- Home
- Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 2736)
Production of the U.S. version of the Toyota Prius begins this month and hits the market in June at participating Toyota dealerships. The five-passenger hybrid-electric car will retail for $20,450. You will be able to register for test drives and purchase a car through the website this summer. All Prius vehicles will have standard features: anti-lock brakes, automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows, doors and mirrors, AM/FM/cassette stereo, an eight-year/100,000-mile battery and hybrid system warranty, and free seven-day/24-hour roadside assistance. More than 35,000 units have sold in Japan since December 1997; Toyota expects to sell 12,000 cars a year in the U.S. The U.S. version has 70 horsepower and a more powerful, compact and lighter battery pack. It gets about 52 miles per gallon in the city and 45 highway, and meets “Super Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle” certification (emissions are lower by 76-97 percent from EPA requirements). [sorry this link is no longer available]
Read More
The three Ballard fuel cell buses that have been piloted in Chicago for the past two years have been pronounced a success by the company and the Chicago Transit Authority. The buses performed well in both summer and winter conditions, carrying a total of over 100,000 passengers. Another three bus, two-year pilot begins in Vancouver, Canada this year. As a result of the Chicago pilot, XCELLSIS (Ballard and DaimlerChrysler joint venture) will be able to produce a fuel cell engine that is simpler in design, easier to maintain, and half the weight. The feedback from bus drivers indicates the buses ride smoothly and quietly and accelerate well. Meanwhile in Germany, DaimlerChrysler announced the first sale of fuel cell vehicles. Its subsidiary, EvoBus GmbHwill, will sell 20-30 Mercedes-Benz Citaro fuel cell buses by the end of 2002. The $1.2 million (1.25 million euros) price includes comprehensive technical consulting and maintenance for two years. “This first production step demonstrates that fuel cells have reached a stage of technological maturity,” says Professor Dr. Ferdinand Panik, head of the DaimlerChrysler Fuel Cell Project. “At the same time, we are aware that we have to reduce the cost, volume and weight of the fuel cell […]
Read More
At the University of Colorado, the Student Union, Health Center, and Recreation Center will be running on wind power thanks to the largest student voter turnout in their history. Students voted by a 5 to 1 margin to increase student fees by $1 per semester for 4 years to purchase wind power from Public Service Company of Colorado’s Ponnequin wind farm. The increase in fees will raise $50,000 a year, enough to purchase the entire output of one wind turbine. Using a model for other universities to follow, the student group Clean Energy Now! and the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies ran a week long campaign providing information about wind power and distributing colorful pinwheels. The central campus lawn was covered with the pinwheels, a “CU wind farm.”
Read More
The 21st Century Truck Initiative, announced late last month, is a government/business partnership to develop super fuel-efficient commercial trucks and buses. In the FY2001 budget, the Clinton Administration proposes an increase of 48 percent (from $47M-$142M) in research dollars to support research in advanced engines, fuel cells, lightweight materials, advanced propulsion technologies, vehicle design, and advanced emission control and vehicle safety systems. Within 10 years, the agreement should result in “production prototypes:” – heavy pickups, large delivery vans, and passenger buses with triple the fuel economy – 18-wheeler long-haul trucks with double the fuel economy – emissions reductions that exceed 2010 requirements The partners in this effort are the Departments of Defense, Energy, Transportation, and EPA, and Mack Trucks, Oshkosh Trucks, PACCAR, Volvo Trucks North America, Cummins Engine Company, Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel Corporation, Eaton Corporation, and Lockheed Martin Control Systems.
Read More
Last year, a nitrogen oxide (NOx) trading program was conducted in the Northeast, marking the first time a market-based approach was used to reduce an emission other than sulfur dioxide (SO2). The SO2 trading program has been used to successfully reduce power plant emissions since 1995. The U.S. EPA reports that as a result of NOx trading, emissions were reduced 20 percent below levels allowed by law and over 50 percent below 1990 levels. The agency believes this demonstrates the utility of market-based approaches to substantially mitigate air pollution. But in a unanimous vote this week, the New York State Senate passed a bill that fines state utility companies if they sell their pollution credits to companies in the 14 states that are believed to contribute to acid rain in New York. By selling credits gained from reducing SO2 emissions in New York to coal-burning utilities in the Midwest and Southeast, the pollution comes right back as acid rain in New York. Revenues from fines will be used to develop renewable energy sources in NY. New York State’s utility companies have stockpiled a large percentage of U.S. emissions credits because the state requires lower emissions than the federal Clean Air […]
Read More
The merger of Hain Food Group (Uniondale, Long Island) and Celestial Seasonings (Boulder, CO.)creates the largest natural foods company in the U.S., with projected revenues of $1 billion by 2002. Although a shareholder vote is required, the board of directors from both companies approved a deal for Hain to acquire Celestial Seasonings for about $390 million in stock. Mo Siegel, Celestial’s chairman and founder will become vice chairman of the new company, The Hain Celestial Group Inc., (Nasdaq:HAIN) and Irwin Simon, Hain CEO, will become chairman, president, and CEO. The company will hold the lead position for the industry’s top three food categories: non-dairy products, snack foods and teas. Celestial tea is on the shelves in 80 percent of U.S. supermarkets; the merger will help Hain to expand into mainstream markets past its current 30 percent. Consolidation is becoming commonplace in this industry sector, but usually conventional food companies buy natural products companies, rather than two natural products companies merging together. Most recently, Kraft acquired Balance Bar (energy bars) and Boca Burger (frozen vegetarian burgers).
