Recently, while watching t.v., an ad for Esurance came on. Now, normally I would flip the channel at a moments notice given that I like mundane televised advertisements as much as I am propponent for cancer (which I am not)… BUT, I was distracted for an instant and now glad that I was. Why? Because I learned something interesting about Esurance… and it is not their amazing quotes, though they may be good. 

Esurance is a company which is doing its part to inform people about ways to help the environment as well as doing something about it themselves. Being that this is thegreenerthinking.com way, I had to learn more and after checking out the green links on their website, I did. 

Because they make their policy documents available to their policyholders online, store all of their documents electronically, as well as communicate with their policyholders via email they save paper (trees). So far their estimate is a savings of 649 trees in 2006 alone… not to mention the 21,525 trees they helped to plant. 

Esurance also delved into the realm of air quality. They have purchased hybrid vehicles for their claims fleet wherever they’re available. Hybrid vehicles can reduce the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere by up to about 90% and cut carbon dioxide emissions in half as well. 

There is a lot more this company is doing to reduce its carbon footprint and make itself a greener part of the business world. If other corporations took a tip from these fine example-setters, the world would have a much brighter outlook. Please take a look at their site and learn all you can by following their links! Thank you Esurance. 

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greenerthinking.com 
green links 
mundane 
carbon footprint

      I’ve always thought of myself as being quite an optimist, but it’s hard to imagine that there could actually be a positive thing to be taken from already high, but still increasing gas prices. Gas prices are probably about the biggest complaint you hear about in the U.S. today, especially here in the Metro-Detroit area and it’s one of our countries biggest economic concerns as well. So, what good could possibly come from this? Well, it appears that electric car sales have increased along with the prices at the pump. Also, sales of more fuel efficient compact cars have risen as well. This kind of rise in demand could be exactly what the industry needs to spark more research and development in greener technologies for the auto industry. If people start trending more towards transportation that uses less gasoline, the automakers will have no choice but to begin competing for the consumers business by producing more and more efficient vehicles or even make an electric vehicle for the more standard buyer. So far, most electric vehicles on the market have not been ideal for the average driver to use for going back and forth to work, but rather for people going short distances at low to medium speeds. Soon, there are going to be several electric entries into the high-end sports car genre, but still, that leaves out the average consumer. With the high gas prices and increasing demand for alternative fuel vehicles and more efficient vehicles, we should begin seeing electrics that are being designed for the average consumer with competitive pricing. We can only hope that this trend of buying more efficient vehicles will continue even if the gas prices eventually go back down a bit, but it is encouraging to see something positive coming out of a situation so negative. 

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Olde English D 
CarJunky.com 
Chicago Tribune

      There is a new plane on the block, and though the name remains the same, the numbers have changed. I’m talking about Boeing’s new 787 (Ironically released on 7.8.2007). It has been about twelve years since the companies last jet unveiling and I don’t know about you, but a billion dollars sounds like a success to me! That is how much money Boeing is to be paid already for the more than 600 orders they have received. 

Whenever new planes are announced, the finer points are always put out to the public view and the ooh and aahs can begin. Though, with most planes revealing, you don’t usually hear companies stating how loud or polluting they are. This is because they are usually very loud and polluting! However with the 787, these points are some which should most definitely be touched upon. 

Noise pollution is nothing to be laughed at… Ha ha ha, …Sorry, someone broke windbefore me. I guess I will try to beat them to it next time. But honestly, noise pollution can be very harmful to human health. It can affect things such as hearing and cardiovascular health. Noise pollution may even interfere with the natural cycles ofanimals. To help put things in perspective, this chart shows a list of things (including some prior Boeing planes) and how they rank on the noise scale. Many laws have been in place for quite some time now to make sure that planes fly high enough over residential areas so that they do not bother people. Such laws may not apply to the 787 though, …this is mostly due to its specially designed engine which helps to make the 787 approximately 60% quieter than its predecessor. Not only is this great news for people on the ground, but also for the passengers! 

When a jet makes that massive sound that you have forever ingrained in your memoryif you have ever been close to one taking off, it is actually coming from the front of the engines. It is produced by the fan and the low-pressure booster that sends air “jetting” through. The new engines don’t have this effect as much due to a new type of nacelle, or casing. The 787’s engines are modified to include special acoustics which make almost all of the nacelle’s inner surface completely sound-absorbent. 

