On returning from Londerzeel we went straight to the house of Luc Schuiten in Brussels, an architect who has some wonderful ideas, (see www.vegetalcity.net) not only on designing green houses, but a green car - one with electric batteries and pedals, with room for two people peddaling side by side, and a roof so it is fully weather proof. I made a short video of it - it goes just as fast as a normal car.
The pedals might seem a bit off-putting to some people, but they are actually a very good thing - one of the worst things about a car is its tendency to reduce the amount of exercise you get, and we know that exercise counteracts both obesity and depression - since there is an epidemic of both then the pedalling can only be a good thing; you'll be healthier and happpier (and you can cancel your subscription to the gym, so you'll save money that way as well as on the petrol you will no longer have to buy).
One drawback is the cost - 30,000 euros; but that would come down drastically with economies of scale if it were to be mass produced.
Is this the car of the future? It (or something like it) will have to be, not only to save us from climate catastrophe, but to provide us with mobility when the oil runs out.
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Hi,
Thanks so much for your blog. I am writing to invite you to a free sneak-preview webinar on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:30pm EST about green commercial building by Robert Watson, the “Father of LEED” called “Building a Sustainable Future: Progress & Trends Toward Improving the Environmental Footprint of Commercial Buildings”: http://bit.ly/GreenBuilding_Webinar_Nov5
In these fast-changing times it is imperative we have measurement around whether green building choices both provide a very high return on investment and a significant decrease in our environmental impact. This webinar effectively demonstrates LEED certified green building accomplishes these goals while outlining next steps for LEED certification to further contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of buildings in the U.S. and worldwide.
During this 60 minute webinar a sneak-preview of the Green Building Market & Impact Report will be presented by the report’s author Robert Watson, GreenerBuildings.com Editor and industry leader. This report is an integrated assessment of the land, water, energy, material and indoor environmental impacts of the LEED for New Construction (LEED NC), Core & Shell (LEED CS) and Existing Building (LEED EB) standards.
JohnsonDiversey President & CEO Ed Lonergan will also highlight the importance of sustainability in today’s business environment, offering insights and examples of the company’s work toward improving the sustainability of its customers’ facilities as well as its own. This presentation will detail JohnsonDiversey’s own focus on LEED certification for many of its facilities worldwide.
Please visit http://bit.ly/GreenBuilding_Webinar_Nov5 for more information or to sign up. I would love your help spreading the word! It would be great if you could blog about the webinar and provide the signup URL before next Thursday and/or add it to your events section. Also please forward this message to anyone you think would be interested in learning more about LEED certification and green commercial building. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account please also mention the conference there! There are some embeddable banners, a widget that includes Robert Watson’s Twitter feed, and other assets here: www.influencexchange.com/greenbuilding
I look forward to connecting with you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Thanks,
Amy
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