As Green As You Can Be

In this time of economic uncertainty, “going green” is probably the last thing on the mind of some people. Feeding ones family, protecting ones future, these are probably much more common thoughts today. But there are a few things you can do to go green and help your economic situation at the same time.

Mmmm Toasty

Ride your bike to work! Okay, the winter is a bit cold to start peddling to work, but if you look at the money you save on gas and auto repair, you can but some pretty sweet bicycling gear that will keep you nice and toasty on your new healthy commute.

You may even get a tax break if you forgo the comforts of the gas guzzler, depending on where you live. I understand that Europe is already doing some sort of tax break and the U.S. is soon to follow.

Maybe you are thinking of an entirely new line of work? One that doesn’t require a commute at all. The internet is full of “work from home” offers, yes most of them are scams, and many more are grossly overstating what you can make, but there are a few things you can do from home. I wrote another post about working from home a while ago that showed some of the environmental benefits to working from home.
Maybe you are the next Perez Hilton? Maybe you are an amateur photographer looking to go pro? Either way you’ll need a website.

Do a search and you will certainly find web hosts are a dime a dozen.  How can you choose among a hundred hosts that all have very similar prices?  Well at least one host out there is powered entirely by the wind and sun.  That is certainly as green as they can be! When you add the fact that they are the same price as any of the other big hosting companies, there isn’t really much to think about. They’ll even plant a tree for each new client!

As our economy plummets into the toilet, Ill be sure to update you as to the best ways to stay as green as you can be.

2009 Ford Fiesta

If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor, known widely for lumbering gas hogs.

Ford’s 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here’s the catch: Despite the car’s potential to transform Ford’s image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. “We know it’s an awesome vehicle,” says Ford America President Mark Fields. “But there are business reasons why we can’t sell it in the U.S.” The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.

Automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have predicted for years that a technology called “clean diesel” would overcome many Americans’ antipathy to a fuel still often thought of as the smelly stuff that powers tractor trailers. Diesel vehicles now hitting the market with pollution-fighting technology are as clean or cleaner than gasoline and at least 30% more fuel-efficient.

Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. “Americans see hybrids as the darling,” says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, “and diesel as old-tech.”

None of this is stopping European and Japanese automakers, which are betting they can jump-start the U.S. market with new diesel models. Mercedes-Benz by next year will have three cars it markets as “BlueTec.” Even Nissan and Honda, which long opposed building diesel cars in Europe, plan to introduce them in the U.S. in 2010. But Ford, whose Fiesta ECOnetic compares favorably with European diesels, can’t make a business case for bringing the car to the U.S.

TOO PRICEY TO IMPORT

First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn’t believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.

Ford plans to make a gas-powered version of the Fiesta in Mexico for the U.S. So why not manufacture diesel engines there, too? Building a plant would cost at least $350 million at a time when Ford has been burning through more than $1 billion a month in cash reserves. Besides, the automaker would have to produce at least 350,000 engines a year to make such a venture profitable. “We just don’t think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars,” says Fields.

The question, of course, is whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel and allow automakers to achieve sufficient scale to make money on such vehicles. California certified VW and Mercedes diesel cars earlier this year, after a four-year ban. James N. Hall, of auto researcher 293 Analysts, says that bellwether state and the Northeast remain “hostile to diesel.” But the risk to Ford is that the fuel takes off, and the carmaker finds itself playing catch-up—despite having a serious diesel contender in its arsenal.

by David Kiley of BusinessWeek

Photo credit: Flickr user Odalaigh

Air travel is a hassle. From parking to negotiating the crowds inside to getting onboard only to find that you can barely fit into your tiny seat, it’s an uncomfortable luxury for which we pay dearly. But, there’s another option if your flight is short. Trains are often cheaper, more comfortable and less of a hassle. America’s train system is far from perfect – hopefully it will be greatly improved upon in the years to come – but it’s still a great option that many people seem to have forgotten about.

From the Traveler’s Notebook:

Consider a 5 hour train ride from Boston to Philadelphia. The equivalent flight takes over two hours; however, after adding in time spent arriving early plus waiting in baggage claim, you can easily spend close to 5 hours in transit. If you take the train instead, you’ll spend $157. The cheapest flight available is $265. That’s a 43% savings over flying, and you can get an additional 10-15% if you are a student, AAA member, or military.

Now that airlines are raising airfares and tacking on more and more fees, it’s a great time to look into whether train travel could be a good option for your next trip. The Traveler’s Notebook has compiled a list of 21 trains that are cheaper and faster than flying. Brilliant! And, taking the train is better for the environment – mile by mile, trains use 28% less fuel than planes and cars.

