tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53169733423615494842012-01-19T06:35:31.075-08:00Sustainability principle states that our actions today should not adversely impact the ability of future generations and other living beings to sustain themselves. Sustainability is a path that each of us needs to own to successfully tackle the climate crisis together. Everybody has a role. The time to act is NOW. This blog chronicles my learning and adventure. I hope that readers will find inspiration through these journals to adopt a few more sustainability practices into their own lives.SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-89481628228018496382008-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:002008-04-28T10:53:35.861-07:00

As originally published at AskPatty.com.At the recent Santa Clara County Green Business conference, I heard Larry Moore of Larry's Autoworks in Mountain View share his thoughts about being a green business. They have been in business for 30 years and became green certified by Santa Clara county in November 2006, the first certified green business in Mountain View, the town famous for being

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-22126404632815009802008-04-24T10:05:00.000-07:002008-04-24T10:10:52.079-07:00

I recently went to a green car show as part of Earth Day and saw that the Camry Hybrid gets 34mpg. My gasoline Honda Civic gets 29mpg... which led me to think, would I incur the cost of switching just for 5mpg extra? Definitely not especially since my gasoline car is only 2 years old. So it was with great delight when someone mentioned this site, which provides a hybrid mileage database.

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-25252736079356148302008-04-22T14:01:00.000-07:002008-04-22T14:05:49.549-07:00

I originally published this on AskPatty.com. Happy Earth Day and remember, be sustainable! Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day. Founded in the 60's, Earth Day is intended to celebrate and inspire awareness of nature all around us. It started as an activist movement to inspire the grassroots. Traditionally, the weekend prior to or after will bring many events on environmental stewardships

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-49369874681469250242008-04-18T11:34:00.000-07:002008-04-18T11:49:03.642-07:00

Gasoline is volatile hence prone to vaporization. The smell from your tank, when first opened, is that of trapped and pressurized gasoline vapors escaping. Also when you pump, the splashes within the fuel tank encourages fumes to escape, which is why all pumps in gas stations in the United States have caps on them. Recently, I learned about a way to save gas, that I have not heard of, so

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-65497281186732813992008-04-18T11:10:00.000-07:002008-04-18T11:33:39.010-07:00

Recently I wrote a blog about how to get involved in the fight against climate change. Today, I thought, I should write about a nifty city program I am involved with along this front -- my contribution to the challenge, if you will -- that has been quite an eye-opening experience. You see, the city where I live (which shall remain anonymous to maintain some privacy) recently commenced a

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-18972934607813287882008-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:002008-04-13T09:01:11.010-07:00

In the recent McKinsey Quarterly, there is an interesting report on a global survey that shows corporations need to account for consumer concerns about climate change. In it, consumers say that a corporation’s performance in addressing the problems of the environment and climate change affects not only how much they trust the company but also whether they would buy its products.Consumers

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-48352300561682138102008-03-27T13:59:00.000-07:002008-03-27T14:10:00.630-07:00

Here's an interesting activity to help spread the word on energy use reduction. At locations around the world, Earth Hour is holding a 1-hour voluntary blackout event to reduce the load on the grid. In the US, the next event is this Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m. local time wherever you are. They suggest that you do it solo, or invite friends and family to join the vigil. More than 100

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-7646756839505898842008-03-24T00:39:00.000-07:002008-03-24T00:40:05.237-07:00

The Environmental Defense Fund has just released an interesting book, called "Earth: The Sequel", subtitled "The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming". It is a message of hope, about how humankind ingenuity can "save ourselves from ourselves by getting the end of the story just right" (Fred Krupp, author and president of EDF). It is a story on how we can stop global warming

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-64781289600934537132008-03-13T21:20:00.001-07:002008-03-13T21:22:28.607-07:00

As published on AskPatty in Jan 2008. Here is an update to the 2008 Energy Bill blog that I wrote in early December. On December 19th, President Bush finally signed this bill into law, although it is a much weaker version than what Democrats had wanted. The initial goals were ambitious: energy efficient vehicles, less dependence on foreign oil, cleaner fuels, and punishment for price gouging

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-24840844613641587072008-03-12T13:02:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:51:16.944-07:00

As originally published by AskPatty.com. I navigate by landmark, so directions can be very challenging. Landmarks work well when you are already familiar with a place. The bank is right next to the big old city hall that is painted yellow and I can see its big dome from afar. The entrance is right down the road that passes the front of city hall, flanked by two tall, distinctive-looking

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-7911131953238910232008-03-12T13:01:00.000-07:002008-03-12T13:02:33.219-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com.First, electric cars. Now electric scooters. Would this be another class of vehicle to go zero-emission soon? I sure hope so, for the millions of motorbikes that are polluting the air in developing countries. Here is a picture of Ho Chih Minh City in Vietnam during rush hour. I have tried crossing the street (there is no choice if you are a pedestrian

