Fox’s 24 to go carbon neutral
We haven’t ever seen any specific statistics outlining the carbon emissions from car crash and car chase sequences filmed for movies or television, but it can’t be good. In our current environmentally-aware global climate, movie and television studios must realize that their actions will be scrutinized, so it’s not surprising to see a growing number of productions making attempts to offset their carbon emissions. Shortly after hearing that Eric Bana’s new flick Love the Beast would be going carbon neutral , news comes in that Fox will be offsetting the carbon emissions from the popular television show 24 . To lessen the environmental load further, cast and crew members have switched to hybrid shuttle vehicles, trucks used by Fox will use a 20 percent biodiesel blend, motion sensors will turn lights on and off and clean energy credits will be purchased from wind farms in India. Stars like Kiefer Sutherland will record public service announcements urging fans of the show to lessen their own environmental impact. Why 24 ? According to Howard Gordon, executive producer of the show, “We are arguably the worst possible offender, which is why, in a way, it made sense to start with us. If we can do it, anyone can.” [Source: NY Times ] Auto Blog: Carbon Offset , Green Daily Fox’s 24 to go carbon neutral originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Greenlings: What is biodiesel?
What is biodiesel? In short, biodiesel is a fuel that’s suitable for use in diesel engines that is not based on petroleum. Biodiesel is often made from plant sources. It’s also possible to mix biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel fuel in any ratio. Since most any engine designed to run on diesel fuel can use biodiesel, it would seem that this biofuel could displace a great deal of fuel pumped from the ground. In some cases, it is possible to run diesel engines on straight vegetable oil (often referred to as SVO or WVO), but SVO isn’t the same as biodiesel. There is a bunch of complex chemistry that goes into producing biodiesel from many different sources, and it all has to do with the transesterification of fats and oils. Excuse me? Transester-huh? Yeah, it’s about as complicated as it sounds, but the really short version of the story is that alcohol (methanol, ethanol etc.) is used to modify the chemical makeup of the original oil. Now that we’ve identified what biodiesel is and isn’t, let’s discuss why you should care and whether you can use it in your own vehicle. Car Blog Greenon. Gallery: Austin Alt Car: Biofuel Hummer Continue reading Greenlings: What is biodiesel? Auto Blog: Biodiesel , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Greenlings: What is biodiesel? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel
Click the Jettas for a high res gallery from VIRginia International Raceway Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup series will be returning to the racetracks of North America at the end of April with 30 diesel-powered sedans in the hands of young up and coming drivers. For this year’s sophomore season Volkswagen will be filling the tanks of the Jettas with B5 biodiesel. Houston, Texas-based Hyperfuels will be supplying the 5 percent biofuel blend for the cars which will consume about two tankfuls of fuel over the course of 10 races. The Syndiesel supplied by Hyperfuels has a 10 year shelf life addressing one of the biggest issues with some biodiesels, the tendency to go rancid after a period of time in storage. Volkswagen has approved B5 for use in all regular production diesel VW and Audi models. Just as it did last year, the Jetta TDI cup kicks off at VIRginia International Raceway April 24-26. Gallery: First Jetta TDI Cup race [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Diesel , Volkswagen , Racing 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Carl’s Corner biodiesel truck stop finally reopens; Willie Nelson is on hand
