Manuel said:
"This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]
Jay Knecht said:
"What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]
gazelle said:
"@ Dallas:
The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]
Barry said:
"Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda.
He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]
JJ said:
"Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]
Derek said:
""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]
The Difference Between Snail Mail and Email
One of the benefits of smart grids that we too often overlook is the fact that they'll greatly reduce the need for power utilities to send trucks (and often big ones) out in the field to gather data and fix problems. The most obvious example of this is the remote reading of meters instead of having to send people to read meters, but it will also help with maintenance and repairs since the grid will tell trucks exactly where to go to solve problems, reducing the number of miles driven.
Last week I wrote about the Stobart Refrigerated Train shipping produce from Spain to the UK via the Channel Tunnel, providing an alternative to hybrid trucks or slowing down freight as a means to saving gas. But while it was impressive, commenter Andrew pointed out that the "first-of-its-kind" headline may have been misleading. In fact, four 55 car state-of-the-art refrigerated train have been shipping refrigerated produce from Washington State and California to Albany, NY. The entire operation is incredible.
image from Office for the Development of Substitute Materials
TreeHugger always promotes ideas that let you live in less space, as well as transformer furniture that goes away when you don't need it. Jamie O'Shea of the Office for the Development of Substitute Materials has developed a vertical bed that lets you sleep almost anywhere in a lot less space.
Biking is beautiful, and bikes are incredibly beautiful objects too. Those of us who love to ride know this, but many are able to translate that feeling into images and art that remind us how amazing this vehicle is.
In this gallery we compile poetic, funky, funny, and interesting pieces of visual art made by bike-loving artists all around the world. Autumn in the north hemisphere, Spring in the south, it's a great time to ride: so take a look and get inspired.
Why did you stop? Well, I was recompiling my kernel and got a segfault...
Mavizen has decided to offer a new electric bike based on the previous winner of the TTXGP so that other teams can have a solid foundation to build on for next year. The TTX02 is based on the KTM RC8 with a Agni powerplant. The twist is that they call it a "laptop on wheels" because of all the electronics it packs on top of what is strictly required to control the electric motor (dash-mounted computer that runs Linux, has wifi connectivity and a web-server, etc).
Crossing the street in Delhi can be a tricky proposition. Photo by [Satbir] via Flickr.
With just 139 cars for every 1,000 residents -- compared to 209 in New York City, and a whopping 765 in the United States as a whole -- many parts of Istanbul are already clogged with traffic. More residents name congestion as a problem than any other concern -- although 80 percent of those without a car say they would buy one if they could. So will increasing affluence inevitably lead to worsening road conditions?
Mike was positive when he wrote Warren Buffett Makes a $44 Billion (!) Bet on Trains, Buys BNSF; Business Week's Bruce Nussbaum isn't, and calls Warren Buffett's purchase of Burlington Northern a "bet against innovation....Buffett just paid $44 billion for a 19th century technology platform, a railroad, that carries 20th century goods--coal, agriculture, imports from Asia, petroleum. This is a vision of an America mired in the past and in economic and political decline."
Buffet says "an efficient and well-maintained rail system" will play a starring role in future prosperity.....it's an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States."
It is also a bet on the most fuel efficient land-based form of transport; a gallon of fuel moves a ton of goods 155 miles on truck; a train moves it 413 miles.
Image credit: Siemens/DCI
To those following the cutting edge of green transportation, an all-electric motorcycle is not a novel idea. Still, if you want one, you either need to build it yourself, or find a highly-skilled and versatile mechanic willing to do custom work.
Siemens wanted an electric bike and, instead of building it themselves, they went to the undeniable experts in custom motorcycles: Orange County Choppers.
The American Chopper Green Build will be featured on TLC tonight at 9 pm eastern....
When Trek unveiled the Lime back in 2007, the mission was to bring delightful, non-threatening biking to grown-ups. Some nice validation came last week when the Lime won the 2009 People's Design Award, a subcategory of the prominent National Design Awards. A simple city bike with an upright riding posture, the Lime uses Shimano's Coasting automatic three-speed transmission (a pretty complex system with a very simple user interface) and a back-pedal brake rather than hand levers. The mid-priced bike also packs a clever storage compartment into the bike's seat with enough room for keys, cell, and grocery money....
Money to Be Made Replacing Fossil Fuels
Wang Chuanfu (in Chinese: 王传福) founded BYD in 1995 at the tender age of 29. Now, 14 years later, BYD is the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phone batteries and has been working on electric cars for a few years. While it's not yet clear if it will be successful at selling the cars themselves or if they will end up as a battery supplier for other car makers, its potential is undeniable and even Warren Buffett felt he needed a piece of the action (with not one but two investments). All this has reportedly made Wang Chuanfu's personal fortune increase about six-fold to $5.1 billion, making him the richest man in China according to the Hurun Report and Forbes China....
