National Clean Air Green Tour

Leilani Munter first 100% green supported Nascar Driver

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:42:00 GMT

Can NASCAR go green and still have the fan base?

Leilani Munter puts green in NASCAR on the map at Daytona this year as first 100% eco supported race car. The mission of Leilani's Eco Dream Team is to send powerful messages to the number one spectator sport in America, calling to action 100 million race fans in the US to make a difference by spreading environmental awareness about sustainable living alternatives, clean energy, alternative fuel vehicles, and environmental legislation. Additionally, Leilani hopes her efforts will encourage racing sanctioning bodies to increase their environmental initiatives with expanded recycling programs and the use of alternative fuels.

About Leilani Munter
Leilani Munter is Carbon Free Girl is a professional race car driver and environmental activist. She holds a bachelors degree in biology specializing in ecology, behavior and evolution from the University of California San Diego. Since 2007, Leilani has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs and is a long time vegetarian and eco activist. She is the first Ambassador of the National Wildlife Federation and is politically active in the legislative fight for the environment. She has made several visits to Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress on behalf of clean energy and climate change legislation.

Leilani is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar. She set the record for the highest finish for a female driver in the history of Texas Motor Speedway when she finished fourth in 2006. Her racing accomplishments have landed her on the pages of USA Today, Italian Vogue, Esquire, ESPN and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world.

If your company wants to sponsor Leilani Munter this year or for 2011 please contact Jimmie Paar at Full Motion Marketing, www.fullmotionmarketing.com or call 251-981-9920.

This year we have some incredible pricing for the last few races. Sponsors filling quickly so contact us soon.

Help Us Plant Trees as a part of Earth Day Month, we celebrate Earth Day 365/24/7

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 02:48:00 GMT

Help us plant trees!

Published: February 21 2009

Do you want to help us plant a tree, or two? Sure you want.

As we all know planting trees can help fight climate change and poverty. And now you can help out to plant trees, for free!

We are looking for volunteers to assist in planting new tree seedlings to help our environment. Take part in a huge media event and help your planet at the same time. All volunteers receive an official National Clean Air Green Tour t-shirt and will include refreshments. Also any volunteers that help may take home some tree seedlings for there own planting on there property. Tree Plantings will take place on state land, parks, roadsides and federal land on April 23rd in Lexington, Kentucky / April 30th in Naperville, IL, May 7th in Lansing Michigan / May 8th in Flint Michigan.

Please submit your name, email, and phone number to jim@cleanairgreentour.com ,also for more information on the tour go to: http://www.cleanairgreentour.com/

This is a great opportunity for church groups, schools, peer groups, businesses, etc. Families with kids is great.

Look forward to seeing you there,

Also to donate to the National Clean Air Green Tour Foundation to help these projects go to: http://www.cleanairgreentour.org/green_donate.htm

Yours truly,
Clean Air Green Tour Staff

Green Seal Product Standards

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:47:00 GMT

Green Seal Product Standards
http://www.greenseal.org/

Green Seal is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the environment by promoting the manufacture and sale of environmentally responsible consumer products. It sets life cycle-based environmental standards and awards a "Green Seal of Approval" to products that cause less harm to the environment than other similar products. By setting standards for environmentally responsible products, Green Seal seeks to reduce air and water pollution; cut the waste of energy and natural resources; slow ozone depletion and the risk of global warming; prevent toxic contamination; and protect fish and wildlife and their habitats.

Courtesy of iVillage

Five Dire Green Myths Causing the Greatest Global Harm

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:25:00 GMT

by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 12. 3.08

photo: mtoz

Can you tell the difference between eco fact and eco fiction? With the green movement growing in momentum, we frequently come across any number of statements repeatedly presented as conventional eco-wisdom, statements we often do not question. Sometimes there is a ring of intuitive truth to these statements, which turns out to be false upon further examination. Other times, after a public debate, one aspect of an issue wins out over other equally important aspects--or the nuance gets lost. Then there is the gorilla marketing approach: a particular industry simply puts out a message with such frequency that eventually it becomes accepted, regardless of truth.

Whatever the cause, some of these statements are powerful enough to rise to the level of green myths, and the line between fact and fiction gets blurred. These five in particular are causing tremendous global harm, but there are many more out there. We encourage readers to add to this list in the comments.

