Did you know…

…that cycling is almost comically efficient? You’re getting around 3 times as fast as walking but burning the same amount of energy. You’re like a car that does 1,037 kilometres a litre. Part of it is the sensible weight ratio: you’re around 6 times heavier than your bike, compared to your car being 20 times heavier than you.

…the U.S. government now pays you to cycle to work?

…that cycling is free? No sh-t, Sherlock, I know – but just weigh that against the cost of your gym membership. Do you pay money to sit in a car, then pay money to go to the gym? Could you combine the two and pay nothing, all the while keeping your fashion mojo intact?

…bikes make amazing coffee tables? And bowls?

…that the percentage of U.S. students cycling to school or college is less than a third of what it was in 1969? Meanwhile, the child obesity crisis intensifies every year, despite an impassioned warning by the Surgeon General in 2003.

…that America is designed for cycling, actually? As a starting point, look at the 38,158 miles of the Adventure Cycling Route Network.

…there are even bikes you can wear?

…that cycling is becoming a lot more social than you’d think?

…that this musical duo did 4,700 miles on bikes while promoting one of their albums? Check out the evidence, and our interview with them in March.

…that bicycles are time machines?

Images: moriza, m-louis, kamshots

Meet Colin Coon. He’s an ordinary high school senior with a not so ordinary senior project. Having spent the last year converting a 1980 Mercedes station wagon to run on vegetable oil, he has just taken off on a six week cross-country road trip. His goal – to make people more aware of alternative energy sources.

Now, not all high schools would be open to a student’s “˜senior project’ involving a road trip of 8500 miles in a car that’s running on vegetable oil. But then, New Gate School in Sarasota, Florida isn’t exactly your ordinary, everyday school. One of only six Montessori-based secondary schools in the country, New Gate focuses not only on strong academics but also on encouraging students to create their own educational experiences by pursuing what interests, intrigues, and excites them.

Colin not only converted the car but also raised over $6000 for the trip and has been in contact with many small restaurants on his route to ask them to donate vegetable oil for the cause.

Along the way, Colin will be speaking at schools and spreading the word that there are other ways to get around besides using fossil fuels.

Want to come along for the ride? Then head on over to Colin’s Green Machine and enjoy the trip.

Images: Paraflyer, My Sun Coast

A nearly $800 billion stimulus package passed by our lawmakers contains incentives for we the people not just to follow our hearts, but also good common sense in preparing for the future that awaits us.

The thinking is reducing energy waste and investing in alternative fuels go hand-in-hand with reviving our anemic economy.

The package goes a long way to target energy waste in federal buildings and homes across the country. $5 billion is set aside to help low-income families weatherize their living spaces with energy saving windows and improved insulation.

Another $4.5 billion is targeted for retrofitting government buildings to make them more energy efficient. According to Reuters, this could save $2 billion a year in lower energy costs. It also provides $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and electricity transmission projects. Renewable energy is energy we generate from natural resources, including sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat. Related to this is the package’s $11 billion in loan guarantees to build a “smart grid” to move renewable electricity supplies and build 3,000 miles of transmission lines ($400 billion less than what Al Gore proposed to make this happen). The package also extends tax credits for producing power generated from alternative sources.

Naturally, hybrids also are part of the picture, encouraging the purchase of plug-in hybrid vehicles through a tax credit of at least $2,500 for consumers. Car makers are give the nudge with $2 billion to sell advanced batteries for vehicles, and gas station service owners would see a credit for 50 percent of their cost for putting in alternative pumps that dispense ethanol and other fuel choices. Meantime, the research for more fuels would bet a boost from $3.4 billion for fossil energy study and development and $2.5 million for researching renewable energy. And we consumers would receive rebates for buying greener appliances via $300 million in state matching grants.

All of this amounts to converting the lip service of past legislation into real action. According to Wikipedia, investment capital flowing into renewable energy climbed from $80 billion in 2005 to a record $100 billion in 2006. The dramatic surge is attributed to climate change concerns, high oil prices and increased government support – all factors in creating renewable energy legislation that can actually make a dent on our road to recovery.

Image: Hammer51012

Imagine capturing the CO2 people exhale and converting it into biofuel to power diesel vehicles and heating systems. It’s all part of an experiment that’s taking place at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport in the UK.

