Cheap green homes

“100K House” developer aims to develop house for 100K

Adam Stein | January 4, 2009

The recent post on passive houses sparked an interesting discussion about the costs of ultra-efficient homes. Passive houses are meant to be affordable — that is, the incremental construction costs pay back in energy savings in a fairly short time period — but those relative cost calculations really only apply in a European context. Germany, the birthplace of the passive house, has much stricter building codes than in the U.S., so all houses tend to...

Got resolutions?

Some ideas for green resolutions that are achievable, meaningful, and maybe a little bit novel

Adam Stein | January 3, 2009

New Year’s resolutions, as we all know, are for the most part entirely pointless — made in one breath, forgotten in the next. So in that spirit of general futility, I offer a few ideas for green resolutions that, either through novelty or just ease of use, may inspire more than a passing commitment. Please leave your own ideas below. Idea #1: help make “livable streets” a reality in your community All politics is local,...

Looking back, looking forward: 2008 edition

Progress is still in fits and starts, but the pace will only accelerate.

Adam Stein | December 30, 2008

Frequently these days I’m reminded of Bill Gates’ maxim: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.” We tend to extrapolate fairly linearly from where we are today. In our near-term predictions, we discount the inherent lag built into human institutions. In our long-term predictions, we entirely overlook the seismic shifts that are barely foreshadowed today. Two years ago,...

The Christmas tree fairy

Where does your tree go when it’s no longer needed?

Alicia Seiger | December 21, 2008

This time of year we spin tales of a jolly man with a big white beard, a bright red suit, and a team of reindeer delivering gifts to children everywhere. And when Christmas is over, we tell ourselves stories of another magical helper — the Christmas tree fairy. Throughout December evergreens are adorned with lights and ornaments, and prominently displayed in the window most seen by passersby. But then the new year rolls around and...

U.P.S. adds bikes to the fleet

Big Brown handles the holiday crush by swapping four wheels for two

Adam Stein | December 20, 2008

U.P.S. seems like a smart company. Fuel costs money, so they’re constantly looking for ways to use less fuel. Every holiday season brings a huge surge in deliveries, which this year they’re handling in part by adding bicycles to their fleet: Of course, each U.P.S. bike delivery system (typically a $350 mountain bike pulling a custom trailer) can haul only 15 to 20 packages per trip — a mere fraction of what a truck can...

Peak hybrid?

November hybrid sales lagging broader market

Erik Blachford | December 9, 2008

A couple of months ago I wrote that hybrid car sales were holding up relatively well in the face of the economic downturn. My theory was that though saving money on gas was great, it couldn’t account for the whole disparity in sales decline — there had to be a core of hybrid buyers whose primary motivation continued to be lowering their carbon footprints. However, the latest data are challenging that theory. It turns...

Pollan on food and Obama

Author offers advice on food, energy, health, and education.

Adam Stein | December 8, 2008

I am frustrated to learn that Michael Pollan is as charming and cogent on television as he is on the written page. He sat down with Bill Moyers recently to offer some advice to president-elect Obama (part 1, part 2, transcript): What Obama needs to do, if he indeed wants to make change in this area — and that isn’t clear yet that he does at least in his first term — I think we...

Population go boom now?

So far we haven’t run out of natural resources…so far

Tim Varga | December 8, 2008

So when is that population bomb going to happen, exactly? In theory, exponential increases in human population should eventually be constrained by limited, non-renewable resources. One way to track an impending resource crunch — when high demand hits low supply — is by watching for a surge in the price of various goods. In 1980, biologist and author of The Population Bomb Paul Ehrlich wagered economist Julian Simon that demand for five different precious metals,...

Airport taxi lines

A new front in the fight to cut carbon.

Adam Stern | December 3, 2008

I landed at Washington Dulles airport last month en route to a climate policy conference. As I waited at the taxi stand for a cab to take me into the city, a giant Ford Expedition SUV with seats for eight passengers pulled up. I asked the dispatcher, “Do I have to get in this thing? Can’t I go in a smaller vehicle?” In a frustrated voice (I had delayed the flow of the taxi line),...

