The environmental movement may espouse a car-free lifestyle, but even with fewer cars on the road we still need those interstates and crescents to move our bikes and our daily bread. As I mentioned in my earlier posts on this topic, greening your ride goes beyond the vehicle – it includes looking at how highways and byways affect our environment and making them more sustainable.

It’s a huge issue, not only because the size of these projects means the potential for environmental damage is great, but also because there are so many interests involved. From private sector industries to public agencies and government departments (at the state, federal and municipal level), these stakeholders are slowly merging knowledge and resources in the name of sustainability.

However, because the construction industry and environmental representatives have been adversaries in the past, there are naturally some roadblocks along the way. …read more of Building Green Roads here

While asphalt and fencing may not be the feel-good green building materials like bamboo and sod, when it comes to making our highways more sustainable we have to look a little deeper.

Deep as in below ground level, to understand the way the watershed is affected by the construction of major roads. Or deep like the woods, and the flora and fauna whose habitats are threatened by change.

These are just two examples of how careful planning can reduce the damage — or even improve the state of affairs — associated with transportation infrastructure. …read more of Greening Our Roads here

While hybrid cars and alternative fuels are certainly a positive step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions, studies have that this is a small move – somewhere in the ballpark of 4%  in terms of what we need to do to curb climate change.

On the other hand, urban planners and big thinkers who make their living by looking at the big picture suggest that the answer to curbing emissions from automobiles lies in developing a new, very different way of viewing cars altogether.

Their visions range from the accepted practice of carpooling and car sharing to the futuristic concept of connecting a city with an electrical grid system, so that car users can simply park it, plug it, and walk away. …read more of Ride Sharing here

When thinking about the future of personal transportation we usually spend a lot of time thinking about the vehicle we’re going to own, and a lot less time thinking about how we’re going to own that vehicle.

Car sharing is a subject we’ve covered before on ecomii’s car blog, and Mint is a New York City car sharing program developed by one of the city’s leading parking operators. The company’s founder had a unique position from which he saw parking getting scarcer and scarcer each year while the cost of car ownership was continuously rising.

Besides the price of parking, car owners in NYC and other urban areas also faces relatively high costs for insurance and gas. Then there’s maintenance. Like other car sharing programs, Mint solves these problems by offering cars on-demand, with monthly and hourly fees covering maintenance, insurance, gas, and parking in designated spaces. …read more of NYC Cars On-Demand here

Subaru has always had a “green” reputation, mostly created by the people who drive them.  The Subaru Outback is generally driven by the outdoorsy type that doesn’t feel the need to own a gas guzzling SUV just to get up to the mountains.  And Dave Matthews drives one, so hey, it’s gotta be green, right?

But where are all the hybrids, the hydrogen-powered vehicles, the biodiesel-ready cars?

There have been rumors and speculation about Subaru producing an alternative fuel car, but actually having them available to the public seems a ways off still.  According to Drive magazine, the Subaru R1e, the first electric car produced by the manufacturers is still in testing.

The car uses lithium-ion battery technology, has a 50 mile range, and an estimated 10-year lifespan.  …read more of Subaru Focuses Green Efforts Towards Production, Not Fancy Hybrids here