SF Taxi Cabs the First Wave of EV Revolution in the Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area has been at the forefront of the electric vehicle (EV) innovation wave that has gotten major venture capitalists involved on an unprecedented scale. Back in May, I wrote about the SF-based firm Better Place and their (well-funded) project to bring $1.4 billion of investment to create a neighborhood level electric charging station network state-wide. There's also an established "electric highway" of EV charging stations on Hwy. 101 designed to service exclusively the Tesla Roadster, however limited that project may be in scope.

One of the first, and most highly visible, manifestations of the EV revolution in San Francisco will come in the form of a fully-electric fleet of taxi cabs throughout the city, funded by the US Dept. of Transportation. Over the next three years, four battery charging stations will be placed across the city. These stations will swap the taxi's batteries in as little as 45 seconds. To be practical for wide application, the charging stations must be efficient and lightning-quick; no taxi cab company in its right mind would let its vehicles sit idle for hours charging under the dominant EV charger technology in place in most cities today.

The project is a replication of an earlier system Better Place executed in Tokyo, using one of that megacity's largest taxi cab companies, Nihon Kotsu. The taxicabs in that experimental project drove over 25,000 miles using fully electric power from the Better Place charging stations.

This remarkable project implementation from Better Place is just one more reason why Inhabitat calls San Francisco "set to lead the electric vehicle revolution."

Via: Inhabitat

George Takei: To All the Douchebags of the World....

Another great short video from the Trevor Project, a national LGBT organization working to prevent suicide among gay youth.

George Takei, of Start Trek fame, takes on the now infamous anti-gay Arkansas school board member Clint McCance.

"I predict that sometime soon, you will find yourself in the headlines again...this time with a rent boy from a South American country. And when that happens, I sincerely hope you do not kill yourself, Mr. McCance, because no one should ever wish that on someone else."

The "It Gets Better Project" - BROADWAY EDITION

A more musical take on Dan Savage's groundbreaking "It Gets Better Project" to combat gay teen suicides.

Hope you enjoy!



Helen, thanks for sharing!

Great Local Press for Co-Ops and CEP!

One of my favorite aspects of CEP, the Community, Environment, and Planning program at the University of Washington, was its emphasis on project-based learning. I have told many of my friends and colleagues this before, but I will reiterate: without CEP's focus on applied learning and planning education in the field, I would not have landed the job that I have or gotten nearly as much out of my UW education. By working on Evergreen Fleets for a full year as my Senior Project, I learned how project management, networking, and interdisciplinary knowledge could be brought together in real time. But of course, Evergreen Fleets was not the only amazing project to spring forth out of CEP in 2010. Many of my fellow students created incredible works in fields as diverse as bicycle commuting, education, urban gardening, co-operative business, transportation, and student activism on campus. Today's post shines a light on one of the most successful and innovative projects to come out of CEP in many years.

Last year, it seemed like the idea of forming co-ops had swept across CEP by storm and were more popular than ever as a way of putting diverse projects into action. A piece in Crosscut, the top online local news site, by UW Communications student Shane Clyburn, focuses on the efforts of CEPsters in the growth of co-ops in the Seattle area. In particular, the intersection between CEP, co-ops, and larger institutions like HFS and UW could be the way forward in promoting environmental sustainability and social justice from the ground up. The UW Student Food Co-op, founded by CEP students Matt Steele and Michelle Harvey, is mentioned as an exemplar of what is to come!

Seattle is a vibrant place for cooperative businesses. The city is home to large and successful co-ops such as REI, PCC Natural Markets, and Group Health, plus credit unions such as BECU and SMCU. The fact that the UW, the largest organization in the city, doesn’t address this at all shows a great disconnect between the institution and the city it serves.

This past weekend was the second annual SLICE conference. Standing for Strengthening Local Independent Cooperatives Everywhere, SLICE brought many to Seattle to discuss the growing cooperative movement and what should be done to strengthen existing co-ops and incubate new ones. City Council President Richard Conlin spoke briefly about Seattle’s co-op scene and voiced his support for the movement.

