The Piaggio Group USA, a US subsidiary of the famed Italian maker of Vespa scooters, is giving Vespa riders and enthusiasts a chance to express their passions with the launch of its "Go Green Vespa Video Challenge."

Launched on August 20th, potential entrants have until October 15th to make a video (15 seconds - 2 minutes in length) that highlights "Vespanomics," or the facts about scooters’ contributions to reducing gas consumption, carbon emissions and traffic congestion. A few claims made by Vespa:

• Did you know that if Americans were to switch just 10% of their total mileage to scooters, they would save roughly $42 million on gas and consume 14 million gallons less fuel PER DAY (based on $3/gal average).
• If Americans were to switch just 10% of their total mileage to
  scooters, carbon dioxide emissions could also be reduced by 324 million
  pounds per day.
• By shifting the daytime vehicle mix to 80 percent cars / 20 percent
  scooters in the Manhattan (New York City) Central Business District
  (stretching from 60th Street to the lower tip of Manhattan), there
  would be a total decrease in delay of more than 4.6 million hours per
  year - which translates to time savings of nearly 100 working hours per
  person annually.

The prizes for winners are, as you might guess, Vespa scooters. The grand prize winner takes home a GTS, second place scores an LX150, and third place a LX50. Official contest rules are available here.

Apparently, Vespa also has hybrid scooters in the prototype stage… we’ll keep an eye on this.

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls… come right in for another edition of the Greenest Show on the Web: the Carnival of the Green! Fresh off of a stellar performance at Ms. Malaprop, the Carnival’s here at Green Options this week to amaze and delight you. But don’t wait around — the show has a limited engagement here, and then it’s moving on for a stint with our friends at Greener Magazine.

What’s the Carnival of the Green (or COTG, as we green bloggers like to call it)? It’s a roundup of some of the best posts on green blogs from the past week. Always moving, the COTG stops for a visit on a green blog every Monday. The Carnival was the brainchild of Al Tepper, publisher extraordinaire at City Hippy, and Nick Aster, the man behind (and often in front) of the curtain at Triplepundit. These days, our friends at Treehugger play tour manager for the Carnival.

Now that we’ve got the formalities out of the way, let’s get on with the show. And if you’re suffering from a case of the Mondays, here’s a little music to put you in that carnival mood…. wherever you are.

The Hall of Science

Come on in, and take a gander at the latest technological wonders. Won’t cost you a dime…

We’ve got a double-header from EcoGeek this week. Want some help adjusting your driving to save fuel? Hank and co. take a look at the Fuel Mizer, which can monitor your stops and starts for you. And if you’re a walker (which we hope you are!), two students at MIT are just won a prize to harvest the energy from your footsteps (yep, we covered that one, too).

The Naib, over at The Sietch, investigates the Watercone, a device that uses solar energy to desalinate water. This piece of simple technology could do a lot of good for people without easy access to fresh water.

For the Dedicated Followers of Fashion…

We’ve got some Fall previews, and some new looks.

The Natural Collection is predicting an ethical Autumn as they roll out their Fall fashions online. Keep an eye on their site, as they promise "some fantastic giveaways, competitions and freebies" are on the way.

Nature Mom Tiffany Washko takes a look at some furnishings (particularly beds) that are both green and stylish.

Inhabitat shows us how designer Stephan Boltz gives a second life (and new sense of style) to airplane trolleys.

And speaking of reuse, our own Victoria E. shows us how the Broken Plate Pendant Co. turns "useless" china into unique pieces of jewelry (on her own blog).

The Carnival’s Trade Show

Catch the latest trends in green business and finance.

Sox First has a podcast interview with Erik Mather, managing director of Regnan, on the growing pressure for companies "…to come clean on their contingent liabilities that include environmental, sustainability and governance risks."

Great Green Gadgets expresses some skepticism about carbon offsets, particularly those involving tree planting. Doesn’t mean they’re against planting trees, though… even guerrilla style!

And the Savvy Vegetarian shares a post from market gardener Jocelyn Engman on the importance of supporting local farmers.

Time for a Break… and a Beer

All this carnivaling can make you thirsty…

GO’s Gavin Hudson shares some tips on making your own eco-friendly brew: cheers!

And the Green Cougar points to that inevitable post-college dilemma for green grads: aluminum cans or glass bottles?

The Medicine Show

Health and safety stories with a green tint.

Allie’s Answers takes note of some of the potential dangers presented by manufactured nanoparticles in sunscreens.

The Environmental Working Group’s Enviroblog presents a video on the danger that still exist from arsenic-treated lumber used for decks and playsets.

Finally, at sustainablog (my other blog), I took a look at an editorial in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune claiming that greener development of transportation infrastructure could create less wear and tear on roads and bridges (so they’re less likely collapse!).