Use more energy to use less energy?

Irony watch: Chevron puts up a massive LED billboard touting energy efficiency.

Erik Blachford | December 2, 2008

We’ve all seen Chevron’s attempt to convince the country that it is on the side of energy efficiency. Ads in every medium declare sincerely that the company is willing, ready and able to join consumers in using less energy in all forms. Usually I just dismiss the cognitive dissonance and carry on with my day. But this weekend I came across this giant LED billboard touting, yes, Chevron’s energy efficiency message. Hm. That doesn’t seem...

Save energy! Work outside!

Japanese firm relocates its office to the garden. Did you say ‘brrr’? Get a blanket!

Pete Davies | November 25, 2008

So we know about turning off the computer and the savings from car-pooling, we’ve debated the four-day week and every good TerraPasser must by now know the benefits of the smart strip. Is there any stone left unturned in the world of office energy efficiency? Well I was wondering… until I came across this Japanese newspaper article via Environmental Leader. Office supplies company Kokuyo will banish 140 employees to the garden for 90 days each...

Paradise on wheels

Europe proves that if you build it, they just might come.

Adam Stein | November 18, 2008

The recent Times article on the bike-sharing boom in Europe offers up lots of good stuff. For mayors looking to ease congestion and prove their environmental bona fides, bike-sharing has provided a simple solution: for the price of a bus, they invest in a fleet of bicycles, avoiding years of construction and approvals required for a subway. For riders, joining means cut-rate transportation and a chance to contribute to the planet’s well-being. The new...

Save the reindeer

As Christmas gets less green, is there hope for Santa’s workshop?

Nancy Bsales | November 18, 2008

As I was putting my children’s letter to Santa Claus into the freezer (because we all know that ensures express delivery to the North Pole), a thought came to mind: Forget save the polar bears, let’s save Santa and his reindeer. The North Pole receives over 6 million letters to Santa every year. Recently the National Snow and Ice Data Center said that there is a 50-50 chance that the already thin ice on...

A greener free market

Sometimes the free market works for the forces of good.

Mark Mondik | November 18, 2008

With the recent financial market meltdown and related bailout, the term “free market” is not particularly in vogue at the moment. Instead, everyone seems to be looking for government intervention to force companies to do not only what’s right, but what in many cases is in the best interest of those companies. Much of such regulation is probably necessary. Corporate managers are notorious for focusing on short-term profits, even if it comes at the expense...

A triple-win: Amazon’s “frustration-free” packaging

Smarter boxes eliminate waste, cut costs, and reduce wrap rage.

Adam Stein | November 11, 2008

A few weeks ago, we kicked around the question of whether online shopping is better or worse for the environment than the traditional method. Recently Amazon unveiled a new program that demonstrates another of the efficiency advantages available to large retailers: The Frustration-Free Package (on the left) is recyclable and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It’s designed to be opened without the use...

Steady as she goes

Float like a butterfly, take the sting out of your mpg.

Erin Craig | October 30, 2008

A couple weeks ago, Aussies John and Helen Taylor smashed the World Record for “lowest fuel consumption on a U.S. nationwide drive,” completing their 48-state, 9,419-mile tour in 22 days. Their overall fuel efficiency came in at 58.82 miles per gallon, well above the earlier record of 51.58 mpg. Their vehicle: a 2009 VW Jetta TDI Diesel. Meanwhile, the Willie Run attempted to send a 2006 Jetta Diesel from New York to Los Angeles on...

Gas prices go down, driving goes up

Temporary climb in oil prices once again fails to magically fix everything.

Adam Stein | October 30, 2008

Well, duh. The reports are anecdotal at this point, but it would be odd if the large decline in gas prices didn’t have some effect on people’s behavior. People like to go places. When going places gets cheaper, I’d expect them to do more of it. Lawrence J. Goldstein, a director of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, puts it in more poetic terms: higher gas prices over the summer created “not demand destruction but demand...

Starry, Starry Night (Not)

What we miss without a real night sky.

