Better World Takes On AAA

AAA Loves Cars and Highways--Isn't There an Alternative?

Haven't you heard of the Better World Club? It provides the same types of services as the American Automobile Association, such as roadside assistance, insurance, maps, eco-travel services, discounts on hybrid car rentals, bicycle roadside assistance . . . . Wait a minute! AAA doesn't provide bicycle roadside assistance--it's the Automobile Association.

I admit I haven't actually tried it yet. (I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has.) But it sounds like they have the HaraBara spirit. At HaraBara we believe that if businesses green themselves and look for green suppliers, they will save money and provide added value to green customers. We concentrate on business-to-business connections, but BWC does have a fleet program for businesses.

Just because you help people who have cars doesn't mean you have to resist all non-car forms of transportation.

I'll try to provide more detail in a future post or article in HaraBara's News & Views section.

GM In Retreat

General Motors Faces Facts: People Aren't Buying Enough Guzzlers

Rick Wagoner, chairman and chief executive of GM, admitted today that the era of gas guzzlers is ending. "These higher gasoline prices are changing consumer behavior and rapidly," he said . "We don't think this is a temporary spike or shift. We think it is permanent." That's too bad for GM, and a lot of its employees.

In response to the public's change of taste, GM will close four North American plants that make trucks and SUVs and employ abut 10,000 workers. It will increase production of some of its more fuel-efficient models by adding third shifts at two plants that build the Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6, Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5. And it is talking up the Volt, currently in development with a market roll-out scheduled for 2010 (suggested price $30,000?).

Wagoner also said GM is considering selling its Hummer unit.

The Cost of Stubbornness

General Motors has lost more than $54 billion since 2005, according to AFP, and laid off tens of thousands of employees. Although U.S. car companies have held on as long as possible selling profitable big SUVs and light trucks, now they are being hit from two directions. Japanese and German makers are selling competitive big SUVs and pickups, and Americans are buying fewer of them at the same time.

Fuel Efficient

The Chevy Malibu and Cobalt, the cars GM hopes to sell more of because of their fuel efficiency, get 20 to 25 miles per gallon (EPA combined) and emit 6.7 to 7.6 tonnes of CO₂ annually with typical driving. That's about the same as a Toyota Camry. The Malibu hybrid gets 27 m/g, while the Camry hybrid gets 34, and emits more than a tonne less CO₂ per year.

More in this AFP item and this from CNN.

South Australian Vintners to Make Green Wine

Associations Sign On to State Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan

Australian Food News reports that South Australia's wine makers and grape growers are the first industry group in the Australia to sign an agreement to accurately track and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. South Australia state legislation targets 60% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. The wine makers and grape growers associations have committed to support that goal.

What Consumers (and Tesco) Want

This action reflects concern that consumers and distributors across the globe are beginning to favor wine makers that are actively reducing their carbon footprint. "The UK is Australia's largest wine export destination. Of the nearly A$1 billion of Australian wines sold in the UK each year, South Australian wines make up a massive 72% of that market," said South Australia Premier Mike Rann. "South Australia exports nearly 400 million liters -- or A$1.6 billion of wine -- annually. Put simply, the wine industry is recognizing today that it cannot afford to ignore the planet or their markets." He went on to say, according to the article: "Sir Terry Leahy, the Chief Executive of Tesco, was recently reported saying that he wanted to devise a system of labeling that would enable shoppers to compare a product's carbon footprint just as easily as they can currently compare its price or nutritional value. I am told that Marks & Spencer has similar plans, as does the US shopping chain Wal-Mart."

Will They Give Up the Bottle?

A recent analysis (pdf here) calculated that transporting a bottle of wine from Australia or France to Chicago caused the emission of about 2 kg of CO₂. A large fraction of this is due to the weight of the glass bottle. Transportation is responsible for most of wine's emissions footprint. And I didn't see any analysis in this report about the energy needed to produce that bottle (glass is energy-intensive). Will vintners down under switch to more energy-efficient boxes?

(A post about wine in Tetra Pak containers, and CO₂ savings.)
(Picture of boxes above is from this post)

F1 to Allow "Hybrids"

Hybrids, But Not For Efficiency

Recent news articles (like this one) have touted the announcement that some Formula One teams are working on hybrid gasoline/electric cars for the 2009 season. Indeed this is true. The rulebook has been modified to allow electric motors to be added to F1 cars. Some have hailed this as "fuel-saving" technology for these extreme vehicles.

Everybody Wants to Be Green

The key is that hybrid technology will not be used to increase fuel efficiency but to boost power temporarily, for example for passing. The additional weight of motors and batteries can be absorbed because F1 cars typically weigh less than the rule minimum, and carry ballast meet the required weight. This change may make F1 more interesting. In effect it gives cars a "turbo" or "nitro" button for bursts of speed, but not higher horsepower for the whole race. This will introduce a new element of race tactics. But it is unlikely to create technological breakthroughs that will benefit the rest of us. The real challenge for hybrid vehicles is to reduce battery weight and cost, and increase battery lifetimes. This is not likely to be an issue in a sport where cars get three miles to the gallon and go through dozens of tires in every race.

Will NASCAR Be Next?

We can only hope. Maybe then hybrids would gain broader appeal and get Detroit's attention.