Yesterday, I wrote about a national campaign to encourage Americans to drive smarter and use less fuel. 

Blogger Deron Lovass, vehicles campaign director for the national advocacy group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, weighed in today here, encouraging people to apply their own power to the supply and demand situation.  Increasing demand driving up the price? Cut the demand to force a drop.

He also has a chart showing gas prices adjusted for inflation since 1918 and interesting policy analysis.

He notes:  NRDC estimates that if everyone took several simple steps like the ones outlined in the Drive $marter Challenge, "we could improve gas mileage by perhaps 10-20 percent, which would reduce fuel consumption by 9-17 percent."  He says it would would save about 1.5 million barrels per day, or five times as much as the extra production from Saudi Arabia in response to a recent plea from President Bush. 

Interested in saving money?

Today, the Alliance to Save Energy, a national advocacy group, is launching a Drive $marter Challenge, with an interactive web site that offers gas-saving tips in Spanish and English, as well as coupons and links to information on local gas prices, public transportation, biking, car sharing, and carpooling.

All this comes not a moment too soon, with gas prices careening toward $4 and the summer driving season upon us.

The website (if it doesn’t work, you have to install Adobe Flash player) has a calculator allowing drivers to enter specific vehicle data (make, model, year, cylinders) and find out how much money they can save by changing a few things.

The Wal-Mart Foundation and 16 other partners are joining the campaign.

The web site’s calculator also displays a running tally of the cumulative money, gallons, and CO2 emission savings of everyone who has “taken the Challenge” by pledging to follow through on any or all of those fuel-saving steps. The point is that even small efficiencies can add up significantly.

Some of the tips are ones we already know, but still can’t seem to do. Like slowing down or, heck, just obeying the speed limit. Want an example? Speed data from the New Jersey Department of Transportation shows that on one stretch of I-295 through Burlington County, in 2006, as many as 75 percent of all drivers exceeded 65 miles per hour.

The campaign adds data to give more oomph to the suggestions. For instance:

An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a typical vehicle’s fuel economy by two percent. It would be like adding 8 cents a gallon to $4-a-gallon gas.

Inquirer reporter Tony Gnoffo wrote a story not long ago about other fuel economy measures, including tips from “hypermilers” who have got to be the all-time experts for cranking out the mileage.

More tips -- although not as flashily presented -- are at the “greener cars” website of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

If you want to really parse out the savings, follow  the lead of UPS, the package delivery company, which  discovered that planning clockwise routes — with right-hand turns — is better than counterclockwise. In 2007, the company shaved nearly 30 million miles off its routes and saved 3 million gallons of gas. Read about it here.

Since I drive a Prius, which has a constant mileage readout, I’ve seen the savings you can get by driving more slowly and more gently.

I have another tip I realized just yesterday, when I had the radio on and I suddenly realized my speedometer had crept up to 65:  Don’t listen to loud rock music while driving!

(Inquirer photo by Bonnie Weller)

In recent years, “we’ve had a transformation,” Alan Meier tells me. “We’ve gone from a situation where most object have a hard off. Now, most any product you buy is most likely going to draw power all the time.”

Meier is an energy analyst with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and I interviewed him for a column in this morning’s paper about the dribble of electricity required to keep many of our appliances and electronic devices on “standby.”

Not all of it is waste. Sometimes it’s convenient to have the WiFi router on all the time instead of constantly rebooting.

Some energy leakage is necessary — as in Meier’s example of the “ground fall circuit interrupts” in many bathroom outlets (the ones with the little reset button), which are constantly watching, making sure no one is being electrocuted.

But still, nationwide we spend more than $3 billion a year on “vampire” energy, being sucked away by appliances.

Maybe if you haven’t subbed out a lot of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, or if you haven’t insulated your hot water heater and the hot water pipes leading from it, it’s silly to be running around unplugging cell phone chargers.

But then again, it’s not only free, it can also make you money.
For an example of how things can add up, just ask the folks in Juneau, Alaska.

A month ago, an avalanche cut the town off from its cheap source of hydroelectric power. Since then, people are doing everything they can to trim their power use, including turning off devices that drain energy.

And not just to help out the town. Electric rates have shot from 11 cents a kilowatt-hour to 53.

Lights have been dimmed, elevators shut down, Nintendos turned off. In a matter of weeks, the town has cut electricity use by 30 percent.

Here’s a fascinating story about what they’re doing.

Pat Cunnane after winning the race. (Inquirer photo by Tom Gralish)

Earlier this week, a cyclist, a bus-rider and a car-driver took off from 45^th and Spruce streets, headed for the Frank Rizzo statue across from City Hall.

