Greenbird Breaks Land Speed Record for Wind-Powered Vehicles

British engineer Richard Jenkins clocked 126.1mph in his Ecotricity Greenbird powered only by the wind. The previous record of 116 mph for a wind-powered vehicle had held for ten years. At Lake Ivanpah, a dry lake bed, just south of Las Vegas, the Greenbird was powered by only 30 mph winds. Eco-businessman Dale Vince explains:

The record is an amazing achievement. It shows what is achievable with great British engineering and the power of the wind. In the next twenty years I firmly believe that wind power will be our main energy source and wind-powered cars will no longer be the stuff of dreams.

Ecotricity plans to reveal a wind-powered car for everyday use in the near future.
Via: Daily Mail

Japanese Airport to Store Winter Snow for Summer Air Conditioning

New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, Japan plans to start storing winter snow for summer cooling in 2010. The winter snow will provide 30% of the summer cooling needs. EcoGeek explains this clean technology:

The snow will be covered by heat-insulating materials, which should retain about 45% of the snow collected. The remaining snow will then be used to chill the liquid of the building's cooling system. According to Japan Today, the practice could result in a 2,100 ton reduction in CO2 emissions per year.

Hokkaido's annual snowfall is between 20 to 30 feet. Hopefully this innovative technology will catch on in other snowy cities around the world.

Used Coffee Grounds Can be Made Into Biodiesel

I am an organic, biodynamic coffee junkie, and my used grounds end up in the compost pile. New research done in Nevada has revealed that wasted coffee grounds can be used to make biodiesel. 16 billion pounds of coffee are grown worldwide annually (so apparently I am not the only addicted to morning soy lattes). The used grounds contain 11 to 20-percent oil by weight, and its high level of antioxidants makes coffee more stable then other biodiesel blends. Researchers estimate that coffee grounds could add another 340 million gallons of biodiesel to the world's supply. If SVO cars smell like french fries, I wonder if coffee biodiesel will have that delicious roasted aroma when burned.

Can Biodiesel by Made from Rainforest Fungus?

From algae to dirty diapers, it seems like biodiesel can be made from almost anything. Recently, researchers have discovered in the Patagonian rainforest a unique fungus that makes diesel compounds directly from cellulose. Professor Gary Strobel of Montana State University explains:

These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel. This is a major discovery.

Gliocladium roseum could be used to turn the 430 million tons of plant waste that are produced on U.S. farms each year into biofuel.

Eco Touch: Conscious, Eco-Friendly Car Care

The green market is full of eco-friendly cleaning products for the home; however, Eco Touch is the first specific green product I have come across for the car. It's ironic that I will only clean my home with eco-friendly products, but when it comes to my car's interior, I've been known to use Armor All. Non-toxic, biodegradable, and phosphate-free, Eco Touch products keep your car clean without a nauseating brew of toxic fumes.

• Eco Touch Dashboard + Trim: Keep your car's interior shining without a greasy residue! Just spray on and wipe off with a reusable, washable microfiber towel. This product even cleans the major layer of dust off my dashboard from living on a dirt road.
  
• Eco Touch Waterless Car Wash Starter Kit: Who needs water to wash their car? A typical home car wash uses between 80-140 gallons of water! Just spray this product on your car and wipe off with a microfiber towel. One bottle saves 800 gallons of water and cleans six cars!
  
• Eco Touch Carpet + Upholstery: The description of this product cracks me up: "removes wine, coffee, and more". Why are there wine stains in your car? Well, it does work...the wine coffee stains are gone from my driver's seat.

Oil Alternatives: Making Biodegradable Motor Oil from Cow Fat

When we talk about lessening our dependency on foreign oil, it is not just gasoline we need to find alternatives for in making this change. Green Earth Technologies (G.E.T.) makes high performance motor oils made from American grown base oils, including cow fat! Although I am a vegetarian and appalled at the way the beef industry treats cattle, making oil from leftover cow fat is a good solution for eliminating some waste in the industry while meeting our needs for engine lubricants. I especially like how Green Earth Technologies rapidly decomposes outside of your engine. According to G.E.T.:

One five quart oil change improperly disposed can:

* create an oil slick on the surface of ten acres (about ½ million square feet),
* render five acres (about ¼ million square feet) unusable for planting for decades,
* and, contaminate one million gallons (a year supply for 50 people) of water.

