Excerpt from the Prologue of Save Gas, Save the Planet: John Addison’s book about hybrid and electric cars, pathways to low carbon driving, and the future of sustainable transportation. © 2009 John Addison. All rights reserved.

You Can Make a Difference

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

You can make a difference. Save Gas, Save the Planet tells the story of two new types of heroes: the “car-light” and the “car-free.” The car-light are the people who have dramatically reduced their gas usage, thereby helping save the planet and increasing their bank accounts. The car-light includes those that drive less, do not always drive solo, and use vehicles that get over 40 miles per gallon. The car-free are the millions of people who do not own a car. They prefer to use public transit, car sharing, bicycles, and walking.

The first chapters of Save Gas, Save the Planet will help you consider what you want in your next car. You may already have one fuel-efficient vehicle. You are debating whether the other vehicle should be replaced with a hybrid, a diesel, a flexfuel vehicle running on ethanol, or possibly a zero-emission alternative. These chapters describe the clean vehicles being driven today including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, biofuel vehicles, electric vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles. Issues are clarified. Myths are dispelled, including ones that suggest that these technologies are in the distant future.

You will find a number of ideas for improving your lifestyle in the middle chapters of Save Gas, Save the Planet. Millions reduce driving by participating in flexible work programs. People commute together and share rides. Many employers pay for these commute programs. There are many ways to reduce miles and improve fuel economy with your current car.

Each chapter concludes with suggested action that you can take as an individual and steps you can take to help save the planet. Your actions and your words will influence more people than you expect. Supported with the facts and examples in the pages that follow, you may inspire children, sway friends, and improve employer commute programs. You might even persuade your community to improve transportation.

Some of the 94 solutions contained in Save Gas, Save the Planet are free and simple. Other solutions require more thoughtful approaches to work, commuting, sharing vehicles, or making the best choice when buying a new vehicle. You may gain free hours and reduce stress by participating in flexible work programs, using a home office, and replacing some drives with bike rides and walks. None of these are all-or-nothing ideas. Consider realistic improvements for yourself, your family, your friends, and your community.

Be inspired by how people are living better and making a difference. Enjoy the journey.

Visit Amazon for free look inside or discount on paperback and kindle ebook.

© 2009 John Addison. All rights reserved.

You Can Make a Difference – Save Gas, Save The Planet Excerpt is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Excerpt from the Prologue of Save Gas, Save the Planet: John Addison’s book about hybrid and electric cars, pathways to low carbon driving, and the future of sustainable transportation. © 2009 John Addison. All rights reserved.

Magical Solutions

As a small child, I was distraught to learn that Santa Claus was not the person that I imagined. And after reading Harry Potter, I searched the Internet trying to book a stay at Hogwarts. We want to believe in magic.

When I tell people that I write about clean transportation, they often lecture me about their one magical solution. Some tell me it is the plug-in hybrid; some say diesel. One fellow was angry that I did not immediately accept that the one answer is railroads. Another felt the same way about motorcycles.

Some believe that the answer is electric vehicles. Others believe that electric vehicles will only encourage people to use cars without guilt; these enthusiasts want car-free cities and zero suburbs. Some promote ethanol; still more don’t believe that the answer is converting food to fuel.

Some believe that the future is a hydrogen economy; others believe that hydrogen is an evil conspiracy. Some believe that energy efficiency is everything. Others will take 10-percent efficient solar power over 40-percent coal power any day. Too many people argue that there is no problem. These people do not like change. Surprisingly, the people who do not lecture me are those who walk, bike, and live car-free. Perhaps these people, free from the stress of driving in gridlock, are more flexible and optimistic.

Even the friendly walker cannot escape the critic. By one calculation, if two people walk a mile and a half, then replenish the burned calories by each drinking a glass of milk, less greenhouse gases would be emitted by driving. This contrived example works because cows emit lots of methane and milk must stay refrigerated throughout the delivery chain. Skip the milk, and the argument falls apart. Ditto, if the car is driven solo. We all need a little exercise and more than a little common sense.

