More Cars Than Bikes Sold in Italy For The First Time Since WWII

More Cars Than Bikes Sold In Italy                                                                    
 

The Financial Crisis in Europe seems to be driving a return to the bicycle. For the first time since WWII there were more bicycles sold in Italy than cars. The home of the Italian super car. I mean who wouldn't want one of those under the tree this year. Another thing that drives this demand for bike is simply traffic. A lot of places in Italy the roads are tiny. I mean when you watch the Tour De France those beautiful country roads would make for a lovely summer drive or bike ride but would you like to have to pass a line of cars on that same road. In Italy this year they sold 1.75 million bikes compared to 1.748 million cars. So, it's a start, it doesn't make it where one Friday a month all the cars come out and drive haphazardly around the city during rush hour and stop everyone from going home but as more people ride and realize they get to their destination faster they will continue riding bikes.
How Would Looks Like In America
In 2010 there were 14.9 million bikes sold in America and 4.6 million cars. So where are all the bikes? Simple I would say most of these people are not commuting to work or the grocery store they are buying those bikes and riding occasionally or on weekends for fun. Most people here have not made the jump to hey I could get rid of one car and commute to work on my bike and not pay all this money for gas.
 Bike Chic - (Day 3 Holiday 2011), a photo by Kenski1970 on Flickr.
VIA Christian Science Monitor

I love This Ozeri Green Earth Ceramic Cookware

I Love This Green Earth Ozeri Ceramic Cookware
     These Green Earth pans by Ozeri are really a nice product, they are truly green which the color doesn't really go with my decor but the function of the cookware is the best. The color is straight out of the seventies remember those yellow fridges everyone had. That's how I feel about green colored cookware. But oh well. The reason I like these pans so well is that they are covered in ceramic so the nonstick coating will never come off in your eggs like traditional nonstick cookware. I mean let's face it after awhile it's like you don't even have to put pepper in your eggs but it still looks like you did. These use no PTFE or PFOE chemicals in the nonstick treating process. So it's definitely a lot better for your health than the other nonstick metal pans out there. I think I will get over the green color.

Greenwashing What Is It?

What is Greenwashing?
Greenwashing

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Greenwashing is the what companies do when they want to appear to be a green Eco friendly company when in fact they are not. This is simply marketing as green is the new black right. It's popular now to say you are a green ecofriendly company. Not to mention it can affect your bottom line. I mean wouldn't it be nice if BP was a green company? Of course it would but the fact is it's an oil company and we all use oil in one form or another so how can BP be a green Eco friendly company? So basically a company will get their marketing company to highlight anything that their company does for the environment or any type of cleaner process for doing something that might really be terrible for the environment stamp a green label and even sometimes the color green as a cue that this is a green product. Now I am happy they are doing
things cleaner and maybe a little greener but at the end of the day it's just a way to make us buy more of their products that aren't really green.
Subtle Greenwashing
Subtle greenwashing is a different kind of greenwashing all together. I almost prefer the in your face hey this Hummer H3 is green because it uses new higher efficiency tires. Or something like that than subtle greenwashing. Simply because it's a lot easier for people to read through. It's not under the surface.
An Example of Subtle Greenwashing
An example of subtle greenwashing are like when you go into your hotel room and look at the wrapper for the toilet paper and what does it say made from 100% renewable resources. Umm of course it is it's all paper that's scored so you can tear pieces off. What else is it made of just trees and those are renewable right. Paper products are notorious for this type of thing because it's easy and simple and cheap. You don't have to make national TV commercials to convince anyone your oil company is greener than the next one you just have to stamp on your product that just happens to be 100% renewable that it is in fact renewable. That's easy right?
What Do You Do About Greenwashing?
There's not much you can do about all of this except to point it out especially to your kids or nieces and nephews because they will spread the word like wildfire. Because it's pretty funny thing when you see an oil company claiming to be green or a toilet paper company that is 100% renewable. Trust me they will point it out to everyone. They will be the ones that will take the value out of greenwashing. Because after all what do we truly want and need not greenwashing but actual green and Eco friendly behaviors by companies and that is what we should be rewarding with our dollars.

Apple Moves To Smaller Connector For Charger on iPhone 5

iPhone 5 Gets a 19 Pin Connector Port

 The iPhone 5 will be getting a smaller charging port. Technology is moving on from the the current port with 30 pins. What does this mean for you. Well, technology moves forward bigger faster smaller and all of that. But at the end of the day you need to buy new chargers new speakers unless of course you all ready have a Blue tooth speaker system. All of those external products that you were able to connect to your iPhone for what the last 10 years or so. You really can't blame Apple as this is just how things in technology go. Hey if you make this connector smaller they might be able to give you a bigger battery etc. But, The bigger issue with this is how many of these products now end up in a landfill somewhere? They would have ended up there anyway right but now this just speeds their demise and further production of more products. You can't even use your current case on  your new iPhone 5 because the earphones will connect at the bottom so even that is out. The only positive is you might get a great deal on the iPhone 4S when the iPhone 5 comes out
What Will You Need To Replace If You Buy An iPhone 5?
In some ways there is a whole list of things but the good answer is for a few years a couple anyway I am sure Apple will have to put out some sort iPhone 4S iPhone 5 Adapter but even that will not cure all the problems. So most people have some sort of speaker system to connect to their iPhone. If that will accept the adapter then your set but if not, if it's too tight of a fit you may need to replace it. The companies and individuals that have gone to Blue tooth speaker systems were really ahead of the game on this, no connectors or adapters or anything else for them. Now what about the chargers in your cars and at the office etc. Those are easily replaced but probably at a cost of about forty dollars or so. I wonder what the true cost of this change is to the average iPhone user in terms of dollars after they buy the new iPhone. How much do they spend on new adapters, new chargers, new speakers, basically a whole new ecosystem for apple products.
Great For Manufacturers
This is great for manufacturers. I mean think about we are wondering how much all of this will cost us. The manufacturers are wondering how much all of this will make them. Think about it everything needs to be replaced. That will be a boon for the manufacturers of these products from cases to chargers to speakers to connectors for your car system etc.
My Hope For Apple
My hope for Apple is that they eventually embrace the micro USB charging as so many other high tech companies have done on their high end tech devices. This would be great for Apple's consumers as well as for the company since it is a much greener option. However Apple has never been known to be a company that follows the crowds and I guess that's why so many of us love their products.
 iPhone-23.jpg, a photo by ThiagoMartins on Flickr.

