The Distance Project

Riding the Bus - DC to NYC

Posted on July 16th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Urban Planning.

For anyone not living in the northeast corridor of the US, you may not have been watching the incredible rise in bus travel options. In the past 6-8 months - new low-cost bus services have been springing up between Washington DC, New York, and Boston.

When I was in college (and spent too much time on buses) you had essentially two options - you got your Peter Pan and your Greyhound. Peter Pan was always the better option because they were newer buses, and typically had a terrible movie playing to distract you. (Note: Clearly this dates my college experience - no portable DVD player or iPod…what!?!). Then there was the rise of the Chinatown buses, which early on, you were just as likely to sit next to a box of Chicken cutlets as anything else. These buses were cheap, dropped you off on the sidewalk in funky areas of the city, and were fun for the risk of when the last safety check was, and the amazing Kung-Fu movies onboard.

Clearly the Fung Wah/Lucky Star services ate into the old guard bus routes, and as a result you have seen a mainstreaming attempt of this biz model. Enter new services like BoltBus and Mega Bus - who are still picking you up on the random corner, but have new buses with claims of Wifi and other services.

As it happens, I find myself currently sitting on a BoltBus headed to NYC from Washington. I have to say, not a bad experience at the moment, as I blog this over their WiFi system, with a 30 Rock episode playing in the background. Not bad at all.

Getting on was easy - it is right at Metro Center in DC, so the Metro access from anywhere in the city is cake. They leave every hour on the hour and it costs about $20 when you reserve on the internet. If you register early enough, there are even some $1 tickets on each bus. Twenty bucks is cheap for this ride, the train would cost me a minimum to $100. Planes would be a little bit more, plus you have to pay for the taxi on both ends. Even driving, between tolls and gas I would bet I can’t make this trip for under $30.

As I have posted before, I am huge proponent of trains. There is no mode of land based travel that I would rather be on than the train. Not only that but the serious downside to the bus has always been that you are still beholden to bad traffic as you are in the car. Trains don’t have that problem, and I am always appreciative of that.

Yet as I sit here posting this, checking my email, and watching David Schwimmer play Greenzo, I have to say that this ain’t that bad - especially when I can take 5 trips for the price of one train ticket.

Oh yeah, and it reduces your carbon load, as well as reduces the amount of oil consumption per person in this country too –gotta get the enviro and national security hits in there!

Check out BoltBus if you are trying to get back and forth from New York to DC.

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Watching the Change and Getting the Message - Why Wall-E Matters.

Posted on July 7th, 2008 by hg.
Categories: General, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Pop-Culture.

For those of you who don’t have a youngster in the house, aren’t a fan of cutting-edge animation, or just don’t get out much, you may be interested to learn that the movie WALL-E is perhaps the greatest environmental film of all time. I write this not as a steadfast environmentalist (which I am) or a shill for the Disney Company (which I am not), but as a student of mass communication , in general, and message framing and mass opinion, in particular.

Released to near universal critical acclaim for its animation, story and general creativity, the film was produced by Pixar/Disney for $180 million with a global marketing budget estimated at 20-30% of that number. The movie’s made $130 million since its release June 27^th (10 days ago). Industry estimates are that the film will gross a minimum of ½ a billion dollars globally, and may well bring in close to twice that much by the end of its theatrical run.

Whether it will or not I can’t say, but what’s fascinating is that we are now at a time, globally, where we can see the world as a whole engaging in the act of mass opinion change; in this case, with regard to moving from how we have historically powered our lives to a new, cleaner, more earth-centric system.

The movie does more in its 97 minute running time for the concepts of renewable energy, conservation, recycling, and consumer awareness than any 97 minutes of anything I can think of. I would challenge anyone to come up with an article, speech, ad or lobbying effort of the last 30 years that does as much for spreading…globally and to a wide swath of the human demographic…the awesomeness of solar power than does the 10 second bit that takes place in the first 30 minutes of this film.

There aren’t many times in life where you can look behind you to see what was, and forward to see what will be, but that’s exactly what’s happening at this time in history, as is evidenced by the production, release and embrace of a movie—ostensibly made for children and about two little robots in love—that tells its story using the backdrop of a dark, dystopian future of an earth rendered nearly uninhabitable by lack of environmental care, and that calls out to you to consider where you stand in the midst of the change occurring around you. Are you a part of the problem, or a part of the solution? Are you an apologist for the oil and gas industry? Are you a lobbyist at Bracewell and Giuliani, paid to discredit climate scientists? Are you a political appointee, dragging your feet on global warming, air quality, progressive energy policies and true energy security?

