There are a lot of innovative ideas coming to light about how to make the automobile and transportation industries more environmentally-friendly. One of the “greenest” ideas, in more ways than one, is the use of algae as a petroleum replacement. I’m not saying that algae would or even could be a complete substitute for petroleum, however it is one of many smart ideas that could help wean us off our dependence on foreign oil.

Image by PMC 1stPix

Now of course hybrids and electric vehicles are a big market right now and rightfully so. However, research into other potentially viable fuel options has brought about the idea of algae as a biofuel.

CNET reports that “Algae biofuels need 10 years of R&D to compete“. Although they do admit that cars and even airplanes can use algae biofuels, but contend that algae biofuels cannot be a viable petroleum competitor at this stage of the game.

The military and government obviously think there is a future in algae fuels for they have started stepping up their use and investment in the petroleum alternative. For example, as part of their push towards sustainability, the U.S. Navy recently ran a successful test on a naval gun boat powered by an algae/diesel fuel mix.

Image courtesy of SolveClimateNews.com

Additionally it looks like algae could play a role in the U.S. Navy’s future:

“The navy plans to roll out its first green strike force, a group of about 10 ships, submarines and planes running on a mix of biofuels and nuclear power, in 2012, with deployment in the field scheduled for 2016.”

The aviation industry is also getting in on the algae action. Earlier this year the World’s First Flight Powered by 100% Algae Biofuels was completed. And recently Cranfield University’s Sea Green Project reported it was accelerating its production of algae for aviation biofuels. Their target is to set up an ocean-based facility and be producing commercial scale volume of bio-jet fuel within three years.

Image by dazzy1960

Another company in the business of turning algae into an environmentally-friendly oil is Southern California based, OriginOil. They claim that with their patent-pending technology they will be able to “provide the world with an endless supply of cost-competitive and environment-friendly oil to displace petroleum“.

Take a look at this CNN interview with OriginOil CEO, Riggs Eckleberry:

Riggs Eckelberry interviewed by CNN’s Ali Velshi from OriginOil on Vimeo.

Additionally, take a look at the following video, “Environmental Entrepreneurs: Firing Up Algae Fuel” and decide for yourself. Could algae biofuels become a viable replacement for petroleum in the near future? Do you think it’s a green, sustainable alternative?

Images from Zipcar.com 

When it comes to the form of transportation you use, would you consider yourself biofriendly?  Do you own a hybrid or electric vehicle? Do you bike to work, car-pool or take public transportation? Do you use proven fuel additives or biofuels? Do you walk whenever you can?  Well, no matter what you’ve done in the past, there’s a relatively new form of public transportation you should know about for your future…car-sharing.

What is car-sharing? Simply put, it’s an innovative way to provide people a temporary vehicle to use when the need arises.  Let’s say for example you use public transportation most of the time, but need a car every now and again, then car-sharing could work for you.  What if you just don’t want to add more monthly payments to your budget, cover maintenance costs, etc, then car-sharing could work for you.  What if your family could really use a second car sometimes, but you don’t need one fulltime?  What if your company wants to provide “company vehicles” without having to purchase or maintain their own fleet?  What if you’d just rather find a greener form of transportation…again, car-sharing could be right for you.

Enter Zipcar®…”The best new idea in business” (Fortune Magazine).  Zipcar boasts car-sharing locations in cities across the United States, as well as London, England and Toronto or Vancouver, Canada.  Zipcar locations are also conveniently located on over 100 university campuses across the United States.  Perfect for when it comes time to send your kid off to college.  Now there’s no need to buy them that new car, just enroll them in Zipcar and they are ready to go. 

So, how does it work?  Simple…you enroll on the Zipcar website and once approved you will get your Zipcard in the mail.  You pay a yearly fee for the service and then pay the hourly/daily fees associated with each time you use a Zipcar.  You can make your reservation online, but then get this…once you arrive at the Zipcar location all it takes is a wave of your Zipcard and you have immediate access to the vehicle.  Another amazing convenience is that each car comes with a gas card, insurance and 180 free miles at no additional cost.  

