This week there is plenty of good Earth news to share. Here are my top picks:
#1 – Get Rich and Save the Planet!
On April 20th, The New York Times published an article which predicts that the richer we get, the greener we will be. Apparently on a data graph of environmental impact the curve flattens out as a country grows richer. Then cleaner sources of energy are adopted and environmental impact actually decreases over time. This begs the question of whether America is simply not as rich yet as countries like Sweden and Germany. The article predicts that we have reached the top of the curve – here’s hoping they are right.
#2 – Electric vehicles
There are several pieces of good news on the electric vehicle front:
- Tesla has more than 1,000 reservations for its Model S Electric Car - good take up on electric vehicles indicates to me a growing interest and concern for fuel efficiency and the environment.
- I don’t know if this is good news, but apparently Tom Hanks drives an EV, or at least he used to – he still owns one and one of his employees drives it now. I was curious about what he drives now – I found Tom Hank’s E-box Electric Car at YouTube.
- Best Buy will soon be selling electric bikes – great if you’re on the west coast where they will be put on sale. Anyway, they have the climate for this. Who wants to ride an electric bike in 100 degrees of heat or below zero Fahrenheit temperatures? Certainly not me. Do you have the climate for cycling much of the year?
#3 – One Step Better Than Electric
In Vauban, Germany residents have given up cars altogether. Life without cars does require some different infrastructure and they’ve taken care of that in the Suburb Without Cars. Will this idea be brought to the USA? Apparently the answer is “yes”, though perhaps on a different scale. Would you give up your car, or do you feel uncomfortable about that idea? Is having a car somehow synonymous with freedom?
#4 – iPhone Field Guide
Any iPhone fans here? Need to know what kind of trees you have? The National Science Foundation are funding development of nature field guides to run on the iPhone and similar devices. Read about digital field guides at The New York Times. Would you be interested in these or do you prefer a real paper book?
#5 – A Greener Lawn
I’ve been hankering for a push lawnmower, but, since I currently have a working lawnmower, I can’t justify the $$$ outlay. But Mother Nature Network reports this week on the possibility of a future tax credit for purchasing an eco-friendly lawn mower. I can hope! If you want to do something to make a difference right now, The Daily Green has tips for “greener” lawn care and they also suggest a bird garden. Take a look – they have some very cute photos of hummingbirds.
And some fun stuff:
- Vote for the National Parks Foundation through Facebook.
- Follow a Stanford grad who is walking in the footsteps of John Muir.
- Prince Charles and an animated frog work to save the rainforests.
Which news is your favorite this week?
Related posts:
Yes! I would give up my car! I hate driving! I think it’s the urbanite in me. When we lived in the city, it was so easy to hop a bus or train to go anywhere. Now that we live in the suburbs, we’re kind of forced to use the car, even if we just want to run to the store for a gallon of milk. We don’t even have sidewalks in our neighborhood and the streets are unsafe for young children because too many people speed through. I think it would be lovely if they let bikes take over and offered better public transportation.
Peace and Laughter,
Cristina
When I lived in Scotland I shared a car with my husband. I didn’t cycle much because the roads in the towns and cities there are very busy, but I could walk to many things, or take a bus, or a taxi. The density of traffic there has just skyrocketed over the last 30 years – it seems busier and more congested every time I visit.
I could cycle or walk to the closest store here – it’s habit or laziness that I don’t. I’d need to go every day, or couple of days, though because my usual 4 bags of shopping would be beyond my ability to carry if I walked or cycled.
It’s a vicious circle isn’t it – we don’t do stuff because others aren’t doing it and that makes it either unsuitable or unsafe. I’d love to see a decent taxi service for teens, older folks, and those who can’t, or don’t want to drive, to use. Maybe taxis driven by moms or something; how about pink cabs?