Should such an accident occur with cow fat oil, it will mostly biodegrade in 9 days and completely biodegrade in 28 days. It is much safer for our soil and water.

Via: Eco Geek and Green Earth Technologies

Toyota Adding Solar Panels to Prius to Power Air Conditioning

The Toyota Prius has long been the golden child of the environmental movement for its fuel economy. When the EPA changed the standards for reporting fuel economy on new car stickers to include the use of air conditioning, the hybrid Prius lost a few miles per gallon. That may all change, now that Toyota plans to install solar panels on the roof of high end models to power the AC. The Kyocera solar panels will produce between two to five kilowatts. Hopefully this power can be stored while the car is idle to power the electric motor too.  People just may have to think twice about parking in covered garages if solar panels become a regular feature on car roofs. 
Via: BBC and Treehugger

Ahoy Matey! Bring Me My Eco-Friendly Wine!

I thought I got my wine in a low carbon manner by walking to my neighbor's cabin, but the French have outdone my efforts. A three-masted, 19th century barque transported 60,000 bottles of French wine from Bordeaux to Dublin. The delivery by ship took longer than a flight, but it saved 18,375lb of carbon or about 4.9oz of carbon per bottle. Each bottle was labeled, "Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet." Further voyages are planned to Bristol, Manchester, and Canada.

Via: The Guardian and Planetsave

Ford Cuts Back on Production of SUVs - Makes Hybrids Instead

TreeHugger is reporting that Ford is cutting back on SUVs. No duh. We're bummed people have to pay $4 for a gallon of gas but we're excited that it means less trucks and less green house gases.

"We view the move to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles as permanent, and we are responding to customer demand." When the CEO of Ford makes a statement like that, you know that high gas prices have really had an effect on the economy. Not only is Ford aware of the need to respond to changing customer demand, it is also acting on that by delaying the launch of its new F-150 pick up truck, producing "90,000 fewer pick ups and SUVs in the second half of the year than it originally planned," and preparing to make more compact, efficient cars like the Ford Focus and Escape

Full read at Telegraph.co.uk

Electric Motorcycle Built by High School Students

A group of students at a high school in Mendota Heights, Minnesota has created an electric motorcycle that uses sixty volts worth of lithium phosphate batteries powering a Briggs and Stratton ETEK pancake-style permanent magnet electric motor. That is maybe the biggest mouthful of electric powered jargon we've ever typed. A gallery of pictures are available as well.

The current configuration is said to be good for a top speed of sixty miles per hour and a range of forty miles. The chassis is constructed from chromoly tubing. The body is made from a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite and should therefore prove very strong. The full seat even features a seatbelt. We are not certain that anything quite like this will ever be available for purchase again, but its good to see it in concept form at least.

Via Autobloggreeen

Who Needs Gas When You Can Ride a Cool Electric Motorcycle or Bike?

Gas has reached over $4.50 a gallon here in Northern California, and there is no relief in site. Many people are turning to motorcycles as a more efficient way to travel, and now, electric bikes and motorcycles are leading the trend.

• Brammo Enertia Electric Motorcycle: This bike runs on six Lithium Phosphate battery modules, has a top speed of 50mph, and travels about 45 miles between three hour charges. It costs about $12,000.
  
• Electrobike Model Pi: This human-electric hybrid bike has a cool ergonomic shape, and it switches from pedal power to electric power with a switch on the handlebars. This bike will travel about 30 miles per three hour charge.
  
• Matra MS1 Electric Bike: This French bike will travel 62 miles per charge. When you apply the brakes, the bike captures usable energy. An LCD on the handlebars displays your speed and remaining battery power.
  
• Schwinn Bikes World GSE: This is a great commuter bike travels 60 miles on a single charge. The battery pack is removable, so you can charge it easily at work.
  
• Optibike: This bike will will run at 20 mph on the battery alone, with light pedaling go 25 mph, and with some serious pedal action reach 35+ mph. At top speeds, the battery will only last for 30 minutes.
  

None of these bikes are cheap, but neither is a really good mountain bike (or gasoline). Hybrid pedal power just may be the solution for many city commuters.