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Cool Solutions |
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by Lisa Quinn and Bob Banner
Even though many of the articles in this issue include “Cool Solutions,” we added a number of short items that hopefully will inspire people to create the solutions in our specific counties.
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” — H.G. Wells, writer (1866-1946)
Bike & Park
The Bikestation Long Beach is a state-of-the-art center offering cyclists a haven for safeguarding their vehicles, on-site bike shop with convenient connections to the Metro Blue Line, Long Beach Transit, regional buses equipped with bike racks and a network of bikeways. Santa Barbara gets their own Bike Station in March 2007!
http://www.bikestation.com/
Efficient Living Equals Better Living
The Location Efficient Mortgage®‚ (LEM) is a mortgage that helps people become homeowners in location efficient communities. These convenient neighborhoods allow residents to walk from their homes to stores, schools, recreation, and public transportation. People who live in location efficient communities have less need to drive, which allows them to save money giving them more spending power on a home.
http://www.locationefficiency.com/
Heavy Lifting
Bikes at Work provide a grocery delivery service for the residents of Ames, Iowa. Customers call in their order. They take down their list, go to the store of their choice, pick out the items they requested off the shelf, and purchase them. We then deliver them to their home or business.The standard charge is $8 plus 8% of the bill. Other deliveries made by by bike include refrigerators, couches and desks.
http://www.bikesatwork.com/bicycle-delivery-service/
Complete Streets & Communities
New Urbanism principles that create walkable, compact, mixed-use neighborhoods. Improved sidewalks, bike lanes and an increase of mixed-use, affordable housing would allow locals to work, shop and play within walking distance of their homes are being used in the Lake Tahoe region to revive small-town charm and old world development patterns.
http://www.activeliving.org/node/608
Sky Sails Promise Wind Energy for Fuel Reduction
SkySails, a German firm based in Hamburg, outfits cargo ships with massive kites designed to tug vessels and reduce their diesel consumption. The firm estimates that these kites will reduce fuel consumption by about one-third—a big saving, given that fuel accounts for about 60% of shipping costs.
http://tinyurl.com/37vdsm
Traffic-related running tally Sign Board
In Japan a sign board shows a running tally of traffic-related accidents and injuries, with numbers provided by Ha Noi, Japan traffic police. It also displays climate indexes relating to atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The first-ever sign board was installed at one of the busiest intersection in the city, aiming to raise public awareness of traffic safety and the environment.
http://tinyurl.com/2ng4wr
Bicyclists ticket cops for blocking bike lane
The Time’s Up! Bicycle Clown Brigade, made up of bicyclists dressed like clowns, hand out facsimile tickets to motorists who violate NYC traffic law Section 4-08 (e), which explicitly prohibits parking, standing or stopping in bike lanes and carries a $115 fine. The clowns draw attention to what they believe the NYPD should be doing: enforcing the laws that protect bicyclists.
Charging vehicles reduces traffic
After one month of charging vehicles for driving into the downtown Stockholm core, the city has found traffic at cordon points has been reduced by 100,000 vehicle passages per day, train and transit passengers ridership has increased by 40,000 per day, timetables for inner city bus lines have had to be redrawn to allow for increased average speed, parking fines have been reduced by 29 per cent.
— IBM and the City of Stockholm
Neighborhood Eco Pass
In Denver, CO, the city provides a deeply discounted annual bus pass purchased by a neighborhood organization for all members of participating households. This photo ID pass entitles residents to one year of unlimited travel on all local and express buses, dial-a-ride, and Light Rail routes, plus unlimited skyRide service to Denver International Airport.
http://tinyurl.com/2trfhe
Pay As You Drive
A South African first - Pay As You Drive is a personalized motor insurance policy where your premiums are based on your monthly mileage, making Pay As You Drive the fairest and most accurate, fully comprehensive motor insurance around!
http://www.payasyoudrive.co.za
Bike Roadside Insurance?
Better World Club: The Nation’s only environmentally friendly auto club. Membership Includes eco-travel Services, Discounts on hybrid cars, insurance Services, Free Maps, Auto Maintenance discounts and bicycle roadside assistance. They donate 1% of annual revenues toward environmental cleanup and advocacy.
http://www.betterworldclub.com
It’s Easy and Fun to be Car-Free on an Electric Shuttle!