Ways To Conserve Water

Some Ways To Conserve Water
We all know the ways to conserve water around the house. They have been taught to us since we were children. But, how many of us really put them into good use. The simple ones are easy to do and keep up on right, like turn off the water when you brush your teeth that's pretty simple to remember and do. What are some other ways that are not so simple and some ways that make it easier to remember? First of all do you have an old fashioned toilet?
How To Save Water With Your Toilet
If you have an old fashioned toilet you know that every time you flush it takes about 5 gallons of water to flush the toilet. Newer models it only takes about 1.6 gallons per flush. Big difference right. Well, how many times do you flush the toilet per day? Now, how many times does your family flush the toilet per day? You could spring for a modern toilet but that is very expensive. Another option is to simply place a brick in your toilet tank and see if your toilet still flushes normally. If your toilet still flushes normally place another brick and so on. Basically what the brick does is displace water in your toilet tank so it fills up faster and flushes less water with each flush. You won't get down to 1.6 gallons per flush like a high efficiency toilet but your toilet wasnt' made to flush with such a little amount of water. Another way to save water with your toilet is to test to see if your toilet valve is leaking.
Check Your Toilet Flapper Valve For Leaks
One way you can be using a lot of water with your toilet without even knowing it is with a leaking flapper valve in your toilet. What is the flapper valve. Take off the back of the toilet. Push the flush lever do you see the rubber valve connected to the end of that chain at the bottom of the toilet tank? That rubber stopper looking thing is your toilet flapper valve. The way to see if it's leaking is to put some food coloring in the back of the toilet tank and see if it appears in the toilet bowl. If it doesn't then no problem your flapper valve does not leak at all. If food coloring does appear in the toilet tank then you need to replace the flapper valve on your toilet. Don't worry it's a very simple procedure. Flush the toilet and turn off the water. Don't worry it's clean water so you won't get dirty. Now disconnect the chain from the flusher handle and disconnect the flapper valve from the plastic tube in the middle of the toilet and remove the flapper valve. Buy the correct flapper valve and replace it the same way you removed it. Congratulations.
How Your Kids Can Save Water In The Tub
Kids love taking a bath and they love filling the tub to the brim with water and that can be 50 or 60 gallons of water. If it's a large soaking tub it can be a lot more than that. So one way I have found to keep the water use down for baths with small children is to put a sticker of some animal they like at the level of water I want them to use most times. So basically when the water gets up to the starfish or the turtle shut it off. But, once in awhile you can let them fill it up and just enjoy it. Hey, kids need to be kids too right.

UC Davis Named Nations Coolest School

UC Davis Has Been Named Nations Coolest School

In the annual rankings of Sierra magazine's greenest campuses once again University of California at Davis comes out at the top of the list. Their efforts to be a green campus have paid off and have been noticed. One of the first things you notice when you go to Davis and not just the campus but the actual town of Davis is that it's bike town USA. I mean there are bike here and there and bikes everywhere. One of the things highlighted by Sierra magazines publishers is the transportation system that includes about 20,000 bikes on campus. That is a huge number of bikes. Not to mention the new development of the West Village. West Village is a planned community that is the country's largest zero net energy community. Big things are happening in Davis. This only will get bigger as more and more students go through this University with so much emphasis placed on these green initiatives this will stay with these students as they leave campus and go off into their new lives and hopefully establish themselves elsewhere but take with them all these green ideas they learned at Davis.

Do You Go To A Cool School?

What I mean by that is what does your school do to help the environment? Do you have a large biking community? Do most people car pool to class or live on campus. Do you have a large community that is that is zero net energy? In other words should your campus be on this list next year. If not maybe you should get working. It only takes a few dedicated students and faculty to get something like this started. Davis didn't start with 20,000 bikes on campus they started with a couple hundred a few years ago or so and then students demanded more bike access and administrators allowed it and approved it. So it always starts small. So leave your campus better than you found it in four years. Good Luck.

Via Sierra
 Composting sign, a photo by Julien_V on Flickr.

