"If you were the Lego-set type as a kid, you have the skills to convert a diesel car or truck to run on straight waste vegetable oil (WVO) from local restaurants," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
You can also use biodiesel produced from specific crops -- like corn -- but it's not the perfect alternative fuel answer we were once led to believe. With food shortages all over the world, it's hard to justify using limited farm land to grow plants for fuel instead of plants for food.
So Essential Skill #56 seems to be the best alternative fuel answer for your car:
Drive a frybrid.
"Any car that runs on diesel fuel can be converted into a grease car (or 'frybrid')," writes de Rothschild, "but old, built-to-last Mercedes are a popular choice.... Expect to pay at least $2,000 for an old Benz. Veggie oil conversion kits start around $500. Some shops specialize in grease-car conversions; expect a complete installation to cost at least $1,500."
Best of all, there's a huge supply of grease -- an estimated 3.8 billion pounds produced at restaurants each year in the U.S. alone. All it takes is a little effort on your part to reach out to local restaurants and secure your own regular source of frybrid fuel.
Learn more at GreaseCar.com and Treehugger's How To Convert Your Diesel Car to Run on Food Grease.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Essential Skill #55: Choose Your Fuel
"Ethanol from switchgrass and ditch weed, bio-diesel from algae and turkey offal, geothermal hydrogen, tidal electricity, methane ice, P-series fuel -- it's enough to give your gas tank a real identity crisis," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
In other words, we're a long way off from deciding on the best alternative to diesel. It's Essential Skill #55 in The Handbook:
Choose your fuel.
De Rothschild weighs the pros and cons of the top contenders:
1) Biofuels (ethanol, bio-diesel and methane)
PROS: If it's organic, it can probably be turned into fuel.
CONS: It forces a choice between using plants for food or fuel. It also comes with the negative environmental impact of farming.
2) Electricity
PROS: There's already an existing infrastructure for this technology. Its centralized generation also makes carbon capture relatively easy.
CONS: To use this alternative fuel, you have to buy a new electric car. And reliance on battery technology limits range of driving and fuel time.
3) Hydrogen
PROS: The only waste product produced from hydrogen fuel is water, and it's carbon neutral if it's produced from renewable resources.
CONS: Building the infastructure for hydrogen technology could cost up to $500 billion, and it could be decades before we can even use it.
"If we were really smart," writes de Rothschild, "we'd invest as much of our remaining fossil energy as we can in wind turbines and solar panels. The best fuel is the one you do not burn up in the first place."
In other words, we're a long way off from deciding on the best alternative to diesel. It's Essential Skill #55 in The Handbook:
Choose your fuel.
De Rothschild weighs the pros and cons of the top contenders:
1) Biofuels (ethanol, bio-diesel and methane)
PROS: If it's organic, it can probably be turned into fuel.
CONS: It forces a choice between using plants for food or fuel. It also comes with the negative environmental impact of farming.
2) Electricity
PROS: There's already an existing infrastructure for this technology. Its centralized generation also makes carbon capture relatively easy.
CONS: To use this alternative fuel, you have to buy a new electric car. And reliance on battery technology limits range of driving and fuel time.
3) Hydrogen
PROS: The only waste product produced from hydrogen fuel is water, and it's carbon neutral if it's produced from renewable resources.
CONS: Building the infastructure for hydrogen technology could cost up to $500 billion, and it could be decades before we can even use it.
"If we were really smart," writes de Rothschild, "we'd invest as much of our remaining fossil energy as we can in wind turbines and solar panels. The best fuel is the one you do not burn up in the first place."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Essential Skill #54: Say "Nuclear" Correctly
"First things first: 'nuclear' is not pronounced 'new-cue-ler," writes author David de Rothschild in The Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Or 'new-cler.' Since it's likely to be rolling off more tongues than ever in the coming years, it's best to get that straightened out right now."
It's Essential Skill #54 in The Handbook: Say "Nuclear" Correctly.
But really, the way you pronounce the word is of little consequence. What matters most is that you get the facts on this potentially devastating "solution" to global warming.