Get a Glimpse of Far-Away Lands…

A couple of our participants in the Carnival this week share some travel information and experiences.

Intelligent Travel spotlights several green hotels you might want to consider on your next getaway.

Sally Kneidel of Veggie Revolution recounts her visit (complete with some great photos) to the South African village of Welverdiend

The Souvenir Stand

If you must buy, make sure it’s sustainable.

The Millionaire Mommy Next Door claims that "Memories are made of the things we do, not the things we buy." We couldn’t agree more!

La Marguerite reminices on times past when we didn’t throw away so much stuff.

And Green LA Girl takes a look at some eco-friendly claims made by some companies about their products, and shows that a little digging often chips the green gilding off of these fairly ordinary items.

Finally, Take a Stroll Down the Midway…

You never know what you may find.

INNside Innkeeping in Montana highlights efforts by Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the owner of hotels and restaurants inside a number of state and national parks, to green up their own operations. That’s right… Yellowstone is going green…

Maria Energia, the blog of our own Maria Surma Manka, considers the implications of recently-announced renewable energy deals by BP.

Jetson Green takes a look at an ancient case of urban sprawl, and wonders if it provides some insight into more recent calamities such as post-Katrina flooding in New Orleans, and the bridge collapse in Minnesota.

In another post, Intelligent Travel offers its congratulations to Java Green, a D.C.-area cafe’ that recently won the title of "Best Vegetarian Restaurant" in a contest held by VegDC.

Flower-Garden-Bulbs.com provides some tips for getting flower bulbs started right… the organic way.

The Good Human muses upon the messages sent by environmentalists concerning climate change, and claims that the planet itself will survive this crisis; the human species, on the other hand, may not be so fortunate.

And, finally, our good friends at Lighter Footstep help spread the word on the October 15th Blog Action Day, when a diverse array of bloggers, ranging from Lifehacker to ProBlogger, will be writing about, and raising funds for, environmental issues.

That’s a wrap, folks — thank you for coming by and enjoying the Carnival. We’ll see you next week at Greener Magazine!

Image sources: Treehugger (COTG banner) and Wikimedia Commons (here, here, and here)

Saturn VUE Hybrid: Image source: BusinessWeek.com

Last week, I gave you some of my initial impressions of the Saturn VUE hybrid that GM loaned me to test out for a few weeks. On Tuesday, I turned the keys back over to the company that handles press cars for GM. I enjoyed my time giving the vehicle a spin, and look forward to the release of the 2008 model, which will incorporate the "dual mode" hybrid system that GM created in partnership with DaimlerChrysler and BMW.

I mention the release of the new version because it occured to me this past week that the 2007 VUE Hybrid, while an impressive vehicle, is a "mild hybrid": the electric engine helps power the gasoline motor so it doesn't burn as much fuel, and keeps systems operating when the gas engine shuts down at a full stop. This is helpful in terms of achieving higher fuel efficiency than the standard model (and the VUE Hybrid does get the best highway gas mileage of any SUV); the dual mode system (which will also be available in the Chevy Tahoe and the GMC Yukon) will be much more similar to a full hybrid like the Toyota Prius. The dual mode system will include:

• Engine off at idle
• Low speed electric-only propulsion
• Electric boosting during brisk acceleration, climbing steep grades or towing
• Cutting off fuel to the engine during vehicle deceleration
• Regenerative braking
• Engine speed and load control

I bring all of this up to say that I think the '08 model will be worth waiting for. According to GM, these features will increase fuel efficiency by 45%, making the VUE competitive on gas mileage with many smaller cars. And, of course, GM has also promised a plug-in model in the near future (though the company has not specified a date for it).

The '07 Model: Week 2

All of this probably sounds like I'm not that impressed with the current model VUE hybrid. That's not the case, though: it certainly did all of the things I needed it to do. When I did get it out on the highway (unfortunately, only for relatively short distances), it picked up and handled fine. It was definitely nice to have a vehicle with some room for carrying items: don't know how I'd have gotten the new crate for my big puppy home without it.

The Charge Assist Gauge in the VUE Hybrid: Image Source: AllWorldCars.comMore importantly, though, the current VUE model does sip gas compared to other SUVs. I don't have exact figures, as I never had to put any gas in it while I had it. I used roughly a half-tank of gas doing my normal driving, plus a few extra trips such as picking my wife up at the airport.

With that said, I don't think this is the vehicle for someone who drives like I do: primarily running errands and such. The VUE Hybrid is kind of unique among hybrids in that its gas mileage figures parallel those of traditional vehicles: it gets better mileage on the highway than in town. As such, I'd recommend it to someone who does more highway driving than I do. If you commute long distances, for instance, this is probably a better choice than a full hybrid. Unless you need the extra space, though, a smaller, high-mileage car may be your best bet in terms of fuel efficiency and sticker price. If you're a traveller, this may be the exact vehicle you want, as it combines plenty of storage space with good highway fuel efficiency. It's also quite reasonably priced for an SUV: just under $23,000.

