We shattered more traffic records here last week, our 15th in publication. We saw over 28,000 Unique Visits, served up just under 55,000 Page Views, and cracked into the top 50,000 websites as tracked by Alexa. We're sitting proudly at #49,484 and climbing.
Our writing team continues to put out great content covering everything you want to know in the green scene. Here are a few of my favorite posts from last week…
• Green Myth-Busting: Gas Guzzling SUVs
Myth: SUVs are the biggest gas guzzlers around.
Fact: Minivans, pick-up trucks and regular ol' four door sedans get the same, if not worse, miles per gallon (MPG.)
• Rolling Out The Solar Carpet
The flexible solar roll by Brunton has been around for a little bit; but it's simply too cool not to mention for those who have never seen it.
The beauty of this product is that it's waterproof, light, and rugged enough to take with you anywhere. It has assisted climbers on summit expeditions, kayakers on remote islands, and people (like me) who have a flat tire, no spare, and a dead cell phone. You can even use their $500 model to charge your car battery. That my friends is a benefit that in the worst of times is priceless. This large roll will also power you laptop or satellite phone in the Outback.
• Green-e to Release Certification Standard for Carbon Credits
When you purchase carbon credits to offset your personal greenhouse gas emissions, do you really know where that money is going or how those credits are counted in the market? The Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) will make sure you do with their upcoming Green-e Certified Greenhouse Gas Reduction Product Certification Program.
CRS has been in the renewable energy certification and verification business for ten years. Their Green-e certification programs provide assurance to consumers that the businesses sporting the Green-e logo meet the program's requirements for renewable energy options. Now Green-e is expanding their certification guidelines to include Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GHG) products.
• Yet Another Wind Power Design
A seemingly simple alteration a wind turbine blade’s traditional shape could result in huge improvements in efficiency. WhalePower Corporation out of Toronto, Canada has designed a turbine blade with rounded, teeth-like bumps along the leading edge. The company’s name is a nod to the humpback whale, whose flipper was the inspiration for the design.
The agility of the humpback whale is astonishing, given that they can be over 50 feet long, weigh nearly 80,000 pounds, yet move quickly and tightly in the water. One of the animal's advantages, according to scientists, is the unique row of bumps or “tubercles” along the leading edge of their flippers that dramatically increase the whale’s aerodynamic efficiency. Specifically, researchers found a 32 percent lower drag and 8 percent improvement in lift from a flipper with a serrated edge compared to a smooth one.
• Utah to Grow Biodiesel Crops on the Freeway
Another municipality has discovered the potential of small-scale biodiesel production. Utah State University (USU), in conjunction with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), has decided to experiment with growing oil-seed crops in the grassy medians dividing I-15.
The unusual idea came from Dallas Hanks, a 44-year-old biologist who is working on his doctoral degree at USU. With an initial $50,000 boost fromUDOT , Hanks aims to prove the 2,500 miles of state-owned highway right-of-way could yield an annual average of 500,000 gallons of 100 percent biodiesel, also known as B100.”
• Fair Trade: Transparency
This is the first in a series of posts that will explore the stated principles of Fair Trade and the requirements for certification.
The first of the major components of fair trade we will look at is transparency. In order to obtain Fair Trade certification, the producer must, among other requirements, be “organized into cooperatives or associations that are transparent, accountable and democratic.” IFAT defines transparency and accountability as “transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners.” Transparency appeals to me as a consumer. If you need to cover your operations you have something to hide, right?
• The Green Options Interview: No Impact Man, Colin Beavan
There's a little experiment going on in New York City near Washington Square Park. Colin Beavan, his wife Michelle, their two-year-old daughter Isabella and dog Frankie are trying to live a no impact lifestyle.
What began in November 2006 as a one week trial run turned into a year long experiment phased in through different stages along the way. Some think he's crazy for getting rid of toilet paper or not taking the elevator, but it turns out that along with the sacrifices have come great rewards.
I spoke with No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, a few weeks ago via phone.
• The Other Fair Trade
Alicia's Friday post discussed elements of our current trade policy that have contributed to the growth of a consumer driven movement to help refocus trade on its inherent human issues. Judging by some of the comments made on her post it is apparent that there is some confusion about what the Fair Trade movement really is.
The confusion is perfectly understandable as the Fair Trade movement is not as well entrenched in the US as it is in Europe or the UK and the term 'fair trade' has been used in discussions of international trade in different contexts for over a century. Ronald Reagan used the term 'fair trade' in a radio address in 1986 and it has been used in the US political landscape more frequently since then. During the 2006 congressional elections a group of 'fair traders' ran on platforms of government managed trade relationships that would ostensibly better protect American jobs and the American economy from labor competition and fluctuations in the global economy. This seemed to have struck a chord with the American public as many of these politicians won their elections.
• World Famous Physician Andrew Weil Brews His Own Biodiesel
Dr. Andrew Weil, who has spent a lifetime instructing people on how to heal our bodies as naturally as possible, has taken on a new project. He's making his own biodiesel fuel in his Vail, AZ back yard.
In an Arizona Daily Star interview, written by staff reporter Carla Mc Clain, Dr. Weil has turned his garage into what he calls his "Bio-Depot", turning out 75-cent per gallon diesel fuel which runs several of his ranch vehicles. The feed stock is nothing more than vegetable oil collected from various Tucson eateries.