time to relax a bit....

Onion fake news tell us something funny... i think the ironic funny picture really gets my attention...maybe we could do something like that for the second stage of our sustainable project.

have a read....

DOT Creates New Lane For Reckless Drivers

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters unveiled a new $270 billion federal project Monday to build special lanes for dangerous and careless drivers on most major U.S. highways.

"These new lanes are for the millions of drivers who can't be bothered with speed limits, turn signal use, or not careening madly out into oncoming traffic," Peters said during the opening ceremony for the first reckless-driving route, a steeply banked, guardrail-lined on-ramp to I-395 outside Arlington, VA. "Whether hell-bent on putting themselves and everyone around them in danger or just drunk off their gourds and out for a simple joyride, America's reckless will no longer be forced to putter along with careful, conscientious, considerate citizens."

Enlarge Image

A cocaine-addled commuter pops a wheelie on his way to work.

Peters then cut the ribbon on the inaugural lane by speeding through it in a rusted-out 1984 Chevy Cavalier, steering with her knees as her left hand held a cup of hot coffee aloft and her right hand slapped her 4-year-old daughter sitting in the back seat.

Peters said the Department of Transportation plans to construct some 1,400 of the new lanes over the next four years, all of which will feature a special bowl design to keep cars in the lane while drivers are sleeping, drunk, applying makeup in the rearview mirror, receiving or performing oral sex, or drumming along on the steering wheel while singing "The Immigrant Song" at the top of their lungs. Padded concrete embankments and steel-rail barriers will line the lanes in urban areas, and rumble strips will be cut into the pavement every 100 feet in an attempt to help keep drivers alert.

All of the lanes will also feature ramps.

"We wanted to make these reckless-driving lanes as convenient as possible," said Harold Bovy, chief engineer on the project, who added that his team's main priority was containing drivers while allowing emergency vehicles the easy and frequent access they will require. "So we made sure that once reckless drivers are in these lanes, they can only leave them by designated funnel-shaped ramps or in the full- service hearses that will be stationed 24 hours a day at any number of convenient rest areas."

Amid mounting pressure from drivers, the DOT decided to start planning for the new lanes last fall. The department sought out input and suggestions from motorists who, according to Peters, "really know how to drive" or simply believed traffic laws to be for "suckers."

"We made sure to interview a broad spectrum of dangerously incompetent and inconsiderate pricks," said Peters, who stressed that the DOT sent questionnaires exclusively to drivers who have had five or more accidents in as many years or have been issued at least three 100-mph-plus speeding tickets in the last six months, as well as all members of the Corvette Club of America. "Their feedback was invaluable—so much so that we hired many to drive test sections of the highway. Several of those drivers will have sections of the new lanes named after them in memoriam."

While some have raised concerns that law-abiding citizens will be tempted to try the new lanes and get into life-threatening situations, DOT officials claim they will be self- enforcing, self-regulating, and, with proper drainage and fluid grooves, self-cleaning. Nevertheless, steps are being taken to prevent their use by non-reckless drivers.

Signs will be posted to warn regular drivers that they must drive either under 30 mph or over 90 mph, and that their auto insurance is void in the special lanes. Additional wordless signs, intended for the reckless drivers themselves, will feature the icon of a swerving 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis with subwoofer lines emanating from the body and a mattress tied to the top with a single length of twine.

Praise for the new lane from drivers has been widespread and immediate.

"This is something real drivers have wanted for years," said Kevin Louden, who has received 17 moving violations in his nine years of driving. "Now I can haul ass the way God intended without worrying about the safety of others."

Let's get serious about public transport - economic side

Let's get serious about public transport

• John Legge
• February 28, 2008

IN ALL the discussion about public transport, nobody seems to have seriously tackled the question: What is it for?

Alan Moran, of the Institute of Public Affairs, writes as if public transport is some sort of concession to latte-sipping social engineers, hell-bent on forcing people to give up car driving and live in flats or townhouses. Moran extols American cities such as Atlanta and Houston, where public transport carries a negligible proportion of the total number of journeys, mainly schoolchildren and the infirm aged.

The Public Transport Users Association treats the provision of public transport as a moral and environmental issue. This does not directly contradict Moran, and may even give his supporters some comfort. In fact, there is a solid economic reason for public transport: the rail backbone of Melbourne's public transport system is critical to the survival of Melbourne as an economic entity.

In cities without public transport, where all commuters use private cars, three times as much space must be made available for car parking as is required by office and retail workers. If parking in an all-car city is mainly at ground level, the city becomes a few office buildings in a sea of car parks; and as the city grows, people have to walk increasing distances from where they parked their car to where they work; while more of the available space is needed for roads.

US experience suggests that when an all-car city grows beyond a population of about 400,000, it chokes on car traffic and the result is that conurbations such as Los Angeles have no CBD in the sense that Melburnians understand it. Rather, there is a necklace of mini-cities, each smaller than Adelaide, connected by a network of overcrowded freeways.

The Melbourne CBD generates more than $ billion a year in net annual value from buildings worth, in total, more than $25 billion. If we converted Melbourne to Moran's vision of an unplanned, all-car city, at least two-thirds of this value would be destroyed: the loss of rental income in the CBD would be greater than the entire operating cost of the public transport system.

Put slightly differently, every worker who uses public transport to get to his or her job in the CBD or St Kilda Road frees up sufficient car parking space to provide office accommodation for three further workers and doubles the value of the land converted from parking to production.

This is the logic that has led American cities such as Dallas and Los Angeles to invest heavily in both light and heavy rail projects. These projects link their suburbs to their centre, reversing the urban blight that turned large areas of these cities into bombsite car parks.

This same logic causes Melbourne's public transport planners to concentrate on increasing the speed and efficiency of the radial train network. Triplication allows a route to support more express trains, with the potential of halving travel times on longer journeys. Abolition of zone 3 forms part of the same pattern. By making long-distance commuting cheaper, the CBD and St Kilda Road can draw on a larger pool of workers, while shortening travel times will make commuting to the city attractive to workers who might otherwise take suburban jobs. The proposed north-south rail link (Caulfield-Windsor-St Kilda Junction-Domain Interchange-City/Flinders Street-City/Melbourne Central-Haymarket-Melbourne University) will add nothing to the reach of the network unless it continues from Melbourne University to Doncaster. But it will add a lot to its attraction for commuters and to the network's support of real estate values in the city and its St Kilda Road extension.

Translating US experience to Australia needs to be done with care. Most Australians, when they think of the US, think of New York or San Francisco. Both these cities have substantial public transport infrastructure and a real CBD. Moran's fixation on Houston is idiosyncratic at best.

Moran should take some comfort from the fact that when the Government refuses to extend the tram/light rail network, or consider an orbital railway, it is singing from his hymn sheet. Tram and light rail extensions, and an orbital railway, offer paths to serious increases in public transport use, and the Government's refusal to consider either shows how shallow its commitment is to environmental sustainability.

The Public Transport Users Association would be more effective if it took the economic significance of the radial rail system more seriously. The prosperity of the CBD is one of the reasons that Melbourne can afford to invest in environmental sustainability.