I enjoyed driving the VUE hybrid for a couple of weeks, and am now having to get used to my own car again. We'd be really interested in hearing from anyone who does own one of these vehicles — is your own experience similar to mine?

2007 Saturn VUE hybrid: Image source: Edmonds.comNearly all of us interested in living greener lives like the idea of hybrid vehicles; that doesn't mean that we've all driven one. That was my situation until a week ago when I took delivery on a Saturn VUE Hybrid that GM has loaned me for a couple of weeks.

Like many of you, I'm wary of SUVs in general — for the most part, I'm one of those folks that equates "SUV" with "gas guzzler." Yet, I was intrigued by the idea of trying out a hybrid SUV — if automakers can produce larger vehicles that get better gas mileage, that's a "win-win"… right? So, while I don't drive a lot (I work from home), I have used the VUE for almost all of my regular trips in the past week, and even made one or two extra ones to get a full picture (may the green gods forgive me!).

I was expecting a different driving experience, but any differences I have noticed stem mostly from being in a bigger vehicle: the hybrid elements are nearly unnoticeable. If I listen very carefully, I can notice the gas engine shutting down when I come to a stop; the tacometer also registers that. But, overall, the driving experience is quite similar to that of a conventional car .

That doesn't mean that I end up driving the VUE like a normal car. GM hybrids don't have a display of current gas mileage like Japanese models, but there is a light just to the left of the steering column (appropriately reading "eco") that comes on when the electric motor kicks in. Just as drivers of Priuses and Insights report altering their driving habits to keep that mpg display high, I find myself adjusting my driving to get that "eco" light to come on. I'm less likely to speed up at a yellow light. I lay off the accelator more. I wave others on at four-way stops.

The EPA lists the gas mileage of the VUE hybrid at 27 city/ 32 highway/ 29 combined. Not the best mileage of any vehicle, but certainly better than the conventional VUE (21/19/25). Saturn claims the VUE Hybrid has the best highway mileage of any SUV, and EPA's "real world" database seems to bear this out. The 2008 VUE Hybrid will incorporate the "dual-mode" hybrid system, which GM claims will increase the vehicle's fuel efficiency by 45%.

So, would I buy a VUE Hybrid? Probably not, but that's just because I don't need anything that big. At $23,000, it's definitely a reasonable option for drivers who need more space.

This weekend, I plan to get the VUE out on the road… I'll report back with what I find.

John Addison publishes the Clean Fleet Report (www.cleanfleetreport.com) and is the author of the 2008 book Save Gas, Save the Planet. Part One is available here.

Santa Monica goes beyond clean electricity to be a city that models clean transportation. Use of electric vehicles increases every year. The city has over 30 electric vehicles including battery-electric Toyota RAVs and light EV GEMs.

The city is now planning on two Phoenix sport utility trucks: one for the water department and one for the library. The Phoenix trucks have an impressive 130 mile range. Santa Monica will do a nightly trickle recharge at 220 volts, rather than use Phoenix’s fast recharge option.

Rick Sikes, Fleet Superintendent, showed me a wide range of clean vehicles. A total of 265 city vehicles run on natural gas, include heavy trucks and street sweepers. The city negotiated a favorable contract for CNG costing the equivalent of $2 per gallon. 21 city cars are hybrid.

Over 80% of the city’s 519 vehicles are either alternate fuel (alt-fuel) or electric. 100 of Santa Monica’s Big Bus fleet is liquid natural gas (LNG), which they state is 77% cleaner than diesel. LNG provides a 300 mile range. 88 buses run on B20 biodiesel. Only about 20 older buses run on standard diesel.

5 of the city’s fleet of Toyota Priuses were converted by Quantum to run on pure hydrogen. The city has a Proton electrolyzer that splits water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen. Because the city buys renewable energy for the electricity that runs the electrolyzer, resulting in the hydrogen Priuses producing no green house gases, on a “well to wheels” basis. Over the next few years the city fleet will get cleaner. Hydrogen can be mixed with CNG to make many of the existing vehicles run cleaner.

For jobs like parking enforcement and quick commutes inside the city, the zero-emission vehicles are perfect, as are the 70-mile range hydrogen Priuses.

Santa Monica commuters are encouraged to burn less oil than the national average. Only 69% drive solo vs. 76% as the national average. In Santa Monica, 19% carpool, 7% bus, 3% walk and 2% bike to work. The city is making progress. In 1993, the average vehicle ridership was only 1.1; by 2005, it had jumped to 1.4.

