Sun Microsystems (the people behind the popular program language JAVA) have launched a new community-based website where companies and organizations can calculate, compare, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. OpenEco.org is free and open to all organizations. The only cost of admission is sharing data, transparently or anonymously, with other community participants.

It is an interesting idea. It will allow companies to calculate how much GHG they are producing from things like buildings, and car fleets, and then compare them with other companies. Sort of like confessing your carbon sins, and then asking for help in order to rectify them.

Having free and open GHG calculators that are useful to big companies and organizations has the potential to save these companies a lot of money. Increasingly, GHG analysis is done with home-grown or proprietary tools, and often requires significant internal resources or expensive consulting services. With OpenEco.org, carbon accounting data that might ordinarily remain in a company’s spreadsheet can be easily shared using the site’s calculators. The tool enables organizations of all kinds to benchmark against one another, set realistic reduction goals and share best practices to meet them.

"Working together drives progress faster than working alone" said Dave Douglas, Vice President of Eco Responsibility at Sun Microsystems. Prior to launching OpenEco.org, Sun began sharing its own emissions data and best practices online to help other companies reduce their footprint as well. Sun also posts case studies and best practices about how it has greened its own datacenters worldwide.

A visit to the site doesn’t currently show much activity, but it did only launch a couple of days ago. I will be very interested to see if this sort of free and open sharing of GHG emission data will take off. If your company is particularly bad about GHG emissions, do you really want the world to know that? I guess if you were truly interested in reducing that level, then showing the world how much you have improved might be a good thing. Either way, the fact that places like this site are being built at all show a forward thinking and positive outlook.

The entire idea of the "commute" would seem ridiculous in an earlier time. People didn’t live 100 miles from where they worked. With the introduction of a large nationwide highway system and the availability of cheaper cars, the commute was born. People flush with money from the GI bill and savings from the hard times of WW2 moved en masse to new "suburbs." Planned cities where everyone got a small yard, a garage, and the world was perfect, or was it?

With the move away from city centers, and rapid increase in the number of cars on the road, it soon became clear that no amount of roads could handle the ever growing number of cars trying to cram on to them. Ever feel like you spend your whole life stuck in traffic? Well you are not alone: with the increase in the number of cars on the road, traffic congestion continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes. This gridlock is creating a $78 billion annual drain on the U.S. economy in the form of 4.2 billion lost hours and 2.9 billion gallons of wasted fuel—that’s 105 million weeks of vacation and 58 fully-loaded supertankers.

Talk about waste. A gallon of gas has about 19 pounds of CO2, meaning that 2.9 billion gallons of gas wasted means 55.1 billion pounds of CO2 needlessly pumped into the atmosphere every year.

These are among the key findings of the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2007 Urban Mobility Report. Improvements to the methodology used to measure congestion nationwide have produced the most detailed picture yet of a problem that is growing worse in all 437 of the nation’s urban areas. The current report is based on 2005 figures, the most recent year for which complete data was available.

This traffic has a lot of causes: bigger cars, more cars, people living farther from where they work, people no longer taking public transportation, and poor design of roads and cities to handle this increased traffic. "There is no ‘magic’ technology or solution on the horizon because there is no single cause of congestion," noted study co-author Tim Lomax, a research engineer at TTI. "The good news is that there are multiple strategies involving traffic operations and public transit available right now that if applied together, can lessen this problem."

As they say, time is money. The 2007 mobility report notes that congestion causes the average peak period traveler to spend an extra 38 hours of travel time and consume an additional 26 gallons of fuel, amounting to a cost of $710 per traveler. Along with expanding the estimates of the effect of congestion to all 437 U.S. urban areas, the study provides detailed information for 85 specific urban areas. The report also focuses on the problems presented by "irregular events"—crashes, stalled vehicles, work zones, weather problems and special events—that cause unreliable travel times and contribute significantly to the overall congestion problem. Worsening congestion, the study notes, is reflected in several ways:

• Trips take longer
• Congestion affects more of the day
• Congestion affects weekend travel and rural areas
• Congestion affects more personal trips and freight shipments
• Trip travel times increasingly are unreliable

Researchers spent two years revising the methodology, using additional sources of traffic information, providing more—and higher quality—data on which to base the current study. The report identifies multiple solutions to the congestion problem that, researchers say, must be used together to be effective. These include:

• Get as much service as possible from existing infrastructure
• Add road and transit system capacity in critical corridors
• Relieve chokepoints
• Change usage patterns
• Provide choices
• Diversify the development patterns
• Keep expectations realistic

With the increasing cost of oil, and the consequences of this wasted time, money and fuel, combined with the horrible ecological cost of this waste, it is clear that the current system is not sustainable. In my mind, the most important changes are changing use patterns, and diversifying development patterns. The creation of bike routes and walking paths will allow people who live close to ride their bikes to work, or walk. Building mixed zoned places will allow people to have a house near the place they work.

How is your commute? Do you spend a large amount of time in your car each day watching the traffic jam move slowly? What would you do to solve traffic jams? Want more highways in your neighborhood? Would you install bike lanes? More bus routes? Leave a comment with how you beat the daily gridlock.