Nest Learning Thermostat More Than a Pretty Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat

The Nest Learning Thermostat is really unique, it's a thermostat which is something fairly utilitarian but when you see the model put out by the Nest designers it looks like something that came out of Apple Computer. In fact one of the designers worked at Apple before starting Nest. It even has a click wheel like the first iPod. Yes it's that beautiful but the question is do you want a two hundred dollar pretty thermostat hanging on your wall? Or, do you want a two hundred dollar thermostat on your wall because it's pretty and it saves you money in the long run? That's the question is it really worth it? The Nest Thermostat is a Learning Thermostat. What is a learning thermostat? A learning thermostat basically means that instead of putting in a schedule of daily temperature fluctuations that you want to be scheduled, like your normal thermostat you will basically change the temperature to what you want, when you want it. In a few days the Nest Learning Thermostat will learn what you like and what you don't like. Then it will keep the house to those temperatures. Now if you are home a couple of days or whatever don't worry you can change the temperature and it won't affect the Nest. Like I said it takes about a week for it to learn a new schedule or basically a new habit. One of the settings I like on the Nest is the Auto Away Mode. Basically the nest has a motion sensor and when it hasn't seen you in a few hours it will automatically set to the lowest temperature you have set for your home say 65 degrees. This is a really great feature for someone like me who is always away and when you are going out of town there is a list of things to do and one of the last on that list that is frequently forgotten is to turn down the thermostat. So my home is nice and toasty the whole time I am gone. This is not a problem with the Nest If your Nest is centrally located and you pass by it regularly throughout your time at home this works out great. However your Nest is located  in that place in your home that is not in your daily traffic pattern and you hardly ever go by it then you won't be able to use this feature.

Buy Nest Thermostat

Okay you have decided to Buy A Nest Thermostat What are your options? If you click the link at the left you can buy one at Amazon.com which is great that way the Nest will come to you. Other choices for buying the Nest are to go to The Apple Store or also they are available now at Best Buy. So there are a few different choices to get your Nest Learning Thermostat.

Other Features of The Nest

     The Nest Thermostat has many features I really like one of them is that it can be connected into your wifi network in your house so that software updates are automatic. This is a really great thing because let's face who is actually going to think to do software updates on their thermostats. We all have enough gadgets that need updating as it is. So this one will do it for you. Another great feature is the Web and Mobile apps for your energy history and usage. If you use Air Conditioning a lot in the summer the new Nest Airwave can save you a lot of energy. Basically it works like this in the summer when it's hot and your AC is on, your AC unit gets cold then when you shut off the AC the unit is still cold. What Airwave does is shut off the AC before your house reaches the desired temperature and leaves the fan running to circulate the warm air through your cold AC unit. That way it doesn't waste that energy, and your house still cools down to the desired temperature. So I think The Nest Learning Thermostat is more than a pretty Thermostat it will save you energy in your home. Nest's chameleon design blends with a green wall, a photo by Nest on Flickr.

Essentials For Your Dorm

Essentials For Your Dorm

The Essentials for your dorm or your child's dorm are the things that will make your life a little easier as you head off to start your new life in your college dorm. This is just a list of essential items for you dorm that can help that transition. It is by no means fully complete as everyone's needs are different.

Your College Dorm

Your College Dorm will almost resemble a cell in a jail when you arrive. One of the first things you will notice is that it is very drab and the same as everyone els's. Then you will notice how small it is. It will be smaller than your bedroom at home and you will be sharing it with someone else. Who is also not used to sharing a bedroom.

Plan ahead so you don't duplicate.

 Your college will contact you before the fall semester starts and give you, your roommates information. Contact them and talk to them and get to know them after all this is the person you will be living with for the next nine months at least. If you get along, hopefully you might live with them for four years or more. So get used to this idea and try to go into it with the idea that you can get along with this person unless you just can't. So when you are talking to them find out what they plan to bring to the dorm because if they are planning on bringing a bike rack that holds two bikes then great you don't have to. Likewise if you are bringing your PlayStation 3 to stream movies and video on then they don't have to bring theirs. You get the idea. Otherwise you will both bring everything and then nothing will fit in your room.

Things You Need For Your Dorm

The Dorm Essential List

1. PlayStation 3 or XBox 360 - You can use these to play games as well as watch T.V. and stream movies on and watch Netflix and HULU.

2. Bike Rack- This is self explanatory if you own a bike you need a bike rack for your dorm room one of the ones that lean against the wall is great. Try to get one that will accommodate two bikes. That way there is room for your roommates bike as well as yours. It's all about sharing.

3. Coffee Pot and a Hot Pot- You can use the Hot pot to heat soups and noodles basically any type of instant food that needs to be cooked in water. It's for when you just can't take the cafeteria one more time this week.

4. Bed Risers- These are plastic or wooden blocks that you put under the legs of your bed so that you can store things in bins and put the bins under your bed. They work really great since most dorms lack storage and closets in a lot of cases.

5. Small Microwave Toaster Oven- Once again for those times you don't feel like going to the cafeteria.

6. Plate, Bowl, Forks, Spoons, Knives

7. A Dry Erase Board to put on your front door- even in these times of text messaging people will still walk by your door and leave a message.

8. Drying Rack and Laundry Basket or bag

9. Printer and ink cartridges- whichever roommate has the best printer should bring theirs. Make it a laser printer they are very cheap now and you will save the money in ink cartridges. You can buy a laser print cartridge for $100.00 and it will print about 3,500 pages or so.

10. Laundry Marking Pen and rolls of Quarters to do Laundry

I can't stress enough that you need to talk to your roommate about what you are bringing so you don't duplicate your efforts. For one it costs a lot of money to outfit a dorm. Some of this stuff you will have but a lot you will have to buy, so it's better to plan ahead so you don't have two of something.

Make Your Dorm Yours

As I said above your dorm will have a littel bit of an institutional feel to it at first so bring a carpet or some posters that you like or things like that so it will make it feel like home to you. Because for the next few months it will be home. It won't feel like it on the first day but it will in a week I promise.
 dorm room - closet & door, a photo by jessycat_techie on Flickr.

Teens Wait Longer To Drive

Teens Wait Longer To Drive

 

Teens Wait Longer To Drive

As soon as I hit sixteen years old me and all my friends couldn't wait to get our drivers license's it was a right of passage for every sixteen year old kid that I knew. You go down to the DMV and take your driving test as soon as you can convince your parents to take you. Then somehow convince them to help you buy some clunker of a car that you will fix up so you will have a way to get around. But, now it seems teenagers are waiting to drive longer and longer. For several different reasons really. 

Some of The Reasons Teens Are Waiting

Teen Driving Laws

In several states there are harsh teen driving laws that regulate teen driving. For instance in California if you are a teen driver between the ages of 15 and a half and 18 years old you will be given a Driver's Permit. You must drive with a Driver's Permit for at least six months before you are able to apply for a Driver's License. Teenagers with a provisional permit may only drive with an adult 25 or older in the vehicle. Once you pass the all the tests and actually get your driver's license you still have restrictions. You cannot have any passengers under the age of 20 in your vehicle and no driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. This restrictions is for one year. Now when I was a kid I looked forward to cruising around with my friends and going out late or taking a girl on a date. Well, with these types of restrictions on your license none of that is possible.

Technology

Technology is another reason teens are waiting to drive. For a couple of reasons really. One being that teens would rather spend $100 dollars a month on a smart phone plan, than that same money on insurance. Let's face it cars cost money and they can't connect you on Face book. But in the car you can drive over to your friends house and see what they are up to. In today's modern world a teenager would rather go onto Twitter or Face book than actually drive over to the same friends house. Not to mention if one or the other has moved with the economy and jobs situation then it may not be just across town it may be across the country but you can still connect on a social network just like your right there.

Families are Moving Closer To City Centers

Families are moving out of the suburbs and into the down towns to cut back on commute times not to mention the fact that it puts them closer to friends and family. They are also able to use services that they left behind when they originally left the city in the first place such as library's and colleges and medical facilities without having a long commute in their car.

This is Great For The Environment

This is really great for the Environment. All of these shorter commutes and less kids buying cars therefore driving less is great for the environment. Because if they don't buy the car then they will ride their bike or get a ride with a friend or their parents or simply ride the bus. So all these options become available and normal to them if it's something they have always used. Not to mention it is cheap compared to gas, insurance and upkeep on a car. For instance this summer you can get a bus pass you you and your bike for my whole county for $43 dollars. That is cheap that won't even buy most people a tank of gas around here.

Dodge Charger, a photo by jbspec7 on Flickr.

VIA http://www.thedetroitbureau.com

Reusable Water Bottle Choices

Reusable Water Bottles

 We are all trying to cut back on our use of plastic and throw away single use items and one of the ways to do this is with the simple single use plastic water bottle. I mean think about how many of them we have simply thrown in the trash over the years. Man if I had a quarter for every one that I have thrown in the trash I would probably be rich. Now I am switching over to a reusable water bottle. Reusable plastic bottles can help cut back on the amount of plastic you throw away simply by letting you fill them up at the tap and going on your way instead of getting a new bottle of water out of the fridge every time you want some water. I mean who would have thought way back when we would actually pay for water by the bottle. If you think about it we pay more for it than we pay for gas and no one bats an eye at that. But we all do it day in and day out. So my plan to stop throwing away plastic bottles is simple I will use a refillable glass bottle day to day and when i am somewhere where I don't have a filtered tap to refill my bottle I will use a refillable filtered water bottle.

Glass Water Bottle

I really like the glass refillable water bottles. They just seem nicer than having a single use plastic bottle that you refill over and over again and it's something you can wash in the dishwasher and not have to worry about the buildup of bacteria like that single use plastic bottle. My favorite refillable glass bottle is the Takeya glass water bottles for in the 22 ounce size. I know at the end of the day if I have emptied that a couple of times then I have had my daily intake of water. Not to mention it comes with a sleeve for a little bit of protection.

Filtered Water Bottles

I prefer Filtered Water Bottles whenever i am out at the park or someplace where I really don't know the quality of the water I am drinking. So I always take a filtered water bottle when i am at the park or walking the dog or what have you. This is a good one also when you are filling up even from the school drinking fountains. I like the Brita 24 ounce bottle with filter. It's a good deal and it comes as a two pack with a filter. So at this cheap of a price you get two fairly large water bottles so there is not excuse not to drink water and no excuse to be using single use plastic bottles and throwing them in the trash or even the recycling bin.

Plastic Water Bottles Mountain Ice Hunger Takes Flight KFB May 20, 20107, a photo by stevendepolo on Flickr.

Apple Abandons Green Standard on New Products

Apple Abandons Green Standard on New Products

     Apple Computer has been a leader in green computing technology receiving the Gold Standard every year since 1997 from EPEAT which stands from Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. EPEAT is a leading standard in green consumer electronics. 

Apples decision on EPEAT

     I think this mainly came about with their new retina displays on the new Mac Book Pro. Previous to this product macs and all the other products have been fairly easy to repair with sub assemblies that if you had the right tools you could easily take them apart. With the new Mac Book however that is not the case. 

What Does This Mean For Apple?

     In the short term it means nothing. We will probably still buy their products because let's face it they are good products. However school districts have policies on how much of their electronics have to be sourced from green electronic sources. That has been one of Apple's capstone ideas from the old days put computers in the schools and you make customers of the students. Will Apple lose that or do they need that now that they are a huge company. The next thing they will lose is the Federal Government as 95% of their electronics have to come from green sources. 

What Do You Think?

     Will Apple abandoning it's green ideals make you consider another company when you are buying a computer or phone next time? Let me know in the comments.

Apple inside II, a photo by Sant'Anna Silveira on Flickr.

