Sunday, November 25, 2007

Stoplight

I would just like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog and posting comments! My last semester of school is coming to an end and I will not be posting anymore weekly blogs. However, when I do come upon any new, cool information about hybrid, electric, or biodiesel cars then there is a good chance I will be updating my blog on a monthly basis...

I hope everyone enjoyed learning about alternative fuel and how it can help save our environment. Living green is exploding across the globe. Anyone can make a difference!

About the Cat Scan:

The Cat Scan was one of the most interesting classes I have taken at the University of Arizona. The Cat Scan taught me about online journalism and different methods you can use to approach it. I would recommend the class to any incoming seniors who are looking for a fun, demanding course.

Next semester's Cat Scan will also be focusing on the topic of green living. It is a lot broader than it sounds. You will be surprised at how many diverse stories we came up with. New green topics come about everyday, from inventions to advocacy, so there is always something to write about. I believe that there will be even more topics to write about next semester, because living green has become a top priority for many countries in the past few months.

Tips for incoming Cat Scanners:

1) Always come to class!
2) Participate, participate, participate...
3) Have fun! Even though there is a lot of work, make it fun on yourself by choosing an interesting green topic you want to write about.
4) You will learn as much as you want to learn... Meaning that, if you put in the effort to learn how to create videos or clips, then you will get a lot out of the Cat Scan.
5) Practice html. You will need to know some basic html code for the class.
6) Get an early start early on blogs and assignments.

Final Thought:

I promise that you will be glad you took the Cat Scan.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Courtesy of Flickr member

Have you ever wondered how green your car is? Well now you can find out. The UK created a website that calculates the level of CO2 that goes into the atmosphere.

The calculator is really easy to use. All you do is select your manufacturer, model number, description, transmission type and fuel type. Once you insert the numbers the CO2 level is automatically calculated.

Transportation adds up to about a quarter of UK carbon emissions, which is a 47 percent increase since 1980, according to the website. Reducing carbon emissions is a top priority because of the increasing environmental and health risks.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also estimated that 160 billion euros are spent per year to reduce air pollution from transportation. WHO also states that pollution lowers life expectancy by approximately nine months.

The website informs people about green car technologies, such as electric, hybrid, biofuel, fuel cells, natural gas, diesel, and LPG vehicles.

I haven’t touched on fuel cells in the past. Fuel cells electrochemically convert energy. Fuel cells work by catalysis, which means that the electrons and protons of the reactant fuel are separated. This separation forces electrons to travel through a circuit which creates electrical power. There are approximately 20 different types of fuel cells, which are all used to power different machines. Hydrogen fuel cells are used to power vehicles and they create no greenhouse gases or smog.

For more information on fuel cells you can check out this website.

I also haven’t touched much on LPG vehicles. LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas.

“Using LPG can cut your fuel bills by around 50 percent,” according to theLPG Vehicles website.

You can get your car converted into an LPG vehicle in Europe at the locations listed here

To learn more about LPG vehicles, check out this website for the LP Gas Association.

Some tips that I learned on how to make your life even greener are the following: Carpool with someone, recycle your car or remodel your car into an eco-friendly vehicle.

Check out this website to learn about how you can recycle your car.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Copenhagen Makes the Most of Bikes

The large city of Copenhagen has set a new goal for their city. The municipal government of Copenhagen is spending more money to create better bike lanes and paths for cyclists. Thirty-two percent of the people in Copenhagen go to work by bike. The other two thirds drive a car to work or take the bus.

According to a survey at this site that talks about the 11 most bike-friendly cities in the World, Copenhagen ranks in as the third most bike-friendly city. Fifty percent of people say they cycle because it is fast and easy. It is two spots behind Amsterdam and Portland, Oregon.

Copenhagen city officials want to double the number of cyclists by 2015 as well as increase the speed of which cyclists can go by 10 percent. The city wants to make the environment of cyclists fast and safe. The city will increase a budget of 25 million Danish crowns, which is 3.7 million U.S. dollars, in 2007 to a budget of 75 million crowns to provide for cyclists.

The city provides a lot for cyclists. At subway stops and other public places there are bicycle parking stalls. The city plans to increase the number of these stalls in order to encourage more people to turn to cycling ad also to keep cyclists away from pedestrian and car traffic. The city will also widen lanes to allow more bikes to ride near the streets.

The city also supports a new idea to have a ‘green wave’ for cyclists so they won’t stop at red lights as long as they follow the speed limit. Cyclists will have to maintain a speed of 20 kilometer/hour in order to catch the green wave.

Copenhagen has the sixth-highest quality of life. Cycling may be the reason. It is not only eco-friendly, but it is relaxing and a great way to get exercise-in.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Enterprise Rent-A-Car Goes Green

Enterprise Rent-a-Car, the nation’s largest rental car company is going green. Eco-friendliness is a new initiative the company is embracing as they commit to alternative fuel research.

The company wants to have a fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles, FlexFuel vehicles and gas/electric hybrids within its 1.1 million vehicles currently in fleet. FlexFuel cars use E85 fuel, which is renewable, produced in the U.S. and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

It has taken the company two years to develop this new eco-friendly strategy towards their rental cars. The company has also pledged to plant a million trees per year, to purchase more ethanol-based or alternative fuel vehicles, and print company documents or magazines on recycled paper.

Before 2006, Enterprise operated approximately 3,000 gas/electric hybrid vehicles, which are run by a combination of gas and battery-generated electricity. According to a press release, the St. Louis-based company has the most fuel-efficient being driven on the roads then anywhere else in the world. There were 334,000 vehicles, which is 47 percent of its rental fleet, that are being used on the streets.

In 2006, Enterprise purchased 41,000 flex fuel vehicles, the majority of them from General Motors, which burned gasoline or ethanol. These cars were placed at filling stations that sold ethanol. The eco-friendly cars fleet grew to about 900,000 vehicles. This alternative fuel will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that affect our environment so negatively today.

Enterprise also partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation in 2006 on their pledge to plant 1 million trees every year for the next 50 years. These trees will help save our environment and help get rid of some of those nasty gases like carbon dioxide.

Enterprise will begin to use recycled paper this year, with 30 percent post-consumer material, for rental contracts, according to a press release. The company believes that more than 2,730 mature trees every year, or 10 acres of forest, will be saved due to their new initiative. The company will print more than 3 million pages a year on recycled paper.

Enterprise has a green future ahead of it; and having a “green” edge over other rental car companies may help Enterprise last longer then any rental company out there; especially if other car rental companies don’t have the greener technology available.