BioChar stoves

I got to see a demonstration of a Biochar Stove- which is very similar to a Rocket Stove, which I have made, but this one cam be used inside- providing you monitor for carbon monoxide. Biochar-producing stoves are potentially much cleaner, with lower emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and fine particles. Biochar-producing stoves have lower greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide and methane) and black carbon emissions, create biochar that can be used to sequester carbon in soils, and reduce the use of fossil-fuel based fertilizers. Don't know that I will make one, but Great news for TEOTWAWKI type folks. Also great for Disaster preperations

The City Car

From Spain, we have the newest entry into small electric urban vehicles - "The City Car", a car that folds itself up and turns around. Very Cool!

You can call me Mr. Begley!

My new car? Hopefully!

Well it looks like I am a step closer to my dream of an Electric Vehicle. I put a reservation deposit on a Mistsubishi I EV (MiEV) ES in raspberry red, at the local Mitsubishi Dealer. If all goes well I should have my new car in December/January. First, I have to have the Geek Squad come out and do a site survey for the charging unit. And get rid of some cars I already own. It makes me sad that my faithful Suzuki Swift is one of them, though. Oh well. After that it is just wait for the car... then I can pretend my name is Ed Begley Jr!

Scooters Catching On!!!

Fido... looking sharp!

King 5 in Seattle did a report a few months back on the new popularity of scooters (I can attest that Scooters are fun transporters), watch to the end of the report to see FIDO, an new electric scooter being developed here in Seattle

B-Town Bike Fair

Well another rainy Bike Fair in Burien. Romeo looked like a drowned rat, Some how I managed to stay dry until we started to break down the booths at the end... I forgot those canopies hold water. I even got to try out an E-Bike from Alki Bike and Board... and fell madly in love with it.

All in all though a very good turn out for our little town. Lots of kids did some obstacle courses. There was even a trike course for the littlest ones! And a whole lot of people got outfitted with free helmets, donated by local medical companies.

One of the most popular features was from Outdoors For All, a very cool organization that promotes outdoor recreation for the physically disabled, and their collection of handicapable bikes.

Of course the seven seater conference bike was popular as well!

One of the most popular items at the fair was the 7-Seattler "Conference Bike from the Dutch Bike Company in Seattle.

Of course the Unicyclists were popular as well as Local celebrity Manuela Horn , AGT's "Yodeling Dominatrix", who showed up on her "Austrian powered" buggy

Remember to "Tune your Bike"

On this blog I frequently talk about car maintenance and why it is important to do to save money, lessen your carbon foot print, yada yada yada. But I forget about the bikes! Maintenance is just as important for your 2 wheel, human driven ride as your gas driven one. Here is a great video from the folks at Mind The Gap on simple things we (or rather I) tend to forget.

MIND THE GAP - URBAN BIKING: Optimizing Your Urban Ride from Laura J. Lukitsch on Vimeo.

Turning my dog into trailer trash

So I got this here fancy shmancy propel yersself bike (that's right- no motors). But the big problem is- How does Romeo get to go with? Well first we take a

wood cart from Harbor freight, mix it up a bit - Really the wood cart was just for the 20" bike style inflatable tires. But I was able to assimilate the main frame and part of the handle. Then I took a
kennel crate, mounted it on the frame And voila- a trailer for Romeo. Had to make a tow bar and hitch, but that wasn't to hard to figure out.And Romeo, while apprehensive, does seem to know it's how he gets to go too. Now to add a few John Deere reflectors to the back and Romi will be all set!

My New Wheels!

How to Celebrate 5 months with no cigarettes???
Well.... lessee... My uncle quit smoking and buys TV's now with the money he saves not buying cigarettes, My aunt buys lotto tickets and goes to the casino. So yesterday I bought one of these bikes I have lusted over for awhile now. A 3 speed Public Bicycle. And a Bell for the bike. Now to build a trailer so Romeo can go too!And I got the matching Bicycle rack but that won't be sent until November:(

And the bell...

PUBLIC Federico Red Brass Bell from PUBLIC Bikes on Vimeo.

(en)VISION E V's

EnVision's EV Pick UP... Made just for Me???

A lot has been written about those EV Sports cars like Tesla and the Lightning GT, that would cost a small fortune to buy. But what about the rest of us? Has nobody got the vision to make an affordable All EV for us?
Well enter EnVision Motors- a complete line of EV's that include a mini-van, a cargo van and a pick up! Based in Ames, Iowa, they plan to be on sale in the US by Summer 2010.
The vehicles will be outfitted with 24kWh sodium nickel chloride batteries and AC motors. The company states they'll have a max speed of 75 mph and a 200-mile range. They have on board chargers and can juice up at home on a 110V circuit in six to eight hours. The vehicles have already passed crash testing.
It is getting exciting! I am betting it won't be too long until I get my dream of an EV.

