Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Richmond: School Run Charges for Hi-CO2 Cars
In another ground breaking move by Richmond Council, cars on the school run are to pay for temporary council parking permits which will vary in price according to the CO2 emissions level of the car. The pilot is scheduled to start in September.
According to the Telegraph article, 'Parents are to be charged up to £75 a year by councils to drop their children off on the school run.'
'Richmond introduced "environmentally friendly" parking charges based on vehicle emissions in late 2006 and now the Liberal Democrat authority has gone further by introducing its "permits for school parents", affecting hundreds of people across 13 schools in the borough.
According to the Telegraph article, 'Parents are to be charged up to £75 a year by councils to drop their children off on the school run.'
'Richmond introduced "environmentally friendly" parking charges based on vehicle emissions in late 2006 and now the Liberal Democrat authority has gone further by introducing its "permits for school parents", affecting hundreds of people across 13 schools in the borough.
'Previously, parents could collect a free permit from the school, allowing them to park on yellow lines or in nearby bays for 10 minutes. From September, they will have to get a council permit to park in bays near the school for 15 minutes.'
'The fee will vary according to the car's carbon dioxide emissions, with owners of small cars paying nothing, while most parents with people carriers or four-wheel-drives, pay the full £75.'
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Greenwash by Land Rover
In a clear example of greenwashing, Land Rover’s global green campaign, launched last month, boasts about the car’s unique relationship with the planet. The ads focus on research into biodiesel engines, a new carbon off-setting scheme, and sustainable technology, all set in stunning landscapes. Unfortunately, this company, now owned by Tata, is great at selling an enviable lifestyle pathetically without a real care for the environment.
Land Rover’s gas-guzzling 4x4s are bad news for the environment. The company has the technology to make fuel-efficient vehicles, but instead chooses to push urban 4x4s, which are unlikely to tackle anything steeper than a speed bump.
In the UK, road transport accounts for about a quarter of the emissions that cause climate change. It's time manufacturers started taking things seriously.
Our friend Peter did some quick number crunching for us. Let's say Dagenham saves 3,000 tonnes CO2 per year from their new wind turbine (as seen in the film below). Good for them.
Let's then assume each engine they make does 16,000 km per year at 400 gmCO2 /km. That equals 6.4 tonnes per year. Assuming a 10 year life = 64 tonnes CO2 in each engine's lifetime.
Landrover make 100,000 engines a year which will produce 6.4 million tonnes CO2 in their lifetime. The 3,000 tonne 'saving' from their wind turbine is therefore wiped out by the production of 50 engines within just 4 hours.
Now that's Greenwash!
Land Rover’s gas-guzzling 4x4s are bad news for the environment. The company has the technology to make fuel-efficient vehicles, but instead chooses to push urban 4x4s, which are unlikely to tackle anything steeper than a speed bump.
In the UK, road transport accounts for about a quarter of the emissions that cause climate change. It's time manufacturers started taking things seriously.
Our friend Peter did some quick number crunching for us. Let's say Dagenham saves 3,000 tonnes CO2 per year from their new wind turbine (as seen in the film below). Good for them.
Let's then assume each engine they make does 16,000 km per year at 400 gmCO2 /km. That equals 6.4 tonnes per year. Assuming a 10 year life = 64 tonnes CO2 in each engine's lifetime.
Landrover make 100,000 engines a year which will produce 6.4 million tonnes CO2 in their lifetime. The 3,000 tonne 'saving' from their wind turbine is therefore wiped out by the production of 50 engines within just 4 hours.
Now that's Greenwash!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Polls Show UK Should Double Efficiency of Cars by 2020
In a new poll conducted by FoE EWNI, 78% of those questioned agreed that, in order to tackle climate change, European governments should make vehicle manufacturers double the fuel efficiency of new cars by 2020 (40% agreed strongly and 38% agreed).
The YouGov poll also showed that, of those who knew what biofuels are, three quarters would prefer the Government to curb emissions by improving public transport or making cars greener rather than focusing on the alternative fuels.
The YouGov poll also showed that, of those who knew what biofuels are, three quarters would prefer the Government to curb emissions by improving public transport or making cars greener rather than focusing on the alternative fuels.
Email Address for the Head CEO of Porsche
If Londoners would like to personally communicate with the Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking, CEO of Porsche in Germany, about Porsche and the way they are behaving like the ugly German in the UK, then please use this email address. Always be sure to be formal and polite.
dr.wendelin.wiedeking@porsche
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