The other great environmental factor about the 787 is its emissions. Boeing says that the new plane will produce up to 20 percent fewer emissions than previous planes of a similar size. Most of this is due to the dramatic difference in weight comparably. The materials used in the construction of the 787 is a new type of carbon composite material as opposed to previous versions using heavier aluminums. Don’t be fooled though, the carbon composite is by no means weak… the new material can take a previous service expectancy of 30 – 40 years and make it a 70 – 80 year plan. 

Perhaps if the X-Men knew of this composite material, Magneto would have never escaped, and the world would be a much safer place? 

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Boeing
787
very loud
http://www.ehponline.org/qa/105-12focus/focus.html
broke wind
Noise pollution
animal
this chart
engine
passenger
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/236095_quietjet11.html
nacelle
carbon composite
memory
Magneto

Yeah, you read that right. And no, that isn’t a typo. One hundred and fifty seven miles per gallon. To put it in terms easier to understand, imagine having only about a 5 gallon tank and being able to drive 800 miles on it. I have quite a drive to work every day, and for me, that means driving for over 2 weeks on a little over $15 (with current gas prices). Seems impossible, I know, but German company Loremo is promising just that. The Loremo LS is an ultra-efficient, ultra-lightweight, aerodynamic car that the company also claims is very fun to drive. The company’s principles: “Simple, Clever, Fun”, definitely show through when you see the vehicle and read about how they came up with and designed their dream car. They developed the car to be as light as possible and with the least amount of drag, giving it the ability to be much more efficient than other vehicles. The only downside of the LS version is the acceleration, 0 to 60mph in 20 seconds is not exactly going to blow anyone away, to say the least. However, there is also a GT version that gets a much better 0 to 60 in 9 seconds, but also gets closer to 90 mpg instead of 157, but that is still exceptional by normal vehicle standards. TheLoremo cars will begin to be mass-produced for commercial sales in 2009 and prices for the LS and GT are $15,000 and $20,000 respectively. Unfortunately, so far they have not announced plans to sell the vehicles in the United States right away, but they say that if demand is high enough, they will release it here. Hopefully, enough people over here will want the vehicle and they will soon begin production of a U.S version. I know I’m interested in checking it out. 

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Loremo 
Loremo cars

About 4,000,000! That’s how many miles of road run back and fourth through the countryside of the United States! It’s a pretty impressive number, not to mention that with human population growth this number will only grow higher. The only other species who almost came this close were the Doozers as far as I know. 

After much research, scientists conclude that roadways and the vehicles which travel on them are ultimately a direct loss of habitat for the wildlife which live near them. They claim it to be a (in some areas ), severe degradation of habitat quality. The way roads separate plants and pretty much all naturally occurring life is called habitat fragmentation. 

In recent years, many state and government programs have funded various bridges and paths which are designed to be nature friendly. Green bridges seem to be the term most applied and they are beginning to be used more and more frequently. However, many researchers are still studying them to decide weather or not they are actually used by local wildlife. One major contributing factor to this may be the density and area of the bridge itself. Personally, if I were a rabbit, or deer, or anything without wings, I would most likely opt for the bridge… unless I just didn’t care anymore. 
…about leaving my side of the forrest.  

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areas
Doozers
Green bridges

      Of all the rental car companies out there, none seem to be opening their eyes to the environment as Avis Budget Group Inc. and Hertz. Soon, Hertz Global Holdings Inc.along with Avis will be offering the option for its renters to drive a hybrid vehicle rather than the standard gas-guzzlers it has always provided in the past. 

By making an investment of over 68 million dollars, Hertz will be adding 3,400 Toyota Prius vehicles to its line-up by 2008. Even sooner, Avis may be adding 1,000 of the same hybrid cars for rent within this week! Giving the ability for rental clients to have more than one type of option when it comes to the energy source of their vehicles gives people that much more of a chance to make a difference. 

The Prius is a gas-electric hybrid vehicle, and if it becomes popular among renters, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 3,000 tons per year. Hertz plans on starting the Prius offer at its airport locations, and Avis in its CA, OR, and D.C. locations. This is a start, and based on demand, new locations could well be spring up almost anywhere… though probably not in General Zod’s 2d prison. 