The Problem With Cars

We all know that driving around a couple thousand pounds of steel, glass, and plastic, by burning gasoline just to go down the street to drop off a library book, or pick up lunch, is an inherently silly endeavor. If you think about the power of your car, 0-60 in such and such, this or that horsepower, 300+ miles per tank, it becomes clear that cars are highly powerful machines that are for most tasks woefully over-engineered. For most people, especially those that live in cities, using your car every day is the equivalent of using a sledge hammer to polish the fine china.

So what then are we to do? We could all walk, or we could all take public transportation (if your area has it), but these have their drawbacks. Walking is slow, public transportation can be a turn off for some (crowded trains, poor bus service, lack of routes, doesn’t go where you want, etc). It is often much faster, and fun, to ride a bicycle.

For people who last picked up a bicycle when it had training wheels on them this can be a daunting task. What sort of bike should they use, and what kind of gear do they need?

What sort of bike should I use?

Before we can answer this question we might need a little general information. There are a couple different types of bike. Each has features that make it “good” at doing a specific task. I say “good” because you can use a bicycle for just about anything, but some models are better than others. Here is a quick run down.

Road Bike: These bikes are light framed bikes with skinny smooth wheels that are meant for road riding. With there light frames and skinny wheels they can be a dream to ride, so long as you have a rather smooth surface. The skinny smooth wheels and the lack of shocks mean that these bikes handle poorly in off-road or wet/icy conditions.

Mountain Bike: These bikes are sturdy, heavy bikes that often have shocks, and springs to absorb the shock of jumping off of rocks, or hard trail riding. These bikes often have large fat tires that have knobs or large tread on them. The heavy frame, fat tires, and non-aerodynamic frame make these bikes harder to ride long distance on roads. If you want to take your bike off some sweet jumps, or tear it up on the trail these bikes can be a joy.

Hybrid: If a road bike and a mountain bike where to have a baby this would be it. These bikes have slightly wider tires, often with a light tread to help with grip, but still skinny enough to make it easy to ride long distances. They also often feature a slightly beefier frame making it easier to take a jump off of a curb, or a pot hole. These bike often have a lower center of gravity, making them more “sure footed” than a road bike, but not as good as a mountain bike.

Recumbent: These are the “sit down” bikes. They can take a bit of getting used to, but can be very comfortable for very long rides. As you are sitting in a seat you don’t get the sore rear that you would get with a hard seat road bike. I know people who swear by these bikes for long distance rides (100+ miles in a day “a century”).

BMX: These are the smaller bikes you see on the x-games. The small frame, and simple gearing, medium-fat tires, and sturdy frames they are great for tricks and jumps. They are not, however, going to do well in long distance rides. The small wheels and lack of gearing means that you would have to pedal, a lot.

So what one is best for you? Depends, what you want to do? If you want to commute to work, try a hybrid, or a road bike. Need to commute to work over some very rough roads/off road try a mountain bike with smooth wheels. Want to do a double back flip, try a BMX. Since most people will use there bike to run errands, commute to work, and do small trips I would recommend a hybrid. They are comfortable for longer trips, but as we will cover next can be easily customized for many tasks. Once you fall in love with riding your bike to work, and to do errands and you want to try a longer rides, an entry level road bike might be your thing. I have ridden a road bike for years now and can testify to both the speed and the power of these bikes.

What gear should I use:

There is a lot of stuff for your bike, and for you to use while riding you bike. I am going to recommend gear that would best suit a person doing a bike commute, or running small errands.

Absolute must have gear items:

Helmet: You should get a bike helmet that is free from damage, and rather new. Bike helmets are one time use items, if you are unlucky enough to have gotten in a crash and your helmet is cracked, you have to get a new one. Get a helmet that allows air flow over your head, to help cool you off.

Proper shoes: If your bike has normal pedals, any kind of sneaker will do. If your bike pedals have special clips you should have shoes that match those clips. Riding your bike with high heals, or huge boots will make it hard for you to control the bike and could lead to injury.

Spare tire/tube: These items are super cheap, and trust me if you are stuck out on a long ride because you got a flat tire you will be glad you have them.

Small pump: No good having a spare tube if you don’t have a pump to fill it. You can get very small pumps that can be mounted to the bike.

Tire spoons: These little plastic do-dads allow you to easily change a tire. They cost almost nothing and will make changing your tire infinitely easier.

Water bottle: It is always good to stay hydrated; a water bottle can be mounted to the bike easily.

Front and back lights: If it’s dark, you need front and back lights. Cars can’t see your front light through you, and having them on both sides will alert cars to where you are at well before they run you over.

Optional gear:

Gloves: Some people get sore hands from gripping the handles, bike gloves can help with this, and depending on who you ask can make you look cooler (this is debatable).

Backpack: Many people ride with a backpack, or messenger bag. These can be though of as the “trunk” for your bike.

Basket/Crate: You can get a basket for the front of your bike, or mount a crate on the back; these make excellent places to put groceries.

Saddle bags/Panniers: Need to carry a laptop, suit, something else larger getting bags that fit over the front or back tires can give you the space needed.

