MetaEfficient has a great post about how to convert your car to an eco-friendly vehicle.

Snip from MetaEfficient:

Basically, electric conversion involves removing the entire internal combustion engine from a vehicle, installing an electric motor in its place, and also adding a large bank of batteries. A conversion will cost you about $6000 in parts, and about $1000-$3000 for batteries and installation. But, for this up-front  expense, you’ll get a zero-emissions vehicle that costs only a few cents per mile to run. Your electric car will also be more reliable and require much less maintenance that a conventional one. Remember that gas-powered cars cost the owner about $1800 per year on average for fuel costs alone, and there is the addition expense of engine maintenance and oil changes. The engine of an electric car has a virtually infinite lifespan — the components will probably outlast the chassis. The only real expense is the batteries, which will need to be replaced about every 3 to 4 years.

A reader commented that it’s not as easy as it looks though. Duh!

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You’ve read the news—everyone wants to be green now. But do you really know how your personal choices are adding up? What about the choices of your fellow citizens? How well are people around the globe adopting behaviors that can make the world a more environmentally sustainable place?

National Geographic and the international polling firm GlobeScan have just conducted a study measuring and monitoring consumer progress toward environmentally sustainable consumption in 14 countries around the world.

The result: the National Geographic/GlobeScan “Consumer Greendex,” a scientifically derived sustainable consumption index of actual consumer behavior and material lifestyles across 14 countries. The Greendex will be tracked over time and will be comparable across the selection of countries representing both the developed and developing world.

Answer these questions, then go to Calculate, and you’ll learn what your own personal Greendex number is. My Greendex number was 40, which is much better than average!

Take the quick Greendex test

The design is based on a  graceful analogy, known as “biomimicry” — just as a citrus grove absorbs sunlight to produce food, a Solar Grove absorbs sunlight and produces energy. The language of the analogy continues—the frame and modules of the Solar Tree become its “canopy,” the support structure becomes the “limbs” and “trunk,” while the base foundation and wiring beneath the earth is known as the “taproot.”

The Envision Solar Grove can be sized and positioned to meet the needs of the facility, and is particularly useful in sloping parking lots or lining curved edges. The single support column per tree allows for unhindered maneuverability about the parking area. Unique heavy-duty light fixtures turn on automatically at dusk and shine up toward the canopy, which illuminates the parking area for nighttime safety. Eight translucent solar modules, allow light to pass up through the tree to create another visually appealing sight. During the day, these translucent models allow dappled sunlight to pass through to the ground — a bit like leaves on a real tree would allow.

The Solar Grove is economically viable and environmentally sound. The environmental benefits provided by a Solar Grove include:

RUN-OFF FILTRATION

Tilted canopies of Solar Trees help to route rainwater into bio-swales porous, organic material that filters pollutants from parking lot run-off.

MINIMIZED LIGHT POLLUTION

There is no direct skyward lighting.  Lighting under the Solar Grove is indirect and stopped at the underside of the canopy.

REDUCTION OF THE URBAN HEAT-ISLAND EFFECT
Solar Groves™ help to reduce the heat absorbed throughout a sunny day by shading the asphalt.

China, which is behind the space fruit and veg, says they could be the answer to the world’s food crisis. China has been experimenting with space plants since the 1980s.

Previously it has claimed that the near zero gravity conditions – microgravity – have created high-yield rice and wheat plants, and tomatoes and peppers with harvests ten to 20 per cent greater than normal.

The most recent batch of 2,000 seeds was launched into orbit in 2006 on the Shijian 8 satellite. Afterwards they were cultivated and the best specimens selected for further breeding. The results include two-foot cucumhebers and 14lb aubergines. China says its giant fruit and veg have already been sold to Japan, Thailand and Singapore.

Researcher Lo Zhigang admitted he and his colleagues could not explain why time in orbit causes the seeds to mutate. But they suspect exposure to the cosmic radiation that bombards spacecraft in orbit, as well as microgravity, could play a part.

Thanks MetaEfficient for the finding.

GreenPix – Zero Energy Media Wall – is a groundbreaking project applying sustainable and digital media technology to the curtain wall of Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympics.

Featuring the largest color LED display worldwide and the first photovoltaic system integrated into a glass curtain wall in China, the building performs as a self-sufficient organic system, harvesting solar energy by day and using it to illuminate the screen after dark, mirroring a day’s climatic cycle.

The project was designed and implemented by Simone Giostra & Partners.

10 – LightShip – Solar Powered Light

9 – SolarStore – Inflatable Solar Panels

8 – Electricity Free Fridge

7 – Solar Cooker – Flame Free BBQ

6 – Wind-Up MP3 Player

5 – Personal Wind Turbine

4 – Solar-Powered MP3 Player

3 – Fiber Optic Solar Lighting

2 – LightCap 200

1 – Solar Battery Recharger

Known as “hypermiling,” the method can double gas mileage, even in gas-guzzling vehicles that would normally get less than 20 mpg.

Promoted on a growing number of Web sites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag.

Is it worth risking to crash your car to save $50/month on gas? You tell me!

But I clicked and watched the full 20 minute video, which, I have to admit, was really good.

Here is my favorite chapter of the movie: consumption. If you don’t want to watch the full movie, at least take 6 minutes of your time to watch this.

Click here to view the full movie

Email Kriss received from her friend after recommending watching this movie:

So does that mean your going to stop dating guys that buy things?…….or stop buying make-up, tampons, hair care products, cars, packaged foods etc? Just curious

Kriss’ reply to this:

Don’t be a smart ass. ;) You obviously didn’t watch it did you? It’s not about living in a mud hut and not consuming anything. This isn’t a black and white situation darling. It’s about being ever more conscious about what and how we consume.
For instance:

I got rid of cable tv 13 months ago. I watch movies, documentaries & read the news online. I buy local organic food, and I buy beyond organic food from reputable companies. My tampons are organic cotton. I’ve been buying only organic beauty products for years( I knew about toxins in the stuff a Loong time ago, gross). I recycle everything possible. I make 95%of my food fresh and from scratch (doesn’t take more time than processed food once you know what you’re doing). The other 5% of the time is when I’m out at a restaurant with friends or have a rare craving for something processed. At our home we have a worm compost in the garage wich we feed food scraps. It produces great fertilizer for the plants. We just got another compost in the back for the rest of the food scraps and paper/hair waste etc… We have an energy/water efficient HE washer. No dryer. We line dry everything in the sun. It’s pretty easy to find guys that aren’t stinky hippies but still embody a green lifestyle so i don’t worry about finding someone compatible. I started buying organic clothing from local merchants (cute shit too, I was really surprised). I can’t think of the last useless piece of crap I bought. I recycle gifts (don’t we all haha). The biggest blight on my recent record is still my car. Eventually I’ll get a hybrid. When i buy my own property I’ll plant tons of bamboo to offset my carbon footprint. It looks great too! When i start school in Oct I’ll see if it’s feasible to take public transportation to school, I need a bike. I can buy used. See always looking to do better. Oh yeah, I carry my own bag for groceries and only use their plastic bags for rice, beans and other small foods. I buy those fresh from bins too. I carry a reusable bottle w/ me for drinks.