Green Human Stories Environmental Blog Seattle Washington State Northwest News

This is interesting. I am currently in the market ...

2011-01-11T17:15:22.151-08:00

This is interesting. I am currently in the market for a new vehicle, although there have been a lot of recalls on Toyotas, I think I'd still consider one.

This is a very informative article. I am glad to h...

2010-06-15T00:22:31.749-07:00

This is a very informative article. I am glad to have discovered your blog. I will definitely promote this blog among my circle of friends. Green Certification

Thanks for the info about 21 Acers. Their efforts...

2010-04-06T17:02:34.524-07:00

Thanks for the info about 21 Acers. Their efforts to educate and empower the community are extraordinary. Check out Workingforgreen.net, we seek to inspire others to make small changes to help the environment and save money through inspirational people across the country. Here is a link to one of our videos about a couple who transform people's yards to food gardens to promote community sustainability: http://www.workingforgreen.net/node/144

-Kristin
kristin@workingforgreen.net

I think this is great. At least car companies are ...

2010-01-26T12:40:18.044-08:00

I think this is great. At least car companies are taking things seriously. I've had a Hyundai for the last 6 years, so I think 10 000$ is pretty interesting for a greener car.....if those models are for North America, I may consider switching

Your article holds fantastic news! The integration...

2009-11-20T04:20:28.958-08:00

Your article holds fantastic news! The integration of Climate-Cars is extremely important in battle against climate changes. I mean, literally any mechanical function that is powered by some sort of electrical output, rather than the burning of fossil fuels is an improvement.

I personally believe that the research concerning improvement of such things as cars that run on electricity or bio-diesel, is a significant enhancement and will aid the cause.

I myself have been working on a project called onlineleaf - which aims to lower the amount of energy used by websites through a wide range of measures. This is however a small-scale effort, but if spread thoroughly through the web, will save a lot of energy.

Regards,
Richard Schuster

www.haveurebooted.com will recycle your cells and ...

2009-08-11T09:50:59.256-07:00

www.haveurebooted.com will recycle your cells and chargers for free. they have a cool site too with contests and giveaways and stuff

The Earth has been facing immense pollution from o...

2009-08-09T07:36:26.388-07:00

The Earth has been facing immense pollution from our garbage and consumption. The latest deadly pollution is plastic bags that fill up the landfills. With plastic bags becoming a growing concern, cotton canvas bag has become the new way to help stop the pollution.
With plastic bag pollution being a rising concern, many shoppers need to start using reusable cotton canvas bags in order to stop the pollution.
Plastic bag pollution is very deadly and takes hundreds of years to break down. Even if the component is broken done, the deadly chemicals will go into the ground and water system. By reducing the usage of plastic bag, Earth can recuperate. That's why cotton bags should be used world wide to help reduce the pollution.
It is our generation to stop the pollution and start using cotton canvas bags as the solution. With global warming going out of hand from gas exhaustion, we don't need any more problems especially plastic bags that are harmful when broken down naturally. These broken down elements cause sickness and destruction to the air, soil and water system.
Use cotton canvas bags starting today as a way to stop the plastic pollution that is becoming a major threat to the environment. Our lives are threatened ever more from the growing usage of plastic bags. It is time you bring a canvas bag to shopping the next time you go to a supermarket.
Please learn more at http://www.ecotrendbags.com/

Michael Jackson Memorial
Michael Jackson Memorial

Hi thanks for that nice post on new EVs. Yes these...

2009-07-08T06:48:15.112-07:00

Hi thanks for that nice post on new EVs. Yes these are the products that hold the promise of becoming a reality soon. They also have the potential of making the largest impact on our environment on a very huge scale if implemented properly. More car manufacturers like http://climatarians.org need to come forward with innovative plans to make this a reality.

Great post!
Joost Hoogstrate

I come to find out the Everett Events Center is al...

2009-06-17T16:29:11.722-07:00

I come to find out the Everett Events Center is also pretty darn green. As far as Key Arena, they seem to have a whole lot more problems on their hands than this, like attracting tenants. But Mr. Mayor loves green, as long as whatever he does put some of it in his pocket, so who knows?

It's great that Kent is getting it right with ...

2009-06-05T14:55:12.966-07:00

It's great that Kent is getting it right with both green building certification and a reward for fuel-efficient car buyers. At the same time, why can't they do something like that at Key Arena? Maybe venues around Seattle will finally get into gear only after venues in smaller municipalities get close to that greener future waiting for us all.

Motor fuel economy should be restated to "miles pe...

