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1. 'Drive less' update
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2. Words of wisdom for bike commuters old and new
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3. Gas tax petition hits 2,000 signatures
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4. Aussies cultivate 'burpless' grass
'Drive less' update
I found the stat I was looking for about the effect of conservation on gas prices. Courtesy of Geoffrey Styles:
If we all drove just 12 miles less per week, fuel demand would fall by 5%, the equivalent of almost half a million barrels per day, or all the ethanol produced last year. The impact of that on gas prices would be much more dramatic than waiting for someone else to fix the problem.
The whole post is interesting. The basic premise is that in the short run, the only possible way to lower gas prices is to curb demand through conservation and efficiency. This could be true in the long run as well, given the realities of the oil market.
Speaking of curbing demand: sign our gas tax petition. We’re over 2,500 signatures now.
Words of wisdom for bike commuters old and new
Today is National Bike to Work Day.* So bike to work.
Or if it’s raining, like it is in New York, consider postponing your ride. The Commute by Bike blog recently ran a very sensible slacker’s guide to bike commuting for people who aren’t trying to win the Tour de France. Among the tips:
- Skip the bike when the weather is nasty.
- Wear normal clothes. The only bits of cycling gear I wear are a helmet and strap for my pant leg, and even the latter is expendable. In a pinch, just roll up your cuff.
- Ditch the repair kit. Bring a cell phone instead.
- Use lights that run on generators. Better yet, use lights that don’t need external power at all.
- Pick the easiest —meaning flattest — route.
All good advice, because the biggest obstacles to bike riding are often psychological. Which brings me to this suggestion for long-time cyclists, also from the Commute by Bike blog: invite a coworker along for the ride, or organize a convoy. It might take you a bit out of your way, but it will pay off in camaraderie. Besides, if you can get enough people biking to your workplace, then you can lobby for goodies such as showers and secure parking.
* BTW day was yesterday if you happen to live in San Francisco. What’s up with that?
Gas tax petition hits 2,000 signatures
That’s more 1,000 per day — not too shabby. We delivered the first batch of signatures to Senators Clinton and McCain last night. Let’s keep it going.
If you haven’t yet signed, please do so.
If you have signed, share the petition with friends, Digg it, stumble upon it, etc.
And if you have your own blog, please post a link:
http://www.terrapass.com/campaigns/gas-tax/
Aussies cultivate 'burpless' grass
Researchers in Australia have received funding to develop more digestible feeds for cattle — “burpless” grass, in industry parlance — that result in less methane being produced as they are broken down in cows’ stomach(s).
As a recent returnee to the world of eating meat, I cringe when thinking about the impact raising that meat has on the environment. Here on the TerraPass carbon project team we spend quite a bit of time thinking about what we like to call the “business end” of a cow. TerraPass funds projects that clean up the methane from cow manure, but as it turns out, the natural digestive process in a cow’s many stomachs produces quite a bit more methane than the manure itself. This process, known in industry lingo as enteric fermentation, produces some very significant “methane burps.” Shy of putting some kind of gas mask on the cow, this source of emissions has been treated as largely unmanageable — until now.
This is one of several interesting initiatives originating down under that seek to curb methane emissions from raising animals. Another study is attempting to shed light on why kangaroos are naturally burpless.
Coupled with anaerobic digester projects this strikes us an exciting and potentially holistic approach to mitigating some of the environmental impacts of consuming animal products. It does make you wonder though, to what lengths are we willing to go to continue the consumption of animal products when the easiest solution is just to forego them all together?
(Via Earth2Tech)
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