business growth.

Drop-Tech – Droplets for diagnostics and drug discovery    PDRA (post-doc)    biochemistry. Cancer biomarker screening relies on High Throughput Screening and accurate detection of rare cells. This is currently done with expensive liquid handling robots, using micro-litres of expensive reagents.  Assays in microfluidic droplets require volumes in the range of pico- to nano-litres (over 1,000 times less reagent), but the current method of making droplets only allow for one sample, or at best a random mix of samples, to be tested at a given time. Drop-Tech bridges the microfluidic and single cell screening markets with an automated droplet-based screening system, paving the way towards personalised medicine applications.

Old Bond – student zoology. The team is a startup offering the world’s first spinning animated ads on bicycle wheels; a real breakthrough in outdoor advertising. Being environmentally friendly, we will use an innovative system, Video Pro, to transfer video-clips, images and animated logos from a computer onto the bike wheels. With such new technology transforming a bike into a work of art, drivers can run an ad on any path or put it at some popular spot around the city. It would be hard to create better advertising for businesses, concerts, festivals or cultural events than eye-catching ads on running or stationary bikes.

Team XII – CΞG Biotechnology combines a demand for chiral pharmaceuticals with a demand for industrial biocatalysis and enables manufacturers to produce high-value drugs using proven and effective enzyme membrane technology. CΞG Biotechnology leverages its in-house chemical engineering expertise to partner with enzyme developers and provide tailor-made processing solutions for its clients. The team believes there is an unexploited market gap in which pharma and biotech companies are not collaborating. Drug producers remain entrenched in traditional, costly and wasteful chemical manufacturing routes whilst industrial biotechs disregard pharmaceutical enzyme sales (less than eight per cent of global industrial enzyme sales). Team XII believes its business will bridge this gap.

Cambridge Interactive Video Solutions – Video data is increasingly used for research, performance analysis and documenting personal events. More than 48 hours of video content is uploaded on YouTube every minute. Cambridge Interactive Video Solutions uses interactive video segmentation technology developed at the CUED to provide tools for cutting out objects in videos with arbitrary backgrounds, and analysing their properties. Revolutionary machine learning algorithms progressively understand the need of the user from only a few mouse strokes. Cut-outs are used for scientic studies: animal behavioural studies, live cell image sequence analysis, performance analysis of sportsmen: pose, motion patterns, general public video editing applications: object removal, enhancement, annotation.

Feel’n'Find – Cambridge is such a lively city. All the time, there is something happening somewhere. But, when you feel like going out and are fed up with always going to the same pubs, seeing the same people, it is actually quite boring to find an original event to go! What if you can discover, with just one click, events that match your mood, and share them with friends? Soon, it will be possible with Feel’n'Find – a new smartphone application designed to make your life eventful.

OneTeam    OneShot    – People love the convenience of bottled water while on-the-go. But sometimes instead of a whole bottle of water, just a few sips is enough. This team has designed a more convenient bottle 100ml in size that is ideal for travelling, ladies’ handbags, children, patients requiring medication and more. The novel design will use 100 per cent recycled and recyclable materials and incorporates a tear-to-open bottle cap design thereby reducing the diversity of plastics needed. The team will market its product to a range of existing drinks providers, with the most exciting growth potential in the bottled water market.

OneTeam    OneLab    – Onelab will provide a cloud-based electronic notebook solution for individuals and laboratory groups working in scientific research. This will eliminate the ‘paper notebook and personal computer’ systems still prevalent today, especially within academia, thus allowing easier and faster access to group as well as private data. With quick, easy installation and a user-friendly interface, OneLab aims to provide all necessary word and information processing software in one package. This long-overdue update to laboratory research will allow greater organisation for individual users and within research groups.

OneTeam    NexoChocolates– NexoChocolates will be the first luxury chocolate retailer to grow key ingredients, manufacture and sell products all from within the same building. Employing the increasingly popular concept of vertical farming, the brand will benefit from careful architecture and planning of centrally-located sites within cities to bring to consumers freshly-made environmentally-friendly chocolate bars at affordable prices. Within stores, consumers will have the unique experience of being able to see where their products are grown and produced, catering towards the growing demand for locally sourced foods.

Spartan Sack – The Spartan-Sack is a fitness product for non-constraints exercise with regard to location, time, money, endurance or strength level. SS increases its weight through refillable tap water and it can be emptied and transported anywhere you go; outdoors, indoors, on holiday or work trips – it easily fits your hand luggage on aeroplanes. SS is a 24 hour gym for full-body workout.

Heliomobil – Heliomobil makes affordable solar-tracking heliostats that are designed with the goal of increasing the yield of residential and small-scale commercial solar energy collection systems. Heliomobil’s core product supplements marketed solar collection technologies, enabling them to significantly accelerate return-on-investment through increased sunlight availability.

HubCiti    – A social enterprise that creates jobs for people in need. It is a real life FarmVille.

Collide    – Winner of the Silicon Valley comes to the UK Cambridge Appathon, Collide creates new ways for friends to meet and interact by bringing mobile, local and social together. Collide is a mobile application which tells you when your friends are close and suggests nearby places to hang out and grab a coffee and, as an added sweetener, Collide also provides the user with money-off vouchers for their favourite social spots.

PowerSMART – The UK is spending billions of pounds on programmes to curb energy use in homes. These programmes incentivise retrofits but studies show that behaviour can account for up to half of a home’s energy use.  With industry focused on energy efficient products, the market for behavioural measures is wide open. PowerSMART uses behavioural science and advanced analytics to create customised reports with targeted messages that help people save money and energy through positive behavioural change.

GaitOn – GaitOn aims to aid the prevention of elderly people from falling. Ageing population is a challenge to many countries worldwide and the healthcare burdens associated with falls of elderly people are increasing. By bridging the most advanced technological know-how in gait balance sensors and the engagement of health professionals, GaitOn will develop a wearable gadget that can monitor an eldely person’s walking balance in daily activities and alert an imminent falling event. The growing market size and our efforts to minimise the adverse economic impact of falls will underpin the business opportunity and enduring competitiveness of GaitOn.

