Sustainable Cars for You

O.K. so we all know what it means to have a sustainable car. Most likely it will be electric. But what about now. What about those of us that are looking for a good car but can't afford a new car. If you want my opinion on a good choice for a sustainable car look to your local police department. Having just purchased a used Crown Victoria, I can tell you this. It is an amazingly well put together car. I have seen examples of these cars used by taxi companies and what not that have 3 and even 400,000 miles on them. They can be purchased ridiculously cheap and are cheap to repair and maintain. So if you are looking to have a sustainable car that will last for literally decades, why not choose a good used cop car. They are a blast to drive and in the event of the apocalypse, we all know what kind of cars will rule the road. The same ones that did before the apocalypse.

Marvelo SKR Velomobile: This is the fiberglass plug/test body shell for th...

Here's a blog to watch. Another prototype comes to life. We need to watch this one closely. Looks to me like a very well put together prototype. Check out the link below and subscribe to this one stay updated.


Marvelo SKR Velomobile: This is the fiberglass plug/test body shell for th...: This is the fiberglass plug/test body shell for the SKR velomobile that marvelo.ca is currently constructing. The shell is about 50% compl...

The Budget Impasse

The national budget. Nothing quite says unsustainable quite like the national budget. With both sides of the isle posturing to get their side of the argument heard, we lose site of what it truly means to be sustainable.

First of all, the national budget can be sustainable in only one way. The same way that numerous states have already made their budgets sustainable. With a balanced budget amendment. Regardless who puts this one out their, if we cannot balance the budget on a regular basis we will be heading down the toilet in a hurry.

Its not as difficult as they want it to seem. All you have to do is only spend the amount of money you have coming in and no more. Just like you and I do in our own personal lives. If you don't have it to spend, don't spend it. Many of our nations national debt problems could easily be solved if we just added this one little amendment. Then none of us would be able to complain about the other party who is in office isn't balancing the budget, or who is jacking our national debt out of site. Nice and simple isn't it. Don't make things more complicated than it needs to be. That is exactly what our politicians have been doing for far to long. We need to tell them to KEEP IT SIMPLE.

The Return of the Hydrogen Car?

It seems as if the Hydrogen car is like a bad rerun of an old zombie movie. Just when we think its dead, it raises up and starts howling again. The question is this, "Is the Hydrogen car for real or is it a pipe dream that just won't die?"

They claim that the rebirth of the electric car didn't do so well. That the sales where lackluster and that it is an utter failure. Lets examine this a little more closely and see what the truth is. The truth is sales are exactly what they are supposed to be. If you look at the year the electric car was reborn and look at the sales figures from there, they are ahead of what the hybrid car was when it first came on the market more than ten years ago. The hybrids still comprise only a small percentage of the market, so technically they are still in the early adopter phase. Once they hit 10 percent market share or so, that is when it takes off.

Why then is the Hydrogen car poised to make a return.........again?  Well think about it this way. If we all started driving electric cars we would have several advantages over a fuel cell car.

First of all a hydrogen fuel cell is extremely complicated and expensive. They would maintain the cost and complexity of the car and we would still need regular maintenance that only the dealers could perform. The electric car is battery powered. It is a simple chemical device and no more. No matter how complicated they try to make an electric car it will always be a very simple device, no matter how it is arranged. They are cheaper to buy and easier to maintain then a fuel cell car.

Next if the cost of fuel. Take a car like the Nissan Leaf for example. Given the current cost of electricity a Leaf can run for about 100 miles on 3 dollars or so of electricity. We can refuel it at home, and there are already several charging stations popping up all over the place. The fuel cell car on the other hand is always a decade or more in the future and probably always will be. There is no refueling infrastructure at all right now unless you live in one of the laboratory markets that have a small handful of stations. An electric car on the other hand can be refueled from my garage. I can make the fuel. And we then become slaves to whomever decides to sell us the fuel. Anybody that thinks that hydrogen will cost less than gasoline is lying to everyone. And if the electricity for the electric car gets too expensive, I just start putting up solar panels and wind turbines.

And lastly, HYDROGEN IS NOT AN ENERGY SOURCE. It is an energy carrier. At the moment the only way to get hydrogen is through the reformation of natural gas or the electrolysis of water. The latter is only 15% efficient at most, in laboratories. So why would be use 15% of the energy in electricity to make hydrogen to put in a car, when you can put 100% of the electricity itself in the car?

The simple truth is this. Hydrogen is not sustainable as a transportation fuel. Maybe it is if you want to sustain the status-quo for the people who make us dependent on them for fuel, but it is certainly not sustainable for those of us who want to be truly sustainable in our own lives.

Velomobiles as Sustainable Transportation

What is a velomobile you ask? Quite simply, a velomobile is a human powered vehicle, usually a recumbent trike that has bodywork around it for aerodynamics and for weather protection. The velomobile pictured above is built by a company called Organic Transit. This prototype is not one of the more aerodynamic models as seen below, but its price is supposed to start at 4000 dollars. For that price you get a human powered vehicle capable of hauling one passenger or small amounts of cargo complete with an electric assist drive and signals and lights. All of which does not need a license to operate, as it technically qualifies as an electrically assisted bicycle. These types of vehicles are the most sustainable you can get. They recharge with solar power if they need recharged at all; some velomobiles are solely human powered.

