Anyone interested in a car that costs $3 to fill up, goes 125 miles between fill-ups and does not emit any pollution? Oh yeah, and it only costs about $7000. Any takers?
We found this post on treehugger and thought that it was worth mentioning. The BBC reported this weekend that French company MDI has signed an agreement with innovative Indian automaker Tata Motors to begin production of just such a vehicle. The car, designed by a former Formula One engineer, is a completely rethought-out vision of the automobile, and uses compressed air to propel itself. Other interesting features include brake power recovery and an exhaust pipe that emits clean air. The first few models should be available in India and in Europe by the end of 2008. In the future, the body of the car may be created out of hemp fibre and coated with natural varnishes.
Meanwhile, Tata Motors, is planning to unveil the world's cheapest car during the coming week in New Delhi. The "Peoples' Car," priced at around $2500, will initially be marketed to Indian's rapidly expanding middle class, but may soon conquer other developing markets.
Of course, a car is still a car. Even an air car needs an electric engine to compress the air it runs on, and is made out of materials will require plenty of energy to produce. However, if successful, the air car could prove more sustainable than the electric car. If these concepts catch on, expect it to affect car prices and efficiency worldwide. Who knows, you may even see a few of the little buggies next time you're stuck in traffic.
Inhabitat had a great write up on Ec0- Air travel that is worth bringing attention to. Air travel is getting greener- at first the EcoJet and Dreamliner lower-emissions aircrafts came onto scene, and now with a ground-breaking development from Green Flight International, biodiesel has succesfully been tested for jet usage. Developed by Biodiesel Solutions and tested on an L-29 military aircraft just last week, biofuel may just be the next sustainable frontier in the challenge to travel more eco-responsibly. On October 5, The Biojet I, an Aero L-29 Delfin aircraft, took off from the Reno-Stead Airport and flew to an altitude of 17,000 feet. While the first tests were done with a mixture of Biodiesel and regular jet fuel, the last flight was done entirely on 100% renewable biodiesel fuel. According to the pilot, there was no reduction in performance compared to conventional jetfuel. Granted, the L-29 is a rather unique aircraft. Originally built during the 1960’s and better known as Czechoslovakia’s first locally designed and built jet aircraft, the plane is rated to fly on several types of fuel which makes it an excellent choice for testing biofuels. It will be interesting to see if this test can be translated to other plane models. Are biodiesel fuels the future for airplane flights? “This test program between Green Flight International and Biodiesel Solutions was a unique and exciting opportunity to show what can be done in renewable fuels.” said Rudi Wiedemann, president of Biodiesel Solutions. “The very idea of using 100% biodiesel to fly a jet aircraft makes a compelling statement about the possibilities for the future of renewable energy and a healthier planet.”
Ever so often in the states we try to have a 'no purchase gas day', 'plant a tree day' or 'no smoking day', but imagine if we attempted something this extreme. September 22nd marks the first annual “No Car Day” in China, a national campaign hoping to reduce exhaust emissions and ease traffic congestion by limiting the number of private vehicles on the roads. Over 100 cities in China will participate, leaving residents to travel by foot, bike or public transportation. In Shanghai, a third of the city’s vehicles will be ordered off the roads and private cars will be banned from driving through areas of downtown. In 1994, authorities in Shanghai began auctioning license plates to limit the number of vehicles in the city, but the number of cars in the city continues to rise despite rising costs (one license plate recently sold for RMB 47,000, US$6,200). While it will be hard to limit the cars on the road outside of the specified downtown areas, officials remain optimistic about No Car Day. “We hope everyone in Shanghai will contribute a little for more environmentally friendly living conditions,” said city government spokeswoman Jiao Yang.
I found this story interesting and worth reporting. This story was posted by By: Mari-Ela David on KHNL KAUAI (KHNL)
- After leaving Honolulu Harbor on its first official journey out to sea, the Superferry gets a nasty welcome from protestors on Kauai. Once the vessel arrived in Kauai around 6:00 p.m. Sunday, angry words rippled through the waters at Nawiliwili Harbor, as protestors temporarily blocked the Alakai from docking.
Some protestors swam and surfed towards the vessel, determined to block the giant ship's path. For safety reasons, the Coast Guard stepped in and stopped the Superferry from docking, leaving 500 passengers stuck on the ship for at least an hour.
Participating in the protest were some of Kauai's leaders. "I'm really disappointed and utterly shocked that the owners are not willing to follow the law to stop their operations," says Kauai County Councilmember Joann Yukimura. Critics say the Superferry is breaking the law.