John Legge is a teaching fellow at Swinburne University.

case study US

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/view_ind_mtx.cgi?in/EXEM/CA/0

California Exemptions from Requirements/Restrictions

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) and Zero Emission (ZEV) Vehicle Parking Incentive - San Jose
The City of San Jose has developed a Clean Air Vehicle Parking Program to encourage reduced auto emissions, stimulate activity in the downtown, and increase sales of clean-air vehicles at San Jose auto dealerships. For eligible vehicles, the program allows free parking at participating municipal off-street parking facilities, on-street meters, and regional park and recreation parking lots. Clean-air vehicles must display the Clean Air Vehicle Parking Permit, which is available for a $30 application fee. Only eligible vehicles purchased in San Jose after January 1, 2000, can obtain a permit. ZEV’s purchased outside San Jose are also eligible to apply as long as the vehicle is registered in San Jose.

Point of Contact
Pamela McAnallyDepartment of TransportationCity of San JoséPhone (408) 535-3850pamela.mcanally@sanjoseca.govhttp://www.sjdowntownparking.com/clean_air_program.php

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Exemption
Qualified alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) can use HOV lanes regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle. An identification sticker and FasTrak account must first be obtained from the California Department of Motor Vehicles; only 85,000 decals will be made available. Until January 1, 2011, qualified AFVs are limited to the following: 1) Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (SULEVs) or Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) which also meet the federal Inherently Low Emission Vehicles (ILEV) evaporative emissions standards; 2) Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) produced during Model Year 2004 (MY2004) or earlier that also meet the federal ILEV standard; 3) HEVs produced during MY2004 or earlier that have a fuel economy rating of 45 miles per gallon or greater and also meet the state ULEV, SULEV, or Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) standards. Enactment of the 2005 Federal transportation bill Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Public Law 109-59) allowed full implementation of this incentive. Additionally, certain vehicles registered to an address in the 9-county San Francisco Bay region are permitted to use the toll-free and reduced-rate passage privilege on specified bridges if the owner of the vehicle has obtained an automatic vehicle identification account. (Reference Assembly Bill 2600 and 1407, 2006, and California Vehicle Code Sections 5205.5 and 21655.9)

Point of Contact
Motor Vehicle Information HotlineCalifornia Air Resources BoardPhone (800) 242-4450http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Incentive - Sacramento
Sacramento offers free parking to individuals or small businesses certified by the city's Emerging Small Business Development that own or lease EVs with an EV parking pass in downtown parking lots C, G, H, I, K, P, and R. Free charging stations are located in lot C,G, H, and I.

Point of Contact
Parking Facilities DivisionCity of SacramentoPhone (916) 808-5110http://www.cityofsacramento.org/transportation/parking

Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Incentive - Los Angeles Airport
The Los Angeles Airport (LAX) offers free parking and recharging for EVs in the lower/arrivals level of Parking Structures 1 and 6.

Point of Contact
LAX Parking Services DivisionPhone (310) 646-9070http://www.lawa.org/lax/laxframe.html

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) License
In order to equalize the vehicle license fee between AFVs and conventional fuel vehicles, the incremental cost of purchasing an AFV is exempt from the vehicle license fee (of 2%) when the costs are more than the most comparable conventional fuel vehicle, as determined by the California Energy Commission. This reduction applies to new, light-duty AFVs that are certified to meet or exceed Ultra Low Emission Vehicle standards. This program expires January 1, 2009. (Reference California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 10759.5)

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Parking Incentive - Los Angeles
Los Angeles allows free meter parking for selected HEVs and AFVs powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, and hydrogen. To qualify, the vehicle must display California Department of Motor Vehicles High Occupancy Vehicle lane access stickers. The program for HEVs expires December 31, 2007; after this date only HEVs with the California Clean Air Vehicle Decal will qualify for free parking. All other parking restrictions, including posted time limits, no parking during street cleaning times, and peak hour tow away periods, must be obeyed.

Point of Contact
Department of TransportationCity of Los AngelesPhone (213) 972-8470http://www.lacity.org/ladot/freepark.htm

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Taxi Incentive
The San Francisco International Airport, in partnership with the San Francisco Taxicab Commission, allows drivers of CNG taxis a front-of-the-line incentive allowing them one jump and one trip fee waiver per shift.
Clean Vehicle Parking Incentive - Hermosa Beach
Downtown Hermosa Beach offers free metered parking at silver poled meters for vehicles with the California Clean Air Decal and electric vehicles, including GEM vehicles. Vehicles may park for the maximum time limit designated on the meter.

Point of Contact
Ennis JacksonHermosa Beach PolicePhone (310) 318-0249ejackson@hermosabch.org

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) and Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Parking Incentive - Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica offers free meter parking for dedicated electric and compressed natural gas, or hybrid electric vehicles carrying the Clean Air Decal. Vehicles may park for the maximum time limit designated on the meter per trip.

Point of Contact
Lynne TaffertSanta Monica Police DepartmentPhone (310) 458-2226lynne.taffert@smgov.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_electric_vehicle

Hybrid electric vehicle
States and local
1. Certain states (e.g., New York, California, Virginia, and Florida) allow singly-occupied HEVs to enter the HOV lanes on the highway. Initially, the Federal Highway Administration ruled that this was a violation of federal statute[49] until August 10, 2005 when George W. Bush signed the Transportation Equity Act of 2005 into law.

2. Some states, e.g. California, exempt hybrid electric cars from the biennial smog inspection, which costs over $50 (as of 2004).

3. The city of San Jose, California issued a free parking tag until 2007 when it became issued for a fee annually for hybrid electric cars that were purchased at a San Jose dealership. The qualified owners do not have to pay for parking in any city garage or road side parking meters.

4. City of Los Angeles, California offers free parking to all HEVs starting on 1 October 2004. The experiment is an extension to an existing offer of free parking for all pure electrical vehicles.

5. In October, 2005, the City of Baltimore, Maryland started to offer discount on monthly parking in the city parking lots, and is considering free meter parking for HEVs. On 3 November 2005, the Boston Globe reports that the city council of Boston is considering the same treatment for hybrid electric cars.

6. Annual vehicle registration fees in the District of Columbia are half ($36) that paid for conventionally vehicles ($72).

Case Study: Geel, Belgium

Education and Awareness Raising in Schools - Geel, Belgium

A campaign was set up, targeted at 6 to 12 year old pupils of primary schools. The campaign slogan was 'Give us some space' and addressed the issue of young vulnerable road users asking for some space to travel and learn by experiencing daily traffic. The initiative consisted of five main actions:

1. pre-campaigning: information meetings, support, consultation,
2. awareness raising: campaign stimulating the use of bicycle routes and promoting cycling to school: action week with many events,
3. education: including themes of mobility plan in mobility education, encourage safe and sustainable transport behaviour with pupils, teachers and parents,
4. transport organisation: development of school travel plan, traffic education routes, bicycle pooling, walking buses
5. infrastructure measures.

A number of tools were developed for the campaign:

• popular version of the mobility plan in PowerPoint, made available for open forums,
• commitment declaration to be signed by participating schools,
• free package of educational materials to work with in the schools (campaign incentive),
• demonstration day 'teach the teacher', to work with new educational goals,
• leaflet to stimulate cycling on safe routes,
• development of 7 green school travel plans as part of the educational curriculum,
• elaboration of a traffic education route,
• 'project week' with a car free school day, traffic event with free gadgets, stage performance, education and awareness raising actions in schools.

