Jul 20, 2007 (From the CalCars-News archive)
Add to previous cover stories in the LA Times Magazine, eMagazine and Popular Mechanics one more; this time, it's a single-theme issue for Co-op America Quarterly, the Summer 2007 Issue #72. The editorial and all five feature articles in the magazine are on "Fuels for the Future." And throughout, including in one survey devoting a page each to eight options, PHEVs repeatedly emerge as the best solution.
DOWNLOAD THE ISSUE: We encourage you to consider pointing your friends and colleagues to the entire issue for distribution as a very up-to-date introduction to energy & transportation. Co-op America has graciously made the articles available in a single file (23 pages, 900K PDF) for download at http://www.calcars.org/downloads.html. Or, if you subscribe/join ($20) by calling Co-op America Member Services at 202.872.5316 (800.58GREEN ext. 5316) you can also request a print copy of this issue.
ABOUT CO-OP AMERICA http://www.coopamerica.org. It's a not-for-profit 60,000+ membership organization founded in 1982. Its mission is to harness economic power--the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace--to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. It's known for its work to help socially and environmentally responsible businesses emerge and thrive. Its projects include publishing the National Green Page directory of green businesses coast to coast. And it co-sponsors the highly visible Green Festivals http://www.greenfestivals.org in Washington, Chicago and San Francisco,
ONE ONLINE-ONLY ARTICLE: "Web Exclusive: Felix Kramer and the First Plug-In Hybrids" is the only element that's online at Co-op America's website: http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/caq/articles/Spring2007pluginhybrids.cf
EXPANDED TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR DOWNLOADABLE FILE:
Here's a brief tour to give you an idea of the scope of the issue. Signed articles are by Sarah Tarver-Wahlquist, Tracy Fernandez Rysavy, Joelle Novy and Alisa Gravitz. Download it at http://www.calcars.org/co-op-america-summer07-futurefuels.pdf:
Cover: a photo of Felix Kramer and his car converted by EnergyCS in front of a green forest.
p. 2 Full-page editorial "Making News and Making Waves: Fuels for the Future" We report that hydrogen as a transportation fuel makes no sense....As a thought leader, raise your voice to insist that our country stop going down the corn ethanol path. Most people simply don't know about the problems of corn ethanol or the promise of the plug-in electric vehicles. Once again, let's lead the way.
p. 8 Fuels for the Future: If we hope to prevent a world climate crisis, we have to change the way we think about cars-how much we use them, how they're made, and what type of fuel we put in them (Surprise-it shouldn't be corn ethanol).
Box: Co-op America's 12-Step Plan to Curb Climate Change
Box: Drive Less, Save the Earth
p. 13 Fuels 101: The Road to Reason: Since conventional gasoline isn't doing the trick when it comes to curbing the climate crisis, which fuels are the best choices for saving the planet? We crunched the numbers, dug up the facts, and determined which to get behind now ... and for the future.
Box: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
p. 22 Efficiency: The Best Fuel:Cars that run on less fuel seem like a no-brainer in terms of curbing climate change and solving our dependence on foreign oil. It's time to start making them.
Box: TRUE TALES: How Robet and Barbara go far free -- with children.
p. 24 Corn Ethanol Isn't the Answer: A Co-op America expose: "Anyone can see by looking at the characteristics of the different biofuels that corn ethanol isn't 'green,'" says Alisa Gravitz, Co-op America's executive director. "You don't have to crunch numbers very long to conclude that ethanol isn't a fuel solution for people or the planet. As a country, we should be moving towards driving less, improving fuel economy, and advancing plug-in hybrids powered by electricity from renewable, green sources."
Box: TRUE TALES: How Eric Henry helped form a biodiesel cooperative to make this alternative fuel easier to obtain where he lived.
p. 28 Plug-In Hybrids: Our Best Hope: To help curb climate change, we need to make cars that achieve 60 mpg by 2054. Today's plug-in hybrids get 100+ mpg, and their emissions are lower than those of any other vehicle on the road today.
Box: From Vehicle to Grid
BONUS: After all this if you are impelled to take action, of course you can do so through CalCars.org, PlugInPartners.org, PlugInAmerica.org. And if you order the print copy (see intro) you'll get what's stapled into the middle of the issue: six pre-addressed postcards with messages including: Tell Ford/GM/your Representative/Senators: Ethanol is NOT the answer! Tell GM to build the plug-in Volt soon. Tell Ford to start producing plug-in hybrids. Tell Ykitoshi (Yuki) Funo, Chairman and CEO, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc: Encourage Toyota to take significant steps to reduce their emissions, improve efficiency, and start producing plug-in hybrids!