They were in a race sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition.

The plan was to test the assertion that not only is cycling good exercise for the rider, good for the city because it reduces congestion, and good for the planet because it reduces emissions.  The group wanted to show it’s also faster.

The cyclist won – handily – and you can read the story I wrote about it here.

But since then, debate and banter has raged.  Did the cyclist cheat?!! Did he obey traffic laws? (Yes, he says.)  How come they started it at 45^th? Why not South Philadelphia? North Philadelphia? Didn’t they know the route was all downhill, favoring the cyclist? Why didn’t the transit rider take the El? The subway?

It’s been fun.

Today is Bike-To-Work day, and I hope the stalwarts didn’t get too soggy in all this rain.

Meanwhile, the coalition has been looking at how to improve parking options for cyclists, announcing the findings of a new report documenting bike parking at major destinations throughout Philadelphia.

The coalition says that Ample bike parking is an essential foundation of a sustainable and bike-friendly city, yet it is in short supply “on city streets, in public garages, lots, buildings and transportation centers, and at major cultural, entertainment and sports destinations,” said the report’s author, Sarah Clark Stuart, in a prepared statement. 

“Philadelphia needs to ramp up the quantity and quality of bicycle parking throughout the city to encourage more people to use their bikes instead of their cars," she said.

One of the report's recommendations is to convert on-street parking spaces into bike corrals to accommodate bicycle parking.

The coalition, in conjunction with the Streets Department and Neighborhood Bike Works, has transformed on-street parking spaces into “corrals” that can hold eight to ten bikes.  They’re at 16^th and Chestnut, plus 40^th and Walnut. They’ll be in place until May 30^th as a pilot project.

The full report is here.  

Photos of bike racks in Philadelphia can be found here.  

Today is the last day for people to make a “Burn Calories, Not Carbon” pledge on the site of the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national nonprofit working with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into trails.

Citing statistics that show  nearly half of all trips in the United States are three miles or less, they want people to switch from cars (the norm) to walking or cycling. They more pledges they get on their website, the more clout they’ll have in going to U.S. political leaders to ask for funding.

Happy biking, everyone.

Pat Cunnane after winning the race. (Inquirer photo by Tom Gralish)

Earlier this week, a cyclist, a bus-rider and a car-driver took off from 45^th and Spruce streets, headed for the Frank Rizzo statue across from City Hall. They were in a race sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition.

The plan was to test the assertion that not only is cycling good exercise for the rider, good for the city because it reduces congestion, and good for the planet because it reduces emissions.  The group wanted to show it’s also faster.

The cyclist won – handily – and you can read the story I wrote about it here.

But since then, debate and banter has raged.  Did the cyclist cheat?!! Did he obey traffic laws? (Yes, he says.)  How come they started it at 45^th? Why not South Philadelphia? North Philadelphia? Didn’t they know the route was all downhill, favoring the cyclist? Why didn’t the transit rider take the El? The subway?

It’s been fun.

Today is Bike-To-Work day, and I hope the stalwarts didn’t get too soggy in all this rain.

The coalition says that Ample bike parking is an essential foundation of a sustainable and bike-friendly city, yet it is in short supply “on city streets, in public garages, lots, buildings and transportation centers, and at major cultural, entertainment and sports destinations,” said the report’s author, Sarah Clark Stuart, in a prepared statement. “Philadelphia needs to ramp up the quantity and quality of bicycle parking throughout the city to encourage more people to use their bikes instead of their cars."

One of the report's recommendations is to convert on-street parking spaces into bike corrals to accommodate bicycle parking.

Citing statistics that show  nearly half of all trips in the United States are three miles or less, they want people to switch from cars (the norm) to walking or cycling. They more pledges they get on their website, the more clout they’ll have in going to U.S. political leaders to ask for funding.

Happy biking, everyone.

When I bought my first Prius in 2004, I didn’t do it for the way it looked. In fact, I thought the car was weirdly unattractive.

I got it for the green aspect.

By now — when I’m on to my second Prius, thanks to a rear-ending, and this one gets even better mileage! - I love the look. And, ooh, it just might be fashionable to boot.

Nearly eight in 10 Americans who plan to buy or lease a car in the next two years would choose a “green” car over one that is beautiful, according to a survey recently conducted by Challenge X – a national collegiate engineering competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors.

Okay, so they had a point of view to begin with. But  get this:

-- Close to nine in 10 women say they’d rather chat up someone with the latest fuel-efficient car versus the latest sports car. (Men, too?)

-- Eighty percent of American car buyers would find someone with the latest model fuel-efficient car more interesting to talk to at a party than someone with the latest sports car. (Even if it’s painted red?)