Trailer: Need to move something really big, you can get trailers that allow you to carry just about anything on your bike.

Fenders: Getting both front and back fenders will protect you from getting the dreaded “swass” or swamp ass. Because of the way wheels spin when you ride, any water you run through is going to shoot right up the front of you, and right up the back of you. Fenders can be great to keep you looking good after hitting that puddle.

Baby wipes: Need to look and smell better when you get to work, a box of baby wipes can clean off the grime.

Pant straps: These handy little Velcro strips can be attached to your right leg in order to keep your pants out of the chain. They also come with fun reflectors that will keep you safe.

If you have a special need, the best place to find information on bike gear is your handy LBS (local bike shop) it has been my experience that LBS employees have a deep passion for biking and will be able to give you a wealth of knowledge gained over the years. They are nice people, who will be more than happy to answer all your questions, even the ones you think might sound silly. They will let you try out gear, help you find stuff that fits, and in general help awaken a fire in your for biking.

Happy pedaling!

The Arctic ice caps are melting at a rapid pace, massive hurricanes are regularly destroying large swaths of this country, rivers are drying out, species are being wiped out by pollution, oceans are becoming more acidic, wars are raging, crime is rampant, pit bulls are eating children…*click*

This is what we are faced with every time we turn on the television, listen to the radio, or pick up a newspaper. It would seem that sometime in the last couple of years, the four horsemen of the apocalypse rode into town and started throwing a kegger. Is it all true? How can we possibly deal with such an overwhelming avalanche of bad news? Should I start working on my bunker?

First take a deep breath. Ok good. Now, just so you don’t think I am trying to pull the wool over your eyes, most of it IS true. The ice caps are melting, global warming is real and we caused it, and every once in a while, a pit bull will attack a child. The problem is not the news, but how it is presented to us, and how we filter it.

With the 24-hour news cycle, the internet, a bevy of papers, and news radio, information in our day and age is like a fire hose. Trying to drink from that hose is only going to leave you wet with a very sore tongue. Besides being overwhelming this torrent of information also serves to dishearten us, and make us afraid to act. We have become so informed that we don’t know anything.

I remember the very first time I saw the ocean. I was astounded by just how big it was, how it smelled, the shapes, the colors… the whole experience washed over me and I sat fascinated for a long time watching the waves roll in. After living on the beach for 3 years, I still find the ocean wonderful, but that rush has mostly faded. The same holds true for watching the news every night and seeing that something horrible happened. The first twenty times you might care, but eventually you have to stop caring in order to preserve your sanity.

In the old days, hunting, gathering and fending off saber tooth tigers were all necessary survival skills. In our modern world, the dangers are far more subtle, but the same principle holds true. You have to develop the survival skills of the 21st century. One of the big ones is how to deal with mass media. Below are a couple of tips to keep you sane in this crazy world.

Understand the game.

Most news outlets are not in the business of providing you with news. I know it sounds silly, but what they really want to do is sell you products. CNN doesn’t make any money laying out the facts; they make money when you watch the commercials. Part of maintaining your sanity is understanding that, and dealing with it.

Understand that maybe, just maybe, that story you just watched about the dangers of internet perverts is 50% true, and 50% shock to get you to stick around after the commercial is over. A skeptical mind is your best weapon here. Take a long hard look at everything, from that commercial for a new car, to the president giving a speech.

Do your homework

You read that global warming is really caused by the sun and that CO2 emissions from humans have nothing to do with it. Great, lets go fill up the Hummer! Or perhaps you saw in a movie that global warming is actually caused by a massive build up of CO2 and that humans are to blame. Oh no, stop them from getting the keys!

We are going to have to go read some books, or check out the web, maybe even call a couple of science organizations. I know this seems like a lot of work, but if you really want to know what is going on you might have to put a little effort into it. Finding good resources on controversial topics can be hard, but the hunt for knowledge can have its own reward.

Trying to look deeper into something will allow you to find out the subtleties that maybe the shock jock radio host left out. You might find, for instance, that global warming is in fact caused by CO2 emissions from human beings, but that there are a myriad of ways you can help to alleviate and reverse the effects. See sounds a lot less scary that way.

Don’t be afraid to act

It is a well-known fact that the baby sitter’s job is much easier after the kids go to sleep. Similarly, the powers that be have a much easier job when the citizens "clock out." "With so many problems, what can I do?" "Wow things are really messed up, I give up." "This problem is so big, I don’t even know where to start?" Sound familiar? Let’s make them earn their pay checks. Let’s act up a little.

I used to live on a street that had a lot of trash thrown on it. I can only assume that people saw all the trash and thought it would be ok to throw more. For a long time, my roommates and I complained about the mess. Then one day something snapped, and we grabbed some bags and started picking up litter.

We collected about 5 bags of garbage, got a nice workout, had a great time, and were complimented by several passing motorists. I felt really good about actually doing something. The actual process of acting made me feel better about myself, and improved my living situation. It doesn’t matter if you start small… just do something.

