California passed sweeping new auto emission standards on Friday that will put 1.4 million electric and hybrid vehicles on the roads by 2025.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) unanimously approved the regulations, which require one of seven new cars sold in the state in 2025 to be zero-emission vehicles.

Unlike the new federal rules, which omit mandated reductions in greenhouse gases from vehicles, California now requires a 50 percent reduction from current levels. They also require a 75 percent reduction in smog-forming pollutants by 2025. And in a bold move, they're requiring large oil companies to chip in for the infrastructure to support those clean cars.

"ARB's vote today is truly historic and will encourage accelerated growth of the clean transportation technology industry," says John Boesel, CEO of CALSTART, a non-profit focused on growing the clean transportation industry.

CARB approved four major policies to improve public health and protect the climate:

- Passenger car standards from 2017-2025 that will result in a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon;
- A Zero Emission Vehicle mandate resulting in 15 percent of new cars sold in California in 2025 with zero tailpipe emissions.
- Strengthening of smog forming emissions rules for passenger cars;
- A general policy framework that requires large oil companies to finance low carbon vehicle infrastructure, such as recharging stations.

The new standards are expected to be adopted by other states and eventually, the federal government. Since the 1960s, California's leadership has been spurring innovations in emissions-control technology.

14 other states have adopted California's smog emissions rules and 10 states have adopted its zero-emission vehicle mandates.

Automakers, which participated in developing the standards, submitted testimony in favor of them.

Automakers will be able to get credits toward their zero-emission vehicle mandate if they exceed federal greenhouse gas emissions standards. They can use the credits to reduce the number of zero emission vehicles they make from 2018-2021.

The package of initiatives will save Californians $22 billion through 2025, according to ARB analysis. By 2025, the program will create 21,000 new jobs across the state as people spend less on gasoline and shift that money to more productive parts of the economy.

Individuals will save $4,000 over the life of the typical car sold in 2025, even after paying for clean car technology. The added cost of the technology improvements would be fully recovered from fuel savings within the first three years of owning the vehicle.

Photo by Joi Ito/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from SustainableBusiness.com

by Ziggy

There are many great and pleasantly simple ways to conserve water usage at home. Want to save an extra 50-plus gallons of water each and every day? Here’s one way you may not have considered before: take a navy shower! No, you don’t need to shout “yes, drill sergeant” or drop and do fifty push-ups at any point in this process. It’s actually one of the better ideas to come out of the military…

A navy shower is a method of showering that originated on ships at sea, where freshwater supplies were frequently in short supply. The idea is quite simple: Turn on the water and rinse, turn off the water and scrub down with soap, and then turn on the water once again to clean off the soap. Really, that’s it.

Simple Home Water Conservation

Instead of having the water run for the entire duration of the shower (which is ultimately very wasteful – you’ll be no cleaner for it, believe it or not!), the shower is on for a mere two to three minutes.

Need more convincing? Amazingly, the average 10 minute shower requires 60 gallons of water. That’s 240 gallons of water for a family of four, just to shower once each day! A navy shower, however, can use as little as 3 gallons! To make the argument even more convincing, this resourceful individual did the math to calculate how much money that simple change would save you.

Combined with a low flow showerhead, you’ll be on your way towards greater water conservation at home!

Reprinted with permission from Sustainablog

by Neil Strother

The promise of smarter homes continued to make noise at this year’s CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show. But nothing really wowed me. You might call this an incremental show – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Keep in mind that CES is huge, with 1.86 million net square feet of space used by exhibitors, record crowds (upwards of 153,000 people) and a record number (3,100-plus) of exhibitors showing off their newest gear. Among the products, companies and people I saw, these stood out for various reasons:

Devices

Nest (Nest Labs): It’s hard not to like what Nest Labs has done to the lowly thermostat. The much-publicized Nest device combines the simplicity of an iPod (the company founders, in fact, helped develop Apple’s iPod) with the ability to “learn” how you use energy to heat and cool your home. The device then aims to help consumers reduce energy consumption and thereby lower their costs. Company co-founder Matt Rogers told me the catalyst for Nest was to help people “save a ton” on energy consumption with an easy-to-use device. After launching online last November, Nest Labs quickly ran out of stock. Orders are wait-listed now as manufacturing ramps up.

Belkin’s WeMo Home Control Switch: This Wi-Fi connected switch sits between a wall outlet and small home appliances. You turn it on or off through an app on iOS, Apple’s mobile platform, and the switch can be paired with a motion sensor for more functionality. Availability of these WeMo devices is expected in the summer of 2012. Other related devices – such as garage door openers, door locks, and baby monitors – are expected to join the WeMo family as well.

