Easy Eco Blog » Transportation

Bicycling Against Cars – Health Benefits vs Pollution

easy eco blog — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:00:08 +0000

We were recently stuck in traffic behind a big rig spewing noxious exhaust while out bicycling. This provoked us to think about how the health benefits of cycling can be negated by pollution. While we prefer mountain biking out in the wilderness with no cars around, coexisting on roads with vehicles is a reality most of us have to endure.

It is interesting that several articles discuss some health issues with cyclists who commute in big cities. Some cyclists wear face masks while cycling in the city. Pollution from diesel engines in particular are worrisome. Respiratory problems can arise and other adverse health effects may ensue.

As we move into the future, there should be more vehicles emitting less pollution. Hybrid technology, electric vehicles, low sulpher fuels, and other advancements will help reduce pollution levels.

Ways to minimize the risk

Avoid busy streets to minimize the number of vehicles you encounter. You may end up riding a longer distance, but your health will benefit.
Keep away from buses and trucks.
Wear a mask if you have to bike in congested areas
Try to ride during non-peak hours
Reduce bike commuting to only a couple of days a week

Lots of us love biking and are trying to help our health and the environment by avoiding driving. With a couple strategies, we can help minimize potential health risks that accompany biking with vehicles that produce toxic emissions.

Vehicle exhaust and brain damage

Some recent studies have shown that vehicle traffic fumes affect the brain. Emissions from cars and trucks can injure parts of the brain and affect learning and memory. Breathing vehicle fumes for just 30 minutes can affect the brain, a recent study from the Netherlands showed. Children in areas with high levels of vehicle emissions score more poorly on tests and were more prone to have mental health problems.

Green Car Quest using Turbochargers, Redesign, and Hybrid Technology

easy eco blog — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 23:01:14 +0000

Why fuel-efficient cars are important

Replacing a vehicle with a fuel efficient model has the biggest aggregate potential reduction in green house gas emissions at 31.4 millions of metric tons of carbon a year. Even more than Weatherizing a home (21.2), buying energy efficient appliances (11.7), or carpooling (6.5).

Look how much gas costs in China, they’re using more and more every day, increasing worldwide demand, and hence pushing prices up.

GM eAssist hybrid automobile Technology

GM has learned from its lackluster hybrid car efforts and is now coming out with new hybrid technology that promises to boost fuel economy by 25% while maintaining the price of the automobile. The next generation Buick Lacrosse Sedan is the first car to implement this eASSIST mild hybrid system in the vehicles base package. The $30K 2012 Buick Lacrosse full-size sedan will achieve 36 miles per gallon on the highway, 25 miles per gallon in the city. This card includes a 15 kW belt driven, liquid cooled motor generator unit that recharges when you use the brakes. The battery pack is expected to have a life of 10+ years.

Hybrid technology like this needs to become standard in order for carmakers like GM to meet new CAFE fuel economy standards. By 2016, national fleets must achieve an average of 35.5 miles per gallon.

Ford Turbocharged Automobiles with Eco Boost

Ford is starting to sell vehicles with their EcoBoost Engine. EcoBoost consists of smaller displacement engines with direct fuel injection and turbocharging to provide a fuel economy boost without any loss of performance. It uses turbochargers to take exhaust energy — normally wasted — and channel it back into the engine for more power. The first cars use it to make a V-6 have the power of a V-8. In the future it will be used on lower end cars to raise efficiency. EcoBoost is projected to feature in 90% of Ford Motor Company’s lineup by 2013.

“Compared with the current cost of diesel and hybrid technologies, customers can expect to recoup their initial investment in a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine through fuel savings in approximately 30 months. A diesel will take an average of seven and one-half years, while the cost of a hybrid will take nearly 12 years to recoup – given equivalent miles driven per year and fuel costs,”

Redesigning a Car for Better Gas Mileage

The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu due in showrooms in early 2012 is an example of a car redesign to gain better mileage. Ase examples, rounded front corners reduce drag and add 0.4 mpg, active shutters below the grill cool the engine and add 0.3 mpg, and the lack of a spare tire adds 0.4 mpg. The car will get five mpg more if you purchase the version with E-Assist electric acceleration technology. Look for other cars to incorporate these optimizations necessary due to higher CAFE mileage standards. By 2016 auto fleets need to average 35.5 mpg.

