Here are my choices for the best Earth news for this week. Which is your favorite?
#1 – Fuel Efficient Cars
You’ve probably already heard about the new fuel efficiency standards announced by President Obama today. If not, you can read more at The Environmental News Network, The Daily Green, The New York Times, and TreeHugger. What do these standards mean though for us, the drivers? What struck me when I was listening to this being announced on my local public radio station this afternoon was the commentary – apparently everyone was all concerned about fuel efficiency as long as the price of gas was high. When the price dropped back down, big, gas hungry vehicles were once more in demand. Do we need a gasoline tax to encourage consumers to buy fuel efficient vehicles? Small cars are much more common in Scotland and, no wonder, the price of gas there is bad enough for my dad to complain about it practically every time I talk with him. Gas tax? I don’t like high gas prices, but I’m willing to believe they’d make a difference to our gas-saving attitudes. What do you say? Did you drive less last year when gas prices were up?
#2 – New Prius Sips Gas
I’m not in the market for a new vehicle, but when I am my next car is likely to be something similar to a Prius. On Monday Toyota rolled out the third generation Prius, which gets a wonderful 50 miles to the gallon. That is sipping gas! It so happens that a Prius would be just about ideal for my style of driving. Right now though I’ve cut my mileage down pretty low. Don’t drive and you won’t use gas! The story on the new Prius is available at Yahoo Green and MSNBC. Would you like one of these, or does it make more sense for you to drive less?
#3 – London, the World’s Greenest City
What do you think, can London become the world’s greenest city on time for the next Olympics? Either way, I applaud the idea and the impetus a goal like this can create. Yahoo News has the story.
#4 – Oregon college students are brighter
They say that exercise is good for the brain. Apparently it can make the world a little brighter in more than one way. MSNBC has the story on the university which is harnessing the power of student workouts in the gymn. It’s about time someone did something with this idea. Now, if I had one of these hooked up to my PC I’d certainly get a lot of exercise while powering my internet adventures!
#5 – Just For Fun
I love finding some fun, green stories in the news. Here are this week’s:
- Cars fueled by chocolate?! Now that would be a waste. Feed me the chocolate and I’ll cycle it off.
- The White House organic garden is a joke! Well, not the actual garden, but some of the commentary flying around regarding the fact that Michelle Obama is not planning to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Both The Daily Green and TreeHugger have some commentary on the matter.
- TreeHugger has a cute little robo taxi. Have I got a thing for cute cars?
- Here’s a clever redesign for the kitchen sink. It’s not exactly my style – I prefer a bit more rustic – but I can definately see something like this catching the eye of some bloggers. Do you like it Laura, Lisa, or Michelle?
What do you say?
Related posts:
My husband will be happy to hear about the Prius. We like Toyota. They’ve been the most reliable of the cars we’ve owned.
Now if only we had the money to buy it.
)
Peace and Laughter,
Cristina
I agree with Cristina, money always is the issue in the ruralfamily household when it comes to cars. I…just….can’t…spend…that….
kind…of…money! On a car!
Ok, I’m settled down now.
Who is it that replaces their car every 1-2 years? It’s certainly not me. I’ve had 2 vehicles in the last 12 years – one new and the other was 10 years old by the time I dumped it because of costs. And, like Cristina, my current vehicle is a Toyota and I’m very happy with it.
By the time I’m ready to buy another vehicle I’m hoping fuel-efficient cars will be the standard. Then again… I have two teens in the house and one, or two, of them may want/need to drive at some point. I’m blocking that idea from my mind. Omm.. Omm..
Since we moved to Providence from the SF bay area, we've driven *so* much less – my husband can walk to work from our apartment & we can meet most of our daily needs right in the neighborhood! That said, down the road I would like to get some kind of hybrid. My mom has a prius and loves it.
p.s. – that sink is a bit too modern for me, too! but I think it's a cool idea
My husband can walk to work too – just a few steps!
The homeschooling and work from home lifestyle does allow my family to keep mileage down – it’s one thing I especially like about it.
Like you Laura, I try to meet my needs locally. I miss the way I could just stop at little shops when I was out for a walk when I lived in Edinburgh. Still, I have some veggies and herbs just a few steps from my back door, which is nice in a different way.
We bought a used Prius at a steep discount and usually get 48 – 52 mpg. We also love the hatchback feature, although it decreases the rear visibility.
We loved Denver for the bike paths, bus system, light rail, and walkability of our neighborhood. Here, we settle for a Prius.