California State Parks Avoid Most Cuts

California State Parks Mostly Saved From Budget Cuts

     At one time more than 70 state parks were on the list to be closed due to budget cuts in the State of California. As everyone knows California is in a continual budget crisis and must do what is can to find money and state parks is just another thing to close to save that much needed cash. When the list of 70 parks was put out there were many favorites of many people around the state. California is an outdoor state. I grew up in California and I remember backpacking and camping in many of California's state parks and boating on the lakes and kayaking on the creeks in many of these parks. So when you talk of closing 70 parks trust me many people will speak up and ask what they can do to help.

Private Donors and Foundations Support State Parks

     So what has come out of all of this is support for many of California's state parks from many many individuals and Foundations and even some companies. Because let's face it if you always take your family camping in a certain park every summer what do you tell the kids hey we let the park close. No, there are many talented people in California that can use their skills to raise money and secure funds for individual parks or even groups of parks in certain geographical areas. Or for some businesses if you are the local business that state park down the road just might make your whole summer or your whole year with the increased traffic from boaters and RV's and families going camping. So, it would be in your best interest to make a donation to keep that park open.

Take Your Kids To a State Park

     Take your kids to a state park and maybe go camping or fishing or even a hike. After all it's easier to live a green life and appreciate what you are trying to help save when you can look around and see it for yourself. It's one thing to say I'm trying to protect the environment but it's another to go hiking on a trial and see that environment for yourself. Not to mention it instills those memories in your children that hey this is what we are doing this for not just because mom says so.

Where do California Parks Stand Now

     Currently there are only five California parks that have failed to find enough outside support and donors willing to support them. The five that could use your help are Benicia State Recreation Area, The California Mining and Mineral Museum, Gray Whale Cove State Beach, Zmudowski State Beach, and Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. So if you want to support California state parks either support one near you or support one of the five on the chopping block.
No Better Cause, a photo by ingridtaylar on Flickr.

Be Green Borrow From Your Neighbors

Get To Know Your Neighbors

     I know in this day and age it seems that no one I mean no one actually knows the people they live around or the lady that lives at the end of the block. I wonder why that it? I think maybe it has to do with how busy everyone is now and the fact that in a couple, both people have to work just to support the family. So consequently you don't get to know the people around your home and down your street. Remember when you were a kid your family knew everyone on the street and around the block and since that was the case as a kid you actually had a lot more freedom. So why should you get to know the neighbors? Well, if you think of the three R's of living a greener life Reduce, Reuse, Recycle knowing your neighbors will go a long way to help you in accomplishing that greener lifestyle you want. Not to mention saving you a ton of green dollars in your pocket and a lot of space in your garage. 

Live Green By Borrowing From The Neighbors

     So like above your family knew everyone on the block. But what they also knew was who on the block had a rototiller, or a bike rack, or a kayak that sat in their garage all year waiting for that one or two times a year when they actually took that item out and used it. So, if your dad needed to use a rototiller chances are he would walk down the street and knock on the door of the rototiller owner and ask to borrow it. The owner would agree saying that as long as your dad repaired any damage etc. Now why would this guy loan your dad something that could cost up to $400.00 at the time which was a lot of money? Well, this guy always borrowed your dads roof rack every year when his family went camping so what goes around comes around. So in this neighborhood not everyone has to own a rototiller or a bike rack or all those things that we all use a few times a year. Just someone in the neighborhood has to own it. That way our garages don't get filled up with stuff that we never use and the money that we save can stay in our bank accounts. 

Peer To Peer Borrowing

     Now in this modern time this would be called peer to peer borrowing and I'm sure if I was a Java Developer I could write some nifty code with the Google maps API and you could put in your neighborhood and it would show who had what and what they were willing to lend out etc. Or on the other hand you could just get to know your neighbors and when they ask to borrow your good pruning shears let them because you never know when you might want to borrow that extra bike that their daughter grew out of. Besides it's nice to know your neighbors.

Living Building Challenge Beyond LEED Certification

Living Building Challenge

     The Living Building Challenge is a new green rating system for buildings that was developed by Jason F. McClennon. It creates a building that is not only a green building in initial design and construction but what actually happens down the road in everyday use of the building. How is that accomplished? Every Living Building Challenge Building is judged not during the design or construction, like a LEED building but twelve to sixteen months after the building has been in day to day use to see if the grand green ideas have panned out. 

LEED Was The First Step

So where LEED was a great first step in the designing green buildings and really bringing about this whole green building industry the LBC is about taking the next step to see which of these designers ideas really work in your day to day life. Because let's face it when you are designing something, how you think something will work out versus how it really does can change dramatically. Not to mention the fact that when a lot of these so called green buildings were built a lot of this technology was just someones idea on a drawing board. That hadn't really been tried out yet. So now with the Living Building Challenge and the new standards in place those buildings that are LEED certified can be tested to see if they meet the new standards and the ones with the best technology and best ideas can be replicated. 

One Car Family

One Car Family

     Have you considered changing your lifestyle and becoming a one car family? If so what do you think that would look like? What do you think the trade offs would be and do you think they would be manageable? A lot of it depends on what type of lifestyle you have and how flexible you are in that lifestyle. But, it does open up some possibilities for you and your family.

What does giving up one car do for you?

     If you only have one car you will walk and ride your bike more than you do now. What is that worth? I don't really know but I have a feeling your family will be closer and in better shape for the long haul. Do you drive your kids to school even though it's only a mile? I bet they could walk faster than you can drive them there or if that is unsafe you could walk them to school. How about shopping? Well, if you only have one car then when you need to really stock up you take that car or even better yet get yourself a cargo bike. They will carry all of your kids plus all of your groceries trust me this is doable.

What About My Commute?

     Your commute can be offset a couple of different ways. Either by carpooling if your commute is just too far to ride or you could bike commute. If your commute is a reasonable distance. Better yet if your employer provides bike lockers or some type of indoor bike storage for employees.

