9
votes
Accepted
Impact on environment: a million horses vs a million cars
In large numbers, horses are more problematic than cars.
According to Eric Morris, in 1898 delegates from around the world gathered to discuss urban planning. The issue they were "desperate" to solve ...
- 3,207
5
votes
Impact on environment: a million horses vs a million cars
I think the main problem is that commuting is almost never "eco-friendly". There's a lot of energy that's needed to carry your behind (and your carriage) from your home to your workplace.
I think the ...
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5
votes
Being a sustainable Digital Nomad in a Van - First Steps
Three routes:
A: Your van has all your worldly possessions.
B: In addition you have a place you can store stuff.
C: Use a car towable R.V.
A: Everything is in your van.
Consider removing the ...
- 7,009
5
votes
Is there any way to recycle air-pollution into fertilizer?
You can use scrubbers to remove NO2 (or better NOX) and SO2 from exhaust gas emissions.
Scrubbers are used in large industrial facilities, power plants, and large ships to clean-up the exhaust gas ...
4
votes
Are there any unsustainable supply-chain issues unique to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles?
The favored anode catalyst in a hydrogen fuel cell is platinum(1) or another platinum-group element (e.g. palladium). The catalyst is required in small quantities for an individual fuel cell but of ...
- 1,570
4
votes
Accepted
The more miles a car drives, the more economical battery packs become?
The immediate previous sentence says:
The other unknown that BNEF considers is the rise of autonomous cars and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which would all put more cars on the road ...
- 308
3
votes
Accepted
Are solar powered cars sustainable and are they a good idea for future transportation?
A self-contained solar-powered car is not viable. There simply isn't enough area for the solar panels.
Take a Honda Civic as an example: it's got about eight square meters of top surface that solar ...
- 579
3
votes
Most sustainable vehicle that shelters from rain
This site links to a number of enclosed human powered vehicles but the only one that is available for me to purchase locally is the ELF.
What could be more fun than riding your ELF? Riding with ...
- 698
3
votes
Most sustainable vehicle that shelters from rain
There are recumbent bicycles that shield you from rain and wind, for example:
Image by Gandalf24 at da.wikipedia - Own work, Public Domain
The shielding is called fairing.
According to this ...
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3
votes
The more miles a car drives, the more economical battery packs become?
The article is considering the total costs of ownership of electric vs internal combustion engined (ICE) cars, including purchase and running costs. One of the benefits of electric cars is that fuel ...
- 3,621
3
votes
How do I calculate if it is more sustainable to have my groceries delivered?
The only option that I can see which would be win-win would be to take public transport to the supermarket and use my reusable bags.
Hardly. I present, the bike trailer:
For five years, I actually ...
- 426
2
votes
What are the pros and cons of electric motors vs. internal combustion engines?
What are the pros and cons of electric motors, compared to internal combustion engines, from a sustainability perspective?
The main comparison is between fuel energy density and energy efficiency, ...
- 3,027
2
votes
Method of transport with decent speed/low cost without a driving license?
Since providing my older answer to this question, and since considering electric scooters, I have actually purchased an electric bike and have to not update my old answer but provide a new much better ...
- 3,027
2
votes
Method of transport with decent speed/low cost without a driving license?
An electric scooter would be ideal.
Bicycles suffer from a peculiar characteristic of humans, namely that they produce power at a ridiculously low RPM. Power is force times speed. If speed is low, to ...
- 3,027
2
votes
Most sustainable vehicle that shelters from rain
Given the high price of the enclosed pedal powered vehicles described above, it seems that the better option is to get an e-bike (so you can ride in heavy clothing without sweating too much and carry ...
- 139
1
vote
Solar panels - series vs parallel and microinverters
Your plan will not work.
If you wire 4 panels in series, the voltage is that of 4 panels.
If you wire 2 panels in series, the voltage is that of 2 panels. Half of that of 4 panels.
You are then ...
- 3,027
1
vote
Method of transport with decent speed/low cost without a driving license?
In general, any two or three wheeler with a one-speed transmission and no manual clutch, or with a two-speed automatic transmission, and a ~50cc engine, is a moped. Some states don't require tag and ...
- 306
1
vote
Is there any way to recycle air-pollution into fertilizer?
Just found a patent for this: https://www.google.com/patents/US20070154374
Method for removing sulfur dioxide and other acid gases, mercury, and nitrogen oxides from a gas stream with the optional ...
- 189
1
vote
Being a sustainable Digital Nomad in a Van - First Steps
Emissions per passenger kilometre will be high in your van, unless you carry more people! Consider picking up hitchhikers or doing ride sharing :)
1
vote
What are the pros and cons of electric motors vs. internal combustion engines?
Specific to electric vehicles in the USA, the Union of Concerned Scientists created a good comparison in 2009. Here's the latest update, from 2018-03-08:
https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-reichmuth/new-...
- 172
1
vote
What are the pros and cons of electric motors vs. internal combustion engines?
I think you had pretty much of advice pro electrical.
I do not preach combustion is better than electrical, but would like to make some side notes in favor of combustion.
Energy efficiency:
The ...
- 19
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