The Supreme Court ruled the Superferry must provide an environmental assessment. The debate between supporters and opponents is whether or not that ruling means the Superferry can still operate while the assessment is being conducted.
Among Superferry supporters is the State Administration. "Governor Lingle, and the Department of Transportation - I'm very disappointed that they're not respecting the decision that just came down by the Hawaii Supreme Court and I would hope that they would honor that so we can move forward and resolve this very difficult and complicated situation," says Senator Gary Hooser.
But Superferry officials say they are well within the legal lines. In a statement, Hawaii Superferry says "We are extremely disappointed for the passengers who were booked on the voyage to Kauai...we are sorry to see that minority dissident groups have chosen to oppose a service that the people of Hawaii have overwhelmingly embraced."
The Superferry finally docked around 7 pm Sunday.
Witnesses say protestors laid down in front of cars as the crew tried to unload the vehicles off Nawiliwili Harbor. At that point, they say the Superferry boarded passengers back on the ship. The vessel is scheduled to arrive at Honolulu Harbor around 11:00 p.m. Sunday.
This is a cool bike we noticed from Alternative Consumer. A look at one of the UK’s best selling, fold-able bikes that comes with a nifty handle/shoulder bag. Use the bag to carry or store your bike. When ready to roll, zip open the bag and it doubles as a backpack to carry any incidentals you might need to bring along.
Bike in a bag is available in two models: Compact and Touring.
Compact, single-speed bike weighs 26 pounds (11.8kg), can accommodate riders up to 6'1? and sells for $250.00 €179.95
The new Touring 6-speed Shimano gears bike weighs 30.4 pounds, can accommodate riders up to 6'8? and sells for $327.00 €239.95. available @ bike-in-a-bag.com or here.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just pick up an go? Sell of most of your personal belongings, pack up what is left and leave everything else behind. Did you ever wonder what that may or may not entail? Many friends of mine at one point in their life or another, have gotten sick of the rat race and moved on. Some left right after high school, some waited till their 20's and some are still leaving in their 30's. My X Pat friends come from all different backgrounds, casts, and countries , but they share the same dream of a sustainable life. One of my good friends that I met in San Diego, originally from Jersey, is finishing a really cool house right now in Rincon, Puerto Rico. The cool thing is that my buddy and his girl are tracking it step by step at www.ca2pr.com
Ca2pr is kind of "how to guide" on how to make the move. So far they have covered topics from what airline allows pets to fly in hot climates, what contractors to use in Rincon, how to avoid missing a flight because of surf wax an much much more.
Google Sets The Pace With Largest Corporate Solar Installation in the US
I got this information from Green Options. Search for "Largest corporate solar installation in the U.S." and you'll see Google pop up in the results. As of yesterday, the search engine giant became a lot less dependent on the grid by flipping the switch on nearly 9,212 solar panels. The output of more than 1.6 megawatts will serve up enough energy to power almost 1/3 of the campus. For some perspective, that's enough energy to power more than 1,000 homes!
Michael dEstries at Green Options points out that Google not content, however, to simply let a few thousand solar panels represent their green values, Google also unveiled a new parking garage specifically designed for plug-in-electric vehicles and hybrid cars. Employees can now charge while at work and hit the road freshly juiced afterwards. "Wait a minute," you say. "There aren't any commercial plug-in cars available yet!" And you're right. So, to address this issue, Google is also taking hybrid vehicles and converting them to plug-ins so that they can cruise along on only electricity for longer periods of time and at greater speeds. According to the article, they've so far converted four Toyota Prius and two Ford Escapes. Almost 100 such conversions are planned for employees to use as a car-share program while at work. Who are these guys?
Monday also marked the launch of Google's new philanthropic division, RechargeIT. The group has earmarked $10 million for investments in companies and projects that support alternative transportation that reduces the use of fossil fuels and emissions. You can also visit the site to see how the plug-in cars that Google has converted are performing.
To say this is encouraging would be a bit of an understatement. Would the rest of the corporate U.S. please pay attention? The future of business sustainability lies in example at Google HQ. We applaud their efforts and hope such green initiative become contagious nationwide.
Your unique spirit and individual personality are not mistakes; there is a plan and a purpose for your life. Pay Attention, when you are being lied to. Please do not be fooled, each one of us is responsible for the decisions we make and the actions we do or do not take.