Needless to say, car-sharing is the smart solution when you need to travel as their cars can be rented by the hour or by the day.  Why pay for a full-day rental if you only need the car for an hour or two?  Even if you have a last minute trip, you can use your mobile phone to find the closest Zipcar location, make a reservation and your car will be ready to go when you arrive.  What are you waiting for?  Time to try out the latest biofriendly mode of transportation!

Getting a jump on the rest of the world, the California Air Resources Board recently approved a landmark regulation designed to cut carbon emissions from California’s transportation fuels.  The Low Carbon Fuel Standard aims to reduce harmful emissions from California’s transportation fuels by 10% over the next 11 years.

How does it intend to do this?  Well, for one, having a new standard in place should boost the market for alternative-fuel vehicles.  That alone could eliminate around 16 million metric tons of emissions.  The new regulation is also expected to dramatically cut gasoline consumption (by around 20-25%) and of course encourage the development of low-carbon fuel sources for vehicles.  As reported by sustainablebusiness.com, fuel sources such as algae, post-recycled garbage, wood, straw, weeds, etc are all being considered.

The LA Times also reported, “The regulation requires producers, refiners and importers of gasoline and diesel to reduce the carbon footprint of their fuel by 10% over the next decade.”  With 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions being generated from the transportation section, it is good that measures such as these are being taken to lower these harmful emissions.

But I guess that means if you are planning to import gasoline to California, you’d better ensure it meets the new low-carbon fuel standards or start using an effective fuel additive to get it to conform to the new standards.

On a more immediate basis, one benefit of California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard is that it should create an estimated 3,000 new jobs.  With over 1.5 billion gallons of biofuels needed to sufficiently lower emissions (as per estimates from the California Air Resources Board) more than 25 new biofuel factories will need to be built.  So not only will workers be needed to build the factories but employees will be needed to run them and with the current condition of unemployment in California, new jobs are definitely good news.

Image by Randy Read 

If you are in the market for a new car and want something that is “greener”, both for your wallet and for the environment, you really should check out a smart “fortwo” car.

In terms of what it will cost you, smart fortwo cars start at around $11,990 for the pure coupe (entry-level), $13,990 for the passion coupe (well-equipped) and $16,990 for the passion cabriolet (well-equipped convertible).  Specifics on what features each of the smart fortwo cars are equipped with can be found on their website. 

But one feature that I like is that smart fortwo cars can get around 33 mpg in the city, 41 mpg on the highway (without fuel additives or biofuels) and have an 8.7 gallon gas tank.  They can also go up to 90 mph so you’ll have no trouble keeping up with traffic.  If you are worried about the safety of these little cars, don’t.  In 2008 the smart fortwo coupe received the highest ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for front and side crashworthiness.

Unfortunately….as far as I know, there aren’t any smart car “dispensers” (like seen in the above photo) in the United States.  However, there is a $99 reservation program where customers can reserve, customize and have their built-to-order smart fortwo car delivered to the dealership near them.

So, if you are looking to invest in a greener car (greener for the environment that is, as the smart fortwo cars don’t come in the color green), the smartUSA website reports that smart cars are in stock and in many cases there is no wait time to be able to drive off in your smart car.

Image from Earthday.net

Earth Day Network is launching their “Green Generation™” campaign on Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 aka Earth Day 2009.  The Green Generation campaign is not an initiative solely designed to generate interest in Earth Day’s 40th Anniversary (coming in 2010), but is a genuine movement that people of all ages and walks of life can and should become involved in.

It doesn’t matter what your ethnicity, religious beliefs, political views, etc. are, if you think it is worthwhile to have a healthier, cleaner planet then there is something you can do.

The Green Generation campaign wants to reach out to ordinary people, like you and me, who are engaged in activities or want to take steps to improve their health, improve the schools in their areas, improve the air quality around them, etc.  From what I’ve read, this is not one of those groups where only large corporations or mega-millionaires can make a difference.  This campaign is open to anyone and everyone.

This means you too can join the Green Generation by committing to steps such as buying green, recycling, working with your child’s teachers to provide healthier foods at school, using biofuels or fuel additives to lower harmful emissions and even looking for a green job.  These are all simple actions we, as individuals, can take that when added together with the actions of those around us, can make a significant difference.

