The bikes are stored in massive racks next to the train station. It costs 30 euros a year to get access to the bikes. You receive a card that looks like a credit card called an RFID-card. You swipe the card in a certain area of the control for each rack and it will tell you which bike to take. Bicycles can be used for the first 30 minutes with no extra cost, with subsequent half hour blocks (up to 2 hours) costing 0.50 euros each. Use of a bicycle for more than 2 hours at a time is discouraged with a penalty rate of 3 euros per hour, but also with the possibility of having your membership cancelled after a certain number of uses in excess of 2 hours.

To return a bicycle one simply places the bike in a spare slot at a Bicing station.  The bike is recognised automatically and is locked into place (as indicated by the small light at the slot turning red), so one does not need to swipe the RFID-card to return the bike.  3000 bikes are used throughout the system and the system is paid for through parking tickets in the city. There are a reported 90,000 registered members in the couple of years that the system has operated. That is 90,000 people that reduced their carbon footprint in a big way.  And 90,000 green earth friends.

This is the largest step taken by the federal government ever to fight climate change. The finding has created a 60 day comment period for the public before any proposed regulations can be announced.  It may take a long time, perhaps years, for the EPA to produce rules that would control our 7.4 billion pounds of co2 that is emitted yearly in the US.

There is some concern that the EPA regulating co2 would mean that every product that has to adhere to a different set of rules is going to skyrocket price wise. No matter how long it takes or how much prices go up, this is a great win for everyone on the planet. It is something that should have happened a long time ago. Global warming is extremely dangerous to our planet and greenhouse gasses cause global warming, so now the EPA can regulate greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.

Research on iron in pacific northwest rivers has shown how phytoplankton is generated in large numbers along the continental shelf.  O.S.U students found that in the winter the rivers churn out iron and it is deposited on the continental shelf in the summer and spring.  Then the winds pick up and churn the iron up into huge phytoplankton blooms.  The width of the shelf is not so great in the southern pacific. The further north you go, the greater the width of the shelf, the more life is present, making the blooms essential to life in the pacific.

Hopefully experiments will not take too long to see positive results and we can start a kind of iron therapy for the oceans of the world.  The fish are already suffocating from a lack of iron in the water and the advantages vastly out-way the disadvantages, if there are any.

“Let me be clear: Our goal is not to further burden an already struggling industry,” Obama said about the automobile industry. “It is to help America’s automakers prepare for the future.”

He has also renewed his promise to invest 15 billion in finding an alternative energy. That investment will include solar, wind and nuclear power, as well as advanced coal technology. Obama had this to say . ‘‘I promise you this: When I am president, any governor who’s willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House.  Any company that’s willing to invest in clean energy will have an ally in Washington.  And any nation that’s willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America.’’  If he does keep his word this will be a victory for the world not just the USA, as emissions affect the world not just where the emissions emanate. 

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed to be very happy with the actions of his chief saying:  “Of course I am very, very happy,” Schwarzenegger said. “This is so important for our country, because we have been the biggest polluters in the world, and it is about time that we as a country recognize that and that we work together with other nations in order to fight global warming.”

Once these reversals of Bush’s policies take effect, automobile companies will have to retool to produce vehicles that will get at least 35 miles to the gallon. There are  a lot of vehicles that already meet that challenge, but if the USA wants to stay in the race, they need to think a little greener from now on.  The auto companies are complaining, saying that they will have to produce two different types of cars.  One type that meet the new regulations and another polluting type for the other states.  It is difficult to believe that they would actually still plan on making vehicles that pollute more in other states because they can get away with it. The U.S. company that makes saving money, gas and the environment its priority, will be the one that will still be here in the years to come.

Ben & Jerry’s

Greenpeace researchers in Germany first developed the precursor to the climate-friendly freezer in the early 1990s when it became clear that HFCs, which the chemical industry had marketed as a safe alternative to ozone depleting clouroflourocarbons (CFCs), were accelerating global warming.

“This climate-safe freezer will keep pints of Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia as cold as ever, but it’s also going to help cool our planet,” said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA. “With hurricanes intensifying, tropical disease spreading, sea levels rising, and polar bears going extinct, we need to make sure that what cools our ice cream, drinks, and homes isn’t also melting the ice caps.”

Ben & Jerry’s cleaner, greener, freezer is eco-friendly and climate safe.  They are now a Green Earth Friend!

Electric toilets work differently.  There is a company out there that is using cutting edge poop technology.  You place a bowl liner in the toilet and when your done, the liner and the poop, drop down into an incineration chamber where your poop is blasted in seconds. The electric toilet is more versatile as to placement because as long as you have power, you can place this toilet anywhere you want.  With the composting toilet, you have to have a separate treatment container.  If you have a basement it can be placed there, otherwise it would have to go outside.

Both of these toilets are a good durable way to help the environment and your wallet, not having to pay per flush.  Well thats the scoop on the poop.  Here are some informative videos: one is a video of the electric/incinerator toilet.  The other is about an eco rest area and the eco toilet system they are using in Sweden which is quite incredible.

View the Electric/incinerator toilet here:>

View the Eco Toilet System they are using in Sweden here:>

Brad Pitt

In 2004, Brad Pitt became a supporter of John Kerry, who takes the fight for the environment personally and slammed attempts by the republican party to sneak in a proposal attached to a defense bill, to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  Then again, in 2007, members of the John Kerry community worked hard to support passage of an energy bill that contained the first real steps this country has taken to combat the climate crisis in years.

