SalvaEco

Filed under: Etc., Hybrid

PSE&G stands for the Public Service Electric and Gas company. They just released plans to reduce their CO2 emissions as a company by 81,000 tons in the next 10 years. They quite admirably have resolved to spend $100 million on this project.

Like any good plan, it’s a multi-step process. The first part is replacing as many vehicles in their fleet as possible with hybrids, reducing both emissions and gasoline consumption. They will invest in hybrid cars and light trucks for lighter-duty tasks, which, since PSE&G supplies utilities to three quarters of the population of New Jersey, will make a big difference. To cover heavier maintenance tasks, they have already purchased and are awaiting delivery of a pair of hybrid-powered bucket trucks (the ones with the man-sized bucket on the end of a lift arm for accessing power poles). While testing these for reliability and safety, they are retrofitting 450 of their current bucket trucks to electric power. This will enable them to shut off their engine while operating the lift for roughly three hours a day that would otherwise have been spend pumping 73,000 tons of CO2 into the air, and burning 6.5 million gallons of fuel. The majority of these trucks have already been retrofitted to run on biodiesel since 2003, which has already cut CO2 emissions by 7,700 tons.

Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that, “Action cannot be focused solely on energy, if we are to make progress in combating climate change.” Keep up the good work, Ralph.

[Source: PSE&G]

 

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

Nothing is more personal than food. It forces us to make decisions every day that have real and immediate impact, which means learning about what we’re eating and figuring out how to make good choices is essential. As environmental issues move to the forefront of public consciousness, the meaning of a good choice doesn’t just have to do with a food pyramid or a nutrition label, but with knowing where your food came from, how it got to you, and who was involved in that process. Food is one of the primary subjects with which we deal when talking about backstory, since it’s one of the most accessible means of understanding the life of an item prior to its arrival in your hand. In many ways, food is also one of the best and easiest places to push for a change in that backstory, whether calling for different conditions for the producers, demanding a change in a product’s contents, selecting a new source, or deciding to grow your own. It’s also becoming more common for schools to offer healthier food in the lunchroom and better education in the classroom (or the school garden), setting kids up at a young age… (more)

(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Food and Farming at 5:36 PM)

Nothing is more personal than food. It forces us to make decisions every day that have real and immediate impact, which means learning about what we’re eating and figuring out how to make good choices is essential. As environmental issues move to the forefront of public consciousness, the meaning of a good choice doesn’t just have to do with a food pyramid or a nutrition label, but with knowing where your food came from, how it got to you, and who was involved in that process. Food is one of the primary subjects with which we deal when talking about backstory, since it’s one of the most accessible means of understanding the life of an item prior to its arrival in your hand. In many ways, food is also one of the best and easiest places to push for a change in that backstory, whether calling for different conditions for the producers, demanding a change in a product’s contents, selecting a new source, or deciding to grow your own. It’s also becoming more common for schools to offer healthier food in the lunchroom and better education in the classroom (or the school garden), setting kids up at a young age… (more)

(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Food and Farming at 5:36 PM)

In the Northeast England town of Middlesbrough, a summer-long community project is about to ensue, during which over 1,000 town citizens will demonstrate the potential for a self-sustaining food supply through small-scale urban agriculture. The project is a part of dott07 (of which Worldchanging ally, John Thackara is Program Director ), a year-long series of community projects, events and exhibitions focused on achieving regional sustainability and exploring how design plays a part in the process. The Urban Farming component employs design through a collection of garden containers of various sizes placed throughout Middlesbrough, which effectively install an edible landscape in the town’s public spaces. That landscape also becomes interactive and encourages community engagement as participants work on their plots throughout the summer. The thousand urban farmers come from a diverse array of local institutions and organizations, including “primary and secondary schools, preschool groups (Sure Start), residential homes, allotment associations, mental health units in local hospitals, and residents’ groups…”. Over the course of the growing season, the urban farmers will hold week-long events to harvest, prepare and eat their goods, working with chefs to create recipes, and then distributing them on postcards. In addition, a design team will create a map… (more)

(Posted by Sarah Rich in Food and Farming at 2:00 PM)

Last week in our post about philanthropy as a key principle of worldchanging work, we discussed the importance of charitable giving as a catalyst for change, and focused in particular on the need for philanthropy to become a more transparent, open process — whether at the foundation level or among individuals — so that the distribution of funds can be tracked and donors can be confident about their chosen recipients. At the NetSquared Conference today, a new site has launched which aims to respond to this issue. Bring Light opens the sometimes opaque and confusing world of philanthropy through an online social network that provides donors with an interactive resource for learning where and how their money gets distributed, and lets charities share their progress as a result of philanthropic support. Bring Light was created for people who want to feel connected to the result of their donations. The site features specific projects posted by charities that are first screened by Bring Light for legitimacy. Donors can see evidence of their impact with real-time updates and by chatting with others in the community, including the charity itself who is encouraged to report back on how the money was spent. In… (more)

(Posted by Sarah Rich in Communications and Networking at 12:48 PM)

Filed under: Ethanol, Manufacturing/Plants, GM, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

We write about these plants often enough. It’s high time we visited and had a look around. As part of a GM-sponsored media event at US BioEnergy’s ethanol plant yesterday, AutoblogGreen had a chance to sit down with some representatives of US BioEnergy and learn about the plant and the much-criticized ethanol-from-corn industry. Of course, company reps are going to talk about the best side of what they do, so take what these guys say in that light. They’re not lying or anything like that, they just come from a certain perspective. If your’s differs, use the comments.

You’ll notice from the clip that they wouldn’t let us film or take pictures inside. That’s too bad. But it was a decent event anyway. I’ll have more posts on what happened later today.

 

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

Filed under: MPG, Transportation Alternatives

It has been noted before, but it’s worth repeating: gas is getting expensive, and it is not likely to get much cheaper. So, if you want to save a few bucks at each fill up, an option to consider is learning to ride on two wheels. As this article shows, getting well over 70 miles per gallon is possible on either a scooter or a small motorcycle. The winner of this comparison test happens to be the Kawasaki Ninja 250R, which sells new for less than three grand but can be found used for about half that amount. If the Ninja name has you thinking of a sports bike, think smaller. The 250cc engine gives around 30 horsepower or so from what I have heard, so there is not much chance that you’ll be in over your head when it comes to power. But, of course, with any motorcycle, proper training is required. News story after news story has shown that scooter sales in particular have gone up dramatically, which I think is a good thing, but remember to be safe if you do choose to save some green by riding on two wheels.

[Source: Cycle World]

 

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

Like many indigenous peoples, the Sami of Scandinavia have a deeply rooted respect and connect to nature. Keeping a harmonic balance between humans, plants, and animals is the root of their culture, and has been so for thousands of years. From these values, BonnieSiefers established luxurious and affordable eco-clothing line Jonäno in 2005. In their native language, jonäno means "everybody healthy," symbolizing the company's dedication to sustainable fibers and fair trade practices.

Posted by Samuel (in Anchorage, Alaska)

Hola a todos,

Es muy difícil para mi poder expresarles la forma en que los diferentes países 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 había 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 tendría 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 tendría 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 pondría a Japón en una situación de ilegalidad además que ellos estarían 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 caída del santuario del atlántico sur…

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 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…