While our matinee showing was heavily populated by kids of all ages, my wife and I were surrounded by 5 and 8 year olds; people who will, perhaps—if everything goes well– never drive a vehicle that runs predominantly on polluting fossil fuels, and may actually drive to Prom in a “plug-in electric biofuel hydrogen fuel cell solar charged” number made by a company that actually “gets it”. (A discussion as to whether that company will be either of the current Detroit-based crew is best saved for another day).

I won’t give away the plot or ending, but I will tell you that the film is both aggressively “green” and elegantly not. It’s for the viewer to decide. It’s sometimes uncomfortable to watch, with its themes of consumerism gone amok, the melding of corporations and government, and idea that humans lack appreciation for the difficult and natural in favor of that which is easy and packaged. But don’t get me wrong, it’s also a joy to watch and experience this little gem of an American film, so don’t think you have it figured out before you even go see it.

That said, it’s possible that those people existing at the edges of the political spectrum will find things to dislike and diminish about the film. I’m relatively certain that the defenders of our historically “brown” system will find much to pooh pooh about a silly cartoon with the temerity to suggest the current system isn’t working just fine, thank you very much. But If that’s the case, then I don’t think they really understand the meaning of a movie like WALL E.

WALL E means that the world has changed. That if you’re still fighting on Capitol Hill to keep CAFE standards low, you just don’t get it. If you’re trying to get a coal plant sited, you’re on the backside of the curve, dude. If you’ve been running a car company where people call your main product “The Extinction”, or “The Bummer”, then you’re about to be extinct yourself, my friend. And, if you think it’s OK to spew filth into the air, make money without regard for the only planet we have, and work to blur any intelligent dialogue about the need for us to move to a new system as fast as we possibly can, then you are, quite frankly, old, and WALL E just ain’t for you. But that doesn’t matter anyway.

WALL E is for those kids born after 2000, who someday will ask what you were doing when the world changed. They’ll ask what it was like burning black rocks and liquids to heat your house and get to the supermarket. They’ll ask what a gas station was, and wasn’t it a drag to have to go to one all the time. They’ll ask why so many people had asthma and what acid rain was and to explain the Exxon Valdez; and why the people you chose to be in charge didn’t do more to clean things up and change things more quickly.

And they’ll ask, to gauge whether or not you’re really “with it”, whether you’ve ever seen the best environmental film of all time.

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Stealing Your Waste Oil

Posted on June 26th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Systems of the World.

Can someone tell me if this is a good or bad thing?
There has been a rise in the theft of old cooking oil from restaurants according to the New York Times piece of a little while ago. So this is where we’re at is it - The stealing of waste stream material?

This is one of those times when the glass is half full or half empty. You know, those tests that are supposed to tell you whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist depending upon how you view a situation?

A pessimist would look at this filet-o-fish filled oil theft as disasterous. Fuel prices are rising at epic proportion making the waste stream oil look like a good option for fuel. They would say a dark storm approaches - home heating oil is astoundingly expensive and this kind of theft of basic materials is only the beginning of a downward spiral for the country. Fire and brimstone I tell ya.

An optimist sees the better angels of the situation. Imagine that, a waste stream being so coveted that it is even WORTH stealing. That hasn’t happened in a long, long time in this country. Not since one of the lesser known Adams brothers - not John Quincy - was indicted in that great cow manure scandal of the early 1800’s.

No, an optimist would say that rising fuel costs will force us to address unsustainable approaches to everyday life. That it is past time we dealt with these sorts of systems. That this is the rise of small cars, mass transit, and a return to local economies.

And really, who doesn’t want al of those things, I know I do. But big transitions hit people with the least amount of financial stability first, and that makes this transition pretty scary for many.

So I guess I am splitting the distance? Short term pain that is ultimately good for as all.

What we need is good leadership, that people believe in, and that can usher the country through the pain that is coming. Enough bickering, big things are happening around us - do I really care about this political “gotcha” crap that the campaigns are playing.

One other note:  Let me know when people start stealing the Dunkin Donuts oil to restrain and cook with. That’s when you know we are in serious trouble and it is time to fortify the house World War Z style.
Until then, it is time for all of us to put in some work.

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Solving Meat Guilt?

Posted on January 15th, 2008 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Water.