What do You Think? Please Vote in Survey Below
BusinessWeek has compiled a list of what they consider to be the 50 ugliest cars of the past 50 years. The inclusion of the Hummer H2 on the list might make some TreeHugger readers cheers, but what about the nomination of the Toyota Prius? Yay or nay? We're curious to know what you think. Please vote in the poll below, and drop us a comment....
I always thought I was most likely to get killed by a "right hook", where a car blithely turns the corner without looking and the cyclist goes under the wheels. I lost a rowing buddy that way. Or the "door prize" where a driver opens a car door without looking to see if anyone is coming up beside them. But a new study of accidents in Fort Collins, Colorado, covered by Cyclelicious, tells a very different story....
photo: abdallahh via flickr.
Mark your calendars for November 23rd. That's when the first aviation biofuel test flight with passengers aboard is scheduled to take place, and the first test flight in Europe. Dutch airline KLM has announced that "a select group of passengers" will be ride in a Boeing 747 powered in one engine by a mixture of 50% bio-kerosene and 50% conventional aviation fuel:...
Phillies fan bicycle helmet. Image credit:MLB Phillies Shop
The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition reports, based on a US Census survey, that Philadelphia is ranked number one among the ten largest US cities for bicycle commuters per-capita. Per the Census data, 1.6% of Philly commutes are estimated to be by bicycle. Poor New York City came in at 6'th place (0.6%). "Philadelphia also tied for 10th among the country's 60 largest cities and the second highest percentage among east coast cities (only Washington DC has a higher percentage). Philadelphia's percentage of commuters who bike is nearly three times the national average of 0.55%." Look below for the rankings for all ten of the largest US cities.q...
Image from Mail online
London's cycling mayor, Boris Johnson, is the "knight on a shining bicycle" after he foiled three girls who were attacking a woman late at night. The victim, director of the film The Age of Stupid , was walking home when she was pushed up against a car by 3 young female hoodies with an iron bar. She called out for help to a passing cyclist, and much to her surprise it was the Mayor!
He chased after the girls, calling them "oiks", a unique english word for obnoxious people. They dropped the bar and took off. He then went back to the woman who was one of the creators of the 10:10 campaign and insisted upon walking her home. He said that he ended up having a very good chat with her about the environment....
Carbon allowances and cash flows in the oil sector Image credit:Point Carbon Research
The above diagram is reproduced directly from Monday's report from Point Carbon. They're estimating a rough average of a 5% increase in gasoline price at the pump (around 15 cents per gallon at today's prices) from Cap & Trade.
Read on for news about who will be the corporate revenue winners and which facilities will be the operating-cost losers, when and if a Cap & Trade bill, as in it's present configuration, would be enacted. ...
Photo: AOPA
With 2 People on Board (Unlike Photo Above)
Klaus Savier likes to have his cake and eat it too. Usually with airplanes, speed and efficiency are a tradeoff. You go slower and burn less fuel, or you go faster and burn more fuel (all else being equal). This is why it is impressive that Mr. Savier won this year's Fuelventure 400 in his modified VariEze (originally designed by the famous Burt Rutan) by getting 45 MPG at 207 MPH, and this with two people on board (and for those wondering, there were no massive tailwinds or anything of the sort)....
Photos: Luddista.
It might not be a first, but you have to give this couple credit for marrying on a bike in a city where traffic is so heavy that even pedestrians beat cars.
Priscila Teixeira and Willian Cruz were married last week in Sao Paulo and they organized a group biking trip to the city hall. As strong bike activists, they invited everyone who wanted to join with only one condition: they had to ride to the place.
Take a look at more sweet pictures inside and get inspired!...
Eight jet contrails from exhaust vapor mess with radiation balance. Photo by Jasmic via Flickr
No, we are not saying air travel is green. But some airlines are a lot greener than others. In fact, in this arena, the difference between 'eco savvy' and 'who cares' is much more drastic than in most industries--you're looking at 418 billion pounds of carbon emitted annually by airplanes, enough aluminum cans from beverage services to build an entire new fleet each year, and contrails causing "climate forcing. The good news is some airlines, like Virgin America, are making strides to green the industry. Greenopia ranked U.S. carriers' environmental record, noting big differences with older fuel-inefficient fleets. There are also times planes can be greener than car or train trips. So who's not up to snuff? Here's the offenders, with number seven being the worst of the worst....
"I think this is the decade that it's all going to come together."
I don't know if it's going to have the same effect on you, but this video made me hopeful that things are changing. There's still a lot of work to be done, but there's finally a solid movement for walkable and bikeable cities, and it's good to see that NYC is getting on board because whatever happens there will be seen by everybody else around the US and the world. In the video, the Streetfilms crew and Rep. Blumenauer (who sometimes bikes to the White House) ride around town and look at some good and bad bike lanes, and discuss the future, including the upcoming transportation bill. Via Streetfilms. See also:UK's Cycle to Work Guarantee: Good Idea, But Doesn't Go Far Enough......
Should Shipping on the Yangtze be Made Safer and Cleaner?