2009-05-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

Motor fuel economy should be restated to "miles per dollar" rather than "miles per gallon". CNG should be compared to 100% pure petroleum fuel and gasohol which contains 10% alcohol. Politics and economics are, once again, at odds with each other.

I'd huge collection of old mobile phones in my dra...

2009-04-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

I'd huge collection of old mobile phones in my drawer, looking for mobile phone recycling companies to trade in my phones for cash within a week. If anyone try this, pls let me know..

There’s a lot of doubt surrounding which methods/p...

2009-04-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot of doubt surrounding which methods/products are truly sustainable and which are just green washing. Check out our myth-busting video “What’s Your Big Green Lie?!” which gives a taste of the widespread ignorance of green issues http://www.biggreenlies.com.

Ok, I see you corrected the value to 41.4 MPG for ...

2009-04-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I see you corrected the value to 41.4 MPG for the Jetta against 40.96 MPG for the CleanER Prius.

((41.4/40.96)/41.4)*100 = 2.4% better

http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp
Average diesel = 222.1, average regular = 204.6
((222.1/204.6)/222.1)*100 = 4.9% more expensive.

Therefore the Prius IS cheaper to run!
Proof:
7000 miles / 41.40 * 2.221$ = $375.53 of diesel.
7000 miles / 40.96 * 2.046$ = $349.65 of regular.

Regarding clealiness, it gets worse:
http://www.epa.gov/OMS/climate/420f05001.htm

CO2 emissions from a gallon of gasoline = 2,421 grams x 0.99 x (44/12) = 8,788 grams = 8.8 kg/gallon = 19.4 pounds/gallon

CO2 emissions from a gallon of diesel = 2,778 grams x 0.99 x (44/12) = 10,084 grams = 10.1 kg/gallon = 22.2 pounds/gallon

Therefore:
7000 miles / 41.40 * 22.2 = 3754 lb of Co2.
7000 miles / 40.96 * 19.4 = 3315 lb of Co2.

Another issue is Nitrogen Oxide:

(From Wikipedia)

Health effects
NOx react with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form nitric acid vapor and related particles. Small particles can penetrate deeply into sensitive lung tissue and damage it, causing premature death in extreme cases. Inhalation of such particles may cause or worsen respiratory diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis it may also aggravate existing heart disease.[4]

NOx react with volatile organic compounds in the presence of heat and sunlight to form Ozone. Ozone can cause adverse effects such as damage to lung tissue and reduction in lung function mostly in susceptible populations (children, elderly, asthmatics). Ozone can be transported by wind currents and cause health impacts far from the original sources. Millions of Americans live in areas that do not meet the health standards for ozone.

NOx also readily react with common organic chemicals, and even ozone, to form a wide variety of toxic products: nitroarenes, nitrosamines and also the nitrate radical some of which may cause biological mutations.

As discussed above, atmospheric NOx eventually forms nitric acid, which contributes to acid rain.[6] NOx emissions are regulated in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency, and in the UK by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to the department of environment, the Jetta releases in the athmosphere 0.031 grams per kilometer. The Prius, 0.010 grams per kilometer.

Even if the quantities are tiny, the Prius still emits three times less than the Jetta.

So, Who's cleaner, and cheaper?

(just to be fair, where else did you post you communist propaganda?)

2009-03-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

I have been looking at the blog for a while now. W...

2009-03-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at the blog for a while now. What I see is that both powertrains have definite advantages over a straight gas engine. I hope that as both get more refined as time goes on more people will use them as they are cleaner and use much less resources than the old technology.

Please make sure to explain the differences proper...

2009-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Please make sure to explain the differences properly.

Diesel fuel has more energy per gallon than gasoline, thus MPG is naturally 25% higher.

Then there's the automatic transmission versus an manual transmission, versus a CVT.

The Prius CVT is more at par with a six speed manual transmission, however, without the shifting hassle.
This is important in congested traffic, where the Prius will outperform just because it's also a 40MPH NEV for some 2 miles of pulsing.

In stop & go traffic, let's say 30 minutes non-stop, the ICE might only be on for 5 of those minutes.

(unless I use heating/defrost or summer AC - then it would be 15 minutes out of 30)

Since the purchase price, and resell price of a Prius and a TDI Jetta are similar, I would like to see a comparison on maintenance costs.

I'm under the assumption that Diesel engines, doing at least 20,000 miles per year, would have a higher maintenance cost.
(oil changes, spark plugs, air filter, etc)

IOW, if someone is 50/50 between a purchasing decision, knowing how much money required in the first five years / 100K miles, could help.

Owner of a Prius G2 since Sept 2006.
Here in Mo...

