(image borrowed from flickr user Nieuwslicht)

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/lifestraw_versi.php

http://www.lifestraw.com/en/high/maincont2.asp

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nSB1SdVHqQ&rel=1]

http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/23/bird-electron-ez17-b-ipod-recycling-speaker/

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/18/nanosolar-begins-shipping-world-s-lowest-cost-solar-panel/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/technology/18solar.html?ex=1355634000&en=091b06819623f9d0&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

http://www.nanosolar.com/blog3/2007/12/18/nanosolar-ships-first-panels/

Unless you are into RV’s, you may not have heard about putting solar (or photo voltaic) cells on the roof of a recreational vehicle. I have a friend that is working on a project to equip his van with solar cells. He regularly takes mountain biking and wind surfing trips and would like the convenience and piece of mind of being self sufficient.

The basic procedure for this type of project is to find out how many amps you will be using. From there is a little beyond me, but here is a quote from someone advising him on the project. “Sizing calculations are based on amp hours. So take your 2 amp load and estimate how many hours/day you plan on using it. That’ll give you x amp hours of load per day. Then you need to consider you battery(s). Deep cycle (not starter) batteries are the best type for these applications, for example a Group 24 12V deep cycle battery you can get at Wally world is good for about 75 amp hours. So as an example, if you ran your 2 amp fan for 4 hrs per day you’d only consume 8 amp hours per day. For 3 days you’d only consume 24 amp hours or roughly, a third of a group 24 batteries capacity.” Whatever that means…

I am going to leave the technical stuff there, but it is great that rv’ers are embracing a technology that could be so important for our energy production in the future. It would be safe to assume that those people would be more likely to install photo voltaic cells on their houses. Solar cells could be one of those technologies that have been around a while and it would be great to suddenly see explosive growth because of mass adoption as a viable technology.

Don’t have that kind of cash, but would still like to own the technology? The Enertia Electric Motorcycle by Brammo is for you. 0-30 in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 50mph make this bike a great choice for commuting. The 40-50 mile range will conquer most home to work distances and once at work you can charge it using a standard electrical outlet. The starting price of $11,995 (add $300 for shipping) is much more attainable for the rest of us. If you want a little more bling on your ride, you can opt for the $14,995 limited edition “Carbon” model.

They will begin shipping third quarter of 2008, so you have plenty of time to contemplate your purchase. They are also planning a scaled down version for campus cruising and a two up version for carrying a passenger.

Edited for Accuracy. Previous version pegged Brammo as the creator of the Tesla when it in fact is Tesla. “Responsible Fundraising” apologizes for this error.

These books are definitely business books, but they have lessons and ideas for any aspect of life and not just business.

First would be Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. Yvon Chouinard is the founder and owner of Patagonia clothing company. Before he even began making clothing he was a climbing bum making climbing gear to support his outdoor lifestyle. His one page mimeographed catalog featured a caveat telling his customers to not expect timely deliveries during climbing season. From this, he has built a clothing company that is consistently profitable, while also being a model environmentally conscious organization. His book includes a history of the company, and an outline of their business practices.

After Let My People Go Surfing, I read Raising the Bar by Gary Erickson, the founder and owner of Clif Bar. This book promotes the virtues of traveling the “white road” instead of the more heavily traveled “red road.” A prime example of this is when Gary turns down a 120 million dollar buyout deal that would have given him and his partner 60 million a piece. Even though this presented issues in the form of his partner wanting out of the business, the company going into debt, and the competition of larger firms, the “white road” of continued private ownership of the business provided for a fulfilling journey for everyone involved with clif bar. And like Patagonia, this company stands for environmental values, such as having all of their products be organic and vegetarian friendly.

I truly enjoyed these books for many reasons, but they primarily show that a company can survive and even thrive when integrating earth friendly practices throughout all of their business practices.

I encourage you to follow the links to these books and purchase them if you are looking for a good read.

And, to the benefit of the environment, if you live in Florida, New Jersey, New York, or Oregon you can enjoy having energy that you know to be non-polluting. According to an EPA website, “Fossil fuel-fired power plants are responsible for 67 percent of the nation’s sulfur dioxide emissions, 23 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, and 40 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions.” Cars are indeed a major contributor of many greenhouse gases as well as pollutants, but electricity production is also an area that we as a country can improve.

A side benefit of Green Mountain entering (besides being cheaper than the big guy, TXU) the market is the fact that other companies have started offering green electricity packages as a result.

I will end this post by saying that we aren’t affiliated with Green Mountain, but we do use them for our electricity company. If you live in a state that posesses a deregulated electricity market, check out Green Mountain Energy or any other company that produces green electricty.

Where is this all going? Well, for some time now, individuals have been creating an alternative fuel derived from plant and animal based oils. This mainly grass-roots movement has been building steam to the point that companies are now blending it themselves and selling the stuff at pumps. This product is called Biodiesel.

Biodiesel can be used to describe a wide variety of fuels. It is occasionally even used in the broadest sense to describe alternative fuels such as methanol. More specifically it is used to describe vegetable oils that are chemically converted to be suitable for use in non-modified diesel engines. Straight vegetable oils (SVO) or Waste Vegetable Oils (WVO) are distinguished from Biodiesel because they are unconverted. They are simply filtered to remove engine damaging particles. SVO and WVO are also different in that they are usually only run in engines or fuel systems that are converted to be able to handle the unique characteristics of unmodified vegetable oils.

Biodiesel uses oils from a wide range of plants to create fuel for vehicles. These include corn, rapeseed, soy, and even algae. This fuels produces far fewer toxins overall when burned. It lowers carbon monoxide, and aromatic hydrocarbons despite the fact that it produces more nitrogen oxide. And since the fuel is produced from plants that use carbon dioxide for growth, the fuel is carbon neutral.

Biodiesel is rated according to the amount that it is blended with regular diesel fuel. For instance a B20 blend would be 20 percent Biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel fuel. The biodiesel pumps in our area pump B20 exclusively.

Like I said before, Biodiesel is becoming more and more mainstream. Even Willie Nelson has thrown his hat into the ring with “Willie Fuel“. Because of this, and also because diesel is naturally more efficient, diesel passenger cars have become more popular and are commanding higher prices. Volkswagen dealerships are able to sell cars sight unseen at sticker price. To compound the problem, Volkswagen is halting production of their diesel engines for a year to revamp the design to meet higher diesel environmental standards. Even used Volkswagen diesel trucks and rabbits from the 80’s are commanding impressive prices on ebay.

Biodiesel seems to be one of those solutions that address many problems without producing many complaints. I hope that Biodiesel usage expands.