There is no one magical solution. Save Gas, Save the Planet captures over 120 different ways that people are making a difference by riding clean, riding together, and riding less. Many people can avoid some driving but not all. Not everyone can take transit or carpool all the time. A busy parent in the suburbs with three kids has different requirements than someone with no children who lives in a city. As you read Save Gas, Save the Planet, you will discover a number of ways to burn less fuel without needing a new car. When, and if, you are ready for a new car, you will make a better choice.

Visit Amazon for free look inside or discount on paperback and kindle ebook.

© 2009 John Addison. All rights reserved.

Magical Solutions – Save Gas, Save The Planet Excerpt is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Excerpt from the Prologue of Save Gas, Save the Planet: John Addison’s book about hybrid and electric cars, pathways to low carbon driving, and the future of sustainable transportation. © 2009 John Addison. All rights reserved.

Prologue

Our vacation in Italy was an abundance of delicious meals, made savory because they were fresh from local farms. We enjoyed leisurely walks along flowered hillsides that extended down to the Mediterranean, cathedral bells that echoed in narrow streets, and the grace of carved marble and painted ceilings. Tuscan villages towered like castles as we hiked through fragrant vineyards shaded by green cypress and poplar. By day, children’s laughter reverberated through the piazzas. By night couples kissed in the glow of dancing fountains.

The vacation was deeply relaxing, in part, because it was car free. Instead of being insulated from people inside a vehicle, we were connected with others as we traveled by train and bus and pleasant walks.

Life has been better for my wife, Marcia, and me since we returned from that vacation. The magic of having everything nearby in a city stayed in our memories. Inspired, we moved from suburbia to the city.

We also improved our lives by deciding to be carbon neutral. Annually we take a few minutes to calculate all of our carbon emissions, and then donate to the nonprofit Carbonfund.org, which offsets our emissions by funding wind power, energy conservation, and reforestation. The simple calculation was jolting – over 80 percent of our emissions have been from burning petroleum. Yes, we have been addicted to oil.

Now, we have eliminated 90 percent of air travel, cut car use, and saved gas by following the three themes of Save Gas, Save the Planet. We ride clean, ride together, and ride less. Our two cars are no longer his and hers. We share the hybrid and keep the other parked, except when I am out of town for interviews or to teach workshops. Now we can walk two blocks and hop on a bus powered with renewable energy, or walk four blocks to shop and carry the groceries home.

We are walking more, driving less, enjoying life, and living more in touch with our values.

In writing Save Gas, Save the Planet, I have learned from the research of experts and the practical wisdom of hundreds who have shared their stories. Every month, I become a smaller part of the problem and a bigger part of the solution.

When gas prices soared and a recession hit, Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles in 2008 than in 2007. They used employer flexwork programs to get more work done at home and close to home. Many gained free hours for family and fun. Others doubled up trips. Millions joined commute and transportation programs that put them in the fast lane, not the lane that left them fuming and sucking up fumes.

When fuel prices rocket; then fuel demand tanks. People are getting clever about getting around. They are rethinking their relationship with their cars, trucks, and SUVs. When gasoline prices dropped, people continued to drive fewer miles and burn less gas due to several factors: an economic recession, an expectation that fuel prices would again ultimately soar past $4 per gallon, and the discovery that life is better with less solo driving miles.

It is not just about money. People are also changing their lifestyles because the see the warnings of a climate crisis. As glaciers disappear and deserts widen, clean water has disappeared for a billion people. Without water and rich soil, food is tragically beyond the reach of millions. As we lose forests that produce oxygen, we lose our breath of life.

Like a human body with billions of differentiated cells each responding uniquely to a cancer, billons of people are responding uniquely to the spreading climate crisis. Many are now taking a more healthy approach to transportation. Save Gas, Save the Planet captures their stories and solutions.

Whenever gasoline prices soar, United States citizens hear a tired lecture that conservation might make you feel good, but it will make little difference. We are told that decisive action (at desperate cost) is needed: convert coal into fuel, use more food crops for fuel, drill the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, strip mine Canada for tar sand, and beg the Middle East to pump more oil. Some of these proposed responses would take years to produce results; all would accelerate a climate crisis.

