Fresh Fuzz

Loews Santa Monica Goes Green!

by michael September 7th, 2011 - No Comments »

Most people don’t think about sustainability when it comes to hotels. Hotels are short stay places where everything is just thrown away after they’re used. Some hotels are better then others, hotels with LEED Certifications or Green Business certificates go out of their way to reduce their carbon footprints.

The Loews Hotel in Santa Monica is no exception, they have just received their Green Business Certification for going above and beyond in their sustainable practices. They have done everything from use low VOC paint to green building materials.

On top of all of this, they also donate their excess food to charities. Their participation in food recycling programs not only makes them more sustainable for recycling food, but also helps people in need and gives back to the community.

If you’re in the LA area, be sure to stop by the Loews Hotel for some food or a drink, you cant miss it, it’s the gorgeous beachfront hotel that’s a stones throw away from the iconic Santa Monica Pier.

 

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Google+Nasa= Green Flight Challenge

by michael July 30th, 2011 - No Comments »

Google and Nasa recently teamed up to encourage green air travel. The Green Flight Challenge will host 13 teams that will be competing to make an aircraft that can power through the skies with zero emissions.

The winning team will receive over 1 million dollars, while runner ups will receive cash prizes as well. In order to win, the team must build an aircraft that can go 200 miles in less than 2 hours with no emissions. This is going to be a amazing challenge to keep track of.

This challenge will hopefully blossom aircraft technology and bring something new to the aviation world. It will take place September 25th so keep an eye out in the sky. Can anyone say plug-in 747?

 

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Google Maps Goes Green

by michael July 19th, 2011 - No Comments »

If Google didn’t already do enough, they recently released a Plug-In for Google Chrome that allows users to view their carbon footprint on the Maps feature. This allows users to get directions while tracking their emissions.

This is big deal because most people are visual learners. Implementing this feature allows people to actually see the damage they are causing and possibly persuade them to walk or find an alternative means of transportation.

Recently Los Angeles went through what everyone thought would be Carmageddon; however, it was more like Carmaheaven. There was virtually no traffic with the closure of the 405 freeway and the scare tactic worked. This proved a very valid point; it’s possible, even for big cities like LA to cut back on traffic by keeping people out of their cars.

Granted it was a weekend, I think what Google is doing may possibly be the first step in getting people out of their cars and on their feet by showing them that driving three blocks does impact the environment.

 

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Hybrids Will See Gridlock Soon

by michael June 29th, 2011 - No Comments »

California is now taking away the privilege of driving in the carpool lane from hybrid drivers. For the last 6 years Hybrids getting more then 45mpg, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid, received a yellow sticker allowing them to hop in the carpool lane and bypass traffic. This used to be an added incentive for people who were considering a hybrid electric vehicle but now the standards are changing.

New regulations will only allow a select few to zip by the carpool lane. The lucky few will be plug-in electric vehicles like the much anticipated 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In. These new electric all stars will now get a new Green decal to stick on their bumper to ride in the HOV lanes. Now that this incentive is gone, 85,000 hybrid drivers will join California’s gridlock traffic.

These drivers, who once laughed as they silently coasted by in peak traffic, will have to honk and wait with the best of the gas guzzlers. I suspect these new regulations will skyrocket any new plug-ins hitting the market in the next several years, especially in Los Angeles.

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iBamboo, Coolest iphone Speaker Yet

by michael June 20th, 2011 - No Comments »

Today, we live in an age where ihomes dominate and boom-boxes are extinct. Now i love the ihome, they are sleek and compact with great sound; however, iBamboo takes my vote for one of the coolest things you can plug an iphone into. The iBamboo is just like natures ihome. What it does is resinates the sound from the iphone speaker, amplifying it out of each end, which makes the volume increase.Watch the video and be amazed !

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Sustainable Living Tips with Tracy Lydiatt(Video)

by michael June 17th, 2011 - No Comments »

If you’ve ever wanted to try to live sustainably but thought it would be too hard, watch this video!

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Tracy Lydiatt is a Green Guru, she explains the simple steps to becoming green and sustainable. Her new book is like a work book ,with step by step instructions to help better your routine for a healthy you and environment.

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Google Invests $280M Dollars In Solar Energy

by michael June 14th, 2011 - No Comments »

Today was a landmark for Google going “green”, with an investment of $280M dollars to fund solar panel installations around the United States. This is a huge milestone for solar energy, making it obtainable by the general public. Financing and leasing being made available will allow more people to afford sustainable energy without the big upfront costs.

This isn’t Google’s first time investing in clean energy though, after this deal, Google’s total investments into clean energy will hit a wallet busting $680M dollars. This joint venture with Solar City will definitely be the most expensive and will have the highest impact towards a cleaner future.

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Nissan Leaf: A Cleaner Tomorrow

by michael May 28th, 2011 - No Comments »

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This new Nissan Leaf ad is definitely one of the best commercials for raising the question: why aren’t more cars all electric? The commercial shows all of the flaws with the internal combustion engines by applying them to real world modern appliances. Everything today is powered by electricity because electricity is clean, quiet and convenient; imagine if they weren’t. Thats what this commercial shines light on, it also pokes fun at hybrids, the Chevy Volt in particular.

Commercials like these are very important in showing our comfort and reliance on fossil fuels. Making us realize that going “green” really is the future.

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Expanding LA Light Rail Means Greener Development

by michael May 14th, 2011 - No Comments »

Being native to LA, I know to expect traffic. Traffic is part of your life when you live in a city like Los Angeles. When news broke that the Expo Light Rail Transit line will offer the solution to the standstill traffic between 3-7 pm , I was thrilled. The line will allow residents to travel from Santa Monica to the heart of Downtown LA in 46 minutes and a whopping 64,000 daily riders are expected by 2030

Phase 1 of the line is almost fully constructed and is scheduled to open early 2012, with Phase two currently underway.  Phase two would allow the city to be reconstructed to be more functional and green. These are just some of the solutions that have been brought to the attention of the city:

Green infrastructure components

Expo Greenway

Native, drought tolerant plants

Wide sidewalks utilizing high albedo pavement

Traffic calming elements

A well-lit and fully connected bikeway

Safe and adequate bicycle storage facilities at each stop:

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How Green Is Your iphone?

by michael April 23rd, 2011 - No Comments »

Ever Wonder what it actually takes to produce an iphone, possibly what emissions iphones release. The chart below goes through the iphones emission filled life.

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