Energy Smart

Austin’s Mayor, Will Wynn, is a serious plug-in hybrid vehicle supporter.  And, he has been a strong advocate of PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) from Austin to Washington, DC. ”We have made our intentions clear that we want to pave the way for the plug-in hybrid …” (more…)

Sea Studios Foundation has just come out with a Ahead of the Curve: Business Responds to Climate Change. This 12-minute video looks at the situation related to energy and global warming … and how businesses are shifting to deal with them.

“Far too many people see it as a win-lose game and it’s not that at all …

It can be a win-win game …”

Chad Holliday, CEO, Dupont

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According to Fortune magazine, being green is a key discriminator in survey responses as to corporate reputations. That is a serious change in the business world. As Fortune notes,

Consider: In 1982, the year of the first Fortune survey of corporate reputations, green was just the color of money. These days “green” means something more. The three Most Admired Companies this year - General Electric (Charts), Starbucks (Charts), and Toyota (Charts) - are building their growth at least partly on strategies and products aimed at helping preserve the planet.

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Boeing has announced that it will be conducting tests this year of a manned aircraft powered with a fuel cell and “lightweight” batteries.

“The Boeing Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane uses a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell/lithium-ion battery hybrid system to power an electric motor, which is coupled to a conventional propeller. The fuel cell provides all power for the cruise phase of flight.

“During takeoff and climb, the flight segment that requires the most power, the system draws on lightweight lithium-ion batteries.”

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If you’re here, checking this out, chances are that you live to a certain extent in the blogosphere, in the virtual world of the World Wide Web. But, you probably don’t read only on the computer screen but also curl up with a good book from time to time. This is part of a series of discussions, book reviews if you wish, about books that one might want on The Energy Bookshelf.

So, for today: The Home Energy Diet: How to Save Money by Making Your House Energy Smart. (more…)

Since diving into the deep end when it comes to energy issues, almost every day sees new fascinating concepts, approaches, and technologies.  Fascinating … exciting … even hope inspiring at times.  And, as well, as the passion builds, so many of these are truly ‘iPod Cool’.  

This is the fourth of a new series, iPod COOL energy, where we can share some of the exciting things that are going on in the energy world.  Today’s forcus, an innovative business model for improving city transportation and getting people into bicycles …

One of the world’s largest advertising firm, JC Decaux, has developed a new approach to increasing bicycle use in major cities. Cyclocity is spreading like wildfire. (more…)

At the Climate Crisis Action Day, Vegans were out in force trying to influence the crowd (even providing free vegetable sandwiches). If you weren’t aware, PETA is glad to let you know that there is research asserting that animals raised for food cause more GHG emissions than all trucks and cars combined.  Animal gas is, basically, methane and 23 times the Global Warming implications per molecule than CO2.   Well, it looks like science has come to the rescue so the GHG implications from barbecuing come from the briquets and not the t-bone steaks.

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Senator James Inhofe (R-Exxon) played a “gotcha” moment with Al Gore as part of his rambling opening statement.  
 The pledge plays to the smear campaign about Gore’s home energy use. This pledge — which is shooting around the denialist community — is faulty on so many levels. And, not surprisingly, Inhofe staff are crowing about Gore’s absolutely reasonable to refuse to pledge himself to an unreasonable pledge …

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Remember those old Zoom … Zoom … Zoom ads?  Well, Mazda plans on making them a sustainable reality with their Sustainable Zoom-Zoom technology development vision. This includes plans to begin commercially leasing of the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid in 2008.

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Whether it is plug-in hybrid school buses in Florida or the Ecotality Hydrogen-Powered Ecobus bus in Arizona, new bus options are emerging all over …  Now, we have news that London’s double-decker buses will start going hybrid with Volvo technology in 2008. (more…)