By Nick Chambers •
October 20, 2009
One of the biggest gripes I hear in the US about fully electric cars is that they aren’t practical because they don’t have enough range. But, what’s strange about this is, according to the 2001 US Department of Transportation National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), the average person drives their personal vehicle less than 23 miles a day—a number that is more than sufficiently covered by the 100-mile range of most upcoming mass-market electric cars.
So, if the average person drives a quarter of the distance an electric car is capable of going in a given day, why do people still say that they aren’t practical? It certainly isn’t a feeling based in how people actually use their cars. No, it’s more of a feeling based on our obsession with risk aversion—trying to avoid potential problems even if those problems don’t crop up during 95% of the rest of our lives.
Why is it so easy to be green in Canada?
I spent the first night of my summer vacation in a bed-and-breakfast in Toronto with my family. (Yes, I blogged while on vacation. That’s what happens when free wireless is available everywhere and you have obsessive-compulsive disorder.) We drove from Chicago in our Toyota Camry. It’s not exactly a Prius, but while averaging about 30 MPG, we had a smaller carbon footprint than we would if the three of us traveled by plane. We brought most of our own meals and snacks in reusable containers, printed out travel and maps on previously used paper, and reused our water bottles. So we thought we were being green. But a morning walk around Toronto made us feel only light green, at best.
By John Addison •
August 25, 2008
Editor’s Note: This is a guest submission from John Addison, Publisher of the Clean Fleet Report.
After bicycling for 152 miles in 6 hours and 23 minutes in Beijing’s smoggy air, the gold medal was determined by a fraction of a second.
Spain’s Samuel Sanchez willed a supreme effort to out-sprint the world’s great riders like David Rebellin and Fabian Cancellara. Although Sanchez could ignore pain and exhaustion during the 152 miles, he could not hold back his tears while listening to Spain’s national anthem being played in recognition for his gold medal victory.
Fifty-seven million U.S. citizens ride a bicycle, at least, on occasion. Over one billion globally use bicycles, famously including millions in our Olympic host nation. For all of us “Everyday Olympians,” the pace is gentle as we enjoy exercise and fresh air. For some of us, the bicycle is a practical part of our commuting and reaching other destinations.
By Deb Hiett •
May 15, 2008
…and Calls In Sore Tomorrow
Helmet? Check. Water bottle? Got it. Metro bus pass when we poop out halfway to work? You bet your aching glutes. Today’s the day many Californians bike the walk and not just talk the talk. It’s Bike to Work Week 2008, and boy, do we need it.
In its thirteenth year, California’s Bike to Work Week officially encourages bicycling as the best form of transportation to decrease [...]
Detroit tops the list of most miserable cities in the U.S., according to a new compilation by Forbes. The conclusions are based on traffic, Superfund-site data, crime, weather, income tax rates and unemployment. The list also includes Stockton, California; Flint, Michigan; New York City; and Philadelphia.
Photo courtesy of Gyre via Wikimedia Commons.
Publisher's Note: Look at the date this was written before getting too mad at Patrick. 
After giving it considerable thought over the past few months, I decided to stop walking to work.
I don’t live terribly far from my job (just a few blocks, in fact), and so when I first accepted the job, I make the decision to walk to work each day. But I’ve been finding myself late to work many days, because
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