If anything, people interested in buying a hybrid car, …even the Prius itself, could go and rent one now just to try it out. I suppose you could consider it an extended test drive. Hopefully in the future, trends like this one will serve as examples for other large companies to follow. Eventually, the point may be reached where cars like the Prius are looked down on as being inefficient and environmentally unfriendly… won’t that be a great day! 

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Avis Budget Group Inc.
Hertz Global Holdings Inc.
Toyota Prius
General Zod’s 2d prison

Ever dream of taking a crazy road trip all over the United States? How would you like to do it without using a single bit of gasoline? There’s a show I watched tonight on The Science Channel called Cool Fuel where they do just that. The people on the show put together a plan to take their dream trip across the country using only bio-diesel, geothermal, solar, and other renewable power sources anywhere they come across that they can find it. They even try to work off the costs of their fuel when they can, such as one bio-diesel station they go to where the guy offers to mow the lawn with a solar-powered lawn mower to pay for a fill up. There are all sorts of crazy vehicles they come across on the show such as a one-of-a-kind VW car where the bio-diesel engine is on a trailer pushing it down the road. The show even features a cameo by actor Ed Begley, Jr. who has a solar powered home. If you’re wondering who Ed Begley, Jr. is, you’re probably not alone, but I looked him up on IMDB and this guy has been in everything from Star Trek to Scooby Doo to CSI to… well, Cool Fuel. In fact, here’s a list of his work, over 200 films and TV shows. This guy’s like a real-life version of Troy McClure! Anyway, enough about Mr. Begley… Cool Fuel is not only pretty entertaining due to the crazy inventions they come across, but it’s also very interesting to learn about these vehicles and the different ways to power them. I would recommend it to anyone looking for their options for a renewable energy vehicle or just wanting to learn more about them. 

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Cool Fuel 
IMDB 
Ed Begley, Jr. 
Troy McClure

Growing up in Lower Michigan, when someone asks you what you are doing for the weekend, your answer starts by you whipping out your hand and positioning it like an oven mitt. Needless to say, “The Thing To Do,” is going north for the weekend. You may ask “Why!?” Well, I will tell you. 

For all nature lovers, “Going Up North” signifies “Being One With Nature.” While up north you do things like pop up a tent, breathe in the fresh air, and actually see how many stars there are in the sky at night. There are many more stars than you can see through the city lights, believe it or not. This art of camping slows you down, and makes you appreciate the world around you.

Some people take the term camping a bit liberally. Some people take everything including the kitchen sink. Yes I am talking about those huge trailers that include the pullout wall, sleeper sofa, air conditioning, toilet, shower… and kitchen sink. With all of that it is easy to guess that that is not any more naturesque than your home. But what you may not have thought about until the recent, well last several years of gas price gouging, is the efficiency a trailer can have on completely draining your wallet during travel. 

I have never owned one of these large trailers, I am more of a tent camper, so I was a bit naive when it came to the cost of this luxury. While camping this weekend a couple of people in our party, trailer owners, were bragging about their gas mileage. Something I find fascinating because I love statistics, a good graph gets me every time. So anyway, they were talking about how they tweaked their trucks so that they were running optimally and one said, “Yeah, I tweaked my truck to perfection, increased my mileage by 3 miles per gallon!!!” 

With my interest peaked, I listened in a little longer, I found that he almost doubled his gas mileage!!! He was now sitting atop an astounding 8 mpg. Now driving my “Mini Jag” (read Kia), I felt ripped off with my 28 mpg!!! I know, I know, it’s not that bad, but $50 for a tank of gas is getting a little old. I can’t even imagine filling up my tank three times for a two-hour trip.

With this kind of performance, I started to think of the possibilities of an electric truck. That could be the next huge thing in transportation and delivery. With the amount of gas all large truck drivers go through I am sure electric trucks would save delivery companies millions on gas. It would be a much easier vehicle to place batteries in than consumer grade cars because large trucks already have a large cavity where the engine would normally sit. They could also use the generator idea of the Chevy Volt.

Another advantage of research and development in this area is that delivery companies would have no problem funding this project if it were to save them millions, possibly billions, in the future. If larger delivery companies funded the research, the technology could be developed quicker and allow for much quicker commercial adoption.

The quicker that we can become independent of gasoline, the better off we will be as a country and human beings in general. Come on people crank up the R&D. Consumers are looking for an alternative more than ever, why not give us a solution!!!

Links 
Chevy Volt