The Eco-Box, designed by scientists from Origo Industries, works by capturing CO2 through a photo-bioreactor. This CO2 becomes feedstock for algae which then produces a biomass that can be refined and converted into green fuel.

The Eco-Box carbon recycling system was installed at the airport in January, with a goal of harnessing 24,000 during its pilot program. Once that’s shown to be successful, the experiment will aim for expansion, with an ultimate goal of establishing a 289,000 gallon system which would provide approximately 800 gallons of biofuel a day.

If successful, the Eco-box could have significant impact on how companies manage carbon emissions and obtain fuel. Just imagine, with all the hot air the pundits expend, they’d finally earn their keep!

(source)

Image: Aaron Wagner

Like many other people, I’ve been thinking for a while now that it might be a good idea to ditch the car and get a bike. It has dual appeal. By biking to work, I can not only reduce my carbon footprint but also get fit without ever having to step foot in a gym. And of course, I’d be saving money on gas.

But the thought of having to go out and buy a bike has been holding me back. Until now, that is. I’ve just discovered the Montague SwissBike TX. It’s cute, it’s light weight and fits in a bag but has the performance capabilities of the Paratrooper (its military counterpart that was used by special forces operations during the invasion of Afghanistan). It’s yet another great portable biking option.

Storage is easy. At work, just fold it up and put it in a corner of the office. At home, it’s small enough to it in the closet. And for those days when you want to get out the city and explore the countryside, it easily fits into the back of the car. You can even take it on the train, the boat, and the plane, making it the perfect traveling companion.

What more could a girl (or guy) ask for?

I’m one of those people who quickly tidy up my car before handing it over at the car wash, disposing of the banana peels jammed into paper cups and cookie crumbs taking up residence in the carpet and upholstery. Such treasures are routinely left behind by my daughters who view my Volvo as their waste can on wheels.

It occurred to me this morning that I should create a car compost system with a portable bin to chase those necessary after-school car treats.  Instead of grinding the granola bar remains into my wagon’s cup holders, certain passengers could simply toss the food scraps into the small compost container.

While no one has invented a car compost bin per se, small kitchen composters could do the trick. I found a few options with lids at Composters.

The car wash guys will be impressed!

Image: Werwin15

You all deserve a night on the town – your favorite restaurant, your favorite wine, your best friends. Alas. It’s time for one of you to take the short straw – the one soberly marked “designated driver”.

Or, you can hire a limo – and you don’t have to sabotage your eco principles to do it! The green chauffeur industry is on a…roll. (Oh dear, that’s two.)

For example, if you’re in the San Francisco area, you could contact Bauer’s Worldwide Intelligent Transportation. Over 85% of their miles are eco-friendly (they use sustainable fuel sources in hybrid vehicles). Google use Bauer’s to shuttle 2,500 of their employees back and forth from Silicon Valley.

Everyone gets the long straw and a green conscience. It’s the perfect way to let your hair down for an indulgent night on the town. Driver!

Not everyone is going to find the idea of biking to work practical or appealing. The distance might be too far. Or it might be that you’re physically unable to bike. Not to worry. There is another way to get to work in an environmentally and financially friendly way – carpooling.

Just as we’re challenging you to give up the bottle in 2009, we’re also asking you to consider another simple step to easing your pocketbook and helping the planet.

Joining with others who are traveling the same way as you can save you plenty of money. Check out this Carpooling Savings Calculator. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. All it takes is a little research and you could soon be sitting back and enjoying the ride knowing that you’re reducing the dent in your wallet while doing something positive for the environment.

Here’s some places to help you get started:

Commuters can check out sites such as eRideShare.com, RideShare.com, carpoolcrew.com, and ridester.com to find carpooling buddies.

But it’s not just commuters who can benefit from carpooling. Families should have a look at DividetheRide.com, a site that helps organize carpools with families you know and trust. And concert and conference travellers should check out PickUpPal.com, a global ridesharing and carpooling community.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a go.

Image: /kallu

Bicyclists in Copenhagen will soon be able to take part in a project that will allow them to track the roads they’ve traveled, get a boost up tough hills, and maybe even improve their social lives.

