Many cities are bicycle-friendly, some more than others, but if you if live in one with major hills, such as San Francisco or where I live in Seattle, and you happen to be a little older perhaps (ahem) or simply not quite in Tour de France shape, then an electric-bike is the way to go.
The electric-bike business is booming for several reasons: They are way more affordable than EV cars and spiffy new and lighter designs are multiplying worldwide.
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alternative energy, cleantech, transportation | Tagged: clean technology, electric bikes, electricity, transportation | 
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Posted by wrdforwrd
Rather than dealing with a strew-pot full of environmental emissions regulations and fees, a group comprising the world’s largest international liner shipping companies is proposing a new global vessel efficiency system (VES) intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The 29-member World Shipping Council’s proposal is asking the UN’s International Maritime Organization take the lead in applying vessel efficiency design standards for new and existing vessels in the world fleet that will improve their carbon and fuel efficiency.
Under the VES proposal, newly-built vessels would be subject to mandatory efficiency standards requiring them to be built with features and technologies that further improve the energy efficiency to reach defined levels, according to a WSC statement. “These standards would be similar in nature to the fuel efficiency standards required of cars and trucks in many countries around the world today. The standards would also be tiered with higher standards required over time as technology developments allow further improvements.”
1 Comment | environment, regulation, supply chain, transport, transportation | Tagged: emissions, environment, maritime vessel, regulation, transportation, WSC | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
Ford says it will invest another $450 million in electric vehicle development and facility retooling, bringing its total investment in this area to a round $1 billion.
The latest monetary infusion, a part of its “Electrification Strategy,” paves the way for the Dearborn, MI, carmaker plan to engineer, produce and launch new electrified vehicles, battery systems and hybrid transaxles, while creating up to 1,000 new jobs in the state.
GM is also planning to spend big dollars, about $246 million, for electric motor and hybrid component production at a Baltimore facility.
Ford will build what it calls its next-generation hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles at the Michigan Assembly Plant beginning in 2012, in addition to producing the new Ford Focus and Focus Electric at the same plant in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
5 Comments | alternative energy, renewable enegy, transportation | Tagged: clean technology, electric vehicle, emissions, Ford, GM, investment, transportation | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
The Port of Seattle may be running a bit ahead of the game, or at least ahead of the hammer of stringent pending Environmental Protection Agency rules with the results it is reporting from its activities in connection with the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy.
“Trucks, ships, and cargo-handling equipment will see lower emissions levels,” the port says.
The port’s staff last week reported favorable results to the five-member port commission, which oversees port activities, on the major components of the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. Initial results from the At-Berth Clean (ABC) Fuels Program, Clean Truck Program, and retrofits on cargo handling equipment “show goals are either being met or exceeded, preventing tons of pollution from entering the local environment.”
1 Comment | environment, ports, regulation, transportation | Tagged: emissions, EPA, GHG, Port of Seattle. Port of Tacoma, ports, transportation | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
Toyota Motor Company. the world’s largest carmaker, is launching a subcompact version of its hugely popular hybrid auto, the Prius.
A Detroit News report last month revealed that TMC was developing an all-new gas-electric car that will be smaller and more affordable than the Prius. It will also surpass the Prius’ 50 MPG average
Toyota this week unveiled the FT-CH concept at the Detroit auto show.
It is reported the car could cost about $3,000 less than the Prius while offering higher mileage than any other hybrid currently on the market.
Leave a Comment » | biofuel, cleantech, transportation | Tagged: alternative energy, clean technology, emissions, Toyota, transportation | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
The future of plastics once fossil fuels run dry or the price for it becomes too expensive will hinge on bioplastics.
So says says Frederic Scheer, chairman, president and founder of Cereplast Inc., a Hawthorne, CA, company that designs and manufactures bio-based, sustainable plastics. But he also says, somewhat ruefully, that the bioplastic future is distant, measured in terms of decades.
Which is not to say that bioplastics’ present is particularly shabby: Scheer says that U.S. demand for bioplastics could exceed $10 billion by 2020. That’s a conservative estimate, he contends, but it’s still a “drop in the bucket” compared to the traditional plastic market, which is about $2.5 trillion.
Leave a Comment » | cleantech, climate change, environment | Tagged: biomass, bioplastic, clean technology, plastic, sustainability | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
As 2010begins major GHG emitters face tough reporting requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency that start on Jan. 1.
In addition the agency ended the year by wrapping-up final regulations that slap stringent emission control standards on ocean vessels and marine diesel engines. The rule was proposed in July and applies to U.S. freighters, tankers, container vessels and passenger ships.
It also harmonizes U.S. regulations with international standards for all ships.
Vessel diesel emissions are a major source of pollution in port areas, and stronger standards will help make large ships “cleaner and more efficient, and protect millions of Americans from harmful diesel emissions,” says EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
3 Comments | environment, ocean, pollution, ports, regulation, transportation | Tagged: emissions, EPA, IMO, ports, transportation, vessels | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
Well of course COP 15 was disappointing; how could it not be with the magnitude of the problem facing us?
The desire is there but not the political savvy, economic ability and the collective will to get a comprehensive and binding global agreement in place. Meanwhile the polar ice caps melt, the oceans continue to rise and degrade, the garbage mounts, species disappear, the oil majors play us like violins with their pricing strategies and Big Coal keeps dirtying the air while destroying mountains and streams.
But the climate talks in Copenhagen narrowly avoided a “complete breakdown,” as President Obama said in a broadcast interview Wednesday, and that’s slightly better than nothing. “People are justified in being disappointed about the outcome,” He acknowledged.
What happens next could turn the initial disappointment and frustration around.
So in the spirit of the season and because I think it’s important and worth preserving, here’s the text of President Obama’s speech in Copenhagen:
Leave a Comment » | climate change, pollution, regulation | Tagged: COP 15, emissions, EPA, GHG, government policy, Obama | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
The Washington State Algae Alliance, which includes two bioscience firms and the Washington State University, is set to receive $2 million from funding provisions in the 2010 Senate Energy and Water Development appropriations bill.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) was instrumental in securing the funding for the Alliance, which will jointly develop a new algae-based system for the production of sustainable and renewable fuels, chemicals, and chemical intermediates.
Targeted Growth, Inc. (TGI), Inventure Chemical and WSU are the Alliance members.
Leave a Comment » | alternative energy, biofuel, biomass, environment, renewable enegy | Tagged: algae, alternative energy, biofuel, biomass, bioscience, emissions, government funds, investment, renewable energy | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
While the Copenhagen climate change summit appears destined to dissolve in about the disheartening but expected way that usually occurs when nations, diplomats, scientists and special interests start talking about serious and expensive change, there is some hope coming from another UN body.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization is moving on a couple of climate change and food security fronts, including the launch of a multi-donor program to support sustainable, low-emission agriculture practices in developing nations.
FAO announced that Finland, the first country to participate in this program, will kick-in $3.9 million over the 2010-2011 period. A paltry sum indeed but it’s a start and the agency intends to approach other potential donors for further funding under the five-year initiative.
On a separate track, FAO is hooking up with Brazil on a large-scale project to collect data on emissions and deforestation.
Leave a Comment » | agriculture, climate change, environment | Tagged: agriculture, CO2, COP 15, GHG, low-emission farming | Permalink
Posted by wrdforwrd
