How Green is My City
By jmara
Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 9:54 am in General.
As we all know, tomorrow is Earth Day, a 30-something-year-old event that has even greater significance now as the threat of global warming looms. If you want to curb your carbon emissions and do your bit for the environment, here’s a chance to not only save money on gas but pocket a crisp $100: 511 Rideshare, the free Bay Area Web and phone service that helps match commuters to carpools, is offering up to $100 in gas gift cards if you switch to carpooling (no fair if you’re already doing it … though, good on you!)
The program starts today, so you can cruise over to www.511.org or call (510) 273-3600 to get started. I’m interested to know: How many readers have changed your behavior - cloth shopping bag, compact fluourescent light bulb, more frequent BART trips - to be environmentally friendly? What tips do you have on going green? (Photo: tyger_lyllie)
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April 21st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Want to protect the earth and save energy? Then stop all wars, conflicts and terrorism. How do you do that? Make the United States free of foreign oil. When the US is energy independent there will be no more oil wars and the terrorists will no longer be able or interested in reaching us. This will save lives AND energy. Let’s study what Denmark, France, Brazil, and Australia have done on diversifying their energy supplies and do likewise. Let’s drill wherever we have oil and put a new nuclear power plant in every state. Let’s use all our coal and natural gas. We don’t need foreign energy. And we will be safer, greener, and richer with out it. All of the earth’s natural resources will be eventually used by someone at some time. Would your rather these resources be recovered in an ecological friendly and sustainable way by the US or that some dictator who could not care less about the environment exploit the earth. All alternative sources of energy will take decades to bring online because their conversion efficiencies are not yet high enough. Eventually, the US will lead the world into a sustainable green economy, but energy independence comes first. It is the low hanging fruit and gives immediate benefits now.
April 21st, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Howdy, poetryman! I think I know where you got that handle - does it have anything to do with Phoebe Snow?
I think most of us would agree with you about the importance of energy independence.
Seems like just about everyone I talk to is on board with the importance of freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, and that goes for all political persuasions. Not so sure how practical it is to put up new nuclear power plants, though. They’re expensive!
Here’s some comments by nuclear physicists at UC Berkeley and Stanford on that subject (scroll down to the bottom of the story):
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_8705700
April 24th, 2008 at 11:46 am
It will be a tragic mistake to think that we can be more energy indepedent by burning more firewood and charcoal…. It will kill many more Americans from breathing sooty air coming out of chimneys that has no pollution controls whatsoever. We are too brainwashed by Boy Scouts of America and campfires… I dont even emjoy staying at campgrounds where there is campfires around as it pollute the air. I camp to breath the pristine clean cold air… If I need heat, I use propane to minimize air pollution. Firewood is a caveman fuel that we ought to stop using a thousand years ago… The health industry is whistling in the dark while we are dying from too much smoke in our neighborhoods and hamlets up in the mountains and valleys… I almost forget to mention that firewood smoke contribute a lot fo brackish black dust indoors. If you wipe a surface and it shows very dark sooty gunk on the cloth, it means there are people burning firewood nearby even if you dont smell it.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:48 am
We should give $100 gift certificates to all who already started carpooling , anywyay. Just to keep em doing it… Dont be cheap!!
April 26th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
The Website referred to in my comment above is http://www.nationalvapor.com
June 6th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Janis,
I thought I was just emailing you at this point,and not posting on your BLOG. I Don’t think I should have used Georges full name. The rest of the names are OK however. You may use my name if you wish. Thanks for the great Blog. It is bound to become more important as fuel becomes more expesive and problematic.
Sincerely
Stan Lukezic
June 6th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Stan! I am so totally glad to hear from you, my friend! Thanks for bringing up Ethos on my blog. First you mentioned it on this blog, and gave your very useful analysis of the product, and then my editor got a spam e-mail advertising it. So I wrote a story about Ethos and other devices that purport to save gas. Check it out! The story:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/business/ci_9492661