The Worlds of Art, Peace, Politics & Environment Unite to Present a Global Exhibition on Climate Change Exhibition to Open on 5 June United Nations (UN) World Environment Day in Oslo, Norway Featuring 40 Artists from Around the World Continue reading 5 June World Environment Day
Report China to Share Burden of CO2 Emission Cuts
UPDATE: Our hopes have been dashed as China has announced it has no plans to cap their carbon emissions but will instead seek to lower the carbon intensity [search] of its economy. This is the same lame U.S. policy. The number 1 and number 2 carbon polluters in the world are increasingly international pariah states. Continue reading Report China to Share Burden of CO2 Emission Cuts
Race jocks to show off pedal power at Goodwood
Filed under: Etc., Green Culture, Transportation Alternatives, On Two Wheels
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is all about sending racing and sports cars of assorted vintages up the hill in an entertaining show of ferocious power. There’s really nothing green about it, so why are we talking about it here on ABG? Well, because there’s going to be a new wrinkle added to the festivities this year.
Several of the big-name racers who’ll be on hand for the Festival have agreed to tackle the Goodwood hill under their own power as they participate in a charity bicycle race. The beneficiaries of the exhibition will be the Richard Burns Foundation and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Spectators can expect to see the likes Jenson Button, Colin McRae, Allan McNish, Troy Bayliss, Damon Hill, and others take on renowned cyclists Jason Queally, Chris Hoy, Rob Hayles, and Victoria Pendleton in the contest. You can read more details after the jump.
[Source: Goodwood Festival of Speed]
PRESS RELEASE:
TOP FORMULA ONE AND RALLY STARS SWITCH FROM HORSEPOWER TO PEDAL POWER AT THE GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED
Visitors to this year’s Festival of Speed – to be held in the grounds of Goodwood House from 22-24 June – can look forward to the unfamiliar sight of top motor racing stars in lycra, pedalling up the demanding 1.16 mile Goodwood hillclimb, paired up with some of the world’s best professional cyclists in a thrilling bicycle race.
This exciting inaugural pedal-powered competition will be named the Goodwood Organic Milk Race, to recall the famous Milk Race, Britain’s premier competitive cycling event in the 1970s, as well as coinciding with the introduction of Goodwood’s own organic milk. The milk is sold in corn starch-based bottles that are fully compostable in 10 weeks. It is produced on the Goodwood Estate at Home Farm, the largest self-sustainable organic farm in Europe, which has operated a strictly managed recycling system throughout its 12,000 acre Estate for many years.
Top motor sport drivers have always used cycling as an integral part of their fitness regime, often training alongside professional cyclists to measure their performance against the very best. At the Festival of Speed, a group of famous motor sport personalities will harness their competitive instincts into a challenging cycle time trial from Goodwood House to the top of the hill and back. Each driver will join forces with a top professional cyclist to set a time as a two-man team – the clock stops when the second rider crosses the line – and Festival spectators will be able to wager on the results via SMS text messaging in order to win a top-of-the-range carbon road racing bike, with all funds donated to charity.
F1 drivers Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson and Mark Webber have already pledged their involvement, along with former F1 World Champion Damon Hill, ex-World Rally Champion Colin McRae, Le Mans winner Allan McNish and motorcycle master Troy Bayliss. They will join Olympic gold medal-winning cyclists Jason Queally and Chris Hoy, plus Commonwealth gold and Olympic silver medallist Rob Hayles and the reigning triple World Champion Victoria Pendleton.
The Goodwood Organic Milk Race at the Festival of Speed takes place exactly two weeks before the Formula One circus comes to the UK for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Similarly, the cycling stars will ride at Goodwood just a fortnight before the 2007 Tour de France starts for the first time ever in London.
Festival visitors can join in the action and help raise money for charity by betting on which cycling dynamic duo will win the timed event. To enter, send a text message to 80806, stating RBF and the letter of your chosen team (e.g. A, B, C, etc.), plus the time in seconds that you think it will take them to complete the testing Goodwood course. Alternatively, you can enter by completing a competition form at one of the three competition pods located at the Festival.
All monies raised will go to the Richard Burns Foundation, which it supporting this year’s chosen Festival charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust. For further information, plus full terms and conditions, please go to www.richardburnsfoundation.com. All messages will be charged at standard rate, plus £1.50. The Richard Burns Foundation will receive each donation net of charges applied by mobile network operators.
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Putting a solar roof on your Prius – go 20 miles on battery power
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Solar, Toyota
You won’t be able to cross the country in a solar powered Prius, but this type of aftermarket hack is exactly the kind of thing so many of our readers have been asking for. Solar Electrical Vehicles says their solar panel modifications (made from mono-crystalline photovoltaic cells) for 2004-2006 Prius models will generate 215 watts of renewable energy that charges a 3kW supplemental battery pack that “provides up to 20 miles per day of electric mode driving range and increased fuel economy.” SEV says their system qualifies for up to $2,000 worth of Federal renewable energy tax credits which will then make the whole system pay for itself in two or three years. A solar roof for your Prius will cost between $2,000 and $4,000.
Treehugger says that SEV’s president is talking about finding ways to solarize Tesla vehicles and that the company is working on a more powerful, 320-watt module. Solar roofs are also available for RAV4 EVs, and Highlander, Escape and Sprinter hybrids. Just don’t park in a garage during the day.
[Source: Solar Electrical Vehicles via Treehugger]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
Hedging fuel costs – How the flyboys did it
Filed under: Etc.
Long ago, in the time after 9/11/01 and before the invasion of Iraq 3/19/03, fuel prices were still pretty stable. A few airlines, Southwest being the biggest, decided to buy longer term contracts for jet fuel (2 – 3 years) in advance. This is called “hedging”. And then the prices increases came. Most of the other airlines were buying short term at spot prices. Southwest was paying around $30 a barrel (actually as low as $24 a barrel) of jet fuel when the other airlines were paying $60 a barrel and above. The savings to the airline were significant, approaching a billion dollars in 2005. With the money they saved in fuel, they could invest in more aircraft, more training, growing their operation, not cutting the salaries of their employees. Of course, now that petroleum prices have been so high for so long, the benefits of hedging have started to shrink . . .unless there is – God forbid – an event that drives petroleum prices above $78 a barrel. But that won’t happen, or will it?
Most individual vehicle owners don’t have the economic clout or the facilities to hedge ground vehicle fuel – there are a few lucky ones (if you think cheap gas is a good thing). Some trucking fleets, however,
can do so. As Aviation Week says, “Hedging takes cash as well as skill and luck.” For instance, I would have kicked myself if I had hedged at $2.50 a gallon in February when unleaded regular dropped to $1.99 here in NJ. Of course, gasoline is just about $3 a gallon here today just three months later.
[Source: Aviation Week and Space Technology]
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.
Defending Whales: Las cuotas balleneras y la caÃda del santuario del atlántico sur
Posted by Samuel (in Anchorage, Alaska)
Hola a todos,
Es muy difÃÂcil para mi poder expresarles la forma en que los diferentes paÃÂses se están comportando, especialmente cuando no se ha estado en este tipo de foros, pero voy a tratar de explicarle de la mejor manera que pueda. Bueno, como les habÃÂa contado antes, las delegaciones de Japón, Nueva Zelanda y Australia están negociando, o para ser ‘exactos’ se rumorea, la manera de intercambiar la opción de caza ballenera costera, para los japoneses a cambio de que ellos dejen su propuesta de cazar jorobadas en la próxima temporada. Eso tendrÃÂa que votarse hoy pero pensamos que no habrá consenso sobre aquel trato si es que ya lo tienen hecho. Para nosotros, hay un problema legal sobre el cazar jorobadas en la antártica, porque esta caza tendrÃÂa que ser formalizada por la Convención sobre el comercio de especies amenazadas CITES (por si sigla en Inglés), al ser empaquetada la carne y ser vendida en Japón esto pondrÃÂa a Japón en una situación de ilegalidad además que ellos estarÃÂan cazando ballenas de una forma ‘comercial’ la que está prohibida y en un Santuario Ballenero donde no se puede cazar.
Continue reading Las cuotas balleneras y la caÃÂda del santuario del atlántico sur…
Defending Whales: Iceland’s whaling conflicts with tourism – according to foreign minister
Posted by Dave (live from the International Whaling Commission in Anchorage, Alaska)
Following the recent general election in Iceland, there’s a new foreign minister in place, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir. And yesterday, she said something on Icelandic TV channel 2 that contradicts the statements of Iceland whaling commissioner Stefan Asmundsson – who is, as you all know, very pro-whaling – aggressively so, in fact.
Ms. Gisladottir said that “we are sacrificing greater interests for lesser ones in this issue”, and that she didn’t set the instructions for the Icelandic delegation – who are sitting just down the room from me here in Anchorage. They were probably instructed before she came into office. What’s more, she hasn’t been in support of the hunt in the past.
Continue reading Iceland’s whaling conflicts with tourism – according to foreign minister…
Japanese-market Mazda2 gets new Miller cycle engine
Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the new Mazda2
Mazda recently started production of the new Mazda2 that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show and one of the new engines available in the car will be a 1.3L Miller-cycle engine which would be more accurately called an Atkinson cycle engine. The Atkinson cycle uses a longer power stroke than the compression stroke. This is achieved on modern engines by keeping the intake valve open past bottom dead center, allowing the engine to push some of the air-fuel mix back out into the intake manifold. This can result in a significant increase in fuel economy but at the cost of low end torque. The Miller cycle adapts this concept by adding a supercharger to improve the torque and was first used by Mazda on the mid-nineties Millenia.
