GoodSearch: A Charitable Internet Search Alternative
If your internet habits are anything like mine, then you perform several internet searches every day. A great way of getting more out of your searching is to use GoodSearch (www.goodsearch.com), a charitable alternative powered by Yahoo! Search.
Unlike conventional internet search engines, GoodSearch donates half of its revenue to the nonprofit organization of your choice. This amounts to a donation of about a penny per search but, as you can imagine, the pennies add up after a while. For instance, searches on GoodSearch have raised over $1,900 for the NRDC (National Resources Defense Council).
You can add a GoodSearch bar to your browser if you use Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. Part of the beauty of GoodSearch is that, beyond choosing an organization to help and adding the bar to your browser, using GoodSearch requires no extra effort on your part.
And just think of all of the environmental organizations that you can help. The National Audubon Society, Earthwatch Institute, the Rainforest Action Network … or a small, local nonprofit on your choice. My searches help Riverkeeper (Tarrytown, NY), New York’s Clean Water Advocate. Who will you search for?
Swaptree and Save a Tree
Free Books, Fewer Resources
If you are anything like me, then you keep most of the books that you have read up to this point and have either shelved them (where most of mine have landed), lent or gave them away to friends, or tried to sell them at a yard sale or to a second-hand store. I have never thrown away a book that I no longer wanted, and I’ll bet most people do not. Throwing already-been-read books away is probably not a big environmental concern as books tend to hold value for us, even after we’re done reading them-either sentimental value or an aesthetic one, as many of us like to display them in our bookcases.
What is more of an eco issue, however, are the numbers of new books that we Americans purchase on a regular basis. Libraries are great, but what if it is a new, best-seller you seek? Borrowing a book that is in great demand at your local library can take weeks, even months. And if you have a child at home who is obsessed with getting the next installment of Magic Tree House or Captain Underpants, being on a library wait-list, no matter how green it may be, just isn’t going to cut it. So I, and undoubtedly many others, find myself taking regular trips to our local bookseller to pick up a copy of our new must-have. As a regular customer of eBay, I began to wonder if there wasn’t some kind of a swap site that focuses primarily on books. One simple web search later and voila! Apparently many other folks thought this would be a good idea, too.
As I am mostly in the market for children’s chapter books, which my daughter blazes through at a lighting-fast pace, I visited many sites hoping that I would find one that offers a large selection of this particular genre. I also looked for a site that was well-organized, user-friendly, and had a lot of members, making successful swapping possible. I settled upon Swaptree.com right away. Easy to use, with an excellent design, I signed up on the spot and began listing items I was willing to swap with others. Not just books, Swaptree also welcomes swapping of video games, Cd’s and DVD’s. Within hours, I had made three trades. Our first Wii game arrived today and two books are also on their way. When you become a member of Swaptree, you can decide what you want on your wish list as well as what items you are willing to offer in trade. Every trade must be authorized by both parties, and much like eBay, members can give each other ratings to ensure that proper trading etiquette is maintained.
So how green a concept does Swaptree have on their hands? As I stated earlier, I do not think people are throwing away these items on a regular basis, but many of us do purchase new ones fairly frequently. In contrast, however, when you swap with others, rather than buying new, there is an ongoing savings of paper and plastic as well as resources. And like eBay, members of Swaptree make up their own community, where people are excited to share what they already have with others. Messages can be passed back and forth and today I received an enthusiastic “Your book is on its way. Enjoy!” As it is stated on the Swaptree website, “When you share well, you swap well.” What a great message to receive as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day this past week.
Consumer Reports Electric Car Survey
Consumer reports recently conducted a survey on the features consumer would want from an electric car. Out of the 1,752 respondents, over 70% would consider buying an electric car based. That’s a good percentage especially considering that there are no electric cars available on the market. There were also many features that would have to be met for many of the people to buy.
- A range of around 89 miles.
- Only slightly higher price range than current gas-powered cars.
- Available charge stations, especially at work
Many of the expectations that the respondents could be met by the Nissan Leaf, an affordable price with a fairly high range. The hardest part to draw people to buy EV is going to be charge stations. Until many more charge stations are set up, people will be hesitant to buy.
For the full survey, check out Consumer reports.