My mom raised us on meat. I love a good burger. Turkey sandwiches make up about 30% of my overall diet I would guess (Add turkey sandwiches to bowls of cereal and you get the majority of my diet. Hmm, and probably an odd window into my world)

But meat production is an issue, both environmentally and socially. I think we have all heard the arguments - huge land, water, feed issues with meat. Plus anyone who has been following the meat industry’s woes recently or seen some of the video from that story knows it is enough to gag slightly on your Sloppy Joe.

The reality is that I will probably never be a complete vegetarian, but I would like to solve some of the cognitive dissonance between these issues mattering to me and the volume of delicious BBQ ribs I cram into my face.

So what to do?

Recently I was up in New York, and caught a lunch with Josh Dorfman - the Lazy Evironmentalist himself. Being the enviro lifestye guru that he is, we ended up at Josie’s on 3rd. Josie’s has a kind of cool/chill vibe with a slight green twist. The food is good, making it a good spot to hang in Murray Hill if you are looking for a place to eat.

On the menu was quite a bit of meat, and this inevitably led to my asking Josh about different approaches to the issue. What he came back with is a simple starting point for lazy people: Meatless Tuesdays.

I love this! I can manage one day without meat pretty easily without upsetting my lifestyle, so in terms of actually sticking to the concept is shouldn’t be that hard. I might actually set a goal of reducing meat consumption that I can consistently stick to. Very exciting.

And it can build - maybe when I am hardcore it will be Tuesdays AND Thursdays.

Ah, but I am nube, so Tuesday’s it is, and actually, I have chosen Wednesday, so all you fools keep your Kabobs to yourself on that day.

For those looking to figure how to manage meat, I also really like this article on Grist. Worth checking out - especially the part about how sustainably managed, locally produced meat might have a lower overall impact than processed veggie action. This may lead to a whole other piece about the power of localization, the in terms of working out a healthy reltionship to meat, I found it to be a help.
Apparently Umbra and I share a love of Bacon.

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Holiday Loot - My Thank You Notes

Posted on December 29th, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: Sustainability, Pop-Culture.

So with holidays winding to a close I am sitting around trying to digest the incredibly delicious turkey dinner and feeling slightly ill. To avoid the waves of bloating that have overcome me this year, I have been surveying my little pile of loot. It is quite a great haul this year - not a ton of stuff, but things I am really excited about.

Thought I would share some of the cool stuff that came my way:

Green Roof: A Case Study

There are so many books out there about green, but so few of them go into the details of the process. This book talks about everything from design, to the plants they used in the project. As it happens, the project was in DC, so all the info is especially relevant for me.

Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century

I have coveted this book for a while, and oddly had never bought it for myself. Such a great look at the lifestyle shifts that are upcoming for us all. Love it.

Cool Green Stuff: A Guide to Finding Great Recycled, Sustainable, Renewable Objects You Will Love

There are a lot of books like this on the market, but this one is nice because it gives you a URL for each product. Some very cool products, though they have the wrong solar bag. Nuff said. Thanks JS.

REI Mojave Polo Shirt

Eco Fashion, is something that is often tough to buy for someone. The high end is either too expensive for gifting, and the low end often looks like the giftee is wearing a burlap sack (this can be worse than the awful christmas sweater). But I got this excellent polo shirt smack dab in the middle, making it a totally successful gift in my opinion. An organic cotton/Recycled PET blend. Thanks CS!

Brookstone Hand Crank Flashlight/Radio

I have developed an obsession with all things hand-crankable. Bring on the antique ice cream maker of my youth! In the meantime, I got this sweet flashlight/radio. It is unclear to me why all flashlights aren’t built this way. I suspect a battery and flashlight manufacturer collusion. Ten minutes of crank leads to all the light you could possibly want. Pretty sweet radio, and a great Nokia phone plugin for charging the device! Hand-crank phone charging, now that is slick. Thanks RF Dos.

OLPC’s XO Laptop

The One Laptop Per Child concept is a Media Lab project run by Nicholas Negroponte. It used to be called the $100 laptop project. These things are so cool, Check out Laptop Magazine’s review. Until the end of the year if you donate a laptop to one of the education sites around the worls, they give you one as well. I am so psyched to try out the laptop, it looks awesome.

Er, and as it only needs 5 watts of electricity to charge, I am DEFINITELY hooking it up to my JuiceBag…You Rule RF.