42Tasks    – 42Tasks is an online task collaboration, delegation and management tool. Using a simple online and mobile interface, and consisting of only those features which have been found to be most useful, it allows groups, teams and organisations to effectively assign and monitor the progress of the tasks which form part of their daily work. The tool allows the growing number of people who actively participate in a number of separate team-based environments simultaneously to be able to keep track of everything which they and their colleagues need to do.

Health-e – Health-e provides a personalised health and wellness monitoring platform to enhance the health status of patients via the provision of direct control and incentivisation techniques. By collating and processing vital information obtained from the patient and the healthcare provider through an interactive platform, the transfer of objective real time data between patient, physician, and health care system becomes a reality. Health-e will abate growing medical costs to the individual via improvement in time-management, continued monitoring, improved diagnosis and promoting a shift from disease treatment to prevention. The platform intelligently targets downloadable applications, subscription services, and lifestyle-specific advertisements to users.  

Light For All –    What benefit can be derived by having self-sufficient electricity in rural areas? In Brazil, Fabio Rosa and his Palmares Project has shown that installing renewable energy generators (solar panels in combination with micro wind turbines) can boost the income of poor farmer’s by 200-400 per cent. Imagine the impact it would have in countries like India, China or Bangladesh. The returns derived from such a project would greatly benefit a wide range of stakeholders (e.g. governments, electricity distribution companies) – potential clients of this company, whose central activity would include installation and management of these micro Rural Renewable Energy generators.

Tap Water – Water is a basic human need which approximately 884 million people do not have access to in the developing world. Within the developed world, however, overpriced bottled water is being sold at prices which recession-hit consumers cannot pay. The main cost for manufacturers of spring water is transporting the product from the source to the countries where the product will be sold. This product ‘Tap Water’ addresses these problems by filtering and bottling tap water within the countries where the product is sold. The product is therefore affordable with 50 per cent of profits being donated to charities including Water Aid.

BioGraph – Graphene biosensors. BioGraph will commercialise production of the graphene sheet by direct exfoliation of graphite in oxide-free ionic liquid. There is a £9bn market and an urgent need for new technology in field of biosensors. The novel approach is based on using switching mood electrochemical technique and non-symmetrical bio-compatible ionic liquid. The ILs will be an eutectic mixture of choline chloride (a vitamin in chicken feed) and urea (a common fertilizer) which will make the cost of the IL about £1/kg. This IL is non-flammable, have wide electrochemical range, good electric conductivity, and more important, it is biodegradable. The source of carbon that will be used is graphite, which is one of the cheapest forms of carbon. Moreover, the apparatus used in the production of the electrode is an inexpensive simple two-electrode electrochemical cell. The team’s expected revenues are £1 million by 2016.

Smart World – Smart World believes that for young people to get the best possible education, learning should be a fun experience. Its team of enthusiastic medical doctors, scientists, illustrators, teachers and game theory experts have combined their skills to create a card game which is educational, addictive and above all fun. Each member of the team has a passion for education coupled with extensive experience in the gaming sector. Smart World has delivered an educational card game the rules of which are simple, yet intellectually stimulating.

Biofilm Solutions – is a team of experienced plastic surgeons and chemical engineers dedicated to enhancing patients’ surgical experience. They have developed a novel, safe, patented, FDA approved compound which reduces capsule formation associated with breast implants. It costs less than 10 pence per implant. In the US  since 1997, the number of women undergoing breast augmentation has trebled to over 300,000 a year. The most common complication associated with breast augmentation is capsular contracture. Estimates vary from 10-40 per cent of breast implants will require removal due to this complication. Biofilm Solutions says its compound improves  implant longevity and reduces complications for breast augmentation surgery.

The Homepage – you can take your business digital by managing invoices, expenses, project schedules and much more online. You can keep in contact with customers and other businesses; apply for jobs, and advertise your services to potential customers. Customers can search and compare businesses in their area; get applications from businesses and customer recommendations, for your job or building project; and take control and manage your projects online.

VocalIQ    – VocalIQ aims to become the leading provider of voice interfaces for computer systems. By using novel statistical models of dialogue, VocalIQ can dramatically improve the performance of voice-based systems. Possible applications include automated call centres, mobile applications and car-navigation systems.

Cambridge Scale – aims to develop the world’s most cost effective, least invasive and most compliant weighing device and service for effortlessly gathering long term body mass measurements for use in connected personal health and wellness applications. Body mass data is essential for measuring long term health and wellness. Globally there is an increase in demand for this data due to changing demographic and environmental factors such as increasing life expectancy and increasing sedentary lifestyles. Cambridge Scale’s objective is to use its platform collaboratively with appropriate partners to deliver value in the following market segments: weight management; sleep monitoring; elderly care; heart failure monitoring; sports and  leisure; clinical trials; monitoring of chronic or infectious diseases.

spaceWISE – spaceWISE is a design service for SMEs in ‘Silicon Fen.’ Using a proven expertise in spatial design, spaceWISE aims to change people’s lives, work, and help businesses to become more productive and profitable.
Many startups and smaller businesses do not have the time, resources, finances or knowledge to create a working environment that best suits their needs and reflects the nature of their business. spaceWISE says it can help them design and rearrange space in a much more inspirational way by reflecting the business philosophy and its identity.

SafeCell – Traditional methods of cell preservation employ toxic agents with potential risk of adverse effects in clinical transplant patients. SafeCell deploys an alternative non-toxic protectant technology for cell freezing and dried state conditions, given the possibility of room temperature storage while maintaining the cell functionality. SafeCell products will be commercialised in the stem cells industry – key platform for regenerative medicine – with a market value of £17.2 billion; the CHO cell area – the most widely used mammalian cell line for biopharmaceuticals manufacture – with a market value of £19.4 billion; and the Biobanking segment with a market value of £11.4 billion.

