Green Daily

For more than five years I've been one of those annoying people in San Francisco, driving a Toyota Prius and feeling smugly eco-superior. There have been many times when my husband and I have gloated over how little we spend on gas and how light it makes our carbon footprint.

This summer I had a chance to drive a few Ford 2010 models, and in that process met several people on the Ford Safety and Sustainability Team. Knowing that Ford offers several hybrids -– the Fusion, Escape, Milan and Mariner -- I figured our conversations would focus on that technology, and maybe get into plug-in electric vehicles.

In the course of several discussions, including a one-on-one interview with Sue Cischke, Ford Group Vice President, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, I learned something surprising: figuring out which car is most environmentally-friendly for your situation is more complex than just picking the hybrid.

Did Obama miss a chance to show support for sustainable breweries? Should you buy a heavy-duty bike lock for your Smart car? Which is greener: recycled paper towels or hand dryers? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

The Beer Summit That Could Have Been Let's try to forget the fact that dorky Joe Biden crashed the party with non-alcoholic beer for a moment and focus on something more environmentally relevant, but no less unfortunate. None of these gentlemen took the opportunity to highlight a local, green beer!

Is Your Smart Car Safe? I'm not asking about crash-ratings here. I'm asking, is it safe from the clutches of your local vandals? Pranksters in Amsterdam have discovered that the Smart is a cinch to pick up and literally throw into the city's canals. Will this euro-trend migrate to the States?

Green Hand Drying Etiquette We make the decision at public restrooms almost everyday: paper towels or hand dryer? If you notice that your bathroom stocks the unbleached recycled stuff, and you partake, you're not a complete miscreant. However, you should utilize the blow dryer when available.

The Prius is Trouncing the Insight I was pumped to see that Honda was bringing back the Insight, but apparently the rest of the country is not so impressed. Thanks to the new and improved third-generation Prius, the Insight is likely to achieve 30% of its US sales goal. Is the Prius really that superior?

Are CFLs All They're Cracked Up To Be? By now, everybody and their mother has a house full of these low-energy bulbs -- but does their energy-saving potential really outweigh the fact that they contain mercury? I hope so, because I just moved into a new place and bought like 20 of them.

Green in a Flash:

• Cash for Clunkers may already be out of money. Surprised?
  
• A new threat to our pristine forests: illegal marijuana plantations.
• Is the sour economy zapping California's enthusiasm for climate change legislation?

(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.

Why is Daryl Hannah wearing handcuffs? Is Michelle Obama turning the White House into a hippie commune? Should cash-strapped cities be hiring ad firms to promote their tap water? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Daryl Hannah Gets Locked Up Eco-warrior Daryl Hannah can't seem to steer clear of Johnny Law. She and about 30 other protesters got loaded into the paddy wagon after blocking West Virginia's State Route 3, which leads to a Massey coal plant. Rock on! Daryl's a repeat offender!

The White House has a Compost Bin Actually, make that three compost bins. After importing her compost from celebrity chef Dan Barber for this year's ridiculously successful planting season, the First Lady is taking her organic gardening up a notch with on-site kitchen waste composters.

Minneapolis Pays Big Bucks to Promote Tap Water In most US cities the tap water is not only safe, but it's just as pure as many bottled waters. The trick is getting a bottle-addicted populous to give it a chance. Minneapolis recently launched a controversial $180K campaign to encourage people to tap into city water.

Is it Ever Green to Eat Factory Farmed Meat? If you're at a dinner party and you notice that someone's going to throw out some perfectly good, factory farmed meat, is it greener to take it home and make meatloaf despite your anti-factory farm principles? Check out Grist's answer to this philosophical dilemma.

The Country by Country Water Footprint Breakdown I don't know why, but I just love maps, no matter what they're attempting to document. It could be radioactive monster sightings, I don't care. This one happens to be the various water footprints of the world -- an issue that's gaining more awareness these days.

Green in a Flash:

• Could massive geothermal power projects trigger earthquakes in SF?
• Apparently, America really likes the new Prius commercials.
• Cash for Clunkers scams are already popping up, and the bill hasn't even been signed yet.
  

Why is Robert De Niro in the doghouse with some of Hollywood's top celebrities? Looking for a low-impact wedding on the cheap? At a loss for green Father's Day gift ideas? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Celebs Set Sights on Nobu's Menu Robert De Niro's swank sushi restaurant is now the target of a celebrity crusade. No, it's not the first time that Nobu has been outed for serving endangered bluefin tuna, but this time Elle Macpherson, Sienna Miller, Woody Harrelson and Sting have all joined forces.