The TerraPass

RF Dos, offset my whole house’s carbon consumption for the year. For someone who cares about enviro stuff, think this is a great gift. It also comes as a little gift pack with a CFL Lightbulb and a couple other things. These are the kinds of things that I mean to do, but don’t get around to. So great to get.

The LED Lightbulb Pack

I have been meaning to play with LED lightbulbs forever. With this swanky mixed pack I get to decide wich style I really like before investing in a bunch. So cool, I can’t wait to get home! Thanks C+BF.

On the stocking stuffer/hanukkah gift level, I also got some great stuff:

Bamboo Cooking Utensils

Dagoba Chocolate

Cedar Chips Sachet (Full disclosure, I did not know what these were until I get ‘em, but apparently mothballs are super toxic and these solve the moth problem)

Bamboo Toast Tongs I think we all get things we don’t really need, how about something biodegradable and of sustainable materials?

There was some other great stuff as well, but these were some of the highlights. What also ruled is that there was not a huge pile of packaging this year, it really was pretty minimal. Minimal travel, minimal packaging, great useful gifts - who really could ask for much more?

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Junk Mail Sucks. CatalogChoice Rules.

Posted on December 13th, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: General, Sustainability, Systems of the World.

What is up with junk mail this year?

It seems worse than ever before - especially around the holidays. At my house, because the people upstairs have been there since 1962, we must get 35 catalogs a day during the holidays and probably 15 - 20 a day any other time. The worst part is, NONE of them get used. We literally pull them out of the mail basket and toss them straight into the recycling bin - it totally sucks.

Over the last year or so I have been looking for some sort of system to deal with this. There are a bunch of paid services which, for a monthly fee, will continually remove you from lists, but somehow this is annoying to me. Why should I have to pay to ensure I won’t get something I never wanted in the first place. It is these types of systems (and double negative sentences) in the world that drive me most crazy.

19 Billion catalogs are mailed every year. No I didn’t stutter, that is billion with a “b”. If my house is any indication, exactly 12 of those total catalogs are actually useful.

And while I am on the subject..WHY DOES THIS WORK !?! I don’t get it, it is just like spam - who is clicking on all the Russian Brides, Viagra, and Penis Enlargement emails and saying to themselves; “I sure am getting a good deal!”, I mean seriously who is that?

Hmm…actually looking at that list, I see a clear consumer profile emerging. That one lonely guy is ruining it for the rest of us - he must be found and stopped.

Before I get all hopped up on a rant longer than the average blog attention span, let me move on to the solution. Recently a coalition of enviro groups put together a catalog list, somewhat like the “Do Not Call” list for phones.

Check out CatalogChoice.org. Simply enter in the catalog name and your customer number. Then sit back and watch the mail become manageable. It is freaking great, and CatalogChoice is my new hero.

FYI, it does take a while to process the unsubscribes, so don’t get discouraged if you still get the catalogs for a while - some take up to 10 weeks to take you off the list.

It is still totally annoying to me that I have to go in and get rid of something I never wanted, but at least someone is providing me with a solution. Plus, I have found that once you get into the thing, it is totally addictive to reduce all this crap from your mail.

Love it.

Big up to JR for reminding me to post this.

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Why I Love ZipCar, by Zach L.

Posted on November 16th, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: Sustainability, Systems of the World, Urban Planning.

This title sounds like a 4th grade paper I wrote once. I was a good writer in 4th grade, my paper on the Tyrannosaurus Rex was Pulitzer worthy. Perhaps the highlight of my writing career - sadly it was all downhill from there.  4th grade talent notwithstanding, the ZipCar model really is cool.

If you haven’t yet, check out the concept of CarSharing. It is a fascinating model of managing the last mile (always the hardest piece) of public transportation systems. What is always frustrating about Public Transportation in this country is that often you are too far away for the train or bus stop. Getting to your final destination is expensive and difficult.

Parking Zipcars at subway, train, and bus stations solves this problem.  You still have the flexibility to go exactly where you need to, but you didn’t have to battle highway traffic to do it.  Plus CarShare programs  cover insurance and  the fuel for the time you use the car. Love this concept and I hope it spreads all over the country.  Recently the two biggies in this space; ZipCar and FlexCar announced that they will merge in the coming year.  This has to be the biggest no-brainer since XM and Sirius.  Oh right, those two still haven’t managed to figure out the merging process.

