The ORINOKO project has developed software that combines real time video feed to re-set traffic lights.

The new system fills the gap between the established but expensive induction loops and the journey time measurements obtained using sensors in taxis.

Image Credit: Elcopilot at Flickr under Creative Commons License

The concept behind the challenge is to get individuals to make a difference by taking small actions in their every day lives. Yahoo! co-founder David Filo said he wanted to tap into the half a billion Yahoo! users to encourage greener lifestyles.

People can participate at the Yahoo! Be a Better Planet site. For each action you take through a Yahoo! green site you'll rack up points for you and your city. The city with the most points by June 8 will receive a small fleet of hybrid taxis. Individual participants with enough points will get a free compact flourescent bulb (CFL). Photo: Green Options

Actor Matt Dillon said, "I'm concerned with many environmental threats facing us and I want to do my part at reducing global warming." He encouraged the use of motion sensored lights, and suggested a few things each person can do such as replacing incandescnet light bulbs with CFLs, turning off the lights in empty rooms, walking or taking public transportation and unplugging chargers from outlets.

Photo: Green Options: Global Green CEO, Matt Petersen (left); Matt Dillon, actor (center); David Filo, co-founder Yahoo! (right)Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA, stressed that when people take individual actions at home and at work, it will not only improve the lives of everyone but will send an important message to corporations and governments across the U.S. that Americans support the mayors climate protection agreement. The mayors climate protection agreement was initiated by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to get mayors of cities across the nation to come together to reduce municipal green house gas emissions in leiu of federal support.

The Greenest City in America challenge is just the latest effort by Yahoo! as they move toward greening their practices and operations. Earlier this year Yahoo! teamed up with the producers of An Inconvenient Truth to create an eco-info site 18seconds.org, and last month announced plans to take Yahoo! carbon neutral.

There is one part of travelling that is starting to get greener, however - green taxis. Now available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York through two different companies, if you must take a taxi you can at least make it a green one.

Of course, the cars are not actually painted green. Ozocar, out of New York City, has a fleet of Toyota Prius's for regular trips and Lexus RX400h's for the occasions when extra space is necessary. Inside the car, you'll find a laptop connected to high speed wifi and Sirius satellite radio. In LA & San Fran, you'll find the service provided by Eco-Limo, who has a varied fleet of hybrids, natural gas vehicles, and biodiesel running Mercedes.

Now sure, if you can, use public or shared transit instead of taxis on your business trip. But sometimes, we have no choice. Schedules are too tight or distances are super inconvenient for mass transit. The choice, however, lies in choosing this "green taxi". Like we said earlier, this is going to take some planning. You can't step out to the street corner and hail down a Prius…not yet, anyway. Plan ahead and make a reservation. It may cost a bit more, but hey, the company is paying for it, right? Anyway, it's worth it.

Rebecca says: I just had the pleasure of receiving a (complimentary) ride to the airport from Ozocar. The experience was incredible. A laptop on the internet in the back of a fuel efficient Prius? Incredible.

By the way, remember the Car Diary Project? If you participated, please send me a message with your information ASAP!

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