Chewing The Cud

As I contemplate the next vehicle to putter about in, I see myself more and more going the diesel route. The most compelling reason for me to do so is my interest in biodiesel and having a vehicle capable of running on it sounds good to me. More good news today from the EPA:

In a move that may presage diesel’s Cinderella-like transformation, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday required US refineries to begin making ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD), a fuel with 97 percent less sulfur than ordinary diesel that, as a result, slashes soot emissions.

Sounds happy to me. Now I just have to get the bank roll going…

What do you do with a government program that save $7 for every dollar it spends? Well, if you are the Bush administration, cut its budget by a third. Seems Mr. President thinks the best way to save $155 million is to axe or cut a bunch of energy conservation programs. Very forward thinking sir. Read all about it in this article.

Great article highlighting the success of introducing hybrid SUVs into San Francisco and New York’s cab fleets. From the article:

Fuel savings between $20 and $31 over the traditional, full-size sedan cabs per 150- to 300-mile shifts. Air conditioning cost on hot days: $5 a shift, about half the sedan-version cost. Brakes are lasting twice as long. The reason: The electric engine acts as a second braking system, taking much of the load off the conventional friction brakes, says Tom Watson, Ford Hybrid Electric Vehicle Propulsion System engineering manager, Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs. Several water pumps blew at the 50,000-mile mark, a situation that’s been rectified, say Watson and San Francisco cab company owners. No legroom complaints from customers, who seem delighted by the novelty of the hybrid and by doing the right thing for the planet.

Cool. I hope that this kind of performace continues well past the 100,000 mile mark. Can’t wait to be able to afford one myself.

As the summer heat approaches, I wonder how our little townhome is going to fare with regards to the internal temperature. We discovered early on in the winter that the central heating unit, while maintaining a comfortable temperature, also wore a nice little hole in the bank account with the energy it consumed. Now that mild temperatures are the norm, the electric bill has dropped $80 on account of the unit being off. This is obviously a good situation for all involved and I would like to continue minimizing my consumption of power.

So how does one stay cool? I want to add one of these to my place but I don’t think the property owners would be too happy. I also think I would regret the decision when temperatures dropped below 50 or so. Still, the next time I’m living in a desert-like ecosystem, I will be adding a windcatcher to the homestead.

Make no mistake, the time, energy, and resources needed to ween the United States off its dependance on oil are somewhat prohibitive to that occurance happening anytime soon. However, it is heartening to see other countries figuring it out. Case in point, Brazil.

This report doesn’t exactly break new ground, but it does reinforce common sense thinking. Want adults to have respect for the environment? Get them involved in the environment from an early age. Kind of a ‘Duh’ conclusion but it seems worth posting and maybe someone will take it to heart and raise a kid to respect our world.

New plant to be built in the next 18 months in Claypool, Indiana, that will effectively double the United States’ biodiesel production capabilities. From the article:

The project, which was announced last year, combines a soybean processing plant with a biodiesel production plant. The facility will crush nearly 50 million bushels of soybeans a year, producing more than 1 million tons of soybean meal for animal feed and 80 million gallons of biodiesel.

Hopefully biodiesel pumps will start springing up here in St. Louis, providing me with incentive to actually trade in my car for a diesel.

The second car in my garage would have to be one like this one. Granted, this article is more about the people involved in creating the car, but still, 0-60 in 4 secs and 50 mpg and runs on biodiesel. Come on, that would be awesome!

Damn, I want one.

I like to think that the prevalence of green articles means things are actually moving that way, and not unsubstantiated hype. That said, here’s an article highlighting some of Britan’s steps towards switching off their dependance on oil and turning on the bioethanol flood, generated from renewable resources like sugar.