Let's Talk About Money

     Okay above are all the little things in life where you need that extra car or feel that you do. What are you getting out of all this extra pedaling and walking. Money is a big thing you will save a lot of money by having only one car. Let's break it down. Gas how much do you spend on each car and how much do you spend on the car that you will get rid of? I'm betting about $300.00 a month or so. Some of that will be added to the other cars monthly gas bill but I bet not half of it. License and insurance, you probably spend about $300.00 to $400.00 a year on license and about $100.00 a month on insurance. So add all that up. When I add all that up I see a savings of $4500.00 a year. Not bad right. But wait there's more. If your car is like mine occasionally it breaks down so you need to add in a little bit for a mechanic and a biannual smog certificate. I know what your thinking hey the bike will break down as well. Yes that's true but most simple bike repairs you can do yourself. Not to mention that most bike repairs cost under $50.00 whereas most car repairs are over $100 - 200.00.

Health Effects

     The heath effects of riding your bike more are well known. You will simply be in better shape than you are now. Don't believe me ask your doctor. So on top of saving money on gas you will be healthier and not have to go to the doctor as much. Not to mention you will be in better shape and have killer quads, and your wife or husband will start to look a lot better in shorts or skirts than they do now. Hey that is a plus right. Not to mention that, that long ride you do now that's so hard will become a lot easier because you do so many more short rides your heart rate and blood pressure will go down.

What About The Kids

     Trust me the kids will be okay. They will still get to all of their activities because you still have one car for the really far out things and the close in things they can ride their bikes or walk or you can put them on your cargo bike and take them if they are too small to ride or walk on their own. So you will definitely be spending more time with your kids. For them this change will probably be the easiest. Kids seem to just roll with the punches and go with the flow. Not to mention they love riding bikes.

I Want To Try Out Being a One Car Family

     If you want to try out this lifestyle I say go for it. What I would do is pick the car that you would keep if you did give up a car and then park the other one in the garage for a week. Let everyone in the family know about the project and get their input. There may be some people in your family who disagree but just tell them we are trying this for a week. Then do it. Simply ride your bike or walk or take the other car wherever you go for a week at the end of the week talk to the other family members about how much you don't or did need the other car. Don't forget to tally up how much you saved in gas that week and how much you would have saved had you actually not had the car, meaning you wouldn't have the payment or insurance or license etc. If this week is successful then continue another week. If you do this successfully for a month congratulations it's time to give up your car.

 DSCN1319.JPG, a photo by cleverchimp on Flickr.

Environmentally Friendly Cars Are They Worth The Cost?

Environmentally Friendly Cars

     Consumer reports recently did an article on several cars that are greener than their regular counterparts. In other words they save gas by using low rolling resistance tires and spoilers on the back and in one case there is a flap in the radiator area that reduces air resistance at highway speeds. The premise of the article and video is that you don't really save enough gas to make it worth your extra money that these environmentally friendly cars cost. The environmentally friendly vehicle usually costs a few hundred dollars more than the normal version of the same vehicle. So Consumer Reports sees it simply as it's not worth it when in one case they say it will pay off in three years. To me three years is not too long. Some people will buy these cars just because they are Eco friendly vehicles and they want to do something to help they environment. Not to mention to stop sending all of our cash to the Middle East.
Green Cars For Comparison
     The green cars that they compared were the following, the Chevrolet Cruze Eco, the Ford Focus SFE, and the Honda Civic HF. The Honda Civic HF and the Ford Focus SFE each got three miles per gallon more than it's regular counterpart. the Chevrolet Cruze Eco on the other hand only got one mile per gallon more than the typical model. So Consumer Reports is correct it will take a few years to pay back.
How To Really Save Gas
     I don't believe the true comparison should be between the Eco friendly car model and the normal model but it should really be between what you are driving today and the Eco friendly model. What do you think? So, say you are driving a Ford Explorer that only gets 20 mpg and you move to the Honda Civic HF that gets 33 mpg. That's 13 mpg better. So at the end of a normal 15,000 mile year, what would you save? Well, when you do the math for a year it looks like this 15,000 divided by 20 equals 750 gallons of fuel. Wow, more than I thought. So 750 times $4.00 equals $3,000.00 for one year of gas in your Ford Explorer. Now for that same year in the Honda Civic HF with 33 MPG the math looks like this. 15,000 divided by 33 equals 454.54 gallons of fuel for the year. So 454.54 gallons of fuel times $4.00 equals $1,818.00. Wow That's $1,182 less in gas costs per year. So, it doesn't have to be these cars in particular but pick the car that gets at least ten miles per gallon better than your current one and let people tell you it's not worth it. You can laugh all the way to the bank or just know that you are driving a greener car than you were. Whether that's green for the environment or for your pocket the reason doesn't really matter just the outcome does that we all use less energy to go the same distance. That's how you really save gas.

Bike Parking in Downtown Areas

Bike Parking in Downtown Areas

     I lost the picture and don't know where I saw this at but I will find it. But, have you seen this phenomenon in your city where in the downtown areas the city leaders with cooperation from bicycle groups are placing bike racks in random areas in the downtown areas. Usually in front of local coffee shops or other businesses. The bike racks usually take up the space of about two parking spaces so it removes the availablility of the two parking spaces for cars but frees it up for up to fourteen bikes or so. They are moving these racks around the city to see where they are getting the most bang for their buck so to speak or the most use anyway from the biking public. Would you like to see this in your city and if you city did something like this would it encourage you to ride your bike more? It seems like at first the business owners are the first to complain about the loss of parking in front of their shops but within a couple of days of the install of the bike racks most of them seem to be pretty happy about the whole deal.