Cambridge Biocompatibility – The team is developing new biocompatible coatings for all forms of orthopaedic and prosthetic surgery that will increase the lifetime by at least a factor of five and reduce recovery and aftercare costs by a factor of 10. Total product lifetime savings will be the major pricing driver for this new portfolio of biocompatible coatings. The team is requesting £100,000 venture capital and expects a company valuation of £60 million within five years.

DoctorsDoor – DoctorsDoor seeks to create an online community where physicians can disseminate accurate information, patients can share their own experience, and support groups for disease sufferers can be strengthened. Users will be able to hear about the experiences of other patients by connecting through video. This will allow them to talk about treatment plans that did or did not work, as well as emotionally support one another. Additionally, physicians will be able to provide clinically relevant content to educate patients and help them prepare for treatment. DoctorsDoor is a one-stop shop for patients, family, and physicians.

Low Cost Lighting Project – The poorest countries are located within the tropics where the sun sets at 6pm. With no electricity and lighting, children cannot study and adults cannot work. LED lighting coupled with solar power is a practical, proven lighting method. It is a social enterprise with the aim of distributing robust all-in-one-solar-powered LED lighting units (LED/PV Lanterns) to least developed countries. Its revenue streams: end-users, NGOs and Carbon Credit Schemes have already expressed interest in our low-cost, locally manufactured, zero-carbon design. The team aims to partner with established lighting manufactures to allow consumers to donate hours of light to children in developing countries.

Bloomnest – Globally, a large proportion of parents face financial and time challenges when raising their children. The team’s vision is to develop Bloomnest, to enable parents to connect and expand their support groups, allowing for activity and experience sharing whilst facilitating cost and time saving measures. If successful, Bloomnest will reduce significant debt levels among parents and the productivity gains will benefit the wider community both directly, through increased leisure time and reduced stress, and indirectly, through enabling parents to rejoin the workforce.

ReliaWind – Reliability is vital in the growth of the wind industry, especially offshore, and to realise EU’s targets for 2020. ReliaWind has developed a novel and patent-pending condition-monitoring system for wind turbine drivetrains, enabling 40 per cent reduced maintenance cost for offshore installations. The product, comprising a number of sensors and the analysis hardware/software, offers straightforward retrofit into new wind tur-bines as well as existing ones. This is a relatively new market and the team expects to take a 5.5 per cent market share by 2017, equivalent to installation onto 2500 turbines per year, generating revenues of £60m.

esattotech – Life is full of memories and with devices such as DSLR cameras increasing in video capability, the team believes it has the ability to capture them in incredible detail. However, unlike memories, when revisited, these videos later turn out to be far from how we remembered it as the videos are unstable and blurred, an unfortunate property that distracts from the memory being captured. esattotech says it has a solution; its ‘roc’ line of camera stabilisers. Esattotech aims to bring professional style video camera stabilisation to the consumer market in easy to use, uniquely engineered high quality products.

Charlie Kappa, Re-Re.com – Re-Re.com provides Life Science researchers with a platform to share opinions about reagents used in their research. This aims to address the discrepancies that exist in the pricing of routine reagents (i.e. antibodies). Initial due-diligence shows that no reliable internet source of user reviews exists. This makes it difficult for researchers to accurately judge when a higher price is justified. Re-Re.com is designed to tap into research culture, by offering a platform where academics share their status, connect, and focus on a mutual interest. Re-re believes it can deliver rapid growth in the site’s user base leading to monetisation in under three years.

GreenTUTOR – GreenTUTOR provides a platform for online training. It focuses on the sustainable built environment. Market research indicates rapid growth of the £9bn global e-learning market of which its target segment –e-learning teaching – showed the highest growth. GreenTUTOR has access to over 350 researchers and professionals in the area of sustainable development through an established network (www.greenbridge.org.uk), which will be its starting point to enter this market. Thanks to easy access to Ivy League Tutors, GreenTUROR says it benefits from low barriers to entry. Its proposed tuition service, flexible, virtual, one-to-one and multilingual, enables global outreach and thus high-growth rates for this venture.

LambentWorks – Increasingly, we are being told about the costs and benefits of food choices. Consumer surveys also indicate that shoppers are taking heed, wanting to know more about the global consequences of their consumer decisions. There are a number of mobile shopping aids and recommender systems available but none can be easily used for a weekly shop at a local supermarket. LambentWorks has developed a minimal, mobile and fully functional lambent display that clips onto any shopping trolley handle, intended to nudge people when choosing what to buy. It makes invisible information more visible and can promote ethical shopping.

Shuruat Mobility – Shuruat is working in the field of product, service and delivery model design and innovation to target large, under-served segments at the bottom of the pyramid. Its first initiative, Shuruat Mobility, is focused on the design, development and marketing of an ecosystem of innovative assistive mobility devices, specialised educational programmes and micro-financing services for the physically disabled across rural India, Africa and the Middle-East, with the objective of delivering income generation opportunities and financial independence to them in a sustainable and scalable manner.

OreCell    – Due to their dwindling resources and their adverse effects on the climate, fossil fuels need to be replaced by alternative energy resources. Solar radiation is the most abundant alternative energy resource available and is environmentally friendly. Solar cells harvest and convert radiation into electricity, but they are expensive to manufacture. Consequently, no commercial solar cell is currently capable of generating electricity cheaper than fossil fuels. OreCell has invented a patent-pending solar cell that can generate electricity cheaper than fossil fuels. They are manufactured from abundant, environmentally friendly materials by using the industry-standard equipment. They can be on the market straightaway.

 • PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: The CUE team

The Wall Street veteran says that when his professor began lecturing, “practically the first words out of his mouth were, ‘We’re going to deal with Homo economicus. Humans are rational, profit-maximizing creatures.’ Five minutes into my first economics class, I raise my hand and say, ‘But humans aren’t rational!’” The professor told Ritholtz he should imagine that they were. “Okay,” he thought, “imagine my grandmother had wheels. She’d be a bus.”

