“Hare” They Go Again…

In order to put right what once was wrong,  the authorities of theParks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania decided to get rid of all the feral felines from Macquarie Island, part of Australia, in order to preserve the native wildlife, such as Royal penguins and other animals that use the island as a breeding ground.  Seemed like a good idea at the time… Read more

Technorati Tags: Australia, Cats, Elephant Seals, Macquarie Island, Mice, Penguins, Rabbits, Rats, Wildlife Conservation

Lexus Listens – The New HS250h Hybrid

Lexus did some research and found that about 60% of entry-level luxury car buyers would consider purchasing a hybrid vehicle.  With that in mind, they’ve designed what they call " the world’s first and only dedicated luxury hybrid vehicle – an unprecedented blend of advanced technology and sustainable materials unrivaled in any other production vehicle":  the HS250h.

Using the latest-generation Lexus Hybrid Drive tech, the HS250h will be a 4-cylinder gas/electric hybrid that will be the most fuel efficient car in the Lexus line-up.  They say it will have an almost unnoticeable switch off between the gas engine and electric motor, giving it a smooth, yet powerful ride. The actual gas mileage ratings haven’t been announced yet, however the current Lexus Hybrids are rated in the 25MPG range.  [Not that great, but quite a bit better than other vehicles in the "luxury" class, so it's at least a step in the right direction...]

In addition to being more fuel efficient than other cars in the Lexus line, the new Lexus is supposed to be built from more recycled elements than any other production vehicle at the time along with leading-edge ecological plastic.

The new model is due out in US dealerships in Fall 2009 and expected to list in the low $40,000s.

Technorati Tags: ENVIRONMENT, Fuel Efficient, Gas/Electric, Hybrid, Lexus

Bio Fuels – Are They The Answer?

As the term suggests, bio-fuels are fuels that are formed when biological matter decomposes. The bio-fuels are mostly derived from plants. Bio-fuels exist in all the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Difference between bio-fuels and fossil fuels Bio-fuels are different from fossil fuels in the following ways: Read more

Technorati Tags: Bio Fuels, Solar Power, Wind Power

It Takes a Pre-Teen From Portland…

Check it out:

William Yuan, a seventh-grader from Portland, OR, developed a three-dimensional solar cell that absorbs UV as well as visible light. The combination of the two might greatly improve cell efficiency. William’s project earned him a $25,000 scholarship and a trip to the Library of Congress to accept the award, which is usually given out for research at the graduate level.12-year-old Revolutionizes the Solar Cell, Sep 2008
Read the whole article for more info.

Technorati Tags: prodigies, science project, solar cells, Solar Power, three dimensional solar cell

Want a Free Electric Car? Move to Denmark!

In a press release from 03/28/07 from Renault,

The Renault-Nissan Alliance actively supports the initiative of Project Better Place, which
announced today its second deployment in Denmark.

• Renault will provide Danish customers with 100% electric vehicles at European standards in 2011, providing zero emission mobility while at the same time offering driving performance similar to a gasoline engine. Read more

Technorati Tags: Electric Car, Enviro, Renault

Save a Forest – Promote Solar Cooking

According to Solar Cookers International:

“Food is easily and conveniently cooked with solar energy as the “fuel” in devices called solar cookers (or solar ovens). Solar cookers are an ideal addition to any kitchen wherever there are predictable hours of sun many days of the year. Solar cooking and baking are easy. Solar cookers are safe around children and provide a great way to learn about and use solar energy. Solar cookers are clean, convenient, non-polluting and easy on the environment. And, for millions of people living in arid, fuel-scarce regions of the world, solar cookers can literally save lives.

Solar Cookers International (SCI) spreads solar cooking awareness and skills worldwide, particularly in areas with plentiful sunshine and diminishing sources of cooking fuel. SCI has enabled 30,000 families in Africa to cook with the sun’s energy, freeing women and children from the burdens of gathering wood and carrying it for miles. Tens of thousands of individuals and organizations — from all over the world — have learned about solar cooking through SCI’s excellent publications and educational materials, and have benefited from SCI’s information exchange networks, research, technical support, and the SCI-sponsored Solar Cooking Archive, the internationally recognized Internet resource for solar cooking information.”

If you’re interested in helping SCI get the word out (and help those in need obtain their own solar cookers), please check out their website. They accept donations and are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in the United States and Kenya so your help is tax-deductible in most cases. The mission of SCI is to assist communities to use the power of the sun to cook food and pasteurize water for the benefit of people and environments.

And think about adding a solar cooker to your own home as an alternative to the usual BBQ. You can either get one from SCI or check out the ones below:

Plus solar power isn’t just for cooking – it works for your home and your car, too.  Click below to check it out:

5 eBook Deal: LIVE OFF THE GRID
Includes 1. Build A Wind Generator 2. Bio Diesel 3. Install Solar Panels 4. Build Your Own Home 5. Renewable Energy Solutions For Home, Car And Business .Find Free Solar Panels, Free Off Grid Batteries

Technorati Tags: Charity, Enviro, Solar Cooking, Solar Power

Small Business Loans – Helping People Help Themselves

I want to let you all know about a cool non-profit that is doing great things: Kiva.

