It's Independence Day, and at eCo Times, we must of course celebrate our emerging independence from oil. The days of the dollar gallon of gas are long gone, and the pain at the pump increases each week. Let's look at the logical alternatives-if you have a long commute, go electric. If you have a short commute, you can cancel your gym membership and get you workout at the same time as your commute. Check out our top ten coolest ways (for both climate and style) to increase your independence from oil. Happy 4th Of July!
10 Alternative Fuels
Biofuels are an alternative to gasoline that are becoming more readily available every day. Ethanol and biodiesel are examples of fuels that are not only more abundantly available, but also emit less harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases. In addition, there are tax incentives for those purchasing alternative fuels. The most important thing with these fuels is checking the source. Biodiesel is the best choice when it's made from locally collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), not razed rainforests in South America. Ethanol is a great choice when it is made from agricultural and municipal waste, not valuable food crops.
9 Hybrid Vehicles
The best hybrids definitely give Big Oil a kick in the Swiss bank account. They run on an engine powered partially by petroleum and partially by electric battery. Many models boast 40+ MPG, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. One of the most exciting hybrids to hit the road recently is the Aptera 1, a 3-wheeled, 2 passenger vehicle which boasts over 200 mpg! Most states give a tax credit with the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. What's more economical than getting paid for saving money on gas?
8 Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles require no gas at all. They operate on rechargeable batteries which can be charged right at home and no greenhouse gases are emitted from the tailpipe. If you happen to run your home's energy on solar, you could have an incredibly small ecological footprint when you drive. Even if you do get energy from coal-fired plants, running your car on electricity is still much more efficient than importing oil from the Middle East. Some great electric vehicles to check out are the smokin' hot Tesla Roadster as well as the funky NmG and the adorable Xebra by Zap!.
7 Scooters and Mopeds
Many scooters and mopeds these days can be electrically charged right in the comfort of your own garage; some models even charge the battery while you're driving. And as a bonus, you'll look really cool riding one... Europeans and Asians are way ahead of the US in their adoption of this super efficient mode of transport, and the matching outfits that go along with them. Fuel for thought: The average car in the United States costs 32 times more to travel the same distance as the eGO Scooter pictured here.
6 Rollerskating
Whether you're coasting through Venice on purple Puma skates or zipping through Manhattan traffic on your rollerblades, skating is definitely one of the most fun ways to get to work. (Though a change of clothes is definitely going to be necessary.) Blading will get you where you want to go quickly and efficiently and skating will get you there in riotously retro style. You choose.
5 Mass Transit
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation uses about half the fuel of private transportation. Plus, you never know who you might strike up a conversation with, you could even fall in love. Not something that's likely to happen in your car by yourself. (Hopefully.) Google maps has a great site that will give you station information, maps, and schedules for your area.
4 Walking
We have legs for a reason, right? Walking is not only fuel efficient (the only energy you'll be burning are calories), it's the best way to really the see the community you're living in. Walking is absolutely the most relaxing way to get around town. Don't have a walkable community? Get involved with America Walks.
3 Biking
If you live just a little too far from work to walk, bicycling is a great alternative-and your glutes will thank you for it also. Now there are solar powered bikes and even fold-up bikes that you can easily carry around with you. There's also incredibly fun group rides you can do in your local community, like the internationally-known monthly Critical Mass ride or the annual World Naked Bike Ride
2 Telecommuting
More and more companies are allowing their employees to telecommute part time, if not full time. Thank goodness for that. Besides the perk of being able to work in your pajamas, you'll save money and energy in gas, as well as all that wasted time getting there and back, and you won't have to see your boss...well, except on video conferencing. When are the geeks going to realize that not all technological advances are a good idea?
1 Skateboarding
If you don't like walking, try skateboarding. You'll bring out your inner child while still getting some exercise and helping out the environment. And, many companies, are now making skateboards available in eco-friendly materials like bamboo and FSC-certified wood. Just think, you can fulfill your early dreams of Gleaming The Cube with Christian Slater...finally.
Michael Reynolds is a wild recipe of a man: three parts rebel, two
parts contractor, one part inventor, one part child, a dash of magician, and a whole mess a' genius. He is known to some as one of the most brilliant green architects of our generation and now, due to new documentary film by Oliver Hodge, to some Mike's known simply as the "Garbage Warrior."
