Japan Beats the US in Awesomeness Again

I like to tell people who don't live in my fair state that the best thing about California is the ability to wake up in the morning and go surfing, then head out to the mountains and go snowboarding, then cruise down to a lake and go wakeboarding, and still be home in time for dinner.

This awesome day is theoretically possible from just about anywhere in the state, but it carries a rather large carbon footprint, and you would still spend less time enjoying all these fun activities than you would driving from one to the next. Probably why this sentiment is more descriptive than it is literal.

Enter some Japanese train wizards, who are planning on making a feat of this sort not just greener, but actually practical.

According to this article in the Los Angeles Times, Japan plans to build a train by 2025 that will get a passenger from Nagoya to Tokyo (a trip of about 220 miles) in less than 40 minutes. That's right - they expect this train to travel at more than 300 miles an hour.

What up US inventors! Why are we letting the Japanese leave us in the dust with this crazy amazing train! If we brought this tecnhology to California, I could wake up for an early morning surf session at Ocean Beach, change, and hop on abullet train to Northstar in time for first tracks! Hell, at those speeds, I could leave the slopes at noon to hit LA for some early afternoon waves, and STILL make it back to SF in time for dinner.

Wait a minute - That some train from LA to Vegas would only take an hour? Might need to take a rain check on that dinner back home...

How GM Destroyed the Electric Car - Video

We all know that the electric car (EV1) was created by GM and then discontinued a few years later. There has been much discussion as to why this is, and some "conspiracy theorists" think that GM orchestrated a malevolent ad campaign against their own car to make it look bad so people wouldn't buy it. I thought it would be a good idea to look into this a little further and see if we could tease out the truth. Here is a commercial GM made for the EV1 but which never aired:



Pretty good right? Here is the commercial GM actually aired:

Now, as someone in the advertising industry, I can break down for you in very technical ways which one of these is a good commercial and which one isn't. That being said, I don't think anyone reading this really needs my help there.

One looks futuristic and very similar to other car commercials we have seen. The other has dark music, lightning storms and living appliances scrambling around a creepy house.

One of these is hands down a better commercial then the other -- in fact -- the other is a downright bad commercial. Yet that is the one GM chose to run during the superbowl when those ads where costing literally millions of dollars for a thirty second spot. Conspiracy or stupidity? You be the judge.

Great Sustainable Food Resource

I think that my love of food is the number two reason why I am so interested in green (right after my love of the ocean, which is coincidentally related to my love of food). Anyway, since moving to San Francisco I have been just totally inundated with the most unbelievable fresh, organic, hormone free fair trade (yada yada yada) fruits, vegetables and meats. The stuff is really everywhere. I even get it delivered to my home once a week thanks to my local CSA.

Recently I had some friends in town who were complaining that they just can't get food like this near them. While that is somewhat true, I told them that there are almost no places in this great country where you can't get fresh fruits and veggies at a farmers market or participate in a CSA if you really take the time to make it happen. The variety may not be as good as it is here, but there is no need to subsist on a Safeway diet.

So I introduced my friends to this great site where you can find local farmers markets, CSA's recipes - you name it. Everything you need for healthy, organic food.

Enjoy.

China Wants Importers to Cover Emission Costs

Chinese officials, speaking about the current negotiations on a worldwide climate change treaty, said Monday that anyone importing Chinese goods should be held responsible for the carbon dioxide emitted by the factories that make them:

"About 15 percent to 25 percent of China's emissions come from the products which we make for the world, which should not be taken by us," said Gao Li, director of China's Department of Climate Change.

Oh-oh. Looks like our cheap Chinese labor – and the amazing gadgets and toys it produces – are about to get a whole lot more expensive.

Gao added that "this share of emission should be taken by the consumers, not the producers" and called the demand a "very important item to make (for a) fair agreement."