It’s been a long time coming, but the Carl’s Corner Biodiesel Truck Stop is finally up and running. We heard about the plans to add serious biodiesel infrastructure, a hotel and a golf course (all for a cool $5 million) to the iconic Texas refueling station back in 2006 . The station already sold some biodiesel (even made their own ) and the plan was to open the expanded experience time for New Year’s 2007. Well, that didn’t happen. But, following a soft launch back in December, Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner Truck Stop is now ready for business. The hotel and golf course are not mentioned in the press release announcing the grand opening this week, but 12 diesel/biodiesel fueling lanes for tractor-trailers (including a wide load island) and other cool additions like a saloon and a theater are now open. Performing at the 500-seat venue tonight will be Willie Nelson, a strong biodiesel advocate and friend of Carl. The truck stop is 50 percent owned by Earth Biofuels . [Source: Earth Biofuels via Domestic Fuel ] Image by Bob Jagendorf . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. Auto Blog: Biodiesel Carl’s Corner biodiesel truck stop finally reopens; Willie Nelson is on hand originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Leave a commentUsing biofuels might be a sin, says Muslim cleric
I had no idea what would pop up when I typed in “ethanol sin” into the search box over at Flickr. Turns out, you get the image above, which was created for the Pope’s visit to the U.S. back in early 2008. It’s a good reminder that the debate over biofuels has donned religious clothing before. There a new twist to the discussion, though, following a recent statement from Sheikh Mohamed Al-Najimi, member of the Saudi Islamic Jurisprudence Academy, who said that using biofuels might be a sin because they go against the Islamic rule forbidding alcohol. This opinion, issued as a personal opinion and not an official fatwa, according to Al Arabiya , would apply to ethanol and methanol, and biodiesel made using methanol. SVO users, you’re off the hook, here. Related stories: Could the Pope make 15 mpg a sin? Can driving greener get you into heaven? Vatican says sure Another thing to worry about gas guzzlers: the sin factor Note : we’ve had a little too much name-calling in theCar Blog Green recently and have needed to ban some people from writing more. Feel free to write what you think about this particular issue, but stay away from name calling and broad generalizations about religion or ethnic groups, ok? No more warnings, just bannings if you can’t be civil. [Source: Cleantech via Green Daily , Al Arabiya ] Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Etc. , Ethanol , Green Daily , Middle East Using biofuels might be a sin, says Muslim cleric originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Using biofuels might be a sin, says Muslim cleric
Posted in Auto Green, Biodiesel | biofuelsin, biofuelssin, driving-greener, middle-east, muslim, opinion, search, sin | Leave a commentU.S.-EU biodiesel "splash and dash" tariff fight escalating
While biodiesel advocates go about setting up sustainability principles , the EU and the U.S. are in a growing dispute over the biofuel. The problem is that the Europeans see the $1-a-gallon tax credit that the U.S. provides for B99 (made up of 99 percent biodiesel and one percent petro-diesel) as an unfair subsidy that is harming the European biodiesel market. The EU’s response: slap new (but temporary) tariffs on biodiesel imports from the U.S., maybe. The European Commission is looking into applying the tariffs, and should make a decision by March 13. One of the big problems, according to an article in the Seattle TImes , is a practice called “splash and dash.” This is when American producers import pure (that is, B100) biodiesel made somewhere else, add a bit of petro-diesel to the fuel and collect the tax credit and then ship the biodiesel to Europe. This has been going on for years . The Financial Times says that the American companies’ practices are pushing biodiesel prices in Europe down by between 89 and 99 U.S. cents per gallon. The U.S.’s National Biodiesel Board says European comanies are “not being hurt by US competition,” and wants the U.S. to take action against the EU through the World Trade Organization. Sigh. [Source: Seattle TImes , Financial Times ] Photo by ? Redvers . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Legislation and Policy , Europe/EU , USA U.S.-EU biodiesel “splash and dash” tariff fight escalating originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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U.S.-EU biodiesel "splash and dash" tariff fight escalating
Biodiesel can’t void your warranty?
