My Green Life

Is blading your car more fuel efficient than a hybrid? Probably not, but any action to curb greenhouse gas emissions and save money is worth a shot. The newly discovered blade can be placed on the car’s tailpipe, and it is proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33%, reduce air pollution by 57%, and save the driver hundreds of dollars on gas. How does it do this? Well, I am by no means a car aficionado, but the blade mitigates heat loss through the tailpipe and so allows the catalytic converter to heat quicker, requiring less gas for the process. The catalytic converter can only oxidize emissions when it reaches temperatures over 400 degrees Celsius. So, by reducing the amount of time required to heat up the converter, the amount of emissions that escape untreated is significantly less. This product is shown to increase fuel efficiency by up to 2.7 MPG in the city, and 5 MPG on the highway. Gas mileage improved up to:

34% on 4-cylinder cars, e.g. Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas, Ford Focuses, etc.
21% on light duty trucks and SUV’s, e.g. GMC 2500s, Chevy Avalanches, Range Rovers, etc.
16% on duel exhaust 8-cylinder sedans, e.g. Lincoln Town Cars, Crown Victorias, etc.
24% on 10 cylinder Box-style trucks, e.g. U-Haul moving trucks.

What a great product, and it was discovered on accident! For more info check out their website at www.bladeyourride.com

Voter apathy is not just a trend among twenty-somethings anymore. It appears that even presidential candidates and senators suffer from the same problem. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is dedicated to moving America toward a clean energy future focused on sustainability. They hope to turn environmental values into public policy, and to do so, they track the members of Congress and their voting history. One interesting finding was that Sen. John McCain, Republican from Arizona and 2008 presidential candidate, scored 0 percent. McCain missed all 15 votes scored including the key on repealing tax giveaways to big oil- a measure that failed by just one vote. Clinton’s score in 2007 was 73 percent (87 percent lifetime) and Obama’s score was 67 percent (86 percent lifetime). To see how the representatives in your state scored check out the LCV website.

Did you know that on January 1st, 1974, the national speed limit in the US was decreased to 55 mph in response to the Arab oil embargo and energy crisis? Could the same response be necessary today? Scientists and researches predict that oil supplies could be depleted by 2050. So, could lowering the national speed limit be a key factor in decreasing gas consumption and carbon dioxide emissions? Political unrest, economic uncertainty, and environmental issues all seem to be centered around the status of our oil supply. So, any means to cut down the amount of oil consumed by the American public is worth exploring more.

From an environmental standpoint, the speed limit is of concern because the following has been shown:

* Speed limit increases will raise CO emissions

Increased motor-vehicle speeds are likely to also increase CO emissions (Pechan, 1992). These emissions also result from the combustion process and will increase at speeds above 48 mph. Based upon similar reasoning, o­ne could also expect increases in particulate matter (PM).

* Speed limit increases will raise CO2 (greenhouse gas) emissions

Vehicle fuel economy decreases as vehicle speeds increase, and markedly so above speeds of about 50 mph. EPA analysis indicates that carbon emissions would increase by 6-15 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (mmtCe) per year, or about 6-15% of the amount needed to return U.S. emissions to 1990 levels in the year 2000.

Are you interested in becoming more involved in the community? If so, I highly recommend attending the Johnson Creek Watershed Restoration Program on March 1st. This will be a great opportunity to clear the area of trash and invasive species, plant native trees and shrubs, meet some great people, and get a free lunch out of the deal! Johnson Creek is a 26 mile long river that feeds into the Willamette. Once teeming with fishes, now the creek contains just 17 Chinook, 5 Coho, 101 Cutthroat, and only one Steelhead/Rainbow trout, according to the 2001-2002 fish inventories. So, if you are looking to roll up your sleeves and make a difference, here’s your chance!

Click here if you are interested in learning more details on the project.

In browsing the web, I stumbled across this very cool interactive website that ranks all the countries in the world by their environmental status. The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) centers on two broad environmental protection objectives: 1) reducing environmental stresses on human health and 2) protecting ecosystem vitality. A few highlights from the EPI: New Zealand (the 2006 winner) is now ranked 7th, Switzerland is 1st, and the United States was 39th with a score of 81. Norway, Sweden, and Finland ranked 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively.