I was thinking, if one was to convert their car to vegetable oil, what would the MPG (miles per gallon) be like. I guess the same or better. here are some links to some sites that I find reputable and discuss the issue.
Car Talk
Polular Mechanics
Yale
Cornell
So, in my opinion, it's not the solution. My humble opinion is to either get out of your car and walk or use public transportation. But, if you need to drive, this might be an alternative.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Keep your trash!
This is great! I've heard about people not buying anything new for a year, or just buying only domestically produced items (which I don't agree with... Isolationism is silly), but keeping your trash! That's right. http://saveyourtrash.typepad.com/ . What a great way to discover your footprint. We all can calculate things like our carbon foot print, but your trash... remarkable!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Holiday Wrapping
A tip: (A day or two late) but for gifts, try and use simple, but tasteful, bags. Drop the gift into the bag and tie it off with something and affix a simple note. Hopefully the recipient will reuse the bag year after year. I know that our crew has been trading around bags for a while.
A tip: Part two, If you do feel that wrapping is still needed, then learn how to wrap and fold without the use of tape or glue. This will leave the paper in better shape for reuse. There is always the good old funnies section from the newspaper.
2nd tip: Feel good giving used books or re gifting your own favorites. A quality read is always a trendy gift.
A tip: Part two, If you do feel that wrapping is still needed, then learn how to wrap and fold without the use of tape or glue. This will leave the paper in better shape for reuse. There is always the good old funnies section from the newspaper.
2nd tip: Feel good giving used books or re gifting your own favorites. A quality read is always a trendy gift.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Get yourself a reusable bag for shopping.
We almost always bring in our reusable bags when we go grocery shopping, but we are now bringing them in for ALL types of shopping. Please do not forget that the grocery stores are not the only place that uses plastic bags.
If you are still not convinced, please take a look at this SF Gate article.
'Paper or plastic?' The eco-friendly answer is 'Neither - reusable'.
In the article they call out use-less-stuff.com which has some great information, and a great archive of past newsletters.
Please educate yourself, and then tell a friend.
If you are still not convinced, please take a look at this SF Gate article.
'Paper or plastic?' The eco-friendly answer is 'Neither - reusable'.
In the article they call out use-less-stuff.com which has some great information, and a great archive of past newsletters.
Please educate yourself, and then tell a friend.
Friday, December 21, 2007
WVO, Waste Vegetable Oil Fuel
Waste vegetable oil as fuel was brought to my attention in a recent magazine article where a movie star talked about his diesel Mercedes that was converted to run off of used vegetable grease.
A bit of Yahoo!'n around (the alternative to Google'n) found these sites
Smarter Fuel , is a fuel delivery as well as a WVO installation group.
Grease Car , is a company that will sell conversion kits for your diesel car. The system will not work on non-diesel systems. They site is quite comprehensive and contains: fueling & filtering, a forum, resources, and everything else you'll need to get started. The company was born out of the initial findings from "Better World Workshop" and soon was developing it's own tractor conversions. The secret to making this all work was the pre-heating of the vegetable oil to help it speed through the system.
The Big Green Bus" from Dartmouth engineering.
The voice news" talks about powering a call with vegetable oil.
So, from what I gather, to make this all work, you need to find a local consumer of vegetable oil and try and get their waste from them. Then you take it home to your own filtration system, filter it, then fill your tank. So, before you run out to convert your diesel car to WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) make sure that you have a stead source of the stuff. Some area's might have a local filling station or company that you can fill up at. Also, just because you have a bunch of fast food places around that they will just give you the stuff. Many of these fast food chains have deals already for the disposal of their waste grease. We have also read mixed reviews of doing the conversion yourself, especially if you're not a mechanic. You might be better served if you just find an expert or mechanic in your neighborhood.
Locally here in Oakland, our bus company, AC Transit is working with Chevron to test out bio fules, but that's for a different article. To read more, check out Exploring Cleaner Fuels.
A bit of Yahoo!'n around (the alternative to Google'n) found these sites
Smarter Fuel , is a fuel delivery as well as a WVO installation group.