Pitt and close friend George Clooney are both putting in their time to help, along with the cast of oceans 13, who started “Not On Our Watch” that uses their fame to bring to the attention of the world, human rights violations from around the world.  Clooney drives eco-friendly also, owning a Tango electric car.

The beginning of the “Make It Right” project began in July 2006 when Brad Pitt got involved in Global Green USA, to promote the rebuilding of New Orleans.  The company, Global Green USA, after the devastation from Hurricane Katrina and the inadequate attention given by the government, made a commitment to rebuild, in a sustainable manner, New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast that was affected.  They began by constructing 5 single family homes, an 18 unit apartment building and a community center as a landmark sustainable development called the Holy Cross Project. 

Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Home 

If 50,000 homes were built with the same standards the as the Holy Cross Project, the residents of these new homes would save $38,000,000 to $56,000,000 dollars every year also reduce the carbon footprint of New Orleans, by Half a million tons of CO2, the equivalent to removing 100,000 cars from the road.

Through their green, affordable housing community, the Holy Cross Project, the “Make It Right” Project and their work on greening schools throughout the area, Global Green and Brad Pitt are committed to creating a green, sustainable and affordable model for development and rebuilding for New Orleans.

Marks and Spencers, in Britain, is kind of like an upscale Target in the United States.  They have announced plans to spend 200,000,000 pounds on a plan to become more Carbon Neutral by cutting energy consumption and stocking more products made from recycled materials. 

Tesco, a British grocery store, is also planning on cutting the price of energy efficient light bulbs in half and offer more energy efficient products, in the lower price range, making them affordable to everyone.  The group also has plans to cut their harmful emissions by 50% by the year 2020 and are seeking to lower products transported by air to 1%.  Tesco says that their current out-put of C02 equals 2,000,000 tonnes per year with refrigeration accounting for 1/3 of the total. 

Wal-mart, the worlds biggest retailer, says that they will cut packaging by 5%.  Maybe they will follow in the Carbon Footprints of their counterparts in Britain and do more to be Carbon Neutral and help protect the environment.  Hopefully one day in the near future, all retailers will become a Green Earth Friend.

Make a commitment.
Reducing your carbon footprint is an easy worthwhile task and something that will benefit everyone in the long run.

Know your stuff.
It is likely that carbon will eventually be judged as an atmosphere pollutant and regulated accordingly with consequent costs and opportunities for all sectors of the society.  Knowing where and how you generate greenhouses gases is the first step to reducing them.

De-carbon your life.
Integrating climate friendly criteria into decision making can trigger a ripple effect.  For example, if you are making a short journey why not take the bus instead of the car?  Once you start using public transport, you may then be encouraged to do it more often.

Get energy efficient.
Improving the efficiency of your buildings, computers, cars and products is the fastest and most lucrative way to save money, energy and carbon emissions.  Appliances are labelled with details of their energy efficiency and new appliances are getting better all the time.  Products are rated on a scale from ‘AAA’ (most efficient) to ‘G (least efficient).  Try to buy appliances which are rated A or B.  By doing you will save money in addition to helping the planet.  A ‘AAA’ energy efficient electric cooker can save you up to$75 a year in comparison to a typical model.

Switch to low carbon energy.
If possible, switch to energy sources that emit less carbon and can reduce costs and emissions.  Generally, coal produces twice the emissions of gas, six times the amount of solar, forty times the amount of wind and 200 times the amount of hydro.

Invest in offsets and cleaner alternatives.
There is a limit to how much efficiency you can squeeze from your lifestyle, or how much renewable energy you can employ.

Get efficient.
Looking at your life through a carbon neutral lens can help you in other ways by increasing the efficiency of resource use, avoiding and reducing waste and ultimately improving your overall performance and reputation.

Buy low carbon products and services.
The market for climate friendly products and services is growing rapidly, from energy efficient products to new renewable energy systems.

Buy green, sell green.
In many countries, consumer surveys report that growing numbers of consumers are willing to buy green if given the choice

Talk.The increased importance of climate change means that companies and organisations will need to communicate.
Jim Cooke leaves small carbon footprint

carbon footprint suicide

John Kanzius, a retired TV station owner and broadcast engineer, was looking for a cure for cancer. He got up in the middle of the night, with a revolutionary idea, to eliminate cancer cells from the human body. By injecting small amounts of metals into the body which are attracted to cancer affected cells and exposing them to radio waves. The radio waves superheat the metals and the surrounding cancer tissues thus killing the cancer. After much experimentation he found that his invention could also burn salt water. Conventional hydrogen generators require electrically charged metal plates submerged into salt water to release the hydrogen. What he had discovered is another way to extract the hydrogen from salt water.

Could a car running on radio waves and hydrogen be in our future? Only time will tell. Is building a piece of equipment that emits enough radio waves to be effective, going to be cheaper and more efficient than a battery and some electrodes. The problem with electrodes is that they corrode during the process of extracting hydrogen. So having a separate unit that has no contact with the salt water could be invaluable. Therefore, a car running on radio waves and hydrogen maybe the way to go.