Greener One: How Green are Your Goods?

Getting information about the eco-friendliness of different products is pretty tough. Often, you cannot rely on the information from the manufacturer because it is skewed, exaggerated or misrepresented to increase sales. Google searching is tough because there is so much information out there, spread out over so many websites.

So what is a curious consumer to do? A new website called Greener One has just opened up shop on the internet to help us all out. It is similar to Wikipedia in that it invites educated citizens to contribute information on the ingredients, toxicity and lifespan of different products ranging from electronics to cleaning agents.
The long-term goal of the site is to become a go-to resource similar to "Consumer Reports" where consumers will look for reviews and information on a product prior to making a purchase. They can find out if the product is recyclable and whether it contains harmful ingredients.

If you want to check the site out, click HERE. It is in the beginning phases of development, but already there are several categories of product reviews available.

GM's Challenge X Comes to DC

The other day, the Green Piece Blog was invited to the arrival of GM's Challenge X teams in Washington, DC. After driving from New York to DC, stopping at a few places in between, the teams were going to finally arrive at their final destination, the Department of Energy headquarters.

Challenge X is a competition hosted by GM and the US Department of Energy that is designed to encourage young engineers to think about new technologies that will reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

This is the fourth year for the competition. In the first year, university teams from the US and Canada worked in simulation environments to test different engineering choices in a way that mirrored early vehicle design. At the end of the year, 17 teams received a stock Chevrolet Equinox "crossover SUV." In years two and three, those teams moved onto the next phase in vehicle design, integrating the advanced powertrain and vehicle subsystems into the actual automobile. For this, the final year, the teams moved into the final phase of development, implementing safety, comfort and marketing plans for their finished products.

Those finished products drove from New York to DC and arrived at the ceremony we attended. Waiting for the cars was a huge crowd of students waving checkered flags and wearing their team polos. The cars on the outside lall ooked the same, with the exception of different stickers plastered all over the windows and doors. They did, however, sound a little different from each other as they drove by. This was due to the different approaches each team used in making their vehicle more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

The different factors each team could tweak in their vehicle included: HEV architecture, engine, fuel, transmission, energy storage, and motor. The teams chose to use a range of fuel options including reformulated gasoline, bio diesel, hydrogen and ethanol.

The first place winning team for the competition was Mississippi State University with their Equinox that contained a "through the road" parallel hybrid electric system with a 1.9L GM direct injection turbo diesel engine utilizing bio diesel fuel. Their car increased fuel economy of the Equinox by 38%. Second place went to the University of Wisconsin and third place went to Ohio State University.

Some other accomplishments of the teams included a vehicle from Virginia Tech that reduced its wheel-to-wheel petroleum use by 77%. Fourteen of the 17 teams successfully reduced the green house gas impact of their vehicles, including the University of Wisconsin's vehicle which reduced its impact by 52% compared to the stock Equinox.

Overall, this looks like it is a great project. Hopefully GM is serious about implementing some of the teams' great achievements into their line of vehicles soon.

Honda Preparing New Hybrid Models for '09

Honda is preparing to introduce several new hybrid models into their fleet of automobiles. Currently, Honda has the highest fleet fuel efficiency of any other carmaker in the United States. The new hybrid models will be sold in the US, Japan and Europe.

The new models Honda plans to release include a hyrid-only model that will compete directly with Toyota's Prius and a hybrid version of the Honda Fit. In addition, Honda is planning to release a re-vamped hybrid Civic and a "sportier" hybrid CR-V.

If you are thinking of buying a hybrid, it might be worth it to you to wait for these new models. The federal hybrid tax credit can be as high as $3,000 for a new hybrid. Unfortunately, the tax credit is phased out when a particular hybrid model sells 60,000 vehicles. As time passes, the tax credit drops until the IRS ends it completely. Already, all of the Toyota hybrid models have passed the 60,000 vehicle threshold and no longer qualify for the federal hybrid tax credit.

In other words, get your name on the waiting list at your local Honda dealership so you can get the highest level of the tax credit. Honda claims the mark-up for the new hybrids will be about $1,900.

If you want to compute the difference in cost between a hybrid and a non-hybrid over the course of a year or 10 years, THIS website has a great hybrid calculator. From my calculations, without the federal tax credit, you will begin saving money on gasoline for the hybrid after about 3 years.

And if you want to learn more about the federal hybrid tax credit, go to the IRS site HERE.

Must Read: Committee Votes to Overturn EPA Decision

Read the full AP story HERE on how the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has voted to overturn the decision of the EPA to reject California's request for cleaner air standard.

Green DC: Local Green Buying Guide

I've tried to list many of the eco-friendly places to shop in DC in the past. The website Gridskipper.com has also taken a shot at listing DC's green shopping sites. However, being a green consumer incoporates so many different factors that its nearly impossible to list every local farmers market, thrift store, organic market, fair trade shop, vegan restaurant, etc., in town.

So rather than waste perfectly good blog space trying to list all these green locations in DC, I'm going to rely on the New American Dream's Green Guide to DC.

This guide is essential for living and contributing to the DC community. It is a great resource on all of the local farmers markets, book stores, gardens, repair shops, flea markets and more. The guide also includes websites and contact information for several local community organizations or resources.

In addition to all the above-mentioned information, the New American Dream surveyed 50 businesses in Northwest DC communities and compared their performance in three categories 1)Save, 2)Local, and 3)Green. They then list not only the scores and rankings of these businesses so you know which is being a good neighbor.

I really could go on and on about this guide. It is very intuitive with lots of facts about the benefits of buying local and buying green. If you want to view the most comprehensive green guide to Washington, DC just click HERE.