Adam Stern | October 28, 2008

National Geographic (Nov. 2008 issue) has a compelling cover story on “The End of Night,” which explains how excessive artificial lighting is damaging our planet. The article describes the enormous harm to wildlife caused by lights that disturb normal nocturnal cycles. In tragic terms, we learn about migrating birds crashing into lit-up skyscrapers, sea turtles struggling to find dark beaches on which to nest, and hatchlings that are suddenly vulnerable to predators. Casualties to wildlife...

Colleges offer free bikes for everyone

As long as you don’t bring your car to campus.

Adam Stein | October 21, 2008

College campuses that want to rein in student driving have hit on a novel solution: give all incoming students free bikes if they agree to leave their cars at home. College campuses are really the perfect environment for this sort of transportation experiment: small, geographically constrained populations of relatively fit individuals who need to make numerous short trips every day. College campuses, I imagine, also have more discretion over their built infrastructure — roads, bike...

Fear, greed, and carbon emissions

Our climate debt threatens a far worse crisis — unless we act.

Erik Blachford | October 21, 2008

I shouldn’t be feeling so grumpy, not now that climate change and carbon emissions are part of the political conversation at the highest level. But surveying the wreckage of the global financial system, I can’t help feeling that some of our most basic human impulses are being laid bare, and that the financial crisis bears directly on the climate crisis. After all, how many times over the past several weeks have we been reminded that...

Tracing the carbon in your beer, jacket, shoes, and soap

For household products, carbon hides in some unexpected places.

Adam Stein | October 14, 2008

Here’s a pop quiz, based on a recent Wall Street Journal article on the carbon footprint of various household goods. For each of the following products, guess their single biggest contribution to global warming. Consider all aspects of the product: raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, and end use. For example, one of the products examined is the Toyota Prius. Raw materials like steel, energy used in manufacturing, and transportation to dealerships are all responsible for a...

Blog Action Day: Climate change, economic growth, and poverty

Claims that a slowing economy will be good news for the climate are misguided.

Adam Stein | October 13, 2008

“It’s a cruel thing to say…but if we are looking at a slowdown in the economy, there will be less fossil fuels burning, so for the climate it could be an advantage.” — Paul J. Crutzen, winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the depletion of the ozone layer Some see a silver lining in the financial crisis. An economic contraction may not save the climate, they argue, but...

Boosts for bike commuting

Feds, Caltrain trying to make it easier to get to work.

Adam Stern | October 7, 2008

Buried in the financial rescue bill passed by Congress last week is a provision to encourage bike commuting. The idea is to level the playing field for cyclists, who currently can’t get benefits like those available for participants in car or van pools or other programs designed to reduce traffic congestion. Starting in January, employers can reimburse bike commuters up to $20/month for the “purchase of a bicycle, bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such...

More iron than carbon

Professional green athlete Chris Lieto offsets his globetrotting with TerraPass.

Erik Blachford | September 24, 2008

As a former middle of the pack Ironman triathlete, I have to say I’m somewhat in awe of the professionals who hammer through the race in a little over 8 hours. When they race the world championship in Kona, Hawaii, these folks dive in for 2.4 miles of ocean swimming, ride for 112 miles in brutal headwinds and volcanic heat, then cap it off with a standard 26.2 marathon through lava fields (the race this...

Will financial crisis take the shine off efficiency?

Maybe not the best time for GM to be launching the Volt.

Adam Stein | September 23, 2008

I previously noted that the financial crisis is likely to be very bad news for renewable energy developers dependent upon access to credit for their cash-hungry projects. Geoffrey Styles points out that a credit crunch will also affect consumer-driven efficiency improvements (of the sort the my colleague Erin recently undertook): If consumers can’t obtain attractive financing for more efficient appliances, heating systems, or rooftop solar power installations, the markets for those products will languish, and...

Are we running dry?

A new documentary warns we’re running out of water.