People, Ritholtz knew, tend to do stupid things, like smoking or not wearing seatbelts, despite overwhelming evidence that these behaviours can kill them. He couldn’t accept economics’ central assumption that people are by definition rational, and that they collectively express the order-making invisible hand of the market. Ritholtz went to the registrar the same day, and dropped the class.

Since the time when that contradiction vexed the young Ritholtz, a bridge between economic orthodoxy and human quirk has been erected in the form of behavioural economics, the study of how deeply embedded human traits affect financial decisions. Ritholtz is CEO and director of equity research at Fusion IQ, a research and investment firm with $300 million (U.S.) in assets under management. He is also a prolific writer and blogger—his website, The Big Picture (www.ritholtz.com), has logged 114 million page views.

Thanks to the bestselling books of academic popularizers such as Dan Ariely, Richard Thaler and Daniel Kahn-eman, the central lesson of behavioural economics—that the brain often misinterprets the information it receives—has been getting a good airing since the 2008 financial crisis. The mistakes include such well-known phenomena as the halo effect (believing that certain leaders can do no wrong) and the sunk-cost fallacy (our aversion to cutting our losses when a project or investment has obviously gone awry).

Behavioural economics’ roots ex-tend to the 1970s, when the Efficient Market Hypothesis—which holds that market prices of traded assets reflect all publicly available information, and thus, because investors are rational, markets are efficient and self-regulating—was in vogue. The EMH became a wrecking ball in the hands of neoconservatives, who used it to justify weakening regulations like the Glass-Steagall Act, a Depression-era law forbidding institutions from combining insurance, investment banking and commercial banking under the same roof. This went on until 2008, when economic carnage—blamed partly on the unregulated repackaging of home mortgage debt—led many people, such as former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, to call into question the omniscience of the market. No rational person with any knowledge of history would believe that house prices would go up ad infinitum, and yet the banks’ profit models depended on that very assumption. So much for Homo economicus.

One of the most fascinating areas of study within behavioural economics is the concept of framing effects. How a question or problem is framed—and, specifically, what future scenarios are presented—affects the kind of solution that our brains will produce. An example chosen by Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their 2008 book, Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness, is the question of how to encourage people to conserve energy. They write, “Consider the following information campaigns: (a) If you use energy conservation methods, you will save $350 per year; (b) If you do not use energy conservation methods, you will lose $350 per year.”

It’s hardly a surprise that, as Thaler and Sunstein observed, option (b) is a “stronger nudge” and wins more converts to conservation. This behaviour is patently irrational—the outcome is the same, so why should framing the question in terms of a loss or a gain have an effect?—but because of the way our minds instinctively respond to certain scenarios, it works.

Some of our biases are harder to counter than simply changing the frame of the question. In Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, he describes how our brains suffer from overconfidence. This is not so much cockiness—though that’s part of it—as it is our tendency to believe past behaviour to be much more reliable as a predictive factor than we should, and to construct narratives to explain complex phenomena like the stock market even though there are far too many variables affecting a stock’s behaviour for us to really account for.

But the foul weather did make the day frustrating for Bora Wind
Energy Inc. of Itasca employees. At times, precipitation slowed the
process to a crawl and a very chilling experience.

“We’ve had three scheduled dates held up on this,” said Ray Rieck,
vice president of business services at Lake Land College. “But
these crane operators are amazing. Their accuracy on placing a load
is within a quarter of an inch.”

The need for accuracy was essential for aligning the 100-kilowatt
turbine, about the size of a compact car, with a 36-bolt array for
securing the equipment with the 10-inch long bolts. Workers climbed
through the interior of the tower to bolt down the turbine hanging
from a harness lifted by the crane.

This was the second attempt at attaching the turbine to the tower
mounting. Difficulties with the angle of approach on the turbine
caused the workers to lower it once before another try proved
successful later Wednesday.

“They had it up there once but the angle was not right. If there
had been no rain today it sure would have helped out the process.
But we could have six inches of snow and high winds today,” Rieck
said.

This is one of two 100-kilowatt wind turbines going up this year at
the community college. When operable, the first turbine will
generate electricity to energize the West Building, which stands
near all the turbines, including two smaller units erected
previously.

“At times, we will have more electricity than the West Building can
use. But this will be seasonal more than anything else. It will be
when there is no use of heating or air conditioning but it will
still give us a savings on energy,” said Rieck, of the energy
project funded by a mix of federal funding, including a
community-based job training grant.

Rieck said the hub and long blades will be added when the weather
breaks. Still, raising the turbine was a victory over the elements
Wednesday.

This work is nearing completion on the campus prepares for the
March 7 annual energy innovation conference highlighting how the
college has integrated geothermal technology, solar energy and
innovative energy conservation methods in recent years.

Contact Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

AmeriGas Propane, Inc., general partner of AmeriGas Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: APU – News), reported net income attributable to AmeriGas Partners, L.P.
for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 ended December 31, 2011 of $42.5
million compared to $74.9 million for the same period last year. The
Partnership’s earnings before interest expense, income taxes,
depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $83.7 million for the first
quarter of 2012 compared to $113.3 million for the same period last year.

For the three months ended December 31, 2011, retail propane volumes
sold were 220.9 million gallons compared with retail propane volumes of
256.4 million gallons in the prior-year period. Weather was 11.9% warmer
than normal and 9.9% warmer than in the prior-year period, according to
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The decrease in
volumes sold resulted primarily from the significantly warmer weather
during the quarter and in particular during the month of December.

