The Green Life

Bike Fashion Hits the Runway

If you've read our post on becoming a bike commuter or our tips for female cyclists, you're got plenty of practical knowledge about how to incorporate cycling into your daily life. But bikes can be more than just an ecofriendly form of transportation--the two-wheeled wonders are rapidly becoming a must-have fashion accessory and clothing designers have taken notice. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, cyclists need clothing that "moves with them when they ride, protects them from the elements, and doesn't get caught in any of their machine's moving parts."

Beyond those basic requirements, bike messengers and road bikers have always sported signature styles, but now the fashion industry is embracing bike culture too. In U.S. cites like New York, Portland, San Francisco, and even Salt Lake City, models are pedaling or pushing bikes onto the runway to compliment their hip, bike-centric clothing.

Mexico City Breathes a Little Easier

Mexico City has some of most polluted air in the world. And until recently, there were few public transportation options available to commuters looking for a cleaner, easier way to get around the city. Seeing the need for more options, EMBARQ, a project of the World Resources Institute, stepped in to help the city create a thriving public bus system, the Metrobus.

In 2002, EMBARQ established a Mexican nongovernmental group, CTS-México, whose goal was to create a new bus system. It opened in 2005. Commuters who had previously sat in traffic for up to two hours to get across town are now able to make the same trip in 30 minutes. The buses have been so popular that the system was expanded in 2008, and now serves 450,000 passengers a day.

The Mexico City project shows how any city can improve its air quality and reduce its emissions — and also make its citizens' commutes more bearable — by focusing on public transportation. And for its work in Mexico, EMBARQ recently won the 2009 Roy Family Award for Environmental Partnership from Harvard University.

--Kyle Boelte

An SUV with a Whale-Penis-Leather Interior? No Thanks.

What do Greenpeace, Pamela Anderson, and million-dollar Russian SUVs have in common? Whale penises. Recently, Dartz, the Russian manufacturer of the $1.5 million Prombron Monaco Red Diamond Edition SUV, withdrew its plans to line the model’s interior using whale-penis leather after being criticized by environmental and animal-advocacy groups.

Still, the car will be produced, and "gaudy" doesn't even begin to describe this four-ton, bulletproof, Kevlar-coated monstrosity with gold-plated windows, pure tungsten exhaust pipes, and diamond-encrusted speed gauges. To top it off, buyers get three bottles of Russo-Baltique, a vodka that retailed at $1.3 million last year.

Female? Here's How to Bike More.

If you look around at the cyclists in your city or town, most likely most of them are men. In fact, male cyclists outnumber females by 2 to 1 in the U.S. But that’s not the case in some European countries like the Netherlands, where female cyclists actually outnumber their male counterparts.

We Americans can increase the number of female cyclists by building more bike-only commuter routes and paths that provide a greater sense of safety. But while we work on that, there are some easy ways for female riders to get more comfortable with biking now. Here’s how.

Get comfortable. Picking out and then adjusting a bike can be more complicated for women than men because most bikes are designed for men. Handlebars can be too wide and brake levers too far away to easily grasp. But the good news is that there are increasingly more female-specific bikes on the market so finding the perfect one for you is now possible. When picking out a bike, keep in mind some of the most common fitting problems for women, and speak up if something doesn’t feel right.

Gain confidence. You don’t have to hit crowded downtown streets right away. Pedal on recreational paths at first to get used to biking and gain confidence. Once you’ve spent some time on your bike, you’ll be able to spend your commute thinking about merging buses instead of how to shift gears.

Corporate Demand Grows for Green Hotels

Rarely are the terms “eco-friendly” and “business travel” mentioned in the same sentence. But now companies are urging their employees to seek green alternatives, especially when it comes to booking hotels. The motivation for such a shift has its perks; companies can say they are environmentally conscious, while hotels are rewarded for going green and earning LEED certification.

According to USA Today, the increased interest in green hotels has some companies checking lodging properties' green practices -- such as how much water and energy are conserved and how often towels are replaced -- before signing contracts. Helping this transition is the Green Hotels Association, a group of hotels that promote environmentally responsible ways of operating.

Of course, being picky about where you stay isn't the only way to green your business travel. You can also pack light, decline the napkin, and recycle. Consider taking public transportation to and from the airport, and for sightseeing purposes. Finally, flying can seriously deepen your carbon footprint, so look into carbon offsets. But as always, watch out for greenwashing, which is rampant in the travel industry.

--Michael Mullaley

Who Makes America's Dirtiest Car?