Pete Davies | September 23, 2008

A new documentary on water shortages in the U.S. will be screened on PBS early next month. The American Southwest: are we running dry? highlights the shortages in fresh water supplies to over 30 million Americans and investigates possible solutions to the problem. Watch the trailer here. High among the solutions is that old standby, conservation. Transport, storage and heating of water are all major energy suckers. We have noted on this blog before now...

How to decipher the recycling numbers on plastic stuff

Like so many other things, all recycling is local.

Erik Blachford | September 16, 2008

You know those little numbers inside the recycling symbol on the bottom of plastic bottles and containers? Well, the other day when I read that those numbered with a 7 might contain BPA, and therefore not be suitable for my kids to use, I realized that I hadn’t a clue how to decipher the numbers. Which made me think that perhaps I should learn, and share. Most plastics in the US are labeled with the...

Pictures of Ike

Hurricanes demonstrate our vulnerability to extreme weather.

Adam Stein | September 16, 2008

Ike was apparently not as bad as it could have been, but these pictures of the devastation are nevertheless astounding. AP Photo/Pool, Smiley N. Pool There’s a debate going around on whether environmentalists have gone too far in linking extreme weather events to global warming, or whether they haven’t gone far enough. AP Photo/David J. Phillip I’ll keep my opinion to myself, and instead make the high-minded point that we surely do need to get...

Why not in America?

A lack of infrastructure — not sprawl — hinders the adoption of bicycles.

Adam Stein | September 7, 2008

The recent surge in gas prices and growing concern over carbon emissions have goosed efforts to increase bicycle ridership in metropolitan areas, but the U.S. still lags far behind Europe and Asia. A recent survey of worldwide trends in the Washington Post suggests that the reason is not, as is often assumed, some uniquely American pattern of land use. Although no single policy is a magic bullet, the overall prescription is clear: when bicycling becomes...

Practice? Preach? Both?

Psychological research suggests greens may need to modulate their message to reach the mainstream.

Erin Craig | September 2, 2008

A few of our recent blog posts have ignited micro-firestorms among our readers. We are thrilled to have readers with such diversity of opinion and even more gratified that they choose to spend time making comments. We have pretty thick skins here at TerraPass and we take sharp criticisms as heartfelt expressions rather than personal attacks, so keep ‘em coming. The firestorms make me wonder, though, about the effectiveness of strident advocacy as a tool...

Car-free adventuring

A bike and a bus schedule make for a great day of hooky.

Tom Arnold | September 2, 2008

I’ve recently been inspired by the new blog Post-Car Adventuring, which details great trips you can take in the Bay Area with just a bike, some patience and an accurate watch. I’ve been itching for the chance to do a mini bike tour. A friend’s visit led to an impromptu day off work and a car-free adventure to Santa Cruz, CA and back. Our plan was to bike the 65 miles there, taking our time,...

Don’t judge a wine by its box

Even the most tradition-bound industries can innovate for the environment.

Adam Stein | August 26, 2008

Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, takes to the pages of the New York Times to report on the latest developments in green wine, one of our favorite topics here at TerraPass. Boxed wine, you might recall, is more environmentally friendly than wine shipped in heavy glass bottles. And, contrary to popular impression, not all boxed wine is terrible. The Italian government just announced that some wines that receive the government’s quality assurance label may now...

Bike beautiful?

Bikes are good for a lot of things — but not for beautifying the home or office. Any storage tips?

Erin Craig | August 26, 2008

I like bikes. Great for transportation, great for exercise, fun for the kids, what’s not to like? Unfortunately, I’ve found a fault with bikes in the past week which I can’t seem to shake. It started a few months ago when I cleaned out my garage so well I could fit a car into it…as long as the bikes were vacated. No problem, we hung hooks on the ceiling and hoisted the “spare” bikes up...

Greenwashing: innocent or guilty?

UK company gets unfairly slapped around by green activists.

Pete Davies | August 12, 2008

For those days when the weather’s warm back in London (and yes, there are quite a few of them) I do enjoy a smoothie. If it can’t be made fresh, then there’s a good alternative in the drinks made by Innocent Smoothies. Innocent has a great story. It was founded by three twenty-something guys who spent a weekend selling fruit smoothies from a stall at a music festival. They put up a sign asking their...