Choosing a Hybrid Vehicle
The Union of Concerned Scientists has recently released a hybrid scorecard on their website, www.hybridcenter.org , which ranks hybrid vehicles by environmental impact, value (price) and forced features (features which do not come standard that drive up the cost of the vehicle). The scorecard can be found at www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-scorecard/index.html. Clicking on any of the vehicle links will give you detailed summaries about each model as well as additional information about their findings. For more information about choosing a hybrid vehicle and other helpful recommendations, visit the hybrid score findings link at www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-scorecard/hybrid-scorecard-findings.html.
Toyota Prius Greenest Car in 2010?
Consumer Reports announced it list of top cars in various categories, including green. The Toyota Prius received the award for being the top Green Car in 2010. This is the seventh year in a row that the Prius has won this award in this category.
It’s still the most fuel-efficient car in our Ratings, getting 44 mpg overall. That distinction helped it earn our pick in this category for the seventh straight year, the longest of any current model. In addition, the Prius is a pleasant car to drive, with a roomy interior, a steady ride, hatchback versatility, and excellent reliability and crash-test results. The 2010 redesign also gave it a more solid feel and a dedicated EV mode that allows it to run longer on electric power at low speeds, an advantage mainly in slow, congested traffic.
I would question the reliability aspect because of the recent recalls, but it seems pretty apparent that the Prius seems to be considered the best “green” car by many, not just Consumer Reports.
I have not driven a Prius or driven in one, but I have not had good experiences with people I know who drive them. It’s great that people want to buy a car that uses less gas mileage and is more eco-friendly, but some people buy these cars like they do new electronic devices. Another thing that made me a little frustrated is the fact that some feel they can drive more just because they now have a more gas efficient car. This mentality negates the whatever benefit you are receiving from having a more fuel efficient vehicle.
My experiences are with some of the owners of the Prius, not the car itself. Overall, the Prius seems like a pretty good vehicle and great car to consider if in need of a new vehicle. I would still much rather have a full EV than just a hybrid, but they are still a few years away from hitting the market. It’s also good to find other ways than buying a new car to save on gas or avoid using a car at all. Some include biking, car pooling, public transportation and many other gas saving tips.
I decided to include a poll to get an idea of how you feel about the Prius being the top green car on the market.
Loading ...Nissan’s Leaf Electric Vehicle
Nissan has finally come with an electric vehicle that separates itself from the other major manufacturers. The Nissan Leaf was released late last year with a lithium-ion battery system which has a range of 100 miles. The production version of this vehicle has already been released and should be available in markets later this year.
The Leaf is the first electric vehicle on the market that offers both a fairly long range and affordable price. Let’s take a look at some of the features of this vehicle:
- Battery: 24 kWh lithium ion battery
- Battery Life: 100 miles per charge
- Speed: Up to 90 miles per hour
- Seating: 5 seat hatchback
- Charge: Quick charge of 30 minutes at 440V / Full charge in standard US home, 8 hours
- Monitor: Dash mounted system monitor
- Cool Feature: Mobile connected to charge battery.
- Cost: $25,000 – $33,000
All these features cover the majority of American drivers today. It may not be practical yet for a drive across the country, but it would cover most people. The average driver doesn’t even get close to 90 mph and 100 miles is plenty for the daily commuter.
The Leaf recently won Green Car Journal’s Vision Award because of the practical pricing of this vehicle. Unlike many of the other electric vehicles in America, it was able to achieve an affordable price, yet still get good speed and range.
There are still two major challenges that electric vehicles still have to face: better battery technology and charging stations. Battery technology is constantly getting better, so that problem should resolve itself as times passes. The bigger problem is to get charge stations set up throughout America. Until that day comes, electric vehicles will not be the car of choice for the average commuter.
For a fully comprehensive look at the Nissan Leaf, check out Autoblog’s in depth look.
Tesla Motors Filing for IPO
Tesla Motors is easily one of my favorite car companies out there. They only currently have two models, the Roadster and the Model S, but their cars are light-years ahead of anything the big car manufacturers are offering. Both of their models are stylish and fast, yet get several hundred miles per charge.
In an effort to raise more funds to continue manufacturing its vehicles, Tesla is filing for a $100 million IPO. The goal is to starting making more Roadsters and having the Model S out by 2012 with the help of a federal loan along with these investment funds.
Their new Model S will cost $50,000 after a federal tax credit and are in the works of making a more practical model in the not so far future. As with any stock and especially a smaller company like Tesla, there is a chance in losing money. If you are interesting in buying stocks, this is one company that looks really promising though.
