It requires a great deal of energy, namely fossil fuels, to power the world’s modes of transportation. Most of us realize that the pollution created by our vehicles damage the environment and cause health problems. Promising new technologies may be the cure, but for now, the world’s population can help out by using the most environmentally-friendly modes of transportation available.

Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles include:

• Cars
• Trains
• Lorries
• Boats
• Motorcycles
• Scooters

Electric vehicles that are fully powered by electricity don’t give off emissions, although emissions may be produced by the power plants producing the electricity. However, the power can come from clean and/or renewable sources such as hydroelectric, geothermal, wind turbines, or solar power.

Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars rely on electricity as well as fuel engines. Most hybrids recharge the batteries automatically by converting energy during braking. Emissions from hybrid cars can be 25 percent to 90 percent lower than a standard car. The Green Car Club reports that hybrids reduce health threatening tailpipe emissions by 90 percent. The Club also states that hybrid vehicles do contribute to greenhouse emissions, but at a reduced rate. However, hybrids aren’t perfect. There is concern about the environmental impact of the batteries. The caustic substances powering the batteries must be disposed of properly.

Green Trains

With the federal government’s increased support of the alternative energy field, trains may get greener with hybrid locomotives and other advanced technologies. The new hybrid locomotives use the same technologies utilized in hybrid cars.

Electric trains use either overhead lines, an electrified third rail, or an energy storing device such as a battery or a fuel cell. How fast can they go? France’s double-deck TGV’s electric train operates at speeds of 200 mph or higher.

The Mercedes-Benz Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus

The buses use four electrical wheel hub motors along with one of the world’s largest automotive lithium-ion batteries. The battery stores energy produced by a diesel generator and also the energy recovered during breaking.

The Mercedes-Benz Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus lowers diesel consumption, which was already low for Mercedes-Benz hybrid buses, by up to 30 percent, while also lowering CO2 emissions. The Ciatro G BlueTec Hybrid Bus cover sections of its route using only electrical power.

Bicycle

Of course, biking instead of driving greatly contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gases. A good, comfortable hybrid bicycle purchased at a bicycle store costs from $300 to $600. You can purchase a bicycle for about $100 at a big box store.

Electric Bike

After you begin pedaling, turn the throttle to get a boost. Only light pedaling is required. U.S. law limits the speed of electric bikes at 20 mph, so in most states you’re not required to obtain a special license, registration, or insurance.

Electric Motorcycles

Electric motorcycles don’t produce pollution — they’re powered by batteries. However, pollution may be created by the production of the grid power used to charge the batteries.

The average electric motorcycle costs a little under $7000. Some electric motorcycles such as the Brammo Enertia have many components made from recycled materials. The Enertia Plus Electric Motorcycle, made by Brammo, gets 80+ miles per charge in urban commuting.

Several prototypes use fuel cell technology. Perhaps one day these motorcycles will be mass produced.

It’s not an easy task convincing the world’s population to change their “mobility behavior” towards environmentally-friendly modes; however, slow progress is being made.

Source: The Greenists

Also read Does it make sense to buy a hybrid car? and 12 myths about electric vehicles.  Not in the market for a new ‘green’ vehicle?  See Green Driving Tips and How to hypermile and drive green.  You don’t necessarily need a green car to drive green, see How to green your car.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems Mpumalanga offers water tank and rainwater tank installation, rainwater harvesting systems (see rainwater FAQ), grey water recycling  (see greywater FAQ) and water-saving devices for swimming pools and toilet flush systems (see product demo ).  Our WWF Award-winning water systems can be retrofitted or built into new buildings and can be adapted to small households or large business blocks, hospitals, schools, lodges & hotels.

Water Rhapsody has incorporated Yes Solar- official distributor of high quality solar water heating systems that are installed by Eskom-accredited solar installers (our solar geysers are eligible for Eskom solar energy rebates).  We are authorized JoJo Water Tank dealers and Atlas Plastics water tank suppliers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province (best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).  We are also able to supply sanitary hardware such as waterless toilets through our JoJo Tanks and Atlas Plastics dealerships.

Contact us for a FREE QUOTE on a solar water geyser, water tank or rainwater/gray water system.  South Africa now has eco-friendly insurance- another way to go green, switch to green insurance cover and reduce your carbon footprint today!  Building or renovating?  Consider using environmentally friendly bamboo products.

