Energy Conservation – Smart Policy

“The best kind of energy, the cheapest kind of energy, the energy that addresses energy independence, energy security, and also global warming is energy not used.” Richard A. Muller during a radio interview on NPR’s Science Friday. 

I discovered Richard A. Muller while listening to a recent podcast on NPR’s Science Friday. (12/5/2008)  There’s often nothing more satisfying than having someone a million times smarter than yourself validate your thoughts.

Such is the quote above from Muller regarding my thinking on energy conservation.  Why is carpooling good?  Because it conserves energy and it brings people together.  If he had only mentioned CarolinaCommuter.com…..

Dr. Muller was on Science Friday talking about a new book that he’s written called, Physics for Future Presidents : the science behind the headlines.  RICHARD A. MULLER is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a past winner of the MacArthur Fellowship. Physics for Future Presidents is based on his renowned course for non-science students.

To learn more about the science behind smart energy policy, check out the podcast or click the link below to learn more about the course Dr. Muller teaches that spawned the book at: 

http://fora.tv/2008/08/11/Richard_Muller_on_Physics_for_Future_Presidents

How much does it cost to build a mile of Highway?

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the average cost to build 1 mile of freeway through an urban area costs approximately $39 million, while a mile of freeway through a rural area costs approximately $8 million.  

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-14013-28076--F,00.html

RailestoTrails.org summarized the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Economic Requirements System’s input values for the typical costs of a variety of highway improvements, including the cost of adding a lane to an existing highway using a November of 2003 study adjusted to 2006 dollars and came up with the following values.

Input values for the cost of new construction to construct one lane-mile of a typical 4-lane divided highway can range from $3.1 million to $9.1 million per lane-mile in rural areas depending on terrain type and $4.9 million to $19.5 million in urban areas depending on population size. However, in urban areas restrictions (high cost of additional right-of-way, major utility relocation, high volume traffic control, evening work restrictions, etc.) may increase the cost per lane-mile. If restrictions exist the cost to construct one lane-mile of a 4-lane divided highway can range from $16.8 million to $74.7 million. The cost of $74.7 million perlane-mile in areas of severe restrictions may not represent the maximum cost per-lanemile and should be used as general guideline only. Individual projects may include extreme conditions warranting a much higher cost.

Link to RailestoTrails.org  white paper: http://www.railstotrails.org/resources/documents/whatwedo/policy/07-29-2008%20Generic%20Response%20to%20Cost%20per%20Lane%20Mile%20for%20widening%20and%20new%20construction.pdf

OPEC Head: Cuts could be ‘severe’

Alfred De Montesquiou’s AP article entitled “OPEC Head: Cuts could be severe”, printed in Friday’s (12/7/08) Post and Courier was alarming.  According to the article, OPEC has reached a consensus on oil production reductions.  OPEC’s President Chakib Khelil is quoted as saying “The best way is to surprise them”, when suggesting reductions could be deeper than expected, even “severe”.  The announcement is scheduled for December 17^th.  (Happy holidays America…)

Well, Carolina Commuters, let get serious ourselves - serious about promoting conservation until we can retool our auto industry, so that we can send our own SURPRISE  to the 14 members of OPEC,  that Carolina Commuter’s have the resolve to cut our consumption even more than we have.  Let’s surprise OPEC, and the world for that matter, by showing them how capable we are of making smart choices.  We can choose to not be held hostage by the petroleum industry, both here and abroad by taking simple steps to conserve fuel by carpooling and riding mass transit. 

Here’s a movie that’ll get your motor running

If you haven’t heard about the movie FUEL, I think it may be one you may be interested in putting on your queue. With any luck, it might even come to a theatre near you.

FUEL SYNOPSIS

Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues will be the catalyst for heated debates and positive change for many years to come. FUEL is the successor to “Fields of Fuel”, which won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary. FUEL exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels.

 

Josh Tickell and his Veggie Van take us on the road to discover the pros and cons of biofuels, how America’s addiction to oil is destroying the U.S. economy, and how green energy can save us, but only if we act now.

 

Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival’s Best Documentary Audience award and many more. 

 

For more information about the movie visit: http://thefuelfilm.com

Watch the trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huUoEx9aoPQ

Want to reduce emissions? Start by reducing the time your car is idling.

If you want to take a more active role in the reduction of emissions from your car or truck, you can start by reducing the time you spend idling.  A quick Google search using the word combination, “anti” “idling”, brings up nearly a half a million links to information describing the benefits of curtailing excess idling of combustion engines and the various idle reduction campaigns throughout the country.  

I’ll save you the search, here’s a good one to start with: http://www.thehcf.org/antiidlingprimer.html.  At the Hinkle Charitable Foundation website they mention, “Americans waste approximately 3.8 million gallons of gasoline by voluntarily idling their cars. While all idling is bad for the car engine, this primer addresses only voluntary idling, which occurs when the car is not actually being driven in traffic.”  

I’m probably taking my personal anti-idling initiative to extreme by turning my car off at traffic signals, when it’s safe to do so, but it feels good to sit there knowing I’m contributing, however small.  After doing your own research, you may consider turning off the engine the next time you’re waiting at the bus stop waiting for the kids, at a railroad crossing, or stuck in traffic waiting for the tow truck to clear the accident in front of you.   

Those of you with children, who take your kids to school, or without who idle near and around bus stops think about all those invisible and harmful emissions children are breathing on the way to the classroom.  Last I checked, Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Benzene, Formaldehyde, Polycyclic hydrocarbons, and Lead weren’t on the list of ingredients of the breakfast of champions.

Carpooling with your Hybrid

Driving a Hybrid will shrink your carbon footprint.  Carpooling with your Hybrid will put you in a class all by yourself.  You and your friends will be members of the “Super Elite” when it comes to making a contribution toward a cleaner environment.  With that said, it will cost you.  I came across a calculator that may help you with computing the cost of trading in your gas guzzler on a blog called “Political Calculations”.  Here’s the link http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2006/04/should-you-trade-in-your-gas-guzzler.html.

If you’ve recently made the switch to a Hybrid what led to your decision?  Are you satisfied with the technology,,,, the ride?  In your opinion, what should Carolina Commuters considering purchasing a Hybrid take into account before taking the plunge?

If nothing else, a quick review of the calculator’s data points will get you started with defining useful parameters unique to your decision as to whether or not to carpool in a Hybrid.

SCDOT’s Extraordinary Focus On Conservation

I attended SCDOT’s public meeting in North Charleston today, and had the pleasure of meeting two members of the SCDOT strategic planning team and a senior planner within the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments.  Together they are conducting a feasibility study to determine the practicality of implementing a HOV lane along an I-26 corridor approaching Charleston.  The team has embarked on an aggressive schedule to educate the public about the benefits of HOV lanes and their potential impact to the region.  Today’s meeting was the third of four planned events in our area.

All three planners had kind words to say about the launch of CarolinaCommuter.com and car pooling.  Their efforts to educate the public about HOV strategies include an informative tour of the many cities that have already or are planning to implement HOV lanes. The SCDOT’s introducing of an HOV initiative in the Lowcountry represents the very kind of bold innovation that we need from SCDOT and our local Government leaders, at a time when we need it the most.   

I realize ride sharing will not solve the entire problem of road congestion but I do think it deserves consideration as a viable strategic element within South Carolina’s approach to traffic density and energy sustainability.  South Carolinians can and should take pride in the I-26 HOV initiative.  

Carolina Commuters, to show our support and appreciation for the SCDOT’s extraordinary focus on conservation please plan to attend the upcoming public forum on September 30^th in Charleston from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Charleston County Public Library.