Most manufacturers, including heavy-hitters like Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, allow the use of a 5 percent biodiesel blend (aka B5) without violating the terms of the car’s original factory warranty. What happens if you use a higher biodiesel concentration? That’s a good question, and the answer isn’t particularly clear at the moment. According to Steve Keyes, Volkswagen’s director of public relations, “All Volkswagen TDI models are warranted for the use of up to a B5 blend. Blends of biodiesel higher than B5 void the Volkswagen warranty.” Case closed, right? Not so fast, say the Northwest Biofuels Association and the Oregon Auto Dealer’s Association. These two organizations have released a joint statement suggesting that the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act from 1975 doesn’t allow a manufacturer to void a vehicle’s warranty based on the fuel that the owner is using to power it. We’re not so sure it’s a good idea to go against a manufacturer’s stated recommendations without knowing the consequences, regardless of whether it voids the warranty or not. Even if a vehicle seems to run just fine on high biodiesel blends, it’s important to remember that modern diesel engines and emissions systems have computers that may make assumptions about the fuel that’s being used. We’d wager that this is an issue that will continue to be hashed out in the coming months and years. [Source: Green Inc. via Domestic Fuel | Photo: .imelda ] Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Diesel Biodiesel can’t void your warranty? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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World’s first hydrogen fuel cell tractor debuts in Italy
Click above for a gallery of the New Holland NH 2 What fuel will power agricultural equipment in the future? There are a number of alternatives to the tried and true fossil fuels that we’re currently favoring, and many of them use crops that can be gathered right on site by the vehicles that are eventually going to use them. Ethanol (or other alcohol based fuels) and biodiesel stand out as the most commonly cited options, but some still have hydrogen on the brain. Farms may be an ideal source for the electricity needed to extract hydrogen from water since there is often an abundance of wind, sun or both. Still, the question remains: Why not just store that electricity and use it in something electric? The New Holland NH 2 is billed as the world’s first hydrogen-powered tractor, and it’s just debuted in conceptual form in Italy. The zero-emissions tractor gets its power from a fuel cell that sends electrons to a 106-horsepower electric motor powering all four wheels. Problems include a major lack of range and an awfully high price, so New Holland isn’t expecting to put the model into production until 2013. Gallery: New Holland NH2 [Source: New Holland via Farmers Weekly Interactive ] Continue reading World’s first hydrogen fuel cell tractor debuts in Italy Auto Blog: Hydrogen , Green Daily , Europe/EU World’s first hydrogen fuel cell tractor debuts in Italy originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Naysayers alert: cost of diesel drops below premium gas
At least one barrier to diesel ownership may be falling by the wayside now that the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel has dropped below that of premium gasoline in the United States. According to the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. government, the average price of diesel fuel in this country on February 16th was $2.18. By way of comparison, the average gallon of premium gas: $2.19. Of course, even that isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison because a gallon of diesel fuel contains more potential energy than a gallon of gasoline. Add in the fact that internal combustion engines running on diesel fuel are more efficient than their gas-powered counterparts, and diesel starts making even more sense. Still, it’s not all rosy for diesel engines in America. There are many ways to measure emissions, and in some cases, diesels aren’t so clean. Specifically, oil-burners exhaust higher levels of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides along with particulate matter (soot) in the form of unburned carbon compounds. All of these issues can be mitigated somewhat, but that costs money. Still, diesel (including biodiesel) is an alternative that is looking more and more practical as time marches on. [Source: Energy Information Administration via The Car Connection ] Auto Blog: Diesel , Green Daily , USA Naysayers alert: cost of diesel drops below premium gas originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Naysayers alert: cost of diesel drops below premium gas
Posted in Auto Green, Biodiesel | Biodiesel, daily, diesel, diesel-fuel, dieselfuel, dieselprices, nitrogen-oxides, the-average, united | Leave a commentPrince Charles attacked as a hypocrite for taking private jet on climate change tour
Despite the best of green efforts, it seems poor Prince Charles can not catch a break. He’s been labeled a hypocrite by the Daily Mail for using a private jet to accomplish a South American tour to discuss deforestation and climate change. Back at home, the next-inline-to-the-throne has put his Jaguars and Range Rover (and even his Mum’s Bentleys ) on a bio-diesel diet , his Aston Martin sips wine-derived ethanol , and he’s made his humongous household entirely carbon-neutral . Even the trip, which could generate 322 tons of CO 2 , will be entirely offset. Since his itinerary has him making almost 40 appearances over 10 days, it would be impossible for the prince and his entourage of 14 to fly the friendly skies on commercial flights. So, to further avoid his being made to look like Rodney Dangerfield in a tiara, we here at AutoblogGreen suggest the following solution. Take the sailboat dude. Yeah, it may take a little longer but at least you wouldn’t have to Car Blog Greenabout yourself in the tabloids. [Source: The Daily Green ] Auto Blog: Transportation Alternatives , UK Prince Charles attacked as a hypocrite for taking private jet on climate change tour originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green
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Prince Charles attacked as a hypocrite for taking private jet on climate change tour
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