The Brammo Enertia Electric Motorcycle

November 4, 2009

“The Menace is loose again, the Hell’s Angels, the hundred-carat headline, running fast and loud on the early morning freeway, low in the saddle, nobody smiles, jamming crazy through traffic and ninety miles an hour down the center stripe, missing by inches. . . like Genghis Khan on an iron horse, no quarter asked and [...]

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Was Cash for Clunkers a success?

October 30, 2009

Photo courtesy of natashalcd at Flickr.com
The jury is still out on the Cash for Clunkers program. The last paperwork was filed on Monday, August 24, 2009, but crushed cars still waiting to be recycled. The final numbers are in – so how did the program score?
All told, C4C took 690,114 clunkers off of the [...]

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10 Cool iPhone Apps for Environmentalists

October 22, 2009

Just about everyone I know has one of these iPhone things.  I played around my nephews the other day and was amazed at all the colorful, useless apps that he had on the thing.  I think there were a dozen “flashlight” apps alone.
But the iPhone really does have some legitimate apps out there for those [...]

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World Habitat Day – 10/5/2009

October 2, 2009

Photo courtesy of oxfam international at Flickr.com
Poverty has drastic effects on the natural world. People living without access to treated water, sustainable fuel supplies, or adequate food can have a huge impact on their surroundings. Slums and destructive farming techniques can do as much damage as SUVs and chemical spills.
To highlight this issue, the [...]

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2010 diesel cars in the USA: here’s the lineup

September 17, 2009

There really hasn’t been any significant increase in the number of diesel cars available on the US market since our 2009 diesel car post from last year.  While common in Europe, stricter emissions requirements in some states and the recent temporary bout of high priced diesel fuel here has most car manufacturers hesitant to invest [...]

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Eco-news you can use for September, 2009

September 6, 2009

Photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes at Flickr.com
Here at the Practical Environmentalist, we’re green news junkies. We keep an eagle eye out for the latest science, social, and environmental developments and try to sum up the big picture. A lot of exciting things are going on right now, with greentech leading the way.
A company in Salt [...]

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2010 Hybrid Cars: Here’s the Lineup.

August 31, 2009

The number of hybrid cars keeps increasing, and while it is definitely a step in the right direction for emission reduction and fuel economy, the real importance of the hybrid car is in the evolution of transportation in general.
Technology, when it first comes out, isn’t always immediately cheaper than existing alternatives.  The Chevy Malibu Hybrid, [...]

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How to clean a solar panel

August 3, 2009

Photo courtesy of naturalturn at Flickr.com
Over time, solar panels will get covered with dust, grime, and even bird droppings. These obstructions block sunlight and will reduce power production. The solution is simple though – clean your solar panel when it gets dirty!
Each solar panel is different, so make sure to review the instructions from the [...]

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Biking to work – a beginner’s guide

July 30, 2009

This year, June 15th was “Ride Your Bike to Work” day. When I saw other people riding to work, I decided to give it a try.

Photo courtesy of sportpictures at Flickr.com
This is remarkable because my bike has been quietly stashed in my garage since last Christmas (when I received it as a gift). [...]

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Save the planet with motor oil

May 21, 2009

Photo courtesy of kendrak at Flickr.com
Eco-conscious drivers pay a lot of attention to how much gasoline their cars use, but what about the motor oil? When cars are properly maintained, they use far more gasoline than they do oil, and driving a car requires more trips to the gas station than the service station. An [...]

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