Green Myth #1: Genetically Modified Crops Have Higher Crop Yields and Help Reduce Poverty
While Prince Charles' statement that expanding the use of genetically modified crops will be the "biggest environmental disaster of all time" does have a touch of hyperbole in it, nonetheless the benefits of genetically modified crops have been exaggerated, to say the least. In terms of having higher crop yields, and reducing hunger or poverty the evidence simply doesn't support the claimed benefits of GM crops.
In terms of food crops the following statement from a 2008 Friends of the Earth report, Who Benefits From GM Crops [PDF], sums it up well:

"The majority of GM crops are not destined for hungry people in developing countries, but are used to feed animals, generate biofuels, and produce highly processed food products–-mainly for consumption in rich countries. GM crops have not increased food security for the world’s poor. None of the GM crops on the market are modified for increased yield potential and research continues to focus on new pesticide-promoting varieties that tolerate application of one or more herbicides."

Citing Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soya as an example--a good one considering it’s the most widely planted GM crop in the world--FOE points out on average it has "5-10% lower yields than conventional soya, as well as reduced uptake of essential nutrients." (Friends of the Earth [PDF] )

In short, hunger and poverty have much more do with lack of access to land, water shortages, lack of access to credit and education, and poor infrastructure (some of which are exacerbated by industrial agriculture) than it does with the poor quality of conventional crops. GM crops may benefit the companies who make them, but that's about it.

Even if you take carbon emissions out of the equation, other pollution (such as acid rain) and mercury remains an issue with coal. photo: Keli

Green Myth #2: Clean Coal Technology Will Solve the Coal Pollution Problem
This is an instance of one issue taking center stage while arguably more important ones are forced to wait in the wings. The potentially devastating effects of climate change are undoubtedly a huge issue, and radically reducing carbon dioxide emissions is a key factor in mitigating those effects. Therefore it's no surprise that when people talk about 'clean coal technologies' they are talking primarily about ways to reduce carbon emissions and permanently store the CO2 which is released. But even if this was possible, there are other pollution and environmental problems with burning coal which have a much more immediate effect on the environment.
Even if all greenhouse gases could be sequestered from burning coal (a big if...) mercury, sulfer dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide emissions would still be a huge environmental problem. After a coal mine closes, an area is just as likely to feel the loss of financial capital as the effects of pollution, water poisoning, and habitat destruction years after the fact.

And then there is, as fellow TreeHugger John Laumer has pointed out in several posts, the problem with fly ash. Here's just part of the problem:

"Historically, coal combustion wastes rarely exhibit the characteristics of hazardous waste. However, if coal burning utilities and the so-called "clean coal plants" were required to meet air emissions standards protective of human health, fly ash produced by them could be regulated as hazardous waste due to the elevated levels of mercury that would result. We might suppose that any fly ash with hazardous characteristics due to heavy metal content would have to be sent to special and expensive waste fills or be treated at great cost."

No matter how you frame the discussion with coal, from an environmental perspective, nothing good comes from it. Even as the longer term climate change problems with burning coal are increasingly being recognized by the public at large, the more immediate environmental problems of coal are still significant.

photo: Michael

Green Myth #3: Developing Nations Need to Stop Having Babies

When you look at the population growth rates of certain parts of Africa and Asia, and compare them to the growth rates in Europe and North America, you can’t help but think that the developed world is being overtaken by the developing world: Which in terms of absolute numbers is true. In terms of immediate and local resource consumption this is a genuine problem. But for those of us living in conditions of comparative material luxury, it's all too easy to point the finger elsewhere and mutter something like 'why can’t they just stop having babies.' However, when you consider per capita natural resource consumption and environmental impact the problem is more complicated.

Just consider this one statistic: Over the course of a lifetime, a baby born in the UK will produce 160 times the carbon emissions of an Ethiopian baby. Then this one: According to data gathered by Global Footprint Network the 972 million people living in high income countries have double the total ecological footprint of the 5.4 billion people living in middle and low income countries.

In terms of natural resource consumption, overpopulation is a genuine issue nearly everywhere. Even in low income countries, moderate or low levels of consumption are multiplied by growing populations to create ecological deficits. But this is even more so the case in high income nations, where much smaller population numbers consume resources well beyond the local, regional or national biological capacity. The notion that the current level of natural resource consumption of high income nations can be extended to the majority of people in middle and low income nations is clearly false.

A greater problem than too many people being born in low income countries is too many people trying to consume natural resources at the level of high income nations. The only equitable solution seems to be to meet somewhere in the middle: Increasing material consumption at the bottom end of the scale (and probably decreasing population growth as educational opportunities expand and health improves) while decreasing significantly per capita resource consumption in high income countries.

Yes, that's the mark left by a bird hitting a window, a greater source of bird deaths than wind turbines. photo: Hendrik Dacquin

Green Myth #4: Wind Turbines Are a Serious Threat to Birds

Thankfully, this one is heard with decreasing regularity these days, but occasionally it still pops up so it's worth recapping: Older wind turbine designs, which used smaller blades rotating at faster speeds, could do a job on birds when erected in certain high risk locations. Today we have newer turbine designs, which use longer, slower moving blades, and don’t seem to cause significant amounts of bird deaths.