Be Eco Friendly With a Pallet Bike Rack

A Pallet Bike Rack For You

     We have all seen it, you walk into someones garage and you see their bikes hanging by one wheel from the rafters. Or they are in the dorm room hanging from a dorm room bike rack. Or I 
Garage Bike Rack                          have even seen some bike racks bolted to the walls. Now that option is going to cost you some green when you move out. Here is a simple option for you to rack your bikes in the garage or even in your dorm if you have some mats to put them on so the grease doesn't get on the carpet.

You Need a Pallet Bike Rack

     The Pallet bike rack can replace all those other bad choices. It's just a couple of pallets and a couple of those Simpson Brackets that cost a buck. Some people say hey you are taking these pallets out of the transportation stream, and simply making something that is used over and over again into a single use item  which is not very green. This is true. What do you think of this? The reason I do actually think this is a green idea is that it puts your bikes right out in your garage where they are handy and you don't have to get them down from the rafters or work all those pulley things or whatever just to get your bike out for a ride. So I think this is green because you will ride your bike more than you drive your car? What say you? If you are still not convinced you can buy them for a few dollars from any store so that solves that problem. Or if you want to be really handy you could actually build your own pallets. Hey that's kinds cool then you could put all kinds of things that you want on their, like wider slats for downhill tires and things like that.

How To Build A Pallet Bike Rack

     Building a pallet bike rack is simple you can easily build one with just two pallets and a wall to lean it on then simply slide the tire of your bike into the slats of the pallet sitting on the floor and the one leaning against the wall. Now if you want to get really fancy you could make a free standing pallet bike rack with hinges that connect the two pallets and a couple Simpson  brackets that keep the pallets at a 90 degree angle but I like the leaning against the garage wall version. Then hey when you are done with it put it back into the transportation stream. Good luck with your project and have fun.

No-Cook Pallet Bike Rack, a photo by lowtechatmo on Flickr.

EBMUD Waste To Energy Plant a Net Exporter of Energy

EBMUD Is in The Energy Selling Business
East Bay Municipal Utility District is now selling electricity. This may not seem like news because a lot of people get their electricity from EBMUD. But what I'm talking about is the new wast to energy plant they have installed has made EBMUD the first utility that makes more electricity than they use so they are able to divert that extra energy back to the grid. That should also keep prices lower for their users as well.
What is a Waste To Energy Plant?
A waste to energy plant is a power plant that uses a waste product to produce energy. In the old days they would burn say byproducts from a sawmill to produce electricity and many of those plants have since been converted to gas plants but in the case of EBMUD their waste to energy plant works off of decaying organic wastes.
How Does EBMUD's  Waste to Energy Plant Work?
EBMUD takes all the solids filtered out of the millions of gallons of sewer that they take in every day then they mix that with the other waste streams such as winery waste, cheese waste, chicken blood and restaurant grease and as this concoction decomposes it creates methane. This methane is used to fire two brand new turbines that were just installed and these turbines are what produce the electricity. They produce enough electricity for their current needs and are able to sell some back to the grid. I think this can be a model for the state and maybe other lard utility districts. It takes waste streams out of the sewer and makes them into something we all need electricity.

Why Won't The 100 MPG Vehicle Be Built?

One Billion Dollars To Develop A 100 MPG Vehicle
     Wow, that's a lot of money so I'm sure the big three will get right on developing 100 mpg vehicles. Or will they? The reasons why it might not happen. It really sounds good like a new X Prize for Fuel Efficiency. The last one was for ten million dollars and the vehicles that came out of it were not really something you could go down to your dealership and purchase.

The Reason These Vehicles Might Not Be Built

• The cars could not be electric
• The cars could not be Hybrid
• The cars must be built in America by and American Incorporated Company
• They must be mid size
• The auto maker must sell 60,000 units to win the prize of one billion dollars

Why Is Dan Lungren Putting Forth This Bill
     The bill is called the Excellence in Energy Efficiency Act known as HR 3872 which is the republican counterpoint to the democrats support for electric vehicles and hybrid technologies. I believe that this is an attempt to appear to be supporting some type of energy efficiency without really accomplishing anything significant. Now a 100 mpg car that sold sixty thousand units would be significant, I would love to see it and I would love to own one. I simply don't think that one billion dollars is enough to bring that vehicle to market successfully. I believe that we will get to one hundred mpg a lot faster through hybrid technology than simply gas technology? What do you think? Let me know in the comments? How much would you be willing to pay for a vehicle that gets 100 mpg?

New LED's For The City of Monterey Ca

City of Monterey Ca Replacing Sodium Lights With LED's
     Back in the 80's the new thing in energy efficiency was high pressure sodium lights for cities and municipalities looking to save money on a yearly electric bill that could run thousands of dollars depending on the number of lights they were running. Now for the City of Monterey Ca they are replacing those old school high pressure sodium lights with much higher efficiency LED lighting. This will be for all the street lights and the lights in the tunnels around Monterey. The city plans to change out about 1900 lights and fixtures because the new LED's won't go into the old fixtures. In the end this comes at a large cost, this project is costing about $900,000.00 which is pretty much about what a nice ocean view cottage runs in Monterey. But the upside is the change over to the high efficiency lights will save the City of Monterey about $100,000 a year annually. Now that's real money. So the loan they city gets to pay for the project will be paid back in about nine years and after that it's $100,000.00 in savings. The City of Monterey is going green to save some green. I'm sure with this experience and if it works out for them and the savings come they will be looking at other ways to go green and save money in city coffers during these times of spending cuts. 
Antigua Style Street Lighting, 
a photo by Rudy A. Girón on Flickr.

