L.A. mayor unveils rail transit plan

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced plans earlier this month to expand the rail transit offerings in the traditionally car-centric Los Angeles County. The plan calls for the quick planning and construction of several high-speed rail tracks in the area.

"The fact is that this is the most important thing that we can do to alleviate congestion and gridlock, to improve the quality of our air, and to really vindicate the people’s will for the need to address transportation,” Villaraigosa said.

Funding for the projects is expected to come from a sales tax measure intended to fund transit projects as well as partnerships with the federal government and members of the private sector. For more information on rail transit plans for Los Angeles County, click here.

Electric car completes 313-mile trip

Who says electric cars don't have the range necessary to replace that traditional gas motor vehicle that you and your family rely on? An Australian businessman made his own argument for the viability of electric cars by completing a 313-mile trip in his Tesla Roadster.

The man completed the trip during the Global Green Challenge, an Australian solar car race that has been held since 1987. The Global Green Challenge includes a division for production cars, which is what the Tesla was competing in.

The trip smashes the previous record of 241 miles, which was also held by a Tesla Roadaster. For more info on the historic trip as well as the Global Green Challenge, check out this story from The Daily Green.

Electric cars showcased at Tokyo car show

Electric vehicles are the talk of the show at the Tokyo motor show, which is taking place this week.

All of the leading Asian automakers are jostling for position in the expanding electric car market, as each looks for the new big thing to ignite a spark in an industry-wide slump in sales. Both Nissan and Toyota announced at the show that they plan to have all-electric cars ready to ship in the United States by 2012. Toyota officials also said they company remains on track to deliver a plug-in version of the popular Prius to consumers by the end of this year.

For more info on the electric cars being displayed at the show, check out this story from Business Green.

New Mexico announces plan for giant energy converter

The inability to transport solar and wind energy between different power grids in the U.S. has also been a limiting factor in the expansion of renewable energy use in the country. However, a project announced today by the State of New Mexico will make it possible to more effectively transmit solar and wind energy between the three main U.S. energy grids.

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said the new energy hub will "be the largest power converter in the world, making New Mexico the meeting place for America's electricity needs." The state and the company that would be in charge of constructing the converter are now seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If the project is approved, construction could begin as soon as 2011.

For more information on the renewable energy hub, check out this story from Business Green.

Solar Decathlon showcases homes of the future

For the new two weeks, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., has been turned into a residential development to showcase the best solar homes available in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition.

University teams from around the country as well as teams from Germany and Spain have spent over two years building solar-powered houses. Like the decathlon at track & field competitions, the contest has 10 "events," or areas that the house are judged on: architecture, market viability, engineering, lighting design, communications, comfort zone, hot water, appliances, home entertainment, and net metering.

The purpose of the competition is to promote the world's growing need to find ways to harness and use alternative energies. For more info on the Solar Decathlon, check out this story from CNN.

Nine Verizon sites named to Best Workplace for Commuters list

Best Workplaces for Commuters is an innovative membership program that provides qualified employers with national recognition and an elite designation for offering outstanding commuter benefits, such as free- or low-cost bus passes, assistance with vanpool fares, and strong telecommuting programs. Employers that meet the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits—a standard created by the Center for Urban Transportation Research and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—can get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters.

Best Workplaces for Commuters welcomes these workplaces to the 2009 list:

• Verizon California Inc., Mission Hills, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Long Beach, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Santa Monica, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Huntington Beach, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Pomona, CA
• Verizon California Inc., Menifee, CA
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Everett, WA
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Tigard, OR
• Verizon Northwest Inc., Beaverton, OR

Alternative energy vehicles on display at expo

More than 50 alternative energy vehicles were on display yesterday at the Fifth AltWheeles Fleet Day at the Staples World Headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts. The expo is the largest display of alternative energy vehicles on the East Coast.

The vehicles on display were fueled by everything from electricity to lithium-ion batteries to compressed natural gas. Experts on the manufacturing and operation of the vehicles were on hand to answer any questions that fleet managers attending the event had. Industry leaders also spoke about the importance of using alternative energy vehicles in corporate fleets.

For more info on AtlWheels Fleet DAy, click here for a story from The Boston Globe.

Senate bill could lead to hybrid taxi fleets

Federal courts have previously struck down attempts by cities such as Boston, New York, and Seattle to require taxi companies to deploy hybrid fleets.

