Archive for the ‘Autos & Transport’ Category
June 5th, 2008
Ecofabulous Travel Guide
Our dear friends over at Ecofabulous have come out with another feature we’re nuts about: The Ecofabulous Travel Guide. If you’re looking for an eco-friendly destination, the Ecofabulous ladies will point you in the right direction.
In California, they highlight some outstanding places– like the Sacred Sands Guest Retreat in Joshua Tree, and the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. In Taos, New Mexico the El Monte Sagrado retreat looks simply divine. It’s entirely powered by solar and geothermal systems and their spa treatments use local, organic flowers and herbs. “Think lush and indulgent with a ‘beyond organic’ twist.”
They also recommend some pretty far-flung destinations in Egypt, Fiji, and Kenya, which look simply breath-taking. But you’ll need to make sure they don’t steal everyone’s breath by getting some carbon offsets for your journey. (Remember that it’s best to vacation as close to home as possible to reduce your carbon emissions load. To learn more on the environmental impacts of travel, please click here.)
What’s really great about the Ecofabulous guide is that they go beyond the gorgeous locations and include all sorts of eco-smart information about how to get to your destination (e.g., rent a hybrid) and eco-friendly sunscreens, bug sprays, luggage and more. Bon voyage, mates!
June 4th, 2008
Who’s The Greenest? Obama vs. McCain
Now that we seem to have a Democratic candidate, we all need to be digging into the environmental views and policy plans of Senators Obama and McCain.
To help us sort it out, Reuters has published a featured called FACTBOX: U.S. Presidential Candidates on the Environment and Energy. It’s a good piece and we encourage you to read it. Here are some highlights:
On Climate Change
+ Obama would cut carbon dioxide emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and require fuel suppliers to cut carbon content by 10 percent by 2020.
+ McCain favors a cap-and-trade approach to carbon emissions. He sponsored legislation in 2007 to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2050.
On Oil Use
+ Obama would reduce overall U.S. oil consumption by at least 35 percent by 2030.
+ McCain has no specific targets. He says he will unveil a strategy to reduce reliance on foreign oil sources.
On Biofuels
+ Obama would boost the renewable fuel standard to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030. He would also mandate that all new vehicles be “flex-fuel” by the end of 2012.
+ McCain favors ethanol incentives after opposing them in the past. He generally opposes subsidies and tariffs that distort the marketplace.
Grist has also done some excellent interviews with the candidates on their environmental positions. Click here to read McCain on the Record, and click here to read Obama’s views.
What do YOU think of the candidates’ stances on the environment? Who are you supporting and why?
June 3rd, 2008
Ding Dong the Hummer’s Dead!
Alright it’s not dead, but it’s looking refreshingly moribund.
We were absolutely thrilled today to learn that GM is considering ditching the Hummer brand. CEO Rick Wagoner said GM is “undertaking a strategic review of the Hummer brand, to determine its fit with GM’s evolving product portfolio” in light of changing market conditions.
Dear Rick: we’d like to suggest you go a step further and acknowledge that the Hummer was an anachronistic tragedy whose time has come to disappear from the face of the Earth. (Or at least it should be removed from the consumer realm; we don’t feel qualified to comment on its military utility.)
Should Americans really drive a vehicle that weighs 8,600 pounds and gets less than 16 miles per gallon? We think not, and hope that sagging sales and $4 gas will show you that the Hummer needs to go to the Big Auto Graveyard in the Sky.
To be fair, we are thrilled that General Motors Corp.’s board approved the production of the Chevrolet Volt, and the company plans to release the plug-in electric car by the end of 2010. The Volt will be able to drive about 40 miles without the use of any gas. A small engine would recharge the vehicle, and allow it to reach 150 miles per gallon. GM has said they plan to sell about 100,000 Volts a year by 2012. Learn more about the Volt announcement here.
Welcome to the 21st Century, GM! Doesn’t it feel good?
* T-shirt photo courtesy of The Green Loop
May 27th, 2008
Think You Can’t Afford a Hybrid?
When I filled up my car this weekend with $4.09 gas (choke, gasp, sputter), I was sure glad I have a Toyota Prius and won’t have to fill up for another couple of weeks. But I hear from a lot of folks that they think they can’t afford a hybrid and they have to hang on to their sub-20 MPG cars. That got me to thinking about ways to find affordable hybrid options so folks can save money and reduce their contribution to global warming. Here is what I’ve found.
