Book An Eco-Friendly Taxi

There are a variety of ‘green’ taxi services available these days, our Eco-Car news mentions Ecoigo (London, UK), Evo Limo (US), Eco Limo (LA, US), PlanetTran (Boston, US) and Eco Limo (Australia). London also has greentomatocars, and now Climatecars. The eco-friendly taxi service will soon drive eight Toyota Prius cars. The company is targeting London’s corporate market, offering first class service and extras like complimentary magazines, newspapers and Belu mineral water (the “first bottled water that doesn’t contribute to climate change”).

A difference is that Climatecars offers a bicycle rescue service. Every Climatecar keeps a bicycle rack in the boot. Cyclists who had an sunny ride to work but face rain on their way home, can take a cab home with their bicycle strapped to the back. The service comes at no extra charge, and offers a practical solution for consumers who’d like to use their bicycles as much as possible, but don’t enjoy cycling when it’s cold, dark and wet.

[Via: Springwise]

100 Ways To Save The Planet - Part 6

Some money ways to help save the planet - links to the previous posts can be found on the left, under Go Green.

41. Buy organic milk. Producing one litre of non-organic milk uses more than three times the amount of energy it takes to make one a litre of organic milk.

42. Drink tap water. New York City have just announced a big drive for it and Salt Lake City are likely to follow. In the UK we’re better at drinking tap water but still pay around 1,500 times the amount to buy it in a bottle. The glass and plastic bottles they come in as well as the delivery miles, recycling energy etc all make it not very eco-friendly.

43. Cut down on eating meat. Number 13 in this list was to become a vegetarian and following that theme of the amount of energy it uses to raise cattle, it also damages the environment as more land is needed to graze animals. It’s estimated that 40 per cent of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared to graze cattle for export.

44. Don’t buy cut flowers. Every year, the UK spends around £1.35 billion on cut flowers, 80% of which are imports. Such flowers are usually flown in, which gives them a massive carbon footprint because of aviation emissions. Instead, buy potted UK-grown plants or flowers that are UK-grown and in season. Try www.tree2mydoor.com or www.charityflowers.co.uk.

45. Re-use old computers rather than throwing them away. See the Life Goggles article here.

46. Cut off the top off your almost empty toothpaste tube. Sounds extreme but it’ll make it go further, saves waste, and every little helps.

47. Buy in bulk. It’s cheaper and limits the waste generated through packaging items individually. Don’t need much? Combine orders with a friend or neighbour. Try wholesalers www.suma.co.uk or www.infinityfoods.co.uk.

48. Register on www.mpsonline.org.uk and get rid of all that unwanted junk mail. In Britain around four billion direct mail items are sent every year - most end up in the bin. You can recycle most of it, but if you don’t want it anyway then refuse to have it!

49. Reflect on it. Reflective radiator panels can fit perfectly behind radiators. They are cheap to buy, easy to install and reflect back heat that would otherwise drift through the wall. They can be bought from DIY stores (avoid those made from PVC) or you can make your own by wrapping tinfoil around cardboard.

Envrionmentally Friendly Coffee

Coffee addicts who want to start their day on an ecologically friendly note may want to fill their mugs with Solar Roast Coffee - a fresh new brew for java lovers that is roasted using clean abundant solar energy.

Based in Pueblo, Colorado, Solar Roast Coffee uses only 100% organic or fair trade coffee beans. Their special solar-powered roasting technique ensures the least impact on the environment. Not just a regular roaster powered by solar panels, Solar Roast’s Helios 2.0 catches rays of sunshine directly on a drum roaster filled with beans. The roaster is capable of reaching temperatures upwards of 550 degrees Fahrenheit, and swivels and tilts allowing it to track the sun throughout the day. No fossil fuels are burned to heat the beans, and no electric connection is needed to power the roaster’s fans and motors. The result? Likely the most earth-friendly coffee available on the market.

The first Solar Roast Cafe opened in Pueblo early this year, and the company already has plans to open more locations in the western U.S, and also operates an online store. Coffees begin around $12 per pound.

[Via Springwise]

Song of the Day - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

This video takes a little while to get going, and I wonder when this skill comes in useful ?

What Is The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive?

The BBC has an excellent Q&A on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive which came into force in the UK and the rest of the European Union on July 1st. “It requires member nations to collect and recycle the equivalent of 4kg of ‘e-waste’ for every person living in the country”. E-waste is electronic equipment waste, such as televisions, PC’s, microwaves and so on.

With people in Britain changing mobile phone on average every 18 months, and computers every 3 years, the amount of e-waste is increasing massively. Currently about 90% of these gadgets end up in landfill, an estimated 1.2m tonnes a year. Manufacturers, importers and retailers of electronic and electrical goods are now obliged to put systems in place that allow customers to recycle their obsolete devices free of charge.

They also have to join one of 37 authorised “producer compliance schemes”. However these schemes let them pay a percentage of the total cost of recycling, based on their market share, meaning that potentially manufacturers with better designed products can be penalised, as they do not benefit from the environmental savings their products make.

However, with the amount of gadgets in the home set to double by 2010, there will be an ever increasing amount of WEEE to deal with, and the current legislation is a step in the right direction.

Song Of The Day - Fans by Kings of Leon

Heard this song live the other day and it blew me away. I couldn’t find a decent live version on YouTube, so here’s one to loads of clips from Family Guy for some reason. Enjoy.

Taskforce to cut ‘cyber warming’

A new public-private “Green Shift” taskforce that will be led by Manchester City Council has been created in the UK. It’s aim is to “reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the production, operation and disposal of computers ” with a “green PC” policy.

This involves removing desktop computer, and replacing them with desktop boxes that access central server controlled office applications, email and internet browsers. The scheme, that should be ready by 2009, hopes to reduce resource use in the production of PC’s by 75%.

[Via BBC]

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