Last year, Boston passed a regulation that would have required fleets to be all-hybrid by 2015 before the courts ruled that it violated federal laws. The city justified the regulation by saying that hybrid vehicles are 74 percent more efficient than many of taxis currently on the road.

However, the Green Taxis Act of 2009, introduced by Senator Kerry in the Senate today, would allow cities to decide on their own whether taxi fleets should be all-hybrid or not.

“This legislation will help empower cities and towns across the nation, including Boston, to improve air quality, lower carbon emissions, and save cab drivers and passengers money,’’ Kerry said in a prepared statement. “We know we must reinvent the way America uses energy and once again Boston is leading the way.’’

For more info on the Green Taxi Act, check out this story from The Globe.

Volvo goes green

Volvo has crafted an ambitious environmental agenda, making the company the latest automaker to work towards a greener future.

The automaker announced a new vision that will attempt to produce cars that produce no harmful exhaust emissions or environmentally-impacting carbon dioxide. Yes, they said no emissions. And, the company is putting its money where its mouth is by investing $2 billion in the project through 2014.

Volvo and other automakers are working towards the 35.5 mpg federal standard that will be in place as of 2015. The standard was part of the federal legislation passed by Washington last year that legislators, unions, and automakers all agreed on as part of a compromise.

For more information on how automakers are going green, check out this story from The Daily Green.

NIssan's green guru dismisses eletctric car criticisms

Critics of electric cars often say that the argument that electric cars are much better for the environment than conventional cars is undermined by the fact that the cars must be charged using electricity that is likely created by burning fossil fuels.

Andy Palmer, head of the company's green vehicle program, said that even in countries such as the U.S. and China, where the majority of electricity is generated from fossil fuels, an electric car is responsible for 24 to 54 percent less emissions than a conventional car.

Nissan is currently working on its Leaf electric vehicle, which is slated to be released late in 2010. For more info, check out this story from Business Green.

EPA recognizes Portland small business

he Joinery, a hardwood furniture producer in Portland, Ore., is getting a green thumbs up from the Environmental Protection Agency for its dedication to fighting climate change by using green power.

EPA is honoring certain Green Power partners across the United States for outstanding contributions in helping grow the nation’s voluntary green power market. The Joinery is being recognized for its dedication to green power purchasing.

The Joinery has long made green power a priority. In 1996, the company purchased wind-derived renewable energy certificates. In 2004, it increased wind power purchase to cover 100 percent of its electricity needs. In 2008, the company bought 280 million kilowatt-hours of green power equal to its entire electricity consumption.

To read the rest of this story, click here.

The next-generation of car technology

This sounds like something out of those futuristic, sci-fi movies and almost too good to be true, but Korean researchers are working on technology that would allow electric cars to "hook" into induction strips and inverters buried in roadways to charge the electric battery in the car.

This would alleviate one of the major drawbacks of electric cars—something often referred to as "range anxiety." Currently, electric cars only have a range of about 100 miles before they need to be charged. This can cause a feeling of anxiety in drivers who are used to going 300 miles or more in between trips to the fuel station.

For more info on this as well as the latest on automated driving technology (Who wouldn't love a car that drives itself?), check out this story from The Daily Green.

The future of green automobiles

We hear a lot about the next big technology that is going to change the way cars are manufactured, purchased, and/or driven. But the average person likely doesn't know enough about the technologies (We sure don't.) to know which one could actually latch on and make a large impact on society.

The good news is that The Daily Green has done the work for you. Their columnists know a good bit about the technologies and have written a column talking about which technologies have the best chance to make an impact. From flying cars to zero-pollution engines and beyond, these technologies are certainly coo,l but are they feasible enough to make it into mass production? Check out the article to see.

Six tips for making your commute better

The Daily Green has some great tips today on how you can save time and money and cut a lot of the stress out of your daily commute.

An interesting fact in the article: It is estimated that 30 percent of workday traffic comes from parents dropping their children off of picking them up from school. Imagine how much congestion could be reduced if parents had their kids either take the school bus or walk or bike to and from school.

To read more about this tip and others, check out the full story on The Daily Green's website.