Two electric shuttle routes serve Downtown Santa Barbara (State Street) and the Waterfront (Cabrillo Boulevard) daily for 25 cents per ride, children under 45 inches ride free. Plus, a free transfer is available between the Downtown Shuttle and the Waterfront Shuttle. As you board the first bus, ask the driver for a Shuttle Transfer.
http://www.sbmtd.gov
Riding a bike charges your cell phone batteries!
A mobile phone charger rests on the bike’s handlebars. The charger is geared toward emerging tech markets such as China, where there are more than 500 million cyclists. A user could charge their cell phone by riding a bicycle.
http://tinyurl.com/yxlsw2
New Gas Taxes?
Americans strongly support new gas taxes--so long as the tax revenue is earmarked for specific investments. 59 percent would support a gas tax if the result was less climate change. Slightly less 55 percent was reducing dependence on foreign oil.
Source: NY Times/CBS poll
Decrease traffic = less air pollution and lower respiratory diseases
Results of a study by CDCP during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, when vehicular traffic was kept at artificially low levels by city authorities, showed that the peak daily ozone concentrations decreased 28% and peak weekday morning traffic counts dropped 23%; at the same time the number of asthma emergency medical events dropped 42%. http://prorev.com/statshealth.htm
Thousands of Free Bikes for commuters
Paris City Hall selected French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux to operate a new free bicycle service in the capital. Paris wants to make thousands of bikes available for free to commuters, strollers and tourists in part to help cut down on pollution. JCDecaux’s Somupi unit is to have some 14,100 bikes deployed in the capital by this summer. http://tinyurl.com/35lzpx
Reducing fuel use would yield economic benefits
By 2010, consumers could be saving $9.8 billion per year and $28 billion by 2020. The report predicts that a combination of more consumer dollars in the economy and investments in vehicle improvements could result in 40,000 new jobs in the auto industry within this decade and 100,000 new jobs by 2020. Along with these economic benefits comes environmental protection: 273 million tons of annual global warming emissions could be eliminated in 2010, 888 million tons in 2020.
http://tinyurl.com/2pkn6s
Carbonfund.org will buy your guilt
Carbonfund.org says it has offset 220 million pounds of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking 20,000 cars off the road. Some people have even offset their entire lives -- which costs about $4,000. — Seattle Post-Intelligencer (http://tinyurl.com/ygjr45 )
Stop idling and save!
Drivers can reduce idling by not warming up their cars for long periods and by turning off their engines while picking up kids at school or waiting in a drive-through lane. Idling for just 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting an engine and actually causes more engine wear. As well, modern fuel-injection vehicles warm up faster by being driven, rather than idling.
Source: Energy Solutions Alberta
Incentives for purchasing a hybrid taxi
Under Hail a Hybrid, up to four cab drivers in each of Calgary and Edmonton will receive a $5,000 incentive for purchasing a hybrid taxi. To help demonstrate the economic viability of hybrids, these taxis will then be monitored for such things as fuel economy, operating and repair costs, reliability and cold weather performance. http://www.hailahybrid.ca/
Cobblestones rather than asphalt?
The town of Bhornte, Germany has 13,500 inhabitants, and when it refurbishes its roads the mayor wants to get rid of the division between cars and pedestrians. The sidewalks will go and asphalt too. Everything will be covered in cobblestones. — Spiegel Online
A Mayor Rides her bike
Forget the company car, today’s employee is choosing two wheels for economy, speed and good health. Former counterpart Jackie Fristacky who until last month was City of Yarra’s Mayor, has turned up at official formal functions in a ball dress on her bike. Ms. Fristacky estimated she saved the council about $10,000 by avoiding the mayoral car. — The Australian: The Nation
Car-sharing: it’s transportation, simplified
Flexcar’s modern fleet of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles and fuel-efficient hybrids is permanently parked around town and at convenient spaces near homes and workplaces; members just use them when they need them, paying only by the hour. The gasoline, car insurance, parking and maintenance are on us. http://www.flexcar.com/
If you have any cool transportation solutions, let us hear from you. Send to info@HopeDance.org.
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