2009-03-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

Owner of a Prius G2 since Sept 2006.
Here in Montreal, Canada, it is quite harsh with wildly varying temperatures.

Only gripe I have is that only in the G3 Prius is the heater & AC a true electric only device.

Meaning a G2 Prius MPG goes way down, 40% down, with winter tires, heating, defrosting, winter gas, etc.

But those other eight months it's a pleasure to drive, and with a PZEV exhaust, the cleanest anti-smog system out there.

The content you have provided is pretty interestin...

2009-02-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

The content you have provided is pretty interesting and useful and I will surely take note of the point you have made in the blog.

A few days back I was browsing the Internet as I was worried about my car performance and wanted a product that could restore the MPG to what it was when I bought my car. I found this great site power enhancer which sells a variety of automotive products to boost vehicle performance. I found exactly what I was looking for and saw great results with their product. I was also very happy with the quick delivery of the product.

I thought this information might be useful for anyone looking to boost their vehicle performance and restore the lost power and MPG.

The problem has always been the supply of Prius ha...

2009-02-25T05:13:00.000-08:00

The problem has always been the supply of Prius has been less than the demand. In 2005, I was on a 'waiting list' for a Prius. The dealer called me in June and tried to make the next Prius into an auction!

In May 2009, Prius sales took about a 40% dive because there were no more to be had. All of their allotment to the USA were sold. Once again, 'waiting lists' and pure dealer markup.

It won't be until the Ford Fusion hybrid shows up that we'll have a USA hybrid worthy of the name (GM is still playing catch-up) But the Ford Fusion hybrid looks to fit between the Prius and Camry hybrids. It will be the first serious competition (until GM management is replaced.)

The problem has always been on the supply side as Prius historically have not been gathering dust on the car lots. It hasn't been until the collapse of car sales in October 2009 that we've even seen Toyota dealers offering incentives on the Prius or even the Camry hybrid ... or any of their hybrids including Lexus.

Look at the January sales any you'll see where the Prius sits relative to all hybrids:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/hyb_sales_010.jpg

The left group are luxury hybrids where mileage is not so important. The middle group are the working hybrids including the Honda Civic hybrid, Toyota Camry, and Ford Escape. The Prius and Lexus 400h are the extremes of their class of hybrids.

Then look at the hybrids relative to the top 10 gas vehicles:
http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/hyb_sales_020.jpg

The Prius came within spittin' distance of being in the top 10 vehicles sold in January 2009. This is a really impressive sales volume.

We use these charts to project where new vehicles, those not yet for sale, will fall in terms of market quantities. You'll notice we're using the "City" mileage since this is really where hybrids compete. Based upon the projected City mileage and cost, we see the Jetta TDI competing in the middle, "working hybrid" group.

Bob Wilson

ps. finally got a cuppa coffee

2009-02-25T05:08:00.000-08:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

2009-02-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

2009-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

BTW, the largest user database of Prius mileage is...

2009-02-23T13:50:00.000-08:00

BTW, the largest user database of Prius mileage is located at GreenHybrid.com:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/toyota-priushsd.html

There are 1,758 entries and the median MPG is 47.5 MPG. Compared to the EPA 45/48 (46 combined), this is pretty good agreement.

So again, we're kinda of wondering what is it about this single vehicle vs vehicle test makes it a better or more definitive test than either the government repeatable EPA tests or the already evident, 1,758 vehicles in GreenHybrid.com?

Bob Wilson

Green Human Stories Environmental Blog Seattle Washington State Northwest News

This is interesting. I am currently in the market ...

This is a very informative article. I am glad to h...

Thanks for the info about 21 Acers. Their efforts...

I think this is great. At least car companies are ...

Your article holds fantastic news! The integration...

www.haveurebooted.com will recycle your cells and ...

The Earth has been facing immense pollution from o...

Michael Jackson MemorialMichael Jackson Memorial

Hi thanks for that nice post on new EVs. Yes these...

I come to find out the Everett Events Center is al...

It's great that Kent is getting it right with ...

Motor fuel economy should be restated to "miles pe...

I'd huge collection of old mobile phones in my dra...

There’s a lot of doubt surrounding which methods/p...

Ok, I see you corrected the value to 41.4 MPG for ...

I have been looking at the blog for a while now. W...

Please make sure to explain the differences proper...

Owner of a Prius G2 since Sept 2006.Here in Mo...

The content you have provided is pretty interestin...

The problem has always been the supply of Prius ha...

BTW, the largest user database of Prius mileage is...

Michael Jackson Memorial
Michael Jackson Memorial

Owner of a Prius G2 since Sept 2006.
Here in Mo...