Join the crowd

I think one of my roommates at the time had gotten so fed up with us complaining about the trash that she just went and started picking it up. She rallied a couple of us, and, before you knew it, we were all out there picking away.

You don’t always have to be the one that starts the ball rolling. Maybe you can just come along and keep it rolling. There are literally thousands of great organizations that cover everything from preserving river trout, to bowling for charity groups. Find the ones in your area that sound fun and give them a try.

Inspire others

Just like you would reach down to help a drowning person and lift them to safety, don’t be afraid to inspire others. Once you have taken the blinders off, have begun to see through the malaise inducing effects of the media, have done your research, and have started to take action, share some of that fun with others.

You don’t have to be a snob, and you don’t have to nit pick. The next time you go to your river watchers action group, invite a friend. Remember that neighborhood watch group you set up? How about inviting the new guy who just moved in down the street. Disagree with something the paper wrote? Write an editorial article. Want to raise awareness of some topic? House party time!

Bringing some others with you out of the media woods will not only keep them from being so depressed all the time, but will make you some friends along the way. Start a book club, rally on the state house steps, start a fund drive for needed civic improvements. Whatever it is, do it with others: humans are social creatures, and we need the group.

Once you are armed with these simple skills, you will be ready to fight the saber tooth tigers of our time, namely depression and inaction from too much bad news. Have a good time!

In a recent Wall Street Journal article entitled ‘Wind Jammers," the Journal manages to take both sides of the Cape Wind issue, without really taking either, while at the same time firmly sticking their foot into their mouths. If you are not familiar with Cape Wind (or I should say the war over Cape Wind), here is a brief update. A company wants to install a big wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod; they say it will produce 75% of the areas power. It has passed every major environmental and government review process so far. Some very rich opponents of the wind farm claim it will ruin the aesthetic value of the cape (their view), and some fisherman think it might interfere with fishing. If built, it will be America’s first offshore wind farm. Even the Daily Show weighed in on the project. (warning: highly funny)

I have lived in the trenches of this battle for the last four years, and the "war" has been going on for the last 6 years. Getting a large renewable energy project built in the backyard of some of the nation’s richest, and most politically-connected people, is not an easy task. The Wall Street Journal (supposedly one of the nation’s best newspapers) has some interesting, and in my opinion foolish, things to say about the issue.

"But advocates often tout renewable energy not for its economics, but because it’s virtuous. Many of those who are willing to impose the costs of various environmental schemes on other Americans based on "ideals" suddenly have started looking more closely at the tradeoffs when something they hold dear would have to be sacrificed, like a nice view. Wind energy is never going to be anything but a bit player in meeting the world’s energy needs. The Nantucket tempest is useful mainly as a real-world test of whether some of the world’s most privileged liberals wear their ideals all the time, or only when it suits them."

That’s a lot to chew on so lets break it down.

"Renewable energy is only about virtue and not money"

Advocates of renewable energy certainly look at the economic impacts of green energy projects. Wind farms often cost hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars. No investor in their right mind would ever build one if it wasn’t going to make them money. You might say "Aha! But renewable energy gets subsides from the government to make it profitable." I would respond, "So do big oil, gas, and coal companies, even though they are making hundreds of billions of dollars in profits each year (meaning they don’t need the subsides), whereas renewable energy gets far less in subsides, and is still the fasted growing market in the energy sector." When you factor in the massive economic damage that will be caused by continuing to burn fossil fuels (global warming, pollution, destruction of the environment to get them, etc), you will see that coal, oil, and gas are really the options with the large price tag.

"Liberals like renewable energy, and are hypocrites because they don’t want it near their home"

It is true: many progressive people do like renewable energy. It is also true that Ted Kennedy and Robert Kennedy are against the Cape Wind project because they don’t want to have to look at it from their sprawling oceanside mansion. But it is also true that the opponents of Cape Wind have been funded heavily by people with ties to the oil, gas and coal industries, and by many a staunch Republican. The Kennedy opposition to Cape Wind is a shameful example of hypocrisy; Robert Kennedy in particular is a long-time fighter against pollution, and a supporter of renewable energy in the past.

The statement overlooks the heavy opposition from wealthy oil/coal/gas magnates that have also opposed the project. The article didn’t mention that this is yet another example of big carbon trying to keep its strangle hold on the energy market by crushing any and all new comers. Instead, it tried to focus on the hypocrisy of a couple of liberals. Some of the most conservative people think renewable energy is a good idea because it will allow us to become free of Middle East oil, thus allowing us more choices in our foreign policy. In only focusing on what I will readily admit is hypocrisy of a few, it ignores the equally shameful actions of the rest.

So we know that rich Democrats, and rich Republicans, don’t want the project, but what do the majority of the people who live in the area think? A recent study showed that over 80% of Massachusetts residents are in favor of the project, and that 58% of Cape and Islands residents (the people closest to the project) support it. So in both cases, strong majorities of the people who will actually benefit from the project are for it.

