Climate Cities

Run Away, Train

D.C. approves stricter regs on transporting toxic chemicals Worried about a possible catastrophic release of toxic chemicals that one study says could kill up to 100,000 people, Washington, D.C.’s 13-member city council has approved a measure limiting the transport of toxic chemicals within a 2.2-mile radius of the Capitol building. Shipments of explosives, flammable gases, […]

Good job them.

Via Worldchanging, where they are quite enamored of Vancouver, I see the city's 21 Places for the 21st Century contest.

Participants are encouraged to choose a favourite public place or site, and then propose a change or improvement to it. Changes can be abstract or concrete; permanent, temporary, or seasonal. Your chosen public space may be large or small, as may your change. Ideas for activities or programmes to be offered in a public place are also welcome. You're only limited by your imagination.

Dreamy.

What if every city in North America held a similar contest?

And to Sprawl a Good Night

Urban sprawl imperils species, report says If you needed one more reason to hate urban sprawl, we’re happy to help: It’s imperiling species left and right. According to a report by the National Wildlife Federation, Smart Growth America, and NatureServe, the next 25 years will see more than 22,000 square miles* of habitat lost to […]

Take It E.V.

Electric vehicles catching on in China; Smart cars coming to U.S. All the talk these days is about hybrid and hydrogen cars, but in China, where air pollution is an ongoing crisis, they haven’t given up on electric vehicles. Improvements in battery technology are making electric cars, scooters, and buses a viable option, with shorter […]

Next Up: Hybrid Zambonis

Canada vows to get tough on vehicle CO2 emissions The greenhouse-gas emissions of cars and trucks in Canada will be cut by 25 percent by 2010, according to a duo of Canadian government ministers. In a joint interview, Natural Resources Minister John Efford and Environment Minister Stephane Dion said that they were committed to the […]

The Truck Stops Here

New electrical hook-ups at truck stops prevent diesel pollution Long-haul truckers, hardy though they may be, occasionally need rest. Traditionally they have pulled into truck stops and taken naps with their trucks idling, to avoid, you know, freezing to death. Unfortunately, idling diesel trucks produce emissions that likely cause asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart disease, […]

The Traffic is Murder Out There

Traffic causes heart attacks Being stuck in traffic could substantially raise your chances of having a heart attack — and it’s not just the stress. The particulate pollution that hovers over traffic is the likely culprit, says a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, though “we can’t exclude that there is an […]

So whatcha whatcha whatcha want?

In the U.S., as with many other places, the industrial era saw a massive exodus from rural areas into cities.  The "information era" (or whatever buzzword you like) has seen a massive exodus from cities to suburbs and exurbs, with long commutes to work, sprawling colonies of large homes, strip malls, and cars, cars, cars.  Now, the mere fact of such a large exodus would seem to indicate that Americans prefer such a lifestyle (despite the fact that it may be killing them.)

But according to a new survey conducted by Smart Growth America in conjunction with the National Association of Realtors, it is not so.

Air Force Une

New car powered by compressed air to hit France There are some nifty-sounding cars in the making these days. The latest — to be introduced in France, where production will begin next year — is the Air Car, a car that runs on, uh, air. Well, and electricity too. You plug it in at home, […]

Cheese-Eating Efficiency Monkeys

France has made big strides in energy efficiency After the global oil crises of the 1970s, both the U.S. and France took steps to increase energy efficiency and reduce their vulnerability to oil price fluctuations. Unlike the U.S., however, France stuck with them. Since 1973, U.S. oil use has risen by 16 percent, while France’s […]