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.

What's Dave Matthew's plan to bribe his beer-chugging fans to recycle? Does your child really have the wizard-like discipline needed for a pet owl? Will bikini car washes help boost the masculine appeal of hybrid cars? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Dave Matthews Bribes Fans to Recycle This summer, DMB fans can take the intrinsic sense of gratification they get from helping the planet and trade it in for good old fashioned prizes. Fans who recycle their mountain of beer cans at Dave's concerts will get free downloads from the band's "So Much to Save" album.

Harry Potter Inspires Pet Owl Debacle Following in their favorite boy-sorcerer's footsteps, many Harry Potter fans have flocked to the pet store in order to buy their very own Snowy Owl. As it turns out, owls don't make the most snuggly, well-adjusted pets ... so now they're being abandoned in record numbers.

Drive a Green Car, Get a Free Bikini Car Wash! Taking a note out of the PETA playbook, Angry Green Girl used semi-nude sexiness to bring awareness to environmental issues by offering a free car wash (performed by bikini-clad models) to anyone who drives an environmentally-friendly vehicle.

Mapping the Ocean's "Deserts" Researchers have found that the ocean's "desert" areas (slightly less dead than "dead zones") have expanded by 500,000 sq-km in the last 10 years alone! It may be depressing to look at, but it's important nonetheless; check out the lifeless ocean deserts map.

Brammo Electric Motorcycles On Sale At Best Buy The age of the electric motorcycle is dawning. For proof, you only have to go so far as Best Buy. Those who want to recreate their own "Easy Rider" trek -- minus the emissions and heroin -- can pick up their new "hog" at Best Buy locations on the West Coast.

Green in a Flash:

• Highways may one day double as solar collectors.
• GPS systems with real-time traffic updates can cut emissions by 21%.
• If you're going on a summer vacay, considered renting a bike instead of a car.

(Photo by Mike Hussein Cohen, Flickr)

According to the Prius' latest ad campaign, the hybrid supposedly strikes a harmony between man, nature and machine, but if you asked about 100+ residents of Ellington, Connecticut, they might have a different take on iconic fuel-sipper and the people who drive it. In fact, what you hear may well be an angry rant peppered with some f-bombs.

That's because a Prius driver is single-handily responsible for launching an unintentional attack on the town's power grid. I know what you're probably thinking: an overzealous Prius driver somehow blew up the power grid while trying to charge his car with a homemade charger contraption ... Well that's not it at all.

This driver isn't at all what people have in mind when they joking refer it as the Toyota "Pious." Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning, a Prius driver from the dark side ran smack into a utility pole, knocking out power to over 100 houses and then fleeing the scene on foot.

Police still haven't found the driver or been able to determine what exactly did happen. I know this goes without saying, but police suspect that alcohol may have been involved, hence the wreck and run scenario.

Not only did the driver cause a blackout that lasted for over 5 hours, they also managed to shut down Route 286 for the morning rush hour. Woohoo! Congratulations, anonymous hit-and-run Prius driver, you've single-handily given the Prius' image a punch in the face.

Fortunately for all the responsible Prius drivers out there, Toyota is currently engaged in some damage control. In honor of the Prius' new seemingly popular ad campaign, Toyota is hauling these giantic 18-foot solar flowers across the country fully equipped with lounge chairs, cell phone and laptop charging stations, and free wi-fi.

(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 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.

Is your city killing you? Want to impress Ed Norton and win $20,000? Need a few pointers on how to dupe consumers into thinking your product is eco-friendly? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Do You Live in One of America's Fittest Cities? The results are in for the top 45 healthiest metropolitan areas in the nation. A few of the top criteria in the study were: Percentage of people who walk/bike to work, acres of parkland, rate or cardiovascular disease, and diet. And the winner is ... Washington, DC? Go figure.

Ed Norton is Judging You Eco-celeb Ed Norton is on a panel of judges that will determine the winners of the "Green Effect" national contest. Sun Chips and National Geographic are giving five winners $20,000 to implement the big green ideas that most impress the judges.

Jason Mraz is a Solar Fiend Whether or not you're a fan of his cutesy, scatting, folk-tinged vocal style, there's no denying that Jason Mraz has a big heart for the environment. "This year I went full out and went solar - everything runs on solar energy" -- even his acoustic-electric guitar.

Greenwashing is Easy and Fun "Greenwashing" has become an integral part of marketing science. With little more than unbleached cardboard and a hip new font, eco-artist Lunchbreath shows us how to green your product's image without changing the actual product. Hilarious!

Tesla's First Recall Under normal circumstances, a recall is nothing to celebrate. But in this case, I'm willing to take it as a positive sign. In a way Tesla's first NHTSA recall affirms that it's a real car company. Cool. It's also good that the first recall is for improperly torqued bolts, not exploding batteries ...

Green in a Flash:

• Study: 1 in 5 cars sold in the US will be hybrids by 2020.
• Is climate change really to blame for 315,000 deaths per year?
• FRESH, a documentary about the growing sustainable food revolution, is making it's way to a theater near you.

Who wants to look at gorgeous supermodels modeling sustainable bikinis? Which is worse for the environment: Hummers or steak? Wanna tear up the lake on a silent, zero emissions watercraft? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all the latest green news and tips.

Gisele's Organic Bikini Shoot Smoking hot supermodel Gisele Bündchen shows off her glamorous curves in a full-page ad for sustainable clothing firm Loyale in this month's Vogue. Admire her sleek organic cotton swimwear, or just the beautiful view.

One Cheeseburger, Hold the Meat If you had to choose between buying a hybrid or going veggie, which one would you choose? I'm guessing most of us would rather go hybrid, but that only cuts one ton of greenhouse gases a year. Forgoing your meat habit shaves 1.5 tons of GHG per year. Gasp.