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-37910659708113020102008-03-12T13:00:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:10:35.305-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com. Have you noticed how much trash is usually generated after a party and thought about how it sullied an otherwise wonderful atmosphere? Ballparks, night clubs, birthday party, even sometimes, green events, can create tremendous amount of waste, pollution, and emission from all those things we toss away, all those miles we commute to get to them. If your

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-25791466312693879802008-03-11T10:57:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:08:15.691-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com. My first car ever was a Chevy Geo Prizm. I still remember it fondly, as any “first” tends to be.But then I watched the DVD “Who Killed The Electric Car?” This documentary chronicles the saga of the first GM electric car, the EV1. Its debut lease program was greeted with adoration and the EV1 quickly built a loyal fan base that included celebrities,

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-35037411419962607992008-03-10T22:13:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:13:16.342-07:00

This just in -- the Vatican today published a list of new sins, which includes:causing pollutionsocial injusticecausing povertyobscene wealthgenetic modificationhuman experimentationtaking drugsThis is in addition to the 7 deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride established by Pope Gregory the Great in the 6th century. More here...

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-2898269374402755792008-02-07T11:41:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:39:13.288-08:00

As originally published in AskPatty.com. In the latest Auto Pulse survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, Toyota is ranked as the greenest car company (by 49% of respondents). The nationwide telephone survey ran from Dec. 6-10, 2007, polling 2,037 adults. Honda came in second, at 26%, about half the score of Toyota, while Ford came in third, at 16%.

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-57293862819215896652008-02-07T11:39:00.000-08:002008-03-13T21:55:35.135-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com.On Jan. 21, 2008 Renault-Nissan President and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn announced in Jerusalem that they will begin producing a customized electric car for the Israeli market in 2011. The idea is the brainchild of former SAP executive Shah Agassi's, who formed a venture specifically for this project, name Project Better Place, based in Palo Alto,

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-19643980522542136992008-02-07T11:35:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:39:13.460-08:00

As originally published in AskPatty.com. Recently, a lot of talk about cars have been about the alternative green vehicles -- electric, hybrid, biodiesel, ethanol, biofuel, fuel cell. We are served with ads after ads of car companies out competing each other on being green. Even if you are not wondering when you can buy it and are enjoying the positive vibe of these feel good ads, you may be

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-83786640897733784042008-01-27T10:51:00.000-08:002008-12-10T21:39:13.675-08:00

Recently all the news about lead in toys made in China has made me more conscious about other unsafe chemicals in products all around us, especially so-called cheap goods. I have started noticing that when I walk into the big box retail stores selling household items or crafts, the smell of plastic or chemicals are real strong. In the past, I had associated the "new item smell" on clothings

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-51864463758571015962007-12-31T08:08:00.000-08:002008-03-13T22:10:35.306-07:00

At this point, you must wonder -- how can I get on being greener for 2008? Some organizations out there have good lists (e.g. Sierra Club, Worldwatch Institute, Whole Foods). Here's mine.Buy fewer things: New stuff, especially. Research has shown that material consumption does not add much to marginal happiness. Start by thinking about which stuff in your life you will be ok with buying used

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-89014050477072260762007-12-31T05:30:00.000-08:002008-03-13T22:10:35.307-07:00

The end of the year is always a good time to ruminate on one's adventure of the year past. Here's a recap of a year of learning what it means to truly go green -- the ups and downs of this journey, and what it is worth in the end.I started this blog earlier this year to share my adventure in living more sustainably in the hopes that it may influence fellow readers. It is better than annoying

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-49179343391699398922007-12-31T05:27:00.000-08:002008-03-13T22:01:37.834-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com, under the title "Women and Cars: The Psychology of Global Warming". Here is an entertaining New Year resolution that we women could adopt to help fight climate change. What’s more, it seems like it will makes for a lively conversation topic with girlfriends! Recently, Britain’s top government scientist, Professor Sir David

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-70418282845796498722007-12-31T05:25:00.000-08:002008-03-13T22:03:02.120-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com, with the title, "What is Your Ecological Footprint?" The Footprint Network tells us that this year, we have finished consuming all the natural resources the world produces for the year, on Oct 18. Globally we humans now requires 1.3 planets to support us. In other words, we are not living sustainably. We are borrowing resources from future generation

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-33033954168501047622007-12-05T11:37:00.001-08:002008-12-10T21:39:14.055-08:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com at Thanksgiving, 2007.Ethanol is all the rage in some circles now as an alternative fuel for our cars. Midwest America is especially enthusiastic about it because the agricultural economy can benefit from it. Brazil has successfully built a national industry based on sugarcane ethanol and biofuel cars. How good is ethanol really, for the environment?The

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-14649178613466026032007-11-14T15:36:00.000-08:002008-03-13T22:05:50.779-07:00

