Electric Cars Everyone Can Afford

I want to continue on the green living theme by talking today about electric cars, which more and more are becoming part of the landscape. Hybrids are readily available – the most popular being the Toyota Prius – and soon, the next generation of electric cars – plug-in hybrids – will be coming out.

But I want to tell you of a different type of car. No, not the sustainable cars of the future that I talked about a few days ago, nor the electric two-wheeler or wind-powered cars, also of the future, that I featured in a separate article a few days ago. No, I want to tell you about a different type of electric car that will be making its way onto our roads in the near future.

One of the most important things about these cars that make them different is that they will be affordable. Many of the new types of electric and plug-in hybrid cars that will be coming out on the market will be beyond the budget of the average person—the Chevy Volt will cost $40,000, and the Tesla $100,000—while the electric cars of the near future will be much more in the budget range of the average person.

Imagine that? If you had your choice of buying a gas-powered or electric-powered sedan that each cost about the same amount of money, which do you think you would buy?

That’s the dream of two separate entrepreneurs, with two separate car companies, and if all goes well, this dream will be coming to a car dealership near you very soon.

Let me tell you about both of these companies. You can also watch the video above from CBS News to learn about one of these companies.

The first company is called Better Place, and was started by Silicon Valley millionaire Shai Agassi. Agassi’s dream has enticed serious venture capitalists, whom have sunk $1 billion into it. One large venture firm said, “I think it’s one of those seminal companies that is going to change the way the world functions.”

Agassi’s idea is to get the world’s car companies to build electric cars with swappable batteries, so that you’re not buying the battery, only the car.

Agassi’s plan is in three steps. 1: Persuade the world’s car companies to make electric cars with swappable batteries. 2: Persuade governments to install millions of recharging outlets. 3: When people want to go on longer drives, when there’s no time to recharge the battery, build battery-swapping stations all over the world.

When you’re driving and your battery starts to run low, you stop at a swapping station and swap out the battery. Because you don’t own the battery, you pay for miles, similar to a prepaid cell phone, where you pay for minutes.

But this is not just a pipedream. So far, the countries of Israel, Denmark and Australia, and the province of Ontario in Canada, and the state of Hawaii in the U.S. have all signed on and agreed to build the recharging outlets that are needed. The San Francisco/Bay Area is also close to signing on. And the carmakers Nissan and Renault have agreed to manufacture the first battery-swappable cars.

Agassi also plans to have the cars plug into an energy grid that is from a renewable power source.

The second company is a Chinese battery maker turned automaker, BYD. They have produced a plug-in electric car that goes 62 miles on a single charge and will sell for $22,000, which is less than a Prius.

Warren Buffet has bought 10% of BYD, because he believes BYD “has a shot at becoming the world’s largest automaker, primarily by selling electric cars.”

One of the things about the batteries in these cars is that they will be 100% recyclable, so there won’t be the concern about the toxic byproducts that other electric car batteries produce.

BYD also has the advantage of the Chinese government support—China has been pouring huge subsidies into clean cars. Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

So, there you have it. Two companies moving us closer to the reality of electric cars that everyone can afford.

And as more and more people begin driving electric cars, that will mean that more and more people will be treading lighter on the planet, which will help to create a Low Density Lifestyle environment on the earth.

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10 Awesome Green Innovations

Ok, I’m going to continue on a green theme for a few more days. Earth Day passed us a few days ago, but it’s still in our minds.

As I’ve said many times over, a Low Density Lifestyle is not just about your own personal health and wellness, and your own personal ability to experience healthy living – it’s also about the health and wellness of the planet, and for the collective ability to experience healthy living.

And we won’t be able to let that happen unless we practice a Low Density Lifestyle not only in our own lives, but also on the planet.

So, in the last article, I told you about 10 cars for the future – all sustainable and extremely eco-friendly. These were really cutting edge vehicles that are a green dream.

Above is another video on 10 environmentally friendly ideas. Instead of cars, these are other amazing green innvations. Well, two are cars – one an electric two-wheeler, and the other a wind-powered racer – while the rest are all kinds of other things, from products to concepts and ideas.

But they’re all part of the cutting edge, and they’re helping to usher in the new way of living – one that stresses health, wellness, green lifestyles, personal fulfillment, and enlightened living.

Welcome to Low Density living!