Retail

AlertMe and Lowes’s: UK-based AlertMe has partnered with home improvement chain Lowe’s to provide a cloud-based home management system. AlertMe will be the platform behind Lowe’s new Iris service for North America, which enables consumers to monitor and control their homes through a smartphone or a computer. The Iris service will launch in mid-2012. AlertMe CEO Mary Turner told me the goal is to provide consumers with not only an intelligent digital dashboard for their homes, but also the ability to put their homes on “cruise control.”

Technology

ZigBee, Z-Wave, HomePlug, UPnP, HomeGrid (G.hn): Many of the leading networking technology groups were present at CES, as expected, each vying for greater traction in the connected home space. While each has something to offer, there isn’t room here to dissect them in detail. Suffice to say, many vendors have interesting products on the market or coming soon based on these technologies, which is very encouraging. But it all makes for a cluttered landscape in consumers’ minds, and that slows the emergence of mainstream solutions.

Throughout the show, I heard people say, essentially, “The technology is available for smarter homes – it just needs to be deployed.” For that to happen, I was told, both utility operators and consumers need more education, which while true, means a slower rate of adoption. Sure sounds incremental to me – and should be expected, given the sluggish economy and the mood of consumers to move cautiously at the outset of trends that involve something as complex as the modern, connected home.

Neil Strother researches the smart grid for Pike Research with a focus on smart metering technologies.

by Vivian Nelson Melle

Gift cards have become a popular option for gift giving because of their ability to adapt to the needs of the receiver. You may not know that your neighbor needs a new set of sheets but the gift card you just gave may help her purchase the more luxurious set which was just a tad out of her price range. You daughter’s teacher hasn’t told you how her morning chai tea keeps her going all day but the gift card for the local coffee shop will help her buy a few morning’s worth. While the simplicity in gift giving makes them popular, there is a downside being an abundance of plastic finding its way into landfills after they’ve been used.

Here are a few ways to break the cycle by reusing gift cards.

Make Jewelry

Used gift cards can be cut into various shapes and made into necklaces,earrings and bracelets. Simply draw the desired shapes with a pen and cut out with utility shears. Use a drill to make holes for inserting the rings for connecting multiples segments. You may choose to use the pictures and patterns on the gift cards or you can paint or decoupage other graphics or paper. You may want to add a coat of clear acrylic to make sure the paper and paint does not scratch.

{cc photo courtesy of Courtney Dirks on Flickr}

Make Guitar Picks

If you’re not a guitar player, perhaps you know one who would love this simple way to reuse old plastic cards. You can either trace a guitar pick on your card and cut it out or purchase a special punch which makes the process even easier. While guitar picks are not know as an expensive item, it’s still a great way to reuse one item into a useful item that’s always needed.

{cc photo courtesy of docpop on Flickr}

Cleaning Up Bread Crumbs

In some classy establishments the servers may scrape the table clean of bread crumbs with a crumb scraper. At home, clean off the table cloth after dinner with a used gift card. Swiping with your hand can miss smaller pieces of crumbs and pieces lint left behind during a day of crafting, but a brushing a gift card across the table brings tiny pieces into a pile that is easily swept away into the trash.

{cc photo courtesy of vapour trail on Flickr}

Donate to Classrooms or Chairities

Maybe you have more coffee shop cards than you know what to do with? Maybe you have a few bucks left but want to refill it and pass on the love. You’ll likely have a hard time finding a classroom teacher, non-profit organization or charity that will turn down a gift card. Take your used cards, refill them with as much money as you choose and donate the card to your favorite cause. Any teacher would likely be thrilled with department store cards which would allow them to by needed classroom supplies and non-profits would benefit from office supply stores and grocery stores. Women’s shelters are always in need of most any gift card which could help them purchase much needed toiletries, clothes, electronics, office supplies and even food items. Don’t think big is a necessity, a five dollar donation goes far and is likely to be very well received and appreciated.

{cc photo courtesy of Editor B on Flickr}

Did you get gift cards as a holiday gift? What do you do with your old gift cards?

Reprinted with permission from Green Living Ideas

by Susan DeFreitas

If everyone in the U.S. transitioned to energy efficient lighting in their homes, according to Phillips, consumers would avoid 87.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and generate energy savings of $15.8 billion – a fact the company would like you to remember as you’re watching the LED light-laden ball drop in Times Square.