Kiva allows individuals to make $25 loans to low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world (microfinance). By doing so, individuals like you provide affordable working capital for the poor (money to buy a sewing machine, livestock, etc.), empowering them to earn their way out of poverty.
Read more

Technorati Tags: Charity, Microfinance, Small Business Loans

Using Water as Fuel – Environmentally Sound?

I’ve been running across a lot of articles and ads lately about being able to “hybridize” and fuel a regular car, truck, SUV with water, talking about how cheap it is to convert a car to use both gas and water – especially compared to the current prices on gasoline – but the one thing that I notice they don’t mention is that “fresh” water is in just about as short supply as oil is expected to become.

While the emissions of a car hybridized to run on ‘water’ and gas are supposed to be up to 40% lower than a gas-only vehicle, there still are emissions and they aren’t “pure water” (like hydrogen-only vehicles leave behind.) That means that even though you’d be getting up to twice the “gas mileage” using the changes to your existing vehicle, you’d also be using up valuable drinking water to do it. And with the world seeming to be heading towards drought conditions in many, many areas, water may become even more valuable than oil. (After all, you can’t drink oil very well, eh?)

It seems to me that while converting a vehicle to run on water seems like a great idea for people with even a little working knowledge of mechanics (it’s only an add-on, not a totally overhaul), I don’t think I’d want it to become widespread until we find a better, more cost effective way to convert sea water into fresh water so we can have our fuel-water and drink it, too. Although, at that point, totally hydrogen “clean” vehicles may finally become more available and convenient or some other form of electric car made workable, making this upgrade technology completely obsolete.

Technorati Tags: Cars, Enviro, Fuel, Hybrid

New Hybrid Cars: 150MPG SUV Hybrid

AFS Trinity Power Corporation, an innovator in the creation of new hybrid cars among other things, has designed the XH150, an SUV hybrid that gets up to 150mpg in test runs. Wow!

I don’t know about you, but my little Subaru Forester only gets 20-25mpg when it’s in a good mood, less when it’s not (which is more times than I care to think about.) With gas running about $3.05 for the low grade where I am (and likely to go up, not down), that would be like gas selling for around $.50/gallon. Who wouldn’t love that?

Supposedly one drawback in being able to get that kind of mileage is having to plug the car in at night in order to keep the batteries topped up – the car can go up to 40 miles without using the gas engine, perfect for short hops to the grocery, etc. (Other hybrids use the gas engine to keep the batteries charged while driving, but you’re creating the electricity at car gasoline prices – this vehicle uses household electricity, which is a LOT cheaper!) After 40 miles, it uses the combined electric/gas technologies to keep the car going – so unlike a totally electric car, you wouldn’t suddenly be out of juice somewhere and have to wait for a charge up (if there’s a charge-up station around you can use!) With the XH150, you would just automatically be switched to using the part of the engine powered by the not-as-cheap-to-use gas, available everywhere.

I don’t know about you, but I have to plug in my cell phone just about every night, so why would plugging my car in be such a problem? Especially since this new one uses a regular household plug, unlike previous electric car incarnations. (Pull into garage, get out, plug in, go in house. TaDA!) And unlike my cell phone, if I forget to plug it in, the car has the alternate means of running on the gas in the tank if the batteries aren’t full!

Check out the data from their latest press release:

• more than 150 miles per gallon of gasoline based on the EPA Combined Urban/Highway Driving Cycle with 6 days per week of 40 miles per day in all electric mode and one day at 100 miles with assistance of the gas engine. Different driving patterns will produce different results
• 40 mile all-electric range on a single, overnight charge.
• Extended range of 400 miles with hybrid operation.
• Rapid acceleration in all modes of operation, including all electric mode in which no gasoline is burned at all.
• Highway speeds up to 87 miles per hour in either all electric or hybrid mode
• Even faster acceleration and higher speeds possible in future production models should the company decide to configure them for such performance.

AFS Trinity XH-150 Performance Comparison Table

	AFS Trinity XH-150	2008 Lexus RX400h	2007 Saturn Vue Greenline	2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Combined City/Hwy Mileage	150 MPG	25 MPG	26 MPG	20 MPG
0-60 time - Full Hybrid mode - All-electric mode - Mild Hybrid mode	6.9 secs 11.5 secs 12.5 secs	7.5 secs	12.5 secs	8.1 secs
Top Highway Speed	87 MPH	116 MPH	106 MPH	112 MPH
Weekly Gasoline Cost	$7.93	$47.60	$45.77	$59.50
Weekly Electricity Cost	$7.56	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total Weekly Fuel Cost	$15.49	$47.60	$45.77	$59.50

And another great thing is they’re talking about pricing it in the low-mids $30,000’s when it goes public – only about $8,000 over the current “normal” SUV gas-guzzling car price and still less than most luxury cars. And unlike most of the current hybrid cars, this is a true SUV, with room to haul stuff and have passengers (at the same time!)

Check out their video to see it in action (and listen to the neat jazzy background music):

AFS Trinity is a privately-owned Delaware corporation headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, USA that is developing Fast Energy Storage for vehicular, spacecraft and stationary power systems that utilize batteries, flywheels and ultracapacitors.

Technorati Tags: Cars, ENVIRO, Hybrid