Ten reasons to support the climate change bill

With the House of Representatives set to vote as early as this afternoon on the controversial climate change bill that is strongly supported by President Obama, there is a lot of information circulating on the Internet about why you should or should not support the bill.

While the bill is far from perfect, it most certainly is a step in the right direction in limiting the potential catastrophic effects of global warming. The Daily Green has a good article describing 10 reasons why you should support the bill, ranging from job creation to improved national security. Check it out when you get a chance.

Mayor Menino to ban city workers from texting while driving

Boston city employees—including police officers, fire fighters, snowplow operators, and others—will be banned from sending text messages while driving city-owned vehicles under a proposal announced today by Mayor Thomas Menino.

Menino also helped with the launch of a new ad campaign, produced in conjunction with the Safe Roads Alliance, aimed at making drivers aware of the dangers of driving while texting on their cell phones.

This policy change as well as other proposed changes to state laws comes in the wake of the Green Line trolley crash at Government Center last month that injured dozens of people. The driver of the trolley admitted to texting his girlfriend moments before the crash occurred.

Government loans to fund electric car production

President Obama announced this week that the government has given out over $8 billion in loans to automobile manufacturers to increase the development of low-emission technologies.

Nissan has accepted a loan $1.6 billion of this money to produce 150,000 electric cars a year at its production plan in Smyrna, Tennessee. The money will also be used to build a new part of the plant that will manufacture lithium ion battery packs, creating over 1,300 jobs.

Nissan expects to release a preview of its electric car model in August and have the cars ready to launch sometime next year. The manufacturer has said it wants to manufacture 100,000 a year by 2012. A very ambitious agenda, indeed.

In other big news, Ford has accepted a $5.6 billion loan to create an electric version of the Ford Focus, the affordable and popular compact sedan.

For more information on these exciting developments in the automobile industry, check out this story from Business Green.

Texting while driving ban not in budget

Many lawmakers seemed to favor putting a ban on texting while driving in the state budget bill that legislators will vote on soon, but the texting ban was taken out before the bill got out of committee.

Recent accidents on roads as well as the T, including the incident near Government Center where a Green Line driver rear-ended another trolley injuring several riders, have people focused on the dangers of texting while driving. The T has banned all cell phone use for operators and recently fired two employees for breaking the new rule.

Despite the fact that a texting ban won't be passed as part of the state budget, bans on texting and/or talking while driving are being proposed as part of new bills that could be passed in the future.

Walking school 'buses' gain popularity

Walking school 'buses,' where parents walk children to school on an organized route, are gaining popularity in the area. In fact, there were only two schools in Massachusetts involved in walking bus programs in 2001, but now there are over 225 school involved in the commonwealth.

"Massachusetts was one of the first states to get programs out the door. The children respond well to the environmental message, parents respond well to the notion that this is good for their children’s health, and the kids like being together walking to school,” said Mass Highway commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky.

This is a fantastic way to save gasoline and get children (and the parents that walk them to school) more exercise. Not to mention that it gives children another opportunity outside of school to socialize and interact with children their own age.

These programs have the support of both the state and federal government, and funding can be obtained to make the walking routes safer with new signs or construction. For more info on walking buses, check out this story from Boston's Fox affiliate. The link also contains a video with info on how to start your own walking bus.

Gas prices continue to rise

Gas prices rose nationwide for the 52nd consecutive day on Friday, hitting a national average of about $2.70 per gallon.

CNN reports that gas prices have risen every day since April 29, when the national average for a gallon of gasoline was $2.05. Gas prices in Massachusetts are right around the national average as of this week.

As gas prices continue to rise, the amount of money you could be saving by switching to carpooling, public transportation, or another alternative commuting method will also rise. Your employer provides you incentives and benefits for choosing to do something other than drive alone to work. You should look into it, and save yourself some money this summer.

Efficient tires can save money

Not all tires for your car are created equally because some tires require more energy than others. In fact, splurging for fuel-efficient tires will actually save you money—and then some—in the long run. Not to mention that you'll be more eco-friendly because you will be using less gas and creating fewer emissions to get from Point A to Point B.

However, the efficiency ratings of tires are complicated and can vary from model to model and between manufacturers. But, don't worry, The Daily Green has put together this article to help you pick out your next set of fuel-efficient tires. Be sure and read it, and remember to consider being eco-friendly the next time you need a new set of tires.

State legislators consider cell phone driving bans

The Massachusetts state legislature is considering over a dozen bills related to restrictions on cell phone use while driving.

The bills range from banning talking to texting to both, state officials said.

"Texting while driving has become the new drunk driving. You can tell someone is on their cellphone just by the way they're driving," said Representative Peter J. Koutoujian.

A House and Senate conference committee is currently working on a bill that will be acceptable to both houses of the legislature. For more info on the potential cell phone driving bans, check out this story from the Globe.

Nokia works on phone that can draw power from radio waves

Yesterday, Samsung released the world's first solar-powered phone, and, today, Nokia announced that it is working on a phone that can harness the power of ambient radio waves, such as TV, radio, and cellular signals.

While the phone will not capture enough waves to power it during a call, it will capture enough to keep the phone powered when in stand-by mode (powered on, but not in use). The goal is eventually to develop a phone that can not only keep itself powered while in stand-by mode but also capture enough energy to slowly recharge its battery when not in use. Now, that would be cool.

For more information on the technology Nokia is working on, check out this story from Business Green.

Samsung introduces world's first solar-powered cell phone

Samsung has launched its (and the world's) first solar-powered cell phone, which it calls the Solar Guru.

The phone will allow five to 10 minutes of talk time per hour of solar charging, with a full charge expected to take 10 to 14 hours. The phone can also be charged using the traditional method of plugging it into an electric outlet. Most people will likely use the conventional method to charge it, and then allow the solar panels to "top it off" during the day.

The phone was designed for India, the world's fastest growing cell phone market. Samsung will launch the phone in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America later this month.

The company has not yet made plans to launch the phone in the United States and may opt instead to wait to release the more powerful solar-powered Blue Earth cell phone that is expected by the end of the year.

For more info on these solar-powered cell phones, check out this article from Business Green.