"Wind power sucks, and will only ever be a bit player in the industry"

I felt this was the most shocking statement of all in the entire article. For one, the wind industry is growing at record speed worldwide. AWEA, the American Wind Energy Association, puts American wind industry growth at a staggering 27% in 2006, and an estimated 26% growth this year. This rapid growth is expected to continue: this year alone, over 4 billion dollars were invested in just the American wind industry. Similar growth is happening worldwide. For examples of what wind power can do, look to some European countries: Denmark for instance gets 15% of its power from renewable energy. German, Portugal (they are trying for 45% by 2010!), and the other European nations are also getting significat portions of their energy from renewable sources, much of it wind power.

With the specter of global warming on the horizon, the problems that "oil diplomacy" has caused in our relationships with other parts of the world, the diminishing supplies of cheap oil, the pollution caused by burning fossil fuels, and the high cost (money, environmental and regrettably lives) of securing these fuels, renewable energy not only makes sense, but it seems like the only option. Wind alone will not solve our problems, and neither will one wind farm. There is no silver bullet that will solve our climate problems. There is, however, silver buckshot: wind power, combined with solar and other renewable energy technologies, efficiency, and shifting the way we live our lives, can.

If I told you that I was going to give you a magic device that would save you money, save the planet, and, oh yeah, firm up that flab you have been carrying around with you for the last couple of year (all for three easy payments of $19.95!), what would you say? Most people would be pretty stoked, but when I tell people that this magic device is a bicycle, the thrill dies down a little.

I have been in love with bike riding for years now, from the flat open roads of Ohio, to the bustling SUV traffic of Austin, the winding roads of Cape Cod, and now the horn-honking traffic of Boston. When I tell people that I ride my bike to work they say "that’s great" as they look at me like I might be a couple cards short of a deck. For most people, the conversation stops there, but for those of us who get more engaged, I usually end up hearing something like "I would love to ride my bike to work, but…" It’s the "buts" I am going to address today.

"But…it’s too dangerous."

I will not lie to you: riding your bike can be dangerous. You are on a little sliver of metal and rubber, and the cars and trucks are huge armored tanks in comparison. A few people do get hurt riding their bikes, but the vast majority of bike riders do not. There are several very easy and smart things you can do to minimize the danger of bike ridding.

The first would be to wear your helmet. Your helmet will not save you from everything, but it is better than nothing. The second would be to follow the rules of the road. When you are a bike rider. you are considered a wheeled vehicle and that means you ride on the road, or margin (riding on the sidewalk is dangerous to pedestrians), you ride on the right side of the road, you stop at stop signs and red lights, and you use signals. You need to be aware of what is going on around you: just because someone looks at you doesn’t mean they are going to stop. You should ride defensively. In short, don’t ride like a crazy person, and chances are you will be fine.

It is important that you develop bike survival skills. These include things like riding in a straight line. Swerving all over the place makes cars nervous. Use your mirrors or learn to look behind you, in the same way you would look at your blind spot before you switch lanes. Following the rules of the road, and having the proper safety gear is going to go a long way towards keeping you safe; defensive driving will take you the rest.

"But… it’s too far to ride."

At each point in my life, the concept of "too far" has changed. When I first started riding, too far was 5 miles: the idea of riding my bike that long was just too hard to comprehend. I remember running laps in soccer practice as a child, and 5 miles was forever. The bicycle is one of the most efficient ways of using human power for travel. Using the gear and chain system of a bike, you can transfer relatively little effort into a lot of motion. Of course as you ride more, "too far" gets longer and longer. I now regularly go out for 20-40 mile rides, and don’t consider them far at all. The more you ride, the better you feel, so the more you want to ride.

Like anything in life, start small, and slowly push your range out. I find it is helpful to ride for a reason. I am going to ride to the store and get some chips and salsa. I am going to ride to the bank to deposit this check. I am going to ride to the video store to drop off this DVD. Having a goal takes your mind off of "how far." So many of the reasons we get into our cars nowadays are for short 3-10 mile jaunts that could easily be accomplished on a bike.

The six mile bike ride from my home to my office takes me about 30 minutes if I take my time. If I take the train, it takes about an hour. I have never tried to actually push my poor car through morning rush hour traffic to see how long that takes, but it would take a long time.

"But…it’s too cold/hot."

This is actually one of the few valid reasons for some people. If you have to show up to the board meeting in a suit and tie, and your office doesn’t offer showers, perhaps riding your bike to work on the day when it’s 100 degrees outside will not be the best idea. Similarly, if it is negative 30 out, you might want to take the bus. All that being said, there are many days during the year when it is cool enough in the morning to keep you from being a sweat ball when you get to work.

Riding your bike is an enjoyable pastime. You connect with your surroundings because you are not whizzing past them at 50 mph. If you ride at a measured pace, you will not work up too much of a sweat. One technique I often use is to bring my work clothes with me in a backpack, and change when I get to work. I like to push things a bit, and will try and ride throughout the year. Some states will even give your company money to install locker rooms and a shower. Contacting your local government will help you figure out if this is the case. I would suggest you ride your bike when you can, and don’t when you cant, even if that means you only ride your bike for a couple of months a year.

"But… there are no bike lanes/trails."

