Posts Tagged ‘eco friendly’

A modern Santa Claus does of course take an e-bike to gain green efficiency as it could be quite complicated to park reindeers in the city….

E-biking is a good way of green commuting, why not give it a try? Join the movement and you will get real life awards when you make improvements, for example; leaving your car for a day and changing to a more sustainable transportation mode. You can also join the ongoing Challenges, one global is now running by WWF and one local in Gothenburg, Sweden, by mat.se. Join and contribute to WWF’s important global mission or redeem your points to food!

You can find the “Commute Greener – smarter ways” app on facebook or on Google Play for Android devices (soon also available on AppStore, watch out…)

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (by the way, the app is also a perfect Christmas present to everyone you care about, and for free)

Commute Greener!

/Karin

It is a bit more than 2 years since we started Commute Greener! Most of all we want to celebrate every step that you take towards sustainability. New or old, more or less active, everyone can still save some CO2 and by that also saving money and time as well as get better health. Now we are ready to give you even more. We will start in Goteborg, Sweden, where Commute Greener has pioneered successful campaigns. Based on your CO2 performance you can, among other offers, from today:

• Enjoy a lunch at Slimfood;
• Use offers from Office-Inn;
• Take an electric bike ride for free at EcoRide;
• Get a surprise at ecoffee.

Excited? Well, we cooperate with MIKZ and all you have to do is to get the app at www.mikz.com and search for ‘Commute’ benefits at the Plaza. This will give you the chance to get some great free offers. If you live elsewhere, please stay tuned and already now you can send ideas and proposals to: CommuteGreener@volvo.com.

By giving more and more real-life benefits to you and your friends, we hope you enjoy the way when you Commute Greener! Remember how to do get it done? You are welcome to have a look at the updated How-to videos or FAQ page.

Here is a new and inspirational video on the way towards sustainable transport solutions.  

 


Please contact CommuteGreener@volvo.com for comments, questions or feedback. More information www.CommuteGreener.com

Have a nice summer & Commute Greener!

/Karin

To take steps on the way towards sustainable transport solutions I relate with respect to grate role models. My blog post today will be extra personal at the same time as moving like a copycat relating to three ways:  a trip to a guiding light in bright nature;  a background journey origin in my magic motherhood (yes today is Mothers Day in Sweden);  a future road including the successful sister of adventure to re-energise efforts for sustainable progress.

The copycat is in the text below trying to make a magic Swedish text into something that can be read as simply English – a challenge per say. ( are what respectful role models take on – I hope to endure, like they are <3 )

Last weekend the target was set to Pater Noster as part of a birthday celebration. Already at the start did signs of marvel and magic appear. What a wonderful world could be heard at the arrival on the central station and was followed by a tram trip in a beautiful sun set. Morning after begun with a ride share impacting the environment with 107 g/km (divided by 4 multiplied with 42 as the answer to everything).

Then came the RIB trip out to the charming little lighthouse just north of Marstrand om the Swedish west coast. Pater Noster, in the respectful role model as lighthouse, is 144 years old and has at least as many stories to tell in its natural setting. We checked in to be lighthouse keepers, to take part of background journeys and enjoy the present by the sea. Sharing experiences with a taste of salt and setting sails in the wind. Non of this would have happened without my magic mother. Today is just another ordinary day while I am extra grateful for the opportunity to have climbed the houndredthirtysomething steps up to the top of Pater Noster. As well as seeing the eternity into the maze of the surrounding archipelago from the top, take on oysters, bubbles and bath tub. To search and find treasures of nature dating back to lava flows and ice age. We encountered seals sunbathing, the fin of porpoises breaking the waves and birds nesting in every crevice.

Copykitten of this text has an origin, with modifications without getting lost in translation, in the objective to cherish Mothers Day. My mother is also a blogger (more than one post makes a blogger). My mother is true inspiration and a respectful role model. Age is just a state of mind and I so happy for the youth in her soul and sharpness in mind.

Curious and eager for quality of life, with the smile that create happiness. The Swedish text and for so much of future progress comes from my sisters. All love to all you great people and please continue to Commute Greener!

/magnus

Thanks to contribution from Jessica Gold:

Good news, spring is approaching! At least in the parts of the world where I’m. Even though winter is great in many ways I, and many Swedes with me, look forward to more daylight hours per day. I also welcome the better opportunities to bicycle. So what should you consider before you take the bike out for a ride after a long winter?

I consulted my friend Sebastian Dahlström, a bicycle mechanic since several years, for some tips. To ensure your bike is in full working order after winter storage you may:

1. Check for safety
The first thing you really need to do is to make sure everything is still attached and tightened. Make sure you check all the screws and bolts while paying extra attention to the more important ones – such as the wheel nuts and the screws that attach the handlebar to the rest of the bike. Also check the brakes to make sure that they are still working properly. If you have rim brakes the brake pads
can become dry resulting in a decreased brake performance.

2. Air pressure
Even though tubes are not supposed to let air out they still do. So to prevent those ever annoying flats that so often arise when the bike is coming out again after winter storage, make sure to check the air pressure and the tyre wall for cracks. Tires dry a lot faster when the bike is stored for an extended period of time. For correct air pressure refer to the tyre wall. A good generalisation is that you need to have at least 2.5 bars, but preferably more than 3 bars.