LATE NIGHT TV GOES GREEN

There is a new late night war (not Conan vs. Jay). The hosts of our late night fare seemed to be doing things for Mama Earth.
Fake Plastic Fish has an interview that Dave Letterman did with Captian Charles Moore on her blog. Dave at least asked the serious and hard questions with the Captain. The reason I mention this, is I know this will be the only exposure many in America will ever get to the problem of plastic waste. It is really worth taking a look at.
Jay Leno has been an eco warrier for awhile now. Jay Leno? The man who has more gas guzzlers than god? Well, the argument can be made that Jay doesn't drive the hefty cars that much. And he reuses a lot of parts, as any car guy and I can attest to that when owning a classic car you are dependant on reused parts. Jay, a friend of Ed Begley, Jr also goofs on Ed's show quite a bit. Whether showing his 1909 Baker Electric, or putting up a bigger wind turbine than Ed, he is a proponent of alternative powered vehicles. I know he has a Vectrix Electric motorcycle. And he was charmed by the A2B Electric Bicycle,which also is charming me.
Hollywood Hype? Maybe. But I like to think that these guys are looking to the future. Dave has a son now and probably feels it is important to hand a better cleaner earth over to Harry. Jay, whose wife Mavis is an enviormentalist and activist, must realize the oil is a finite resource and we need alternatives if we want to keep on driving. Whatever the reasons, I am all for it!
Some vids from Jay Leno's Garage



And for the classic car guys:

BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL!

I was planning a soapbox post on alternative energy... and thought, "Man I get so tired of preaching" and Romeo and Sammy Cat said "Papa don't preach get Bill Nye to do it for you!" So, just so I didn't have to listen to my dog and cat break into a Madonna Songfest, here is Bill Nye, The Science Guy talking about alternative energy from RePower America:



And of course The Bill theme:

Sustainable fair in Ballard

This group powered bicycle gives a new meaning to car pool

I took a little trip up to Ballard to attend the sustainable ballard fair. Didn't see Crunchy (as Ballard is her home base, and I never arranged to meet up) They always do it right in Ballard. I was talking to the folks who raise goats right in Seattle and got the impression they think of Burien as a little country town in South King County. Well I had to tell him that there aren't too many little country towns in South King County, just small-towned minded city council members who like to make rules on what you can and cannot do (like raise goats or chickens)-Anyway back to the fair- Romeo decided he didn't like goats- chickens where okay in his books but he just don't trust those goats. I thought I would see lots of electric cars up there- but I don't know what happened to the Green Car Company- they were a major sponsor and even donated an electric bike for a raffle but were not there! But Pacific EV was there and we had a good discussion on converting my MGB to electric. Imagine plugging in your car and taking off to the car shows with no gasoline! I was still disappointed in the green car company not being there so I could look at an NEV close up. Oh well,another time I suppose- Other activities included a bicycle built for six,

pressing fresh apple cider, making your own shopping bags (you actually were to make two one for yourself and one to donate to the Ballard Food Bank)

I am a little light headed at looking and discussing solar power, too. I dream of lining my roofs with solar arrays and then am told I don't want to go off the grid- Apparently all the rebates and stuff are for grid customers only. Stifle my dreams but don't kill them!


Larry Hagman's Solar Power- An array of panels that
even would put a smile on J.R. Ewing's face

Shit I want Larry Hagman's solar array system, of course I will have to buy a house with a football field to house them. So another dream stifled, but not gone.


Anyway I had a great time up at the Sustainable Ballard fair. Great group of folks they got up there.

God Bless the Norwegians

And not just because I am 100% Norwegian origin.

First, they are coming out with the Think! Electric Automobile, my new favorite car, and now in Trondheim,Norway, they have invented the worlds first Bicycle Lift (The Trampe) which actually has become one of Trondheims most popular tourist attractions and has become a success.

The bicycle lift carries cyclists uphill. Inspired by the ski lift technology, the cyclists could be pushed uphill without having to get off of the bicycle. Taking into account the topography of Trondheim, it is no surprise that the idea of a bicycle lift was conceived here.

Talk about conquering hills! If we had that here in Seattle there would be no excuse for me not getting on a bike!

Trondheim is an environmental friendly city that promotes cycling. It has a public bike project were you can rent bikes. 18% of the population of Trondheim is using their bike as a daily means if transport to work or school. Norway aims to raise bicycle traffic to at least 8% of all travel by 2015.

And looking the trampe official website it looks like folks have learned to adapt it to other forms of transport also!