Having the leisure of having a bike lane or trail is great. You get the "road" to yourself, don’t have to deal with cars driving past, and, in general, have a nice relaxing ride. That being said, very few places in America have these trails that will bring you from where you live to where you work. You will need to ride in the street.

Most roads were meant to be used by more than just cars. You have a right to use a small portion of that road, and you should. It does take a little acclimation to get used to cars driving past you. Once you do, however, it is no different than cars driving past you in your own car, or when you are walking on the sidewalk.

I think the biggest problem dealing with this issue is that, in many modern cities, cars have become so dominant that highways and busy streets have taken over. But even here in Boston, I am able to find ample "back roads" to get the six miles to and from work without dealing with highways or busy roads. When I lived in Ohio, it was so simple to find quiet streets as to not even be an issue. There is no reason that you have to just accept the status quo: call up your local government and tell them you would like to see more bike lanes in your town.

"But… where will I put my briefcase?"

It is a fairly trivial bit of bike modification to install some bike bags (also called panniers) onto your bicycle. These will allow you carry your laptop, your briefcase, and a whole lot more if you go for the full front and back wheel system. You can also go old school and get one of the little “book shelf” racks for the back. While you are customizing your bike, I would also install some fenders to keep the occasional puddle from splashing up on you, and maybe a blinking light or two for dusk and dawn ridding.

The good stuff.

Ridding your bike will bring you many benefits: you will be stronger, look better and save a lot of money on gas. I like to fantasize that each and every one of the people I pass stuck in traffic secretly yearns to be with me swiftly ridding past them on my way to and from work.

You daily commute can also turn into a very fun part of your day. My morning ride leaves me invigorated and ready for work, in a way no cup of coffee ever could, and the stress of the day seems to melt away on the bike ride home.

I will leave you with my person bike motto in the hope that it can help you become inspired to give bike ridding a try. When it is cold outside, ride faster to warm up; when it is hot outside, ride faster to create a breeze. Happy peddling!

So how will you deal with global warming? The Global Warming Survival Handbook gives us 77 essential skills to stop global warming, or live through it. Written by David De Rothschild, self-described adventurer and the founder of Adventure Ecology, the book lays out 67 ways to stop global warming and 10 ways to live through it if we can’t.

I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about this book at first. I was fuzzy at best as to the whole Live Earth thing, and now they have an “official companion” book? But after getting into it a bit I found myself really engaged.

The book is basically a series of ideas (the book calls them skills) presented in an easy-to-understand way. Each “skill” comes with a little chart that shows you the cost, the time, the effort, and the impact of that skill. This is followed by a brief explanation of the skills intent, and a URL to check out for more information. In fact I was pretty freaking amazed that my main gig, The Sietch, was mentioned on page 71! They had not contacted me about entering the site into the book, but it was nice to see some love for my work.

The art for this book really brings it all together. It is the same style you see in the helpful airline pamphlets that show calm faced people serenely crashing their jets into the ocean while using their seat as a flotation device. Only this time, it’s funny. The artwork and the style of writing are witty and, at times, I laughed out loud (Skill 20 is “put on a sweater” featuring a four part comic showing you how to put on a sweater with the first frame reading “Place your head through the neck hole. Be careful. If you accidentally enter a sleeve, you could be seriously injured.”). This marks perhaps the only time I have laughed about global warming.

I would consider myself pretty jaded with the “10 easy steps” style of solving global warming, which is why I was pleased to find that aside from the obvious stuff (recycle, use CFL’s, ride your bike), the book went out of its way to highlight several more in-depth strategies for addressing climate change. For instance, skill 36 is “decongest down town”, and skill 40 is “retrofit your career.” And just in case we don’t make it, there are even 10 tips for what to do when the global warming guano hits the global warming fan.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Global Warming Survival Handbook. Heck, it even has a glossary and resource guide on the last couple of pages. For someone just getting started on the path to a greener lifestyle, or someone already pretty far down the road, this book will offer a bevy (yes, a bevy) of useful and interesting skills for making this world a better place. I would highly recommend checking a copy out from your local library and give it a read.

I used to work for a renewable energy contractor. We would get calls from people all the time who wanted to install solar panels, solar thermal panels, wind turbines, and even geothermal systems. The very first questions we asked were "What is your current lighting system?" "Your current heating system?" "The amount of insulation in the home?" It was around this point that they would interrupt us and ask what any of this has to do with the shiny new solar panels they want on the roof.

Solar panels are cool: they are the slick blue pimps of the renewable energy world. The concept is just so simple: shine sun on panel, get electricity. They have no moving parts, work forever (25-50+ years) and are pretty easy to put up. What isn’t so sexy is making sure your walls have the proper amount of insulation, and that you replace all your old-fashioned light bulbs with CFL’s, and that your washer is not an energy hog.

People get so caught up in the image of “free” power from the sun or the wind, that they forget that the cheapest energy is the energy you don’t buy. For every dollar you spend on home efficiency you will take three to five dollars off the cost of your renewable energy system. It is that simple. Use less energy; buy fewer solar panels to supply that energy.

So what should you do to get your house into fighting shape? Here is a quick check list of things you should have done before you even think about installing a renewable energy system on your home. In fact, these steps will save you money even if you don’t intend to install a renewable energy system on your home.