Eugene V. N. Bissell, chief executive officer of AmeriGas, said, “The
heating season got off to an exceptionally slow start, primarily due to
weather during the month of December that was nearly 12% warmer than
normal and 16% warmer than last year. The very warm weather nationwide
was the most significant contributor to the lower sales volumes
experienced during the quarter. Although our operations team is
accustomed to managing the business through a variety of weather
challenges, it is impossible to fully offset the lack of demand brought
about by such significantly warm weather. The most significant strategic
event of the quarter was the October announcement that we had reached an
agreement to acquire Heritage Propane from Energy Transfer Partners. We
were very pleased to complete the acquisition in mid-January, enabling
us to benefit from the addition of the Heritage business for most of the
key winter quarter ending March 31. Given the significance of the impact
of the acquisition and second fiscal quarter weather on our results for
the full year, we intend to update our guidance for 2012 to include the
impact of both the Heritage acquisition and our heating season results
upon completion of our fiscal second quarter ending March 31, 2012.”

Revenues for the quarter decreased to $683.8 million from $700.2 million
in the prior-year period, reflecting the lower retail volumes sold
partially offset by higher average selling prices resulting primarily
from higher propane product costs. The average wholesale cost of propane
at Mont Belvieu, Texas for the current quarter was approximately 14%
higher than the average cost in the same period last year. Total margin
decreased $24.9 million, as lower volumes sold were only slightly offset
by a modest increase in average retail unit margins.

Partnership EBITDA decreased $29.6 million, reflecting the lower total
margin and slightly higher operating expenses, which included $3.7
million in incremental expenses related to the Heritage Propane
acquisition. Operating income decreased $31.5 million, reflecting the
lower EBITDA and higher depreciation and amortization expenses.

EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. Management believes the
presentation of this measure provides useful information to investors to
more effectively evaluate the results of operations of the Partnership.
This measure may not be comparable to measures used by other entities
and should only be considered in conjunction with income per limited
partner unit. A reconciliation of EBITDA to the most comparable GAAP
financial measure is included on the last page of this press release.

AmeriGas is the nation’s largest retail propane marketer, serving over
two million customers in all 50 states from over 1,200 locations. UGI
Corporation, through subsidiaries, is the sole General Partner and owns
28% of the Partnership. An affiliate of Energy Transfer Partners, L.P.
owns 34% of the Partnership and the public owns the remaining 38%.

AmeriGas Partners, L.P. will hold a live Internet Audio Webcast of
its conference call to discuss first quarter earnings and other current
activities at 4:00 PM ET on Wednesday, January 25. Interested
parties may listen to the audio webcast both live and in replay on the
Internet at http://investor.shareholder.com/ugi/apu/events.cfm
or at the company website; http://www.amerigas.com
under “Investor Relations”. A telephonic replay will be available
from 7:00 PM ET on January 25 through midnight Friday, January 27. The
replay may be accessed at 1-855-859-2056, pass code 36864863 and
International access 1-404-537-3406, pass code 36864863.

Comprehensive information about AmeriGas is available on the Internet at www.amerigas.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements which
management believes to be reasonable as of today’s date only. Actual
results may differ significantly because of risks and uncertainties that
are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond management’s
control. You should read the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for a more extensive list of factors that could affect results. Among
them are adverse weather conditions, cost volatility and availability of
propane, increased customer conservation measures, the capacity to
transport propane to our market areas, the impact of pending and future
legal proceedings, political, economic and regulatory conditions in the
U.S. and abroad, and our ability to successfully integrate Heritage
Propane and achieve anticipated synergies. The Partnership
undertakes no obligation to release revisions to its forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after today.

AMERIGAS PARTNERS, L.P. AND SUBSIDIARIES

REPORT OF EARNINGS

(Thousands, except per unit and where otherwise indicated)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2011

2010

2011

2010

Revenues:

Propane

$

637,283

$

653,812

$

2,343,910

$

2,198,254

Other

46,529

46,408

177,641

165,713

683,812

700,220

2,521,551

2,363,967

Costs and expenses:

Cost of sales – propane

429,980

420,700

1,555,441

1,385,866

Cost of sales – other

13,828

14,605

58,349

54,941

Operating and administrative expenses

159,910

156,428

624,058

619,324

Depreciation

20,931

20,072

83,836

79,768

Amortization

3,257

2,595

12,395

8,918

Other income, net

(4,190

)

(5,755

)

(23,998

)

(9,676

)

623,716

608,645

2,310,081

2,139,141

Operating income

60,096

91,575

211,470

224,826

Loss on extinguishments of debt

0

0

(38,117

)

0

Interest expense

(16,533

)

(15,375

)

(64,676

)

(63,988

)

Income before income taxes

43,563

76,200

108,677

160,838

Income tax expense

(450

)

(419

)

(421

)

(2,517

)

Net income

43,113

75,781

108,256

158,321

Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

(588

)

(913

)

(2,076

)

(2,199

)

Net income attributable to AmeriGas Partners, L.P.

$

42,525

$

74,868

$

106,180

$

156,122

$

1,991

$

1,701

$

6,712

$

4,985

$

40,534

$

73,167

$

99,468

$

151,137

Income per limited partner unit (a)

Basic

$

0.55

$

1.07

$

1.63

$

2.64

Diluted

$

0.55

$

1.06

$

1.63

$

2.64

Average limited partner units outstanding:

Basic

57,133

57,095

57,128

57,088

Diluted

57,193

57,149

57,180

57,136

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

Retail gallons sold (millions)

220.9

256.4

838.7

882.4

EBITDA (b)

$

83,696

$

113,329

$

267,508

$

311,313

Expenditures for property, plant and equipment:

Maintenance capital expenditures

$

11,790

$

10,362

$

39,600

$

41,017

Growth capital expenditures

$

9,813

$

10,944

$

37,925

$

36,733

(a)

Income (loss) per limited partner unit is computed in accordance
with accounting guidance regarding the application of the two-class
method for determining earnings per share as it relates to master
limited partnerships. Refer to Note 2 to the consolidated financial
statements included in the AmeriGas Partners, L.P. Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011.

(b)

Earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and
amortization (“EBITDA”) should not be considered as an alternative
to net income attributable to AmeriGas Partners, L.P. (as an
indicator of operating performance) and is not a measure of
performance or financial condition under accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”). Management
believes EBITDA is a meaningful non-GAAP financial measure used by
investors to (1) compare the Partnership’s operating performance
with that of other companies within the propane industry and (2)
assess the Partnership’s ability to meet loan covenants. The
Partnership’s definition of EBITDA may be different from those used
by other companies.