Americans are joining their employers’ flexwork and commute programs. They replace city travel with public transit. Families and friends link trips together and rarely drive solo. Everyday heroes keep their gas guzzlers parked most of the time and put miles on their other car that gets 40 miles per gallon. Ordinary people are starting to make an extraordinary difference.

Save Gas, Save the Planet is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Book excerpt from Save Gas, Save the Planet

My ninth trip to teach a workshop at Two World Trade Center never happened because of the great tragedy 9/11. For years Sun Microsystems, my former employer and now part of Oracle, had invited me to conduct a series of workshops about technology and strategy. Much of the Wall Street ran on Sun servers, Java applications, and Sun network technology. Reliability, performance, and the ability to recover from disaster were reasons that New York continued to run after the disaster.  Sun’s tagline was reality – “The Network is the Computer.”

On September 11, 2001, thanks to heroes like Avel Villanueva the hundreds of people working for Sun Microsystems in Two World Trade Center all quickly evacuated the building and survived. When Avel saw the damage and fire at One World Trade Center, he paged everyone at Sun to leave Two World Trade Center as quickly, “Please, with calmness, go to the nearest exit. This is not a drill. Get out.” He repeated this from the reception area several times. Only after several pages and inspecting the vast 25th and 26th floors did Avel personally leave. Three minutes later the second plane hit Two World Trade Center.

Although it must have been difficult to continue working after such a tragedy, the people at Sun understood that New York depended on their ability to keep working. Within 24 hours almost all Sun employees were doing their jobs at other Sun locations, homes, even nearby cafes. Sun effectively used its own networking technology with an iWork program that enables employees to work at home, at an office near their home, or be highly productive anywhere with a mobile device and wireless network connection.

Flexwork is one way that we are now more secure. The vital work of millions can continue even if a building cannot be accessed or part of a city is closed. Wireless and Web 2 enable collaboration, communication, and knowledge work to continue anytime and anywhere. People are most effective working some days at one location, other times at home, others at a customer or supplier location. We can take advantage of the new flexible workplace solutions to annually save millions of wasted hours and billions of dollars of fuel. Flexible Work Report

Energy Security Action

Both 9/11 and the massive oil spill destruction of our oceans and coastal cities remind us that we need to be less dependent on oil. Ninety-five percent of our transportation fuel is from oil that is refined into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. We pay for that oil by transferring trillions of our dollars to countries hostile to the United States.

Americans are taking action to reduce our dependency on oil. They are driving less by taking advantage of employer programs such as flexwork, ride sharing, and public transportation. Last year, Americans removed 3.5 million cars from the road for the 10 reasons in this report.

Over 60,000 Americans drive electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt that use little or no gasoline. Millions drive more fuel efficient cars.

Electric cars, electric transit, and electric high-speed rail are fueled by electricity produced in America. Electric cars will primarily be smart charged at night and take advantage of our high growth of wind, solar, and other renewable energy.  We have enough wind to power the nation including transportation. We have enough solar. Yes, it will take time, money, high-voltage lines to major markets, and added jobs. Green is producing green. While many areas of our economy are currently suffering, renewable energy and energy efficiency are growing and creating jobs and corporate profits.

Real security requires more than airport checks, less foreign oil, and cleaner transportation. Real security starts with the commitment to give our children a better world. Future generations deserve nourishing food, clean water, and protection from disease. Global warming has now put over one billion at risk of not getting enough water and food. Glaciers are disappearing. Water systems are stressed as oceans rise and water tables deplete. Hurricanes attack our coastal cities with increased intensity. Draughts, heat waves, and wild fires weaken our ability to grow food at affordable prices.

Yes, there are those in Congress who are chanting “drill, drill, drill,” but we cannot end our addiction to oil with more oil. Elected to represent their people, not special interests, these legislators threaten to stop funding renewable energy unless Big Oil can drill anywhere it pleases.

