The idea is that eating some foods, like meat, uses more fossil fuel than driving a car, so a bicyclist consuming food uses more fossil fuel than driving a car. bicycleuniverse.info

I don't know where a sedentary person who gorges on meat and drives a full-sized SUV fits into all of this...

• Meat requires much more fossil fuel to produce than vegetables and grains; about 145 times more for beef than for potatoes.


• If the entire world ate the way the U.S. does, the planet's entire petroleum reserves would be exhausted in 13 years


• The typical American could save almost as much gas by going vegetarian as by not driving.

Posted in All posts from the start Environment Human Power

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Researchers from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia have developed a device worn much like a knee brace that generates electricity from the natural motion of walking.

The device harvests energy from the end of a walker’s step, when the muscles are working to slow the movement of the leg, in much the same way that hybrid-electric cars recycle power from braking.

Wearing a device on each leg, an individual can generate up to five watts of electricity with little additional physical effort. Walking more quickly generates as much as 13 watts of electricity: at that rate, one minute of walking provides enough electricity to sustain 30 minutes of talk time on a mobile phone.

There is about as much useful energy in a 35-gram granola bar as in a 3.5 kg lithium-ion battery." sfu.ca

images at news.com

Posted in All posts from the start Human Power Innovation

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Martin Library will host an environmental panel discussion on February 21 featuring:

I was interviewed, via keybord of course, since I will be one of the moderators. Below is the text of the interview:

5. In your opinion, how does the level of environmental awareness in York County compare to that of other similar-sized communities?

York is a land of plenty. We have enjoyed low population congestion and are blessed with resources. California is tuned into air pollution because congestion and climate patterns demanded action. The desert southwest is tuned into water supply because of the lack of it. Other than the Codorus Creek, a stray landfill and an occasional bad ozone day, York County generally has not been confronted in the face with major environmental issues. High oil prices, wars and global cries that we need to act have brought these concerns home to York.

6. What do you believe the typical Yorker can do to improve the environment?

Use less to do more. Nothing will lower pollution, lower oil prices, and stretch resources more than choosing to use less through product choice and lifestyle. This concept runs contrary to our financial model that, up until now, has promoted and thrived on people using more energy.

7. As editor of Greenmesh.com, what do you see as the most promising alternative to oil-based energy?

Experimenting with many alternatives is the best was to transition away from an oil based economy. It takes time to understand the repercussions of any form of energy production. Solar collection is the lowest impacting source of alternative energy, but in places like Pennsylvania, solar isn’t practical most of the time. We have already experienced the implications of diving head first into corn-based ethanol by higher food and feed prices.

All methods of energy production have environmental implications and placing all our eggs in one basket gives power to a new monopoly and will accentuate any negative effects of pushing a single solution of energy production....

Posted in All posts from the start Biodiesel Electric Environment Ethanol Human Power Hybrid Hydrogen Innovation Motorcycles Oil Machine/politics Public Transportation Solar Water Power Wind Power

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Greg and Gerallyn Duke were visiting York on Sunday from West Chester, Pa. and riding the rail trial with a Bilenky tandem bicycle.

The Philadelphia made bicycle allows a shorter person see the road ahead. It features independent cadence (both rides can peddle at different rates) and both riders can shift gears independently.

Posted in All posts from the start Human Power

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Vélib (for “vélo,” bicycle, and “liberté,” freedom)

“This is about revolutionizing urban culture,” said Pierre Aidenbaum, mayor of Paris’s trendy third district, which opened 15 docking stations in July. “For a long time cars were associated with freedom of movement and flexibility. What we want to show people is that in many ways bicycles fulfill this role much more today.”

Users can rent a bike online or at any of the stations, using a credit or debit card and leave them at any other station.

A one-day pass costs 1 euro ($1.38), a weekly pass 5 euros ($6.90) and a yearly subscription 29 euros ($40), with no additional charges as long as each bike ride does not exceed 30 minutes. (Beyond that, there is an incremental surcharge, to make sure that as many bikes as possible stay in the rotation.)nytimes.com/europe

The self-service, human powered Vélib came to the rescue Thursday for commuters after a wave of strikes halted most trains, subways and buses throughout France.

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When I was a student at Gettysburg College, there was an elderly lady from town who used a trike to get around. She was beyond the ability of using a bicycle and perhaps having a drivers license, but the trike afforded her unlicensed mobility and probably added a few years of life because of the exercise.

This isn't your grandmother's trike. The RAPTOR is powered by lead acid batteries energizing an electric motor and/or foot power. A “Sunbrella” solar canopy is in the works for trickle charging off the grid when parked in the sun.

The gas free, license free (corporate and government free) people mover can reach a speed of 25 mph.
boomerbents.com

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Appalachian Trail thru-hiker Joe McMaster proves that you don’t need a huge SUV to haul a canoe down to the river. McMaster, who used his feet to move himself 2,175 miles from Georgia to Maine ydr.com (11/05), built a canoe trailer for his bicycle.

Posted in All posts from the start Human Power Innovation

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Lacking tax/social incentives and suffering from import duties, the Toyota Prius isn’t selling well in China. The Chinese car is double the price of the American counterpart. What seemed like a sure bet for Toyota in a boom market turned out not to work too well.

China’s largest cities are choking on pollution and the Chinese government is pushing up taxes on gas guzzlers, but the public is hungry for horsepower.

Posted in All posts from the start Human Power Hybrid Oil Machine/politics Tax incentives

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A highway is under reconstruction.

Following the Codorus Creek north out of York and ending at John Rudy County Park, the 5.5-mile Northern Extension of the Heritage Rail Trail County Park connects 42 miles of existing rail trail that begins in Ashland, Maryland and ends in York.

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Hourcar.org is an innovative way to have access to a car from a Minneapolis nonprofit affiliated with the Neighborhood Energy Connection that redefines consumer cost, pollution and congestion in an urban setting by creating a pool of member owned cars.The NEC brought car-sharing to the Twin Cities to support its overall mission of promoting environmentally responsible communities.

Posted in All posts from the start Human Power Innovation Public Transportation

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