Remember, creating a better and greener world is not something you can leave to the next guy to do.  It is something we all need to be aware of in the decisions we make on a daily basis.  So, what commitment are you going to make on Earth Day 2009?

Image by biofriendly

On location film shoots have always been a pet-peeve of mine.  It’s not the fact that they are doing shooting on location, I just don’t understand why there is so much unnecessary waste on these film shoots.  Seriously, between the constantly running generators, to the trucks idling in the street, to the trash created from serving meal after meal using plastic or Styrofoam products, to the large “sun” lights running for hours at a time, to the extras and assistants of assistants standing around waiting for the shoot to happen, etc – how much can one location shoot cost, much less affect climate change or global warming?

To be honest, it’s probably more than most production companies are willing to sit down and examine.  Even if they put fuel additives or bio-fuels in their trucks, limited the use of plastic and Styrofoam or used Energy Star lights and appliances, there is still so much more that could be done to lower costs and lower their impact on the environment.

There is one network that announced it is doing something about it…Fox’s “24″ just recently announced it is going green and plans to become the first “carbon neutral” television series.  Apparently they have hired consultants to measure the carbon-dioxide output from production.  They also started using 20% biodiesel in their trucks & generators, have installed motion monitors in bathrooms and kitchens and are paying a little more so California utilities can supply them with wind and solar power.  Per the Global Energy Initiative Data Site, all these changes have resulted in reducing their carbon emissions by 43%.  They then purchased high-quality carbon offsets to cover their remaining and “unavoidable” emissions. 

If one TV show can make such a turn-around regarding climate change and global warming by doing some simple but basic actions, just think how much difference could be made if more TV shows and networks were doing the same.  Now if they would just streamline their location shoots, they’d probably save a lot of money too!

Image by crazytales562 

Bio-fuels used to be all the rage and in some cases, they still are.  Whether you are talking about ethanol made from corn or bio-fuels made from algae or anything in between, you are bound to drum up some interest.  Hybrids also peak interests and are still among the top eco-friendly cars, but you haven’t seen anything yet….Karma is coming.

While watching TV the other night, I saw a commercial for a sporty-looking car.  It looked like a top of the line sports car, but was apparently a hybrid that could get up to 100 mpg!  Wow, I had to check that one out further.  This is what I found.

Fisker Automotive (a green American premium sports car company) is coming out with, what they are stating is, the world’s first eco-chic car created in an equally eco-friendly facility.  This car isn’t your run-of-the-mill hybrid, it is a stylish, classy American-made hybrid sports sedan able to fit four adults comfortably and look good doing so.  And who could expect less from Henrik Fisker, who creations include the BMW Z8 and Aston Martin DB9.

But what’s so different about this particular car?  Fisker says it best on their website:

“The Karma uses Q-DRIVE plug-in hybrid technology, developed exclusively for Fisker Automotive by Quantum Technologies.  A fully-charged Karma burns no fuel for the first 50 miles.  Venture further and the gasoline engine turns a generator to charge the lithium ion battery.  Once the 50-mile electric range has been exceeded, the car operates as a normal hybrid vehicle.  This balance of electric and gas range makes it entirely possible that Karma drivers who charge their car overnight and commute less than 50 miles a day will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.4L/100km) per year.”

So, it’s got plug-in hybrid technology, goes from 0-60 in less than 6 seconds, reaches top speeds of 125 mph, has two driving modes, has a solar panel roof, has regenerative brakes and with its low center of gravity provides the great driving dynamics typical of a sports car.  Then above all that, you don’t even burn any fuel for the first 50 miles!  Nice!

If you want to get one of these cars, scheduled to be released in 2010, you’d better pre-order now.  Effective Jan 1st, the deposit amount is $5000, with pricing estimated to start at about $87,900.  Signature Edition models are already sold out.  You can also make a deposit on the Fisker convertible – the Karma S.  The deposit amount for that is $25,000.