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Go Green, Drive Green: Kickass Cars of the Sustainable Future

I want to continue talking green for a few more days.  Earth Day may have just passed, but we never want to forget about our relationship to the planet. 

As I’ve said in prior articles in this series – it’s not just about living a Low Density Lifestyle in your own personal life, it’s also about living a Low Density Lifestyle on planet earth.  It comes down to treading lightly on the planet, for the overall health of the planet.

Yesterday I told you about the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S.

Today, in the above video, you will learn about cars you may see driving down the road one day.  Some of them are so completely green that they run on alternative fuels, while some are gas powered but highly fuel efficient.  And some are just so cool looking, if I say so myself.

One car in the video, a Jaguar, “proves that vegetable-tanned leather and recycled bottles aren’t just for pita parties and Greenpeace get-togethers,” as the narrator says in the film.

So sit back, tighten your seat belt, and get ready for the ride of your life. It might be you driving down the road in one of these cars of the sustainable future.  Then you’ll really be on the cutting edge of the Low Density Lifestyle.

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The 10 Greenest Cities in the U.S.

In honor of Earth Day, I’ve been writing a series on the environment and its relationship to a Low Density Lifestyle.  My point has been that living a Low Density Lifestyle is not just about your own personal health and wellness and ability to experience healthy living, but the health and wellness of the planet.

Because if a Low Density Lifestyle is about feeling lighter of body, mind and spirit, then it should also mean that you tread lighter on the earth.

I’ve been talking a lot about sustainable, local and organic foods, but now I want to shift the focus to green living, energy and the enviroment.

Today I want to tell you about the 10 greenest cities in the U.S., based on a compilation from the website TreeHugger and the magazine Popular Science. Here goes – the results for some of the cities might surprise you, and perhaps you will have a different point of view:

10. Boston

Boston doesn’t get a whole lot of green love from the environmental movement, but it should—it’s quietly made its way to the top of greenest city lists with good public transit, an eye on energy efficiency, mandated green building standards, and even a bike share on the way.

9. Asheville

Home to some of the greenest communities in the country, Asheville is a cool green town nestled in mountainous, western North Carolina. It’s not nearly the size of most of the other cities on this list, but it edges its way in out of sheer greenness—in addition to those celebrated eco communities, Asheville was named “most vegetarian friendly” small city by PETA, and is surrounded by beautiful nature on all sides.

8. Chicago

The Windy City has leaned pretty green in recent years—with good public transit, a tax on bottled water, an ambitious bike plan, and an even more ambitious plan to curb carbon emissions by 75%, the city is making good green progress.

7. New York City

The biggest city in the US is also a front runner for the greenest—with arguably the best public transit system in the nation, centralized apartment-based living, easy access to farmer’s markets and CSAs, and a walking-friendly urban layout, New York is green without really even trying to be. So even though people think grey, not green, when they picture the Big Apple, it is a green city.

6. Oakland, CA

The local transit authority has put on the road zero emission buses – all hydrogen powered. For that and other reasons, Oakland makes the list.

5. Austin

Over the last few years, Austin has emerged as one of the indisputable leading green cities in the US. The city has seen a veritable revolution in biodiesel, plug-in hybrid infrastructure, and solar and wind power. Great farmers’ markets, organic restaurants, and bike-friendly streets cement Austin’s reputation as a green metropolis.

4. Seattle

Seattle is yet another fast-rising green destination–the mayor has booted out bottled water and taxes plastic bags, has great plans for biking paths, a controversially named trolley for public transit and even a biodiesel gas station. Suffice to say, there’s a strong green vibe emanating from Seattle.

3. Eugene, OR

Much of the wet Pacific Northwest draws its energy from hydroelectric dams, but Eugene, a very green-friendly city, draws an additional 9 percent of its municipal electricity from wind farms. It also buys back excess power from residents who install solar panels.

2. San Francisco

The city’s mayor Gavin Newsom got TreeHugger’s seal of green approval as the best local politician in 2009’s Best of Green awards. So it’s no surprise that his city is one of the most green places in the country. San Francisco has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, has been advancing solar power initiatives, ditching the plastic bag, and getting ready to promote electric cars.

1. Portland

Oregon’s biggest city is widely recognized as the greenest city in the US, and the most bike-friendly city in the country.