Link [The Travelers Notebook]
From EarthFirst.com

This year, the natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX claims the title as the greenest vehicle for the fifth year running. Toyota’s hybrid-electric Prius, which places second, is the year’s top-scoring gasoline vehicle, while Honda’s Civic Hybrid ranks a close third. Rounding out the top five are the recently released Smart Fortwo Convertible and Coupe and Toyota Yaris. In total, the Greenest Vehicles list contains one natural gas, four hybrid-electric, and seven conventional gasoline vehicles, a mix of technologies that demonstrates some of the avenues automakers have taken in developing greener vehicles. Whether using hybrid gasoline-electric designs, compressed natural gas, or simply clean and efficient conventional gasoline designs, automakers have visibly demonstrated their ability to engineer with the environment in mind.
This year sees a number of changes to the nameplates on the Greenest Vehicles list. After being shut out of the top twelve in 2007, a domestic automaker makes an appearance on our top-twelve list. The 2008 Tier 2 Bin 3 / PZEV-certified Ford Focus comfortably takes the 9th spot in the annual ranking. Other new entries to the 2008 “Greenest” list include the Smart Fortwo Convertible/Coupe and the Mini Cooper/Clubman, both small cars that achieve excellent fuel economy.  However, Hyundai’s PZEV-certified Elantra narrowly misses a spot on our list, landing in 13th place as a result of the above-mentioned new entries. Following suit are the Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Cobalt, and Pontiac G5, all of which score very well according to our ranking but face more competition this year from several clean vehicles that have entered the market. This is, of course, good news to consumers, who have greater options when it comes to buying the greenest vehicle that meets their needs and fits their budget.

Other good news is the fact that the vast majority of the year’s greenest vehicles are widely available coast-to-coast. Not too long ago, the list was dominated by vehicles for sale only in California, while today more than 80 percent of the Greenest Vehicles can be purchased in any state.

The above is an excerpt from an article found on Greenercars.org

by Seyth Miersma of www.nextautos.com on Sun, 06/08/2008 – 18:45

Fresh from the field are these first images of Toyota’s potential Smart competitor, the diminutive iQ. Toyota has already shown the production version of its attractive new microcar, but this is the first look we’ve gotten of the vehicle in the wild.

The iQ is said to incorporate an innovative 3+1 seating arrangement that can allow for three grown people and one child-size human to travel together. Toyota has further stretched the utility of the iQ package by giving the car a longer than average wheelbase with virtually no overhang at either end, maximizing the interior space in the process. Other space-saving features are a flat gas tank under the seats, small heater and air conditioning units, and thinner seats.

Attractive, utile, and efficient, we can’t help but have high early hopes for the iQ. It may even be fun to drive if the smiles on the faces of these test drivers are any indication.

Toyota iQ, how smart is that?

First Toyota showed us a concept car of the iQ, then a (very) close to production concept, and now here are the very first spy shots of that new Smart competitor from Japan.

The iQ will offer a new seat concept with 3+1 seats meaning that the iQ is roomier then it looks. Three adults and a child or some luggage should be able to sit comfortably.

Thanks to a long wheelbase and almost no overhangs Toyota got the maximum of space in this little car. Also details like the flat fuel tank under the seats, a smaller heater / air condition unit and slimmer sears helps to extend the room.

Toyota has great expectations for this car and are hoping for sales figures around 100.000 the first year. And with the fuel price rising almost every day now, a small car like the iQ is a smart choice.

Toyota Press Release February 13th, 2008

Toyota to present two new additions to its small car line-up
at Geneva Motor Show

• World premiere of Toyota’s revolutionary new iQ urban car
• European premiere of Toyota’s new small SUV, the Urban Cruiser

At the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota will unveil the production design of its all-new small car – Toyota iQ. First shown as the Concept Car iQ at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, iQ will go into production during late 2008.

iQ represents a break-through in compact urban transportation. For a first, up to three passengers can be comfortably seated in a compact urban vehicle at sub three metres in length, and additionally have enough area to accommodate a child or luggage.

The spaciousness of iQ is a result of its ingenious packaging, which was created by six space-saving but inter-linked engineering innovations that represent a revolution in Toyota’s automotive vehicle development. Infused with Japanese design elements, iQ is a radical change in vehicle design as well as environmentally friendly transportation, and away from the belief that small cars are basic and less safe.

Toyota also uses the Geneva Motor Show to present a new extension of its sports utility vehicle line-up into the small car segment: Toyota Urban Cruiser.
This new Toyota is an environmentally responsible small SUV aimed at the urban all-roader market. It provides an answer to consumer desires for SUVs but with low fuel consumption and low emissions.

In addition, Toyota will also show its latest advances in urban environmental transport solutions, a Plug-in Hybrid prototype as well as two concept cars: the Toyota 1/X Plug-in Hybrid concept in combination with Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) technology, and the i-Real personal mobility concept.