Sustainable Travel to the University - Karlstad, Sweden

Karlstad University in Sweden is an expanding university faced with the problem of having too many students, teachers and other staff commuting by car. Demand for parking places exceeds supply. The main aim within MOST was to create conditions for students, teachers and other university staff that would enable them to commute to university without being dependant on solo car use. A first measure that was introduced was a pre-trip information package with good transport information and a free ticket offer for all new students.

Costs of this measure, which has become permanent in the meantime, are shared between the university, PT companies and the municipality. In addition, personal travel advice is given twice a year to students and staff at a temporary mobility office by local and regional bus companies, the railway company and the municipal transport advisory service. A dedicated website also provides all information. An annual bike to work campaign was established, a bus station was rebuilt and a new train line and train stop with a bus connection is being developed.

Target groups:

Case Study: Nancy, France

Cycle lane patrols - Nancy, France

The municipality of Nancy together with the urban community of Grand Nancy has defined an Urban Transport Plan (Plan de Déplacements Urbains - PDU). The PDU defines principles for a sustainable development based on the organisation of the journeys of people, the transport and delivery of goods, the traffic flows and parking. The municipality of Nancy with the collaboration of the urban community of Grand Nancy has also established a Plan for the Development of Transport by Bicycle. The network of cycle routes has been expanded, and there are now 125 km of cycle lanes in the urban community of Grand Nancy. The promotion of bicycle use has involved, amongst other initiatives, a partnership with the "Réciprocité-Cyclotop" association. Conceived within the context of two plans - the Urban Transport Plan and the Plan for Job Placement and Employment in the Urban Area of Nancy - the "Réciprocité-Cyclotop" association has two objectives:

• to establish itself as a new urban service for the promotion of the bicycle as a mode of transport in its own right,
• to create job placement schemes and to make the bicycle more accessible to the most disadvantaged sections of the population (special rates, student participation, humanitarian operations, donations of equipment, etc.).

The association is much more than simply a "lender of bicycles". Beyond the environmental and road traffic aspects of the project there is also the social dimension. An original way of maintaining cycle routes and increasing cycle awareness has also been successfully introduced by the association: cycle lane patrols. Grand Nancy's 125 km of cycle routes are kept clean and tidy by two small three-wheeled Vespa trucks. A patrol team, much in the style of motorway patrols, monitors safety aspects of the routes and removes debris (such as branches, hubcaps, cans, wrappers, plastic bottles and broken glass) which could be dangerous for cyclists. Everyday, six 100 litre rubbish sacks are collected from Grand Nancy's cycle route network. The patrols are trained in first-aid and cycle maintenance, and also play a mediating role, offering advice to cyclists and increasing environmental awareness.

Case Study: Bristol, UK

City Car Club - Bristol, UK

The principal objectives of Bristol's transport policy are:

• to develop the integration of all individual modes to ensure that the transport system serves the function of the city,
• 
  
to ensure that the transport system contributes towards the promotion and development of a successful economy in Bristol by improving access to jobs and creating a more attractive environment for business,
• 
  
to provide quality alternatives to the car and encourage their use,
• 
  
to foster a cultural climate that is receptive to alternative methods of transport to the private car,
• 
  
to reduce emissions of and human exposure to air and noise pollution from transport to levels safe for human health and well being.

The Local Transport Plan incorporates a range of initiatives, actions and projects designed to reach the above mentioned objectives. One of them is the City Car Club scheme (pay-as-you drive car club) which was launched in July 2000, in conjunction with the Bristol Community Car Club Association. Members pay an annual fee and hourly charge/mileage for the use of cars based close to where they work or live. The scheme provides a cost effective alternative to private car ownership. At present there are 85 members sharing six cars, with plans to expand the scheme across the whole of the city.

Case Study: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Living Street Day (Dan zivih ulic) - Ljubljana, Slovenia

Ljubljana's involvement in sustainable mobility is growing. The main objectives of Ljubljana's transport policy are to:

• increase the use of "green" modes of transport,
• re-allocate road-space,
• reduce pollution.

The Municipality has drawn up a Traffic Plan and a Mobility Plan for the city and is working to improve the pedestrian and cycle networks, by extending the cycle network and providing additional cycle racks at important locations. It has also closed the old city centre to motor vehicles on weekends and promotes intermodality (P&R, B&R). A further extention of parking regulations to outer city districts is to be implemented. Public transport is also being promoted: a leaflet has been published containing full information on public transport - timetables, on-street and garage parking (with a map and tariffs), Park and Ride facilities and bicycle racks. The City of Ljubljana regularly participates in sustainable urban mobility campaigns or initiatives such as the "In town without my car!" campaign (involving all citizens), the "Safe Walk to School" programme (for year 1 school children), the "Cycling Licence" programme (for children under the age of 14) and checks on cycle equipment. The "In town without my car!" Day provides an opportunity for making citizens aware of air pollution and for promoting sustainable modes of transport. During the Car Free Day (every year), flower pots are put on a total of 300 parking places (approx. 10% of all city center parking places) from 8 am until 6 pm. This is aimed to encourage drivers not to drive and park in the city centre. Drivers are encouraged not to park cars in the street parking places of their own free will, and some thought to other ways of commuting and going into the city centre are given to them.

Target groups:

Case Study - Lueneburg, Germany

Bicycle station - Lueneburg, Germany

An ever increasing number of commuters to Hamburg, insufficient bicycle parking facilities near the railway station (with the result that the station became the place with the highest bicycle theft rate in the city) and the declared intention to promote sustainable modes of transport in the city's transport development plan of 1990 induced the local authority to build a bicycle station right next to the train station premises. Due to the 650 bicycles parked at this location as ascertained in the framework of a census, the new bicycle station was built with a capacity for 965 bicycles on two levels which can be accessed via ramps. There is a bicycle shop with workshop from where the bicycle station is kept under surveillance. The bicycle station is run by a bicycle trader from Lueneburg, who also offers bicycle hiring and hands out information like city maps, etc. The bicycle shop and the lower parking deck are opened Mondays to Fridays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, and on weekends from 7.30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The upper parking deck is open all night so that people coming home late can still pick up their bike. Building the bicycle station took 11 months. It opened up in April 1997. An opening party was held in June 1997.

Case Study: Valencia, Spain

ECOBUS - Valencia, Spain

The Ecobús project aims to set up a collection and recycling system for used vegetable oils from both the food industry and citizens' homes, and convert these oils into ecodiesel for use in the municipal bus company fleet. The fuel used will consist of 70% diesel and 30% ecodiesel.

In the medium-term, the project also includes the construction of a processing plant where the oil will be cleaned, filtered and dried.

At first, used oil will be collected only from bars, hotels and restaurants, where large amounts of oil are used in the same place. Later on, used oil will also be collected in private homes around the city.

The co-operative entities will be identified with a sticker saying they are contributing to the responsible collection of used oils. They will be provided with containers which will be collected periodically (weekly or monthly).

The used oils will then be processed in a specialised plant through chemical treatment to produce biodiesel.

This project is being run within the framework of the "Valencia Innova" programme, which was set up by the Board of Institutional Relations of Valencia Council in 1999: a line of work encompassing the challenge of developing innovation projects in the area of urban management through the constant quest for new technological solutions.

The project is cofinanced by the European Union with funds allocated to the LIFE Environment Programme.

