Chevrolet is using old batteries to save … bats?

Antonio Pasolini

Monday, June 29, 2015

 

 

Human ingenuity and creativity never fail to surprise us. As some of us may be aware, not only are bees dying out in worrying numbers, but bats are also suffering due to increased levels of ​white ​noise.

Perhaps bats do not have the same cutesy image as​ other animals, but they are really important for ecological balance, besides having an intrinsic value as any sentient being​.​ Bats can eat up to 5,000 insects per night, and as pollinators they play an important role in food crops. Pollinators are responsible for one-third of human food crops worldwide.

So, some clever folks at Chevrolet had a brilliant idea to re​-​purpose scrap Volt battery covers to protect bats.

The company has been building structures to protect bats for more than five years and more than 700 nesting boxes have been installed at its 40 wildlife habitat sites and on various public and private lands across the U.S. and Canada.

Bat man

​The initiative ​was thought up out ​of a need to meet environmental targets and find creative solutions for materials that are difficult to recycle, such as the battery trays​.

The company's landfill-free ​goal​ requires it to account for every single waste stream generated at its operations. Circuit trays called the attention of environmental engineers at the landfill-free Kokomo Operations in Indiana​ as they were not wanted by any local recyclers.

After a bit ​of ​stewing on the problem, Chevrolet staff John Bradburn had an eureka moment when he realized that he could swap out the wood pallet layers in the original bat box design with the trays, which also would save time as he could just notch two wood pieces on the sides, enabling him to slide these trays one after another right inside the battery case.

"When I held the circuit tray up, the length was about right and the width was perfect. I figured with some epoxy adhesive applied and sand sprinkled on it to make for a grittier surface, bats would have no problem hanging on," he ​said​.

After doing a trial run of the new design, Bradburn consulted with Rob Mies, a renowned bat expert. Mies put a little brown bat on it ​and it ​did what a bat does, namely, hanging on it.​

Giving kids a bat education

Efforts to protect bats have been ramped up due to a disease called white nose syndrome that's killing bats at a fast rate throughout the U.S. and beyond.

Recently, the Chevrolet Racing team, in collaboration with NASCAR Green and sustainability experts, assembled a pit crew of 50 little NASCAR fans during a recent race at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania to build 15 bat boxes.

​​Besides helping save the​ furry flying creatures, the kids at Pocono got some firsthand experience with Chevrolet's new and improved, second-generation bat house design​ with ​scrap circuit trays from ​the​ truck and SUV engine control modules generated at ​the​ Kokomo​ plant.​​

Bat populations in Pennsylvania particularly have been affected. According to data from​ ​The Center for Biological Diversity, the bat population in the northeast has declined by an estimated 99 percent.

The situation has got so bad that the little brown bat, once the most common bat in North America, is now protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Providing more homes ensures bats can get out of spaces infested with the disease and help slow it from spreading​.

This story first appeared on: JustMeans

 

http://www.greenbiz.com/article/chevrolet-using-old-batteries-save-bats

 

 

 

 

San Fran's new EV chargers are solar-powered, and free!

(Hopefully this will catch on across the country!)

 

Charge Across Town is cutting carbon emissions with mobile charging. Just respect the two-hour limit.

Jim Motavalli

Apr 29, 2015

 

Charging a Chevy Volt on free electricity from one of Charge Across Town's free — and portable — solar chargers. (Photo: Charge Across Town)

The best place in the world to own an electric car is probably California, with a tie between San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles. Well, the city by the bay just got a big boost from something new: free solar-powered EV charging.

 

A nonprofit called Charge Across Town (CAT), looking to reduce carbon emissions in the Bay Area, has launched its “Driving on Sunshine” campaign. The plan is to increase awareness of both electric cars and solar with free electrons from three portable Envision EV ARC stations that will be strategically placed through 2015 at nine heavily trafficked locations around the city. Right now you can find them in the Mission District, at the Embarcadero, and the Stonestown Galleria Mall.

 

Carlie Guilfoile beams at the opening of the Charge Across Town free solar stations. (Photo: Charge Across Town)

 

Freeloaders will have a two-hour charging limit, says Maureen Blanc, director of Charge Across Town. She told me that CAT is “going on trust” that people will disconnect after their allotted time. Two hours on a 240-volt Level II charger should provide enough juice for 10 to 15 “e-miles,” she said. It’s hoped that four to six cars per day can charge at the stations.

 

Envision’s ARC stations cost $45,000 each, but CAT is leasing them through a grant from the 11th Hour Project. After the experiment is over in 2016, they’ll find a permanent home at the locations that got the most traffic.