In Mr. Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded he recalls a Chinese proverb, “When the wind changes direction, there are those who build walls and those who build windmills.” America can renew its world leadership with innovative solutions to our energy crisis. We can lead in wind power, solar, geothermal, building efficiency, materials that are lighter and stronger, zero emission cars, and zero emission cities. From information technology to clean technology, from flexwork to sustainable communities, let’s build windmills not walls.

We can be inspired by heroes like Avel Villanueva who got everyone to safety. We can also celebrate the millions of ordinary heroes who are building a more secure future for our children by living a more sustainable life.

Copyright 2010 © John Addison. Permission to reproduce with preservation of this copyright notice and link to original article. John Addison is the author of Save Gas, Save the Planet.

9/11 – Americans Respond to Energy Security Challenge is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Globally, more people own bikes than own cars, trucks and SUVs combined. Over one billion people own bikes. Fifty-seven million United States citizens ride a bicycle, at least, on occasion. For most of us the pace is gentle as we enjoy exercise and fresh air. For some of us, the bicycle is a practical part of our commuting and reaching other destinations.

Visit any college or university, and you are likely to see thousands of students, staff, and professors bicycling instead of driving. Parking is normally such a challenge that it is faster to bicycle, or even walk, rather than drive and search for parking. Some universities encourage students to start on the right foot, by having both feet on pedals. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, for example, freshmen are not allowed to have a car on campus. My niece, Lindsay Short, rode to classes and work by bicycle and bus, not missing the car that she left behind.

America is running out of oil. Imagine the difference if people replaced 20 percent of their car travel with bicycling and walking. Many universities, employers, and even cities are encouraging more bicycle travel. These organizations are motivated by everything from soaring health care costs to vanishing parking spaces.
When we bicycle, we burn fat not fossil fuel. We achieve the health benefits of moderate cardiovascular exercise. The benefits of bicycling are so attractive that people drive in stressful traffic to a health club to ride on a stationary bike. You can make a difference in your health and the planet’s by replacing one car trip monthly with a bike ride.

Communities are constantly sponsoring bike rides and events. Many have clubs with regular rides for people at different levels. A good place to find your local organization is bikelane.com.

When I lived in Atlanta, every year I joined thousands (including the mayor) in a charity event ride through beautiful antebellum neighborhoods. No cars were allowed as the police waved us through stop signs and stop lights during the ride. Now, the favorite ride for my wife and me is a nearby street with a bike lane that takes us across the Golden Gate Bridge. During the ride, we look out on the Pacific Ocean and the dramatic cliffs of the Marin Headlands. We continue a few miles to Sausalito, stopping for lunch where we can sit on the water and look back on the San Francisco hills.

One Billion Bicycles is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Record Transit Riders in New Economy

By John Addison (2/10/09)

Last year, Americans drove 100 billion miles less than the year before. They also used public transit and participated in commute programs in record numbers. Regional transportation plans have the opportunity to accelerate these trends, help people cost-effectively meet their transportation needs, and be part of the global warming solutions now needed.

In 2035, 9 million people will be more efficient and less stressed in traveling the San Francisco Bay Area if all goes according to plan. Transportation 2035 is one of the nation’s first regional transportation plans to make reducing carbon emissions integral to such a plan. This regional plan will accommodate a 26 percent population increase compared to 1990, improve their transportation, while reducing CO2 emissions by 14 percent compared to 1990.

Jack Broadbent, Executive Officer, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, observed, “Transportation is the largest source of air pollution and greenhouse gases in the Bay Area. To protect public health and protect the climate, we need to make better use of our transit systems, and we need to build and create livable communities that reduce our dependence on the automobile.”

Addressing the threat of a climate crisis is welcome in this multi-county region that includes cities, suburbs, ports, and an economy that includes manufacturing, services, agriculture, and diverse enterprises. Agriculture is already impacted by the draughts that impact vast parts of the United States. Rising seas threaten one of the nation’s most active ports and all living near the water.