Management uses EBITDA to compare year-over-year profitability of
the business without regard to capital structure as well as to
compare the relative performance of the Partnership to that of other
master limited partnerships without regard to their financing
methods, capital structure, income taxes or historical cost basis.
In view of the omission of interest, income taxes, depreciation and
amortization from EBITDA, management also assesses the profitability
of the business by comparing net income attributable to AmeriGas
Partners, L.P. for the relevant years.

Management also uses EBITDA to assess the Partnership’s
profitability because its parent, UGI Corporation, uses the
Partnership’s EBITDA to assess the profitability of the Partnership
which is one of UGI Corporation’s industry segments. UGI Corporation
discloses the Partnership’s EBITDA in its disclosure about industry
segments as the profitability measure for its domestic propane
segment. EBITDA in the twelve months ended December 31, 2011
includes pre-tax losses of $38,117 from extinguishments of debt.
EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2010 includes a
$12,193 pre-tax loss on discontinuance of hedge accounting for
interest rate protection agreements and a $7,000 pre-tax loss
associated with increased litigation reserves.

The following table includes reconciliations of net (loss) income
attributable to AmeriGas Partners, L.P. to EBITDA and Adjusted
EBITDA (1) for all periods presented:

Three Months Ended

Twelve Months Ended

December 31,

December 31,

2011

2010

2011

2010

$

42,525

$

74,868

$

106,180

$

156,122

Income tax expense

450

419

421

2,517

Interest expense

16,533

15,375

64,676

63,988

Depreciation

20,931

20,072

83,836

79,768

Amortization

3,257

2,595

12,395

8,918

EBITDA

$

83,696

$

113,329

$

267,508

$

311,313

Loss on interest rate hedges

0

0

0

12,193

Loss on extinguishments of debt

0

0

38,117

0

Litigation reserve

0

0

0

7,000

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

$

83,696

$

113,329

$

305,625

$

330,506

Healthy seas and coasts would pay healthy dividends in a green economy, according to a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners that highlights the huge potential for economic growth and poverty eradication from well-managed marine sectors.

The report, Green Economy in a Blue World, argues that the ecological health and economic productivity of marine and coastal ecosystems, which are currently in decline around the globe, can be boosted by shifting to a more sustainable economic paradigm that taps their natural potential – from generating renewable energy and promoting eco-tourism, to sustainable fisheries and transport.

The report was produced by UNEP in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WorldFish Center and GRID-Arendal.

It highlights how the sustainable management of fertilizers would help reduce the cost of marine pollution caused by nitrogen and other nutrients used in agriculture, which is estimated at US$100 billion (EUR 80 billion) per year in the European Union alone.

With five months to go before world governments meet at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil, Green Economy in a Blue World presents a case to stimulate countries to unlock the vast potential of the marine-based economy in a green economy transition that would significantly reduce degradation to our oceans, while alleviating poverty and improving livelihoods.

The synthesis report also examines how Small Island Developing States (SIDS), such as those in the Asia-Pacific and Caribbean regions, can take advantage of green economy opportunities to reduce their vulnerability to climate change and promote sustainable growth.

With as much as 40 per cent of the global population living within 100 kilometres of the coast, the world’s marine ecosystems (termed the ‘Blue World’ in the report) provide essential food, shelter and livelihoods to millions of people. But human impacts are increasingly taking their toll the health and productivity of the world’s oceans.

Today, some 20 per cent of mangroves have been destroyed, and more than 60 per cent of tropical coral reefs are under immediate, direct threat.

“Oceans are a key pillar for many countries in their development and fight to tackle poverty, but the wide range of ecosystem services, including food security and climate regulation, provided by marine and coastal environments are today under unprecedented pressure”, said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. “Stepping up green investments in marine and coastal resources and enhancing international co-operation in managing these trans-boundary ecosystems are essential if a transition to low-carbon, resource efficient Green Economy is to be realized.”

“In the run-up to Rio+20, this report shows that a shift to a Green Economy can if comprehensively implemented unlock the potential of marine ecosystems to fuel economic growth – particularly in small island developing states – but in ways that ensure that future generations derive an equitable share of marine resources and services,” added Mr Steiner.

Dr. Linwood Pendleton, one of the contributors to the report, and Director of Ocean and Coastal Policy at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, said: “This report provides concrete examples of how emerging ocean industries-including ocean energy and aquaculture industries-can become more profitable, more sustainable, and meet the needs of a growing population without sacrificing the health of our fragile ocean ecosystems.”

Green Economy in a Blue World lays out a series of recommendations across six marine-based economic sectors.

Fisheries and aquaculture

Approximately 30 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are overexploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion and 50 per cent are fully exploited. According to FAO and World Bank estimates, the world economy can gain up to USD 50 billion annually by restoring fish stocks and reducing fishing capacity to an optimal level.

· Aquaculture, the fastest growing food production sector, is creating new jobs and trade opportunities. But when poorly planned, it can increase pressure on the already suffering marine and coastal ecosystems.

· Adoption of green technologies and investments to lower fossil fuel use could dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of the sector, while enhancing its contribution to economic growth, food and nutrition security and poverty reduction. Green technologies include low-impact fuel-efficient fishing methods and innovative aquaculture production systems using environmentally friendly feeds.

· Small-scale producers and traders in developing countries make up the majority of the 530 million fishery-dependent people in the world. Strengthening regional and national fisheries agencies, as well as community and trade fishing associations and cooperatives, will be critical to the sustainable and equitable use of marine resources.

Marine transport

International shipping transports around 90 per cent of world commerce and is the safest, most secure, most efficient and most environmentally sound means of bulk transportation. The sector already benefits from a global regulatory framework and agreements such as the MARPOL Convention, which regulate emissions of air pollutants and energy efficiency measures.