 

Charge's Maureen Blanc: "You'd be surprised" how many people still don't get it in EV-heavy San Francisco. (Photo: Charge Across Town)

 

One could ask, why San Francisco? The city is not exactly starved for EV charging, or for solar installations. Awareness of both technologies would seem to be high among residents. Visit the Plugshare app here, enter the city’s name, and you’ll see dozens, if not hundreds of public stations, many of them offering free electricity, in San Francisco. Is there a need?

 

“You’d be surprised,” Blanc told me. “A lot of people are still pretty unaware. There’s still a lot of questions here about moving from fossil fuels to electric cars.”

 

Also worth noting is that PG&E, which serves central and northern California, is poised to install roughly 25,000 EV chargers in the coverage area over the next five years. The hosts won’t pay a dime for them.

 

And, of course, you can argue that San Francisco is, well, where the cars are. There are more than 60,000 plug-in cars in PG&E’s service territory, 20 percent of all those in the country, so it’s unlikely that these three new solar-powered units will sit idle.

 

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Read more: http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/san-frans-new-ev-chargers-are-solar-powered-and-free#ixzz3ZvlwI1Nq

 

 

 

 

Bike sharing is taking off in South Florida as programs thrive, expand

Bike sharing is taking off in South Florida as programs thrive, expand

 

By Angel Streeter, Sun Sentinel

 

Forget the bus. Forget taxis, trolleys or shuttles. The next best thing in public transportation for some people is a bicycle.

 

Pedaling to the beach, a restaurant or the grocery store is getting easier as bike-sharing programs are increasing in popularity and expanding throughout South Florida.

 

• In May, West Palm Beach will launch the first bike-share operation in Palm Beach County as SkyBikeWPB opens 15 bike stations in the downtown area. There will be 150 bikes available to rent by the half-hour or the hour.

 

• Broward County's bike-share program, Broward B-cycle, is in expansion mode, recently adding a bike station at the Galleria Mall.

 

• In December, Miami saw the launch of Citi Bike Miami, following in the steps of Miami Beach's successful bike-share program that began in 2011. Already, the Miami operation averages 12,000 to 13,000 riders a month, and officials are finding that they need to add more stations to the 35 they already have.

 

"Increasingly, people want to have as many transportation options as they can," said Raphael Clemente, executive director of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, which brought bike sharing to the city. "It's one more way to get from A to B."

 

West Palm Beach's bike-share program comes courtesy of SkyBridge Capital, a New York City-based hedge fund that is the main sponsor.

 

SkyBike stations will be installed at popular places throughout the downtown, including at the Tri-Rail station, the Palm Beach County Courthouse, the Palm Beach County Convention Center and several spots in CityPlace.

 

Primarily designed for short trips, bike-share programs allow users to pick up a bike at one spot and return it to another. They can pedal around town to run errands, go to nightspots, to restaurants or to work.

 

Downtown West Palm Beach workers could hop on a SkyBike rather than walk to their favorite lunch spot. Or someone heading to the city for business could travel by Tri-Rail and then grab a SkyBike to get to their final destination.

 

It's all part of the city's ongoing effort to make the downtown pedestrian- and bike-friendly and a place where a car isn't necessarily needed.

 

"If you live and work here, it is so convenient not to have to use your car," Clemente said.

 

That's particularly appealing to young people who are flocking to downtowns and are gravitating toward alternative transportation, Clemente said.

 

Take Jesus Fuentes, who lives in downtown Fort Lauderdale and has been a B-cycle member since the program started in 2011. He and his wife use the bikes on the weekend for entertainment.

 

"We ride it around New River or to Holiday Park," he said. "During the weekend, we go to the movies using the bikes."

 

A public transportation advocate, Fuentes takes Tri-Rail to work and rarely drives a car.

 

"I don't drive or I will go crazy," he said. "Millennials tend not to want to drive."

 

So while he enjoys B-cycle, he wishes it had more stations so it could be more of a transportation option for residents. For instance, his neighborhood, Flagler Village, has pushed for a B-cycle station. He also thinks Fort Lauderdale City Hall would be a perfect spot.

 

B-cycle is considering those sites as well as many others, said Jeff Torkelson, Broward B-cycle's manager.

 

There are two new locations at Fort Lauderdale Beach. Soon, stations will be installed at Las Olas Boulevard and 10th Terrace and eventually, there will be bike stations in the western areas of the county.

 

"We definitely have a plan to continue to grow the system," Torkelson said. "The more stations we can put in the better the connections are and the easier it is to use as transportation."

