Green News Roundup
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 by Kyle Scribner
Welcome to another of Green Among Gray’s periodic green news roundups, in which I list a few items when I don’t have a proper blog post prepared there is more than just one big thing to talk about.
Fuel Economy Guide
The EPA and the Department of Energy have unveiled the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, which tells you what you can expect to pay for fuel for 2010 model year vehicles.
As I said last year, one of the coolest things about the guide is that it’s mobile-accessible, so you can look through data while you’re at a dealership checking out cars.
Toyota’s Prius once again tops the charts, at 51/48 mpg (up from last year’s 48/45), followed by Honda’s Civic Hybrid at 40/45.
The EPA also lists the worst vehicles for fuel efficiency. Among the bottom-feeders: the Lamborghini Murcielago, at 8/13 (which is why I don’t own one) and the Bentley Azure at 9/15.
And in an interesting side-note, the EPA names the most efficient vehicles it’s ever certified. The leader? A minivan!
It’s the 2000 Nissan Altra EV (above), an electric vehicle that got the equivalent of 123 mpg. Who knew? Previous records like this should be falling soon, though, with the likes of Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on the horizon.
Animal die-off numbers
Animals around the US die off for any number of reasons, some alarming – they can be a predictor of a bigger problem, such as a human health threat – some just a natural course.
The National Wildlife Health Center tracks these wildlife mortality events to allow any number of government agencies – or just regular folks like you and me – to better understand them and try to stem them, as necessary.
If you’re a nature lover, it’s interesting to read up on this stuff. And if not – why aren’t you!? Get out there and observe! You’ll love it, I swear.
Check out the most recent list of animal die-offs to see if there are any near your particular stroll-through-the-woods area. These reports offer eye-opening data, like the fact that botulism is wiping out thousands of water fowl across the US, or that millions of amphibians are dying of fungal infections.
Green restaurants
One particularly burgeoning sector of the green movement is the organic restaurant. They’ve sprouted all around the country, offering fresh, local food to legions of diners who care about how their eating habits impact the environment (or maybe they only care about eating yummy stuff; either way, organic restaurants fit the bill).
Over the coming weeks, Green Among Gray will focus on a few of these restaurants in various Captivate cities. Stay tuned.
Fuel Economy Guide
The EPA and the Department of Energy have unveiled the 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, which tells you what you can expect to pay for fuel for 2010 model year vehicles.
As I said last year, one of the coolest things about the guide is that it’s mobile-accessible, so you can look through data while you’re at a dealership checking out cars.
Toyota’s Prius once again tops the charts, at 51/48 mpg (up from last year’s 48/45), followed by Honda’s Civic Hybrid at 40/45.
The EPA also lists the worst vehicles for fuel efficiency. Among the bottom-feeders: the Lamborghini Murcielago, at 8/13 (which is why I don’t own one) and the Bentley Azure at 9/15.
And in an interesting side-note, the EPA names the most efficient vehicles it’s ever certified. The leader? A minivan!
It’s the 2000 Nissan Altra EV (above), an electric vehicle that got the equivalent of 123 mpg. Who knew? Previous records like this should be falling soon, though, with the likes of Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on the horizon.
Animal die-off numbers
Animals around the US die off for any number of reasons, some alarming – they can be a predictor of a bigger problem, such as a human health threat – some just a natural course.
The National Wildlife Health Center tracks these wildlife mortality events to allow any number of government agencies – or just regular folks like you and me – to better understand them and try to stem them, as necessary.
If you’re a nature lover, it’s interesting to read up on this stuff. And if not – why aren’t you!? Get out there and observe! You’ll love it, I swear.
Check out the most recent list of animal die-offs to see if there are any near your particular stroll-through-the-woods area. These reports offer eye-opening data, like the fact that botulism is wiping out thousands of water fowl across the US, or that millions of amphibians are dying of fungal infections.
Green restaurants
One particularly burgeoning sector of the green movement is the organic restaurant. They’ve sprouted all around the country, offering fresh, local food to legions of diners who care about how their eating habits impact the environment (or maybe they only care about eating yummy stuff; either way, organic restaurants fit the bill).
Over the coming weeks, Green Among Gray will focus on a few of these restaurants in various Captivate cities. Stay tuned.
Labels: 2010 Fuel Economy Guide, animal die-offs, Green restaurants, Nissan Altra EV, wildlife mortality events
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Kyle Scribner is a born-again nature freak who also happens to be an editor at Captivate Network.