EcoLocalizer

Like this post? Subscribe to our RSS feed and stay up to date.

Since high school, I have wanted a Mercedes Turbo Diesel station wagon. Nope. Not lying. I have no idea where or why the infatuation, but now, with the introduction of Lovecraft biofuels, I am not alone. Even the celebs, like Mandy Moore, are converting their old school early 1980’s diesel Mercedes to run on biofuel.

What are the benefits of converting?

• For starters, if you have a little patience and a generous Japanese restaurant nearby, you can get free fuel. While Wendy’s overall doesn’t rank high on the eco-friendly factor, my dad has nearly 100 in the South that use WVO in the form of French fry oil to run their maintenance trucks. Lighter oils - like the kind used for tempura at sushi places are the best and easiest to filter
• Reduces sulfur gas (which contribute to acid rain) emissions by 99%
• And, according to Lovecraft, takes the refineries and war out of the equation

When you run low, you can always head over to Sam’s or Costco and pick up some veggie oil to get you by to your next filling station or you can fill up with diesel interchangeably. It’s not necessarily a permanent solution, but it’s a great temporary option to help get a little extra mileage without getting gouged at the pump. Although, based on gas prices alone in LA, it would probably take you 2-3 years to recoup your costs from a professional conversion (unless we hit $10 a gallon this winter).

Oregon: the land of volcanoes, beautiful coastline, forests…and trash? Unfortunately, that might be the case if Hawaii gets its way.

According to the Portland Tribune, Honolulu is quickly running out of space in their main landfill. In order to prevent overflow, the city has hatched a plan to send ships full of garbage up the Columbia River in Oregon, where trash will be put on trucks and trains headed to the Columbia Ridge Landfill.

It may seem strange that Hawaii wants to send its trash to a state known for being so environmentally conscious. Interestingly enough, that’s exactly why they want to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

Why have gas prices risen to nearly $4 a gallon (or more) in the U.S.? Is it oil speculation? Rising demand? Or the first signs of peak oil?

Whatever the cause (and there’s good reason to blame all three to some degree), most so-called experts these days aren’t expecting oil prices to drop anytime soon. In fact, Newsweek this week features a sobering article titled, “The Coming Energy Wars,” that predicts we’ll soon see oil prices top $200 a barrel. When that happens, the authors warn, we can expect everything about our daily lives to change.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s another reason (as if one needs a reason!) to enjoy California wines: Napa Valley wineries are adopting solar power faster than any other business sector in the state.

Among the wine-makers using solar power: Far Niente, Frog’s Leap, Fetzer, Domaine Carneros, Ridge and St. Francis, among others. According to one solar company executive, the region’s wineries are going solar 40-plus times faster than any other type of business in California.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rising prices for everything from copper and platinum to flour, gas and cooking oil are creating new markets for trend-minded thieves across the U.S.

With gasoline prices in the U.S. breaking new records weekly, for example, law enforcement officials are seeing more cases of cooking grease thefts from fast-food establishments and other restaurants. Why used grease? Because cooking oil can be converted into biodiesel fuel that can be sold at a cool profit.
Read the rest of this entry »

Texas comes out on top in the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) 2007 rankings of wind energy leaders, not only in its overall total number of wind turbines but in the amount of new capacity added last year.

Texas wind turbines generated 4,446 megawatts of energy in 2007 — enough to power nearly 1.2 million homes. The state added 1,618 megawatts of new wind power capacity last year, more than double the amount of second-place Colorado.

Read the rest of this entry »