Despite all its drawbacks and dangers, even some environmentalists who once spoke against it are embracing nuclear power, desperate for any other way to power the planet without fossil fuels. But is it really worth the risk considering the following fact?
"In order for nuclear energy to displace enough fossil-fuel energy to make any real difference in global warming," writes de Rothschild, "worldwide nuclear output would have to double by 2050 and continue at that capacity for at least 50 years."
But here's the real kicker.
"Even that massive increase of atomic energy ... would only prevent .33 degrees Fahrenheit of global temperature rise."
Weigh that pro against the cons, and the balance seems rather out of whack, don't you think?
The drawbacks of nuclear energy include:
It's Essential Skill #54 in The Handbook: Say "Nuclear" Correctly.
But really, the way you pronounce the word is of little consequence. What matters most is that you get the facts on this potentially devastating "solution" to global warming.
Despite all its drawbacks and dangers, even some environmentalists who once spoke against it are embracing nuclear power, desperate for any other way to power the planet without fossil fuels. But is it really worth the risk considering the following fact?
"In order for nuclear energy to displace enough fossil-fuel energy to make any real difference in global warming," writes de Rothschild, "worldwide nuclear output would have to double by 2050 and continue at that capacity for at least 50 years."
But here's the real kicker.
"Even that massive increase of atomic energy ... would only prevent .33 degrees Fahrenheit of global temperature rise."
Weigh that pro against the cons, and the balance seems rather out of whack, don't you think?
The drawbacks of nuclear energy include:
- Nuclear plant meltdowns
- Problem of how to safely store nuclear waste (which remains active for thousands of years)
- Possibility of it falling into terrorist hands
- Nuclear energy is not a renewable resource, as uranium reserves are limited
Instead of investing in the potential dangers of nuclear energy, encourage your leaders to use your tax dollars to concentrate on clean, renewable alternative technologies, like wind power, hydropower and geothermal power.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Essential Skill #53: Skate on Old Tires
Every year, 290 million tires are disposed of in the United States. The problem is that it's illegal to send them to the landfill in 46 U.S. states. Why? Because tires can:
- Contaminate surface-water runoff
- Self-combust, emitting toxic fumes and taking months to burn out
- Attract rodents and insects
- Serve as a breeding ground for dengue fever and encephalitis
So what are we supposed to do with old tires? Follow Essential Skill #53 in the The Live Earth Global Warming Handbook:
Skate on old tires.
"In Washington, D.C.," writes Handbook author David de Rothschild, "the nonprofit East Coast Round Wall Foundation recovered tires from abandoned lots and National Parks, filled them with dirt, and laid them down as the foundation of the Green Skate Lab. After forming the walls of the bowl with tires, workers put down rebar and then poured concrete.
"The result: a 100% volunteer-built skate environment made entirely of reused and recycled materials."
Click this link for more info about how to build a skatepark in your community.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Essential Skill #52: Invent the Antidote
"If Thomas Edison knew how much his lightbulb would someday contribute to global warming, he probably would have kept on going until he invented a solution for carbon emissions," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
"Alas, he was an inventor, not a soothsayer. That leaves you, ingenius reader, to solve humanity's biggest challenge."
It's Essential Skill #52 in The Handbook:
Invent the antidote.
Maybe you could alter biodiesel production so that it that doesn't require so much heat. Or maybe you can invent an electric car battery that's smaller, cheaper, less toxic, longer-lasting and faster-charging.
Or probably more realistically, maybe you can tell your representatives in Congress that you want funds allocated to programs in which scientists are already working to solve these and other alternative energy challenges.
More ideas de Rothschild hopes could one day help do the trick include:
"Alas, he was an inventor, not a soothsayer. That leaves you, ingenius reader, to solve humanity's biggest challenge."
It's Essential Skill #52 in The Handbook:
Invent the antidote.
Maybe you could alter biodiesel production so that it that doesn't require so much heat. Or maybe you can invent an electric car battery that's smaller, cheaper, less toxic, longer-lasting and faster-charging.
Or probably more realistically, maybe you can tell your representatives in Congress that you want funds allocated to programs in which scientists are already working to solve these and other alternative energy challenges.