New Year’s 2012 will mark the 12th consecutive year that Philips Lighting has served as the official lighting partner to the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. And while efficient light bulls have become a political issue in Washington, D.C., for Philips they’re a selling point. The company is highlighting the fact that the same technology used in the Times Square ball can also be found in the Philips AmbientLED line of LED light bulbs. These bulbs include the Philips 12.5-watt AmbientLED A19, the world’s first commercially available LED to replace the 60-watt incandescent bulb and the only to be Energy Star qualified.

Like the 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs that light the glittering Times Square ball, Phillips AmbientLEDs bulbs consume up to 80 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. (Though you may not want to keep yours lit up all year round, the way the LEDs on the ball at Times Square are.)

Though pricier ($40-$50 a pop) LED bulbs have been slow to take off in 2011, Phillips cites the fact that it has recently dropped the prices on this line of light bulbs and fact that instant rebates available from utility companies in many parts of the country as compelling reasons to make the switch in 2012.

Photo by Joe Shlabotnik/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

by Steve Duda

It’s been what seems a long time in coming, but Ford finally officially pulled the wraps off its brand new electric vehicle, (EV) the Focus Electric recently, and also said that production of the sporty, five-seat hatchback has gotten underway at its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI. This is the company’s second EV following the December 2010 rollout of the Ford Transit Connect Electric – a small commercial van also manufactured in Wayne.

Ford is boasting that the new Focus is expected to be the first first five-passenger EV with a 100 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) — one mpg-e more than its rival: the five-passenger electric Nissan Leaf. Ford also claims that, due to some new battery and charging innovations, the Focus will take a full charge using a 240 volt charger in about three hours. That’s half the time it takes for an equivalent charge of the Leaf. If there’s no time for a full juice up, Ford says an hour on the hose will add 30 miles to the car’s range.

Under the hood the Focus is powered by a 23 kW lithium-ion battery pack connected to a motor capable of providing about 130 horsepower. That’s enough get up and go to give the Focus a top speed of about 84 MPH and a range of around 100 miles. Ford says the advanced battery system uses an active liquid cooling and heating thermal management system to regulate the temperature in the battery. This feature helps to maximize battery life and driving range.

The car also features Ford’s interconnected driver system called MyFord Touch as well as a mobile phone app called MyFord Mobile.

Sales of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric will begin shortly and because initial production of the 2012 model year will be limited, the Focus Electric will be available only in 19 metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Houston and Austin, Texas, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York City, Orlando, Florida, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, Portland, Oregon, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Virginia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

The first deliveries are scheduled to take place in California and New York, followed by the other initial markets by the second quarter of 2012.

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

by Kristy Hessman

As much as green technology drives the engine behind much of what we cover, sometimes it is the non-tech ideas that are more efficient and cost effective. An example of this came in the form of a venture which started shortly after one Sam Pardue was presented a $40,000 estimate to have his 1906 craftsman-style home’s windows replaced that he started noodling ways to design a more affordable and attractive energy-efficient window.

“Every year around this time I would get really bummed out because the cold air would start flowing in,” Pardue remembers.

Then, two years ago, he opened the refrigerator door and inspiration struck. Instead of continuing with the magnetic storm window design that he admitted, “was still ugly”, he came up with a design to use compression tubing that seals around the window, much like you see in a refrigerator door seal.

He developed a prototype and in 2010 and the Indow Window was born. The Indow Window is Pardue’s answer to a better insulated window that is far cheaper than double pane windows and more attractive than unsightly storm or vinyl windows that can detract from unique architectural elements of a home.

The Indow Window is made of acrylic glazing and edged with Pardue’s patent pending compression tubing. The windows are meant for interior use and simply press into place in front of an existing single-pane window.

“Thirty percent of energy in a home is lost through the windows,” Pardue said. “We more than cut that in half.”

In addition to cutting down on drafts, Pardue said his design also doubles the Radiant, or R-Value of a typical single pain window. It also is said to cut down noise coming through the window by 50 percent or more.

Indow Windows is based in Portland, Ore. and manufactures their windows locally. The company has received a $70,000 grant from Oregon Best to calculate the whole home energy savings. The pilot project is being administered by Portland State University’s Green Building Research Laboratory in conjunction with four local utility companies.

The results will come out in the spring of 2012 and will include computer models that show the full home energy savings from the Indow Window.