Further greening of the sector could be achieved, argues the report, by supporting countries to implement and enforce standards, switching ships to environmentally sound fuel sources and preventing the transfer of invasive aquatic species transported via ships’ ballast water or hulls (the effects of which are estimated to cost US$100 billion a year), and addressing the technical, operational and environmental aspects of the increasing size of ships.

Marine-based renewable energy

Marine-based renewable energy (wind, wave and tidal) potential is high, yet in 2008 these energy technologies represented just one per cent of all renewable energy production.

Installed capacity is unlikely to become significant until after 2020, because, with the exception of offshore wind energy, most marine-based renewable energy technologies are in the conceptual or demonstration phase. Technical costs also remain a barrier.

Marine-based renewable energy also carries significant potential for green job creation. The type and scale of opportunity will vary according to national context and energy source.

To harness the potential of marine-based renewable energy to drive a green economy, the report recommends:

· Consistent long-term policies, with specific targets for marine-based renewable energy, and targeted financial support from governments to overcome technical barriers. Incentives such as grants, subsidies and tax credits are required to encourage private investment to move from small prototypes to pilot plants.

· Governments need to proactively guide developments to reduce potential for social environmental and legal conflicts and promote synergies with other marine users.

Ocean nutrient pollution

Fertilizers such as nitrogen and phosphorous are essential to global food security and have played a key role in increasing crop yields. But inefficient use of nutrients is contributing to the degradation of marine ecosystems and groundwater, including the formation of oxygen-poor ‘dead’ zones.

The amount of nitrogen reaching oceans and coasts has increased three-fold from pre-industrial levels – primarily due to agricultural run-off and untreated sewage. This could expand by up to 2.7 times by 2050 under a ‘business as usual’ scenario.

The report says nutrient pollution and can be reduced – and innovation, public-private partnerships and job creation enhanced – through:

· A ‘cyclical approach’ including substantial recovery and recycling of waste nutrients

· Policy instruments that include stricter regulation of nutrient removal from wastewater, mandatory nutrient management plans in agriculture and enhanced regulation of manure.

· Subsidies that encourage nutrient recycling

Coastal tourism

The tourism economy represents 5 percent of global GDP and contributes 6 to 7 per cent of total employment. Estimates are that more than one-third of travellers favour environmentally friendly tourism.

There is considerable potential for creating more green jobs in the tourism sector, given that one job in the core industry is shown to create one and a half jobs in tourism-related sectors. Sourcing local products (from sustainable farming and fishing) and safeguarding local culture are examples of where green investments could be targeted.

Key steps outlined in the report include:

· Improving waste management to save money, create jobs and improve the appearance of tourism destinations

· Mobilising multi-sector partnerships and financing strategies to spread the costs and risks of green investments and support small and medium size enterprises (which represent the majority of tourism businesses).

· Investment in energy efficiency, which can generate significant returns within short payback periods

· Cross-sectoral consultation (between governments, communities and businesses) and integrated coastal zone management to help ensure sound development strategies in tourist areas that meet the needs of diverse stakeholders

Deep-sea minerals

Deep-sea minerals are a possible new revenue stream that could support national development goals. However, the deep-sea environment is one of the least understood regions of the planet and there is still only a rudimentary understanding of the ecosystems services that these environments support. Management of these resources must be informed by sound science and best environmental practices applied.

· All stakeholders need to be considered when managing deep-sea mining activities in the context of sustainable use of oceans. Management practices should be holistic, based on an integrated overview of all present and future human uses and ecosystems services.

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Sonoma County just got a little greener.  J Vineyards Winery, specialists in Russian River Valley sparkling and varietal wines, has achieved certified sustainable status through the California Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance (CSWA). The sustainable certification covers all vineyard and winery operations.

J Vineyards Winery, located minutes south of Healdsburg, owns ten estate vineyards sprinkled throughout the Russian River Valley, totaling more than 250 acres of planted Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris grapes. 

“For the past two years, we’ve been diligently working on aligning J with CSWA’s commitment to wine quality,” said John Erbe, J Vineyards Winery Viticulturalist.  “Our estate vineyards have been planted utilizing the latest techniques in water conservation, wildlife habitat corridors, and soil erosion reduction.”

Founded in 2010, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance program is a third-party verification and certification process maintained by CSWA.  The program, based on 227 “best practices,” is designed to ensure environmental stewardship, the conservation of energy and natural resources, and socially equitable business practices.  CSWA’s certification program has been a positive environmental awareness catalyst for more than 1,500 of the State’s top vintners and growers.

“Reducing, reusing and recycling is not just a slogan at J,” says Judy Jordan, Founder and President.  “This has been my vision for J since its founding 25 years ago.  The business practices we have implemented over the past three years are keys to a healthier future.”

Some of the green initiatives J has embarked on include:

• The use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and cover-crop programs throughout the winery’s ten estate vineyards as a means to protect riparian habitats. IPM methods are also used to build soil tilth while attracting beneficial insects.
• Replacing all inefficient incandescent lights throughout the winery with new, high-intensity, lower energy lighting.
• Recycling all paper, corks, and glass used throughout the winery.
• Reducing water used throughout the winegrowing and winemaking process.
• The computerization of refrigeration compressors to reduce energy consumption, coupled with energy-efficient cooling towers.
• Replacing existing water boilers with higher-efficiency heaters that work in stages.
• A reduction in the weight of our sparkling and varietal wine bottles.
• Using low VOC paints throughout the winery.

ABOUT J

Founded in 1986 by Judy Jordan, J Vineyards Winery is an independently-owned Sonoma County winery.  The Winery is celebrating its 25th Anniversary.

J Vineyards Winery focuses on non-vintage Brut, Vintage Brut, and Brut Rosé sparkling wines, as well as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris varietal wines, all crafted from grapes farmed primarily within Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley appellation.

The J Vineyards Winery Visitor Center and Bubble Room is located at 11447 Old Redwood Highway, south of Healdsburg. To learn more, or to join the J Wine Club, go to www.jwine.com.   You can also follow us on Facebook.