 

Right now B-cycle has 23 stations with 150 bikes that generate 3,000 to 5,000 riders a month. Every week, Torkelson receives requests from residents and businesses asking for the B-cycle stations to be installed near them.

 

"A lot of people are embracing it," Torkelson said.

 

Miami Beach can vouch for that. Its pioneering program has had some 4.5 million riders since it began, according to Citi Bike Miami. The program has been embraced by residents and tourists alike.

 

West Palm Beach would like to aspire to that kind of success, Clemente said. Already, SkyBike is looking at expanding beyond the downtown area.

 

"There are already requests for the program to expand before we've launched," he said. "Folks outside the downtown area are asking, 'When do we get this?'"

 

Bike-share programs may eventually end up in southern Palm Beach County as well. Delray Beach has considered starting a bike-share program. A couple of years ago, B-cycle installed one of its stations at the beach for a few days to test out whether people would use it. There were only a few users.

 

The city wants to have a complete bike-lane network before novice bike riders start renting out bikes, said John Morgan, who is responsible for the city's environmental initiatives.

 

"It's definitely in the mix of things we want to do," he said. "We will get a bike-share program. It's a matter of time. It's not going to be a long time."

 

Pedal power

 

SkyBikeWPB

 

Pricing: Until June 30, there is an early-bird promotion offering a one-year, $99 membership.

 

Memberships: $15 a month for unlimited 30-minute rides; $20 a month for unlimited 60-minute rides. Each additional 30 minutes is $4.

 

Hourly rentals: $4 for half-hour rental; $6 for one-hour rental.

 

Payment methods: Credit and debit cards, membership card, smartphone.

 

Broward B-cycle

 

Pricing: Memberships cost $25 for a seven-day pass for unlimited 30-minute rides; $45 annual pass for unlimited 30-minute rides. Additional half-hour is $1.

 

Single ride: $5 for 30 minutes

 

Payment method: Prepay online, credit and debit cards.

 

Replacement cost for bikes: $1,200

 

Website: broward.bcycle.com

 

Citi Bike Miami/Miami Beach

 

Pricing: Memberships cost $15 a month for unlimited 30-minute rides; $25 a month for unlimited 60-minute rides. Each additional 30 minutes is $4.

 

Hourly rentals: $4 for half-hour rental; $6 for one-hour rental.

 

Payment methods: Credit and debit cards, membership key fobs.

 

Replacement cost for bikes: $800

 

Website: citibikemiami.com

 

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/palm-beach/fl-bike-share-expanding-20150501-story.html#page=1

 

 

 

 

 

Free PARK(ing)

 

Parking spots will be transformed into public spaces Friday in Fort Lauderdale.

Cadence, a planning and landscape architecture firm, will transform parking spots into temporary parks on Sept. 19. (Cadence/Courtesy / September 18, 2014)

 

By Barbara Corbellini Duarte, SouthFlorida.com

 

Motorists often complain about the lack of parking on the streets of Fort Lauderdale. Yet metered parking spots abound in the city, particularly along major streets.

That's why Cadence, a local planning and landscape architecture firm, on Friday, Sept. 19, is hosting the fourth PARK(ing) Day in Fort Lauderdale. The firm will transform two parking spaces at FAT Village and transform them into urban spaces for pedestrians.

"City streets are far more than just cars, and more than, 'How many cars can we park?' " says Rebecca Bradley, co-founder and principal of Cadence. "There are so many in-between spaces that could be designed better, and lots of intermediate stops that makes a city much more enjoyable."

PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2005, when an art and design studio transformed a metered space into a temporary public park. Since then, the event has been replicated in cities across the country to demonstrate the benefits of public spaces.

"This is actually something that people can experience and understand clearly what you're talking about," Bradley says. "I think it's really important for people to understand green space. It doesn't have to just be a park. It can be a sitting area. Even on a sidewalk, you can make that nice, put some sort of trees and seating, and people will stay and sit."

Cadence's installations will appear Friday, Sept. 19, at Northwest Fifth Street and North Andrews Avenue. Go to Cadence-Living.com.

 

bduarte@sunsentinel.com, @babicorb or 954-356-4710

http://www.southflorida.com/sf-go-parking-day-lauderdale-cadence-20140918,0,5454490.story

 

There is also a parklet set up today on the south side of Fort Lauderdale’s City Hall and a “permanent” one on the north side.

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye to cars: Why we should take a good look at Finland's phone-based mobility system

 

Helsinki is experimenting with a plan to match people with rides, making cars unnecessary.

