Browsing: Transport

"Brian, are you sure this is the way to Joe and Mary's?"

The Cost of Being Lost

All of us around the globe at one time or another felt that uneasy feeling of not knowing exactly where we are or how to get to where we need to be.  This uneasy feeling has a name, that is hard for many of us to vocalise.  It’s called lost, and in reality it can cost us more than just our pride.  There’s time, fuel, energy, stress, relationships and even the environment to consider too.  Just imagine if everyone drove exactly where they needed to be using an optimised route, without unplanned detours, how much fuel could we collectively save?  It’s an exciting thought.

Raving about Saving

These are just some of the reasons why we are thrilled to introduce our range of Garmin Nüvi Satellite Navigation systems, all equipped with ecoRoute, fuel saving software on board.  It’s not just fuel you could save using one of these, but all the things that seem to disappear when you’re lost; energy, calmness, relationships, the environment…

Around the office, we’ve come up with our top five ways you can save with our Garmin Nüvi Sat Nav range, we think you’ll agree it’s well worth a read.

Read the rest of Save All The Way With EcoRoute »

Our good friends at Sustrans are running launched their ‘Change Your World‘ campaign this month. Designed to encourage us all to get out of our cars and travel by more eco-friendly modes of transport, ‘Change Your World’ is totting up all of the miles which have been saved on their website, keeping a tally of everybodys’ achievements.

Read the rest of Change Your World! »

At Ethical Superstore we just love things which challenge convention and offer a fresh twist. So we couldn’t resist sharing this post about just such a car rally, not only does it snatch rallying from the exclusive grasp of petrol-heads but it also flips the route of the iconic Veteran Car Run on its head, driving from Brighton’s seafront to the waterfront at London’s City Hall

The 2009 Revolve Eco Rally (http://www.eco-rally.org) ‘convoy of cool’ alternative energy vehicles promanade from Brighton right into the heart of London, culminating in a display of all the vehicles outside London’s City Hall.  We could not resist the chance to check out the present and future of sustainable motoring and we were not disappointed.

Sadly we missed many of the ‘stars in cars’ who had actually driven in the rally itself but the fact that so many celebrities were willing to get involved tells you how seriously this event was taken.

We did manage to meet up with the delightful Tracey Smith (author of the Book of Rubbish Ideas), Tom Lawton (inventor of innovative wind-powered outdoor light the Firewinder) & Nick Aster/Jen Boynton from TriplePundit.com not to mention James Cleverly, Conservative London Assembly Member for Bexley & Bromley & the Mayor of London’s Ambassador for Youth

Whilst the gorgeous Eco Elise from Lotus is not likely to end up on that many drive-ways one gets the feeling that innovations like its hemp shell could easily end up in other more affordable mainstream vehicles. It is a work of art to behold really.

The Tesla again is just an incredible machine although quite unaffordable for most of course but one has to again applaud the inventiveness and sheer style. Without these pioneers change would surely be slower to come. Rumour has it that a more family-oriented vehicle is on the way although the cost may still be quite high for most. All positive steps in the right direction though.

The electric car may have been killed off once before but you can’t keep a good idea down clearly and the future of personal travel certainly looks unavoidably to be a mix of hybrid and electric.

What was really interesting to see was just how cool and normal sustainable cars have become. Mostly thanks to the stylish Toyota Prius which broke first mainstream ground and has got us all much more open-minded to the idea of course. When you realise that the Prius now has admirable competition from other manufacturers like Honda & VW you can see just how seriously the car industry is taking alternative fuels.

People were milling around oohing and aahing at the sporty numbers of course but they were genuinely curious, surprised and impressed at the more mainstream affordable vehicles from well-known brands including Toyota, Honda, Citroen, VW, Mitsubishi and so on, not to mention the smaller innovative manufacturers who were there pushing boundaries even further.

Before we all pat ourselves on the back too much though we have a long road ahead, pardon the pun. The car industry has taken a battering thanks to the economic climate and there is clearly greater risk for them in anything other than mainstream vehicles now more than ever. On the other hand this is also a time when one suspects the future of the car industry is being forged by those with the passion and guts to go for it. We can’t wait.

So, there we have it, the Revolve Eco Rally may be over for this year, but the greening up of some our most guilty pleasures in life is only just gaining some momentum in the mainstream.

We at Ethical Superstore can’t help but wonder what the next eco-twist might be?

If you have any thoughts on the matter or if you were lucky enough to see some of the ‘alternative energy vehicles’ drop us a comment below and let us know. . . .

Thanks to our friends over at www.ooffoo.com for sharing this blog post with us.

hip to be square

Huey Lewis is perhaps more famous for his contribution to the ‘Back to the Future’ soundtrack than as environmental spokesman. Even if his green activity is only the result of the way my brain links song titles and causes.  I’ll attempt to explain.

I’m regularly surprised by people’s appetite for avoiding personal responsibility. If that sounds harsh I apologise.  Please keep the emphasis on ‘surprise’.  Perhaps we all fall victim to the very seductive logic that any change we might make to our routine and consumption habits is so small that it can’t make a difference.  But today I’m feeling inspired.  Inspiration came in the form of laundry liquid.  Now I’m not usually in the habit of letting laundry products shape my thinking.  Nor was I transported to a higher mental plane by the feel of soft fabric on my skin or the inhalation of that fresh,just washed smell.  It was actually the new packaging which was responsible.

Usually I’m pretty sceptical about the whole packaging thing. (I still shudder thinking about the ‘turbo’ claims emblazoned on the box of the last vacuum cleaner I bought.)  But Ecover’s new packaging really got me thinking.

Read the rest of It’s hip to be square »

This is not hypermiling.

Did you know that “Carbon Neutral” was word of the year at Oxford in 2006.

This year, the honour goes to Hypermiling, which has been picked as “word of the year” for 2008 by the New Oxford American Dictionary.

Read the rest of Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2008: Hypermiling »

and the winner is...

The trouble with arguing with myself is whilst I often win, I almost certainly lose too.
This morning’s argument was simple, bike or car.
The bike has much to recommend it; I’d arrive at work more alert and energised.  I’d have saved on the cost of fuel, both in terms of cash and environmental impact.  I’d have been able to smile at the folk at the bus stop without worrying about looking smug.  My heart would thank me in the coming years and I’d hopefully reduce the amount of fabric I’d someday be forced to consume.
The car however offers protection from the elements (and potentially from other, less conscientious, road users) and, until recently at least, some entertainment too.  I say until recently not because the car radio has malfunctioned, or been stolen, but simply because I’ve lost the will to tune in.  The constant cycle of credit crunch assessment rotated with outrage over licence payers’ money squandered on a poor excuse for comedy leaves me cold.

Read the rest of Go One Better! »

Green news we loved: In case you missed them first time around, here’s our September round up of the most talked about, most innovative solutions or simply the most spectacular green news to hit the headlines.

Read the rest of Green News Roundup September 2008 »