Pizza by the slice, car style
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Walking around downtown Atlanta last weekend, I noticed Flexcar signs everywhere. I've seen the cars on the streets for a while, but didn't really understand the concept. It's actually a brilliant one.Flexcar is a Seattle-based company which has successfully introduced "car sharing" to L.A., Chicago, San Franciso, Atlanta and San Diego, winning numerous awards for reducing traffic and air pollution in those cities. [Wikipedia - Flexcar]
It works like this: You reserve a car using the phone or online, which displays car locations and availability, then simply walk to the vehicle, swipe a smartcard, and the car is yours. The whole thing costs $9/hour (plus a $40 annual membership fee), which covers insurance, unlimited mileage, 24/7 roadside assistance and gas. The company has charts of how much money you could save by using their service over a year. [Flexcar offers commuters an alternative]
Great concept and I honestly think that I'll think about doing it as it gets bigger in future years.
Labels: cool stuff, creative biz., green, lifestyle, places, trends, urban life
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:57 AM |
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Could Google help save the environment?
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
This past January, blogger Matt Ontkush claimed that if Google switched its home page background color from white to black, it could save hundreds of megawatt hours a year equaling about $75,000/day. He based his claim on the fact that certain types of monitors use less energy to display black than white screens.In response to that blog post, many eco-conscious websites changed their background color from white to black. And Blackle, essentially Google in black, was launched. The site claims to have saved 149,845.032 Watt hours.
However, Google refuses to change their simple and famous white background for a darker one. [Google won's go dark to go green - Business Week]. They might be justified in their decision because Google claims going black only saves watts on old-style CRT monitors, not the more popular LCDs.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:37 PM |
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Gas saving tips
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Now that gas is over $3.00 per gallon nationwide, how high will it go? Will Americans spend $150 to fill up their SUVs? Here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.Fill up in the morning
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline. Warm gasoline expands. Buying gasoline in the afternoon or evening, your 1 gallon is not exactly 1 gallon.
When you see gas trucks, don't fill up
If there is a gasoline truck bringing loads at the time when you have to buy gas do not fill up, because the gasoline is being stirred up when the gas is being delivered, which would result in getting some of the dirt that settles at the bottom.
Fill up when your tank's half full
Despite what you might think, fill up when your gas tank is half full (or half empty). The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying it's empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can think.
Here's to riding public transportation. [via ST]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:43 PM |
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Waiting on the world to change light green
Saturday, May 05, 2007
John Mayer is not only a very talented musician, he's also a socially conscious one. You can tell from quotes and in interviews that he's not one of those shallow, materialistic, all-about-themselves celebs.Waiting on the world to change
His 2006 song "Waiting on the world to change" (no doubt one of the top 5 songs of all time) obviously has meaning as the name implies. Well, John has a blog in which he explains the meaning behind the song and his cerebral view of the environmental movement. Before you say to yourself "I've heard enough about this topic", check out his blog.
The Light Green approach
His thoughts are legitimately some of the best, and more importantly most realistic, takes on being good to the earth. He talks about getting people to go "light green" - where people go about their normal (over-consuming lives) while only changing one aspect of their consumption (like switching to cheaper and longer lasting CFL bulbs).
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:48 AM |
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The bottled water debate continues
Friday, April 27, 2007
This subject has been covered a couple of times before (here, here and here).Tap water is better according to one loyal UE reader
Loyal reader RW is a big proponent of not buying bottled water. In fact he uses the same Gatorade bottle filled with tap water for about 6 months at a time. He says he actually likes tap water better than bottled water.
Think outside the bottle
It looks like there are groups of people that feel the same way - a corporate accountability group started Think Outside the Bottle.
CNNMoney article tells it like it is
Great quotes from Bottled water no longer cool?:
"Recently, I stopped by my neighborhood Exxon station to conduct a price test. A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina water cost $1.57, including tax. A 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi also cost $1.57. Regular gas sold for $3.05 a gallon.
Yep - water costs the same as soda and three times as much as the gas.
So critics are asking: Why drink bottled water?
After all, it's pricey. Packaging and shipping water consumes energy and contributes to global warming. Empty bottles add to litter and solid waste. And, as a rule, bottled water is no safer or healthier than the H2O that flows from municipal water systems.
..."People complain about the cost of gasoline," Solomon says. "No one seems to realize that they are paying for a picture of pretty mountains on the label and a product they could get for free from their own tap."
In related news, Coca-Cola is contemplating buying powerful industry newcomer, Vitamin Water.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:22 PM |
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Italy leads in soccer and the environment
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Italy is not just a world soccer power. The Azzurri ("blue" in Italian referring to their national team colors) now plan to develop the world's first solar power plant in Sicily.The project, named Archimedes, will combine solar power with energy created by gas. The plant is designed to produce 5 megawatts of electricity, the amount needed for about 4,500 families.
Labels: green
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:13 PM |
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Fight global warming
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Fight Global Warming is a collaborative effort between Environmental Defense, the Ad Council, and the Robertson Foundation. In their own words:
Global warming is the most serious environmental challenge of our time. It is more urgent and its dangers are more fundamental than most Americans realize. This campaign seeks to educate Americans about how quickly we must act, and give concrete steps that people can incorporate into their lives to fight global warming.
Read about the myths/facts, dangers, and science behind global warming and find out what you can do about it. Also, check out their powerful TV spot below.
Labels: commercials, green, helpful, video
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:58 PM |
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Apple, Nike go green
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Two of the freshest, most original companies in the world (and no surprise - two of my favorites) have made concerted efforts to go green. In the process, they have raised green awareness to their young, hip followers.Both companies have dedicated environmental sections on their websites.
- Apple // environment
- Nike // environment
Also, check out the Sustainable Style Foundation, a non-profit that promotes sustainable living and design. I like their slogan: look fabulous, live well, do good. But the best part is that SSF's website hosting is wind powered.
Labels: apple, green, Nike, web
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:05 PM |
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Update on bottled water
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
This is a follow-up to my two previous posts (here and here) on bottled water. Clark Howard did a short blog on bottled water and how it is ridiculous that people pay for water that is no cleaner than water you get from your tap. Women may argue that Oprah did a show recently on a girl who did her science project on cleanliness of ice at restaurants and she found that ice had more germs than the toilet water. That was at the ice machines at fast food restaurants - this is municipal water which is tested very frequently for cleanliness (more than bottled water is) and some studies have found bottled water to just be tap water. Throw in the fact that bottles can be hurtful to the environment if they are not disposed of properly (and even if they are recycled in some cases). [via RW]
From Clark Howard's article on bottled water:
Last year, people spent $11 billion on bottled water, according to the beverage industry. That’s about $2 per bottle and people happily spend it every day, yet we complain about the cost of gas. Coke and Pepsi own the two largest bottled water companies, Dasani and Aquafina, and they are making a ton on each. People seem to think that water out of a bottle is cleaner water out of a tap. But that is not true. In fact, municipal water is tested much more often than bottled water. A number of recent studies also show that bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle. It tastes better because it’s been treated, and that makes a huge difference to some people. But bottled water isn’t any safer than tap water. That’s just a little something for you to swallow.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:28 PM |
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Biodegradable utensils help environment
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Fast food restaurants, office environments, and schools all use millions of plastic utensils and Styrofoam cups a week. As bad as this is for the environment, there is now hope.From the consumer advocate show, Clark Howard: A California company Excellent Packaging and Supply creates biodegradable and compostable products such as forks, knives and spoons. The utensils are made of potato starch and soy oil and they're completely safe for the environment. EPS also makes dinner plates and coffee cups out of leftover sugar cane. This is a great idea with huge potential. The company has already sold $5 million so far. It costs a bit more to make these products and that is reflected in the cost to the consumer. But it may be worth it to you. Hopefully for the environment's sake, these products take off.
Thoughts on this topic via loyal reader RW:
The concept itself, using natural materials to make useful items so that when they are discarded they can continue to add value to the earth/environment, is not revolutionary. It is one of many topics covered in a book that I read 4 years ago titled Cradle to Cradle. Among other interesting topics covered in the book, the question: Why do more people not have grass roofs?
Labels: creative biz., green
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:47 PM |
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Green isn't just about the environment anymore
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Check out this article about how doing environmenally friendly stuff can cut your taxes. Very interesting. Lower your taxes by thinking green. [via RW]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:46 PM |
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Eco-Laptop and green gifts
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Treehugger is a pretty awesome site in its design and content.- LG's Eco-Laptop // LG Electronics, the second-largest electronics company in Korea, has created an eco-laptop called the e-Book. It uses a biofuel cell, which consume less electricity than LCDs. The fuel cells of the e-Book use natural gas, methanol, and other eco-friendly liquid fuels. This thing is awesome.
- How to Green Your Gifts // There's a 25 percent increase in trash generated during the holiday season. Here's some ideas to lower that number. While you're at it, consider this stat: $300 million dollars a year is spent in the USA on mass market women's bath gift sets.
- Green Gift Ideas // This list has some awesome ideas for food lovers, kids, outdoorsmen, gifts with no wrapping required, stocking stuffers, gifts for the ladies, for the sun worshippers, bookworms, athletes, and everything in between. This might give you some ideas.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:28 PM |
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