What makes one car more environmentally friendly than another? Better gas mileage, right? But that's only part of the equation. A greener auto combines fuel efficiency with lower tailpipe emissions of noxious gases like carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and formaldehyde.

Drawing from this logic, Forbes published its list of America's dirtiest cars and trucks. The worst? The gas-guzzling, emissions-coughing Jeep Grand Cherokee. Domestic automakers make up most of the entries on the list, with Chrysler alone responsible for five. (Tsk, Tsk.)

Forbes didn't produce a list of the cleanest cars, but hybrids boast excellent gas mileage and many have extremely low tailpipe emissions. The California Air Resources Board maintains a useful site that compares cars and trucks to others of the same year and assigns each a "global-warming score" and a "smog score," similar to how the Forbes list was drawn up.

--Année Tousseau

A Big, Bike-Parking Robot? Only in Japan.

Rows and rows of bikes parked on the sidewalk can make any greenie's heart swell with pride. But what happens when there are too many bikes and not enough parking spots? A Japanese company has come up with a phenomenal solution: the robotic bike tree.

The bike tree is a mechanical system that stores bikes in a large shed. Commuters place a tag on their bike and the machine sucks it into the storage system. When the person returns, the machine retrieves the bike. All bicyclists have to do is pay the monthly fee. The company has installed several storage systems throughout Japan that hold anywhere from 600 to 6,000 bikes.

The bike tree has prevented bicycle theft, diminished clutter in the street, and protected bikes from weather. However, it can be costly to rent a space each month and it requires a bit of infrastructure because the facility is underground.

--Julie Littman

Weathering the Storm on Two Wheels

Sure, biking is easy when the sun is shining and the road is dry. And commuting by bike is fun—you show up to work feeling great, you get to skip morning traffic, and maybe you even lose a few pounds. But as the days get cooler and cold weather looms, you wonder if you can keep it up. You can. Here’s how.

It’s not all or nothing. Don’t think that just because you can’t bike every day or every week, you should give up on bike commuting altogether during winter. When a snowstorm hits, or you have extra responsibilities at home or work, taking off a few days is fine. No one’s judging you. Just remind yourself how much you love biking to work when things clear up, and then get back in the saddle. Remember, people bike in Minneapolis (in what locals call Minnesnowta) all year round!

Rain, rain. You wake up and it’s raining. Should you leave the bike at home? Not necessarily. Rain isn't a major problem for bikers, as anyone who's ever been to Portland, Oregon, knows. Just wear appropriate clothing (raincoat, rain pants, gloves) and give yourself a little extra time. Bike slower than usual since the roads are slick and your stopping power is reduced, and take the turns with caution. Paint on roads is slicker than the blacktop when wet, so stay away from paint when possible.

Becoming a Bike Commuter

Fall is an excellent time in many areas to bike to work. It’s not too hot, not too cold -- just right for biking. But how do you actually go about doing it? You could just head out the door and make your way to work like any other day, but we think you’ll have a better time if you do a little planning.

Bike are not cars. Don’t assume that the route you use in your car is the best one for biking. Many cities have bike maps published by either the local city government or a bicycle advocacy group. Pick up a map at your local shop or find it online (Google “Atlanta Bike Route Map” and you get the A-Train.) Now, create a route using the most direct streets with bike lanes and bike paths, if they exist. If you live in a city with a lot of hills, take them into consideration. Going a little out of your way might be worth it to keep away from monster climbs. There are great bike route maps for San Francisco and other cities that allow you to enter the maximum incline you want to climb.

Your first day is your second day. Now that you have a route figured out, try it out on a weekend instead of on Monday morning. That way you can time it so you show up to work relaxed and on time Monday morning. Just remember that there will be more traffic on a weekday, though bike riders rarely get stuck in traffic (another big perk!).

Southwest Unveils Green Plane

Southwest Airlines debuted its green plane last week, a Boeing 737-700 that features a 100 percent recyclable, carbon-neutral carpet, recycled seat covers, and lighter seat components. The lightweight seat covers, life vests, and foam fill will reduce the plane's load by almost five pounds per seat, making the green plane more fuel efficient. According to China View, the green plane should save about 9,500 gallons of fuel each year.

While the green plane doesn't beat the staycation for carbon savings, it is a step in the right direction. The unveiling of Southwest's new plane is only the latest greening effort in an industry that's aware of its carbon problem: In June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) committed to a goal of carbon-neutral growth by 2020. More recently the IATA said it would approve biofuels for commercial flights by 2010. The airline industry still has a long way to go, and we're hoping that the green plane won't be its last move.

--Della Watson

Planning a trip? Before you fly, check out our tips for greener air travel.