3. Lubricants
A bike needs lubricants just like any other mechanical product that has got moving parts. The chain is especially important since there might be personal injury if it breaks. Clean it with warm water and a mild detergent. Be very careful not to use a high pressure water hose against any hubs as it may flush out the lube inside the hub. After cleaning the chain, apply lubricant. Make sure it is a Teflon based
lubricant and not some oil that has been sitting in the garage for decades. The nemesis of a bike chain is WD-40 or 5-56, using such a product severely shortens the life length of the bike’s drive train.

Last but not least: If there are any uncertainties at all, consult a technician! A bike is a great way of getting around, but if it is not properly maintained it can be dangerous. So make sure that your bike is thoroughly checked and enjoy riding!

Hope you are having a great weekend, maybe you did some parkour?
On youtube I enjoyed above with reference to VANOC Sustainability National Video Contest and to Recycle. Which favorites do you have on youtube or other sources?

Final countdown, the song by Europe can be heard together with some extreme skiing compilation as another way going through nature. It is essential to care for the environment at the same time as there are many ways to go around…

Going around is a common activity in cities, this one is presented as the best trial biker of the world while being accompanied by music that seems to sing ‘only to show you are wrong’. I rather think there are many ways to be right…

Skateboarding often shows that ‘balance is movement’ and I got this through a very positive ski instructor. Her hat also had a funny, and serious message: ‘Drop cliffs, not bombs’. There are ways to go up on a mountain and then almost flying like a missile:

The Wingsuit proximity flying shows adrenaline in a need for speed.

Bockers are not making you that fast but still giving a thrill, as you may have seen already last weekend. The trick made by Welsh Bockers and Jurassic Jumpers while Powerbocking are certainly more exciting. Way to go, way to go…

Freeride in the nature accompanied by a lyrics to Wake up!

Last Paradise is the youtube description of above. Let’s make sure we change many of the current behaviors so that we rather help to create more paradise feelings by also including innovation perspectives. A new week soon begins, please take action, go by better means of transit and Commute Greener!
/magnus

Source: Joel Pett, USA Today

Imagine that at the COP17 in Durban decision makers gets connected and sets a needed agenda with actions for sustainable development. Sustainable development is the way to get back on track. They will meet in 105 days and we invite all of them to use our last innovation and find a trusted ride share. Thank you everyone that contributes on the way & Commute Greener!

/magnus

Today we have a guest blogger, very special to me, Marie-Louise Holmqvist sent this:

Hi Commute Greener!

I´m so grateful for the work you do to save our planet
and let new generations experience the same wonder of nature,
which I have been so lucky to do. 

Sitting in our garden on Mother´s Day
2011 it is possible to imagine, see and hear: 


“I see trees of green, red roses too (not today though)
I see them blossom for me and you
And I say to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
Bright sunny days, dark sacred nights
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow are so pretty in the skies
Are also on the faces of people walking by
I see friends shaking hands saying
How do you do?
They´re really saying
I love you

I see babies cry, I watch them grow
They´ll learn much more than I´ll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world

And I say to myself
What a wonderful world”

By Joey Ramone, and with Louis Armstrong singing it so often on my commute.
Magnus had recorded it on a tape for me (yes, we had such things last millennium).
I enjoyed it a lot, both the scenery of the nature as well as the music.
Thanks a lot for the opportunity to relive this memory and being able to share it.
This is my first official blog post (and photo by Bengt Johansson), so it is always possible to start new things, I'm a bit more than 70 and impossible is nothing!

Kungsör May 29th 2011
Marie-Louise Holmqvist

Is taking the bus really for everyone? Isn’t it just for losers, the old and the poor?

This is often the way public transportation is portrayed in media. To make an example; in an episode of “the Simpsons”, Lisa goes on the bus to a museum. The system is overly complicated, the driver is unfriendly and the passengers are weird or totally unfriendly. This is the scenario of many, many tv-shows when public transportation is concerned. In such a car centered culture, both in Europe and America, as well as some parts of Asia, it is no wonder why public transportation seems to be down-prioritized in the transportation debate.

The bad reputation is also one reason why people don’t want to try it out. After all, why take the bus to work or downtown if it is simply more comfortable to drive? If you already have the notion that taking the bus is dirty, confusing, smelly, noisy and uncomfortable, what are the odds of you trying  it out?

And it is a real shame. Our current lifestyle is not only killing our planet but us as well. The bed->kitchen->car->work->car->home routine don’t give enough exercise for a healthy life, especially when you take all the fastfood and snacks we eat in our daily lives. When you take the bus, you get a short walk to the bus stop, and you walk from the “your” transit point to work. It is not much, but it is more exercise then you get driving. Not only that but one bus can take almost 100 cars of the roads if it is full. Now that is a lot of CO2 ready to be saved.

