Sustainable Design Update

Tata Nano – Under $3,000

Last January at the New Delhi Auto Expo Tata Motors introduced their homage to the bubble-car named the Tata Nano. The Nano is a very basic, bare bones vehicle with a small 4 stroke engine.  It has a sticker price of less than $3,000. When the Nano arrives at dealerships in India this year it should be the cheapest car ever made.  However they will have competition from Chinese and Indonesian car makers soon.

We may see over a billion new cars on the road in next two decades.  (Not to mention a billion or so new TVs and several billion new cell phones)  The Tata Nano, while getting a very respectable 50 miles per gallon will still drain the remaining reserves of crude oil at an accelerating pace.

The green lining in this ominous Nano cloud is that the Tata Nano is a much cleaner vehicle than a two-stroke motorcycle, and the Nano should replace a lot of those little chain saws with wheels.

We need a Tata Nano that gets 100 miles per gallon and has plug in hybrid options, otherwise we will all be par-boiled by oceans rising and record high temperatures.

We need a design revolution that has sustainability as the core requirement for everything we make.  (as it is now, sustainability is an add on – a mere choice on the giant Chinese Menu of Life).  We need a 10 watt television and non-toxic high efficiency energy storage.  Computers can use as little as 2 watts and still compute.  We need to mandate standards that will protect the planet and make sure the benefits of connectivity and transportation are available to everyone in a way that doesn’t sacrifice the environment to move our bodies from place to place.

Via:  Wired

British A2 Hydrogen Jet

British engineers are working on a green, hydrogen powered airplane design currently named the A2.  In aeronautical circles it is referred to as  the “Son of Concorde.” The A2 design will fly at twice the speed of the retired Concorde and at five times the speed of sound.

Many believe that this is the future of air travel. The A2 will fly at a scorching top speed of 3,400 mph and be able to take up to 300 passengers between London and Sydney in under five hours. What makes this interesting is that the engines are designed to be powered by liquid hydrogen and produce few carbon emissions, making this plane much greener than the ones we have today.  (See recent post on Hydrogen)

A2 designers need to consider the noise their plane will make when it breaks the sound barrier to bits. The A2 may have to fly slower over populated areas under the same rules that governed the Concorde.  The A2 may be best used for routes over oceans and the poles.

The A2 will be fast, green, and it will look really cool.

With the potential for hydrogen to be a cheap energy storage medium, the A2 may be the plane of the future.

Via:  Sparkingtech

Architecture School

The Sundance Channel has begun showing the new reality show Architecture School. The show follows twelve students enrolled in the Design/Build Program at Tulane University’s School of Architecture as they design and build a green, sustainable, and affordable home in New Orleans.

Co-creators Michael Selditch and Stan Bertheaud were “Green-Lighted” in August 2007. “Two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and there is still an extraordinary amount of work to be done,” commented Laura Michalchyshyn, Sundance Channel EVP of Programming and Creative Affairs. “This series provides a great opportunity for Sundance Channel to be part of the rebuilding process while presenting inspiring and compelling programming that spotlights sustainable design and the next generation of community planners.”

The show focuses on a group of Tulane University architecture students who are assigned to design a low-cost house to be built in an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  It walks us through the design process and workshops, while explaining principles of modern affordable design.

Via: Inhabitat, Archinect

Megabus

Last weekend I had a chance to catch the Megabus from Chicago to Ann Arbor.  The Megabus is a new intercity express bus line that provides fast, safe and inexpensive travel between select cities in the Midwest and the Northeast.

Mass transit options are increasing to keep pace with the price of fuel.  The bus I rode is a double decker that holds 79 passengers in comfort.  It gets about 6 – 7 miles per gallon so that works out to 474 – 553 passenger miles per gallon.  You would have to pack 10 passengers Clown-Car style in your Prius before you reached passenger fuel economy equivalent to the Megabus.

Costs are low and Megabus overhead is kept to a minimum by ticketing only online.  There are no Megabus Stations.  For my trip I caught the bus near the Chicago Union (train) Station.  The pick up is a public bus stop with no shelter.  At Union Station there is a sign on the door stating:

You have chosen a carrier that has not provided an indoor passenger waiting area for you. Amtrak and Chicago Union Station have no business relationship with ‘Megabus’ and cannot provide assistance unless patronizing Chicago Union Station establishments. Please wait outdoors for your bus.

My drop off location was a park-and-ride lot near the highway in Ann Arbor.

Ticketing is only online.  There is a $.50 fee for booking online, but if you choose to book by phone the charge is $3.00.  My ticket was $26.50 including the booking fee.

It pays to book ahead.  The price is as low as $1.50 for a one-way ticket from Chicago to Ann Arbor if you are first to book for that trip.  If I booked today for a few months out the price is $10.50.

Northeast customers have and added convenience – WiFi to keep passengers connected on their commute.

Check Out:  Megabus

Ed Begley Jr.

I met Ed Begley Jr. this weekend at the Great Lakes Green Conference.  Ed was speaking on how to make your home energy efficient and incorporate renewable energy without going broke. He also has a new book, “Living Like Ed”.  I got a chance to review a copy and it is the ideal place to begin if you want to make your house more energy efficient.

We had a chance to talk a bit after his presentation.  Ed comes across as a down to earth, no nonsense kind of guy.  His sincere nature and desire to save the earth makes a great contrast with his wife Rachelle, who goes along with many of Ed’s ideas on how to live sustainably, but has her own ideas of what living comfortably is. The Begleys are filming their third season of “Living With Ed”.

If you get a chance you should ask Ed about his rather cut-throat competition with Bill Nye – The Science Guy.

Ed has been a committed environmentalist ever since the first Earth Day  He has always tried to “live simply so others may simply live.” Now, as more and more of us are looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and live a better, greener life, Ed shares his experiences on what works, what doesn’t–and what will save you money!

From Random House:

These are tips for environmentally friendly living that anyone–whether you own or rent, live in a private home or a condo–can try to make a positive change for the environment. From quick fixes to bigger commitments and long-term strategies, Ed will help you make changes in every part of your life.

And if you think living green has to mean compromising on aesthetics or comfort, fear not; Ed’s wife, Rachelle, insists on style–with a conscience. In Living Like Ed, his environmentalism and her design savvy combine to create a guide to going green that keeps the chic in eco-chic.

From recycling more materials than you ever thought possible to composting without raising a stink to buying an electric car, Living Like Ed is packed with ideas–from obvious to ingenious–that will help you live green, live responsibly, live well. Like Ed.

Check Out:
Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life

Windspire

The Windspire is a low cost, attractive, plug-n-produce wind power appliance that provides a safe and attractive method for harnessing power from the wind. At only 30 feet tall and 2 feet in radius, Windspire is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free design, ultra quiet operation, rugged construction, and affordable pricing. Designed for operation where we live and work, it sells for $4,995 and comes complete with a high efficiency generator, integrated inverter, hinged monopole, and wireless performance monitor.

The Windspire has been tested by Windward Engineering, a first rate wind power engineering firm, so their data is real and their claims, based on data, are not too exaggerated.

With a 12 mph average wind the Windspire should generate 2000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.  At $.10 per kilowatt hour this is about $200.00 worth of power.  The Windspire won’t be replacing coal fired power plants any time soon.

Neverless, I am impressed with the Windspire.  Compared with some “new and improved” wind companies (check here, and here)  Windspire is a beautiful design and their complete plug and play package is an impressive step forward for small scale wind generation.

Check Out:  Windspire