Lighting and appliances: Make sure you are using the most efficient lighting you can. That most often means compact fluorescent and perhaps LED lighting. You can replace the old incandescent lights without waiting for them to burn out and still realize a significant savings. With large appliances like washers, dryers, refrigerators, water heaters, sump pumps, etc., most people wait until the old one breaks. However, when it comes time to buy that new stove, spending 100 extra dollars to get the energy efficient one will save you far more over the lifetime of the product.

Insulation and weather sealing: You want your home to be as sealed as possible against both the cold and the heat. This means weather sealing windows and doors, or even replacing them if you have the money to more insulated ones. Get the attic re-insulated (or insulated), seal up the foundation and basement, and maybe even blow insulation into the walls. In order to determine what kind of work you need, I recommend that you get an energy audit. Many utilities or municipalities offer then for free or for a low fee. Even if you have to pay for one, it is money well-spent. You’ll want to know if your home has no insulation on one whole side because it was built 100 years ago, and whoever built the house ran out of money for insulation halfway though the job. This will also make winter nights much more comfortable.

Roofing: If properly installed, a solar system will last at least 25 years. How old is your roof? If your roof is in need of new shingles, or needs other repair, there is no point in putting a solar system on the roof that is going to need to be removed in five years to re-shingle. It is much cheaper to install the solar system while you install the new shingles, than to do the two separately

Home owner’s associations and neighbors: Do you live in a historic district? What is your HOA’s policy on wind turbines? Before you spend your money on the solar panels, invest in a little research and neighborly friendliness. Many historic districts were made in the 70’s during the first oil crisis, and many have bylaws dealing with renewable energy prompted by that crisis. Some only apply if your home is visible from the street. Some require a permit. Research is usually a lot cheaper than fines, or having to take down the system. Bring a pitcher of lemonade over to the neighbor’s house and have a discussion with them about your plans for a solar panels system on the roof. Bring some pictures of other such installations. Who knows, you might even have a good time. This step is especially important if you plan on installing a wind turbine, or if your neighbors trees shade your roof. It is often possible to trim a tree without cutting it down in order to free up a little sunshine for your roof; a skilled arborist can handle this problem. Spending the time and energy talking with your neighbors will not only make you some friends, it will save you a lot of hassle, headaches, and money in the long run.

Heating system: The one thing I heard more than any other was “I want to get solar panels, and then use electrical heating to heat my home.” This seems so logical: solar panels make electricity, use the electricity to heat your home… a match made in heaven. It is true that electrical heat is very efficient, meaning that of all the electricity that you feed into the system, a very large portion of it goes towards actually heating your home. The only problem is that a very large amount of electricity has to go into the system. We are trying to get the home to use as little energy as possible. Electric heat is not the way to go. That goes for electric water heaters as well. If money was no object, I would suggest you switch to radiant floor solar thermal heating. Not only will the bathroom floor be nice and warm in the middle of winter, but your cats will love it as well. If you can’t go with radiant floor, gas heat is the second best. One thing for sure: you want to have your heating system as efficient as money and resources will allow.

Once you have tackled all of these issues, THEN you are ready to call up your handy renewable energy installer and get those super-cool solar panels. Spending a significant amount of money on home efficiency improvements will radically reduce the size (number of solar panels, size of wind turbine etc) and therefore the cost of your renewable energy system. It will also lower your monthly bills, making the payback time on your investment that much quicker.

You recycle, you drive a fuel efficient car, you buy organic food, you turn the thermostat down at night: in short, you are trying your best to make this world a better place. Your parents however still use incandescent light bulbs, still don’t recycle, and still look at you like an alien every time you suggest they trade in their giant land tank for something more sensible. If this sounds like your life it’s time for "the talk."

When I was a young lad, my father sat me down for two minutes of the most awkward conversation I have ever had the misfortune to be a part of; in the end I was left with a shaky sense of fear, and a healthy dose of confusion. This isn’t that kind of talk.

If you have a parent, or grandparent (or for that matter brother, sister, or friend) that displays all the outward signs of intelligence, but doesn’t seem to be doing any of the many simple things to make this world a better place, it is up to you to help them understand why they should start. My advice: start small.
Try and get them to alter one portion of there life. I would start with recycling. Most places have curb side recycling, or a recycling center close by. If they aren’t into all that "hippy crap," then try the tactic of showing how much financial sense it makes to keep waste out of landfills. They will have to deal with the problems of what to do when the local landfill is full, so it’s a good idea to keep it from filling up. Explain that recycling makes the local government money, and hence provides funds for other services they enjoy (parks, schools, whatever).

Enable there choices by providing the tools needed to make the change. Get them the recycling bin as a gift, buy that programmable thermostat, or bring over a couple compact fluorescent light bulbs. Let them drive your fuel efficient car, and show them it won’t kill them. Take them for a walk in the woods. Most importantly, don’t be confrontational. Make suggestions, not demands. My mother used to tell me "you catch more bees with honey than with vinegar."

