Guests:

Carl Gulbronson is here from The Electric Vehicle Store to talk about some exciting electric vehicles that are ready for your to drive today!  From 2-wheeled scooters and three-wheeled vehicles to 4-wheel family cars, Carl has an electric vehicle that will fit your lifestyle.  Electric vehicles cost about $0.01 per mile to run versus about $0.59 per mile for a gasoline powered vehicle.  The savings can really add up quickly!  Plus electric vehicles have very little maintenance.  There are no oil changes or filter replacements to worry about.  Their newest vehicle, the Current, has top highway speeds of 70 - 75 mph can go at least 30 miles per charge and it qualifies for a $7500 tax credit for 2009!  It even comes with air-bags and power windows.  Visit Carl to learn more about this great vehicle and other electric modes of transportation!

Bob Gibbons is here today from Metro Transit to talk about their current transportation offerings as well as what is coming down the line in the future!  Click HERE to link to more information on how to get around the Twin Cities with out goin' solo in your car.

Green Ideas and Tips:

Carrotmobbing

Here's how it works:

• Local businesses are contacted and asked how much they would like to bid in order to win over consumers during one massive shopping day.
• Using social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, and other technology, members are asked to vote which store they would like to select.
• One particular day is selected and the store is “mobbed” with consumers who show up and buy goods they would have purchased anyways - like food, beverages, hardware, etc.
• The store is mobbed with consumers who in the process of flexing their spending dollars, bring the store huge sales.
• The store uses the percentage of those sales they pledged to make their business greener and more environmentally friendly, while helping their bottom line AND gaining significant goodwill in the community.

There is very little time, energy, and initiative needed on the part of people who want to foster change.  Members simply show up on the appointed day and purchase goods they would have purchased anyways.  It's really a win win situation for everyone... Consumers buy goods they need, and get to identify and support the businesses in their local community who are most likely to be environmentally friendly.  The businesses win a big day of sales and positive environmental changes to their shop.

So let's get this Carrotmob thing happening in your neighborhood... Buy local, buy organic, buy sustainable, help a local company make a positive environmental impact, and reward socially responsible businesses.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CARROTMOB

Dark Green Tip #813: Fuel Up Your Diesel with Biodiesel Blends

If you have a diesel car or truck, look HERE for a fueling station that offers a biodiesel blend, which requires no modifications in your engine. There are currently more than 1,000 such stations across the country, and more are popping up all the time,

Diesel engines are up to 40 percent more fuel-efficient than gasoline ones, and biodiesel emits 78 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) than petroleum diesel, as well as less carbon monoxide. The good news is that blends of 5, 10 or 20 percent biodiesel, with the remainder petroleum diesel, can be burned as-is in existing diesel engines, so you don't need to do anything different. These fuels are called, respectively, B5, B10 and B20.

Also note that, except perhaps in the very coldest climates, biodiesel blends up to B20 can generally be used year round. Pure biodiesel gets too viscous at low temperatures, and requires dilution or a special warming kit installed in your vehicle.

Light Green Tip #6790: Plant an extra row of whatever you're growing and donate it to your local food shelf or food distribution program.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 in 8 households in the United States experiences hunger or the risk of hunger. Many frequently skip meals or eat too little, sometimes going without food for an entire day. Approximately 33 million people, including 13 million children, have substandard diets or must resort to seeking emergency food because they cannot always afford the food they need. The demand for hunger assistance has increased by 70% in recent years, and research shows that hundreds of hungry children and adults are turned away from food banks each year because of lack of resources.

We got this idea from a program called PAR or "Plant A Row" launched in mid 90s by the Garden Writers Association and the GWA Foundation. The Garden writers encouraged their readers/listeners to plant an extra row of produce each year and donate their surplus to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations to help feed America’s hungry.

There are over 84 million households with a yard or garden in the U.S. If every gardener plants one extra row of vegetables and donates their surplus to local food agencies and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger.