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Filed under: Biodiesel, Green Culture, GM

There’s usually not a lot of cross-over between the power fiends at Hot Rod magazine and green car culture. The the two worlds are not inherently exclusive, and as petroleum gets more and more expensive, we’re seeing the gearheads turning to biofuels and other alternatives.

Take, for example, the upcoming HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour, which features a supposed half-billion dollars worth of souped up vehicles. What’s green about the tour, which includes 100 vehicles like the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro concept vehicle and the Hummer H3 Open Top? How about Jay Leno’s silly-powerful EcoJet, which AutoblogGreen readers will remember from last year’s SEMA show.

HOT ROD says the EcoJet team is rushing to get the 650 hp biodiesel car ready to drive along in the road tour, which starts in Cleveland on June 2. The tour will stop in seven Midwest cities (full schedule after the jump), and visitors can check out the cars each night will be free. If you go, and have pictures to share, let us know.

[Source: HOT ROD Magazine]
Half a Billion Dollars Worth of Fantastic Automobiles to Make a Historic Tour of America

The 2007 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour(TM) To Kick-Off in Cleveland on June 2

INDIANAPOLIS, May 24 /PRNewswire/ — The 2007 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour(TM) is a 1,420-mile, seven-day parade of the worlds’ most unique automobiles. Billed as the nation’s largest motorized traveling extravaganza, the tour will travel from the banks of Lake Erie through the heartland of America and finish in Little Rock.

On Saturday, June 2, hot rods, street rods, trucks, and street machines will gather at the XI Center in Cleveland, Ohio to embark on the tour throughout mid-America, ending in Little Rock, Ark. Each evening, in each of the seven cities, these cars gather for a free-to-the-public celebration.

The 2007 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour(TM), presented by GM Performance Division and co-sponsored by Flowmaster Exhaust, includes over 100 one-of-a-kind specially designed vehicles as well as thousands of participants driving their own art on wheels. Highlights of the collection includes the GM Performance Division’s “Eco Jet”, designed and built by NBC Tonight Show star, Jay Leno, and the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro concept vehicle.

The HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour will stop at the following sites for an evening of fun:

• Saturday, June 2 IX Center, 6200 Riverside Drive, Cleveland, Ohio
• Sunday, June 3 Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds, 2900 Lake Street, Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Monday, June 4 Downtown Lake Front, 14015 Washington Ave, Racine, Wisc.
• Tuesday, June 5 Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 E. Sangamon, Springfield, Ill.
• Wednesday, June 6 Roberts Stadium, 2600 Division Street, Evansville, Ind.
• Thursday, June 7 Memphis Motorsports Park, 5500 Victory Lane, Memphis, Tenn.
• Friday, June 8 Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard Street, Little Rock, Ark.

Enthusiasts who want to show their car to Hot Rod editors can purchase a special one-day pass for $20, which includes a vehicle decal and credential for the driver and one passenger.

In 2006, more than 200,000 participants and spectators enjoyed the tour. For more information on the 2007 HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour, please call 1-877-413-6515 or visit http://www.hotrod.com/.

About HOT ROD Magazine: Published by PRIMEDIA, HOT ROD Magazine is the world’s largest and most influential automotive performance publication reaching more than 7.5 million people per month. HOT ROD is a powerful brand that spawned an industry more than 50 years ago and now includes HOT ROD TV, airing nationally on ESPN 2, http://www.hotrod.com/ and the annual HOT ROD Magazine Power Tour(TM).

 

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

Filed under: Etc., Transportation Alternatives

High gas prices might have more of us considering traveling under our own power soon enough. But, I bet that none of you have ever thought you might have to get out and push… a train! I wonder just how hard it is to push a train along. Must be pretty hard, it took a few hundred people more than half an hour to push this one just twelve feet. Why were they pushing in the first place, you might ask? Good question. A passenger pulled the emergency stop cable on the electric train, which happened to finally come to rest on a dead spot, known as a “neutral zone”, apparently. So, the train conductor asked the passengers to get out and push! Seriously! Do you think that this would be a good enough reason to be late for work?

[Source: Reuters]

 

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

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Carbon Offset

A new study commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership and NorthEast Biofuels in England has concluded that switching from the ultra low sulfur diesel that’s now being phased in the US to biodiesel could almost completely eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions. Don’t forget, biodiesel is still a carbon based fuel, so producing and burning it puts carbon back into the atmosphere but growing the feedstock takes it out, creating an almost neutral cycle.

The study in question looked at the full cycle from UK-grown rapeseed (canola to Americans) all through fuel production distribution and use. It found that carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by ninety-four percent and energy use was down ninety-seven percent. Achieving those figures was based on a scenario where the canola meal that is produced during processing is used to fuel a power-station. This meal is more often used as livestock feed and in that case the energy numbers wouldn’t be nearly as high. Alternatively if they used the rest of the canola for producing cellulosic biofuel the numbers would likely be even better.

[Source: Biofuel Review]

 

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

Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Legislation and Policy

José María Ibáñez, the Paraguayan minister of industry and commerce, announced the country’s plans to produce and export biofuels in a joint-venture with Brazil, during a Biofuel Seminar held in the capital city, Asunción, this week. Both countries signed an agreement memorandum with the purpose of promoting agrofuels with Brazil as the technology supplier.

Paraguay is just in the experimentation phase before massive production starts in order to become as energy independent as possible. The plans are both for ethanol and biodiesel. Up to now, only 20 companies produce vegetable-sourced fuels.

The ethanol production target for this year is 96 million liters which are enough to cover the local demand. Gas stations in Paraguay serve a blend of gasoline and 18 to 24 percent of ethanol, depending on the type of fuel, which is fixed by the government on a yearly basis.

The memorandum also included references to biodiesel. There are plans to blend it with diesel sold (something the Philippines are already doing). In order to cover Paraguay’s B1 needs, the production should reach 870,000 liters per month.

Whereas biofuels might not be the best solution, they do provide a feasible alternative for poorer countries to combat petrol dependency and pollution.

[Source: Europa Press via Ecoticias]

 

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

Before we kick off summer with Memorial Day barbeques this weekend, it’s important to remember Spring 2007 was when the incubating third wave of environmentalism finally hatched in pop culture.

If you passed by any newsstand in April magazines from Elle to Sports Illustrated had green issues giving quick tips and tricks on how we could play our part. TV got in on “doing good” in May with the amazing Planet Earth, Sundance Channel’s The Green and even American Idol’s own charity-themed show. Just as our heartstrings and conscious seem to have been pulled enough, companies are declaring their greenness in droves.

Where does this leave ordinary people whom just want to go about their lives, avoid cancer and feel like responsible citizens? It should leave us hyper aware and charged up to change the world. For some “conscious consumers”, it does. For the rest of us, it might make us replace a few light bulbs and recycle more frequently, but it will ultimately leave us overwhelmed by green clutter and ready to give up.

If you are part of this group, you probably are enduring “Green Fatigue”. The whole idea of green fatigue comes from the world of consumer electronics. As James Surowiecki points out in next week’s New Yorker, when we buy cell phones, cameras or even toasters these days, we are often seduced by choice and information but in practice prefer simplicity:

When the subjects were given the chance to customize their product, choosing from twenty-five features, they behaved like kids in a candy store. (Twenty features was the average.) But, when they were asked to use the digital device, so-called “feature fatigue” set in. They became frustrated with the plethora of options they had created, and ended up happier with a simpler product.

With all the buzz around going green, it seems like a million options exist whether its organic cotton or hemp clothes, local organic foods, energy efficient light bulbs or hybrid vehicles. Frankly we can’t necessarily afford to take all of them now. Even if we did, we wouldn’t necessarily have the carbon footprint of an eco acetic.

So what’s the answer? Whether it’s technology or greening our lives, we feel overwhelmed when we stop asking why and start accepting everything we’ve been told. However, simplicity requires being able to decipher what’s worth hearing. It requires looking to the plethora of green products and services and asking why. Why is one option necessary or better than another? Why is the process for consuming something the way it is? Why doesn’t a service exist?

Now this might seem silly. But it takes five minutes to send a clever email, and the processes can be empowering. I’ve found in writing The Eightfold that asking questions can often reveal more about a company than I ever expected. For example, I recently emailed Apple regarding its environmental policy after a visit to the SOHO store. That day was particularly hot and the air conditioning was on with the doors open.

While I understand this is standard retail practice, it still seemed like a terrible waste of energy. I emailed the store manager and was told it wouldn’t happen again. Still he hadn’t told me why it happened in the first place. So, I emailed Apple’s corporate headquarters and followed up with two phone calls. It’s been a month, and I’ve not received a response.

My lesson? Apple may make environmental statements when Greenpeace twists its arm, but that doesn’t mean it’s ready or is able to explain them to consumers willing to ask why. If I ever was overwhelmed by green proclamations I now know how far Apple is willing to go to defend its position – not very.

The point here isn’t to attack Apple. It’s to demonstrate that we no longer have to accept green marketing at face value. Companies will not necessarily provide the perfect green solution, but good green companies should be willing if not enthusiastic and passionate to share their thoughts and hear your ideas. Once you start asking why, you will quickly be able to cut through the clutter to find your personal green pathway to a simply green clutter-free world.

New Yorker on Feature Creep

The Eightfold Apple Experience

Green Hub Concept by Shelter ArchitectureGreen design at its finest is not only sustainable, but low-cost, beautiful, useful, and maybe even life-saving. Combining urban renewal, social action, and green architecture is the Clean Hub.