-- More than four out of 10 people between 18 and 43 say it’s a fashion faux-pas to have a car that is not green or environmentally friendly. (So how come four out of ten don’t have them?)

By the way, watch for big news from the West Philly Hybrid X Team, which is competing in another green car challenge, the Progressive Auto X Prize. Ten million dollars awaits the team that best designs a “viable, clean and super-efficient car that people want to buy.”

Headquartered at West Philadelphia High School’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, the team of students and teachers has built and competed with alternative fuel vehicles for the last 10 years.

Ozone season has begun.

High levels of ozone pose health risks for everyone, and over half of the population is considered especially sensitive to ground-level ozone, says the Air Quality Partnership, administered by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Council, which alerts the public when levels become dangerous.

We all cause it. The bright sunlight and high temperatures of summer react with pollution emitted by our motor vehicles, power plants and other things that burn fuel — even your lawn mower — to form high levels of ground-level ozone. Most of us call it smog.

Currently, the Delaware Valley does not meet the federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone.

With stronger standards instituted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency last year — albeit not strong enough, say some environmental and health advocates — the region will likely have more “Code Orange” days this year — 35 to 70, the partnership estimates.

On Code Orange days, those who are considered “sensitive” should limit strenuous outdoor activities. On Code Red days, that applies to everyone.

Daily air quality forecasts and tips for reducing air pollution are available at the partnership’s website or by calling 1-800-872-7261.

There's more information on the website of the Clean Air Council.

Kenn Kaufman

In birding circles, Kenn Kaufman is all but legendary.

Every time I write a bird story — oh, how I wish I had time to do more — his name seems to come up. Want someone authoritative to weigh in on the ivory billed woodpecker? Call Kenn. Need an outside perspective on the Cape May style of birding? Call Kenn.

A birder and naturalist since childhood, Kenn left home at age 16 in quest of more birds than ever. He began an 80,000-mile cross-country journey aimed at breaking the record for most avian species sightings in a single year. (For an idea what that’s like, check out the 2005 book, "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession," by Mark Obmascik.)

By now, Kaufman has led nature tours on all seven continents. He is the creator of the Kaufman Field Guide series (on North American birds, butterflies, mammals, and insects).

For a time in the early 1980s, he lived in Philadelphia and worked at the Academy of Natural Sciences in its VIREO (Visual Resources for Ornithology) lab. His job was to create a file documenting rare bird sightings around the country.

Kaufman will be back at the Academy at 2:30 p.m. Saturday — which just happens to be International Migratory Bird Day — talking about “Wings of the Imagination: Why We Need Birds.”
He’ll also sign copies of his new book, “Flights Against the Sunset,” a memoir in which he explains his obsession with birds to his ailing mother.

 Now that veggie-planting season is getting into full swing, I’m out in the compost area, collecting rich soil to pat around the seedlings and feeling good about not sending food waste to the landfill. 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says that yard trimmings and food “residuals” together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.

 Not all of it can be composted. People generally nix meat scraps, fatty foods and even vegetables cooked in butter  because they attract pests and smell bad. But still, a lot of opportunity remains. No need to send this stuff to a landfill if you can use it to enrich your garden. It helps the soil hold water  and reduces your need for fertilizers and chemicals. 

Just about any set-up you can imagine will work … eventually.  I’ve seen rural yards with large, scientific compost productions that will turn out compost in two months or less. I’ve seen tiny backyard bins outside a Cheltenham rowhouse. Some people are so gung-ho they bug their neighbors for extra material.

And then there are my own piles of  prunings, weeds, grass clippings, leaves and such. They’ll take a while to break down, and I don’t really care because they're pretty much out of sight in the woods.

For about two years, I built bins out of concrete blocks and turned the piles over with a pitchfork every few weeks to hasten things along. I had a special thermometer – decomposition generates heat -- and I’d log the temperature regularly. Heat is also good for killing weed seeds. 

I had a chipper, too, for chopping up the bigger materials. But it was loud and didn’t work very well. Plus, small gas engines create air pollution.

So enough of all that!  Now I just wait.

I know a lot of people will think this is disgusting, but we have a little compost pail by the kitchen sink, and into that go all the coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, eggshells, etc. We empty that into two black composting bins in the back yard. (I thought the bins looked nicer than a pile, which means we can keep them closer to the house.)  Occasionally I add other stuff, just to keep it varied.

There is worlds of information on the internet. The Penn State extension service offers classes, and you can find out about them here.

Meanwhile, I went out to my black bins just the other day and opened up the bottom. Rich dark humus spilled out. Oh boy.