Students at the UW are forming a cooperative cafe to provide healthy food at an affordable price for students. They will be working with local farmers and other co-ops in the area to supply the café. The co-op will also provide an educational opportunity for its members about cooperative business models and sustainable food systems.

The UW could get behind this movement and offer classes in cooperative economics and cooperative business. The opportunities for students to find internships and develop relationships with co-ops in Seattle is tremendous. The university should take the initiative and become a leader in fostering cooperatives in Seattle and beyond.

The Reality of "Ethnic Food"

It seems that most of the things we think of as "ethnic food", from fajitas to egg rolls to chicken tikka masala, is about as ethnic as a Jack in the Box. This Houston Press article takes a popular survey of how Texans describe the typical food from various countries, where they overlap with respondents from those countries, and the often-huge disconnect between them. It's interesting to see our very popular and largely unchallenged conceptions of ethnic food rocked to their core. Also a challenge to the more adventurous among us to try some of those daily foods, from Indian roti to German pfaankuchen, that have yet to breach the American culinary radar.

Via: Houston Press Chronicle

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Lately I've become more and more interested in how pictures can speak to our arguments, to our emotions, and to our values. With the midterm elections coming up, it's interesting how a simple graphic can illuminate one set of ideas while simultaneously laying waste to another.

This series of "Infographics" is one of my favorite bits on GOOD magazine. They're produced every few days, and are a great example of how data-rich, visual posters could come to compete with traditional TV political advertising in the Internet Age.

Say you are a pro-immigration candidate and you want to show succinctly how immigrants, legal and illegal, contribute to the economy. Instead of reading off random stats, you could create an interactive poster showing where the immigrants are coming from, what jobs they are working and where.

How about which countries will be most severely affected by climate change?

What issues do Americans care about in this election cycle, compared with previous elections?

Which evil, maniacal special interests are backing your favorite candidate?

Which countries in the world are the most politically corrupt? I'll give you a hint: Mexico and Italy don't rank so well!

The Lazy Person's Guide to Exercise

We've all heard the same excuses, the same mantras: I'll get to exercising more...next week! Eat less, move more!...It's my New Year's Resolution!....I'd go out more if I didn't work so much :(....

We all know the same crap reasons why we aren't more active. According to a 2002 study, only 30% of Americans regularly exercise.

Not only is exercise key to overall physical health - and avoiding problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, hypertension, obesity, and Type II diabetes later in life - it also makes you happier, more productive, more energetic, and sexier, too.

I now present a slideshow of the many shortcuts to your on-again, off-again exercise regimen.

http://www.good.is/post/the-lazy-person-s-guide-to-exercise-seven-ways-to-get-moving/page:2#slideshow_51495

Among the recommendations:

1. Stand while you work. Standing up requires two times the energy as sitting down, but calories are not the only reason to consider this unusual method of working. Standing desks are gaining in popularity for other reasons too. Being upright may help you get ideas out, help alleviate back problems associated with long hours at the computer, and burn fat.
2. Pace while you talk. High-strung people tend to this anyways—have you ever noticed how thin they are despite what they may eat? Every time your cell rings, pop up from your desk (or couch) like you have somewhere important to go and take that conversation on the road. Not only is that less annoying for co-workers, it’s a mindless way to get activity in. Pace up and down the halls of your office, or up and down your front street. Pacing burns about 90 calories an hour, which adds up if you spend half your day on conference calls.
3. Have more sex. This is tired but true advice, folks: Sex is the most fun anyone will have burning calories. It’s a total get-out-of-jail free card from the gods: Even the laziest people on earth tend to enjoy a good romp. And aside from the myriad other benefits it offers—like happy hormones, glowing skin, and less stress—it’s a great way to get your heart rate going.
4. Play music while you clean. You may have already heard that doing housework can burn all sorts of calories, but we’re going to bet that adding music to the mix will put even more bounce in your scrub. Listening to upbeat tunes can also boost your mood and distract you from unpleasant thoughts—just like your cleaner home can—making chore time pass more easily.

Via: GOOD