Safe ways to bike to work

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has this bike to work video/slide show on its health and fitness website. The slide show contains videos that show riders the proper way to wear helmets, what can happen if you don't wear a helmet, and other safety accessories riders should own.

Economic recovery bill includes $100 billion for clean-energy initiatives

The $819 billion economic package that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives includes about $100 billion worth of initiatives that will promote clean energy while creating jobs.

The Daily Green said the bill includes the following parts:

• $3.4 billion for states for clean-energy projects.
• A grants program for renewable energy technologies covered by the renewable energy-tax incentives.
• $6.2 billion for weatherization of low-income homes.
• $3.5 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (supports clean energy projects primarily at the city and county levels).
• $2 billion for clean-energy research & development.
• $6 billion for increasing energy efficiency in federal buildings.
• $12 billion for transit.
• $2 billion for ready-to-go drinking water infrastructure projects.
• $6 billion for ready-to-go sanitation infrastructure projects.

While The Senate may add several billion dollars in incentives for non-clean energies, such as coal and nuclear energy, the bill will still likely do more good than harm in making the United States' energy more clean and more green.

Consequences of not fighting global warming are grim

A study released this week has some serious warnings about the damage that humans have done to the climate since the industrial revolution began about 150 years ago.

To put it simply: Even if we stop CO2 emissions now, it will take at least 1,000 years for the environment to recover from the damage done.

This staggering number (Think: the year 3000) has this blogger at a loss for words. I guess 1,000 years says it all.

Clean air adds months to your life

Researchers at Brigham Young University have concluded that people in metro areas in the U.S. are living as many as five months longer on average because of the cleaner air they breathe thanks to air pollutions laws and regulations, according to a study released in today's New England Journal of Medicine.

The study cited the fact that these cities have reduced their pollution levels by one-third over the last two decades, while the life expectancy in these cities has increased by 2.7 years. Buffalo and Pittsburgh reported the biggest drops in pollution levels and also the highest increase in life expectancy over the two decades.

While this study does not prove that cleaner air is making people live longer, it does go a long way towards suggesting that the laws and regulations that are being put in place to protect air quality are a good thing, regardless of much they cost.

Boston-Power expands sustainable, long-lasting battery development

Laptop battery maker Boston-Power has reported that it has raised over $55 million to expand its development of lithium ion batteries.

Boston-Power seeks to make its batteries environmentally sustainable by not using PVC plastic or heaving metals in its manufacturing processes.

The company is also manufacturing batteries than can charge to 80 percent battery life within 30 minutes and last almost 10 times more charges than current batteries before degrading.

For more information, check out this story on CNET.com.

You may be more green than you think

The Daily Green provides a personality test that uses your snack, transportation, and reading preferences to tell you how green you actually are.

Check it out here.

Flying cars go from movies and science fiction to the real world

A British inventor and team of engineers have developed a road-legal flying "Skycar" after 18 months of design and research.

The buggy-style car has a large propeller on the back as well as a fabric wing. The "Skycar" began a flight today from London to Timbuktu, Mali, to prove that the flying car has gone from the world of science fiction to reality.

For more information and a neat video showing the car, click here.

Automakers showcase green cars at Detroit auto show

At the 2009 North American Auto Show in Detroit, automakers showcased a full onslaught of electric, hybrid and hybrid plug-in cars. One of the show's big stars was the third-generation Toyoto Prius, a very popular hybrid. Click here for more news from the show, including what several manufacturers have planned.

Charles River Museum of Industry - Bike Exhibit

The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation is excited to announce the installation of its latest exhibit, "The Bicycle Takes Off." This national touring exhibit, originally produced for the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, CT, and originally curated by bicycle historian David Herlihy, is making its final stop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation January 8th and runs through May 2009.

The exhibit chronicles the history of the bicycle. Produced in cooperation with the Wheelman bicycle club, the exhibit features several examples of early bicycles, advertisements, photographs, and other ephemera. Visitors will wind their way through the entertaining, and sometimes, absurd history of what some have called the most efficient machine ever made. Along the way they will discover what bloomers and the bicycle have in common, how Springfield, MA, became a bicycling mecca, and the true meaning of "taking a header."

An opening reception will be hosted from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on January 8th. Opening reception admission is $10.00 per person (members are free) and includes light refreshments, wine and beer, and music.

Reservations are required. Reservations can be made by calling 781-893-5410 or via e-mail at elln@crmi.org.

HGTV to build Green Dream Home

HGTV has announced its next Dream Home will be green. The property, located in Traditional Hilton Head, South Carolina is estimated to be worth over $850,000 and LEED certified.