National Park Weddings on the Rise? Booking your wedding at a national park not only allows you and your guests to enjoy amazing scenery, but the price is right -- a recession friendly $50-$200. Not only that, but some parks don't even allow things like chairs, flowers, or candelabras, so you're automatically low impact.

Green Dad's Day Ideas Don't panic yet, you still have a week+ to find a Father's Day present. Maybe your dad's green ... or maybe your trying to prod him along toward a reduced impact lifestyle. Either way, check out some gift ideas that Treehugger came up with. I'm diggin' the push mower.

Worldwide Bag Ban? UN official Achim Steiner really hates the plastic bag. The dude wants to initiate a global ban on the pesky little bags that are now officially the second most common form of litter after cigarette butts. Question, why is no one leading a campaign to ban filtered cigarettes?

Prius Sales Down 45% From 2008 Sure, you could interpret this as a win for the Honda Insight, or a sign that Americans aren't really that keen on hybrids. Sadly, this probably means that, no matter how bad we want a new Prius, we just can't afford one right now.

Green in a Flash:

• DVD packaging now uses 20% less pastic.
• Brooklyn's beaches are so dirty, you can get arrested for swimming.
• Most polluted ecosystems can rebound in 5-15 years -- once we stop trashing them, that is.

Which celebrities are getting the fewest miles for the gallon? Is Superman abusing his superpowers just to save the troubled print media industry? Can a few million gallons of white paint save the planet? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all of the latest green news and tips.

A Tour of Celebrity Gas-Guzzlers What are all the least carbon-conscious celebrities driving these days? It's an important question that deserves (for our collective celebrity obsessiveness) to be answered. That's why Treehugger has put together this list of the top seven celebrity gas guzzlers.

Superman Hearts the 2010 Prius Even Superman wants to see if the 2010 Prius is really all it's cracked up to be. I'm not sure it's really ethical to call on his superpowers like flying and x-ray vision just to get a scoop. It must be tough times over at the Daily Planet. Check out the video.

BYO Dry Cleaning Bag? Many of us bought reusable grocery bags a year ago, and a small but proud percentage of us remember to bring them to the store. Shouldn't plastic dry cleaning bags be phased out too? These reusable cotton dry cleaning bags can help reduce your footprint.

Paint it White US Energy Secretary Stephen Chu has a bone to pick with Mick Jagger: he wants everything painted white. According to Chu, painting all roofs and streets white would be equivalent to taking every car off the road for 11 years. I'm looking for my paintbrush right now.

Bike Sales Cruise Past Cars and Trucks! Keeping in mind that the first quarter of 2009 was hard on both auto and bike manufacturers, it's pretty amazing that more bikes were sold than cars in the US.That's right, 2.6 million new bikes hit the streets compared to 2.5 million automobiles.

Green in a Flash:

• Check out this ad for a GM hybrid from 1969!
• Is Big Oil slowly becoming Big Biofuels?
  
• Hoping to boost tourism in Key West, offical blew up a WW2 ship to create an atificial reef.

Did your parents teach you about proper green potty protocol? Will the first mainstream comedy lampooning green do-gooders fly high or flop? Will switching to Vermont maple syrup save baby seals? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Public Flushing Etiquette By now, we're all pretty much aware of the water-saving virtue of the 'if it's yellow, let it mellow' rule -- but what's the rule in a public restroom, or a friend's house? Grist's Umbra walks us through the etiquette of when and where to let it mellow.

The Goode Family Premieres Tonight Can Mike Judge make us laugh at a tree-hugging, über PC, suburban family the way he did a conservative, blue-collar, suburban family? We'll get our first taste tonight at 9:00 EST on ABC.

Cate Blanchett Speaks Out in Copenhagen Despite the lackluster results of last December's World Business Summit on Climate Change, stars like Cate Blanchett are determined to hold the world's top CEO's feet to the flames. Will Cate's eloquent plea make the difference?

Air Quality Monitoring Fashion Accessories You may be wondering: why would anyone want to wear a giant air quality monitoring bracelet everywhere they go? I often think the same thing about pedometers. In theory, I guess you could also carry a gas mask and put it on whenever pollution readings get above normal.

What Do Seals Have to do with Maple Syrup? PETA is asking all animal lovers to boycott Canadian Maple Syrup in order to pressure officials to outlaw the Canadian Seal Hunt. I'm really not sure why syrup producers should be punished for something they have no real stake in, but, shouldn't we be buying local anyway?

Green in a Flash:

• Curious about Supreme Court pick Sotomayor's environmental record?
• Prius lovers rejoice! The world's most popular hybrid now has a rap video.
  
• The NRDC says California businesses can save enough water to supply LA, San Francisco, and San Diego.