Much to the chagrin of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) out in New Mexico,
Mike began building what he dubbed "earthships" back in the 1970's. These maverick structures are intended to allow
homeowners to be virtually self sufficient, providing their own water,
heat, electricity, and food, and hence eradicating the need for
centralized distribution of the most essential human needs. (Back in
the 70's, Mike also eradicated the need for roads and septic systems,
which he was quickly cured of by the BLM.) Mike defines an earthship as
a passive solar home made out of recycled and natural materials. It is
off-grid and gets its power from the sun and wind. It is completely
sealed from snow and rain, and at the same time, reuses, contains, and
treats its own waste water. Mike refers to this ingenious combination
of features as "biotecture."
The central building blocks of an earthship are recycled car tires which
are then pounded full of local soil. These earth-filled "bricks," along
with recycled glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans, form walls
which absorb heat during the day and radiate it into the home once the
temperature drops. The properties of the earthship's walls, combined
with the strategic placement of the build site and ventilation
passages, create the ultimate structure for passive solar heating and cooling.
Rain and snow are captured on the roof, filtered, and used for four uses
before it passes out of the home, including fresh drinking water,
irrigating the indoor garden, cleaning, and waste treatment. Food is
grown in "greenhouse corridors" in the home. What does all this mean?
Little to no utility bills and a huge reduction in the overall
environmental footprint of day-to-day living.
eConscious Market recently brought our online eCo giving model to the streets – to a store-font at the Sundance Film Festival. We sold environmentally and socially responsible products from some of our favorite vendors, such as Avita, HER Design, Fair Trade Sports, and English Retreads. We donated the proceeds to charity. Basically, this is the same as we do everyday online, but this was really different! It was face-to-face interactions with actual people!
A lot of people say it’s too late – the world has gone to crap and it’s too late. What I found at Sundance, was a community. A movement – living in the hearts, souls and intellectual pursuits of almost everyone that came into our shop. People got it. People got what our model was and what we were trying to do. People liked it because what we were doing fit so well with what they were thinking about and doing in their own lives...in their own businesses...in their own non-profit organizaitons.
It can often feel like we are swimming upstream, fighting a culture of destruction constantly. But what I found during this event – what I found when we put our eCo giving model out there – was that we are not alone. There are a lot of us working to make positive change - believing in goodness and kindness and collaboration and sustainability and justice.
My first time at Sundance was like an awakening. Coming out from behind the computer and being part of a real live community. Meeting people from all over the country who have come to the same conclusions. Being inspired and touched by my fellow conscious people – the breast cancer survivor discussion that erupted around the Afterglow Organic make-up table, the musical event led by Michael Kang (String Cheese Incident) that culminated in the creation of space for each person in the audience to share their own New Year’s Resolutions with each other, and so many more.
So, what was the highlight of my Sundance? Was it having sushi next to Carl Bressler (Usual Suspects) on one side and Evan Handler (Sex and City’s Harry Goldenblatt) on the other? Maybe. But I think when the glitter fades, the real take-home is the inspiration I received from so many people. The highlight for me was this realization: we’re not on the fringe - we are on the cusp of a monumental transformation. The cusp of something that is actually happening.
It dawned on me recently, that learning to live well, is the first step in devising new systems so that we can all evolve into a fully realized cultureof living well. Learning to live well is the first step in creating new systems for our shared sustainable future.
I work with a lot of non-profit organizations, eco businesses, thinkers, writers, and social entrepreneurs. All of us spend our lives working to create a more just and sustainable world. But what do we actually mean by that? How can we know what the world should look like? How do we know that what we are working to create is correct? Do we know we are on to something because water samples have less pollutants in them than they did 30 years ago? Is it because the world is starting to do something about global warming? Is living well quantifiable?
About ten years ago, for a period of several months, an oil painting served as my journal. Every so often, I would add something to it. Some piece of revelation. Right in the middle, I happened to paint, in big dripping letters: HUMANSLOVE. I was begging for that to be ok – for us all to admit that love is actually what it’s all about.
On the last night of the ABC show, Dance Wars (yes, I am an adult Dance Wars watcher), Mariel, from Team Carrie Ann was questioned by Drew Lachey about her thoughts on winning or losing. Her answer was profound. What I remember her saying was this: "We love this." Not “I” love this. Nothing about being rich and famous. The act of winning was not the thing she was thinking about.
What was striking her most at that time, was the deep understanding that this is something she could pour her entire heart and soul into – connection has happened. I think that’s what Carrie Ann was going for when she chose her team – she chose a team that was capable of sharing some sort of human beauty with each other and with America. She wanted a team that expressed, not just technical perfection and good looks, but love.
It’s an interesting topic. One that is not really dealt with in our society so much. We know of romantic love, parent-child love, some friends even admit to loving each other. But seriously, what about actually loving our own lives? We are not taught to create lives that we enjoy. We just aren’t.