In the meantime, the company is in the midst of rapid expansion. Over the summer it completed an IT system upgrade that has allowed them to expand their sales territory of the product from just metro Portland, to dealers located throughout Oregon and into Bellingham, Wash., and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“We’ve installed more than 1,500 Indow Windows,” Pardue said.

The Indow Windows retail for $20 a square foot. While the cost to install depends on the number of windows in a home, Pardue said he could outfit his turn-of-the-century home with Indow Windows for $4,000 and $5,000, a fraction of what it would cost to retro-fit the home with double pane windows.

Along with new customers, Indow Windows has also been winning recognition from industry leaders throughout the green sector.

The company recently won a regional competition, which allowed it to compete in the Clean Tech Open, the “Academy Awards” of clean tech, held in San Jose in November.

Indow Windows took home a long list of awards from that competition, including Runner Up in the overall competition, the Northwest Regional Award, the National Sustainability Prize and the Energy Efficiency Category Award.

“When I entered the process, I didn’t know what to expect,” Pardue said. “Winning all of these awards has boosted our credibility in the eyes of investors, dealers and customers alike.”

He said when people first see the simple design of the product; they underestimate the complexity of building a scale-able business around it.The event also exposed the company to potential funding sources.

“We’re not ready for venture capital yet, but we are appealing to angel investors and smaller institution funds,” Pardue said.

So what’s next for the company?

New products like an acoustic grade window that cuts outside noise by as much as 70 percent have already been introduced. And, by the end of Q1 2012, Pardue expects to have dealers selling the Indow Window along the West Coast, from Vancouver, Canada down to San Francisco, California and as far east as New Mexico and Colorado.

Reprinted with permission from EarthTechling

by Susanna Schick

At the International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach this past weekend, I spoke with Yamaha’s Tim Olsen about their Zuma 50 and Zuma 125, both excellent scooters for new riders and young urban commuters. The 50 gets a mind-boggling 132 mpg, and must be loads of fun to ride. I only say this because I haven’t ridden one yet, but I know of at least one very talented racer whose preferred mode of commuting 60 miles to work is on his Zuma 50.

He’s hopped his up a little, in the longstanding tradition of young Europeans looking to get the most out of the small displacement vehicles they’re limited to. This guy lapped me about a million times in the 24 hour endurance race we competed in, on 50cc bikes designed for children. So I figure if it’s fun enough for Jason Perez, it must be fun. The 2012?s are 4-stroke, making them cleaner than the previous models which were 2-strokes.

When I asked Tim if Yamaha was looking to enter the EV market, he explained that he feels it’s going to happen, but not until they’re able to introduce the vehicles at a price people expect. Once again, there’s that perception that sticker price is the only price. People are so accustomed to paying a lot for fuel and maintenance, they forget that these costs are drastically lower with electric vehicles.

I’m hoping to get some seat time on the 2012 R1, the newer version of the gas guzzling rocketship I ride when I’m not on my bicycle. Why that may interest you is that the 2012 features a chip-controlled intake manifold which restricts the air/fuel mixture as you roll on the throttle. On previous models, the fuel injectors released too much gas, particularly with an agressive roll-on. The 2012 upgrade is designed to limit the amount of fuel to exactly what’s needed, reducing the amount of unburnt fuel. I want to do a proper road test to compare it to the average MPG I get from my 2009 R1. Which I’m embarrassed to admit here. It’s less than most of the cars we feature, which is why I ride my bicycle as much as possible.

Although I’ve been saving for an electric motorcycle for some time, I may have to give in to the siren song of the Yamaha Moegi (mentioned here) if they actually produce it. It’ll get great mileage, although I won’t be able to carry as many groceries as with a scooter. There’s a rumor it may even make a live appearance at the New York International Motorcycle Show…

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0

On Friday, President Obama announced a $4 billion initiative to increase the energy efficiency of buildngs over the next two years.

"Upgrading the energy efficiency of America's buildings is one of the fastest, easiest and cheapest ways to save money, cut down on harmful pollution, and create good jobs right now," says Obama in a statement.

"We can't wait for Congress to act, so I'm directing all federal agencies to make at least $2 billion worth of energy efficiency upgrades over the next two years," he adds.

The goal of the program is to raise energy efficiency by a minimum of 20 percent by 2020, across 1.6 billion square feet of office, industrial, municipal, hospital, university, community college and school buildings.