Case Study: Ireland

Green-Schools Travel, Ireland

Summary

An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland administers the Green-School's programme in Ireland on behalf of FEE. Green-Schools is currently running a Travel Pilot Programme funded by the Dublin Transportation Office (DTO) in partnership with six Local Authorities. Green-Schools is working with a total of twenty nine schools in the Greater Dublin Area (Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) from September 2005 to August 2007 to promote sustainable modes of transport on the journey to school. This represents approximately 10,400 children and 545 teachers.

Green-Schools focuses on empowering students, teachers and parents to take action and play a part in decision making through the structure of a Green-Schools Committee. In this way schools will decide the most appropriate way to reduce their car dependency over the two year period. To date schools have chosen to run a number of initiatives and competitions which have worked successfully internationally. The most popular idea is Walk On Wednesday (WOW) which is a UK campaign aimed at promoting walking to school once a week. Schools have also successfully organised a number of walking buses, Golden Boot Awards1, Green Tree schemes2, travel surveys and mapping exercises to promote car pooling. Seven schools have also successfully applied for funding for cycle parking due to an increased need for parking as a result of the pilot programme.

It is hoped that the project will be launched nationally in August 2007 once the twenty nine schools have shown a level of success which is sustainable.

Results

Results have not been collated to date. It is hoped Green-Schools Travel will achieve fundamental behavioural change which is turn will result in a modal shift away from the private car. The structure of Green-Schools is one in which individuals are actively involved in decision making therefore any actions which take place will be as a result of engagement with the school population.

The benefits of the project may potentially be:

• a safer school environment
• an accessible and inclusive school
• less congestion in front of the school
• less traffic in the local community
• less pollution
• fitter and healthier pupils
• independent pupils
• less use of non-renewable resources
• support for local bus networks
• support for cycle routes and pedestrian routes
• a safer, quieter, more pedestrian friendly local environment

Some results to date include:

• Co-ordinators from all 29 schools have attended workshops on sustainable travel which were delivered by An Taisce.
• An Taisce has delivered sustainable travel workshops to students in all 29 schools.
• 19 schools in total have begun WOW days and continue to promote WOW on a regular basis.
• 11 schools have promoted Park n Stride and have teamed up with local supermarkets/churches to provide short term parking for parents.
• 6 schools have held road safety awareness talks and 3 have held road safety awareness weeks.
• 10 schools have taken part in International Walk to School Month held in October.
• 9 schools promote walking using the Green Tree initiative which monitors walking levels in the school over time.
• 8 schools have Golden Boot/Bike Awards to promote regular walking and cycling.
• 10 schools have availed of cycle training for students.
• 8 schools have secured funding for cycle parking.
• 1 school has organized and continues to run 2 walking buses. In total 30 children participate and currently there is a waiting list for places.
• All schools carried out a qualitative survey with older classes. Respondents felt that raising awareness of the issues (environment, health, money, exercise etc) was the most effective way to encourage them to leave the car at home when travelling to school.
• Teachers are reporting to GS Education Officers that children are more alert arriving to school and that they are enjoying walking & cycling.
• When schools run initiatives such as WOW days, local residents have reported back that congestion in the locality has been positively affected. Initiatives have also enabled schools to gain some valuable publicity from local press and radio.

Case Study: Scotland, UK

H2 SEED, Scotland, UK

Summary

The islands of the Outer Hebrides make up the administrative area of the Western Isles, and are located off the North West coast of Scotland. Their land extension is of the order of 3.100 km&2sup;, with a population of near 27.000 inhabitants; Stornoway is home to about 9.000 inhabitants. Over 97% of the energy consumed is imported, while the average energy cost is over 13% higher that in the main island (UK).

The local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) initiated a series of hydrogen projects, of which H2 SEED will be the 1st project covering the whole value chain of hydrogen technologies: H2 production from biogas, H2 storage, H2 filling station and H2 use in both stationary and transport applications.

H2 SEED aims at giving an innovative solution to an electricity excess produced by a biogas engine in the Creed Waste Treatment Plant while being the starting point for the creation of a H2 infrastructure in the island.

Results

The Hebridean Hydrogen Park projects will ensure that the Outer Hebrides are well positioned to take advantage of the future commercial opportunities in the emerging hydrogen markets. This will have impacts on the economic development of the islands in terms of skills and diversity in the economy. It will seek to attract research and development activity to the area and will promote the Outer Hebrides as a "centre of excellence" for renewable energy innovation.

What are the benefits of H2 SEED?

• Increase the lifetime of the biogas engine currently installed in the Creed Waste Treatment Plant.
• Produce a new, renewable, autochthonous and clean fuel (hydrogen) that will be used in vehicles, therefore substituting oil, which is not renewable, not autochthonous and pollutant.
• Creation of a basic hydrogen infrastructure in the island that could grow in the near future with other renewable energy sources, such as wind energy.
• Public awareness, especially owing to the high visibility of the hydrogen public vehicle fleet.
• Human resources training on new technologies & development of new knowledge in the Isle (it should be taken into account the high rate of young emigrants from the Isle of Lewis to the mainland looking for better education/ job opportunities).
• Creation of an attractive (innovative, environmentally friendly, dynamic) image of the Island that could be beneficial in terms of tourism, attraction of industry / investments, etc.

Lessons learned and repeatability

H2SEED is the seed-project for further Hydrogen Activities in the Western Isles. The Hebridean Hydrogen Park 2006- 2008 Business Plan details a suite of strategically and geographically inter-related hydrogen projects. The suite of incubator projects identified in the business plan is anticipated to cost the region of £2.5M. The Comhairle has allocated a capital funding package of £500K, with the remaining £2M to be secured. Due to the funding constraints and timescales the full suite of projects may not be deliverable under the current capital programme which ends on 31st March 2008. The key project priorities are the production and refuelling facilities, the council pool vehicles and emergency services training. The additional project objectives are designed to enable greater community participation and inclusion in the Hebridean Hydrogen Park, with the inclusion of elements accessible to communities and tourists and to add diversity to the project as a whole. The project has been developed in partnership with Lews Castle College University of the Highlands and Islands to maximise opportunities for research, development and training.

The Creed Waste Processing Plant is the first plant in the United Kingdom combining an anaerobic digestion technology and in-vessel composting to process biodegradable wastes. This biogas is used to feed an engine producing electricity and heat. The plant is not authorised to export electricity to the grid due to technical constraints, forcing the engine to operate at partial load (because electricity demands at the plant are lower than engine nominal capacity). Operating at partial load, the engine temperature is reduced and the sulphur contained in the biogas corrodes the engine reducing considerably its lifetime.

Case Study - France

MOBASTO - Mobility Agency in Small Towns - France

Summary

In the framework of the European call for tender "SAVE" (2000-2001) two French towns (Romans and Bourg de Péage, 55 000 inhabitants) decided to initiate a Voluntary Urban Transport Plan.

First a state of the arts of car transport, public transport, bicycles and transport of goods flows has been made and their major impacts have been identified.

Beyond the safety of people and goods and the fight against the increase of particular cars use, the principle aim of the project was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For this purpose two main objectives have been proposed:

• Better management of urbanism to fight against urban sprawl;
• Favour the use of other means of transport particularly public transports and bicycles.

These measures should have allowed to reduce half of the greenhouse gas emissions.