“Climate change is expected to significantly affect the Bay Area’s transportation infrastructure through sea level rise and extreme weather. The transportation sector’s adverse contribution to climate change is primarily through greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks, buses, trains and ferries. Our transportation decisions and actions can either help or hinder efforts to protect the climate….”according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Most of the transportation budget will go to public transit which is forecasted to increase 75 percent over the 30 years. Clean Fleet Public Transportation Reports

The $226 billion of transportation funding over 30 years is primarily from local sources including transit fares, sales tax, and gasoline tax. Local, federal and state support is part of the funding, as it is throughout the nation.

In part, it is a demographic shift that will make the feasible the growth of public transportation. Although most people in the Bay Area now live in the suburbs, the Bay Area Governments forecast almost 70 percent growth in urban living and little growth in suburban living in the 30 years to 2035. Part of the shift to urban living is in the 25 percent of the Bay Area’s population that will be 65 and older in 2035. Similar percentages will be seen throughout the nation as 78 million U.S. Boomers are increasingly free from raising children and discover new priorities.

Planning trips will continue to get better. By Internet or a mobile phone call, trips can be planned via car or transit with systems like Google Maps and 511. Enter a beginning and end address, and these friendly information systems provide the best route, alternatives, and even include estimated walking time. Realtime transit arrival and traffic information will be ever more integrated into these systems.

Public transit is far less used in suburban and rural areas.

To speed suburban travel, an 800-mile Regional High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Network on Bay Area freeways is mapped. The Plan states, “High-occupancy toll lanes, or HOT lanes for short, are carpool lanes with a twist: buses and carpools use the lanes free of charge, but solo drivers are allowed to use available capacity in the lanes, too — for a price.”

The estimated $3.7 billion construction cost of the network would be paid for with HOT toll revenues that are estimated at $6 billion. These lanes also allow commuter buses, vans, and carpools to get people to and from work much faster than driving solo.

I personal experienced the benefit of using a HOT lane a few months ago when attending the American Public Transportation Association (APTA TransitVision 2050) convention at the San Diego Convention Center. I was staying with family out in the suburbs where conventional wisdom dictates that public transportation does not work. My brother dropped me at a bus stop two-miles from his home. From there, I took a commuter bus that sailed past stop-and-go traffic in a HOT lane taking me to downtown San Diego where I hopped on a trolley to the Convention Center. The journey was faster than driving solo. The bus fare lower than parking cost.

HOT lanes are effectively deployed in Houston, Seattle, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City.

Increased use of public transportation often hinges on those half to three “last miles” from home to transit to work. For many, the last mile solutions are walking and bicycling that improve health. Transportation 2035 thoughtfully includes Safe Routes to Transit programs and Safe Routes to Schools.

57 million Americans own a bicycle. The bicycle is especially effective for the last miles when simple things are in place such as painted and maintained bicycle lanes, secure bike parking, and sufficient space on buses and trains to carry a bicycle.

Although 30 percent of travel by bicycle is common in European cities from Copenhagen to Groningen. In the United States, however, Portland is the only city to even approach 3 percent. Transportation 2035  details a regional bicycle network to expand the carbon-free use of bicycles and improve the “last miles” solutions.

Better transportation for all of us certainly includes better expressways and bridges to somewhere, especially if they are significantly funded with tolls, HOT fees, and revenue tied to usage such as gasoline taxes. Ideally, better transportation is the result of a process that involves many employers, commuters, travelers, and governments throughout a region to plan effective multi-modal solutions. Transportation 2035 is one such plan.

Global Warming Solutions Included in Transportation 2035 is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

Enlightened communities are in the transition from being car-centric to being people-centric. Homes, public transportation, and businesses that serve neighborhoods are designed in close proximity. A people-oriented development often has a rapid transit station at its center, or at least a bus stop that is frequently served. Nearest to the station are higher density apartments and condos. Streets are alive with people and convenient shops. A short walk from the station is less density and single family homes. Walking is the easiest way to get around.