For most of us, using bio-fuels, fuel additives or sticking with the existing hybrids are right in line with what we can do to keep down harmful emissions and increase fuel economy…but for those who can afford it, check out Fisker Automotive and the Karma.  Who knows…Karma might be what you need!

Image by Byflickr

Did you know that because of tropical deforestation, it is estimated that at least 40 species are perishing every day?  Not only that, but it is estimated that at the current rate of deforestation, tropical rain forests could disappear altogether in the next 30 to 50 years.  Why?  Because, believe it or not, some tropical rain forests are being destroyed so that biofuel plantations can take their place.

Okay, my first question is what are they thinking?  Why would you destroy a tropical rain forest – the Earth’s oldest ecosystem – to create a biofuel plantation?  Back in 1990, rainforests covered about 12% of the land surface on the globe and contained between 50 and 90 percent of all species.  They are also touted as global heat and water pumps because of their dramatic influence on the climate.

Per information from rainforestinfo.org, rainforests “play an important role in regulating the Earth’s atmosphere by storing carbon in their biomass.  When forests are destroyed, the carbon they contain is released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.”

Additionally studies have shown that it would take at least 75 years for all the carbon emissions “saved” through the use of biofuels to make up for all the carbon lost through tropical deforestation.  That’s an awfully long time to wait.  However, if they put biofuel plantations on degraded grasslands instead of tropical rain forests, we end up with a net removal of carbon within about 10 years.

Now I am all for effective biofuels, fuel additives, etc., but I personally vote for keeping the tropical rain forests.  I don’t think it’s wise to destroy something that has such a vast influence over the world and its climates.

Image by biofriendly

Did you know that California produced 1.45% of the global carbon dioxide emissions in 2006?  Yes….global, at 395.5 million metric tons of CO2.  There was one state that produced more, Texas at 625.2 million metric tons of CO2.

But believe it or not, that’s not the scary part.  Per the “Climate Action Plans Fail to Deliver” report published by the Science and Public Policy Institute:

“…were the entire U.S. to close down its economy completely and revert to the Stone Age, without even the ability to light fires, the growth in emissions from China alone would replace its entire emissions in a little less than a decade.”

When I read that, I was a little disheartened.  What can we do?  Then I started to read the “Annual Energy Outlook 2008 with Projections to 2030” report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).  They predict an increase in CO2 emissions of 16% by 2030.  Factors that are determined to influence the CO2 emission rise include population, economic growth, rising energy consumption, increases in highway, rail and air travel, continued reliance on coal for electric power generation, etc.  A 16% increase is definitely the wrong direction.

We all know there are a variety of actions being taken to lower CO2 emissions and the incoming administration promises to take an even stronger stance.  But if California, and other states too, concentrated their efforts on a broader use of alternative energy sources (solar power, wind power, biofuels, fuel additives, hydroelectric energy, etc.), maybe we could start making a dent sooner rather than later.  Let’s face it, getting the rest of the world to follow suit starts with setting the example.

Image by biofriendly 

It seems like every time I turn around there is someone else talking about how to save money on gasoline.  Some of the ideas I’ve seen are actually pretty interesting and while some of them would work, I’m not too sure about others.

But with gas prices going down – the national average is now below $3/gallon (even in California, where this weekend I bought gas for $2.69/gallon) – we are all saving by just not paying as much at the pump.

However, there are still many different ways to save money on gas.  Smart gas-saving tips usually include ways to save money and help the environment at the same time, like using a gasoline or diesel fuel additive, biofuel or liquid fuel enhancer.

Per research done by the National Resources Defense Council, the following tips could potentially save the driver of an average vehicle up to $800 per year:

Keep your vehicle well maintained -

• check tire pressure
• get regular maintenance checks
• use a fuel-efficient motor oil
• remove heavy items from your vehicle

Drive smart -

• slow down and avoid rapid acceleration
• turn the engine off if your wait is longer than 30 seconds

Drive less -

• car pool or use mass transit

Additional tips -

• try another gasoline grade (consult your owner’s manual first)
• buy a more efficient car

So if you are serious about saving money on gasoline and doing something for the environment at the same time, take these tips to heart.  The least they will do is put some extra cash in your pockets.