Read More
After almost three years of dialogue, Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford announced at the CERES national conference that “As a result of lengthy conversation and mutual decision, we are including the CERES Principles as a key part of our new way of doing business. By endorsing these principles, we are pledging to go beyond the requirements of the law to preserve and protect the environment.” The roll-call of CERES endorsers now totals over 50 companies including American Airlines, Coca-Cola USA, General Motors, Polaroid, and Sunoco. The CERES Principles represent a voluntary commitment to continual environmental improvement that goes beyond the performance required by government regulations. CERES is the convenor of the Global Reporting Initiative, an international effort to standardize sustainability reporting that is being pilot-tested by 20+ multinationals including Ford, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, British Airways, General Motors, Procter and Gamble, and Shell. CERES: http://www.ceres.org Global Reporting Initiative: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Read More
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Postal Service, and the Cities of Seattle and Santa Barbara, lined up to support the Earth Day campaign for clean energy. Secretary Richardson of the DOE announced the department will purchase three percent of its electricity needs from non-hydro renewable energy sources by 2005, climbing to 7.5 percent by 2010. The Postal Service signed a three-year contract to buy renewable energy for 1,000 sites in California. The Seattle City Council unanimously adopted a proposal to meet Seattle’s future electricity needs with no net emissions of greenhouse gases. The city will rely on existing hydropower and will develop wind, geothermal, solar and landfill gas facilities, and efficiency measures. If the city resorts to using fossil fuels, it will offset carbon emissions by methods such as forest protection. The City of Santa Barbara announced it will supply all municipal buildings with 100 percent renewable energy.
Read More
Texaco quit the Global Climate Coalition and is the second major oil company to pursue hydrogen energy (Shell set up Shell Hydrogen last year). Texaco is spending $67 million to buy 20 percent of Energy Conversion Devices Inc., a leading fuel cell company. ECD manufactures the Ovonic regenerative fuel cell using proprietary hydrogen storage technology and develops PV and semiconductor technologies. Says William Wicker, a Texaco senior vice president, “We intend to be a company that is responsive to the changing face of the marketplace and the energy sector.” BP Amoco is buying 18.5 percent of GreenMountain.com, one of the leading renewable energy marketers in the U.S. The investment will significantly extend the market for competitively priced renewable energy to businesses and households across America, as deregulation progresses. GreenMountain currently serves over 100,000 households in the deregulated states, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. BP Amoco will market GreenMountain’s solar energy offerings using BP Solarex’s solar technology, products and services. The relationship will significantly extend GreenMountain’s reach by bringing their products to industrial and commercial customers for the first time.
Read More
2500 people from 151 countries attended the 11 day CITES conference (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in Nairobi in late April to determine how to protect endangered animals from international trade. Hawksbill turtles, whales, elephants, and tigers gained protection, but sharks did not. The CITES conference is held every two and a half years. Whales: Global bans on international trade in whales will be maintained. Four proposals by Japan and Norway to downlist certain species of whales were rejected. Norway takes whales – the season began April 24 – as an “objection” to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) ban and Japan takes 440 minke whales under a “scientific” program allowed by the IWC (The IWC governs whaling in addition to CITES). During the discussion before the vote, IWC chairman Michael Canny emphasized that before commercial whaling can resume a management program must be in place. When trade is opened illegal poaching inevitably rises, threatening the population as a whole. Elephants: In a move that was praised by participants, African nations agreed that no ivory will be sold in order to give them time to assess elephant populations and poaching levels. In Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, controlled trade […]
Read More
Page 2,736 of 2,804« First«...102030...2,7342,7352,7362,7372,738...2,7502,7602,770...»Last »
Loading...