Not all green cars have hybrid engines and not all hybrid vehicles are necessarily green. In 2009, both diesel and electric vehicles began to redefine what a green car is and highlighted the differing paths available on the road to sustainable transportation. Each platform has its drawbacks; electric and hybrid vehicles use batteries that are great when they are in the car but when their lifetime comes to a close they become an environmental nightmare to dispose of; and while diesel engines have been able to approach fuel economies in the range of hybrids, they still emit more carbon dioxide and other heavy metals than electric and hybrid engines. A great green car must walk a tight line between balancing the environmental impact of the vehicle with the basic need to deliver a dependable and practical automobile.

2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI
While Europeans never grew apart from diesel engines, in the American market they gained a reputation for being "dirtier" than gasoline powered cars. With "Clean Diesel" technology rapidly increasing fuel economy across the Atlantic, European manufacturers are betting that the United States can once again embrace diesel engines for more than just pickups. The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI incorporates a clean Turbocharged Diesel engine, and in addition to offering hybrid-like fuel mileage (30 city/41 hwy), it provides something that hybrid cars often can not match – power. The Jetta TDI turns out 236lbs/ft of torque at modest RPM levels, providing much more thrust than you would expect from a "clean" engine. The Jetta TDI's "common rail" direct injection system reduces greenhouse emissions to just 0.67 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile.

2009 Toyota Prius
The pioneer in hybrid engine technology is still at the top of the pack when it comes combining innovative technology with unmatched fuel economy in a dependable and practical automobile. The 2009 Toyota Prius contains the "Hybrid Synergy Drive," which consists of a 1.5L four-cylinder engine and two electric motors – one devoted to providing front wheel power and the other for recharging the battery packs. Its average fuel economy of 46 mpg and low carbon emissions are joined with a variety of other perks like Bluetooth capability, an auxiliary audio jack for MP3 players and JBL speakers.

One of the things I love about living in a city is that I have lots of car-free ways to get around. I have access to a pretty good public transportation system. I can walk to the grocery store, gym and post office. In theory, if I had a bike and nerves of steel, I could navigate the city via its many bike lanes.

But let's be real: our society is set up for cars, and sometimes you need to drive. Sometimes it even helps you be greener, like when you carpool, or need to haul home something you bought in bulk.

Don't stress out about using your car, just drive smart. Here are five easy ways to make your commute more fuel efficient and eco-friendly:

If you're into cars that run on alternative fuels, then this is your lucky week. The Global Green Challenge is a 3,000 kilometer race through the center of Australia that starts in Darwin in the north, finishes in Adelaide in the south, and takes the participants through desert, rainforest and coastal plains.

The race, which began as the World Solar Challenge in 1987, is held every two years. Teams come from around the world to race their kooky looking solar-powered cars that resemble space ships. Most of the teams are made up of engineering students, and the competition is quite earnest.

This year, in addition to the solar concept car competition, there will be a second race called The Eco Challenge, which will include alternative fuel cars that are actually in production around the world.

(Photo by Getty Images)

A little more than five years ago my husband and I, after a six month wait, became the proud, at times even smug, owners of a Toyota Prius -- or as my best friend says, a "Pious." Yes, we hybrid owners are guilty as charged for crowing over our gas mileage and early-adopter-coolness.

Five years later, I remain happy with our now slightly beat up Prius, despite the fact that it's not the best handling car I've ever had, and it has a blind spot exactly the size of the Port-a-Potty left at the foot of our driveway by the street construction team. (Thanks guys, for putting it there, and hope no one was hurt when I backed into it.)

Having just one car worked out great for us for more than ten years. We live in San Francisco, which has a variety of good (and colorful -- look, a live chicken in a pink plastic bag!) public transportation, and there are cabs galore. When we both worked downtown, we used the one car so infrequently we had to replace the battery -- a problem with the earlier Prius models.

(Photo by Getty Images)

Sure, electric cars and hybrids have their place in the green transportation hierarchy, but bikes are universally acknowledged as the greenest way to get around. Completely emissions-free, powered by muscles and sweat, they are the healthy choice for the environment and for you.

However, like so many good habits (or intentions,) biking your way around town can go from difficult to outright impossible when you're traveling. Bikes are a pain to transport on airplanes, and while you can rent in most places, you never know what kind of equipment you'll find. Plus, even if you are lucky enough to get a decent bike, it can still be hard to find important information like where you can safely ride or if there are bike racks at your destination.

Of course, a clever person named George Gill came up with a solution: RentaBikeNow.com. This site lets you research the available bikes in a city or town, see photos and rates, reserve it online, and then get information on the best and safest routes. You can also get accessories, like kiddie trailers, helmets and locks.

(Photo by Getty Images)

You know how being "green" used to have a sort of, well ... wimpy reputation?

Hey, you know it's true. I don't make it up, I just report it!

Well, those days are over. Eco-friendly is so cool it's now badass. Ashley Braun and Katharine Wroth at Grist created a killer list of the 13 most badass greens, and there is not a wussy treehugger (not that there's anything wrong with that, we love treehuggers and Treehugger) to be seen!

The post has a poll for you to vote for your favorite Badass Green, but I seriously could not pick just one. My top picks include:

(Photo by monstervintage.com)

"Recycle" and "reduce" get a lot of attention in the green world, but gloomy global economic conditions are making many people take a second look at "reuse." This thrifty attitude is great for the planet -- if something has already been created, it's better to get as much use out of it as possible before you spend more energy to recycle it into something else.