Ask originally published on AskPatty.com under the title, "Flex Fuel USA Ethanol Conversion Kit".Flex Fuel USA, an American startup in Chicago, recently announced the release ofFlex-Box Smart Kit™, a first-of-its-kind fuel conversion system that is EPA-certified. After a year of R&D, the company was able to produce the first and only E85 conversion unit has been certified by the Environmental

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-48263181942344102302007-11-14T15:34:00.001-08:002008-03-13T22:12:57.103-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com, entitled "Where can I buy an electric car?"I recently attended a talk by Sherry Boschert, the author of "Plug-In Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America". Sherry got into plug-in hybrid when she put in solar panel on her home in foggy San Francisco. Once one gets free electricity from the sun, the logical next step, obviously, is to figure out what

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-42055547283420898742007-10-24T07:41:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:08:48.214-07:00

We recently installed solar panels capable of generating 4.2kW on our home's rooftop. Solarcity ran a solar discount program in our town, Mountain View, earlier this year where if more than 60 households sign up, everybody gets a discount. Ours amounted to 5.6%. In addition, we also received a 25% rebate from PG&E. The rebate approval process took a while and caused us to miss the summer sun

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-70806032580618158012007-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:002007-10-22T18:57:43.672-07:00

Here's a pretty interesting concept that enables individual change to amount to a real impact on the marketplace. The One In A Million campaign: "if a million women intentionally shift at least $1000 of their existing budget to environmentally-friendly products, we can have a noticeable ONE BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT in the marketplace."Here's a blog from someone who tracked her green balance sheet.

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-21242629887729075172007-10-18T22:05:00.000-07:002008-03-13T21:59:57.510-07:00

As originally published on AskPatty.com. Here's the excerpt...This week I happened to chance upon two situations of people debating their relative environmental impacts, with each side thinking she is more eco-friendly. In both cases, one party owns a more efficient vehicle while the other insists she lives a lower impact lifestyle overall despite having a less efficient vehicle. So in this

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-41336326805307816022007-10-18T22:00:00.000-07:002008-03-13T21:55:02.499-07:00

This week I attended the GM Chevy Volt fuel cell vehicle media event. Here's my story... as originally published on AskPatty.com.http://askpatty.typepad.com/ask_patty_/2007/10/gm-hydrogen-fue.html Filing this after a day at the GM Equinox Fuel Cell media outreach event -- "Electric Drive University". After having read Sherry Boschert's "Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America" and

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-3372138423892538202007-09-09T17:53:00.001-07:002008-03-13T21:57:40.270-07:00

This post was recently published on AskPatty.com! I am now a Contributing Editor at this neat website on automotive advice for women.Cars -- one of the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emission and hence global warming. I am rather unhappy that a car is indispensable to life in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is unbelievable how many cars are constantly on the road, and how much land

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-64613352115185953112007-09-09T17:51:00.000-07:002007-09-09T17:52:57.637-07:00

I wonder how far recycling technology has come in the last few years. There are things I've seen in the past year that puzzle me -- leading me to wonder about how effective recycling is in our communities Are more types of plastics recyclable? I've heard that some plastic bags are recyclable - should they be in the recycling bins, or do they just decompose? Some communities require

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-80213073649568361182007-09-09T17:49:00.002-07:002008-03-13T22:12:14.601-07:00

The eco footprint concept is an interesting one. It is an index that measures how much an entity (e.g. country, city, person) consumes, and then assumes that if everyone in the world consumes at the same rate, N-number of planets would be needed to support life on earth. Obviously... we only have one planet... so the implication is pretty clear! Personal Footprint Quiz -- I scored 22* (

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-27051234590564081122007-09-09T17:49:00.001-07:002007-09-09T17:49:45.099-07:00

I neither care too much nor know much about car engineering, but I do care about the financial and environmental costs of using gas and producing emission. Hybrid cars are becoming so popular nowadays that I feel left out not having one! My Honda Civic is too new so it doesn't make sense financially for me to trade it in yet, but I'm kinda obsessed with learning about the eventuality of

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-64570904799798647792007-09-09T17:46:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:11:25.344-07:00

I recently listened to an interesting interview on NPR Talk of the Nation (URL below), that discusses ways to save mileage. One of its premises is that, many tips have been repeated so many times over decades even though car technology has changed significantly. The guy from Edmunds.com and the lady from AskPatty.com (an automative website for women) gave some interesting tips that (in)

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5316973342361549484.post-56196787132343756792007-06-27T23:44:00.000-07:002008-03-13T22:07:47.248-07:00

Recently, I came across a great book ("Plug-in Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America"), and a great DVD ("Who Killed The Electric Car?"), that proved that viable electric cars existed commercially in the not-too-distant past of 1996-2001. What's more, it was GM-made, had an insane following, and was practical for almost 90% of American drivers needs.I was even more shocked to learn that

SustyAppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09850749681009004337noreply@blogger.com0