I recently heard Derrick Jensen, famed and brilliant, eco writer and speaker, talking about just this topic. He said that people often ask him what they should do to save the world. His response was – I can’t tell you that. He said, I don’t know what you love. His message was, that people need to find what they love and do it in a relevant way for their community. He said to fight for what we love as mothers of all species fight for their children. Find something you love that much.
I agree. We don’t all need to become environmental lawyers, musicians, politicians, writers, entrepreneurs – there is no one right thing. A functioning society has many layers and many important jobs. But what we all do need to do, is live lives that please us - that feel relevant and important. We need to learn, as a society, and as individuals, to trust ourselves to discover what we enjoy. To trust our instincts. Instincts were given to us for a reason – we need to learn that when we’re bored or unsettled, there may be a good reason. To save ourselves and this beautiful earth, we all must find what inspires us, and live in a way that perpetuates what we love.
So how do we save the world? First, we must have fun...we must love our lives.
It's Independence Day, and at eCo Times, we must of course celebrate our emerging independence from oil. The days of the dollar gallon of gas are long gone, and the pain at the pump increases each week. Let's look at the logical alternatives-if you have a long commute, go electric. If you have a short commute, you can cancel your gym membership and get you workout at the same time as your commute. Check out our top ten coolest ways (for both climate and style) to increase your independence from oil. Happy 4th Of July!
Biofuels are an alternative to gasoline that are becoming more readily available every day. Ethanol and biodiesel are examples of fuels that are not only more abundantly available, but also emit less harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases. In addition, there are tax incentives for those purchasing alternative fuels. The most important thing with these fuels is checking the source. Biodiesel is the best choice when it's made from locally collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), not razed rainforests in South America. Ethanol is a great choice when it is made from agricultural and municipal waste, not valuable food crops.
The best hybrids definitely give Big Oil a kick in the Swiss bank account. They run on an engine powered partially by petroleum and partially by electric battery. Many models boast 40+ MPG, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. One of the most exciting hybrids to hit the road recently is the Aptera 1, a 3-wheeled, 2 passenger vehicle which boasts over 200 mpg! Most states give a tax credit with the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. What's more economical than getting paid for saving money on gas?
Electric vehicles require no gas at all. They operate on rechargeable batteries which can be charged right at home and no greenhouse gases are emitted from the tailpipe. If you happen to run your home's energy on solar, you could have an incredibly small ecological footprint when you drive. Even if you do get energy from coal-fired plants, running your car on electricity is still much more efficient than importing oil from the Middle East. Some great electric vehicles to check out are the smokin' hot Tesla Roadster as well as the funky NmG and the adorable Xebra by Zap!.
Many scooters and mopeds these days can be electrically charged right in the comfort of your own garage; some models even charge the battery while you're driving. And as a bonus, you'll look really cool riding one... Europeans and Asians are way ahead of the US in their adoption of this super efficient mode of transport, and the matching outfits that go along with them. Fuel for thought: The average car in the United States costs 32 times more to travel the same distance as the eGO Scooter pictured here.
Whether you're coasting through Venice on purple Puma skates or zipping through Manhattan traffic on your rollerblades, skating is definitely one of the most fun ways to get to work. (Though a change of clothes is definitely going to be necessary.) Blading will get you where you want to go quickly and efficiently and skating will get you there in riotously retro style. You choose.
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation uses about half the fuel of private transportation. Plus, you never know who you might strike up a conversation with, you could even fall in love. Not something that's likely to happen in your car by yourself. (Hopefully.) Google maps has a great site that will give you station information, maps, and schedules for your area.
We have legs for a reason, right? Walking is not only fuel efficient (the only energy you'll be burning are calories), it's the best way to really the see the community you're living in. Walking is absolutely the most relaxing way to get around town. Don't have a walkable community? Get involved with America Walks.
If you live just a little too far from work to walk, bicycling is a great alternative-and your glutes will thank you for it also. Now there are solar powered bikes and even fold-up bikes that you can easily carry around with you. There's also incredibly fun group rides you can do in your local community, like the internationally-known monthly Critical Mass ride or the annual World Naked Bike Ride
More and more companies are allowing their employees to telecommute part time, if not full time. Thank goodness for that. Besides the perk of being able to work in your pajamas, you'll save money and energy in gas, as well as all that wasted time getting there and back, and you won't have to see your boss...well, except on video conferencing. When are the geeks going to realize that not all technological advances are a good idea?
If you don't like walking, try skateboarding. You'll bring out your inner child while still getting some exercise and helping out the environment. And, many companies, are now making skateboards available in eco-friendly materials like bamboo and FSC-certified wood. Just think, you can fulfill your early dreams of Gleaming The Cube with Christian Slater...finally.