Cities are for people: The limits of localism

Mass transit and energy-efficient buildings are needed more than exotic schemes for green cities.

Adam Stein | August 11, 2008

I reworked my vertical farm piece for Worldchanging, and by the time I was done, it was an entirely different article. So if you can stand one last entry about vertical farms, this one offers a somewhat more thoughtful look at some of the principles behind sustainable development. Columbia Professor Dickson Despommier has generated a fair amount of attention with his concept for “vertical farms,” stacked, self-contained urban biosystems that would — theoretically — supply...

Even better than vertical farms

As energy costs rise, supply chains go local.

Adam Stein | August 4, 2008

Two articles you should read if you’re interested in eating local, growing local, building local, buying local, or any of the other ways that geography, economy, and environment intersect: The first is an article from a few weeks ago, detailing the destruction of the domestic catfish industry due to rising prices for oil, corn, soybeans, and other commodities. All meat is getting more expensive, but catfish doesn’t have the advantage of being a dietary staple....

Climate action in the Arctic

A personal account of a trip to a threatened wilderness.

TerraPass | July 25, 2008

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, recently returned from a trip to the Arctic with a group of environmental, political, and business leaders concerned about global climate change. The Arctic Expedition for Climate Action was sponsored by the Aspen Institute, the National Geographic Society, and Lindblad Expeditions. In this guest post, Fred reflects on the trip. Perhaps the most inspiring moment occurred when a bearded seal swam right up to my kayak. When...

How walkable is your neighborhood?

Web site ranks the most (and least) walkable cities in America.

Adam Stein | July 20, 2008

Unbelievably, I’ve somehow managed not to blog about Walkscore, the site that scores any neighborhood in the U.S. according to its walkability. So, for example, plug in my home address in Brooklyn and watch the little slider march to the right as the system calculates my proximity to shops, schools, and other amenities. Walkscore grades my neighborhood as a 95 out of 100: “Walkers’ paradise.” And it’s true! I live within an easy walk of...

Crunching some numbers on Paris bike-sharing program

Bike-sharing offers modest emissions reductions, and no reason to complain.

Adam Stein | July 15, 2008

On the first anniversary of Vélib, the Times dishes up some stats on Paris’ popular bike-sharing program: Riders took 27.5 million trips in the first year. The current pace is about 120,000 trips per day. The program includes 20,600 bikes. The 1,450 self-service rental stations are available every 300 yards. The bikes are heavy and expensive — $3,460 and 50 lbs — built to withstand theft, mistreatment, and heavy riding. Nevertheless, 3,000 bikes have gone...

NYC government plans 30% carbon cuts by 2017

Energy efficiency is cornerstone of ambitious plan.

Adam Stein | July 15, 2008

Everyone’s favorite McKinsey report states that America can reduce a huge percentage of its carbon emissions through measures that pay for themselves, primarily in the realm of energy efficiency. But it’s never entirely clear how well an analyst’s report is going to translate into reality. For New York City, the answer appears to be: really well. Mayor Bloomberg’s office recently released a plan to drop the carbon emissions of the municipal government 30% from 2006...

Daily shopping: an unexpected reversal

Green shoppers love warehouse stores…maybe a little too much.

Erin Craig | July 8, 2008

A recent study concluded that lots of green consumers shop at warehouse stores. I believe it. About a year ago, my husband bought a bottle of shampoo so large that it’s still half full in the shower, its plastic degraded and cracking. Last week, he came home with a 3-year supply of Q-tips. This has got me thinking, can we improve both our quality of life and our footprint by changing our shopping habits? I...

Wanted: one grass eating animal

Could an animal be an environmentally responsible substitute for your lawn mower?

Pete Davies | July 8, 2008

What uses 800 million pounds of gas every year and produces up to 5% of US air pollution? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the answer is 54 million Americans and their lawn mowers. In terms of CO2 the number isn’t so high (around 87 lbs per year for the average mower), but this is more than made up for by all the other pollutants (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and others) that come out...

