Top U.S. Cities For Winter Bicycle Commuting

winter-bike-lane

For bicycle commuters, continuing to pedal through the winter months can be a daunting task, especially if one lives in a northern city. Often the decision for winter bicycle commuting comes down to perspective: Is cycling a sport or a viable form of transportation that offers a multitude of advantages such as saving money and… [Continue Reading]

NASA Sustainability Base Showcases High-Tech, Eco Friendly Design

NASA Sustainability Base Showcases High-Tech, Eco Friendly Design

NASA’s space expertise means it’s virtually unmatched when it comes to creating efficient and sustainable environments for humans to live and work, and the innovative new office facility at their Ames Research Center near San Francisco is a showcase of intelligent and environmentally friendly design.  Designed by William McDonough + Partners, the Sustainability Base draws… [Continue Reading]

Bamboo Bikes Provide Sustainable Transportation From Here To Africa

Calfee Bamboo Bike

Could bamboo be the new carbon? Though bamboo bikes have been around since the late 1800s, they’ve long been considered a novelty item, an amusing notion for tree-huggers to get excited about, but who would ever really own one? Well, manufacturers of bamboo bikes are out to change your mind and are picking up speed.… [Continue Reading]

Greenstar Leading The Way To Sustainable Recycling

Greenstar Recycling

Greenstar Recycling, one of the largest recycling firms in the U.S., has become a leader in implementing successful residential recycling programs and increasing recycling rates by 300% in cities such as Dallas and San Antonio. By using single stream recycling- meaning residents don’t need to sort their own recyclables- Greenstar has made recycling convenient for… [Continue Reading]

Copenhagen Waste-To-Energy Plant Will Multi-Function As Ski Slope

Copenhagen Waste-to-Energy Plant Multi-Functions As Ski Slope

Copenhagen residents will soon be able hit the slopes, not on a ski mountain, but on top of a waste-to-energy plant. Looking to replace their current 40 year old industrial plant, Amagerforbraending held an international competition and unanimously chose this ski slope design by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in an effort to turn what is… [Continue Reading]

Personal Energy Generator Recharges Your Electronic Device While You Move

nPower Peg

The new nPower PEG (personal energy generator) by Tremont Electric wowed reviewers at the 2011 CES convention. This back-up hybrid charger allows you to keep your cell phone, iPod, or other hand-held device working while you’re on the go. By harnessing the kinetic energy that you produce through movement, then converting it into accessible power,… [Continue Reading]

Valero Invests in Producing Car Fuel From Wood Waste

Wood Waste to Produce Car Fuel

The cellulosic ethanol movement got a much needed boost yesterday with the announcement that Valero, the nation’s largest independent oil refiner, is investing $50 million into the Mascoma Corporation’s plans to build a commercial sized wood-based biofuel refinery in Kinross, Michigan. Together with subsidiary Frontier Renewable Resources, Mascoma, based in Lebanon N.H., intends to break… [Continue Reading]

Better Place Shows Electric Taxis Working in the Real World

Better Place Shows Electric Taxis Working in the Real World

Shai Agassi, founder and CEO of Better Place, has a vision — a vision for a world free of oil dependency. Mr. Agassi, who is well on his way to making this vision a reality, has what he believes is the solution for making electric vehicles efficient and affordable. He theorizes that the only way… [Continue Reading]

3 Reasons Light Rail is an Efficient Transportation Option for U.S. Cities

DART- Dallas Light Rail

Light rail is a type of electric railway that runs on right-of-way railroad tracks or on tracks in city streets. Using their own lanes and able to go anywhere, light rail cars mix well in urban settings by not getting caught up in traffic congestion. Though the United States operates the largest and most efficient… [Continue Reading]

7 Excellent Swap and Share Sites

Freecycle

Remember the 20th century when we were in a consumption frenzy? Terms like swap and share weren’t even on our radar. The economic downturn combined with our fundamental need to connect with others has started a swap and share movement that has been defined as Collaborative Consumption. Businesses are now using the efficiency of the… [Continue Reading]