The Smart Biking Project is being developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT research group focused on technology and cities, part of MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Using a Facebook application called “I Crossed Your Path,” cyclists will be able to make connections with each other by exchanging information – online or through a smartphone – about which routes they took that day. The program, which formally gets underway in 2009, will work through a smart tag that functions a lot like RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. The tag, which they expect to be the size of a USB flash drive, can be installed under a bike seat, inside the frame, or on a headlight

“MIT’s smart tags will have low power consumption, low bandwidth, and will be affordable at under $30 per tag,” said Christine Outram, project leader and a graduate student in the Master of Science in Architecture Studies program.

“If I ride past a particular point, and a friend from Facebook or another social networking site rides past, I can get a little ping on my bike, or a text message on my cellphone, or a message that will appear on my social networking site,” Outram said.

The application will also allow individuals or groups to monitor the distance they travel as part of a citywide green-mileage initiative, similar to a frequent-flyer program, where points are awarded and prizes earned for those reducing their carbon footprint through biking.

“You can interpolate the data for a variety of things, like monitor how well you do month-to-month, or challenge your friends,” said Outram, who already holds degrees in both architecture and urban design.

With the information it collects, the project might also help urban planners make better decisions on things like where new bike paths should be built.

Professor Carlo Ratti, the lab’s director, suggests that fine-grained monitoring of urban activities could allow cities such as Copenhagen to enter into carbon trading, in which cities could then get funding for sustainable city services in exchange for their efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

“The impact could be considerable,” said Ratti. “For the first time in history, cities now contain over 50 percent of the world population and are responsible for an even higher share of carbon emissions.

“In addition to the smart tags, Ratti’s lab is collaborating with the Smart Cities Group, headed by William J. Mitchell, at the MIT Media Lab to develop a smart hybrid bicycle called the GreenWheel. Although the GreenWheel can be used as a traditional bicycle, it also has a motor that offers riders more torque when going up a hill, and power when accelerating.

“The regenerative battery and motor harvests energy when braking and releases it while cycling, a system similar to hybrid cars,” explained GreenWheel project leader Michael Lin, a graduate student at the Media Lab who also holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism.

All of the elements are housed in the rear wheel.

“I combined the battery into the hub, did the drawings, and sent out the plans for fabrication,” said Lin. “The motorized hub fits into any size and kind of bicycle.”

Other components include a wireless control module, reduction gearbox that reduces wheel speed and allows more torque, and an accelerometer, a chip that detects incline, decline, and acceleration.

Currently the SENSEable City Lab has a three-year partnership with the city of Copenhagen to look at how technologies can improve understanding of the city’s sustainability.

City Lab’s associate director, Assaf Biderman, said in a press release that sharing this information and showing individuals the environmental impact of their actions could be formidable, as research has shown that behavioral change is one of the most powerful forces in tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions.

The system in Copenhagen allows residents to “borrow” city-owned bicycles, which are stored in stands and released for a small sum of around 20 kroner (about $3.40). The coins are returned when the bicycles are returned to any housing station in the city.The city of Copenhagen is looking to increase its five-year-old fleet of 1,200 City Bikes to 5,000.

Many bicycles, said Outram, have turned up in canals and have to be fished out and repaired. She said in some cases residents are riding the bicycles downhill, but not back up, an issue that the GreenWheel could potentially obliterate.

Outram said the ultimate goal is to get the contract and build the prototypes for CityBike in Copenhagen, but if MIT doesn’t get the contract, it will continue to produce the wheel as a stand-alone that can be sold to individuals. And the smart tag device can easily be distributed to people in Copenhagen and incorporated into their own bicycles.

“Practically it wouldn’t be hard to incorporate the smart tag systems into any city,” said Outram. “The model, however, would vary depending on government structure, support for deployment, and maintenance and incentives for citizens to engage in these programs.”

The Smart Biking Project is scheduled to be implemented throughout Copenhagen in time for the November 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference that will take place there.

Note: also printed at the Boston Globe.

Image: malias

Biking just got more attractive. The Biddeford campus of the University of New England has created a new program to provide free bikes (complete with lock and helmet) or Zipcar usage to Freshmen who leave their cars at home. Because of recent campus construction, many parking spaces were lost and UNE wanted a better solution than simply to lay down more asphalt.

UNE has also expanded shuttle service and offered taxi vouchers for students of the Portland campus. Response has been positive and the university is considering expanding the program. Smart thinking from the Office of Student Affairs; it’s not just good for the environment, but great exercise for students who could use some physical activity between parties ““ and classes.

Image: aleksandersen