Detroit Dreams and NEV's

Phoenix Electric SUT


The Chickster a la crunchy had an interesting post today- and it got me to thinking about my obsession with electric cars. I have been waiting and waiting. Now they tell me wait until 2010. I have a prediction- that the first motor car company that has enough brains to buy out one of the up and coming electric car companies and mass produce a decent range electric car that can do 55+ will be the one company that succeeds in the 2010 decade. GM Had their chance with the EV1 . But I think their sincerity has gone with the wind with their new entry the Volt. But what I feel more than anything is American drivers are going to have to change their mindsets on vehicles. I own 6 vehicles, from my 1967 Vespa to my 1979 MG-B, all get pretty good gas mileage. I belong to a classic car club, Stratocruisers South, and have even served as their president for a couple of years. The folks in the car club, while being the nicest group of people you could ever meet, are extremely short sighted when it comes to alternative fuels/engines. I desperately want to convert my MG to an electric vehicle, the sooner the better. I know the problems- shorter range, people laughing at it. But there are advantages- no noise, no mechanical problems, no oil changes. If Neil Young can convert his 1959 Lincoln into a Hybrid there is no reason why the rest of car enthusiasts couldn't do the same. But folks in the car clubs just sit and think "I am never going to convert." Well, someday bubba you will probably have to. I just think it would be neat to drive around in my baby and just plug in when I am done.
But back to everyday America- driving an electric or "NEV"(neighborhood electric vehicle) would solve most Americans transport needs- A trip to the store, a quick commute to work, Most of Americas driving is within 2 miles of their homes. I know a NEV would be ideal for me to commute to work in. And for a while one of the electric car makers had a solar panel that you could use to charge your car with that was mounted to the roof of the vehicle. So in effect a cost free way to get around. In fact there have been many very interesting inventive ideas brewing around Detroit and other areas. The one that bothers me the most is HYDROGEN. As in BOMB. I keep hearing all this talk about hydrogen fuel cells, and then of course we will need hydrogen fuel cell stations. Something to give Chevron and the rest a job. But what the hell? we need an alternative fuel car- C'mon Detroit. We are rooting for ya!
WHERE TO BUY A NEV
THE Reva -Bangalore, India
The Kurrent- Designed in Italy and is built in Michigan, USA
The IT car- Delta, BC, Canada
The ZENN car - North america models built in St- Jérôme Canada
Eride- NEV's that look like Hummers~ Princetion MN
Think Car- Snarøya, Norway, THINK North America- Menlo Park, CA
Might-E Truck - work trucks Errington, BC
OKA CAR- Las Vegas NV
ZAP- Santa Rosa, CA
PHOENIXS SUT AND SUV- Ontario California

Vehicles of our future!

The Vectrix Electric Motorcycle

I was wondering about the future again- and thinking what will we drive? I cannot see us driving Hydrogen vehicles that soon. And Biodiesel while a good idea, I think smells a bit funny. Ethanol? Are we really going to grow corn for fuel instead of food while the world is hungry? I am waiting for something electric Like a new Vectrix Motorcycle. "The Vectrix ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) is the first fully electric bike, it's great for the environment, and its low repair rates are unrivaled. And it goes fast. By fast, we mean zero to 50 MPH in 6.8 seconds." I think this is exciting! There are also numerous bikes like eco bike and I-Zip- not as fast not as long a range but offers a nice commute or ride in town. The scooter set also has choices-Neo Scooters offer a bit more zip than the bike, not as much as the Vectrix- For those who aren't into two wheels there is always your friendly NEV -Neighborhood Electric Vehicle from the Zap Xebra Sedan and the Zap truck. For the more hoity toity, one could go to a Phoenix truck"SUT" or "SUV" the only problem being is that you have to go to California to get one- but I am sure that will change soon. And soon, GM will once again enter the electric car market with the Volt. Maybe they have learned their lesson from the EV1, but I doubt it. We are talking about a car company here! All of these vehicles are Electric and yes they all have range limits. You aren't going to be taking them on a cross country trip. But here is the point. Most all of the driving Americans do is around 2 miles- to the store, to the school. To work. And that is what these ev's are all designed to do. And if we had solar chargers for them- there would be no carbon foot print at all! Of course some will argue "Get A Bike Fat Ass!" And I agree- but I cannot wait until the next generations of EV's come out!

Waiting Until 2010 to buy a new car!

2010 looks to be an important year for cars- EV cars. Eco geek suggests waiting until 2010 to buy a new car as there will be choices then. Including one from Chevy/GM, the company rightfully vilified in the movie Who Killed The Electric Car? My dream is coming true!!! LOL Now all I have to do is get 2 more years out of the SWIFT. Another point of disappointment in cars is Suzuki. They were building the cars with the best gas mileage on the road,The Suzuki Swift /Geo Metro, then one model year after Chevy ended the metro, they went to their gas guzzling SUV's and mid sizes. There seems to be little corporate responsibility in creating efficient cars in either Japan or the US. You can't get Dubya to sign a bill saying the minimum gas mileage is such and such, then the dumb bastard from Crawford says out of the other side of his mouth we gotta do something as the global warming worsens. We have been trying, you stupid hick bastard- Now get together with congress and DO something. Dubya -You are going down in history as the most disliked man in the office. How this man got re-elected as well as elected I will never figure out.