Summer studies for the class of 2020

Two new kits teach your kids about sustainable living and wind energy.

Tom Arnold | July 8, 2008

With both the energy and climate crisis looming, it’s clear that the type of engineering work done by the time today’s 10-year-old graduates college in 2020 will be different. Hopefully, talented young minds can solve both problems, especially if they’re encouraged from an early age. That’s the motivation of two new kits from Thames & Kosmos (see our previous review of their two hydrogen kits). The Power House (ages 12 and up) is a beefy...

Milk jug gets a makeover for carbon savings

Another example of how carbon constraints may benefit big box retailers.

Adam Stein | July 1, 2008

Wal-Mart and Costco have adopted a version of the one-gallon milk jug designed with efficiency in mind. The boxier containers stack better, eliminating the need for milk crates and conserving space in trucks and on refrigerated store shelves: The company estimates this kind of shipping has cut labor by half and water use by 60 to 70 percent. More gallons fit on a truck and in Sam’s Club coolers, and no empty crates need to...

Dairy industry rallies for sustainability

Conference takes a hard look at ways to cut milk’s carbon emissions.

Tom Arnold | June 24, 2008

Got sustainability? Four years ago, when we started TerraPass, I never would have predicted that I’d someday be participating in a three-day sustainability initiative organized by the dairy industry. Especially one attended by Wal-Mart execs. But I’m please to report that the conference was a big success, sparking lots of interesting conversations about ways to green the supply chain of this carbon-intensive industry. I had some big takeaways that I wanted to share with the...

The four-day week

Can a four-day week be good for business and the environment?

Pete Davies | June 17, 2008

2,400 city employees in Birmingham, AL will be working four-day weeks this summer. The city believes this may save employees up to $1 million in gas expenses alone, or about five million pounds of CO2. The motivation of the change was cited as fuel costs for both the city and its workers, but the move also highlights how we can reduce emissions and save money at the same time. In addition to the fuel savings...

Non-financial barriers: a personal confession

What keeps us from moving forward with personal conservation?

Erin Craig | June 15, 2008

This is a personal confession. I have a New Year’s Resolution and an Earth Day Pledge, both oriented toward greater sustainability, and I haven’t taken any concrete steps to implement either one. I want to. I intend to. I will. Soon, really soon. What’s holding me up? My New Year’s resolution is to install a solar hot water system on top of my house. I have a gas water heater and I live in temperate...

Bike vs. car vs. transit: the commuter smackdown

Biking to work is cost-effective, good for you, and good for the environment. But how fast is it?

Adam Stein | June 10, 2008

This is fun. Streetfilms has produced a movie covering the 7th Annual Great NYC Commuter Race, a competition that pits car against bike against mass transit: Update: It looks like Streetfilms has chosen this exact moment to take their site down for an upgrade. Sigh. Hopefully the video will be back up soon. In case the suspense is killing you: the cyclist wins. Update 2: The movie’s back up! Thanks, Clarence! This is almost exactly...

Squeezed at the pump

High gas prices encourage conservation, but also punish the poor. Climate change legislation needs to assist vulnerable communities.

Adam Stein | June 10, 2008

Last week we noted — OK, gloated over — the demise of the Hummer and other environmentally unfriendly car models. This week, let’s acknowledge the very real human costs of high gas prices, particularly among the rural and poor: Anthony Clark, a farm worker from Tchula, says he prays every night for lower gasoline prices. He recently decided not to fix his broken 1992 Chevrolet Astro van because he could not afford the fuel. Now...

The death of the Hummer?

GM shutters plant. Light truck sales plummet.

Adam Stein | June 3, 2008

Damn, these gas prices have some bite. American automakers, who depend disproportionately on sales of SUVs and light trucks, are getting hammered. GM saw a 28% drop in light-vehicle sales in May. Ford’s sales fell 16%. The Ford F-150, the most popular vehicle in the United States almost every year for the past three decades, was knocked off its perch by both the Toyota Camry and Toyota Corolla. Hummer sales fell by 60%! GM has...

Off-grid living

Survivalist chic: self-sufficiency gains adherents.