Are You Insured for Climate Change? Some people disavow climate change altogether, others think it's natural and unstoppable, but at least one man in the insurance industry thinks it simply doesn't matter. If changes in sea level and weather are changing, we should be pricing insurance accordingly.

What to Think About New MPG Standards When all else fails, there's one news source you can always trust ... to make you laugh. Check out Jon Stewart's coverage of the Obama Administration's new fuel efficiency standards.

Finally, the All Electric Jet Ski If you've been out on a busy lake this Memorial Day weekend, you may have noticed how incredibly popular (and somewhat annoying) "personal watercrafts" have become. Good news -- now there's a silent, emissions-free model on the market. Awesome!

Green in a Flash:

• Want to make a chandelier out of plastic spoons?
• Irish wave power inventors may have made a major breakthrough.
• Al Gore is calling on international business leaders to cooperate on climate policy.

Which Hollywood starlet thinks that living green is super sexy? Would you share your condo with farm animals? Do you know how to lock your bike (it's harder than you think)? Today's Eco-Beat has the scoop on all of the latest green news and tips.

Rachel McAdams is Eco-Sexy Actress Rachel McAdams is part of a trifecta of green ladies behind a new website called Green Is Sexy. While I love it when celebrities use their star power for a good cause, McAdams isn't exploiting her celebrity -- it's more of an organic team effort.

Farms Go Vertical? Sure, condo high-rises are all the rage right now, but agricultural high-rises? Really? So, my apartment window could look out over an indoor goat pasture? That's taking the mixed-use concept to a whole new level.

Bike Lock University In honor of Bike Week, StreetFilms has got a video to help you protect your favorite two-wheeled asset. Urban cycling guru Hal Ruzal describes common pitfalls and assigns grades to locking jobs on the streets of New York. He's a pretty tough grader.

Japan Is Insightful Get this: After a little over two months of sales, the new Honda Insight has become the best-selling car in Japan. Not just the best-selling hybrid, mind you, the best selling car. How awesome is that?

The Upcycled Buoy Chair The Buoy Chair (stool) is the brainchild of Pratt design student Evan Dewhirst. It consists of a buoy, an aluminum body, and a sustainable cork seat. Aside from the awesome ergonomic design, no glues or epoxies hold the stool together, only an internal harness.

Green in a Flash:

• Canada passes an E5 ethanol mandate.
• San Francisco wins the gold medal in recycling with a rate of 72%.
• A poll says that 76% of Americans have no idea what cap and trade is.

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.

Good news for video game junkies and the probably environment too: the new Honda Insight will include a Nintendo-esque dashboard array that gives drivers real time, color-coded feedback as to how green their driving style is. There's even a prize for hypermiling drivers. No joke, if a driver wishes to test their fuel sipping skills, they can toggle one of their displays to show a graphical representation of their conservation feats:

"Starting with empty graphical "stalks" shown on the multi-information display, efficient drivers can earn "leaves" that fill out the five branches. Over the car's lifetime, a thrifty pilot can accumulate a second tier of leaves, then a flower on each branch. When a driver grows all five plants, the screen displays a trophy."

It's a little like Wii Hypermiling, except you don't get any extra lives and you can't play while pounding beers on the couch -- but you do save some cash. The back-lighting for the speedometer consists of a semi-circle that turns green when your driving at maximum efficiency, bluish-green when your doing just OK, and blue when your lead foot is burning unnecessary gas. While this idea is totally blowing my mind, I can definitely see it being counter-productive in some cases. As with all gaming systems, there will inevitably be those few who get addicted and drive for thousands and thousands of unnecessary miles just to win the trophy.

[via Earth2Tech]

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.

I admit to harboring curmudgeonly tendencies a little too often, but I think most anyone would get a chuckle out of this year's Washington Auto Show theme: "Driven by the Environment."

Really? To be fair, organizers have set up a Green Car Pavilion where visitors can view "30 of the world's cleanest and most advanced vehicles ever displayed."

But down at the bottom of the ad, there's this little photo of the BMW Z4 Roadster. According to Popular Mechanics, this pretty little thing "can be ordered with two powerplants, both of which offer significantly more brawn than the 215- and 255-hp mills found in the '08 model" and has the ability to "shoot to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds when equipped with a manual transmission." My guess is that most of those in attendance who can afford $40K-plus for a car would probably get pretty excited about that last fact. The notion that the Roadster "delivers better fuel economy" than the older model is most certainly secondary. And what exactly is that mpg number, you ask? Um, 18.

And how about all those auto makers who may have had a hand in killing the electric car years ago that are now boasting their latest efforts at fuel economy? Don't get me wrong. It's about time. And I'm happy about it. But, driven by the environment? Really?

If you were thinking of replacing appliances for their 'Energy Star' cousins or adding insulation or a hybrid vehicle you may be in line for tax credits in 2009. Along with the economic stimulus package in the works Congress has included energy efficiency tax credits as an incentive to go green at home! Here are a few you may want to plan on:

• Purchase of hybrid car or SUV: $250 to $3,150, depending on vehicle weight and fuel economy
• Buy central air conditioner or heat pump: $300, only some Energy Star products qualify
• Furnace or boiler: $150, only some Energy Star products qualify
• Windows: up to $200, all Energy Star windows qualify
• Insulation and sealing: up to $500, must meet model building code as installed
• Ground source heat pump: up to $2,000, only Energy Star models qualify

There is a limit of $500 in tax credits for home improvements but that is still a good sum of money! Plus, think of what you'll do for Mother Earth.

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]