Your Greeness

Environmental-oriented policies have helped greatly in reducing carbon emissions in most US cities. Lowest levels were reached in 2005 in the West Coast. However, the East Coasts still have a high level of emissions levels. In fact, it has been noted that they have the highest levels of emissions in the country.

In a comparative study done between the West Coast and the East Coasts, it was discovered that the West Coasts have significant benefits in their strict environmental policies, weather, and population density. Meanwhile, the East Coasts still relies on traditional energy sources which have high levels of carbon dioxide.

The West Coasts is also more concerned about their environment and a lot of alternative energy sources are being explored and implemented. In particular, California is popular for its strict environmental policies. This state has made a lot of effects in ensuring that it has renewable resources such as biodiesels, hydro-electricity, and solar energy.

A good example of this is Pacific Gas & Electric which already has a series of green projects. They can even produce natural gas from cow manure. The company has invested in solar energy as well. Their first functional plant is expected to be in operation by 2011.

With the problems about fuel supply these days, a lot of researchers are looking for alternative fuel source. But one fuel source option stands out: the use of algae. Although it may seem strange for most to convert algae into fuel, it is surprising that algae are a strong contender for the title World’s Next Great Fuel. This is because it has various qualities that work in its favor. For example, algae are made up of organisms can capture light energy; through this it can convert through photosynthesis into vegetable oil. In turn, this vegetable oil will be converted into biodiesel.

And if you know something about diesel engine, you are probably aware that the biodiesel can be used to power just any sort of diesel engine. Currently, there are around 13 million diesel-powered engines in the United States alone and it is expected to increase over the next decade.

Algae also have other advantages compared to other oil-producing plants such as soybeans and canola. Because it can grow in an enclosed place, it can multiply rapidly and it requires minimal input for it to flourish. It just needs a little sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water for it to thrive.

Pepsi has launched more environment-friendly bottles which will reduce its plastic consumption by as much as 20% in its non-carbonated bottles division. This development will eliminate around 20 million pounds of wastage in the environment. The new 500ml beverage bottle is introduced to the market this May 2008; some Pepsi products that will make use of the new plastic bottle include Tropicana Juice, Lipton Iced Tea, and the Aquafina products.

Aside from the reduction of its plastic consumption, the new bottle will also have a ten percent reduction on its label size and a five percent reduction on its shrink wrap. Pepsi VP for Worldwide Beverage Packaging and Equipment Development Robert Lewis said that “We’ve challenged ourselves to consistently identify ways to lessen our impact on the environment and in this case we’re doing a little ‘plastic surgery’.”

This development is a good example of the company’s commitment to its mission “Performance with Purpose.” The drive towards environment-friendliness without sacrificing its product quality is certainly an impressive company endeavor. And its commitment to sustainable growth, consumers can expect more innovate approaches to the way Pepsi does business in the future.

While it may sound next to impossible for tires to become “green”, the Green Diamond Tire Company is doing its best to do just exactly that. Tire manufacturers are now jumping into the green bandwagon but are a fact that the tire casing, belt assemblies, and bead bundle really need substantial fossil fuel usage and waste before it can be made possible. The tire manufacturing companies are striving to significantly reduce their carbon emission to benefit the earth but it is almost impossible to completely eliminate the environmental impact of producing tires.

It is a good thing then that the Green Diamond Tire Company reconstructs and remolds old tire casings. The company uses an Icelandic traction technology that puts silicone carbine granules into the tread. The company claims that each manufactured tire means one less casing in the landfill and they have solid proof to back up this claim. It is even said that the GDT remolded tires can actually outperform the original tire. As you can see, taking advantage of the services provided by The Green Diamond Tire Company will not only benefit your automobile but it will benefit the earth as well.

Upgrading your bedroom to become more eco-friendly will not only help save the environment, it will also make your bedroom a more comfortable place to live in. For example, most mattresses are actually made from petroleum-based polyester, polyurethane, and nylon which and give off volatile compounds that increases the risks of respiratory diseases. In addition, some mattresses are treated with formaldehyde which releases harmful perflourooctanoic acid which is known to be a human carcinogen.

It is also important to note that the FDA now requires mattresses to become flame resistant which means that the materials that are used should resist ignition and lit cigarettes. However, the problem is that no known manufacturer actually produces mattresses that meet the new standard. Instead, they use different materials made from both natural and synthetic fiber.

People don’t know the exact composition of these materials so it is important for them to purchase alternative flame retardants that don’t have significant health and environmental risk. Meanwhile, for your bed frame, you might want to consider using metal because it resists bugs so it is more convenient for you. But you can also choose solid wood because it is not only environment friendly; it poses lesser health risks compared to particleboard and plywood.

There is a reason why Europeans call the toilet as water closet. This is because around 60% of a home’s water consumption is used on the bathroom. But probably the greatest guzzler in the toilet is the toilet because it uses 27% of the household’s total water supply annually. In line with this, it is important for you to make sure that the 1.6-gallon-per-flush toilet is really consuming this amount because most toilets actually use more.