Most people don’t think much about the kind of light bulb they buy, or the kind of potato they get from the store. Talking to your parents about this will get them to stop and consider the choices they make. The biggest influence in our lives is our friends and family. The opinion of trusted loved ones can do more to change our behavior than a million Al Gores telling a million inconvenient truths.

Most importantly, make sure to praise and reward any changes they do make. If someone is very set in their ways ("I have been doing it this way for 45 years…"), it can be very hard to suddenly change. Once you have them doing something small (recycling, new light bulbs), start dropping hints about insulating the attic, or buying that new energy efficient washer dryer combo. Before you know it your mother will be showing off her new hybrid and reminding you to recycle your pop can. Good luck!

So often we are bombarded with messages relating to our purchasing choices. Billions of dollars are spent each year trying to get us to buy the latest this, and the newest that. Lately a new and promising trend has emerged. Driven by customer demand, big companies are now promoting green and sustainable products. We hear a lot about organic, free range, hormone free, etc. So much of what we read and hear is about what products to buy: is this bamboo night stand better than this recycled plastic one? This article is not going to talk about what items you should buy to make your life greener, but rather about the actual act of shopping itself.

There are several green options for making your shopping experience more sustainable, regardless of what you are shopping for.

Lose The Bag:

A lot has been written lately about reusable grocery bags. Canvas or recycled plastic bags that you can use over and over at the grocery store instead of wasting another plastic bag. These are a great idea, and everyone should be using them. Some stores even offer a discount for shoppers who buy their food in them. But why stop there?
In the produce isle you will often find people taking one apple, placing it in a small plastic bag, then grapping a pear and putting it in a different small plastic bag, and then grapping a peach and putting it in a third plastic bag. Honestly, I have no idea why we ever started doing this. It’s not to keep the food clean, that apple you are wrapping in plastic has been handled by a bunch of humans and machines before it got to your cart (and even organic food should be washed thoroughly before you eat it). 

If you can bring a reusable bag for your groceries why not get one for your produce as well?
In fact why stop at grocery shopping; why not bring reusable bags with you to the mall, to the electronics store, etc. Every time you don’t use a plastic bag you will be reducing your oil consumption just a little. The stores won’t mind, you are saving them money. If enough people catch on to this trend hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil would be saved every year.

Lose The Car:

The modern automobile is a marvel of construction. Thousands of pounds of steal, glass and plastic that will go from 0 to 60 in just a couple of seconds. There is however an even more marvelous construction that lives attached to your hips, human legs! Let’s see a car climb a mountain, or pole vault, or for that matter stand on one wheel. The human form has evolved over millions of years to be very good at getting us where we want to go. If you live within a couple miles of a store, why not walk, or bike down to the store instead of driving. This has the added benefit of keeping you in good shape, reducing oil use, lowers your carbon footprint, and promotes community (never know who you might meet on your walk/ride).

Buy Less Stuff:

The billions of dollars spent each year on advertising have one goal. They hope you will like what you see and buy it. They hope you do this a lot. They have been practicing for years, and are getting very good at what they do. The truth however is that most of what we buy, we don’t need, and many times don’t even want. The next time you are contemplating a purchase ask yourself “will this be in a box in my basement in a couple of years?” or “How long will we use this before it breaks?” or “Do I really even need this?” Some things you need, other things you want, and still other things are so called impulse buys, that later leave you puzzled as to why you paid good money for a product you don’t use or want.
Buying less stuff saves you money, reduces the amount of junk in your closest, and also helps to reduce waste going into landfills.

Buy The Good Stuff:

So you have your reusable bag, you biked to the store, you are only going to buy stuff you really want or need, so finally you get to the point where you have to pick between that bamboo night stand and the recycled plastic one. Honestly it is hard to tell which one is the better product. It’s hard to get information about the energy costs of things, about the lifecycle impacts, about the company labor practices. Imagine if you had to do all that research for every item you purchased? It would be a nightmare. There is however a couple of things you can look for.

Packaging:

The less packaging a product has the better. Why wrap something in ten layers of plastic that are 3 times as big as the product itself? Every scrap of packaging is something you paid for but can’t use, and most likely will either wind up in a landfill, or take energy to recycle.
Distance: How far away did that product have to travel to get to you? Organic potatoes from 2000 miles away are not good for the planet. Buy local as much as you can. Try farm stands, and farmers markets. You will be helping keep money in the local economy, and the food tastes better. Frequent local stores that feature local products. More money in the local economy means more people will have the extra cash to visit your business. You will also be reducing the amount of gas it took to ship all of these items thousands of miles to your area.

Recyclable/Reusable:

What are you going to do with this product when you are finished with it? Is this something that you can get years and year of happy use out of? Or is this something that gets used once and thrown away? Strive to purchase things that will stand the test of time. Use them till they can’t be used anymore. But inevitably most of our modern devices wear out quickly. Will you be able to recycle this object? Can it be reused later for something else? Buying durable products will save you money in the long run, and thinking about the end of life for products will help you make better choices.
These are but a few things you can do to make your shopping less about consumerism, and more about sustainable living. Start slow with one change at a time. Can’t wait to see you on the bike path!