Another article about the World Cup, and Germany’s efforts to make it the greenest in the sport’s history.  This article mentions not only the efforts toward CO2 offsets and mass transit I mentioned in my previous post, but adds:
* The ground in Munich harvests rainwater from the stadium site, storing it in underground reservoirs.
* All energy used at […]

How about “a sports car that would go as fast as a Ferrari or Porsche, but run on electricity” …
The Silicon Valley firm Tesla Motors has set out to produce one!  This “high-performance sports car for wealthy auto enthusiasts” should be available by next year.  [LA Times 6/26/06]
The company’s website says the car will go 0 to 60 […]

If anyone subscribes to the (relatively new) magazine Ode, the latest issue - July/Aug 2006 - has a fun article about Edible Landscaping.  This writer’s take on ‘Edible Landscaping’ tends much more toward wild foraging.  He talks about wild berries, but soon branches into dandelion salads, hop shoots, wild arugula.
Another fun resource about eating unusual […]

Here are the resources mentioned during our Environmental Change-Makers meeting for June 22.
The Overview portion:
FuelEconomy.gov Look up fuel economy, greenhouse emissions, and more, about thousands of comercially available autos
Comparison of fuels bar charts were created from tables at travelmatters.org and Center for Clean Air Policy
Text information about specific alternative fuelsÂ
Comparisons of alternative fuels sera.org.uk
Biofuels and land space […]

Keep Your Car in Shape
* Replacing a clogged air filter can significantly improve gas mileage.
* Keeping tires inflated to the recommended pressure and using the recommended grade of motor oil can improve fuel economy by up to 5%.  The manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure can be found on the tire information placard and/or vehicle certification label […]

At Environmental Change-Makers, we focus on positive action.  Thus I try to guide the group toward earth-friendly actions even with respect to the group’s own activities.
We circulate meeting announcements (we’re still in our initial growing stages, so flyers in public areas are important) on half-sheet paper, rather than full sheet, thus using half the amount of paper […]

While I was putting the finishing touches on my book Legacy, a few of my early manuscript readers and local community members said “wouldn’t it be great to have a group like that?”  An environmental group focused on positive action.Â
One friend talked with the pastor of the local church.  He was excited by the idea, and couldn’t […]

Environmental Defense (U.S.) has launched a One Million Bulb Swap-Out campaign.  They are challenging U.S. households to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
“Replace one 100-watt bulb with a just-as-bright 30-watt compact fluorescent, and cut more than 1,300 pounds of the global warming pollutant carbon dioxide over the life of the bulb. Swap out two bulbs […]

Germany is making this World Cup the most environmentally friendly World Cup ever.
“The World Cup is a great chance to put a focus on the environment around the world and will hopefully raise awareness everywhere,” Klaus Toepfer, the “Green Goal” ambassador for the tournament, said in an interview with Reuters.
“Our aim is to offset the […]

A Chinese company is manufacturing inexpensive solar water heaters.  Cheap and effective enough to make economic sense to middle-class urbanites, Huang’s basic models start at around 1,500 yuan ($190), although for a luxury home this could rise to 18,000 yuan ($2,250).
“they can work at temperatures well below freezing and under cloudy or smog-choked skies.”
Solar water […]