Green Options » Dutch

#6 Groningen, Netherlands: Great Bicycle City Photo Tour

Zachary Shahan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:23:27 +0000

Groningen would be number one on this list if we were looking at percentage of residents who bicycle for transportation purposes. About 57% of travel in Groningen is by bicycle!

The city has been named the world’s best bicycle city a couple of times (1993 and 2006). It is a university city which is part of the reason why it has so many people bicycling, but it has done amazing things to make the city more bicycle friendly as well. The bicycle facilities you can see on the following pages will probably blow your mind away.

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From Dikes to Natural Flood Plains: The Netherlands Changes Approach to Flood Control

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:34:59 +0000

The Dutch have been fighting rising seas longer than any nation in the western world. Much of the country lies below sea level, including the capital city of Amsterdam. Traditionally, dikes and concrete barriers have been used to hold back the sea, but now the Netherlands is changing course in its flood control efforts due to climate change. The Dutch are embracing natural flood plains for rivers and mangrove swamps in lieu of levees.

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Dutch Sponsored Biodiesel Operation in Northern Peru Will Create Jobs and Reduce Poverty

Levi Novey — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:55:19 +0000

The Dutch organization SNV has agreed to plant approximately 10,000 acres of land near the coastal Peruvian city of Piura for a biodiesel operation that will provide new jobs for Peruvians and help reduce poverty through sustainable development.

According to one of Peru’s major news sources, El Comercio, “The coordinator of SNV, Jhony Heredia Paivo, indicates that 5000 hectares have been identified in the coast and highlands of Piura where piñón blanco can grow, an almost wild plant that actually can be contained on small farms, that produces olive seeds that can serve as raw materials for biodiesel plants.”

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Saltwater Power Could Supply Energy for Most Dutch Homes

Bryan Nelson — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 03:56:08 +0000

A new proposal to improve a 75-year-old dike, the Afsluitdijk, in The Netherlands could make it the world’s leading site for generating saltwater power— a clean, renewable energy source which is 30-40% more efficient than burning coal.

The breakthrough process, which is called reverse electrodialysis, captures the energy created when freshwater becomes saltier by mixing with seawater. Although scientists in the 1950s discovered that electricity could be generated this way, no one knew just how efficient the process could be until a recent study proved that a remarkable 80% of the energy could be recovered.

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Dutch Company to Sell Cheap, Powerful Electric Cars by End of 2009

Andrew Williams — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:27:57 +0000

Dutch-based EV start up Detroit Electric has announced that, by the end of next year, it plans to produce a range of affordable electric cars that are much more powerful than existing models and have zero emissions.

The company is in talks with Proton, the national Malaysian car-maker to produce the cars at their facilities in South East Asia. It is also in negotiations with two other, as yet unnamed, auto manufacturers from Germany and the U.S.

Speaking at a prototype viewing at the Proton test circuit in Malaysia, Detroit Electric’s Chief Executive, Albert Lam said, “We believe in affordable electric vehicles for the public. That is our dream … to find innovative ways to counter global warming.”

The cars, a sportscar, a sedan and a subcompact car, will feature a li-ion battery with a range of 200 miles on a single 7-8 hour charge and a total life span of 125,000 miles. They will also contain electric motor technology produced in-house. According to Chief Scientist Frits van Breemen-Schneider, the motor is 4 to 12 times lighter than exisiting designs, giving it a superior power-to-weight ratio. This means that it can produce 5kw of power per kilogram, whereas the best electric car in existence can only currently produce 0.25 kw per kilogram.

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Dutch Town Paving Street With Air-Purifying Concrete

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:47:13 +0000

Now here’s an innovation that might make me consider moving back to New York City: air-purifying concrete. The small Dutch town of Hengelo is testing out the concrete paving stones, which contain a titanium-dioxide based additive that binds to nitrogen particles emitted by car exhaust and turns them into harmless nitrates.

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