Sanyo Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries

Sanyo Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries
     The last post I wrote on battery chargers being regulated got me thinking about all the throwaway batteries we all use in our day to day lives. How many do you use? If you just think of the ones in your T.V. remotes and your alarm clocks and handheld games and computer mouse and keyboard that comes to a lot of batteries. mostly double A and Triple A. With a few 9 volts and D and C thrown in for good measure. The Sanyo Eneloop system is a way to get out of the go to Costco and buy the huge pack of batteries and use them until they are gone and then replace them. How do you recycle batteries again. I tell you I have to look at the website every time and I should have this down by now. With the Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable system you can buy a starter kit that comes with a charger and several different sizes of batteries. Then you can use them as they go dead you simply replace them in the charger and take out a new one. The batteries can be recharges as many as 1500 times before they need to be recycled that's a pretty good deal to me. Now this system is not cheap. But you are not buying a cheap throwaway item you are buying something that you will use over and over again. Then if the starter kit does not have enough batteries to supply all the things you need it for you can buy extra batteries that come all ready charged and they fit your charger when they run out as well. So I think this is a very good way to throw away a lot less hazardous material because how many people are out there recycling batteries. It's not as easy as putting it in the green bin every Friday morning with the cans and bottles for the truck to pick up. So until they make recycling batteries as easy as that this is a way around that. The only downside is the expense.

Your Charger Is Going Green

Your iPad Charger Is Going Green
That's right your iPad charger is getting a greener makeover. Not just your iPad charger either every charger you have from your iPod to your cell phone from every brand to the Nintendo DS game system if you can get your kids to put them down long enough, to that rechargeable drill charger that's in the  garage that he will never let you clean up. So basically everything that has a charging system will basically have that charger redesigned with a chip or switch inside so that when the drill, game system, phone, iPod, or iPad is charged the charger stops drawing power from the electrical grid. Go to your charger that's plugged into the wall now. The one with nothing plugged into it and feel how warm it is to the touch. That's all the power you are using when it's not charging your devices. I wonder how much that costs you. Now consider how many people are in the state of California who have rechargeable devices that are constantly plugged in but not charging. That's a lot of wasted power. This new law is coming down from The California Energy Commission starting in 2013. It will only be for consumer electronics like cell phones and things like that then in 2014 it will expand into chargers for businesses and then in 2015 expand again into industrial applications. Business groups say this will inevitibly cost consumers and consumer groups say that the savings will offset the costs and scientists say it's better for the environment. Hopefully we will all save a little energy and consumer groups will be right and we will save over the long haul.

Verizon $2 Fee To Pay Your Bill

Verizon 2 Dollar Fee To Pay Your Bills Online
     Verizon came up with a fabulous plan hey let's charge people two dollars more per month to pay their bill online or over the phone. So the deal is this it's cheaper to get people to pay online then to send paper statements and pay for postage and all of the moving parts that go along with that. Think machines to open all the envelopes and if not machines then real people as opposed to just going into a bank account electronically. Not to mention that they have to buy the paper and the toner just to print the bill and send it out to you so you can pay it and then stick that bill either in your file cabinet forever or in your shredder. Nice waste of resources and money if you ask me.
Why Charge You To Pay Online
     Well, at some point they reaches a fairly large customer base probably the majority who does pay online so it's convenient and they don't need to file cabinet shredder etc. At that point Verizon is saying to themselves we have something here that everyone loves how to monetize it. Well, the customers will accept a 2 dollar charge for that convenience even though the convenience saves the company a ton of money.
Public Outcry
     The public outcry over the 2 dollar fee was swift and starting to look like it was going to cost Verizon some customers. I mean it was really looking bad kind of like the whole move your money day that hit the large banks after Bank of America was going to charge customers 5 dollars a month for using your debit card. I don't know what the final outcome of that fiasco was but let's just say that the Credit Unions had a green Christmas thanks to Bank of America's stupid move.
What to Do
     What can we do? Simple, just don't stand for charges like this on things that everyone does and actually makes costs to companies cheaper. That is a no brainer. I mean I can understand that fuel costs more so it costs more to deliver something but to charge for something that makes your business run cheaper is just stupid and counterproductive. These two example should show that it can actually hurt your bottom line as a company as well.
So when a company comes up with a bogus charge just to raise fees to raise fees that you disagree with set up a Facebook page and you will get some followers. Once you have your followers you will notice a core group then talk to this core group and come up with a plan of action. Like the move your money day. That was very simple very creative and everyone could do it and it hits the company swiftly and easily shows them the power of a small group of people who's idea resonates with a larger public that agrees with them. The Verizon case if it went too far could have been a thing like switch phone company day or something like that.

California Green CAV Decals Printed

California Green CAV Decals Printed
California has printed up 40,000 Green  decals for use by driver of CAV's  and vehicles that meet California's Enhanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle Rules wow that was a mouthful. Most of these vehicles have not even been produced yet. In fact I believe the only one that has been commercially produced is the Nissan Leaf. The other model car that will be available to get this green sticker is the Toyota Prius Plug in model. A couple other features of this is that you will be getting a $2500.00 rebate from the state as well as this is a big one for a lot of people. Another plus for a lot of people is you get to ride in the carpool lane by yourself. These stickers and the rebates go away as soon as the forty thousand are gone, it's a way to get people to buy this new greener technology. So I am all for it. What do you think? Will you be one of the ones out there sporting a green sticker? Let me know in the comments what you think of this deal or are you still driving your original Prius and are going to drive it till the wheels fall off?