This is something to think about, if you live only a few miles from work and do not need a long commute, this could be a year round alternative to a car. Just think about how much money you will save on fuel and maintenance costs for an automobile. With peak oil just around the corner this is just the type of vehicle we need for a more sustainable future. For more information just check out www.velomobilenews.com.

Agenda 21

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?documentid=52

Agenda 21

The link above is directed to the United Nations website for Agenda 21 itself. Agenda 21 has been demonized of late by certain media outlets that would like you to believe it is a global agenda to take over the world and implement a dictatorship with a communist agenda. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is quite simply an NON-binding agreement between governments, local and international, to further the development of a sustainable future for all of mankind. I suggest you read it for yourself before making sweeping proclamations based on books about Agenda 21 written by political pundits.

Printed below is the preamble of Agenda 21. Go ahead and read it for yourself.

2/7/13 Agenda 21 - Preamble - United Nations Environment Programme
www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.Print.asp?DocumentID=52&ArticleID=49&l=en 1/2
Preamble
United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Conférence des Nations
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AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 1
PREAMBLE
NOTE: This is a final, advanced version of a chapter of Agenda 21, as adopted by the Plenary in Rio de Janeiro, on June 14, 1992. This document will be further edited, translated into the official languages, and published by the United Nations for the General Assembly this autumn.

1.1. Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are confronted with a perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well-being. However, integration of environment and development concerns and greater attention to them will lead to the fulfilment of basic needs, improved living standards for all, better protected and managed ecosystems and a safer, more prosperous future. No nation can achieve this on its own; but together we can - in a global partnership for sustainable development.

1.2. This global partnership must build on the premises of General Assembly resolution 44/228 of 22
December 1989, which was adopted when the nations of the world called for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and on the acceptance of the need to take a balanced and integrated approach to environment and development questions.

1.3. Agenda 21 addresses the pressing problems of today and also aims at preparing the world for the
challenges of the next century. It reflects a global consensus and political commitment at the highest level on development and environment cooperation. Its successful implementation is first and foremost the responsibility of Governments. 1/ National strategies, plans, policies and processes are crucial in achieving this. International cooperation should support and supplement such national efforts. In this context, the United Nations system has a key role to play. Other international, regional and subregional organizations are also called upon to contribute to this effort. The broadest public participation and the active involvement of the non-governmental organizations and other groups should also be encouraged.

1.4. The developmental and environmental objectives of Agenda 21 will require a substantial flow of new and additional financial resources to developing countries, in order to cover the incremental costs for the actions they have to undertake to deal with global environmental problems and to accelerate sustainable development. Financial resources are also required for strengthening the capacity of international institutions for the implementation of Agenda 21. An indicative order of magnitude assessment of costs is included in each of the programme areas. This assessment will need to be examined and refined by the relevant implementing agencies and organizations.

1.5. In the implementation of the relevant programme areas identified in Agenda 21, special attention should be given to the particular circumstances facing the economies in transition. It must also be recognized that these countries are facing unprecedented challenges in transforming their economies, in some cases in the midst of considerable social and political tension.

1.6. The programme areas that constitute Agenda 21 are described in terms of the basis for action,
objectives, activities and means of implementation. Agenda 21 is a dynamic programme. It will be carried out by the various actors according to the different situations, capacities and priorities of countries and in full respect of all the principles contained in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. It could evolve over time in the light of changing needs and circumstances. This process marks the beginning of a new global partnership for sustainable development.

1.7. Throughout Agenda 21 the term "environmentally sound" means "environmentally safe and sound", in particular when applied to the terms "energy sources", "energy supplies", "energy systems", or "technology/technologies".

Agenda 21

Oh scary, everybody run for the hills the U.N. is taking over..........O.K. back to reality. The truth is, if anyone has heard of agenda 21, which goes back to 1992 by the way,  it has probably made you think there is an international conspiracy to take over the world. If you want to read agenda 21 for yourself  go to.....http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_00.shtml. This is not an external website that will give you skewed facts, but it is indeed the official U.N. Agenda 21 site itself. Read it for yourself if you wish, but if you already have your mind made up, you will undoubtedly come to your own conclusions.

The truth is this. Agenda 21 should not scare anyone away from sustainability. Sustainability will help us live our lives, not only to not harm the environment, but will save us money and keep us off of the reliance of other countries, corporations and other people for our own needs to survive. Think about it. If we all led sustainable lives, we would not need the governments of the world or the corporations of the world. Somebody looks to lose a tremendous amount of money if we all led sustainable lives wouldn't they. Once we all started to lead sustainable lives, you will find our standard of living will get better, not worse as some have indicated.

In summary, all I have to say is this. Keep an open mind to sustainable development. Don't read anything into it. That is why we have elections. If you find a government is trying to do something that is not is the peoples best interest, vote them out of office. That's what we do.

Til next time,

Jason