A Charter has been published by Romans (France), Bourg de Péage (France), Luleå (Sweden) and Quedlinburg (Germany). A web site has been created so as to give information about less pollutant means of transport. Now a method exists allowing other middle sized towns to realise their own Urban Transport Plan.

Finally, MOBASTO replaced the question of transports in a very larger debate which is the one of mobility management.

Results

	Daily emissions of CO2 in 2000	Daily emissions of CO2 in 2001	Without measure
	163 t	173.4 t	180 t
Expected growth	--	+6.3%	+10.5%

The settlement of other means of transport than the car allows to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.

The expected growth is only about 6.3% (it would be about more than 10% without taking measures).

Significant efforts are done particularly through the use of other means of transport:

• 2 000 travels in the large center will be done in public transport (which represents a growth of the use of public transports over 30%)
• 40% of the suburbs travels should be done in public transports (that is to say a growth of 50% of the use of public transports)
• finally the connections more distant should be done thanks to the train (+25% of travels), what would make it possible to contain the increase in the traffic to half of what it would be without transport towards the train.

Each share of market gained by public transport represents an emission about 15 kg/inhabitant/year of CO₂ in less in the atmosphere.

Moreover an employee that will no more take is car to go to work should avoid an emission of 480 kg/year of CO₂.

Every kilometre covered by public transports avoid an emission of 35 kg of CO₂.

So as to allow the success of these measures promoted by the mobility agency, a good information and communication are needed.

The mobility agency will have to help the changes of habits and will have to answer the questions of the users.

Case Study: Transportation in Romania

"In town, without my car!" campaign - Romania

Summary

On the 22nd of September 2006, for the first time in Brasov, ABMEE (Agency for the Management of Energy and Environmental Protection Brasov) together with the Brasov Municipality and the Environmental Protection Agency of Brasov organised the "In town, without my car!" campaign.

This event is organised annually on the same date (22 September) and consists in promoting and raising awareness on mobility and efficient transport by restricting access on one or more traffic ways that are otherwise used.

This European campaign is initiated by the European Commission - DG Environment, and in 2000 became an international event, with participation of municipalities from South America and Asia.

Results

• A main result is that an estimated 500 citizens (mostly young) participated in the 8 hour event and more that 200 prizes were awarded.
• The costs of the event were covered by sponsor's contribution.
• Equipment for the Brasov skate park were fabricated and donated to the Municipality.
• Air and noise measurements were conducted in two days in order to show the impact of traffic on life quality in the city.

Lessons learned and repeatability

The measurements performed in the frame of this initiative have shown that the city centre is especially polluted. As a result the city planners have started rethinking the way traffic should be managed, especially in the old part of the town. Several measures have been taken:

• A pedestrian crossing in the city centre has been moved 10 m up the street (thus fluidising the traffic).
• Several roundabouts were constructed - one of them on the street were the campaign took place.
• The local transport company has created new lines for the old centre with smaller buses (shuttle buses).
• The tramway of the city has been removed. It was inefficient and poorly constructed. The streets where the tramway was are now being widened, but the good news is that not all the street will be destined for motorised traffic - bicycle lanes are being constructed on these streets.

ABMEE applied and won financing in a PHARE call for proposals in order to continue organising the event in 2007. It is a 12 month project and consists of a much larger event than in 2006 and also the creation of an air quality strategy for Brasov.

The municipality intends to organise this event each year and with it hopes to influence the behaviour of the citizens.

Case Study: Fossil Fuel Free Kristianstad, Sweden

Fossil Fuel Free Kristianstad, Sweden

Summary

Kristianstad municipality, Sweden, is working on becoming fossil fuel free. The different projects within this work are funded by municipal means and state grants. In 1999 the executive committee of Kristianstad municipality unanimous decided to declare its will to become a Fossil Fuel Free Municipality. The reduction of fossil fuels is to be achieved primarily by the use of bio-fuels, both biomass as fuel for heating and production of electricity and biogas as fuel for local buses and other vehicles. Other activities are efforts in the field of energy efficiency and changes in behaviour patterns. Community planning is an important instrument to promote a Fossil Fuel Free municipality. The target audience is all sectors of the society, for example companies, households, children etc. The yearly CO₂-emissons have been reduced by 123 000 tonnes. One conclusion that can be drawn is that it is easier to reduce the emissions from the heating sector than from transports. We recommend other municipalities to work with both energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Results

Energy

Achieved:

• New heating system, fuelled by pellets in 43 public buildings
• New heating system, fuelled by straw in one public building
• Increased biogas production from the waste water treatment plant
• Local heating sys­tem with bio-fuel in Åhus and Fjälkinge
• Energy saving using window efficiency

In progress:

• Conversion of small houses to district heating
• Conversion of small houses to bio-pellets
• New boiler at the CHP-plant
• Small-scale district heating in Tollarp
• Conversion of more public buildings

Transport

Achieved:

• Bicycle lanes aiming to reduce car traffic
• Cycle paths are now cleared of snow before, or at the same time as, roads
• Cycle campaign among municipal employees
• Bicycle pool for employees at the city hall
• Introduction of biogas as vehicle fuel
• Car-pool with biogas vehicles for employees at the city hall
• Bicycle projects for municipal inhabitants
• An Internet forum for car pooling
• Mobility management activities during the European mobility week

In progress:

• Biogas Kristianstad: a project aiming to increase the number of vehicles fuelled by biogas
• Bicycle lanes aiming to reduce car traffic are continued to be built

Health Effects from Auto Pollution

The list of detrimental health effects from vehicle air pollution sounds like a little shop of horrors. Outdoor air pollution from cars, SUVs, trucks, and buses:

• Cause acute respiratory problems, temporary decreases in lung capacity, and inflammation of lung tissue
• Impair the body’s immune system
• Reduce the release of oxygen to body tissues
• Increase a person’s risk of cancer-related death
• Contribute to birth defects, low birth weight, and infant deaths
• Harm blood vessels in healthy individuals
• Make healthy active children 3 to 4 times more likely to develop asthma

If the air pollution doesn’t kill you, getting run over just might. During the 20th century, 250 million Americans were maimed or injured in automobile accidents. Car crashes are the top killers of children in the United States and elsewhere. Every day in the U.S., an average of over 120 people are killed in car accidents.

And we all run the risk of a slow death (or at least a diminished quality of life) as a result of driving-related stress (a.k.a. road rage) and our lazy “drive everywhere” attitude. A century ago, the typical American walked three miles a day. Now, we drive our SUVs to the gym. Cars undoubtedly have contributed to the decline of exercise in America, and the advance of our obesity epidemic.

Hybrid Battery Toxicity

Published April 8, 2006

There are now more than one million hybrid gas-electric vehicles on American roads. Many will celebrate reaching the milestone of one million hybrids zipping around on power from their rechargeable batteries—and burning a lot less petroleum. But some environmentally motivated car buyers are concerned about trading one problem for another. They worry that a hybrid utopia might turn into a toxic nightmare when the nickel metal hydride batteries in today's hybrids end up in landfills. After all, aren't all car batteries —conventional lead acid and hybrid batteries alike—filled with the same nasty corrosive carcinogenic ooze?