5 Steps for More Fuel Efficient Driving

easy eco blog — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 07:00:37 +0000

With climate change and global warming issues frequently populating our daily news, there has never been a better time to do our individual parts to help save the planet. There are many steps one can take in order to decrease their individual carbon footprint, one of the easiest is to start with your vehicle. There are many great green cars produced each year by top car manufacturers; however it is possible to lower your emissions without purchasing a new car. This article outlines some simple steps that will result in a more fuel efficient approach to driving.

Step 1- Vehicle Usage

Cars consume more fuel thus producing more CO2 emissions during ignition and short trips. This is due to the catalytic converters, which reduce carbon emissions, being more effective once they have warmed up. Short journeys don’t allow this to happen, so it is best practice to combine short errands and car runs into one larger trip. Even simpler than that, judge whether you journey actually requires you to take a car, walking or cycling will not only save you money of fuel, it will also provide you with a great source of exercise.

Step 2- Driving Consistently

Constantly stopping and re-starting your car produces a large amount of emissions, try to avoid driving at peak times when heavy traffic will ensure start/stop driving. Keeping distance from the car in front, not only increases safety, it will allow you to judge braking making it easier to keep a steady consistent pace. Driving consistently will have a positive effect on the CO2 emissions produced by your vehicle.

Step 3- Speed

As it is illegal you should not be speeding anyway, but it is fact that driving above 70mph will use up to 25% more fuel. Maintain steady speeds whilst driving on motorways, if driving a new car that benefits from cruise control use it, this will help you to control your driving speed and lower the CO2 produced by your vehicle.

Step 4- Minimize Aerodynamic Drag

Aerodynamic drag is the effect caused by reducing the aerodynamics of your vehicle. This can increase CO2 emissions by up to 20%. Don’t add to the amount of drag caused when driving, additional parts attached to your car such as spoilers, bike racks and roof racks will only increase drag. Think about weight too, your car is for transport not storage, filling your cars boot with unnecessary items will add to the weight and significantly alter your cars performance and carbon emissions.

Step 5- Look after your car!

This final step may sound like an obvious one but is surprising how often it is overlooked. By simply taking good care of your car, through regular maintenance, you can not only reduce your CO2 emissions but also the life expectancy of your vehicle. Take your car for regular checkups and maintenance to ensure that you car is healthy and running smoothly.

By simply following these steps you will be able to live with peace of mind that you are doing your bit to lower your carbon foot print and help save the planet.

Fracking – Oil Well Drilling, Water Pollution

easy eco blog — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 07:00:03 +0000

photo credit: ProgressOhio

Fracking – Oil Well Drilling is causing environmental damage throughout the country. Fracking is short for hydraulic fracturing of rock to find oil and natural gas underground. This process is popular because it has revolutionized America’s hunt for fossil fuels. Less international fuel needs to be imported. Jobs are created. Money is not shipped off to hostile countries.

Frackings Downside

The downside is that millions of water, sand, and chemicals are pumped into the ground. Ground water could possibly be contaminated. Earthquakes could possibly occur, especially if fracking is done near a fault line. Energy needs to be used at the location and water needs to be piped in.

Water disposal wells from fracking should treat and clean the water and dispose of it to a location not near an earthquake fault.

The EPA recently suggested that fracking may be causing ground water pollution. Previously, the folks that do fracking claim that they drill deep enough to avoid ground water aquifers. Recent ground water pollution near fracking sites has caused a rethinking of this concept.

In California, the agency that regulates oil and gas does not record the number and location of fracked wells. Environmentalists are pushing California to add oversight. Most companies don’t even list what chemicals they utilize. Fracking utilizes guar gum, a food additive. They use so much that guar gum prices have shot upwards.

Frackings Future

While it is great to become more self-sufficient, it is important that we understand all the dangers with regards to fracking. If you live in California be sure to contact your Representative with you concerns.