Rideshare programs are encouraged. Financial incentives work. The City of Santa Monica implements a mandatory “Parking Cash Out” Program, which is a State law requiring employers of fifty or more employees who lease their parking and subsidize any part of their employee parking to offer their employees the opportunity to give up their parking space and rideshare to work instead. In return for giving up their parking space, the employer pays the employee the cost of the parking space. The city provides this for its only employees, achieving an AVR of almost 1.8.

Santa Monica has the potential to be a model of clean transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy for other cities around the world. Each year, Santa Monica shares its progress, demonstrates the latest vehicles, and showcases expert speakers. Include October 20 and 21, 2007, in your calendar for the Alt Car Expo.

Chevy VoltJust spent some time with my blogging compadres at a "walk-through"viewing of the Chevy Volt concept vehicle. As you can see, it's a beautiful car! That was part of the plan, we learned — "green vehicles" aren't always particularly sexy, so Chevy wanted to bring some of the emotional attachment of the Corvette and Camaro to a greener vehicle.

The Volt's been covered widely around the green blogosphere because it's a plug-in hybrid. That is, it has greater battery capacity than traditional hybrids, and can run in an electric-only mode for up to 40 miles. Since that covers the range most people drive in a day, there's potential for tremendous fuel savings (and lower emissions). Though, as some will certainly point out, the source of the electricity that goes into it (and this is the case with an plug-in electric vehicle or hybrid) can still undermine the "clean/green" potential…

Several members of the design team talked about the car with us. I tracked down lead interior designer Wade Bryant after his talk to find out a little more about the materials that go into the interior (they definitely go for an "eco" look and feel inside). Bryant admitted that the materials in the concept vehicle weren't necessarily chosen for their light environmental impact and/or re-use/recyclability potential, but that's "on the shelf" for the production model. He included materials such as bioplastics, and greener fabrics as part of the mix under consideration. He also claimed that most car interiors currently are very recyclable — I'd love to hear if any of you can speak to that…

There's no doubt that the Volt is a very sweet concept — at this point, it's just a concept, though. I'll be talking to GM VP of Reseach & Development and Strategic Planning Larry Burns this afternoon, and will be focused on productions plans for this vehicle… Stay tuned.

Cross-posted at Sustainablog.

There's no definitive answer to that question (yet), but the Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is putting the hard sell on California-based Tesla Motors (creator of the very cool electric vehicle, the Tesla Roadster) to locate a new manufacturing facility in the Wolverine State. Earlier reports had the $100 million, 300-employee factory going to Arizona, North Carolina or California, but Tesla realizes that Michigan, and Detroit in particular, has the talent pool it needs to move to the next level. The company has already moved to locate a technical center in the area:

Tesla's U.S. manufacturing plant and the [Detroit suburb] Rochester Hills engineering center would be focused chiefly on the company's next-generation electric vehicle, a sedan that Eberhard hopes will cost around $50,000 and sell about 10 times the volume of the roadster.

Tesla has raised about $60 million, including $27 million from PayPal Inc. founder Elon Musk and small investments from Google Inc. founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Initial employees at its San Carlos, Calif., headquarters were primarily engineers with backgrounds in electronics, but as the company moved toward mass production, [Tesla CEO Martin] Eberhard said experienced automotive engineers were needed. "And the fact is, those people are in Michigan," he said.

David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, called Tesla's decision to put a tech center in Rochester Hills "an affirmation of the fact that if you want to be major player on the automotive scene, you've got to have a presence here."

With GM's recent announcement of its new Volt concept car, as well as plans for a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue, Detroit could quickly become a hub of EV research, development and manufacturing. "Could" is the operative word there, of course: the Big 3 are still moving relatively sluggishly on new-generation, gas-sipping (or gas-free)automobiles. Tesla's presence may just get that engine revving a little harder… Thanks to GO Beta Tester Eric Benson for passing that along.

Detroit Free Press: "Granholm Going After Jobs"

When I started bicycling a few months ago on a regular basis, I learned my neighborhood topography quickly! It doesn't take much of a rise to get a cyclist straining and sweating (at least not this one!), and that likely accounts for the relatively low share of bicycles on the streets in hilly cities. The city of Trondheim, Norway, has figured out a way to increase that percentage: in 1993, they installed a Trampe bicycle lift on one of the steepest hills in the city's center. Despite hills, the city now has the highest share of cycling in any Norwegian city.

Want to get a look at the lift? Trampe has posted a promotional video on their site. If you're really interested in details of the Trondheim lift, a project report is also available (in MS Word). While the slopes in my neighborhood likely don't justify such an investment, this technology (which looks relatively simple) could help get people out of there cars and onto their bikes.

The Bicycle Lift Trampe