BP gives carbon cutting tips 7

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1. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 3:23 pm
   28 Nov 2005

   Some more thoughtsIf a quarter of all Americans quit driving, we would cut U.S. CO2 emissions by 5%, leaving 95% to go (that's because our cars and trucks only account for 20% of our emissions, coal fired powerplants are the big ticket items).
   But, unless you walk or ride a bike, wouldn't you also have to quit going places? City buses in Seattle get about 3.8 MPG. They average about 10 people per bus mile, which means each person on the bus is getting 38 MPG. This suggests from a pollution and gas mileage perspective that you are just as well off driving a car that gets 38 MPG as you are riding a bus. Whatever you do, don't trust Seattle's metro bus company to tell the truth about its operating statistics. According to the cited articles, they apparently have a habit of sugar coating them.
   Why do you suppose BP is running these ads? To get people to use less gas or to get people to buy gas from BP? Maybe both. A win-win situation for BP and environmentalists. Buy less gas, but when you buy it, buy it from us.
   Nice post.
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Help acquire and protect ecological hotspots, give to a conservation organization: http://www.saveourbiodiversity.com

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2. 

   greenlagirl Posted 4:11 pm
   28 Nov 2005

   a plan for walkingThat bus info makes me sad :(
   What we really need to work on is better urban planning, so we don't have to get in a car or on a bus to get to places to find things we need. I wish I had a good grocery store in walking distance. A bar or two, a recycling center, and a coffee shop besides Starbucks would be nice too. Biking distance would do too -- I live in the middle of Los Angeles, and I have to take the bus or drive to get or do anything, pretty much :(
   My strategy's been to heavily patronize all the useful places in walking/biking distance, hopefully so they don't go out of business and other nice places open up near them --
   
   http://greenlagirl.blogspot.com/

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3. 

   jdhlax Posted 1:48 pm
   30 Nov 2005

   Bus Fuel MileageThe semi tractor I last drove ('90s model) got seven mpg combined city/hwy.  The only reason that buses, which don't carry anywhere near the weight of semis, would only get half the fuel mileage is that buses have automatic transmissions.  (Buses that run strictly hwy routes should get at least ten mpg.)  The solution, of course, is to switch to manual transmissions.  The drivers and unions will, of course, cry about this, because the drivers who can't handle manual transmissions (shifting a large diesel engine is a lot harder than shifting one for a car) will have to find other occupations, but it would be very good for the environment.
   
   Jeff Hoffman

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4. 

   Payton Chung Posted 3:35 pm
   04 Dec 2005

   Buses and powerInteresting point about the coal fired power plants. In my part of the country, most electricity comes from nuclear plants--hardly without its ills, but no carbon. In any case, I've purchased green tags that supposedly offset coal-burning electric capacity elsewhere on the grid and make up for the coal-fired electricity and gas-fired heat that I do use.
   Many city bus systems, including the CTA here in Chicago, have started trials of hybrid engines on buses. Indeed, Mayor Daley last week issued a call for cab fleets to begin incorporating hybrids. Since cabs and buses do a way disproportionate amount of stop-and-go driving, these should result in significant fuel economy improvements. Likewise, the CTA gets a small but increasing portion of the "L"'s electric traction from renewable sources; the light rail system in Calgary, the hub of Canada's oil industry, converted entirely to wind power (through green tags) in 2001.
   In the longer term, the real energy advantage of transit-friendly communities is that they are also pedestrian friendly. In America, transit and walking both account for less than 10% of trips; in many major European cities, walking and cycling account for between 30-50% of trips, and transit about 20%. Walking, of course, creates almost no net carbon. (The truly picky will point out that transporting food, making shoes, etc. releases greenhouse gases.)

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5. 

   tomkabat Posted 4:08 pm
   18 Oct 2006

   Think Incrementally, don't have average thoughtsEquating an eleventh bus rider to a 38 MPG driver seems like wrong average logic.  Imagine the 3.8 MPG bus has a 38 mile route and uses 10 gallons while it carries 10 passengers.  If an eleventh passenger (the incremental rider) rides it tomorrow, it will not need an eleventh gallon of gas to accelerate and carry that rider along with the other 10 riders on the 38 mile route. It would probably need a couple of ounces of additional gas to accelerate and carry the additional load.  The incremental rider is 9% of the total riders but only 1 or 2% of the total load of bus plus riders.  If we guess the incremental rider caused an incremental increase of 0.1 gallons of gas usage, then it's the equivilent of a car that gets 380 MPG (38 miles/0.1 gal.)  
   
   I imagine that to increase the fuel use of the bus by a gallon to get your incremental gas use up to 38 MPG, you would have to weigh one tenth as much as the bus plus driver and 10 other passengers combined and be strapped to the roof in a way that also increased the air drag by 9%.  

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6. 

   bookerly Posted 6:53 pm
   18 Oct 2006

   Nice Links
   
     Thanks Payton,
          I want to give a heads up to BP for actually recognizing that people live in other countries (but they assume I must have a flat, don't have my heating choice, and don't include diet or other types of choices).
          The others are for the US only.
          Ah well.  If you live without a car, pay attention to your consumption AND are a vegetarian, you reduce your footprint a lot...
          I think this kind of thing is excellent even if flawed, because it shows people that it is possible.  (Of course car-addicts will never think so!) (grin).
   patrick

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7. 

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   18 Nov 2007

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