Zip

The BBC takes a look at Zipcar car rentals, short term, mostly urban and very high tech ways to get a car.

Technorati tag: Transport, Zipcar

Bug Out

Organic insect control methods.

Technorati tag: Gardening

The future's bright, the future's LED

Light emitting diodes could eventually pass the compact flourescent bulb as the energy saver's lighting of choice. Bulbs are made up of arrays of red, blue and green bulbs which can produce white light up to six times brighter than equivalent power incandescent bulbs. The levels can also be varied to produce mood lighting. At the moment unit costs are far too high for domestic use, but that used to be the main drawback of compact flourescent as well. Development and a growing market should bring them into sensible price bands soon enough.

via Slashdot

Technorati tag: Lighting

I can't drive for miles and miles

Volkswagen have halted development of a super efficient vehicle. The two seater had a 300cc diesel engine and super light frame and could manage 60 miles per litre. However it lacked luggage space and was going to be too expensive to produce. It's sort of a loss and not a loss. VW are still producing the Lupo TDI, which does 20 miles per litre. Combine that with biodiesel and you could be onto a winner.

via Jalopnik

Technorati tag: Fuel economy, Volkswagen

You are what you throw away

Around a third of all food in the UK is thrown away. The process starts with the need for perfect, symmetrical and clean groceries and continues all the way through the process to failure to reuse left overs and throwing out stuff that's a second past its sell by date. I couldn't calculate it, but I'd hazard a guess that Casa Spinneyhead's cost per capita in food waste is less than the national average of £420 per year, especially now we've started composting. (A matter for another time is just what the hell am I going to do with the compost when it matures? It's not like we have a garden or anything.)

Technorati tag: Food, Waste

The bride wore green

I doubt Greensage will ship to the UK, the shipping would negate any ecological benefits from the products, but if you're in the US and want an Earth friendly wedding, they offer a wedding list service.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Green Shopping

Domespace

They look like a Teletubby home, but Domespace buildings are optimised to catch the sun, made from renewable nmaterials and can even turn to track the best light during the day. All you need to do is dress your Vroomba up as NuNu and you're sorted.

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: EcoHouse

Six of one, half a dozen the other

With Chloroflourocarbons phased out the ozone layer may be safer, but the replacement chemicals are proving to be greenhouse gases.

"Initially, it was thought these were an ideal solution -- obviously that was not the case if they were contributing to another problem."

While CFCs contribute more per unit to global warming, the rapid increase in the use of replacement chemicals makes them now the greater threat to climate stability, Metz told the AP in a telephone interview.

Technorati tag: CFCs, greenhouse gases

Turkey Guts

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Big Bang at the ballot box

Call me a cynic, but Tony Blair's hinted renewal of support for the Metrolink smacks of electioneering to me. I'd like to see trams running in the south of Manchester but for the next few weeks I'm going to be even less inclined than normal to believe a word the PM says.

Technorati tag: Transport, Manchester, Election

Strange Days

National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth promises to offer simple ways for individuals to change the world and tackle issues ranging from climate change to invasive species.

(And it's hosted by Edward Norton, Fight Club fans.)

Technorati tag: Activism

Green Paper

The Green Party launch their election manifesto today, expanding beyond their obvious base into areas of social justice.

Technorati tag: Election

Reverse

It's a guilty pleasure, but I do enjoy Top Gear. I disagree with Clarkson on just about everything, but he is eternally watchable, and the Little Man is a Casa Spinneyhead favourite. I wouldn't go as far as Transport 2000 and say the programme should be scrapped completely, but there definitely should be a Two Wheels Good or How To Save The World For Free (two programmes I'd like to pitch) as balance.

Technorati tag: Transport

Flat Earth

The Flat Earth Awards, open for voting and to be awarded to the person judged the dumbest environmental naysayer. The website was set up by a bunch of college students as part of a class on climate change and activism

Technorati tag: Environmentalism, Climate Change

Energy Gap

Radio 4 has challenged a British family to live on the same energy as an Indian family and are tracking the results in a series of 15 minute programmes this week. The aim is to highlight the current difference between our countries and also consider the world's requirements as India and China catch up with the West. There's no dedicated page yet, but you can listen to Monday's episode via streaming.

Technorati tag: Energy

Swell Power

Treehugger examines the four main types of wave power, easily the least polluting and- with the two buoy variants anyway- least intrusive form of energy generation.

Technorati tag: Wave Power

Home on the NEC

On Friday, trains and other things permitting, I should be attending the Home Building Show at the NEC. It has a Green Village and, running alongside, the Smart Homes Show. I'll be dividing my time between the two.

Technorati tag: Self Build

Clean Green

It's all well and good going over to biodiesel as a way to free yourself from the oil industry, but you're still burning fuel and pumping something out the back. Is it actually any cleaner?

Yes, according to the study cited by WVOfuels.

Technorati tag: Biodiesel

Power Shower

Hippyshopper isn't happy with their water bill, and has some plans to cut it.

Technorati tag: Water

Not through my bars

A different take to wind power's NIMBY problem. The company running a windmill close to Whitemoor jail have agreed to turn it off early in the morning because flickering shadows from the spinning blades were aggravating prisoners.

Whitemoor contains prisoners it is best not to upset, including road rage killer Kenneth Noye, Jeremy Bamber who murdered his family, and Barry George, who killed television presenter Jill Dando.

Technorati tag: Wind Power