More ideas de Rothschild hopes could one day help do the trick include:
- Releasing sulfur particles into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and heat back into space
- Installing giant mirrors in space to deflect the Sun's rays
- Sink iron to the bottom of the ocean to absord CO2
- Sequester carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean
As far-fetched as some of these concepts may sound now, the same could be said of global warming itself, which took years for the world to understand and accept. Anything is possible, including inspired, creative solutions to climate change.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Essential Skill #51: Dig a Very Deep Hole
"Is your gas-guzzling furnace robbing you blind each winter?" asks author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "Do you fear that your air-conditioner may be causing those rolling blackouts? Are solar panels not an option at your Scandinavian winter retreat?"
Then Essential Skill #51 in The Handbook is for you:
Dig a very deep hole.
From this hole comes geothermal energy, using the temperature of the earth to heat or cool your home! We'll warn you now though -- the initial investment doesn't come cheap at an estimated $7,500 or more. But you're going to be cutting down on your emissions by as much as 40 percent, which will inevitably be reflected in your bank account for years to come.
In the words of de Rothschilds, here's how it works:
"A geothermal pump brings water (or water and antifreeze) up through pipes sunk into the ground. In the winter, when the ambient air is cooler, the water absorbs the Earth's heat, which is then concentrated by unobtrusive in-house equipment to warm your environment.
"In summer, the system acts as a heat sink, taking heat from your home's ambient air into the cooler ground. You need only add energy to power a compressor and heat exchanger."
Ninety percent of the homes in Iceland run on geothermal power. And for every million homes that use it, we cut 4.4 million tons of annual emissions.
For more details, click the following for info on How To Heat and Cool a Home With Geothermal Power.
Then Essential Skill #51 in The Handbook is for you:
Dig a very deep hole.
From this hole comes geothermal energy, using the temperature of the earth to heat or cool your home! We'll warn you now though -- the initial investment doesn't come cheap at an estimated $7,500 or more. But you're going to be cutting down on your emissions by as much as 40 percent, which will inevitably be reflected in your bank account for years to come.
In the words of de Rothschilds, here's how it works:
"A geothermal pump brings water (or water and antifreeze) up through pipes sunk into the ground. In the winter, when the ambient air is cooler, the water absorbs the Earth's heat, which is then concentrated by unobtrusive in-house equipment to warm your environment.
"In summer, the system acts as a heat sink, taking heat from your home's ambient air into the cooler ground. You need only add energy to power a compressor and heat exchanger."
Ninety percent of the homes in Iceland run on geothermal power. And for every million homes that use it, we cut 4.4 million tons of annual emissions.
For more details, click the following for info on How To Heat and Cool a Home With Geothermal Power.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Essential Skill #50: Bamboo Your Life
"Bamboo and trees both sequester CO2 in their roots and branches as they grow," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook. "But bamboo stores more CO2 and generates 35 percent more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees."
Thus Essential Skill #50 in The Handbook:
Bamboo your life!
From bamboo furniture, to bamboo flooring, to bamboo utensils, to fabrics for bamboo linens and bamboo clothes, this wood alternative is versatile too. And instead of the years it takes to grow a tree, bamboo is a grass that grows in just a matter of days -- as much as 2 to 3 feet in just 24 hours! So while chopping down trees means deforestation, chopping down bamboo means clearing the way for another harvest.
Benefits of bamboo include:
Thus Essential Skill #50 in The Handbook:
Bamboo your life!
From bamboo furniture, to bamboo flooring, to bamboo utensils, to fabrics for bamboo linens and bamboo clothes, this wood alternative is versatile too. And instead of the years it takes to grow a tree, bamboo is a grass that grows in just a matter of days -- as much as 2 to 3 feet in just 24 hours! So while chopping down trees means deforestation, chopping down bamboo means clearing the way for another harvest.
Benefits of bamboo include:
- Sequestering CO2
- Reducing rainforest deforestation
- No fertilizer or pesticides necessary
- Stabilization of the soil
"If we planted one million acres of bamboo, we would eliminate up to 4.8 million tons of CO2 per year," writes de Rothschild in The Handbook. If you want to help, cut down on your wood consumption and buy bamboo when you can.
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