How in the world can the new Terminator movie have a small environmental impact? Got a big yard and a goat-proof fence? Want an energy-friendly pre-fab house but think you can't afford one? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Terminating Humanity with a Small Footprint It's hard to imagine any shoot 'em up Hollywood action movie passing itself off as "green," but according to eco-conscious director McG, the production of Terminator: Salvation "left almost no carbon footprint."

HangerPak: Ship it, Fold it, Hang it The HangerPak is an awesome shipping package concept that doubles as a clothes hanger when it reaches its destination. Practice your origami skills and watch the package transform. If it were a Transformer, it would definitely be an Autobot.

Ever Considered a Goat Mower? In general, lawnmowers are pretty nasty polluters (about 4 times dirtier than a car). That's why lots of companies like Google are hiring goats to do their landscaping. On the edge of your seat? Learn about the ins and outs of goat mowing here.

Introducing the Clayton iHouse Step out of the mobile home and into the 21st century. Trailer home manufacturer Clayton Homes wants to change the way Americans look at pre-fab. These Ikea-esque homes are cheap, stylish, and are 30% more efficient than a conventional home.

How to Breathe Easier in Your Home Most enviros spend a ton of time worrying about the air quality outdoors, but we spend a majority of our lives inside our four walls. In honor of your lungs -- and Asthma Awareness Month -- you might want to consider taking steps to clear the air in your home .

Green in a Flash:

• The 2010 Prius will have a slew of styling/peformance packages.
• Tour British comedian Marcus Brigstoke's eco-friendly home.
• In the future, wind power generators posing as trees will tastefully harvest energy in your yard.

Are you worried about your Cinco de Mayo's impact on the environment? Why is Google getting into the goat business? Is your mayor fighting the good fight for the environment? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all of the latest green news and tips.

How to Verde Your Cinco de Mayo It's Cinco de Mayo and, quite obviously, the number one question on everybody's mind today is: Can I recycle a beer bottle with a lime wedge stuck inside?

Google Harnesses Goat Power No, Google's powerful servers aren't being powered by goats on treadmills. The livestock is actually a part of Google lawn maintenance plan. They've hired 200 goats to clear the brush around their Mountain View HQ.

Is Your Mayor in the Green 15? To lead a city down a path of sustainability, you've got to have a seriously green-leaning captain. Grist put together a list of the 15 most eco-conscious mayors in the country. Did yours make the list?

Anderson Cooper Wins Hero Award Conservation International is honoring Coops and the rest of CNN's Green team the with Global Conservation Hero Award for their work on the awesome series Planet in Peril. Way to go, guys!

Honda Chips Away at Prius Domination Look out Prius, the new Honda Insight is coming at you like a spider monkey. The Insight's first month in the US saw sales of 2,096, while Prius sales were down 61.5% from last April. I'm going to ahead and assume that those figures are somewhat linked.

Green in a Flash:

• Broadway's got its first ever LEED-certified theater!
• The grey wolf has officially come off of the endangered species list.
• GM wants to sell Saturn and all of its awesome upcoming hybrid models before 2010.

What's PETA got against the infectious, easy, and universally-understood phenomenon know as the chicken dance? Are you an Insight or a Prius (kinda like being a Mac or PC)? Which midday game show should you tune into tomorrow? Today's Eco-Beat has all the latest awesome green news and tips.

PETA vs. the Chicken Dance KFC is organizing what they hope will be "The World's Largest Synchronized Chicken Dance" at Talladega Superspeedway (where else?). PETA is asking Guinness Book to preemptively reject the record because of KFC's tarnished animal rights record.

Prius Goes Head to Head With the Insight Now that Toyota finally has some real competition in the battle for hybrid domination, they're pulling out the stops. They've dropped the base price on the Prius $1,000, making it only $1,200 higher than the Honda Insight.

The Price Is Right, Ed Drew Carey will have a special guest on tomorrow's green edition of The Price Is Right (I know you secretly watch it). Giving the lovely ladies of TPIR a break, Ed Begley Jr. will introduce a showcase which includes: an e-bike, golf cart, and a Toyota Prius.

The Flaming Lips Rock DC's Green Apple Festival Volunteers and participants at Washington, DC's Green Apple Festival were rewarded with recycled plastic tote bags from NASA and a surreal performance by notorius weirdos The Flaming Lips.

Slap Some Solar on Your Villa Good news for those who have a green heart, a tile roof, and a draconian HOA: starting this summer you can go green with thin-film tiles that blend in perfectly with your Tuscan style home. No more neighbors complaining about your unsightly "hippie" solar panels.

Green in a Flash:

• Are you living in one of the world's cleanest countries?
• California may declare corn ethanol to be worse than oil.
• Climate Armageddon is the new boogeyman: 1 in 3 kids fear the end is nigh.

