thegreenguy

Live from the St Pancras Eurostar

Greenies, trainspotters and business types may be interested to read Rikke Bruntse-Dahl's live report from the first maiden St Pancras Eurostar journey - she's just posted a live report over on SmartPlanet. Photo credit: Eurostar.

New Smart matches Prius MPG (almost)

Fancy the ecological and economic bonuses of the Prius but could live without the £18K price tag and monster size? Step this way. I've just had a heads-up from Smart, which next month is introducing a 60.1 MPG ForTwo that virtually matches the Toyota Prius's sterling 65.7 - without any of the hybrid trickery. If Ken's new plans for the congestion charge go ahead, it'll also merrily trip free into Westminster (it's rated at 116g/km). I'm aiming to blag a test drive soon.

Video: no one stops bike thieves (shocker!)

I once had the pleasure of my bike being half-inched by kids lifting it over a pole a few metres away from people outside a pub. Sadly, no one intervened, which is why I this video by The Neistat Brothers made me laugh. In one scene, a lad acting as a bike thief spends eight minutes using a hacksaw to cut a lock while dozens of people wander by pretending to see nowt. There's no real moral here, except maybe you should at least call the police if you see someone blatantly nicking a bike. [Found via Treehugger]

Electric cars and 10,000+ offshore turines to make Britain carbon zero?

I've just returned from a media briefing on how the UK can get down to zero carbon by 2027. Yep, forget the gov's 60 per cent cuts by 2050: the Centre for Alternative Technology reckons we can get to zero CO2 emissions in two decades. To argue the case, it's put out a 120 page report - ZeroCarbonBritain - suggesting the entire nation switches to electric cars such as the Tesla on the left and act as a giant decentralised battery for tens of thousands of wind turbines. It's all a bit far fetched politically - the report is more a theoretical proof of concept that as an island we can greenly feed and power ourselves without any international support - but makes for an interesting talking point and aspiration. Sadly, you have to pay £15 to read the full report, which is oddly only available in print. 25th July update: the full report's online here as a PDF.

G-Wiz v Mega City: my thoughts + your experiences

I've just reluctantly returned the keys to my loan electric car for the weekend, NICE's Mega City. Tomorrow brings cheer, however, as I'll be driving the whizziest, latest version of its rival, the long-standing G-Wiz. For a proper comparison of the two, and a round-up of cash-saving bonuses like no congestion charge, keep an eye on Newconsumer.tv. In the meantime, please let me know if you've tried either, and read on for my initial brain-dump thoughts on the Mega City.

FillThatHole actually works - shocker!

Warning: parochial cyclist post. If you cycle anywhere in the UK but have been holding back from reporting whacking great pot-holes on the FillThatHole website because you didn't think anything would happen, stop holding back. It does work, it just takes time. Two months ago I reported a chasm down Lambeth way; yesterday I cycled over that same chasm, which is now a smooth, well-repaired bit of road. I know, I know, it's sad and anoraky, but at least the net result is more (ahem) concrete than writing to your MP to save the world.

Test-driving the NICE Mega City ('I am the electric-powered law!')

Yesterday I drove an electric car I've had my eye on for a while: the G-Wiz-rivalling NICE Mega City. It's not as fast or maneuverable as Judge Dredd's steed in Mega City One, but I like it. The good stuff: it has better interior fittings than the G-Wiz (seats, dash, everything!), more head space (I'm only 5ft 9in but hit my head on the G-Wiz's roof) and loads of boot space (almost enough for two extra seats). Most importantly, it's fun to drive. Think golf buggy, milk float or go-kart. 

Win some recycled trainers and a car club membership

To grab yours, head over over at Newconsumer.com - we added a new competitions section over our seasonal organic lunch. The trainer compo is to win a pair of awesome recycled Worn Agains - enter here. The car club thang is your chance to win 24 hours' free driving with CO2- and congestion-busting Zipcar. Entry's here.

Why my collection of 250 VW Golfs is green

Last month I joined a car sharing get-up called Streetcar. The company reckons every car in its 250+ fleet of shiny new VW Golfs takes 26 private cars off the road, and that  members drive 68 per cent less after driving. The basic premise is that you book via web or phone, pay £5 an hour and open the car with a natty smartcard. So far, my experience has been superb, with my apprehensions - lack of booking availability, crumb-strewn seats and cost - all being put to rest.

Reviewed: ecoigo, London's newest green taxi service

I'm feeling a tad worse for wear this morning, largely due to consuming a lot of organic wine at last night's Newconsumer.com launch party. I don't usually drink, partly because I cycle religiously everywhere in London, but last night I bucked my habits because of the offer of a free ride from ecoigo, the latest Prius-packing, emission-offsetting taxi - or 'environmentally conscious executive car service' in its words - to hit the capital.