Peter Freed | June 3, 2008

We’ve all heard of the ‘oldest profession’ but how about the ‘oldest energy emissions reduction’? That’s right, off-grid living is going mainstream: The cost of building such a home is little different from that of building any other home, and with a range of energy sipping appliances such as refrigerators, hi-fis and even hairdryers now available, the forced austerity associated with off-grid living is also changing. “You can have hot showers and a cold beer,”...

Power of wind

Funny ad wins award. You watch and laugh.

Adam Stein | May 27, 2008

This ad isn’t new, but it is funny, and it just won a fancy prize at Cannes, which is all the excuse I need to link to it here. Watch below, or check out the high-res version....

The march of progress?

Targeting energy efficiency in the home isn’t always so easy.

Erin Craig | May 27, 2008

[Meet Erin, one of the geniuses on our carbon team, and a devoted, if occasionally frustrated conservationist. This post is the first in an occasional series highlighting her triumphs and trials as a green consumer and homeowner.] I don’t buy new things very often. I’m cheap to a fault and a serial procrastinator. However, I replace things that break with uncommon speed, using the purchase as an excuse to modernize my possessions. I try to...

Bike commuting: slackers welcome

We really mean it — wear whatever you want.

Adam Stein | May 25, 2008

The slacker’s guide to bike commuting provoked an interesting response. A lot of old hands offered up a lot of good advice, but the tone of the advice was a bit…prescriptive for a blog post whose central point was that new bike commuters can come as they are. In particular, the photo of a Dutch cyclist provoked a lot of snickers. People seemed to think the image is a stock photo or model shot. Or...

Juneau heeds the call for sacrifice

Avalanche and power cut in Alaska lead to remarkable experiment in energy efficiency.

Adam Stein | May 20, 2008

The residents of Juneau, Alaska have achieved an astounding 38% drop in electricity usage in a matter of weeks through simple conservation measures: Schoolchildren sacrifice Nintendo time and boast at show-and-tell of kilowatts saved. Hotels consult safety regulations to be sure they have not unscrewed too many light bulbs in the hallways. On a recent weekday, all but one of the dozens of television screens on display at the big Fred Meyer store were black...

Pedal-powered camaraderie

Celebrate National Bike to Work Day. That’s how we roll at TerraPass.

Adam Stern | May 13, 2008

“Nice rig you got there,” said a cyclist as I lifted my bike into the Caltrain headed to San Francisco. I looked around thinking the guy was talking about somebody else, or perhaps referring to a big truck parked at the Palo Alto station. Then I realized he was talking to me. My “rig” was my year old, less than $500, hybrid commuter with cushy seat and disc brakes. Thus began a familiar ritual in...

Three easy ways to lower gas prices

Conservation and efficiency are our only energy quick fixes.

Adam Stein | May 6, 2008

We’re all about practical solutions here at TerraPass. While politicians pander, consumers complain and gas prices soar, you — yes, you! — can personally play a role in getting those fuel costs under control real quick. How? Glad you asked… Drive less This tip is shamelessly ripped off from the Environmental Economics blog, so I’ll just quote in full: Drive Less! - The env-econ grass roots solution to high gas prices. Drive Less is an...

A further note on sacrifice

Those pushing sacrifice the hardest are the ones who care least about climate change.

Adam Stein | May 1, 2008

The discussion thread on sacrifice is interesting, and makes me realize that I glossed two fairly important points that need to be made more explicit. Point 1: the people arguing that climate change will require sacrifice are generally the same ones arguing that we shouldn’t do anything about climate change. I am not, of course, referring to the readers of this blog. But please be aware that the rhetoric of the debate over global warming...

Sacrifice is for suckers (an occasional series)

Dr. Carbon Cap says: this will only hurt a little.

Adam Stein | April 29, 2008

I see the pundits are still lobbing up chinstrokers about how addressing climate change is going to require huge, painful sacrifice from all Americans. This all sounds very serious, and the only quibble I have is that it’s probably not true. “Going green” in a carbon-constrained economy won’t feel like sacrifice to most people. It will feel like shopping. Meaning, it will feel like all the consumption decisions we make every day, but tilted imperceptibly...