This portable, self-powered water and sanitation station has many sustainable features, including a composting toilet, rainwater collection and filtration system, and solar panels that, along with a battery, provide all the power the Clean Hub needs and then some. The idea came from folks at Shelter Architecture, but thanks to architecture and design students at the University of Minnesota, it will soon be put to use in New Orleans, where it will be the centerpiece of a community that will foster sustainable growth.

John Dwyer from Shelter Architecture, who also led the students in designing a prototype of the Clean Hub, describes the project:

Shelter developed the idea through a 2 year research and development process. We then brought it in to a studio to allow students to design and build a real world application of it.

The hub is totally off-grid, generating its own water through rain water collection, it's own electricity through photovoltaics, and its own sanitation through composting toilets and gray water irrigation.

The first prototype heads to a learning garden in the hardest hit area of New Orleans on June 21st, the summer solstice.

The architecture students at the University of Minnesota took the concept and ran with it, creating a low-cost solution based on a used storage container that can be easily transported to disaster-stricken areas to provide necessary infrastructure. It was built using recycled and donated parts, lots of elbow grease, and a green vision. The Clean Hub is a simple solution to a complex and common problem that is certainly more practical and sustainable than what FEMA currently uses!

The Clean Hub will be sent to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, and will serve as a building block to a sustainable rebuilding effort supported by many local organizations. A community garden, farmer's market, and public gathering space will eventually surround it, leading to urban renewal with sustainability in mind.

Hopefully with the success of the Clean Hub in New Orleans, the idea can be continued to help provide water, sanitation, and renewable energy wherever it is needed around the globe. The design was created with urban slums and refugee camps in mind, both possible future homes of the Clean Hub.

This design encompasses cradle-to-cradle thinking, sustainable development, poverty relief, and community building as well as green design. It's not every day that architecture is used to save the planet and help the poor, but the Clean Hub was an opportunity for architecture professionals and students to do just that.

Earlier this spring, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Although it has no legislative-making power, it can study and make recommendations on the problem. This week it took on an American icon: the Smithsonian Institution.

The Committee is investigating allegations by former associate director of the National Museum of Natural History, Robert Sullivan, that Smithsonian officials toned down a climate change exhibit to avoid angering some members of Congress and the Bush administration.

Sullivan charges that the exhibit’s text was rewritten to make the connection between climate change and human activity more uncertain. The Smithsonian has denied the allegations, pointing out that Sullivan “was neither a scientists nor a curator.” Other scientists and curators have said that nothing major was omitted, although some admitted to political sensitivities. John Calder, a lead climate scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told the Associated Press:

"I remember them telling me there was an attempt to make sure there was nothing in there that would be upsetting to any politicians. They're not stupid. They don't want to upset the people who pay them."

The Natural Resources Defense Council had considered co-sponsoring the climate change exhibit but objected to the exhibit's text about uncertainties on the future warming of the planet.

Associated Press, via Examiner.com

New York Yellow Cabs Go Green
Follow The ‘Green’ Brick Road?
Solar Could Go Mainstream as China Enters Market
Mobile Phones Revolutionise Banking
Japan Plans Its Own Green Fuel

(more)

(Posted by David Zaks in News and Views at 9:13 PM)

Trafalgar Square in London is not known for its green credentials. For those of us that have walked its open expanse, there's very little organic material beyond the gum stuck to your shoe to tred on. Being a large intersection of foot traffic, it's naturally a stone and concrete affair. Starting today and continuing until tomorrow, however, Trafalgar Square is getting a green makeover.

Over 2,000 square meters of living turf will be placed in the square transforming the icon into London's "Village Green". For two days, people are encouraged to take advantage of the living space with picnics and other recreational activities. The turf itself comes from a company outside of York called Lindum that specializes in sustainable grass growing practices. The turf is harvested as a vegetative mat of roots and leafy plant with very little soil attached. One of the main fertilisers is an organic material made from recycled waste from Yorkshire Water.

After its use on the square, the turf will be moved to Bishops Park in Hammersmith and Fulham, where it will be planted beneath "an avenue of majestic plane trees close to the River Thames and Fulham Palace."

Personally, I love this idea. The concept of taking urban areas generally devoid of natural beauty and adding something organic and grand is impressive. I think people in cities generally avoid nature; and in doing so, miss out on the connection that's needed for us to actually care about the big picture; to work in harmony with everything beyond our two bedroom pads. While these additions are temporary, one hopes that if such creations can inspire, then permanent solutions that offer a mix of urban and nature are not far ahead.

Did you get to Trafalgar this week? What did you think of its new look?

VisitLondon.com

Posted by Dave (in Anchorage, Alaska)

Spotted in downtown Anchorage, by the Town Square: The “Whaling Wall”, created by the artist Wyland in 1994. It’s a spectacular mural, showing bowhead whales, belugas, seals – the marine life of Alaska.