Transportation

More Parks, Less Parking

- Adam Clare

Smog kills and that isn’t good, what is good is when people try to stop smog. I’m assuming that you can figure out what this post is about. In Toronto yesterday I joined an intrepid group of people who used a car to protest the lack of green space in the city.

A dead car was given new life as a petition at Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market in Toronto. Tons of people signed it to show their support for the simple idea of more parks and less parking. On Monday the car was towed away.

We met at 8am to push the car-turned-petition to cIty hall about 2.5 km away. We were quite a fun parade since we had drummers and a great attitude! At city hall a representative from the mayor’s office accepted our petition. Check out the pictures on flickr.

Soaring Solar

- Adam Clare 2 Comments

Solar boat It seems that every year solar power efficiency improves and that this increased energy production allows for more and more uses. People also figure out other ways to use the sun’s heat. And what’s technological innovation without a competition? Well, we all know there are solar-powered competitions around the world like the classic World Solar Challenge that travels across Australia.

Did you know that there are solar powered boat competitions? I didn’t. The Frisian Nuon Solar Challenge is all about raising boats that gather power from the sun’s rays. Recently, Technical University of Delft won the competition.

Tempted to get your own solar boat, check out all of these crazy looking solar boats.

Good Clean Public Shame

- Fraser Birt

When is public shaming a good thing?

When Greenpeace UK launches ad spots like this.

A little bit of public shame can be a relatively benevolent way to bring about social change.

Accelerating Developments for Green Cars

- Adam Clare

smart car
A few car makers are actively trying to make our over-reliance on oil less of an issue. The most interesting one is the car made by Tesla motors.
Here is a quick round-up of recent announcements:

Toyota is thinking of making a ethanol-powered vehicle in the “near term” and is “pursing a plug-in hybrid vehicle” for the USA’s auto market.

“DaimlerChrysler has turned its popular teeny Smart car into an EV. The electric version of the Smartfortwo will be available for lease to 100 customers in Great Britain in November.”

A car made by Tesla Motors (who gets funding from Google founders and a Pay-Pal founder) has made and electric car that can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds.

Go green cars go!

Guns for Bikes Peddling Works

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

The Democratic Republic of Congo has a program that allows people to turn in their firearms for some thing useful – bikes. The program has been so successful that it is being expanded.

A BBC corespondent proclaims that it’s more successful than a previous UN disarmament program. It’s so sucesful that tin roofs are being given out in places where they don’t have enough bikes to hand out.

“Ngoy Mulunda, a pastor in the south-eastern Katanga region, says he has been given some 6,500 weapons in the past year, which he has destroyed.”

Scroll To Top