Clothing is one of the easiest and most fun things to reuse. Hand-me-downs get a bad rap, but when you call it vintage? Then it's cool! Even if you don't have good local vintage boutiques, the internet is now a fab place to find treasures. Monster Vintage has a huge selection of men's, women's and "cool stuff." Be warned, if you click through, you will browse through the merchandise for hours!

"Gently used" second-hand designer fashion used to be a guilty secret, but now we're wearing it loud and proud. Online luxury vintage retailer Marion Mercer offers pristine items from designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Valentino. While the prices aren't exactly thrift store cheap, they're still considerably less than buying the big names new.

Ouch. The news just keeps getting worse for GM. Even though the Volt has enjoyed unprecedented hype for the last 2+ years, and Jay Leno thinks its a superior ride, President Obama's new car task force is not super impressed by the long-range hybrid. They've begun questioning the Volt's commercial prospects as they take a good hard look at GM's sustainability plan. From their report:

"GM is at least one generation behind Toyota on advanced, "green" powertrain development. In an attempt to leapfrog Toyota, GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt. While the Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable.

One of the biggest concerns is that GM's 'leapfrog' strategy relied on selling the Volt at a loss, not exactly great for sustainability in the near term. While no official price has been set for the Volt just yet, all signs seem to indicate a price tag right at $40K. At that price, the Volt will be competing with the very sporty, very classy-looking Tesla Model S all-electric sedan. What do you think about the Volt's commercial appeal?


[via Treehugger]

Last week, Green Daily brought you the news that there was a strange video floating around that featured a car-shaped object under an Ikea car cover. At first, there was speculation that Ikea was perhaps going to start designing cute little eco-cars, then it seemed like a clever but all-too-obvious April Fool's prank (since the unveiling is set for April 1st). Alas, it was neither.

"Leko," the mysterious word that glared at us from the Ikea car cover, actually refers to a new online car-sharing program that's kicking off on April 1st. Apparently, Ikea has entered into a deal to offer car-sharing services at its 26 locations in France. That's what the viral video campaign was all about ... and it has nothing to do with April Fools' Day at all. How lame is that?

Sorry the news is somewhat less climactic than anticipated (especially for any readers not located in France), but that's life. C'est la vie.

[via AutoblogGreen]

Neil Young loves the automobile with a passion, it's the giant oil conglomerates and carbon emissions that he's not too crazy about. In support of his upcoming car-themed concept album Fork in the Road -- which has basically pre-panned by critics based on a sample track and the theme -- Neil Young has filmed a low-tech music video in what is undoubtedly the most high-tech '59 Lincoln Continental the world has ever seen: Lincvolt.

CARB, or the California Air Resources Board to the layperson, has been on somewhat of a regulation rampage so far this month. A couple of weeks ago, CARB started batting aroudn the idea of banning of all dark colored paint jobs in order to lighten the load on your car's A/C, and therefore improve air quality (supossedly).

After scrapping that horribly misguided proposal, they went ahead and adopted a measure to require that all of California's auto maintainence businesses to ensure that your tire pressure is at factory reccomended levels. This, according to CARB would save the average Californian $12 per year on gas which will probably be offset by rising mechanic prices. As weird and draconian as regulating tire pressure may sound, at least it would almost certainly result in greater fuel economy across the board. That can't be said for the nonsense about outlawing cars with black paintjobs.

California's tire industry argues that the regulation -- which requires pressure readings and times listed on all invoices -- will be burdensome and expose mechanic shops to new forms of litigation from trial lawyers.

[via AutoblogGreen]

Of all places in US to launch an experimental car-sharing program, most analysts would probably put any city in truck-month loving Texas somewhere near the bottom of the list. Thwarting intuition, that's somehow the very first place that Diamler is going to test their Car2Go mobility program. The horde of Smart ForTwos for rent will descend upon the Lone Star State's capital city this fall.

In order to reduce their employee's commuting costs, cut CO2 emissions, and save valuable time (and money), companies all over have shortened their regular work week and/or encouraged their employees to work from home. Seizing on this development, a UK design firm named OfficePOD has built the ideal prefab workspace for the eco-friendly work from home crowd.

According to OfficePOD, the average employer in the UK pays £9,000 ($13,000) per year to accommodate an employer in an office building ... and it only costs about £5,000/year to lease an OfficePOD. They also estimate that an average worker in London pays £4,000 a year in commuting costs, most of which is saved. Not to mention, the OfficePOD is about a billion times more aesthetically than a cubicle, and no one will borrow your stapler. The only bummer from my perspective is that it's a rental -- and of course, the fact that it's only available in the UK.

[via Treehugger]

It's finally here, Tesla's first foray into affordability and practicality -- and it looks/sounds pretty awesome. The annoying car cover from that teaser photo was thrown off today at Tesla's press event today in Hawthorne, CA, where the Model S -- which seats seven, charges in 45 minutes, and has a range of up to 300 miles -- made it's first public appearance.

Even before its launch, one of the best things Tesla PR department had going for it was a general outpouring of celebrity support. Heck, there was even a rumor that a few of Hollywood's elite male actors would stage an impromptu Tesla parade at this year's Oscars.

But with that kind of high profile attention, there comes a slight risk -- and rumor would have you believe that at least one superstar isn't so happy with his electric Roadster. According to a piece in Gawker, a certain governator of the great state of California, has been trying to get his money back for months.

What's Tesla's return policy? I can assure you that I don't have any idea. Considering the weak status of the auto industry, coupled with news that Tesla specifically is having a tough time keeping their head above water, I really doubt that they're excited about giving Schwarzenegger his $100K back. What's the governor's problem? According to a tipster, Arnold has a tough time getting in and out of the tiny Lotus body, "he's more of a Hummer guy."

[via Ecorazzi]