Even better is of course to walk or bike to work. Zero emission kilometers or miles is of course the best for the environment AND for your health. Hands up if you are one of the thousands who promised to loose some weight this year! Why not keep the promise by riding a bike to work, or to the store. It is not particularly dangerous and while it does take some more time you get to sneak right by those pesky car cues. Not only that but you can spend the gym-card money on something more interesting. The gas money to by the way.

But the most important thing to realize is that being “green” doesn’t have to be difficult or involving huge sacrifices. Using public transportation twice/week takes away a great deal of CO2, saves money (how much depends on rates, gas prize etc) and may help in developing a healthier life. Riding the bike twice/week, which is reasonable up to distances of some 5-6 kilometers, reduces the commute emissions by a fantastic 40%…

So why don’t we all try to make the commute greener in 2011!

/

Fredrik

By the way, you do know we have a twitter and facebook page?

The climate talks is in full swing. Guess you will have to live under a rock not to hear about it in the news. Still, not as much as I expected is broad casted. Are people getting fed up of talking and squabbling about climate and CO2? Or is the subject too difficult to comprehend, and therefore getting tiering after hearing about it for years on end?

The concept and scale of the climate problematics is staggering. We are talking about a global problem caused by the way we are living, with acute effects that will happen in 20-50 years. At the same time we are talking about a 2 decree increase in temperature. Not all that much. Is it really a surprise that many people don’t see the scale of the problem? Or why the climate debate has been at a standstill?

The economical and social aspects of our global environmental problems are just as staggering. Lots and lots of humans around the world are without clean drinking water and sanitary installments. Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in various corporations, which most large countries are dependent on. It is not a difficult to see why the situation is as it is and why so many decide to wait the other participants out.

Yet we are seeing some progress, and the mood is much better then at the Copenhagen meeting a year ago. While we may miss out of a new Kyoto protocol there seems to be a will to compromise and to cooperate more in environmental matters. Unfortunately that means little if USA, China, EU and the rest of the big players get on the boat.

The big corporations, like Volvo Group, don’t get as much attention in these talks. At least not in media. It is not difficult to understand why; “industry and the business world are not interested in the environment, just money”. Which is wrong. If we are going to combat climate change and reduce the global carbon dioxide footprint the corporations have a social responsibility as well, and have huge possibilities. Don’t forget initiatives like the 10:10 campaign, or the Climate Savers (which Volvo Group is a part in by the way)…

Don’t forget the common person either. We who live in rich countries can do lots of things to reduce the water, energy and raw materials used and produced as well as lowering the CO2 footprint. Our way of living is not sustainable. Our habits are destroying the planet. Let’s do something about that.

Despite the nature of the discussions and the huge political and economical stakes, I am sure there will be progress this times. While the outlook have been bleak at times, it seems like most ambassadors have decided to stop playing games and start cooperating. Hopefully there will be a new Kyoto protocol, or something like it. We need a coordinated effort, from governental to grassroot level to save the planet.

/

Fredrik

We live in interesting times. The climate talks in Cancun is getting tenser and tenser, and a “final solution” seems to be far of. Most countries seems to be content in complaining and saying that to combat climate change is an impossible task. Or sort of. But one must admit that the tone of discussion is another then in Copenhagen last year.

Some very interesting ideas have come up during the talks. I like the idea of a rich country working together with a poorer to combat climate change and make sure they don’t repeat our mistakes. I am also sure that we in the “west” can learn and get new ideas from a close cooperation with the developing world as we are helping them with preventing emissions. After all, with new cooperation comes new angles and ideas, and developing countries can deploy a fast moving economy fast with the right motivation and investments. Just look at India. It will be interesting so see if something will happen, and how that situation develops.

The climate politics is slow though, and the major players are undecided. While I’m sure there will be some positive result from the meeting, right now it is difficult to predict what and to which decree.

But regardless of how the talks end we as citizens will have to play a large role in the coming struggle against climate change. Emissions CO2, NOx, water vapor (at high altitudes released from airplanes), methane etc. will have to be reduced by a great deal. Traffic is a large contributor of climate gases and it is quite easy to cut down on your own footprint if you (and I) just try to. As Commute Greener! focus on the commute and transportation, it feels quite natural to make some examples of how to reduce your carbon emissions with our preset values as a base;

• By taking the bike to work two days/week you can save 40 % of your commute emissions (zero emission km/miles)
• A bus commute may reduce your carbon footprint with up to 200 g/km CO2 compared to driving a large car to work. Doing this one day/ week can save quite a bit of CO2 each month
• Carpooling slashes the carbon emissions in two, as you now share your vehicle with someone who would normally drive by himself.

• Eco Driving cuts down fuel use by up to 20 %, thus reducing the emissions greatly
• keeping the car in good shape will increase the efficiency and reduce emissions quite a bit
• Avoiding red lights and start/stop traffic is wonderful in an environmental point of view.

All these examples has to do with transportation, but the field is yours. Be it recycling, switching to low energy lamps or LED lights, improving insulation or investing in green energy, get to it. It is simple and more effective then one may think. Not only that, but you can make green by going green as well. Less fuel, less electricity, less water use and better insulation is more money to spend on better things. Like buying a new bike, or Commute Greener!

/

Fredrik