The current hide crude oil prices will affect the global community; fuel prices are on the rise, especially in South Africa. Here’s how to get more mileage from your fuel tank:

Green driving doesn’t necessarily mean replacing your old car with a ‘green car’.  Hybrid cars are often expensive and come at a greater, unseen environmental cost (e.g. the mining, shipping and manufacturing of some batteries for electric cars uses up huge amounts of energy).  It’s cheaper, easier and possibly more eco-friendly to simply change your driving habits.

A quick summary of green driving tips:

1. Don’t step on the accelerator pedal!  Drive smoothly.
2. Avoid unnecessary idling.
3. Plan your trip – it’ll save time and money.
4. Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicle.
5. Use the air vents instead of using the air conditioner.
6. Maintain your car well- more fuel efficient and prevents costly mechanical failure.
7. Drive at recommended speed limits – lower fuel consumption and no speeding fines!
8. Drive at a constant speed (when cruising) in the correct gear.

(A republication of a popular 2010 www.rainharvest.co.za post)

Also see:  How to Green Your Car and How to Hypermile and Drive Green.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems Mpumalanga offers water tank and rainwater tank installation, rainwater harvesting systems, grey water recycling and water-saving devices for swimming pools and toilet flush systems (see product demo ).  Our WWF Award-winning water systems can be retrofitted or built into new buildings and can be adapted to small households or large business blocks, hospitals, schools, lodges & hotels.

Water Rhapsody has incorporated Yes Solar- official distributor of German-made Solsquare solar water heating systems that are installed by Eskom-accredited solar installers (our solar geysers are eligible for Eskom solar energy rebates).  We are authorized JoJo Water Tank dealers and Atlas Plastics water tank suppliers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province (best water tank prices in the Lowveld!).  We are also able to supply sanitary hardware such as waterless toilets through our JoJo Tanks and Atlas Plastics dealerships.

Contact us for a free quote on a solar water geyser, water tank or rainwater/gray water system today!

Everything you thought you knew about plug-in hybrids and battery cars is probably wrong.

Water Rhapsody Water Conservation Systems and Yes Solar Mpumalanga have combined (water and energy are linked!) to offer high quality water conservation systems and solar energy solutions.

Contact us for a free quote on a rainwater tank,  rainwater harvesting system, grey water recycling system, Atlas Plastics & JoJo water tanks (we are authorised JoJo Tanks dealers in Mpumalanga and Limpopo – best water tank prices in the Lowveld!), green plumbing systems or solar water geyser (made by Solsquare in Germany).

All our water systems are installed by qualified Water Rhapsody consultants and our Solsquare solar geysers are fitted by Eskom-approved solar installers (so that you can claim cash back from the Eskom renewable energy rebate scheme).

9 Steps to Saving Fuel, Saving Money and Saving the Environment

Hypermiling refers to a collection of driving techniques aimed at improving your car’s fuel efficiency by reducing the demands placed on the engine. Since it’s possible to improve fuel economy by 37% just by changing the way you drive hypermiling is gaining interest in light of high fuel costs. While some hypermiling methods are controversial and potentially dangerous, this article will focus on safer techniques that can still save you gas and money.

1. Drive as if you don’t have brakes. Stopping and starting kills gas mileage. Increase the amount of distance between you and other vehicles, don’t race to red lights or traffic obstructions. Coast as much as possible. On newer cars (Manual Transmission) if the car is in gear and your foot is off the accelerator, the injectors shut off completely, creating FREE mileage at the cost of some minor engine braking. Engaging the clutch and/or putting the car in neutral causes the car to idle, using up gas as opposed to using none. Coast as often as possible, because if you’re smart enough with your coasting, your acceleration won’t even cause a hiccup in your cruising mpg.

This may be frustrating and difficult, however, if other drivers keep cutting in front of you. You should keep your foot ready to use the brake so that if you do need to stop suddenly you can react quickly. If using this technique at night, make sure you have clean headlights and that they are working properly. Obviously, you still need to obey all traffic laws and common sense. For example, you wouldn’t roll through stop signs; the increased risk of a car accident and/or traffic ticket is not worth a few extra cents saved in fuel costs.

2. Be gentle with the accelerator. When you slam down on the gas pedal, it pushes more fuel into the engine, making it run faster (and lowering the fuel economy and increasing your output of pollutants). Push the pedal down slowly, and lift it up as soon as you know you’re going to need to stop (when you see a red light, a stop sign, or brake lights from the car ahead of you) so that you can coast the rest of the way. You should never need to push down the pedal by more than an inch (2.5cm). Some cars are even being designed with pedals that “push back” when you’re accelerating too aggressively!

If you have a choice between various routes, go for the one with the least number of stops; country roads are good because you don’t have to stop (and go) as much and you don’t have to accelerate/brake to get on/off (like with the highway).