This is a very interesting proposal which reflects an equally inconvenient truth – a large portion of China’s carbon emissions come from manufacturing, and a large portion of that manufacturing is for products which are not consumed in China. However, this deal has a few ways of working, none of which work nearly as well as a straight carbon tax. My flow charts:

Carbon tax > More expensive for companies to operate > Higher costs passed on to the consumer > Chinese government get more money. Grade = A

Or

China makes no changes at all > Importers have to pay a carbon tax > Higher costs passed on to the consumer > Someone gets this money, but it is not necessarily the Chinese government. Grade = B

Or

China makes no changes at all > Importers make no changes at all > Importing countries are required to offset the emissions > Importing countries do nothing as they are already struggling to meet their own carbon reduction goals > The world gets hotter until we all die. Grade C-

Once again, it is very important to understand that China is getting a really bad deal no matter what happens. While we (we being the West, and America in particular) were industrializing, we spewed tons of carbon into the air, basically causing the situation we are in now. Now that China is industrializing, we are trying to stick them with the same responsibilities we have in cleaning up this mess, even though they caused a significantly smaller part of it. Even though we are spewing roughly the same amount of carbon today, the lifetime carbon footprint of our respective countries is still skewed way in favor of American output. Additionally, on a per capita basis, America still spews 3x as much CO2 into the atmosphere as China does.

While I think China is essentially trying to get off the hook by proposing what I am almost certain is the #3 scenario above, we all need to recognize that Western countries have a much bigger responsibility here than the Chinese. Getting them involved in the process is very important, but it is no excuse to stop taking action on our own right away.

Image provided by Rennett Stowe

Six of the Coolest Green Work Policies

LOVE the latest article from the people over at SustainLane - looking at the best workplace bonus policies from a green perspective. Some quick highlights:

The New Belgium Brewing Company gives all employees a free bike after one year on the job, in addition to offering an on-site climbing wall, yoga classes, and a 50-acre cyclo-cross track.

Clif Bar & Co. lets employees work incredibly flexible hours (80 hours per 9 business days rather than the standard 9-10 hours per day) so employees can take longer blocks of time off for outdoor trips.

One of the coolest packages I have ever seen, REI offers everything from health care for part time employees, flexible schedules and 50 percent public transit subsidies for commuters to lunchtime bike rides and Ultimate Frisbee. To help people pursue their passions, the clothing giant even allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a year.

I wouldn't put these on par with working at the Google campus (funnest afternoon I ever spent "working"), but I wouldn't complain about any of them either.

Puma pimps out with a glow in the dark bicycle

I think this would look pretty slick at the next Critical Mass (Burning Man too, although at more than $1,600, I don't think I'll be taking it out to the salt flats anytime in the near future). Comes in two colors: milk to green (pictured below) and a dull orange to bright day-glo orange. Oh, and did I mention it folds?




Images provided by highsnobiety

Live in San Francisco? Get a Free Bike Rack Installed Wherever you Want One

As most of you know, a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled San Franciscan (did I spell that right?) halted all bike improvements to the city of San Francisco until a full environmental report was drawn up to prove that bike improvements are actually good for the environment. I love the fact that I live in a city where one crotchety dude can have such an impact, but I am pretty bummed that the impact happened to be negative to biking. Got to give him credit for the environmental argument though -- very creative.

Anyway, the city has completed its review and is now waiting for the injunction to be lifted. When the bike improvement injunction is lifted in mid-2009, San Francisco is planning on installing nearly 1,000 new bike racks throughout the city. Make sure you get one where it will help you.

The SFBC has a handy little form you can fill out to request your bike rack. Just go to the Fix It! page and submit the quick form to let the city know. All they need is the address or business name and street. When the injunction is lifted in mid-2009, the City has a goal to install nearly 1,000 racks on sidewalks. The City still needs an additional 200 requests to meet their goal, so keep them coming!

Image provided by Adam Pieniazek

How to Save The Newspapers From Failing

Absolutely hilarious:

(click here to view)

Matt Bors Village Voice, Cleveland Free … Feb 25, 2009 EditorialCartoonists.com

A Saudi Islamic scholar says ethanol-powered vehicles go against the Koran

The Huffington Post reported today that a Saudi Islamic scholar has warned his students not to drive ethanol powered cars because their reliance on alcohol to run contradicts the Muslim rule to avoid alcohol.

The scholar stopped short of issuing a fatwa, saying instead that this was his recommendation and that further dialog on the issue was required.

Read the full article here.