On the new 2 Mazda gets rid of the supercharger but uses the Atkinson cycle. Nomenclature aside the new setup provides some excellent economy. The engine is mated up to Mazda’s first CVT and manages 54mpg compared to the 1.3L in the old model that got 45mpg. The engine also has variable valve timing which it appears Mazda is using to adjust the use of the Atkinson cycle to maximize efficiency and while still maintaining decent performance. On top of the all the fancy powertrain stuff, Mazda also reduced the weight of the new 2 by over 200lbs compared to the old model which helps both performance and efficiency. So far their is no indication of whether we will see this engine in the US market.
Gallery: 2008 Mazda2
[Source: Mazda]Mazda Develops New Naturally-Aspirated MZR 1.3L Miller-cycle Engine
The new MZR 1.3L engine powers the all-new Mazda Demio to achieve a fuel economy of 23.0 km/L and qualify for Japan’s Green Tax exemptions
HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda Motor Corporation has developed a new, naturally aspirated MZR 1.3L Miller-cycle engine, which will power the all-new Demio (known as the all-new Mazda2 in overseas markets) when it goes on sale in Japan in July 2007. In combination with Mazda’s first continuously variable transmission (CVT), the engine will assist the new Demio to achieve a 10-15 mode fuel economy of 23.0 km/L, an improvement of approximately 20 percent over the 19.2 km/L rating of the current model.
Newly developed from the current MZR 1.3L DOHC aluminum engine, the naturally-aspirated MZR 1.3L Miller-cycle engine employs delayed closing of the intake valves in order to reduce pumping losses and improve thermal efficiency through a higher expansion ratio. Intake valve timing is optimized by the Sequential Valve Timing System to provide improved fuel efficiency over the current MZR 1.3L engine when cruising and accelerating. In conjunction with the CVT, which transfers torque at low speeds without power loss and eliminates gear-shift shock, the setup achieves excellent fuel efficiency as well as a smooth and exhilarating ride.
In addition to this new, highly efficient powertrain, the all-new Demio has been made approximately 100 kg lighter than its predecessor through weight reduction techniques, which have resulted in nimble handling and significantly improved fuel economy.
The Demio model with the naturally aspirated MZR 1.3L Miller-cycle engine combined with the CVT transmission achieves a fuel economy that is rated as 20 percent or better than the level specified by Japan’s 2010 fuel economy standards. Exhaust emissions are also at least 75 percent lower than 2005 standards, which conforms to Japan’s Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (SU-LEV) standard and qualifies the Demio for Green Tax exemptions.
Through its Sustainable Zoom-Zoom plan that was announced in March 2007, Mazda declared its intention to pursue the harmony felt between driving pleasure and environmental and safety features, and its quest for an advanced Zoom-Zoom world. This includes the ongoing desire to create captivating design, to provide our customers with continual driving pleasure and to develop improved safety and environmental technologies.
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Gas prices debate strikes back; American drivers adjusting “quite nicely”
Filed under: Etc., Manufacturing/Plants
In an article recently published on Automotive News, Keith Crain analyses the increase of gasoline prices in the States and the impact for American manufacturers.
Oil prices not only affect drivers but has a deep impact in the economy: everything is transported with fuel and oil is a cost material for lots of products. He affirms that the country can cope with higher prices and won’t enter recession. Drivers, he says, are already adjusting “nicely” to the higher price of fuel, as everybody gets used to the higher fuel prices and figures out how to budget accordingly.
Crain also compares prices with Europe, where consumers are already paying double, mostly because of the high taxes used as a deterant for fuel consumption (did you know that in some places a part of that tax goes into the Public Health services?). “Our leaders have not yet figured out how to do that without committing political suicide”, said Crain.
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]
Therefore, it’s getting tougher for manufacturers to figure out what products to design and engineer and tougher for dealers to figure out what to buy and stock. Customers want the same vehicles with a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy. He affirmst that it’s very easy to say for the government and for the consumer, but it will be very difficult for manufacturers.
So do we really agree with him when that manufacturers can’t make more efficient cars overnight?
Incidentally, it was announced today that some automakers are close to calling for fuel economy standards as high as 36 mpg for cars (in 2022) and 30 mpg for light trucks (in 2030). The proposal would be offered as an alternative to a fuel economy measure scheduled to be considered by the full Senate the week of June 11.
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Greenpeace – Making Waves: New World Bank head nominated
More from Daniel, one of our political advisors, on changes at the World Bank:
Bush has done it again. The US President has put loyalty ahead of merit by choosing Robert Zoellick as the new head of the World Bank. I have known Zoellick for a while. He was Bush’s trade representative from 2001-2005. In that role, he pursued free trade at all costs at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2003, he started a WTO attack on Europe’s genetic engineering restrictions.
In 2003, at the failed WTO talks in Cancun, Mexico, Zoellick famously threatened developing countries, that the US will pursue market access for US corporations to developing world markets in whichever way they see fit. I remember listening to his press conference with a certain shiver running down my spine.