We support CarShare as a a key piece of the puzzle and this summer we signed a partnership deal with Zipcar to give all their members a discount on Reware products.  For us there is an interesting cross marketing concept here.  ZipCar and Reware both have been started with the hope that they will make changes to the system, while providing their customers a new service that they use.  Making change and making money. What could be better from a work standpoint?

It seems like there are more and more companies trying to figure out this model, and I envision us partnering more and more often. It makes sense because the customer base is so similar. For the most part the target audience is very mainstream. They live normal lives, they are not out on a commune weaving their own shoes .  But they see the world changing, they see their lives as impactful and if they can spend money with companies that make them feel like their actions are part of the solution, they are pleased.

Call it the Whole Foods model.  I have to go to the grocery store anyway,  why not go to the one that is espousing the values that I want in my life?

There is a growing lifestyle concept that I feel like more and more people are trying to figure out. ZipCar and the other car sharing services fit right into this niche.

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Train travel is fun.

Posted on November 2nd, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: Sustainability, Systems of the World, Urban Planning.

I love trains. I love sitting here watching the world go by. I find myself more productive, more creative, more relaxed. I think it is the best way to travel.

For the most part trains could be better in this country. But Amtrak also gets a bad rap. They are working under impossible conditions politically for trains - basically no mandate whatsoever, and trying to service and impossibly vast country. I read recently that the Eastern corrdior trains (Boston to Washington DC) pay for much of the rest of the Amtrak system.

This is about to change - Amtrak recently received a large influx of cash from the federal government, effectively doubling its budget I believe. And it comes at just in time. The roadways of this country exist on a knife’s edge every morning and evening, especially around major metropolitan areas. Anyone who has been on Interstate 95 in the past couple of years will tell you that all it takes is a slight problem to create vast delays.

What if it transitioned to a for profit system? Free market folks claim that prices would go down as services went to compete for your business. I am not entirely convinced of this, but it would be an interesting concept.

First and formost for this to happen though, the US would have to realize the value and potential of rail systems to move people and product around the country. They would have to value it the way we value our roads.

Imagine what the price of a car would be if the Automobile industry had to pay to the upkeep of all the roads. Or maybe it would be on the Oil compaines to keep it up. Imagine the price of gas! Instead road work comes straight out of federal, state, and local taxes. We have essentially deemed upkeep of the roadways critical to our economic well being. And they are, you will get no argument from me on that front. Yet, highways around the country have hit critical mass. Train systems can move massive amounts of people and product on relativley reliable schedules for a 10th of the energy consumption.

SO we should be investing in track maintenance. As a society we should deem track infrastructure critical to urban development. It should at least return to the same level of importance as our highway system.

Just for a little G-Whiz, check out some of the new MagLev train systems and how they work. SO cool.

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Inspiration like no other - The Solar Decathlon 2007

Posted on October 21st, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Urban Planning.

Every two years a group of university students descend upon the Mall in Washington DC for the Solar Decathlon. For anyone who has not seen the event, it is worth a trip to DC in my opinion. I have never been so inspired by the possibilities for the future as when touring the event.

Picture this: 25 University teams made up of students from Architecture, Engineering, and Design programs spend 2 years of there college lives planning, designing and constructing 800 squre foot homes. Each with their own cool approaches to a combination of livability and sustainability.

Every other October, the house roll into town on flatbed trucks and plop themselves down a stones throw from the capital building. But this is not for show, the kids all battle it out in 10 event competition to see whose house will be America’s next top model! Sorry no, I am watching too much reality TV as I write these days. But they do compete and the it is fierce. All the houses have to power a maximum of 800 square feet completely by solar, no exceptions. They must also heat a certain amount of hot water per hour, as well provide good aesthetics for a home, and good communication of their theories through tours and websites.

All of this proved especially challenging in the 2005 when it proceeded to rain for 6 days of the competition.

While the rain was rightly disappointing to many of the teams and a pain for all of the vistors to the houses (For most of the week you get to tour any house you’d like), I actually like seeing whose houses were built tightly and whose leaked like a sieve!

No such problems this year as we had unbelievably beautiful weather for the week and watched a University in Germany take home top honors followed by the University of Maryland.

I spent most of the week on the Mall for the event as we showed off our newest product the PowerCube. There are a couple of observations that I came away with:

- Our good friends Richard King and Wendy Burt at the Department of Energy who run the event, continue to put on an amazing show. The show from the outside was a huge success. Huge crowds, great houses, just a truly fun time. Big up to both of them for pulling it all off yet again.

