Green Options

Many users of mass transit who can now save up to $1,000 a year or more on their transit commute. This represents a potential $440 a year increase in what they can save currently.

When members of Congress sat down to hammer out the final details on the economic stimulus package, President Obama’s Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel greatly upped the ante for high-speed rail, asking House-Senate negotiators for $10 billion — far more than either bill had allotted.

I was recently glancing through the Washington Post, when the headline, “Green Is In The Eye Of The Beholder,” caught my eye — mostly because I have been wondering a similar question question as of late: What, exactly, makes a vehicle “green?”

It seems there are as many answers as there are shades of green. But, ultimately, the question all automakers need to figure out the answer to — especially the Big Three in Detroit — is which variety of environmentally friendly vehicles do Americans really want?

A city in Abu Dhabi is introducing personal rapid transit (PRT) “podcars” — a cross between the convenience of grabbing a cab and a public bus. The podcars will be integrated into Masdar City’s public transportation system.

Free, friendly and non-fossil – biomethane from human waste will soon power public transport in Oslo, the capital city of Norway.

It is available for free in huge quantities, is not owned by Saudi Arabia and it contributes minimally towards climate change. The latest green fuel might seem like the dream answer to climate crisis, but until recently raw sewage has been seen as a waste disposal problem rather than a power source. Now Norway’s capital city is proving that its citizens can contribute to the city’s green credentials without even realising it.

In Oslo, air pollution from public and private transport has increased by approximately 10% since 2000, contributing to more than 50% of total CO2 emissions in the city. With Norway’s ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2050 Oslo City Council began investigating alternatives to fossil fuel-powered public transport and decided on biomethane.

Biomethane is a by-product of treated sewage. Microbes break down the raw material and release the gas, which can then be used in slightly modified engines. Previously at one of the sewage plants in the city half of the gas was flared off, emitting 17,00 tonnes of CO2. From September 2009, this gas will be trapped and converted into biomethane to run 200 of the city’s public buses.

Now is the time for an increase in our national gas tax to fund improvements in our transportation infrastructure and save a dieing manufacturing base.

A recent study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health found a strong correlational link between “active transportation” (defined as the percentage of trips taken by walking, bicycling, and public transit) and obesity rates in 17 industrialized nations. It appears that the more we sit on our butts and drive automobiles, the fatter we all become.

In the December 1900 issue of Ladies Home Journal, John Elfreth Watkins put together a collection of predictions for the future of the United States and the world by the end of the 20th century. We’ve cherry-picked 14 enviro-related predictions and coupled them with a brief analysis of what actually happened. Enjoy.

Gas costs have skyrocketed, and with them, the cost of flying.  This greenie isn’t 100% upset: with the cost of fuel increasing exponentially in the past few years, people are examining their transportation patterns and needs and trying to find cost- and fuel-effective methods of getting from Point A to Point B.  Smaller, more fuel-efficient cars are selling well, and ridership on public transit is up.  But for many Americans, particularly those in smaller cities and towns, public transit is non-existent.  For those living anywhere but the East Coast, Amtrak is slow, unreliable, or non-existent.   We’re a country for whom the cost of cheap fuel has promoted individual car use to the detriment of other forms of transportation.

This may not be a newsflash for some, but higher gas prices are causing Americans to drive significantly less.  For the first half of 2008, 30 billion less miles were traveled by car than in 2007.  Mass transit, bicycling, car pooling, and even horses (in my community at least) are making a come back to help Americans save money at the pump.

Via:  7Gen Blog

Chicago-based Megabus.com is giving away 100,000 free seats on its bus routes between Jan. 16 and March 11, 2008, to encourage people to reduce their carbon emissions.