We’ve covered car sharing programs before on ThingsAreGood and I don’t think this will be the last time we mention them.
The BBC is running a good article on car sharing in the UK. Richard Ghail writes about how carpooling is a great way to meet people, save money and the environment all in one go.
He credits the congestion charge in London reinforces of environmental protection. What’s more, he points out that the economy benefits from less congestion on the road.
It’s that time of year again when we care for our fellow humans and we try to make the world a better place. It’s World Car Free Day!
Over in Europe they have Mobility Week, which is far better than just a day without cars. We should all celebrate non-auto transit.
I know in Toronto Yonge St. (a major street) is closed to cars today, and the Sierra Club is behind this. You can easily find out more about Canada Car Free Day. Also in Toronto the group Streets Are For People are encouraging more direct and creative action with tea!
I hope that where you live people have made an effort to stop polluting and live a healthier lifestyle!
This is big news! Maybe this will have the same impact that suing tobacco companies had. The state charges that car companies have damaged people’s health because of the emissions of their products.
“California filed a global warming lawsuit on Wednesday against Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and three other automakers, charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer said the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Northern California was the first of its kind to seek to hold manufacturers liable for the damages caused by their vehicles’ emissions.
The lawsuit also names Chrysler Motors Corp., the U.S. arm of Germany’s DaimlerChrysler AG, and the North American units of Japan’s Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd..
The lawsuit charges that vehicle emissions have contributed significantly to global warming and harmed the resources, infrastructure and environmental health of the most populous state in the United States.”
The Transatlantic21 is going to cross the ocean with no gas, instead it will use only solar power! After a successful voyage they will sell solar powered boats based on the successful design.
“The time is ripe for a breakthrough of solar techniques into the world of boat and ship navigation. Demonstrating the potential of solar power is the objective of Transatlantic21. In September 2006, “SUN21″, which has been constructed specifically for this purpose, will begin its journey from Basel to New York. It will be the first solar boat ever to cross the Atlantic: entirely dependent on sunlight, not consuming one drop of gasoline.”
Previously on ThingsAreGood we covered solar powered boats, hybrid boats, and a thing called the skysail.
On Monday, a new traffic law will force Londoners to buckle up their children or face stiff penalties. From September 18, all children under four foot five inches (about 135 cm) must be secured in a car seat or booster seat. Those who ignore this rule will face a mandatory traffic fine of £30 to £500 (if referred to court.) Although many parents strap their children in, many do so incorrectly and allow the children to use adult seat belts before they are big enough to do so. Air bags can also cause serious injury to children who are strapped into car seats in the front passenger seat. “Most people make sure that children use some kind of restraint when travelling on the road, but it is vitally important to use the right one; and not to use an adult belt before the child is big enough,” said Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman. The move aims to reduce the high number of serious injuries and deaths caused by improper restraints each year.