If you’re driving on sloped roads, it’s useful to think about where you should come to a full stop because that’ll affect how hard you need to accelerate:

• Fuel efficient vehicles actually generate better gas mileage when a “brisk” acceleration method is used. Acceleration makes for terrible mileage, so get the acceleration out of the way so that you can cruise (excellent mileage!) Slow acceleration will yield less mileage on efficient cars.
• Avoiding stopping on an incline heading upwards. Starting from a dead stop on a hill is the worst scenario in terms of fuel economy. Stop at the top of the hill, or stop before you climb the hill (if it’s safe).
• When coming down a hill and faced with a red light at the bottom (where it levels out), try to stop well before the light so that you can use the remaining downhill slope to your advantage when you need to move again.

3. Avoid idling. Turning off the engine when you stop for more than one minute can improve fuel efficiency by 19%. In cold weather, letting your car idle to warm up reduces fuel economy and creates additional pollution; all you need to do is drive gently for 5-10 minutes and if you’re following the previous two steps, you’re going to be driving gently all the way anyway.

If you have multiple stops in one trip, plan it so that you go to your furthest destination first and make the rest of your stops on your way back. By taking your longest drive at the beginning, you give the car enough time to warm up for the remainder of the trip; if you took the short trips first, your car would take longer to warm up (because of the brevity of each trip). Since engines do not operate efficiently until they are warm, taking your longest drive first increases fuel efficiency.

4. Go slower up hills, and faster downhill. Going uphill slower allows you to use your momentum to help keep your car from using extra gas to get up the hill. If you plan for a hill by going faster you’ll get further up the hill before you need to use extra gas. While going downhill you can go faster using less gas, as such don’t lay off the pedal completely, use it until you’re going a little faster than normal. If you combine the two in areas with small hills you’ll see much higher mileage.

5. Minimize the engine load. Generally, it’s better for your fuel economy if you maintain a steady speed, which is why using cruise control and driving at or below the speed limit is an important part of hypermiling. If you’re driving on a hill or any kind of varied terrain, however, you need to consider how much work the engine is doing. Sometimes, a steady speed means unsteady strain on your engine, which lowers fuel economy. Let’s say you’re approaching a hill. When you go up the hill, you should slow down, or else your engine will have to do extra work to maintain your previous speed. Practice with caution as you may annoy other drivers.

6. Park for easy departure. Instead of searching for the perfect spot close to an entrance (which will involve stop and go driving, especially with pedestrians involved and other drivers pulling in or out of their spots) pull into a spot that’s further away from the entrance. Look for the parking spot with the highest elevation and park face-out so that when you start the car and the engine is cold (at the lowest efficiency) you can use gravity in your favor without having to spin your car around.

7. Check tire pressure regularly. If the tires are incorrectly inflated, then there will be excess drag, or not enough surface contact with the road. The car therefore suffers a drop in efficiency.

8. Reduce the junk in the trunk. The more weight you’re carrying, the more the engine and drive-train have to work. Removing all of that unused junk in the trunk increases efficiency.

9. In a hybrid, Pulse and Glide. If you own a hybrid car, you can increase your mileage by learning to pulse and glide. Pulse and glide is a technique that can dramatically increase your mileage, but is best when you are on a road where there are few other people around.

• “Pulse” or accelerate up to a speed that is the higher end of a range of speeds that are appropriate. Do this using one of the sweet spots for mileage/power ratio on your car. For the prius these spots are ~15mpg and 25mpg, and correspond to times at which the gas engine is powering the car and charging the battery.
• “Glide” between acceleration, but use the accelerator to provide electric assist. This requires knowing how hard to push and in which circumstances, but is very easy to see on the consumption screen. Get used to the maximum electric assist you can use and you’ll go further between pulses, further increasing your mileage.

Source: wikihow

Many haven’t heard of the term ‘hypermiling’ but have probably practiced some of the tips mentioned above.  This shows that you don’t necessarily need a green car to drive green.  As a student, I remember trying all sorts of fuel saving tips out of necessity- who wants to spend money on fuel when there are so many other better things to spend it on?  Even if saving money is not the primary incentive, reducing fossil fuel usage reduces your carbon emissions and lessens your environmental impact. The same can be said for water- when you save water, you generally save money too.  Water Rhapsody has a solution to all your water conservation requirements.  See the water systems featured on our product demo and contact us for a FREE quote!  We also supply and install JoJo water tanks (we are authorized JoJo dealers in South Africa).