According to Environmental Working Group:

Our study shows that the Environmental Protection Agency concluded 25 years ago that hydraulic fracturing can — and did — contaminate an underground source of drinking water and that such contamination was “illustrative” of fracking’s risks, blowing holes in the industry’s argument.

New Conflict Minerals Law

The Dodd-Frank financial law passed in July 2010 added the so-called Conflict Minerals law that is meant to pressure companies who use minerals from war-torn Congo in Africa. Companies must take steps to verify that minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold are not sourced from Congo. Products that don’t contain minerals from this region can be marked “DRC conflict free”. This affects many products from laptops to electronics to ballpoint pens to drill bits to jewelry.

No related posts.

Eco Friendly and Green Car Sharing Services

easy eco blog — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 07:00:02 +0000

A recent article on Car Sharing Services reminded us that these services are great ways to get rid of your car and save money. You need to fall within the car share service area of a firm and need to adjust your lifestyle. Urban dwellers with access to public transportation for daily commuting are most compatible with Car Sharing, making it green commuting.

Because the car is not as convenient, you will almost automatically consolidate trips and reduce unnecessary journeys.

No gas, car maintenance, payments, insurance, garaging to worry about! Most charge an application fees then from $5.95 an hour.

You also get a different cars to drive.. Mini coopers, Prius, Scions, etc

Making money on it is another story. ZipCar has been unprofitable over its 10 years of operation.

Payoff time for Hybrid vs Gas Cars – Toyota Prius Hybrid vs Toyota Camry

easy eco blog — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:00:17 +0000

Gas is getting more expensive by the day. Everyone wants a fuel efficient car, but does it make economical sense? Obviously serious green oriented folks care more about the environment than financial considerations. When does it pay to buy a hybrid automobile is the question?

How Quickly does a Hybrid Pay off?

Source: CNNMoney.com

CNNMoney.com has a nice analysis of how fast a hybrid pays off. They compared a buying a new $24,548 Toyota Prius Hybrid vs a conventional $19,635 Toyota Camry. The premium for the hybrid automobile is almost $5000.

You can see that it takes 4.5 years to break even with gas at $4, 6 years at $3. Some hard numbers that should help prevent you from paying a crazy markup for any hot new green hybrid or electric vehicle.

An edmunds.com article highlighted some payoff times for hybrid cars. Gas costs more now, so the times are shorter than listed. Toyota Prius (2.6), Nissan Altima (3.4), Mercury Mariner (4.4), GMC Yukon (4.9). There are some hybrids that don’t fare nearly as well from a cost trade-off standpoint, but may be attractive for other reasons: Toyota Highlander (12.7) and Lexus LS600h (102.6)

Kiplinger’s has a Green Car Calculator that compares two cars costs and 5 year overall costs of operation. Edmunds.com has a variety of hybrid car cost benefit analysis.

The Future of Hybrids

The car industry has started to understand this and closed the delta with mild hybrids costing far less. They use much smaller batteries and hence cost far less.

Remember that it takes a LOT of energy to build a car, so it may be more green to keep what you have or buy a used fuel efficient vehicle. A hybrid still emits about 20 pounds of carbon with each gallon of gas you burn up.

Check out our hybrid driving tips.

Green Motor Oil and Green Car Care Products

easy eco blog — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

259 Related posts:Safeway Bright Green Eco-friendly Products – Scotch Brite Greener Cleaner Green cleaning products Eco Friendly Green Car Washing Termites? Green Termite Control – Orange Oil Related posts:

Airplane Fuel Efficiency and Airplane CO2 Emissions Calculator

easy eco blog — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:00:13 +0000

Summer vacation? Traveling on a plane or car?

A recent article analyzed the fuel efficiency of airlines and found they get 60 to 75 seat miles per gallon of fuel in 2009. Better than the 50 mpg of a Toyota Prius hybrid automobile. Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest, and Continental were best. The most fuel efficient planes were the Boeing 777-200ER wide body at 82 mpg and Boeing 737-900 at 99 mpg. The Airbus A320 at 77 mpg is their best.