The program is estimated to save $40 billion a year in energy costs, and create 50,000 jobs in the hard-hit construction industry, a figure that could be increased by 114,000 through other components of the Better Buildings Initiative, according to a recent analysis released by The Real Estate Roundtable, the U.S. Green Building Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The program is a public-private partnership - the feds will pay $2 billion, ordered through a Presidential Memorandum, for federal building upgrades, and 60 CEOs, mayors, university presidents and labor leaders committed to invest $2 billion of private capital for federal and private-sector buildings.

There are no up-front costs to taxpayers - energy service firms will bid on the work and make the upgrades with no upfront cost - they will get paid over time through energy savings on utility bills. After the energy service companies are paid back, building owners, be they public or private, keep future savings.

It's part of the Better Buildings Challenge announced early this year, which former president Clinton is spearheading along with and the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

The initiative builds on a commitment made by 14 partners at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in June to make energy upgrades across 300 million square feet, and to invest $500 million in private sector financing in energy efficiency projects.

Those that have signed onto raising efficiency 20 percent by 2020 include retailers like Best Buy, Kohl's Walgreens, major property owners such as Prologis and Transwestern, health care institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, and universities like Michigan State.

More than 300 manufacturing plants, which are some of the largest energy consumers, will upgrade industrial processes - lowering their costs and cleaning the air and water. Firms such as Alcoa and Nissan North America have signed on.

One of the most cited barriers for private companies to undertake building energy upgrades is a lack or limited access to affordable financing. Citi and other banks, and emerging financial service providers such as Green Campus Partners and Transcend Equity are making direct investments and structuring innovative financial products that meet the specific needs of private real estate owners.

Citi completed a first of a kind financing earlier this fall with the state of Delaware for which all of proceeds will be used for energy efficiency projects at state and local government buildings. The $70.2 million financing is expected to cut energy use 30 percent, save $26 million in energy costs, and create more than 1,000 green building jobs.

Examples:

o Lend Lease is upgrading the energy performance of 40,000 military homes around the country. The project kicked off this fall, and will put contractors to work in 13 states.

o The City of Atlanta has begun an upgrade of its Civic Center, and launched Phase One of their local Better Buildings Challenge with more than 16 million square feet of downtown buildings signed up.

Read "A New Retrofit Industry: An analysis of the job creation potential of tax incentives for energy efficiency in commercial buildings and other components of the Better Buildings Initiative, by the US Green Building Council:

Photo by V Smoothe/flickr/Creative Commons

Reprinted with permission from SustainableBusiness.com

by Glenn Meyers

The company is called Cargohopper and it has provided a very appealing solution for a Dutch city suffering traffic congestion caused from too many delivery vehicles in too dense a space. Add too that this city, like many other dense urban areas in the world, suffers the ill effects of abundant diesel pollution said delivery trucks leave in their wake.

The Cargohopper solution for congestion from too many urban delivery trucks on the narrow streets of Utrect, the Netherlands? Store all goods scheduled for delivery in a warehouse outside the city, and then deliver them using modular rolling boxes that connect to a solar-powered caravan. This urban delivery system has succeeded in eliminating diesel pollution while easing congestion at the same time.

Cargohopper allows companies to leave their goods at a warehouse six miles outside city limits, and have them delivered using a 52-foot, solar-powered caravan of three boxes pulled by a cab not much bigger than a golf cart. Backers of the project say Cargohopper is better suited to Utrecht’s narrow, cobbled streets than conventional light vans.

Utrecht-based Hoek Transport, the company behind this delivery system, says it saves 5,200 gallons of diesel and 33 tons of CO2 annually by taking other vehicles off the streets.

In addition, Cargohopper participates in recycling by taking back cardboard and paper on its return journeys. Hoek says, since the system began in April 2009, Cargohopper has delivered 102,500 packages and covered 12,375 miles. Effectively, the cab-and-trailer does the job of five vans, making three trips daily.

According to Fast Company, the success of Cargohopper has attracted other cities are now looking to invest in similar ideas. Hoek says Amsterdam is about to start running three Cargohopper operations, and Haarlem, to the west, will initiate another one.

Cargohopper tows 3 metric tons using a 48-Volt 28-hp electric engine. Its max speed is listed as 20 kilometers an hour (14.53 mph) – plenty for driving tight cities. The service is said to do the work of 5 to 8 regular European vans and operates as a complete logistic system. Boxes are pre-loaded outside the city in the Cargohopper distribution center and towed to the boarder of the inner city using a regular truck with faster speeds. Once empty, it collects dry carton, paper and empty packaging from shops for recycling so it never runs empty.

The overall pace and efficiency of this system sound remarkably appealing.

Reprinted with permission from Ecolocalizer