If you're in the market for a new car, you've probably noticed that the number of hybrids parked on dealer lots higher than ever -- even as the market for cars in general has collapsed. Much of the reason for this is the intense tongue-lashing the auto industry has received for focusing on SUVs and not the smaller, fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow. The trouble is, now that a glut of hybrids are being pumped into the market, the demand for hybrids seems to be vanishing like a mirage.

This month, Toyota celebrated the sale of its 1,000,000th hybrid -- and while execs were reveling in their hybrid domination, they were also digesting the news that Prius sales were down 33% since last February. Hybrid sales across the board are down almost 2/3rds since last April. "When gas prices came down, the priority of buying a hybrid fell off quite quickly," says Wes Brown of LA-based Iceology. In some places, car buyers are trending back towards SUVs and trucks. Still, the slate for most automakers, especially the ones who took bailout money (ahem, GM and Chrysler), is loaded to the brim with hybrids and fuel-sippers. Has the demand for hybrids really collapsed, or is it just the ailing economy? Is our fuel consciousness truly only engaged when energy prices rise?

[via AutoblogGreen]

When you buy a Prius, you can be fairly sure your going to save money at the pump, cut down your greenhouse emissions, and generally enjoy the benefits of one of the most reliable products on the road. What you may not know about the Prius is that when it comes time to take it into the mechanic -- which shouldn't happen too often -- you might have to dole out a lot of the money you thought you'd saved on gas.

A recent study is confirming what a lot of Prius drivers have learned the hard way, parts for a Prius run about 8.4% more expensive than similar cars its size. In general, all hybrids including the Civic and Camry cost a little more than gasoline powered cars to fix -- an average of 3.8%. Why is the Prius so much more? The reason is mostly because the Prius is a dedicated hybrid, so there are far less parts in common with the rest of Toyota's fleet (or any other fleet for that matter). One bright spot for potential Prius owners is that repair costs on 2007 and later models have come down signigicantly.

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Last September, Honda announced that they were bringing back the Insight -- or at least the Insight brand identity -- and in 2009 they we're going to come after the Prius with a vengeance. With the Insight's launch date set for Earth Day, April 22nd, the suits at Honda are still deliberating over pricing options for the US market. Obviously, in this down market, the lower the price, the better. That's why Honda's executive VP Koichi Kondo is campaigning to sell the Insight for less than $20K.

If Honda is really serious about knocking the Prius out of the #1 spot, or even gaining a significant foothold in the hybrid market, they know they've got to go painfully low on price. The first market to see the Insight will be Japan, and the price for the Japanese is already set at 1.89 million yen ($21,140), so I don't know how they will manage to sell the Insight in the US for under 20K -- but they might have to. Although some would argue that the EPA underestimated the Insight's fuel economy, the EPA rated it 43mpg city/40mpg Highway. Compare that to the Prius' 48/45.

There's a new candidate for must-see, environmentally relevant, B-movie of the year, and it features a homicidal, shape-shifting car that runs on emissions-free supernatural power. Judging by the trailer, the killer car featured in Hybrid is not a man-eating Prius, but a sort of haunted, organic, muscle car that breathes. Does this hybrid demon-car symbolize fate paying us back for carbon emissions, killing the environment, the collapsing US auto industry, or does it just symbolize that haunted cars are totally awesome?

Calling Hybrid an "eco-horror" movie might be a bit of a stretch -- we'll have to wait and see -- but its name alone suggests that a pretty heavy anti-car subtext might be at might be woven rather unskillfully through this B-movie plot. Check out the synopsis:

"Late one night, a mysterious car is brought into the Chicago police impound garage after a deadly traffic accident. The garage's female mechanic, Tilda, and her young, hip fellow mechanics soon discover the car has a mind of its own: it morphs into different cars to confuse them and instead of needing an engine to run, it breathes. It's a killing machine that is capable of outrunning and outwitting humans."

[via Ecorazzi]

Look out Toyota! Honda may have finally worked out a way the challenge the Prius Hybrid Supremacy. Last week at the Detroit autoshow, Honda unveiled the 2010 Insight hybrid, which will be available starting on Earth Day, April 22nd. (Oh, marketing people, you are so clever.)

The new model shares the name of Honda's original, quirky looking hybrid but not much else. It's a compact hatchback, with great acceleration, lower price tag than the Prius, and a wild sounding interactive dashboard that helps you increase your fuel economy. Wired even said that it was fun to drive, which is not something you'll hear from Prius-drivers like me.

Honda plans to send 100,000 Insights to North America in 2009. Between fuel prices and people wanting to do something about climate change/reducing their carbon footprint, not to mention all those Prius owners with cars that are six, seven or even eight years old, it's a good bet that they will sell like hotcakes.