I found a great article over at CNET, talking about biodiesel entrepreneurs. According to the article, the demand for green automobiles is on the rise and used car dealers are carving a niche for themselves by selling biodiesel-ready autos. Around the US, dealerships are popping up offering middle-class drivers with biodiesel vehicles like, VW, Mercedes and Honda.
It looks like the advertising method of choice for these new biodiesel entrepreneurs is the Internet. They are using their own web sites and classified sites to lure potential buyers. A few dealers have a physical, more traditional, auto lot.
From CNET Article:
After undergoing modifications that cost as little as $50 or as much as $2,000, diesel cars can chug either petroleum-based diesel, crop-based biodiesel, vegetable oil from the deep-fryers of fast-food kitchens, or even a combination of the three.
One of the businesses mentioned in the article is a company called BioBling. I love the name and the concept. I headed over to the website and had a look at what they offer. According to their site, “Biobling connects conscious people to green cars and clean, renewable fuel to run them.” They earn 10% of acquisition cost to locate a car and connect customers with a biofuel distributor. The customer is responsible for buying the car and any shipping fees. Drivers who want to add a little “bling” to their ride, can have Biobling add items like flat screens/DVDs, custom paint, new wheels, etc (all at an additional charge).
If you get a chance, have a read through Biobling’s Ten Commandments. I enjoyed the third commandment, “Thou shalt not covet they neighbour’s gas-guzzler.”
I recommend our readers head over to CNET to read the article.
To learn more about Biodiesel, you can head over to the US National Biodiesel Board website or head to the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association website.
One of our readers sent us an email a few days ago looking for information on electric cars from my last post on Green Pizza. I have emailed Galactic Pizza and will hopefully hear back from them soon. I did a quick search on the Internet to see what I could come up with.
The first website I headed to was Wikipedia I highly recommend that if you are looking extensive information on BEVs, that you head over to Wikipedia.
According to Wikipedia the definition of a Battery Electric Vehicle is:
A vehicle that utilizes chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. Electric vehicles use electric motors instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines (ICEs).
BEV Stats (according to Wikipedia): • More energy-efficient than all internal combustion vehicles
• Reduce dependence on oil
• Produce no exhaust fumes
• Produces minimal pollution if charged from most forms of renewable energy
• Some BEVs are capable of acceleration exceeding that of conventional gasoline powered vehicles
• Electric vehicles typically cost between two and four cents per mile to operate, while gasoline-powered ICE vehicles currently cost about four to six times as much
Dynasty Electric Car Corporation designs, manufactures and markets zero emission, electric Low Speed Vehicles (LSV’s) for urban, recreational and light commercial markets such as planned and gated communities, destination resorts, industrial complexes and universities.
Feel Good Cars, Toronto, Canada, is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of electrically powered vehicles. Driven by quality, ingenuity and the goal of bringing the finest zero-emission vehicles to the market, the company combines global technology with a North American vision for the future. With real-world experience in marketing, finance, electric vehicle manufacturing and automobile manufacturing, the Feel Good Cars team is dedicated to meeting the needs of environmentally and cost conscious consumers.
I was hoping to get this post up sooner, but…well…you know how things go sometimes!
A little while back we received an email from an organization called Emma. The author of the email (Hilary) caught our attention with some genuinely nice comments about the site (we LOVE compliments!) along with her request for our mailing address (we also LOVE being sent ’stuff’!).
Well the package from Emma finally arrived last week and is certainly worthy of mention here on the blog!
It seems Emma has launched a tree planting campaign in honor of National Arbor Day (April 27th).
Here is an exerpt from the brochure included in the package:
In honor of National Arbor Day on April 27th, Emma has launched votefortrees.com, a light-hearted website with a serious goal: to plant up to 5,000 trees. To do your part, simply visit votefortrees.com and vote YES. For each vote received between Arbor Day and Memorial Day - up to 5,000 of them - we’ll donate a seedling to the organization Trees Water People (treeswaterpeople.org). That’s one for every vote. Or two for every two votes. Or 27 for every - okay, you get the idea.
Hmmm…okay I just checked out VoteForTrees, and it seems they are already well past their goal!
Oh well! Why not cast your vote to show your support anyway - perhaps next year they will increase the number of tress planted!
Also be sure to check out Trees Water & People to learn a little more about the great work they are doing.
Another cool thing to mention - the brochure and envelope we received are both 100% tree-free. They were made by Yupo, and according to the company’s “Environmental Statement” page:
YUPO synthetic paper is a category 5 polypropylene (PP) plastic film and is 100% recyclable.
Due to its exceptional durability, YUPO normally enters the waste stream at a far slower rate than conventional paper and will remain inert in any approved landfill. Safely incinerated in a modern facility with an atmosphere of excess oxygen, YUPO will yield only water, carbon dioxide and ash.
YUPO synthetic papers can be reclaimed as a plastic resin and used in manufacturing a wide variety of both industrial and consumer products. These products exhibit the same performance characteristics as those made with virgin plastics.