On the average, 1.6 gpf toilets are actually using around 1.98 gpf mainly because of double flushing from malfunctioning flush. The “early close” flappers us usually the device that prevents 3.5-gallon tank from leaking more than the required 1.6 gallons; currently, a lot of toilets now use 3.5 gpf flappers as well as removable toilet dams.

If you are living in a home that was previously owned by another person, you need to make sure that the toilet does not have inefficient modifications. This will not only help you save on your water bill, you can help consume water and save the planet. Whenever applicable, you need to buy hardware that is specifically designed for 1.6 gpf toilets because otherwise, your toilet will not be as environment friendly as it ought to be.

Rumors have been circulating for some time that the Prius, the best-selling hybrid vehicles from Toyota, to become a brand in itself. Toyota envisions the Prius marquee to encompass a whole lineup of hybrid vehicles. They will use a distinctive styling that will make these vehicles stand out from the rest by “yelling” loudly about the vehicle’s green qualifications. But lest you become too excited about this development, this brand is most likely seen to enter the market only in 2010. Speculation is, the Prius will launch its brand with three main models to carry the line.

The Prius might be one of the top selling hybrid cars in the market today but with a lot of automakers gearing to push this segment with innovative ideas and new technologies, the brand might find itself in difficult straits. In addition, the hybrid option is becoming common in many vehicle lineups so the move to separate Prius from Toyota may not be a feasible idea over the long term.

On the other hand, the opposite may also be true. With the Prius name being as established as it is in the hybrid industry, it may give Toyota a head start in this market. Moreover, as the hybrids become common, having a specialized and separate brand may just work in Toyota’s favor. They will be able to focus on the development as well as the marketing of the Prius brand a lot better.

However, despite all the advantages that is expected to be derived from this move, a lot of speculators don’t believe that there is a great merit in establishing Prius as a separate brand. With Toyota’s capacity to manufacture their vehicles in a limited amount of development time, this move may just be the right one for them and only time will tell if it is effective or not.

Go to any motor show today and you will inevitably see signs of the industry’s rush to go green. When you see everyone scrambling to join the green bandwagon, you definitely know that something is up. With Honda, their green credential is a lot more convincing because of their long history of using their engineering resources to reduce emission and boost fuel consumption.

For example, even during the 1970’s when no one bothered to improve the inefficient and heavy anti-smog gear to meet the US emission standard, Honda developed the CVCC; this is a lean and small burn machine that burned more efficiently. Its philosophy was carried over to the i-VTEC engine which is still being used today.

Honda Cell Fuel Program

Apparently, you can expect Honda to look beyond conventional engines. It has seized the opportunity to introduce the FCX Clarity, its first cell fuel car. Being on its initial stages, the Clarity will only be leased to selected users in California at the price of $600 per month. According to Sachito Fujimoto, the goal of Honda is to offer “sustainable mobility”; Honda believes that the fuel cell is a great way to achieve this although they hope that their fuel cell cars will duplicate the success of the Toyota Hybrids.

But the challenge that faces green car manufacturers today is convincing drivers to let go of the internal combustion engines and embrace the fuel cell technology. Fujimoto believes that the best way to achieve this is to catch the drivers’ attention and make the drivers aware of the car’s benefits. In other word, they need to make these green cars look cool. It also doesn’t hurt that there are fundamental advantages of using hydrogen as the car fuel. Catching the attention of the gadget lovers will enable the company to penetrate the market as the rest of the drivers follow suit.

New radiocarbon analysis suggests that biodiesel blending may be inaccurate. Researches from the Woods Hold Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have found that some blends from small-scale retailers may not actually contain the actual amount of advertised biofuel.

Chris Reddy, a marine chemist together with his colleagues, sampled different pure and blended biodiesel from more than a dozen distributors throughout the country. When hey tested fuels that are advertised as B20, they discovered that the actual percentage actually only ranged from 10% to 74%. Only around 10% of the tested samples met the specifications being used by the US Department of Defense, one of the leading users of this product.

Reddy and his colleagues worked together with a senior scientist from the WHOI, Bill Jenkins, to come up with an accurate radiocarbon-based calibration that can determine of the balance between petroleum and biofuel is correct. This particular method relies of the fact that biofuels are enriched with radioisotopes that comes from plants while petroleum contains no radiocarbon.

The discrepancy between the advertised amount and the actual amount may be partly due to the fact that biodiesels that are made by the local distributors are formed through “splash blending” wherein all the ingredients are poured together in a single container with the respective amounts. They assume that the simple act of pouring all these will ensure proper mixing. But because biodiesel are thicker than the petroleum based diesel, it may settle into multiple layers within the tank.

Another factor that may contribute to this inaccuracy is human error. These include inaccurate measurement, poor math, and insufficient stirring. Currently, the United States already has a voluntary standard practice in place but there is no enforcement. The 2004-2005 study of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggested that national-scale manufacturers are also having a difficult time in producing biodiesel with proper blending.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!