Buy a used hybrid! The Honda Civic Hybrid is probably your most affordable choice, as they are quite a bit cheaper than my beloved Priuses. (What is the plural of Prius? Priuses? Pri-i?) The Civic Hybrid gets 40-45 MPG and is a great all-around commuter car. I searched and found a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid with 49,000 miles for $16,000 in Los Angeles. I found a 2006 model in Kansas City with 52,000 miles for $18,000. The only Toyota Prius I could find in LA for under $20K had 79,000 miles on it! You might also try looking for Ford Escape Hybrids– there seem to be many of those available around the country. You can search for used hybrids in your city by clicking here.
You can get a used MINI. The MINI Cooper is not a hybrid, but it gets pretty great gas mileage– it gets 32 MPG on the highway. From what I hear you don’t need to get the “S” model (S has 172 horsepower vs. 118 for the standard), as the standard MINI has plenty of pick up. Also, the standard gets better gas mileage than the S and it’s cheaper. You can get a good used one for $16-20,000 across the country. You’ll be saving gas, reducing green-house gas emissions AND look super-cute! You can find MINIs here.
Order a Smart Car. Like the MINI, the Smart is small but mighty. The base Smart fortwo starts at $11,600 and it’s a real mileage winner– it gets 33 MPG in the city and 41 MPG on the highway. Yes, there is a waiting list for these little dynamos: depending on the dealer and where you live it can be 2-4 months. But it’s a great economical option. Click here to learn more about the Smart cars.
How about an electric car? You can get a ZENN car for less than $16,000. Just plug it into the wall, charge up, and away you go. It only goes up to 35 MPH, so you need to be doing non-highway, intra-city driving. But it’s an amazing auto and you can be green-house-gas-guilt-free! Learn more about the ZENN here.
Or you can wait a bit longer for Honda to unveil it’s new “affordable hybrid.” Honda President Takeo Fukui announced last year that Honda would be releasing a new hybrid brand in early 2009 that would be cheaper than their current Civic Hybrid line. Honda has been tightly guarding the details about its next hybrid, but you can read more about it here.
And while you ponder your efficient-auto options, be sure to get the best gas mileage you can with these gas- and money-saving driving tips.
May 23rd, 2008
Oh Please: Chrysler Offering $2.99 Gas for 3 Years
Chrysler has recently launched its “Let’s Refuel America” campaign in which it claims to offer Americans protection from rising gas prices. Anyone buying a Chrysler in the month of May will get the deal. Here’s how it works: each qualifying buyer will get a ‘gas card’ that has been linked to their own credit card, but when they gas-up they will only pay $2.99 a gallon with Chrysler charged the difference. You can read more about it here.
This is a really lame-brained scheme. It reminds me of the McCain-Clinton proposal to cut federal gas taxes during the summer– it’s the wrong solution for our economic woes. Yes, we’re all hurting from gas prices and we need relief (what are the oil companies offering consumers in terms of help, hmmmm? anyone? hello?). But what Chrysler is offering is an incentive for consumers to ignore gas prices and drive, drive, drive– producing more green house gases and increasing global warming.
Why doesn’t Chrysler just give buyers a rebate? It’s hard to estimate the potential cost to Chrysler of their offer over the three year period, but it could be huge. Let’s say that gas stays at $4 per gallon for the rest of this year and then goes to $4.25/gallon in 2009 (probably too conservative), and then to $4.50/gallon in 2010. The average American drives 12,000 miles per year and gets 25 MPG… so that’s over $1800 that Chrysler would have to pay to cover the gas price differential. How about just offering buyers a $1000 rebate? That would 1) help Americans NOW; 2) save Chrysler money over time and 3) reduce the incentive to burn fuel and pollute our skies.
We understand Chrysler is desperate to sell cars– but they’d probably be doing a whole lot better if they’d developed more fuel-efficient cars years ago. Hey, it’s Friday afternoon so I think I’ll jump in my Prius and get 43 MPG on the way home….
Have a great holiday weekend everyone!
May 19th, 2008
Great New Resource for Green Rebates, Tax Incentives
We want to let you know about an excellent new resource available to you– GreenMadeSimple.com. This site has created a very comprehensive database of green rebates, tax incentives and free offers across the US.
Their zip-code guided search allows you to find incentives and deals related to energy-efficient appliances and lighting, solar power, hybrid and alt-fuel vehicles, and more. The database includes federal, state and local incentives. Just put in your zip code and prepare to go green and save money.
Here are some examples of the jewels you’ll find:
+ The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will give you $250 (!) back on the purchase of an Energy Star clothes washer.
+ The State of Illinois will give buyers of hybrid cars a $1000 rebate.
+ Austin Energy in Texas will give customers up to 20% of the cost of certain improvements (insulation, weatherization, appliance swaps) up to $1575. And they offer bonus incentives up to $650 for making multiple improvements.
GreenMadeSimple.com is an excellent tool that we will be using often here at Low Impact Living!
