Posted by Erik (in New York)

Our first two batches of sugar cookies.

(Erik writes to Dave: Dang, sorry the bakesale report seems to have slipped between the cracks)

On the last weekend in April, people across the United States organized bakesales for the whales, in a push to generate grassroots pressure directed toward the US delegation to the IWC.

Now the results are in: In schools, churches, and public parks, at parades and community get togethers, and at at least one motorcycle shop in Nevada, 350 bakesales were held, with all 50 states represented (and Washington DC and Puerto Rico, too)! The nationwide effort was coordinated from US Greenpeace Online Organizing (GOO) headquarters in Brooklyn, and was made possible through the help of the very dedicated US Frontline team. Together we generated over 40,000 petitions, letters, and phonecalls to the White House.

Continue reading Dispatch From Brooklyn, NYC: Bakesale Headquarters Of The World…

Richard Wibley, a former Greenpeace ships capatain, passed away last week. Steve Shallhorn, who runs the Greenpeace Australia office these days, posted this reminecense:

I worked with Richard Wibley for 6 months in 1989 along the east coast of the United States. Richard was Captain of the M/V Greenpeace as it did a tour of American coastal cities, campaigning on issues ranging from the offshore drilling of oil to nuclear disarmament.

As it turned out, most of the fuss of that tour surrounded a campaign to rid the oceans of nuclear weapons. The focus of the Nuclear Free Seas campaign in the United States was the Trident missile, a 38 Billion dollar program to build a new missile that was to be launched from both American and British submarines.

Richard’s skills as a mariner were put to the test during two high seas confrontations with the United States Navy. Let me tell you how.

Continue reading Remembering Captain Richard Wibley…

Posted by Page (in Seattle)

Minke whale. (Click to enlarge. Photo credit: NOAA.)

For many years, we’ve known that one of the major threats to the endangered near-threatened minke whales is bycatch, where the whales are caught in nets meant for other fishing purposes. In fact, back in 2005, Greenpeace bloggers in South Korea witnessed the butchering of a young minke whale caught as bycatch (photos, story).

In South Korea, it’s legal to sell whale meat from whales caught as bycatch. One minke whale can be worth as much as $100,000, so you can imagine what the fishing industry is suspected of doing.

That’s right. Deliberately netting minke whales.

Continue reading Is South Korea deliberately netting whales?…

Posted by Dave (in Ireland)

The future of the whales will be decided in Anchorage, Alaska, in a couple of weeks time.

As a committed Whale Defender, we need you to make your voice heard once again. The key governments in the debate need to hear from you that you demand that the International Whaling Commission works to protect whales.

“The 59th International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting has begun its preliminary meeting in Anchorage ahead of the key decision making week from May 28th – 31st. Your delegation will be representing not only your government, but your electorate. We ask that you ensure that your delegation is briefed to vote for whale protection at this important meeting.”

Tell your government that you vote NO to commercial whaling »

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid

SAE’s Automotive Engineering International magazine reports that General Motors is putting more assets into its efforts to utilize electricity – not only for “telematics” – but for drive systems as well. Telematics is the growing use of electricity for control and features on a car (like this). Navigation systems, entertainment systems; steering and window drive systems are examples of telematics. Drive systems refer to more the “heavy iron” part of an automobile: the brakes, the engine, the fuel system, the transmission. Hybrids, various battery technologies, plug-in hybrids (PHEV) are part of that effort.

To emphasize and centralize that “heavy iron” part of work, GM has created a new group, Hybrid Energy Storage Systems, and chose Denise Gray, a mid-career GM electrical engineer, to lead it at its Warren, MI research and development center. Ms. Gray has global responsibilities and have oversight over worldwide GM hybrid development efforts. She is tasked with streamlining the number of systems being studied while making sure all needs are covered.

Ms. Gray said she feels honored to get this development position because it puts her profession of electrical engineering in the front lines of automotive development. She feels that “The E/E (electrical engineering) discipline will be an enabler for making vehicles the best they can be.”

Related:

• General Motors invites us behind the curtain: battery development details revealed

[Source: Automotive Engineering International]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Carbon Offset, Zap

Obvio, the Brazilian automaker with the apparent habit of randomly typing on a numeric keyboard to come up with product names (the 012? the 828?), announced a plan last week to establish a “social carbon fund” with the CantorCO2e organization (yet another name that just cements itself in one’s memory).

Cantorco2e provides financial services environmental and energy markets around the world, and offers “finance, consultancy, technology, and transaction services to clients engaged in using energy and managing emissions across the world.” The partnership will see part of the purchase price of Obvio’s trybrid vehicles (and others, like the ones it is building with Zap!) directed to a CO2 offset fund that is counseled by CantorCO2e.