- The National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden Colorado, is one of the coolest assets the US Government has. In to make sure the show was a success, everyone from the Lab was so knowledgeable, excited about the event, so genuinely passionate about renewable energy. Just a great group.

- The passion and creativity of the students is straight up inspiring. I can’t say this enough, it is just fun to be around that kind of passion for something that will revolutionize our country. They are changing the world.

This decathlon was such a success that there is rumblings of a European version next year as well.

Check out all of the websites for the teams from the SolarDecathlon07 website. So many green products and approach to green building, these websites are a must see if you are thinking about a building project in the near future.

Keep track of this thing as they gear up for 2009 because it is something not to be missed.

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The Power of Hybrids

Posted on October 10th, 2007 by Zach.
Categories: Sustainability, Systems of the World.

The other night I was at dinner and found myself in discussion with someone unimpressed by the Hybrid car revolution. Fair point from the outside I suppose, but I thought it was worth a little bit of time here to show why hybrids matter.

When it comes to cars, one of the first thing people look at is gas mileage and on that front most of the Hybrids are pretty good, if not mind blowing - somewhere between 30 and 50 mpg depending on the size of the engine. This is better than the national average, but for a regular Civic driver or someone who drives a TDI from Volkswagen, it is not enough to pony up the extra bucks.

Fuel efficiency is a big deal obviously and I don’t want to devalue how important it is in the larger equation. Energy conservation is the single most important challenge facing the U.S. Vehicles are no different, and hybrid technology is addressing this as the technology matures. 

In terms of the impact of hybrid technology though, fuel efficiency is only part of the equation, and I would argue the smaller of the two. What really matters are the emissions.

In traditional cars and trucks a large majority of emissions are produced either when the vehicle is at idle, or moving at slow speeds. Stop-and-go traffic for example, is an emissions nightmare. So much so that cities see significant reduction of pollution when they use more timed traffic lights systems. By reducing the number of times cars have to stop for lights, the pollution levels are lower.

Because a hybrid vehicles operates on an electric motor during these critical times (0 -15 mph), the emissions are reduced by a large factor. The numbers are actually staggering: around 80% of the total emissions in a three mile drive are created during the first mile.

To put the impact of this into perspective next time you are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic that forces you to slow down around 10 - 15 miles an hour, take a look around you and imagine every one of the cars putting out zero emissions. In every major urban area these days, this is a daily occurrence at rush hour.

Idling my not seem like a big deal to the average person, but it is. According to a Washington State University Study, trucks and buses burn in the neighborhood of 840 million of gallons of diesel a year JUST IDLING! Combine that with the emissions quotient and the numbers for trucks are just plain scary.

Trucks at idle, cars in traffic, imagine if every one of those vehicles were producing zero emissions. Hybrid system are a critical answer to these issues, and that is why they matter now.

They matter for future innovation as well. Emerging technologies like plugin hybrid systems up the electric speeds from 0-15 mph to actual cruising speeds - spurts of 50+ mph. The systems are only going to get better.

Most importantly, hybrid systems separate the energy production from the motor. In current examples like the Prius, a gas engine charges batteries which then run an electric motor. At high speeds the combustion engine kicks in as well, but increasingly the electric motor takes the load with the gas engine used for producing electricity.

Future systems will fully divorce the engine from the motor. This will enable a wide variety of energy production sources to be used in cars - hydrogen fuelcells, biofuels, sterling engines, etc. And that kind of flexibility is where innovation will continue develop.

A couple of facts:

• The transportation sector generates 27 percent of U.S. GHG emissions

• There are 200 million registered vehicles in the U.S.,  almost one per person.

• The average U.S. car each consumes 600 Gallons each year.

• 12,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is emitted from one U.S. car each year.

• U.S. cars and light trucks traveled 2.7 trillion miles in 2004. That’s the equivalent of taking 10 million trips to the moon.

• Emissions for the first km are 80% of total emissions for the 4km journey.

• The U.S. produces 45% Percent of the world’s automotive carbon dioxide emissions.

• The Toyota Prius reduces normalized tailpipe emissions by up to 90% and greenhouse gas emissions by around 50%.

• The City of Ottawa estimates that reducing idling by only 5 minutes per day in all City vehicles will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 384 tonnes and save $80,000 in fuel costs across the fleet.  5 minutes!

         Sources: pewclimate.org, Evironmental Defense, University of Bath (UK), City of Ottawa

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