According to environmental researchers, that's not the case. Jim Kliesch, author of the "Green Book: The Environmental Guide to Cars and Trucks" told HybridCars.com, "There are many types of batteries. Some are far more toxic than others. While batteries like lead acid or nickel cadmium are incredibly bad for the environment, the toxicity levels and environmental impact of nickel metal hydride batteries—the type currently used in hybrids—are much lower."

Get the Lead Out

There's little argument that lead is extremely toxic. Scientific studies show that long-term exposure to even tiny amounts of lead can cause brain and kidney damage, hearing impairment, and learning problems in children. The auto industry uses over one million metric tons of lead every year, with 90% going to conventional lead-acid vehicle batteries.

According to a 2003 report entitled, "Getting the Lead Out," by Environmental Defense and the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor, Mich., an estimated 2.6 million metric tons of lead can be found in the batteries of vehicles on the road today.

While lead recycling is a mature industry, it's impossible to rescue every car battery from the dump. More than 40,000 metric tons of lead are lost to landfills every year. According to the federal Toxic Release Inventory, another 70,000 metric tons are released in the lead mining and manufacturing process.

Can We Talk?

"Lead is so cheap. It's difficult to get people to seriously discuss replacing lead batteries in a conventional vehicle" said Karen Thomas, state policy manager at Environmental Defense, in an interview with HybridCars.com. Ironically, the emergence of hybrid cars, the necessary advancement of alternative batteries to satisfy the hybrid demands, and worries about the toxicity of hybrid batteries, have re-opened the environmental debate about all car battery technology. "It's providing an opportunity for us to talk about it," said Thomas.

Hybrid gas-electric vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, are the most visible examples of how cars are becoming more electrical and less mechanical. Vehicles with conventional drivetrains are increasingly using electronic technology, such as drive-by-wire and brake-by-wire. Cars are adding more and more onboard accessories and entertainment. Thomas said, "Lead is so heavy. You can't just add more or larger lead-acid batteries to accommodate the increased electrical demands. Some say lead is at its limit."

Lead, Nickel, Lithium—In That Order

The need for more robust battery technologies to power vehicles and their accessories prompted Environmental Defense to conduct a three-month research effort in 2005 to examine environmental impacts related to the extraction, manufacture, use, and disposal of nickel metal hydride batteries, as well as lithium ion—which many consider to be the battery of choice in the next five years. Environmental Defense then compared those impacts to lead acid. "Our initial conclusion is that lead is the worst, nickel is next, and lithium is the least harmful," said Thomas. This will greatly depend on what materials are combined with lithium, and how toxic those materials are. Using cobalt, for example, in lithium ion batteries would be problematic. It will also depend on the emerging recycling technologies.

While not nearly as dangerous as lead, nickel is not without some environmental risks, and is considered a probable carcinogen. There are also concerns about the environmental impacts of nickel mining, and apparent challenges with fully recycling the nickel used in hybrid batteries.

Hybrids are still sold an relatively low numbers. As a result, large-scale environmental threats from hybrid batteries are not immediate. Hybrids were introduced in the United States in 2000. Hybrid batteries are under warranty for eight to 10 years, depending on the manufacturer and your location, most likely won't fail for several years beyond the warranty. In the first few years, hybrids sold in low numbers—growing from less than 10,000 in 2000, to 35,000 in 2002. By all calculations, the challenge of recycling hybrid batteries is at least five years away.

Greener Pastures for Car Batteries

The carmakers are waiting in the wings. Toyota and Honda place decals with a toll-free number on their hybrid battery packs. Toyota offers a $200 bounty to ensure that every battery comes back to the company. In a press release, Toyota states, "Every part of the battery, from the precious metals to the plastic, plates, steel case and the wiring, is recycled." Honda collects the battery and transfers it to a preferred recycler to follow their prescribed process: disassembling and sorting the materials; shredding the plastic material; recovering and processing the metal; and neutralizing the alkaline material before sending it to a landfill.

Honda, Toyota and the entire auto industry are pumping millions of dollars into research regarding lithium ion batteries for tomorrow's cars. Their primary motivation is to reduce the cost and increase the potency of hybrid batteries. Fortunately, supplanting lead and nickel batteries with rechargeable lithium batteries is also promising from an environmental perspective. Instead of clogging landfills with more toxic chemicals, hybrids—especially future hybrids powered by lithium ion batteries—may represent greener pastures for car batteries.

http://www.hybridcars.com/battery-toxicity.html

[Interview] with Laurie David

Note: Laurie David is an environmentalist and one of the producer of An Inconvenient Truth, starring Al Gore.

In late April 2006, HybridCars.com editor Bradley Berman caught up with global warming evangelist Laurie David—before the media blitz began for her film "An Inconvenient Truth," starring Al Gore. The film hits theaters in late May. Laurie is emerging as the country's best known climate crisis activist. You also may have heard of her husband, Larry, who drives a Prius. Laurie is determined to "turn one voice into a million voices" and to make so much noise about global warming that it no longer can be ignored.

Bradley Berman: How much responsibility for global warming do you place on the auto industry?

Laurie David: First of all, I place the responsibility for global warming on all of us. We're all guilty. We're all part of the problem. And we all need to be part of the solution. But a big portion of global warming is coming from transportation. There's an article in today's New York Times about how the auto industry could be focusing on raising fuel economy. Instead, they're still focused on how to make cars go faster!

That's really disturbing, isn't it? With everything we know now, having been through Katrina, and seeing these cyclones happening, unbelievable flooding everywhere, and unprecedented droughts, the auto industry is still not getting it. With gas prices what they are. They still don't get it.

BB: You've taken some steps to try to get Detroit to wake up, namely the Detroit Project.

LD: We produced [a series of] commercials. They were a parody at the time of the Bush Administration's drug war commercials. And they did something pretty great. They sparked the debate about SUVs, and gas-guzzling cars, and where the money was going. Where is the money going when we fill these cars up with gas, especially when they get 12 miles to the gallon? We tried to connect the dots between what you are buying, what you are driving, and support of the economies of Middle Eastern countries that don't like us.

BB: They were produced about three or four years ago?

LD: Yes, that was three years ago. I produced them with Arianna Huffington, Lawrence Bender, and Ariel Emanuel. We tried to buy commercial time on all the networks. We could not get a single network to take our money.

I had a conversation with the president of ABC at that time, where he said to me, "Laurie, we have an office in Los Angeles. We have an office in New York. And our third office is in Detroit. We're not going to be running those commercials."

But everyone saw them anyway, because we got an unprecedented amount of free media with them. All the new shows ran them, and it really sparked the conversation.

BB: Did the ads achieve their intended goal?

LD: Beyond my wildest dreams, because every right-wing radio DJ was talking about them. Everybody was talking about them on print and TV. We got a lot of free exposure. It did what it needed to do. It got people thinking. Now, three years later, and SUV sales are down. And the president, three years later, is saying, "We're addicted to oil." Duh.

BB: Tell me about your shift from traditional media to online activism, represented by the stopglobalwarming.org campaign, which you started.

LD: It's a virtual march. The idea is that if you want to build a grass-roots movement, and you want the government to hear what you have to say, you might march on the streets. But marches don't work they way they used to work. And they end up as 30 seconds on the evening news, and the whole discussion is about how many people showed up, and they underestimate the number. So the idea is to march on Washington—but let's do it virtually on the Internet. And let's count every single person who joins, and let's turn one voice into a million voices, and let's make so much noise that we can't be ignored. The media, the administration, and Congress will have to pay attention.