Ricardo Machado, Chief Executive Officer of Obvio, said that, “Obvio has committed that the fund will contribute to environmentally sustainable projects designed to offset carbon emissions associated with the company, whether in communities near the factory, along distribution and supply routes, or after the car is on the road.”

Obvio’s plants will be shifted so that waste will be minimized and renewable energy will be used for power the company’s manufacturing plant. The U.S. should see Obvio vehicles here in 2008, all distributed by Zap! Current estimates are for 50,000 vehicles in the first year.

The official announcement is available here.

Related:

• Obvio! contracts Lotus to design trybrid cars
• Video: ZAP’s Obvio 828 part of Good Morning America’s The Future Now show
• ZAP cars keep coming with Xebra, Obvio

[Source: CantorCO2e via GreenCarCongress]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hybrid, Kia

Back in March at the Geneva Motor Show Kia, displayed a hybrid version of their small Rio sedan. They are building about 4,000 of these for a field test fleet for the South Korean Government and a full production run is expected to be available for 2009. Initially the Rio Hybrid will have an 88hp 1.4L engine with a 16hp electric motor with a 1.6L /20hp electric option available as well.

The hybrid system will be a mild hybrid of the type used by Honda where the motor sits between the flywheel and transmission. In this setup the motor provides power boost and regenerative braking capability but can’t drive the vehicle on its own. The 1.4L version should get about 42mpg.

[Source: AutoExpress]Kia Rio Hybrid
To mark the massive expansion of Korea’s hybrid vehicle development programme, Kia Motors is displaying a very special version of the Kia Rio at Geneva. The European premiere of the Kia Rio hybrid celebrates the recent announcement that Kia Motors, together with Hyundai, is to supply the Korean Ministry of the Environment with an additional 3,390 hybrid vehicles over the next two years, as part of the country’s on-going programme of ‘real-world’ testing aimed at creating eco-friendly cars.

The Kia Rio Hybrid sedan (also known as the Kia Pride in some markets), created by Kia R&D to take part in these ‘real-world’ test fleet activities, features a unique powertrain with a 1.4-litre, 90 ps gasoline engine, mated to a high-torque 12kW, 95 Nm AC synchronised electric motor and a CVT gearbox.

The electric motor is mounted between the flywheel and the gearbox and ‘assists’ the gasoline engine during starting, accelerating and hill-climbing. During steady cruising the electric motor switches off, while during deceleration it employs ‘regenerative braking’ to store energy and re-charge its power pack.

The hybrid Rio is the first Kia to employ a CVT (continuously variable transmission) and also features computer-controlled stop/start motoring which switches both engine and motor off whenever the car comes to a standstill for more than a few seconds.

Special lightweight components parts cut the Rio Hybrid’s weight by 220 kg. It accelerates briskly from 0-to-100 kph in 12.2 seconds, can reach a top speed of 180 kph and returns a fuel consumption of 5.29 litres per 100 km (53.4 mpg). Air pollutants are reduced by 37% and fuel efficiency is improved by 44%.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

You are most likely already aware of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and know that FSC certified lumber is preferred for use in green construction because it is sustainably managed and harvested. It also has a chain of custody reporting system that ensures that everyone in the processing chain is following the correct procedures with their materials sourcing and their handling of the material. However, construction is not the only place where you will find FSC certified products.

The printing industry is another huge user of wood and forest products. And, as with construction uses, FSC is heavily involved in promoting sustainable practices for printing and paper-making uses. In order to use the FSC trademark on a product, the producer must be a member of FSC. Every step of the way, from the management of the forest and the cutting of the trees, through the pulping of the wood and the manufacture of the paper must meet FSC guidelines, and the product produced carries a certificate that has been independently verified by a third-party source. For a printer to use the FSC trademark on a catalog, for example, they need to be certified themselves as FSC chain-of-custody certificate holders.

"It's what drove local faucet-maker Moen Inc. to ask St. Ives (a printing company) to print catalogs on FSC-certified paper. As a supplier to the construction industry, which is becoming increasingly green, it's important that Moen demonstrate it's doing its part." Another landmark coming this summer, Scholastic Inc. is also going to be using FSC paper for at least 65% of its initial printing of the seventh book in the Harry Potter series.

As more and more people are learning is the case with green building, printing with FSC paper is not necessarily more expensive. Many kinds of FSC certified paper also contain some recycled content, but because paper degrades as it is recycled, some virgin wood pulp needs to be used to provide the necessary strength. FSC works to ensure that the stock for that comes from sustainable sources.

According to the FSC website, "Over the past 12 years, over 84 million hectares in more than 82 countries have been certified according to FSC standards while several thousand products are produced using FSC certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark. FSC operates through its network of National Initiatives in 40 countries."

via: Ann Arbor News and Newhouse News Service

Links:
Forest Stewardship Council

FSC Paper