Even when everything's going according to plan, cargo ships can be major sources of air pollution (see "Just 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760m cars"), but when things go wrong and they're carrying dangerous chemicals, things can degenerate quite a bit. Chinese workers are currently trying to clean up two spills that took place on the Yangtze River this week (oil was spilled in one case and hydrochloric acid in the other)....
That's Quite a Nice New Toy You Got There, and It's Not Even Xmas
Has the Oracle of Omaha seen the future? If so, it seems to include more trains, because Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's investment vehicle, decided to buy the remaining 77.4% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway that it didn't already own, and the price tag wasn't small: 44 billion dollars when cash, stock and debt are included. Mr. Buffett says that he's betting on "the United States", because "railroad operators cannot do well unless American businesses were producing goods and customers were buying them." But is it possible that he's also betting that relatively fuel-efficient trains will play a bigger role in the future of transportation?...
Image from Metro
In a bid to make pedestrians' lives easier and safer, Oxford Circus, one of the busiest street crossings in London, has been redesigned. Today a copy of the Japanese "scramble crossing" design was unveiled, complete with Japanese drummers.
When the traffic lights turn red, cars in all directions have to stop and let pedestrians go. There is a 30 second window when walkers can cross in any diagonal configuration, not just corner to corner. Studies have shown that an X-shaped crossing is far more efficient. Given that thousands of shoppers cross at this busy intersection every day, it is hoped that this will alleviate congestion and make walking easier in the compact and busy area.
...
Photo: Flickr, CC
Tragedy of the Commons?
Vélib, the Parisian bike-sharing program, is great. But it would be incorrect to pretend that tout est parfait dans le meilleur des mondes (lit. transl.: everything is perfect in the best of worlds). Vandalism and theft has been a problem, and the latest news aren't good: About 80% of the original 20,600 bicycles have been damaged or stolen and the resources required to fix them or replace them are straining the program's budget. There's even a black market for stolen Vélib bikes in Eastern Europe and Africa......
Yes, it's over the top. You won't be missed on a dark street, however. Photo of a Rotterdam bike via joancg @ flickr.
When the design world discovered that bike commuting is growing in leaps and bounds, city-style cyclists had to take the good with the bad. The good being better-designed solutions to our biking needs, the bad being that better-designed solutions to our biking needs obviously cost more than many of us frugal cyclists want to pay. So, here we comb the web and the TreeHugger archives for a few examples of bike commuting style-plus-affordability. Sometimes solutions don't entail much purchasing, just a bit of bike DIY....
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
on 11. 9.09
Credit: Dave Askins, 
Image credit: Siemens/DCI
To those following the cutting edge of green transportation, an 
Money to Be Made Replacing Fossil Fuels
Wang Chuanfu (in Chinese: 王传福) founded BYD in 1995 at the tender age of 29. Now, 14 years later, BYD is the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phone batteries and has been working on electric cars for a few years. While it's not yet clear if it will be successful at selling the cars themselves or if they will end up as a battery supplier for other car makers, its potential is undeniable and even 
What do You Think? Please Vote in Survey Below
BusinessWeek has compiled a list of what they consider to be the 50 ugliest cars of the past 50 years. The inclusion of the Hummer H2 on the list might make some TreeHugger readers cheers, but what about the nomination of the Toyota Prius? Yay or nay? We're curious to know what you think. Please vote in the poll below, and drop us a comment....
I always thought I was most likely to get killed by a "right hook", where a car blithely turns the corner without looking and the cyclist goes under the wheels. I lost
photo: 
Phillies fan bicycle helmet. Image credit:
Image from Mail online
London's cycling mayor, Boris Johnson, is the "knight on a shining bicycle" after he foiled three girls who were attacking a woman late at night. The victim, director of the film 
Carbon allowances and cash flows in the oil sector Image credit:
Photo: AOPA
With 2 People on Board (Unlike Photo Above)
Klaus Savier likes to have his cake and eat it too. Usually with airplanes, speed and efficiency are a tradeoff. You go slower and burn less fuel, or you go faster and burn more fuel (all else being equal). This is why it is impressive that Mr. Savier won this year's 
Photos: 
Eight jet contrails from exhaust vapor mess with radiation balance. Photo by 
Should Shipping on the Yangtze be Made Safer and Cleaner?
Even when everything's going according to plan, cargo ships can be major sources of air pollution (see "
Image credit: Tour de OG/Opportunity Green Business Conference
When 
That's Quite a Nice New Toy You Got There, and It's Not Even Xmas
Has the Oracle of Omaha seen the future? If so, it seems to include more trains, because Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's investment vehicle, decided to buy the remaining 77.4% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway that it didn't already own, and the price tag wasn't small: 44 billion dollars when cash, stock and debt are included. Mr. Buffett says that he's betting on "the United States", because "railroad operators cannot do well unless American businesses were producing goods and customers were buying them." But is it possible that he's also betting that relatively fuel-efficient trains will play a bigger role in the future of transportation?...
Image from Metro
In a bid to make pedestrians' lives easier and safer,
Photo: 
Yes, it's over the top. You won't be missed on a dark street, however. Photo of a Rotterdam bike via 