Want to go a step further? We noticed a Climate passport kiosk in the airport. You can pay to offset your airplanes emissions. A 2,000 Miles (4 hr flight) generates 1,869 lbs of CO2, and costs $11.44 to offset. The money goes toward:

Climate Passport Carbon Footprint Calculator uses carbon offsets from the Garcia River Forest. This project is based Mendocino County, California and is focused on the capture of carbon dioxide and the storage of it within native redwood forest. They also work to create a sustainable inventory of eco-friendly wood.

Tripbase has a CO2 Emissions Calculator that’s been made to help people out with being a bit more green and socially responsible when it comes to flying.

Hybrid Car Mileage Tips

easy eco blog — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:00:55 +0000

It is hard matching EPA estimates for any car, especially hybrids. I found some helpful Prius Mileage tips, some of which are counter intuitive.

“..rapid acceleration to speed followed by cruising is actually more efficient, though counterintuitive”

“, keeping the windows open is more economical. The rationale: Battery drain from air conditioning uses more gasoline than aerodynamic drag caused by open windows.”

This one will have everyone passing you: “Remember that for every mph above 55 in a Prius, you could lose up to one mpg, mostly due to atmospheric drag — even with its advanced aerodynamic body.”

“..motor-generators (MGs) reach their maximum rpm at about 42 mph, which forces the engine to run to prevent damage to the MGs. So at speeds above 42, the engine must run, which creates added friction. This must be compensated for to maintain speed, causing a reduction in fuel economy.”

Green Driving Techniques to Save Gas, Increase Mileage – Green Oil and Lube

easy eco blog — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:00:39 +0000

There is more to saving gas than just driving a Prius. How you drive is as important as what you drive. Give your current car a mileage boost with some of these techniques. Warning, other drivers many not smile when you are in front of them. EcoDriving covers many of these ideas.

Do not floor the accelerator from a stop sign
Empty the car of unnecessary items to reduce weight
Slow down before entering corners, don’t hit the brakes hard in the turn
Keep engine RPMs low when cruising.
Do not speed, keep speeds around 60mph, do not tailgate
Coast down inclines
Keep your car tuned and tires maintained and inflated properly
Close windows at high speeds and use the air conditioner or better yet fan ventilation
Use the recommended grade of gas and oil
Smoothly accelerate and brake
Remove racks from your roof when not using them

Fuel Economy.gov shows that gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. “You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.”

“Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.”

I see many people going 70 mph or faster, when highways in the San Francisco Bay Area allow. They could save $ by driving slower. Of course time is money too.. Speeding has also has a social cost of more speed related crashes. Save up to $200 a year on gas by obeying speed limits and by driving smoother!

DriveSmarterChallenge.org helps you calculate your savings.

Motorcycle or Car?

Is it being more green, riding a motorcycle instead of a car? A recent Mythbusters episode found the motorcycles were more fuel efficient and produced less carbon dioxide than cars. However, the motorcycles emitted more carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitric oxide emissions, all of which pollute the air and contribute to help problems.

Green Motor Oil and Green Car Care Products

Green Earth Technologies has new car care products and biodegradable Green G-OIL Motor Oil from Green Earth Technologies. It is made from American-grown renewable animal fats. There is presently a mail-in rebate form for a FREE 5 quart bottle of G-Oil 5W-30 Bio-Based Full Synthetic green motor oil (a $26 value) Walmart and other stores carry this product, but you need purchase this motor oil by April 30, 2011.

Amazon also carries products from Green Earth Technologies.

Save Gas – Drive Slower

With gas prices falling, this tip will definitely get very little attention. It is guaranteed that someday gas prices will rise again, so keep this in the back of your mind when you are at the gas pump.

See our post Green Driving Techniques to Save Gas, Increase Mileage

Tri Flow Soy Lube – Green Lube or Eco Friendly Lubricant

As good sign of the green wave is Tri Flow Soy Lube for lubricating bikes and other moving parts. This Green Lube is natural soy oil based so it is rapidly biodegradable. Less petroleum products = more eco friendly. 90% will biodegrade in less than 28 days according to them. It does contain PTFE Teflon though.