Bike valet at the Ritz

Four star service adds to the appeal of low-carbon commuting.

Adam Stern | April 29, 2008

As I biked towards the front driveway of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco last week, I saw a line of fancy cars (BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc.) waiting for valet parking. I zipped past the queue and handed my bicycle to one of the valets. He gave me a claim check. Assured that my bike would be safe in a locked room, I walked to my business meeting at the hotel. And when I returned...

Society

“100K House” developer aims to develop house for 100K

Some ideas for green resolutions that are achievable, meaningful, and maybe a little bit novel

Progress is still in fits and starts, but the pace will only accelerate.

Where does your tree go when it’s no longer needed?

Big Brown handles the holiday crush by swapping four wheels for two

November hybrid sales lagging broader market

Author offers advice on food, energy, health, and education.

So far we haven’t run out of natural resources…so far

A new front in the fight to cut carbon.

Irony watch: Chevron puts up a massive LED billboard touting energy efficiency.

Japanese firm relocates its office to the garden. Did you say ‘brrr’? Get a blanket!

Europe proves that if you build it, they just might come.

As Christmas gets less green, is there hope for Santa’s workshop?

Sometimes the free market works for the forces of good.

Smarter boxes eliminate waste, cut costs, and reduce wrap rage.

Float like a butterfly, take the sting out of your mpg.

Temporary climb in oil prices once again fails to magically fix everything.

What we miss without a real night sky.

As long as you don’t bring your car to campus.

Our climate debt threatens a far worse crisis — unless we act.

For household products, carbon hides in some unexpected places.

Claims that a slowing economy will be good news for the climate are misguided.

Feds, Caltrain trying to make it easier to get to work.

Professional green athlete Chris Lieto offsets his globetrotting with TerraPass.

Maybe not the best time for GM to be launching the Volt.

A new documentary warns we’re running out of water.

Like so many other things, all recycling is local.

Hurricanes demonstrate our vulnerability to extreme weather.

A lack of infrastructure — not sprawl — hinders the adoption of bicycles.

Psychological research suggests greens may need to modulate their message to reach the mainstream.

A bike and a bus schedule make for a great day of hooky.

Even the most tradition-bound industries can innovate for the environment.

Bikes are good for a lot of things — but not for beautifying the home or office. Any storage tips?

UK company gets unfairly slapped around by green activists.

Mass transit and energy-efficient buildings are needed more than exotic schemes for green cities.

As energy costs rise, supply chains go local.

A personal account of a trip to a threatened wilderness.

Web site ranks the most (and least) walkable cities in America.

Bike-sharing offers modest emissions reductions, and no reason to complain.

Energy efficiency is cornerstone of ambitious plan.

Green shoppers love warehouse stores…maybe a little too much.

Could an animal be an environmentally responsible substitute for your lawn mower?

Two new kits teach your kids about sustainable living and wind energy.

Another example of how carbon constraints may benefit big box retailers.

Conference takes a hard look at ways to cut milk’s carbon emissions.

Can a four-day week be good for business and the environment?

What keeps us from moving forward with personal conservation?

Biking to work is cost-effective, good for you, and good for the environment. But how fast is it?

High gas prices encourage conservation, but also punish the poor. Climate change legislation needs to assist vulnerable communities.

GM shutters plant. Light truck sales plummet.

Survivalist chic: self-sufficiency gains adherents.

Funny ad wins award. You watch and laugh.

Targeting energy efficiency in the home isn’t always so easy.

We really mean it — wear whatever you want.

Avalanche and power cut in Alaska lead to remarkable experiment in energy efficiency.

Celebrate National Bike to Work Day. That’s how we roll at TerraPass.

Conservation and efficiency are our only energy quick fixes.

Those pushing sacrifice the hardest are the ones who care least about climate change.

Dr. Carbon Cap says: this will only hurt a little.

Four star service adds to the appeal of low-carbon commuting.

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