April 9th, 2009
Here Comes the PUMA: Electric Two-seater from Segway and GM
Stumble it!
Just when you thought GM was a washed up brontosaurus, they come out with a pretty cool announcement. GM and Segway are teaming up to develop an electric two-seater called the PUMA. This small vehicle is for urban use– with a top speed of 35 miles per hour. And they say it can go for about 35 miles on a single charge.
The producers are comparing the vehicle to “an iPod on wheels” due to its revolutionary nature. (Wishful thinking?) The snappy little car comes complete with Internet connectivity and an electronic brain to drive by itself. They claim it can even find its own parking spot!
They plan to roll the PUMA out in 2010 but they have not yet announced a price.
Read more about the PUMA in this Marketwatch article and the Segway website.
Popularity: 5% [?]
April 3rd, 2009
Walk Score - How Does Your Neighborhood Rank?
One of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to drive less, or even better get rid of your car all together. If you live in a city like San Francisco, New York or Chicago, this is a no brainer. In fact, you’re probably better off without the car - no worrying about parking, getting tickets, gas, or insurance, and in reality it’s usually easier and faster to walk or take public transportation. But what if you’re not in one of these cities, what if you’re in Denver, Portland, or even Los Angeles? Can you live without your car, or use it less?
A new website called Walk Score may just give you the boost you need to leave the car behind and set out on foot to reach restaurants, shops and other amenities.
Popularity: 3% [?]
March 20th, 2009
10 Myths About Sustainability
In a recent article for the Scientific American, Michael Lemonic wrote about the Top 10 Myths About Sustainability. The article is a great reminder that we still have a ways to go - not only in our understanding of what sustainability is, but in how to live a more sustainable life. The following is a summary of Lemonic’s Top 10 Myths. (more…)
Popularity: 6% [?]
March 16th, 2009
Earth Hour is March 28: Show Your Support in the Dark
Holy Guacamole! Get ready, set, go! Earth Hour is coming to a planet near you. More than that, the GRAND FINALE is in Los Angeles (hometown of Low Impact Living). This global event will start at 8:30pm on Saturday, March 28 in Fiji and travel around the globe (the long way), time zone to time zone. It will culminate in a huge all-inclusive, finale celebration in Nokia Plaza at LA’s newest entertainment facility, L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.
So what is Earth Hour, you might ask? Earth Hour is a global event that was created by World Wildlife Fund to unite cities, businesses, schools, organizations and individuals by asking them to turn out their lights for one hour in a global call for action on climate change. It started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million people participating and went global 2008 with 50 million people on all seven continents flipping the switch.
Earth Hour 2009 expects close to 1 billion people from Fiji to Figueroa to Turn Out, Take Action and Vote Earth, using their light switch as their ballot to send a clear message to our elected officials that we want them to act NOW on climate change!
WWF identified Los Angeles as a leader in addressing urban, environmental issues and chose the city as a flagship location for Earth Hour ‘09, joining Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville and San Francisco. As one of 400 cities in 74 countries participating in Earth Hour 2009, residents of Los Angeles get the chance to show the world how we can be a green role model for large cities and lead the way to a healthier planet.
But what does this mean? Vote Earth?
It’s simple: your light switch is your vote. By turning off our lights on March 28th, we are collectively sending a visual message to our elected officials that climate change is so important to us that they must make it a priority. And by signing up at earthhourUS.org, you are documenting your vote so that your voice will be heard beyond March 28th!
The Event at L.A. LIVE
The grand finale for Earth Hour 2009 happens at L.A. LIVE hosted by Mayor Antonio Villaragosa, MC’d by Billboard chart topper and Emmy-Award-winning DJ, Tony Okungbowa from the Ellen Degeneres Show, featuring elected champions of the environment and staring special musical guests the Agape Choir, the spectacular Gina Rene, singing her song, Be The Change, the official song of Earth Hour LA. And a special surprise guest to be announced shortly! Come together with your fellow Angelinos, Dine By Candlelight at L.A. LIVE restaurants and enjoy great entertainment, all while you watch Los Angeles icons all over the city go dark on the L.A. LIVE jumbo-trons! See the Capital Records building, the Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, L.A. City Hall, the El Capitan Theater, The Getty Museum! The event is FREE and ALL are welcome! Go to http://www.earthhourus.org/losangeles for more details and prove to the rest of the world that we really do have a community here by turning off the lights together for Earth Hour LA!
We look forward to joining all of our eco-minded friends — in the dark– for Earth Hour on the 28th!
Popularity: 2% [?]
March 12th, 2009
Preservation: The Greenest Building is the One That’s Already Built
Tearing down our homes seems to be almost a national pastime. Americans have always viewed anything old with suspicion, and that makes sense when we’re talking about outdated concepts of governing such as having an inbred, pinky finger-wagging king tell us what to do. But when it comes to the architectural legacy left to us by preceding generations of Americans, this approach not only robs us of unique neighborhoods and our history, but also is insanely destructive to the environment.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, rehabbing old buildings is the ultimate form of recycling. The Trust’s president, Richard Moe, says, “The greenest building is one that’s already built.”
Think about it: when a building’s torn down, where does all that rubbish go? Maybe the bricks are recycled along with a few architectural elements, but where do the dumpsters full of the rest of the refuse go? Why to a landfill, of course. According to Preservation Magazine, 136 million tons of waste are created from teardowns—annually. Even a brain as agile as Einstein’s would have a difficult time comprehending just how much garbage that is. In addition, existing buildings represent an investment in energy of around 5 to 15 gallons of gasoline per square foot.
And then there’s all the waste associated with the construction of a new building which can easily fill an additional dumpster. The Trust cites figures showing that an average 2,000 square foot home generates the following waste: 3,000 pounds of wood, 2,000 pounds of drywall and 600 pounds of cardboard. That’s a hell of a lot of garbage.
Ignoring the dire environmental affect of our profligate ways in this area is akin to the elder Hiltons sending their wayward, party-happy daughter Paris to dry out on Bourbon Street with a case of booze, a clutch of friends, and a film crew from Girls Gone Wild. Seriously, we can do better and we should.
Some might argue that rehabbing old buildings isn’t a good investment, but there are plenty of examples of the opposite being true. In Charleston, S.C., it’s the quaint antebellum quarters that attract millionaires, while in Boston, the Federalist townhome-studded Beacon Hill remains the city’s most desirable neighborhood.
Moreover, older buildings are, by and large, built to endure. And while it might seem counterintuitive, most aged buildings are actually better poised to withstand a fire.
According to Matt Picard, a Delavan, WI, firefighter and Chicago carpenter, new construction typically utilizes petite, lighter wood that catches fire more easily and burns faster. Moreover, the toxic glues, particle board and trusses seem to nearly dissolve during a fire, rendering newer buildings much more susceptible to fire. An older, masonry building with plaster walls, lathe, old-growth beams and individual floor and ceiling joists can burn for hours and still be salvageable.
Older buildings certainly are not the most energy efficient, but they can be brought up to date and made green with far less waste and damage to the environment than tearing them down and starting over. To make an old or historic building eco-friendly, check out our guide to green architects here, or you can also find a green builder or remodeler here.
Our country’s older structures, often constructed by highly-skilled craftsmen who built exactingly and to last, will likely survive another century (if they can avoid the wrecking ball). And saving and rehabbing them is one of the greenest – not to mention patriotic - things we can do.
Popularity: 4% [?]