As an aside, guides are also available for Nashville, Meadville, PA, Brooklyn and Wolfeboro, NH.

American Idol Finale Will Be Green

American Idol is one of my guilty pleasures. It is such a predictable formula and I am constantly rolling my eyes at the repetitive comments from the judges. Regardless, I tune in year after year, applying my best analytical skills to try to predict who will stay and who will go.

This year I'm not going to make any predictions about who will come away with the big record deal because I'm not a huge fan of either contestant. Instead, I'm going to focus on some of the things FOX is doing at the finale to make it a more environmentally friendly affair.

In keeping with their goal to be carbon neutral by 2010, FOX is utilizing a combination of solar, wind and hydro power for the big finale. Also, FOX is installing solar panels to power media areas around the Nokia Theater that will later be donated to a California school through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Solar 4 R Schools program.

Tonight the winner of American Idol will be announced at 8:00 EST on FOX.

EPA Chief is Finally Confronted, With No Results

Yesterday, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency went before the House Oversight Committee to answer tough questions from Congressman Waxman's powerful panel about the EPA's habit of putting political loyalties ahead of science in recent regulatory decisions.

I have blogged in the past about the political climate within the EPA and how it has lead to decisions that are not consistent with the way decisions have always been made at the agency.

In THIS post, I highlighted a recent poll of EPA scientists that showed political pressure was influencing their work. In THIS post, I wrote about the fulfillment of a last minute request by President Bush to have proposed ozone limits set much lower than EPA scientists recommended. Finally, I posted HERE that the EPA is currently being sued by states across the country for not fulfilling a Supreme Court request to measure the impact of greenhouse gases on citizens' health.

With all this bad news coming out of the agency, what kind of information did Waxman get out of EPA Secretary Stephen Johnson at the hearing? Not much. Secretary Johnson stonewalled the committee's requests for facts on several of the recent controversies at the EPA. He would not provide details of the conversations he has had with the White House. He did not even produce documents subpoened by the committee.

MSNBC described the hearing this way..."Johnson declined repeated requests by Democrats on the panel to provide any details about conversations he had with the White House, refusing at one point to even acknowledge whether he did or did not discuss the smog, California waiver or carbon dioxide rulemaking with the president. 'I don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss the conversations,' said Johnson."

The real problem with all of this political intervention in EPA rulemaking is that it reduces the independence and scientific objectivity of the agency. When dealing with the quality of our air and water, its essential that pure scientific fact takes precedence over the campaign contributions or lobbyists of big corporations.

Keeping Your Soil Moist

As the outside temperatures increase and we see more sunny days, its going to be harder and harder to keep the soil in your garden, and in your planters, moist.

Its vital that the soil stays damp because the bacteria and microbial communities living in the dirt are helping your plants grow. If the soil becomes too dry, these communities die off and the soil must be replaced.

Of course, we all know that water is becoming an increasingly limited resource on our planet. Its necessary for everyone to cut back on the water they use for unnecessary purposes, like watering the garden. So how do you maintain your plants while maintaining the environment?

We have to address this question in two parts, based on the conditions under which your plants are planted.

1) Plants in Pots

• Planting your garden in a series of pots is actually a very convenient and effective way to garden. You can choose attractive planters that can be arranged strategically around your yard or in your home. They can be moved in cases of dangerous weather and they will be less affected by common yard annoyances like moles and insects.


• There are now many options available for keeping the soil in pots moist, from special crystals to Miracle Grow Moisture Control Soil. You can avoid all of these unusual and possibly toxic solutions by utilizing a few cut-up sponges.


• Take your empty planter and strategically place cut, moistened sponges in the base of the pot to cover the bottom.


• Once you've filled the pot with soil and a few plants, you should notice the soil retains its moisture longer. If when watering you notice slight flooding at the top of the soil, the sponges are full of water and it is unneccesary to continue watering for some time.

2) Plants in the Ground

• The first rule in having a ground-planted garden is using plants that are native to your location. These plants will be acclimated to your soil type so they should not require too much additional water.


• The second rule is to make sure you have lots of treens planted around the yard that will provide not only shade during long, hot afternoons, but also a prolonged dripping of water after a rain fall.


• Water the plants in the early morning or later in the evening to avoid unnecessary evaporation.


• If planting on a hill, use barriers to keep water from running off the surface of the soil.


• Use mulch and other ground cover like pine needles to absorb water and keep moisture in.


• Install drip sprinklers rather than using spray sprinklers.
  

Changing Your Thermostat Video

Installing a new thermostat that can be programmed to turn the A/C or heat off when you leave for work and back on when you come home could save you some serious dough.

I found this Sierra Club video on Youtube where a slightly irratating guide takes you through the process of installing your own thermostat. Its worth a look.

Renewable Energy Tax Credit Expiring

When I criticised Barack Obama's support of "Clean Coal" in West Virginia (read HERE), many attacked me by saying, "We have all this coal, what are we supposed to do?" To which I said, "Ignore it."

I argued that although coal currently makes up 50% of our energy mix, we could dramatically lower that level by investing in renewable energy sources rather than coal band-aids. I backed up my argument with THIS report from the Department of Energy that shows 20% of our nation's energy could come from wind power if we simply utilize currently existing technologies and make the right investments.

Now is the perfect time for Congress to show its commitment to expanding our renewable energy infrastructure by extending the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit. At the end of the year, the tax credit will expire. Until Congress makes clear its intention to renew the credit, several planned wind energy projects are in limbo.

Wind energy not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions, environmental degradation from coal mining and the release of toxins into the air, it also employs 76,000 Americans. Call your Member of Congress now and ask if they are supporting the tax credit. If they aren't, ask why. 202 225-3121