Bottled water is bad for the environment and your body as well

The amount of bottled water people are consuming has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Producers of the products claim that the water is cleaner, more pure, and better for you. Well, in many cases, they are flat out misleading consumers.

The fact of the matter is that bottled water is regulated by the FDA, which has much weaker restrictions and regulations on water than the EPA. The EPA regulates all tap water in the U.S. and has very strict rules in place to keep the water contaminant-free. Basically, the FDA doesn't have the funding, the authority, or the staffing necessary to regulate the water as much as they should. In fact, bottled water providers are not even required to test for contaminants in their products, and if they do test and find that their water violates drinking water standards, they don't even have to report this to the FDA.

In addition to the health concerns with bottled water, the environmental impact of the bottles is substantial. Most bottles are made out of petroleum and require a substantial amount of energy to produce, store, and transport. And, after they are consumed, only 20 percent of the bottles end up being recycled.

So, the next time you think about buying bottled water, buy yourself a stainless steel water bottle (because it won't leech chemicals like a plastic one will), and drink water from the tap. It'll keep both your body and the environment safer. Not to mention that it will save you a good chunk of change.

If you'd like more info on the health and environmental concerns involved with bottled water, check out this story from The Daily Green.

10 national parks to visit before you die

National parks in the United States offer visitors an affordable way to see some of the most beautiful environmental landscape in the country. From the nation's most visited park, Smokey Mountain National Park (to the right), which had almost 10 million visitors in 2007, to Maine's Acadia National Park, these parks offer single or multiple-day getaways for you and/or your family.

All national parks contain picnic grounds and camp areas, along with nature trails and other attractions. For more info on as well as pictures of the 10 most visited national parks, check out this slide show from The Daily Green. These natural beauties are certainly worth preserving through the green practices that we discuss on this blog.

Some wines are greener than others

Believe it or not, not all wines are the same level of green. In fact, there is a good amount of variance in the level of sustainability and green practices that wineries use.

Instead of going out and doing the research for you, Greenopia has done the work for you. The web site has ranked wineries based on growing practices, efficiency of buildings, transportation, and packaging. Greenopia rates the "greenness," or environmental impact, of companies in a number of fields, including airlines, auto makers, fast food restaurants, and others.

For more information on which wines are the greennest, check out the ratings on the Greenopia web site.

"Clunkiest clunkers" of the Cash for Clunkers program

Most of you have likely heard the debate surrounding the government's Cash for Clunkers program that allows consumers to trade in vehicles (no matter what shape the vehicle is) for a $4,500 credit towards a new vehicle. While the supposed environmental benefits are debatable, there is little doubt that the program has been good for the automobile industry and the economy.

But, instead of discussing the pros and cons of the program, we found this fun slide show that describes 10 of the "clunkiest clunkers," whether they are vehicles that are in terrible shape or that are terribly inefficient with gas. Click here to check it out.

Oil giant ExxonMobil invests $300 million in biofuels

Oil giant ExxonMobil has made plans to invest at least $300 million (and up to $600 million) in research involved with developing algae-based biofuels.

To conduct the research, the company is teaming up with DNA pioneer Craig Venter and his biotech research company. Venter is credited with being instrumental in the completion of the Human Genome Project and is a regular on Time's yearly list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

"We believe that biofuel produced by algae could be a meaningful part of the solution in the future if our efforts result in an economically viable, low net-carbon emission transportation fuel," said Dr. Emil Jacobs, vice president of research and development at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, in a press statement.

As Venter said in another statement, the real challenge to this project will be creating the ability to efficiently mass produce any algae-based biofuel that is developed. Fore more info on ExxonMobil and Venter's work with algae-based biofuels, check out this story on cnn.com.

Global warming to increase wildfire damage by 50 percent

Scientists have been telling us that the Western part of the U.S. should brace for longer and more intense wildfire seasons, thanks in large part to the effects of global warming.

A study released today has quantified those effects. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, claims that wildfire damage will increase by 50 percent by 2050. The study points out that this number is determined by using conservative estimates of temperatures, meaning if the Earth gets even warmer in the next 40 years, the effects could be even worse.

This is pretty scary stuff, especially considering the damage that wildfires are already causing. Your company offers benefits and incentives for choosing environmentally-friendly ways to commute to work. If you have any questions about them, contact Verizon's Transportation Coordinator, Trisha Morris.