While the sprawl of many cities forces long commutes, there are three United States cities where at least 30 percent of employment is within 3 miles of the central business district: New York, San Francisco, and Portland. In these cities, people find it easy to take light rail or buses between work and home. A surprising number walk. For those that drive, they save by traveling fewer miles. People-oriented development increases real estate values.

In California, there is a strong interest in integrating transportation planning, regional development, and climate solution planning. Last week, 240 leaders of government, private industry, and non-profit leaders converged at CALSTART’s Target 2030 conference. Vehicles, fuels, and transportation planning were themes for many speakers and discussions.

Shelley Poticha, CEO of Reconnecting America, sited the statistic that if someone can walk to transit, they are 5 times more likely to use public transit and only drive half the miles of those who cannot walk to transit. Reconnecting America works with real estate developers and transit agencies to develop more housing within walking distance from transit, services, and shopping.

Mary Nichols, Chairwoman, California Air Resources Board, took center stage as a key executive in implementing California’s Climate Solutions law – one of the world’s most comprehensive approaches to reducing global warming. Some of the implementations are complex, such as the low carbon fuel standard. Other solutions are more straightforward. She observed that California could reduce its petroleum consumption by 5 percent if everyone walked an extra half-mile daily instead of covering the distance in a car.

Some cities with intelligent urban planning make it easy for people to live near work, friends, and fun. Portland has limited the boundaries of the city and invested in rapid transit. The results are impressive. The citizens of Portland save $2.6 billion per year, estimates economist Joe Cortright, Senior Fellow with The Brookings Institute.

Mr. Cortright identifies that a billion less going from Portland to foreign oil, is a billion more that is being spent on local goods and services, and being invested in local homes and businesses. For Portland, sustainable development and efficient transportation are good investments.

Learning from the success of cities such as Portland, California passed a law (SB 375) requiring regions to develop integrated urban and transportation plans that reduce long commutes and reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions.

Michael McKeever, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments, identified a major opportunity for Boomers who want smaller homes with more community services. Fifty percent of new California home sales could be for this target market.

Baby Boomers, specifically 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, are starting to shift to work that requires less travel and provides more fulfillment. Some will retire in the next few years; most will reinvent how they live and earn money. Millions of these Boomers will accelerate the shift to new urbanization as they move from the suburbs to cities. Freed from the demands of needing individual cars for long daily commutes to work, they will discover that it is easier to live “car-light” or car free in a city.

New urban development could create millions of jobs in construction, public transportation, and infrastructure. Making it a reality is not easy. California is facing a $40 billion budget deficit, creating tough choices such as new gasoline or sales tax, or major cuts in education, health care, and emergency services. The 480 cities which need to plan for the future lack funds for comprehensive planning. More urban density requires infrastructure upgrades from sewer pipes to reliable electric grids.

City living is not for everyone. Many prefer to raise families in the suburbs with their dream homes inside gated communities and their jobs located miles away. In the suburbs, the environmentally conscious share rides in hybrid vehicles, work at home at least a day per week, and are clever about letting their fingers do the walking. Others enjoy rural living near communities oriented around farming, ranching, mountains, and water.

Sixty-five percent of Americans live in the top 100 metropolitan areas. In cities, millions find work and play convenient. Some estimate that two-thirds of the urban areas that will exist in 2030 do not exist today. This gives us an incredible opportunity to develop in a sustainable way with near-zero emission transportation.

As I interviewed countless people, gathering their stories and ideas for Save Gas, Save the Planet, urbanites delivered a consistent message – people living in cities burn less gas and cause less global warming than those living in suburbs and rural areas. In cities, trips to grocery stores, friends, and work are often done by walking. Light rail and bus service is predictable and fast in cities. In cities, everything is closer together.

Copyright © 2009 John Addison. This article includes excerpts from John’s new book – Save Gas, Save the Planet. Last year, John and his wife moved from suburbia to the city, living 2 blocks from public transportation, now John’s primary mode of travel.

People-Oriented Development is a post from: Clean Fleet Report