Climate Cities

Umbra on the promise of ethanol

Dear Umbra, Lately I’ve been struggling with the idea of ethanol as a green fuel. It seems to be getting a lot of attention in the government and media, and it is being touted as the answer to this country’s petroleum woes (see GM’s “Live Green, Go Yellow” campaign). But from what I’ve read, ethanol […]

Folks, We’re Encountering Some Turbulence

E.U. and U.S. at odds over emissions cap for intercontinental flights In two weeks, E.U. environment commissioner Stavros Dimas will unveil draft rules for capping airline emissions, and we’ll give you one guess who’s blocking the runway. At issue is whether to regulate intercontinental flights that use European airports for takeoff or landing, or to […]

Kick It into Underdrive

Americans driving less, SUV fervor cooling Who woulda thunk it: For the first time in 25 years, Americans are driving less. A study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates finds that the average American drove 13,657 miles in 2005, down from 13,711 in 2004. So that’s, let’s see … um, carry the one … a whopping […]

A Grist special series on biofuels

What is ethanol, and how's it different from biodiesel, and where does fry grease come in? Are there cars that can run on biofuels, and who's making them, and where can they fuel up? Who sells it, who makes money off it, and why's it such a political darl

Top Goes the Diesel

L.A. auto show sees Germans, GM committing to clean-tech cars This week’s Los Angeles Auto Show has set the car world abuzz. General Motors, plagued by its gas-guzzling reputation and notorious electric-car bungle, announced its commitment to creating a rechargeable plug-in hybrid, becoming the first automaker to do so. “The technological hurdles are real, but […]

A Bee in His Bonnet

London mayor proposes steep congestion charge for gas-guzzlers London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced plans to make the city’s weekday congestion tax much steeper for drivers of polluting vehicles. Under the proposal, owners of SUVs and other gas-guzzlers would shell out the equivalent of about $47 a day to motor into London between 6:30 a.m. […]

Wacky and weird

The Schwinn-Shank Redemption
While the use of prison labor is questionable in any context, about 20 inmates in a South Dakota state penitentiary are reportedly happy to be taking part in a program that puts them to work fixing up old bikes for disadvantaged kids. No word in the media on whether the program is voluntary or not, but given prison wages, there's probably not much difference in compensation. Now if only there were a program to teach the kids how to stay upright in all that wind.

The other kind of bicycle flasher
Police in Clinton Township, Pa., have been on the lookout for an alleged serial flasher who has been accused of cycling past women and revealing, unsolicited, his naked cycling self. Faced with multiple reports, authorities have been getting serious, if misguided.

Police detained several men matching the suspect's general description. But none turned out to be the suspect, police said.

Look, another guy on a bike! Pervert!

The Charge of the Ultra-Light Brigade

CyberTran is the fastest, most convenient public transit you’ve never heard of What if there was a public transit system one-tenth the price of conventional light rail, available 24 hours a day within minutes, suitable for both urban centers and suburbs, safe and comfortable, and most important, faster than auto commuting? Think you’d prefer it […]

Now Utah-kin

Salt Lake City requires LEED certification for city-funded buildings Salt Lake City, Utah, known for its salty lake and Mormons, may soon also be known for its green buildings. Developers funded by city money will be required to erect buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program, city council members decided unanimously on […]

The Bane in Spain Falls Mainly on the, Um, Construction

Spanish coast being ravaged by development The Spanish coast is being ravaged by a decade-long building boom, and there seems to be no end in sight. About 3 million houses have been started or built in the country in the past four years, with as many as half of them along its famed 3,100-mile coastline. […]