For everyone who joins, we hope they send it to three friends, and we send out stories about how global warming is affecting your backyard, or offer some solutions. While we're marching, we're hopefully educating people on the problem, and how it's impacting you.

BB: What's the status?

LD: Right now, it's nine months old. It's all word of mouth, and we're at over 300,000 marchers (who come from) every single state in the country. That's pretty good. I think it's one of the biggest online petitions—if you want to call it a petition. I call it a march. It's one of the biggest ever done. And it's only going to get bigger.

BB: Does it concern you that signing an online petition makes it easy for politicians and the citizens who sign up to feel like they're doing something, while continuing current policies?

LD: No. Because the prominent people who join the march, the politicians—and by the way, we have Republicans and Democrats—the fact that they have to sit down and think about what they're going to say, and how they are concerned about this issue, is a good thing, for one. And number two, it's basically the idea is that this is not the only thing you're going to do. This is the first thing you are going to do. This is the first step. Once you are aware, you can't go backwards. Once you know about the problem, you can't pretend it doesn't exist.

BB: I'm sure you've seen recent reports indicating that climate change is too far along. It's too big of a problem. It can't be reversed. It's too connected with the global economy. It's too late to do anything.

LD: Every single word of that is untrue. We're going to suffer the repercussions of what we've already put into the atmosphere. That's true. But we're at a critical moment in time where we actually have a choice to make. Are we going to live in a world that's one or two degrees warmer, and all the ramifications of that? Or are we going to live in a world that's five to 10 degrees warmer, and all the horrible ramifications of that? That's the choice we have to make right now.

BB: It's a tough sell because of the immediate gratification culture that we live in. This is something that's going to more greatly affect future generations.

LD: I don't agree with that either. I think this is going to affect us right now. This is happening right now. The more horrific ramifications are going to be in the next generation, but this is in my lifetime and in your lifetime. Right now, global warming is impacting us! We have to make some choices here. The irony of the issue is that all the things we need to do to stop this thing already exist, and are things we should be doing anyway, that are going to make this economy stronger, and that are going to provide jobs. A clean industrial revolution is going to be the best thing that ever happened to this country, for a million reasons.

BB: What's your vision for the future of cars?

LD: Cars that are now getting 45 miles to the gallon will soon be getting 100 miles to the gallon. They will run on gas, and you'll plug them in. Eventually, we can wean off gas altogether. We'll have biofuels and a lot of other choices for cars. The only question is how long it's going to take. It's urgent to get this thing happening now.

Detroit spent a lot of time saying that customers don't care about fuel economy. That's why we don't make fuel-efficient cars. We now know that they do care about it, and they are proving they care about it by how they embraced hybrids. Hybrids were not well advertised when they first came out. They didn't have a ton of financial support. It was a tiny niche. Everybody made fun of them. And here we go. They can't make enough hybrids to meet the demand.

http://www.hybridcars.com/global-warming/laurie-david-interview.html.html

Environmental effects of biodiesel

Carbon Dioxide production

Making and burning Biodiesel contributes to atmospheric Carbon Dioxide to a smaller extent than burning Fossil Fuels. The calculation of exactly how much Carbon Dioxide is produced is a complex and inexact process, and is highly dependant on the method by which the biofuel is produced and the assumptions made in the calculation. A calculation should include:

• The cost of growing the feedstock
• The cost of transporting the feedstock to the factory
• The cost of processing the feedstock into biodiesel

Such a calculation may or may not consider the following effects:

• The cost of the change in land use of the area where the fuel feedstock is grown.
• The cost of transportation of the biodiesel from the factory to its point of use
• The efficiency of the biodiesel compared with standard diesel
• The amount of Carbon Dioxide produced at the tail pipe. (Biodiesel can produce 4.7% more)
• The benefits due to the production of useful bi-products, such as cattle feed or glycerine

The graphs on the right shows figures calculated by the UK government for the purposes of the Renewable transport fuel obligation^[44]

Pollution

• Biodiesel contains fewer aromatic hydrocarbons: benzofluoranthene: 56% reduction; Benzopyrenes: 71% reduction.^{[citation needed]}
• Biodiesel can reduce by as much as 20% the direct (tailpipe) emission of particulates, small particles of solid combustion products, on vehicles with particulate filters, compared with low-sulfur (<50>
• Biodiesel has a higher cetane rating than petrodiesel, which can improve performance and clean up emissions compared to crude petro-diesel (with cetane lower than 40).

Biodegradable

• Biodiesel is considered readily biodegradable under ideal conditions and non-toxic. A University of Idaho study compared biodegradation rates of biodiesel, neat vegetable oils, biodiesel and petroleum diesel blends, and neat 2-D diesel fuel. Using low concentrations of the product to be degraded (10 ppm) in nutrient and sewage sludge amended solutions, they demonstrated that biodiesel degraded at the same rate as a dextrose control and 5 times as quickly as petroleum diesel over a period of 28 days, and that biodiesel blends doubled the rate of petroleum diesel degradation through co-metabolism ^[45]. The same study examined soil degradation using 10 000 ppm of biodiesel and petroleum diesel, and found biodiesel degraded at twice the rate of petroleum diesel in soil. In all cases, it was determined biodiesel also degraded more completely than petroleum diesel, which produced poorly degradable undetermined intermediates. Toxicity studies for the same project demonstrated no mortalities and few toxic effects on rats and rabbits with up to 5000 mg/kg of biodiesel. Petroleum diesel showed no mortalities at the same concentration either, however toxic effects such as hair loss and urinary discolouring were noted with concentrations of >2000 mg/l in rabbits.

Nontoxic to humans

• In the United States, biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the Health Effects Testing requirements (Tier I and Tier II) of the Clean Air Act (1990).
• Since biodiesel is more often used in a blend with petroleum diesel, there are fewer formal studies about the effects on pure biodiesel in unmodified engines and vehicles in day-to-day use. Fuel meeting the standards and engine parts that can withstand the greater solvent properties of biodiesel is expected to--and in reported cases does--run without any additional problems than the use of petroleum diesel.

Flammability

• The flash point of biodiesel (>150 °C) is significantly higher than that of petroleum diesel (64 °C) or gasoline (−45 °C). The gel point of biodiesel varies depending on the proportion of different types of esters contained. However, most biodiesel, including that made from soybean oil, has a somewhat higher gel and cloud point than petroleum diesel. In practice this often requires the heating of storage tanks, especially in cooler climates.
• Pure biodiesel (B100) can be used in any petroleum diesel engine, though it is more commonly used in lower concentrations. Some areas have mandated ultra-low sulfur petrodiesel, which reduces the natural viscosity and lubricity of the fuel due to the removal of sulfur and certain other materials. Additives are required to make ULSD properly flow in engines, making biodiesel one popular alternative. Ranges as low as 2% (B2) have been shown to restore lubricity. Many municipalities have started using 5% biodiesel (B5) in snow-removal equipment and other systems.