September 15, 2014

Jim Motavalli – New York Times contributor blogs about cars and other interesting ways of getting around.

 

Like all European capitals, Helsinki is streetcar-friendly, but its new smart plan could improve routes and empower cellphone-wielding travelers. (Photo: Claudio.Ar/flickr)

Our mobility future may end up looking something like what they’re working on in transit-friendly Finland, which imagines it can retire the private car in a decade. Even more, it plans a radical transformation of its public transit system that could make traditional light rail and bus systems obsolete.

 

I was in Helsinki in 2010, and it seemed as auto-centric as any other European capital (meaning, lots of cars but much more centered on biking and transit). But the concept of ride sharing, and innovators like Uber and Lyft, obviously hit hard in Finland. The Finns practically invented the cellphone with Nokia, and I remember it seeming unusual that average folks used them for practically everything four years ago.

 

Helsinki's Central Railroad Station: A hub for future mobility. (Photo: Claudio.Ar/flickr)

That use should ratchet up when Helsinki introduces, beginning with a pilot next year, a mobility-on-demand system that functions like city-wide car sharing. All you do, using the app on your phone, is say where you’re starting from and where you want to go, and your trip on appropriate transport is arranged and billed. What’s more, says Helsinki Times, the system should be smart enough to know it’s going to rain, and so route you into a bus rather than a city bike. If it makes sense for the traveler to use several different modes (including a shared car), that can be arranged, too.

 

Set up properly, the system should be able to bill by the mile, or allow subscribers to buy a monthly unlimited-mileage package. This totally fits with a new generation that is both wedded to their cellphones and somewhat phobic of car ownership. That’s why car sharing is so popular, and spreading everywhere.

 

It gets cold in Helsinki, but the trains keep running. (Photo: Niklas Sjoblom/flickr)

Helsinki’s public Katsuplus minibus system, which allows people to connect with rides on their phones (like senior-oriented paratransit in the U.S.), is already up and running. It’s ultra-cool: Summon the computer-controlled nine-passenger bus to a local stop, and the system chooses the most direct route. If you opt to ride with other passengers, you pay only for the time you’re alone in the bus. The fare is higher than a traditional bus (but lower than a taxi), and you can say goodbye to having to make multiple bus transfers. 

 

If you think big, you can imagine the whole world embracing this kind of phone-dispatched transit and drastically reducing both buses/trains on fixed routes and the need for everyone to own a private car.

There is a video on the tram system at the end of the article at http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/blogs/goodbye-to-cars-why-we-should-take-a-good-look-at-finlands-phone#ixzz3DTh0oNI3

 

 

 

 

Tip of the Day: Check your tire pressure

 

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflation increases tire wear, reduces your fuel economy, and leads to higher carbon pollution emissions. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Check your tire pressure regularly. If you don’t know the correct tire pressure for your vehicle, you can find it listed on the door to your vehicle’s glove compartment, or on the driver's-side door pillar. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall. When it’s time for new tires, consider purchasing tires with "low rolling resistance," an energy-saving feature.

Learn more tips to improve your fuel economy: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.jsp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Tip: Give your car a break

Using public transportation, carpooling, biking or walking can save energy and reduce carbon pollution on your way to and from work. Leaving your car at home just two days a week can reduce carbon pollution by an average of two tons per year.

Do you hate getting stuck in traffic jams? It may seem bold, but consider telecommuting (working from home via phone or the Internet), which can reduce the stress of commuting, reduce pollution, and save money. Even small life changes, like combining your errands and activities into one trip when using your car, make an impact.

Learn more about how you can act on climate: http://epa.gov/climatechange/wycd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 Ridiculously Easy Things You Can Do To Help Save The Earth Every Day

I’m not going to include all 17 but you can to this link and see them all - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/easy-ways-to-save-earth_n_5168684.html

 

 

 

 

Keeping Your Car In Shape

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4%, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.

Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40%.

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4%, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.

Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40%.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	4%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	$0.14/gallon

Keep Tires Properly Inflated

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3% for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner's manual. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	Up to 3%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	Up to $0.11/gallon

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil

You can improve your gas mileage by 1%–2% by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1%–2%. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1%–1.5%. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	1%–2%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	$0.04–$0.07/gallon

Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG

Replacing a clogged air filter on vehicles with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines—such as those manufactured from the early 1980s to the present—or diesel engines does not improve fuel economy, but it can improve acceleration.

Replacing a clogged air filter on an older vehicle with a carbureted engine can improve both fuel economy and acceleration by a few percent under normal replacement conditions.

Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.60/gallon.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.jsp