Grease Car , is a company that will sell conversion kits for your diesel car. The system will not work on non-diesel systems. They site is quite comprehensive and contains: fueling & filtering, a forum, resources, and everything else you'll need to get started. The company was born out of the initial findings from "Better World Workshop" and soon was developing it's own tractor conversions. The secret to making this all work was the pre-heating of the vegetable oil to help it speed through the system.
The Big Green Bus" from Dartmouth engineering.
The voice news" talks about powering a call with vegetable oil.
So, from what I gather, to make this all work, you need to find a local consumer of vegetable oil and try and get their waste from them. Then you take it home to your own filtration system, filter it, then fill your tank. So, before you run out to convert your diesel car to WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) make sure that you have a stead source of the stuff. Some area's might have a local filling station or company that you can fill up at. Also, just because you have a bunch of fast food places around that they will just give you the stuff. Many of these fast food chains have deals already for the disposal of their waste grease. We have also read mixed reviews of doing the conversion yourself, especially if you're not a mechanic. You might be better served if you just find an expert or mechanic in your neighborhood.
Locally here in Oakland, our bus company, AC Transit is working with Chevron to test out bio fules, but that's for a different article. To read more, check out Exploring Cleaner Fuels.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
When the bed goes, where does it go?
I picked this up off of http://www.greenlodgingnews.com, and the article is “California Facility Proves That Mattress Recycling Can Work” . I found this article intriguing because I have often wondered the environmental impact of these because I have had the opportunity to work near by some short term housing. These facilities seem to cycle through many mattresses. I have seen entire hauling bins filled with them. So, I relate to the issue but I was drawn to the fact that my home town, Oakland, has a facility. After a small bit of research, I found them. “Smack in the middle of an industrial area, at 1960 Williams Avenue, in San Leandro, is where you'll find the Saint Vincent de Paul mattress recycling facility.” The article also give a link to Sleep Products where you can find more information about mattress recycling. After a bit of searching I could not find a list of national mattress recycling stations. You know of one?
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Green News Source - GreenTechMedia.com
GreenTechMedia Review:
Green Tech Media, http://www.greentechmedia.com/, is a news firm that focuses on emerging technologies. The sectors they cover include Solar, Biofuels, Batteries & Storage, Transportation, Green IT, Energy Efficiency, Smart Grid, Air and Water. Their editorial team produces many daily articles and it's a very good place to keep up with news.
In addition to daily news, they provide research that is both in depth and insightful. They have a number of blogs and even have a chat option so that you can discuss things live with other visitors.
My one knock on the site is their search, it's not very robust, 5 results at a time, and many many pages of results. I tried "solar phone" and over 100 results back in over 26 pages. So, try Google's site search.
Green Tech Media, http://www.greentechmedia.com/, is a news firm that focuses on emerging technologies. The sectors they cover include Solar, Biofuels, Batteries & Storage, Transportation, Green IT, Energy Efficiency, Smart Grid, Air and Water. Their editorial team produces many daily articles and it's a very good place to keep up with news.
In addition to daily news, they provide research that is both in depth and insightful. They have a number of blogs and even have a chat option so that you can discuss things live with other visitors.
My one knock on the site is their search, it's not very robust, 5 results at a time, and many many pages of results. I tried "solar phone" and over 100 results back in over 26 pages. So, try Google's site search.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Blogger Buzz: Environmental Blog Roundup
Blogger Buzz: Environmental Blog Roundup
Here is a list of other blogs that you should check out... will be adding them to friends at some point soon. If you have other blogs that we should check out, let us know!
Here is a list of other blogs that you should check out... will be adding them to friends at some point soon. If you have other blogs that we should check out, let us know!
LED Light bulbs for home?
OK, so there is some emerging technologies out there that are bringing to life LED lighting in supermarkets and industrial places.... but outside of Christmas tree lights, I cannot find any for my home? Am I just blind? Please comment if you know of a good hook up.
100 mpg Car
First read about this at SFGate.com, where they reported on several after market add ons for your hybrid car. In the article PLUG-IN HYBRIDS they named serveral manufactures that are offering such packages
Hybrids Plus http://www.hybrids-plus.com/
Energy CS , http://www.energycs.com/
and for more information you can visit http://www.calcars.org/.
Hybrids Plus http://www.hybrids-plus.com/
Energy CS , http://www.energycs.com/
and for more information you can visit http://www.calcars.org/.
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