To address this issue, researchers have been reestablishing and protecting connections on the landscape for many years, from building highway crossings to maintaining swaths of forest. These wildlife corridors are designed to enable the meanderings and migrations of animals. As scientists’ efforts to improve the quality of these connections become increasingly sophisticated and more mathematical, they are finding that solving the problem has much in common with what happens when someone asks an online service to provide driving directions between two points on a map.

For planners, the goal is to preserve or create effective connections for wildlife at low cost, just as online map services aim to route travelers in the most efficient way possible. Designing a landscape to simultaneously serve the needs of multiple animal species is much more difficult because each may prefer a different type of environment. It’s similar to trying to find the single best set of directions between two points for multiple modes of transportation, such as driving, walking, and mountain biking.

“Because they bring several dimensions, these problems are computationally much harder,” said Carla Gomes, a computer scientist from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. “If the problem is to connect just two terminals, for one species, then that problem is exactly the same computationally speaking as the problem that Google solves when I ask for the shortest path, for the fastest way to go from Boston to Ithaca, N.Y.”

Michael Schwartz, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station in Missoula, Mont. had been gathering genetic data for more than 10 years and began to find that the methods they were using to analyze certain wildlife management topics were insufficient.

“We got to the point where the math became intractable to us,” said Schwartz.

Schwartz started working with Claire Montgomery, a forest economist at Oregon State University in Corvallis, who had been developing methods to address both animal populations and timber management strategies.

“I was beginning to look at problems where uncertainty played a much bigger role than it had in the past in my research,” said Montgomery. “And that kind of created a whole new dimension to the problem that I didn’t even have a clue how to address computationally.”

Multi-Purpose Land Use

Land can be managed with many different outcomes in mind. The land might be used to provide timber or to preserve native species while simultaneously being used for public recreation. Finding the best outcome for many competing interests can be complicated.

One option is providing stable habitat areas for wildlife and connecting them with corridors that enable animals to roam or migrate safely.

These competing interests make compromises inevitable. Analyzing the potential outcomes of different strategies on the inhabitants and resources that rely on a piece of land is complicated, and when the equation also includes the cost of purchasing additional land to provide those wildlife corridor areas, tradeoffs are unavoidable. Setting up a decision-making process with easily understood priorities is also important. Finding the best solution requires computational power and advanced algorithms.

“We felt pretty good about that approach for a single species,” said Schwartz. “The question became, ‘What happens when you look at multiple species?’”

About two years ago, Schwartz and Montgomery started working with Gomes, who is developing a new field she calls “computational sustainability.” It combines aspects of ecology, economics and operations research to intensely analyze data to reveal more comprehensive solutions to difficult problems.

“You want to optimize the quality of the corridors you get for a given budget you have,” said Gomes. “A lot of these problems are really highly computational.”

Identifying the crucial pieces of land that offer the greatest preservation potential for many animal species and not just one is a multi-layered problem that requires intensive analysis. Consider that the best corridor for grizzly bears may not be ideal habitat for wolverines, and the best compromise for those two may not assist birds.

Factoring in the impacts of those corridors on how humans use the land in question makes the problem more complex.

Useful Data

Ecologists can collect massive amounts of data about animal habits, movement patterns and more. But, even while many of them have expertise in some of the issues at hand, bringing together a multidisciplinary team may be required to identify the most important pieces of land to protect.

The data revolution of recent decades has resulted in increased computational power that has appealed to others researching related topics as well.

“We’ve obviously benefited tremendously from the ability to do some of these more complex modeling and mathematical computations that weren’t available to us when it was done by paper and pen,” said Jon Beckmann, a conservation scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s North American program who doesn’t work with the team. “We’ve gone from expert-based opinion modeling to models that are based on actual field data.”

Beckmann trained as a field ecologist and has had training in computational techniques, but feels that the power of analysis is only as powerful as the data used to underlie the models.

“What you do is build teams with biologists or ecologists that have these strengths because you need both components,” said Beckmann. “As we develop these new mathematical capabilities and theories, then it’s a continual process that’s always changing.”

Corridors are complicated and they must be crafted to appeal to animals and in a way that maintains animals’ safe passage. If a corridor is designed in a way different from how animals travel the landscape, then it might not work as intended.

“Animals don’t read signs,” said Cheryl Chetkiewicz, a conservation biologist with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, who also doesn’t work with the team. “It’s about maintaining flow. Flows of animals, flows of energy, flows of plants…Corridors are one conservation tool to maintain these flows and avoid barriers in some areas.”

Researchers can attempt to translate these factors into models and equations for computer analysis. But Chetkiewicz, who has also studied intact landscapes, isn’t convinced that corridors are the best or only solution to the problems faced by animals while they travel. Corridors are a popular management tool, but they don’t necessarily represent the ideal situation from an animal’s point of view.

“Corridors to me are a last ditch effort to reconnect patches that used to be connected,” said Chetkiewicz.

Applying Models to Real Problems

Schwartz said that the models he developed with Montgomery and Gomes are complex and layered, so translating them into a form that land managers can understand and use is critical to protecting contemporary and future landscapes. Schwartz said that without that next step of translating computer model results into the protection of land, animal habitats may collapse to form what he said a colleague calls “a bunch of isolated zoos.”

This makes it important to be able to effectively communicate the science to land managers, who report to the public and must be able to make effective and transparent decisions.

The problem can be simply stated, but the solution may not be obvious. Tracking the effects of choices on numerous variables and finding the best overall outcome really is difficult.

“In the past in most forestry applications we look at a particular landscape and we find a management strategy for that landscape, but it’s specific to that landscape and to the spatial configuration of vegetation and roads and so on and you can’t take it anywhere else,” said Montgomery.

“What we are trying to do is combine what the animals like with the reality of economic constraints and budget constraints,” said Gomes.

Provided by Inside Science News Service (news : web)

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