  NO_x emissions

  If burned without additives, Biodiesel (B100) is estimated to produce about 10% more nitrogen oxide NO_x tailpipe-emissions than petrodiesel. As biodiesel has a low sulfur content, NO_x emissions can be reduced through the use of catalytic converters to less than the NO_x emissions from conventional diesel engines. Moreover, as a transportation fuel, biodiesel is in its infancy in terms of additives which are capable of improving energy density, resistance to gelling, and NO_x emissions. Debate continues over NO_x, particulates, smog, and greenhouse gas emissions from biodiesel and all other new transportation fuels, biofuels in particular. Ultimately, greater clarity on the fundamental distinctions between smog and other local pollution issues vs. greenhouse gas emissions will be essential for both well founded public policy as well as well informed consumer choices. In February 2006 a Navy biodiesel expert claimed NO_x emissions in practice were actually lower than baseline. Further research is needed.

  Recent advances in the use of cerium oxide help eliminate NO_x emissions from both petrodiesel and biodiesel, and diesel fuel additives based on cerium oxide can improve fuel consumption by 11% in unmodified diesel engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio_Diesel

New Studies Say Biofuels Add to Global Warming??

Replacing fossil fuels with corn-based ethanol would double greenhouse gas emissions for the next 30 years, according to new studies from Princeton University and the Nature Conservancy.

Two new studies cast doubt on the ecological benefits of biofuels. Separate teams from Princeton University and the Nature Conservancy conducted the studies, which were published in the journal Science. Both groups found that biofuels exacerbate—rather than counteract—global warming.

”Most of the biofuel that people are using or planning to use would probably increase greenhouse gasses substantially,” said Timothy Searchinger, a research from Princeton University. “Previously there’s been an accounting error: land use change has been left out of prior analysis.”

The crux of the new research is that biofuel production cannot overlook the effects of growing, harvesting, and refining biofuels. When the entire process is considered, biofuels are not nearly as attractive from an environmental perspective. Searchinger found that replacing fossil fuels with corn-based ethanol would double greenhouse gas emissions for the next 30 years. Greenhouse gas emissions are problematic, regardless if rainforest or scrubland is used to grow the fuel.

These studies add to a growing body of research which question the belief that biofuels offer great promise as a “green” fuel for transportation. In the wake of the publication, a group of 10 eminent environmental scientists sent a letter to President Bush, urging a reform of national biofuels policy.

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/two-major-studies-reveal-biofuels-may-add-global-warming.html

You Say NOx, I Say Nitrous

Published September 28, 2006

"NOx" is a general term used to describe oxides of nitrogen, which include two pollutants from cars:

• NO (nitric oxide)
• NO2 (nitrogen dioxide).

The high-temperature environment of a combustion engine mainly creates NO, which then converts to NO2 later in the presence of oxygen.

NOx does not have any impact on climate change. The main issue with NOx is that it is a key ingredient in smog. NOx mixes with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and, in the presence of sunlight, creates ground-level ozone (O3) which is otherwise known as urban smog. Ground-level ozone is recognized by the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a criteria pollutant, as is NOx. More NOx does not always cause more ozone. It depends on the proportion of NOx to VOCs, and how much sunlight you have. In certain cases, more NOx can actually lower ozone levels, at least theoretically, which makes the whole NOx debate more than a little confusing. In general, most regulatory agencies assume that less NOx is a good thing, and they make their rules accordingly. A secondary issue with NOx is that it causes acid rain, but it's not the main culprit for this problem. When it rains, it pours.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is not a major pollutant from cars. Most of it comes from many natural sources, including bacteria in soil and the oceans. Cultivation of crops like soybeans in nitrogen-rich soil can release a lot of N2O, at least according to studies at the University of California at Davis.

N2O is sometimes used in cars to increase performance (by the Fast and Furious crowd) since it breaks down in the engine and yields oxygen to the combustion process. It is also used as an anesthetic (a.k.a. "laughing gas"). The problem with N2O is that it is a really strong greenhouse gas, roughly 25 times more powerful climate change agent than carbon dioxide. So growing more soybeans, for example, to make biodiesel could inadvertently release more N2O into the atmosphere, thereby causing more climate change even though biodiesel replaces more carbon-intensive fuels.

A conversation about oxides of nitrogen is only slightly less painful than root canal surgery—unless you use nitrous oxide, of course.

National Australia Increases 2008 Oil Price Forecast

National Australia Increases 2008 Oil Price Forecast (Update2)

By Angela Macdonald-Smith

Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- National Australia Bank Ltd. raised its forecast for average 2008 U.S. benchmark crude-oil prices to about $85 a barrel, up 31 percent from a September estimate, due to rising demand and production restrictions on OPEC members.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil may average $75 a barrel next year, the Melbourne-based bank, the nation's biggest by assets, said today in an e-mailed report. Brent crude oil, a European benchmark variety, may average $83 a barrel this year, falling to $72.43 next year, the bank said.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, supplier of more than 40 percent of the world's crude, earlier this month decided to keep production targets unchanged, rebuffing a request from U.S. President George W. Bush for more oil. The group may decide to cut output when it meets next month to keep the price above $80 a barrel, oil ministry officials from four of the group's nations said last week.

``OPEC appears to be increasingly emboldened by sustained high prices, with OPEC oil ministers appearing to discount any risks of economic calamity resulting from high oil prices, a stark contrast from recent years,'' Gerard Burg, a minerals and energy economist at National Australia, said in the report.

Global oil consumption is forecast to increase by about 2.3 percent this year, to average 87.8 million barrels a day, mostly because of growth in China and the Middle East, National Australia said, citing the International Energy Agency.

Gasoline, Diesel

Prices for refined fuels will be boosted by the ``elevated'' crude-oil price forecast, with exchange rates being the main uncertainty for forecasts of local retail prices, the bank said. In Australia, weighted average city retail prices for unleaded gasoline may average A$1.363 ($1.23) a liter this year, up 9.4 percent from last year's average, it said. Next year the average may decline to A$1.309, it said.

U.K. wholesale diesel prices may rise by 23 percent to average 34.9 pence (68 cents) a liter, with the increase heightened by an expected weakening in the pound against the dollar, National Australia said. Jet fuel should move in tandem with crude oil, with benchmark European prices increasing by about 16 percent to average $824 a metric ton, it said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Macdonald-Smith in Sydney at amacdonaldsm@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 12, 2008 00:30 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aW3gJs8RChoQ&refer=australia

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger embracing biodiesel, Orders an 800 horsepower biofuel engine.

2007-04-16 09:15:12 - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was so impressed by the biodiesel makeover he took part in on an upcoming environmentally-themed Pimp My Ride show, he insisted mechanics install the same engine under the bonnet of his Hummer.

The star and rapper/host Xzibit joined forces to makeover a 1965 Chevy Impala and give the classic vehicle an environmental, biodiesel edge as part of an Earth Day Pimp My Ride.

"I would like to thank MTV and the entire Pimp My Ride crew for shining the spotlight on the importance of alternative fuels and the fight against global

warming," Governor Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "I am very encouraged by the great potential in converting vehicles to run on biodiesel as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "I am pleased that the power of MTV's message will reach an audience throughout California and the nation to reinforce the benefits of alternative-fuel vehicles and protecting our environment."

And Schwarzenegger was stunned when Galpin Auto Sports mechanics fitted the classic car with an 800 horsepower biofuel engine, equipped with recycled plastic bottles. He has now asked Galpin boss Beau Boeckman to fit the same engine in his own car.


Watch it here:

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1557647&vid=145907