In fact, more birds are killed annually by colliding with moving vehicles, flying into windows or by cats kept as house pets than by modern wind turbines. There are genuine environmental, visual, and social issues regarding where wind farms get built but it is patently false that wind turbines are a serious threat to flying birds.

Wind turbines causing bat deaths is another issue...

photo: Al

Green Myth #5: Small Green Steps Won’t Make a Big Difference

It seems to come in waves, comments to the effect that all these small changes TreeHugger and other green websites tell people to make--installing energy efficient CFLs, air drying your clothes, eating local food and/or a vegetarian diet--won’t really create the type of changes that will be required to move humanity into an ecologically sustainable, post-carbon world.

Sometimes I admit that I fall into that way of thinking, particularly when faced on a day-to-day basis with a litany of reports detailing how climate change is happening faster than expected, China is building even more coal power plants per week than is commonly known, more animal species face extinction now (mostly because of human activity) than in the last thousands if not millions of years, deforestation is expanding, et cetera.

But this is why I think it is ultimately an eco-myth that small changes don’t have the possibility to make a difference: It's about increasing eco-mindfulness, environmental awareness and mental green acuity. Forgive the following slightly cheesy (if apt) pop culture reference.

In the "Karate Kid," the Ralph Macchio character wants to learn karate and enlists Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) to teach him. Macchio's character wants to get in there and start throwing down roundhouse kicks on the first day, but Mr. Miyagi has other plans: He has Macchio paint the fence, wax his car, and generally do a whole bunch of seemingly pointless activities around the house. But in reality all of them are preparing Macchio for karate at a deeper level than simply going out and practicing kata.

More than (the genuine) positive environmental changes they can bring, advocating small changes is about this: Getting people to start thinking more acutely about the ecological impact of their actions, their consumer purchases and what they put into their bodies. Once this increased awareness has been ingrained then people will more easily and naturally move on to greater changes in the way they live their lives--and have an even greater impact on creating an ecologically sustainable society.

Emerald Ash Borer starts flying in April...BE PREPARED

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:25:00 GMT

Select a state to learn more about EAB.

Emerald Ash Borer
Emerald ash borer (EA, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree's ability to transport water and nutrients. Emerald ash borer probably arrived in the United States on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. Emerald ash borer is also established in Windsor, Ontario, was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois and Maryland in 2006, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia in 2007, and Wisconsin, Missouri and Virginia in summer 2008. Since its discovery, EAB has:

Killed more than 40 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin and Virginia.
Caused regulatory agencies and the USDA to enforce quarantines (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin) and fines to prevent potentially infested ash trees, logs or hardwood firewood from moving out of areas where EAB occurs.
Cost municipalities, property owners, nursery operators and forest products industries tens of millions of dollars.

Article Provided By: www.emeraldashborer.info

Jurassic Plants Uncovered in Utah

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:29:00 GMT

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Jurassic Plants Uncovered in Utah

Mike Stark, Associated Press

Oct. 29, 2008 -- Paleontologists are sifting through the soil of an excavated lot in search of ancient plants, the only ones from the early Jurassic period found so far in western North America.

The flora fossils date back 198 million years, Utah's state paleontologist Jim Kirkland said Tuesday. "Every plant they've identified has been new," he said.

The plant material may fill in information gaps about life during a transitional period between the mass extinction of the late Triassic period and the rise of dinosaurs as a dominant species on the landscape, he said.

"We're really excited and we've got institutions from all over the country interested in material from here," Kirkland said in a telephone interview from St. George.

About 15 volunteers were at the site where excavation began last week to clear the way for an office complex with restaurants, shops and office space. The spot is in a bare lot near the Virgin River, not far from the city's Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm, where dinosaur tracks were found eight years ago.

Andrew Milner, the city's paleontologist, said the property's developers have agreed to excavate the privately owned land slowly so crews have time to pick through the dirt in search of hidden fossils.

"We've collected about 150 specimens in the last few days," Milner said.

The first plants in the area were found in 2002 when dirt was peeled away to make way for large retail stores. A 2006 study identified them as conifers, ferns and horsetails, which are slender hollow-stemmed plants.

Kirkland said he's been struck by how many conifer remnants there are, including seeds and some hardened branches with cones still attached.

Milner said different plants from the early Jurassic have been found elsewhere, including along the East Coast.
The fossils are tantalizing clues about what life may have been like near the early Jurassic lake known as Lake Dixie, which once covered stretches of what is now southwestern Utah.

"We really hit the jackpot in finding this plant site," Milner said.

Researchers are still trying to understand what happened there after cataclysmic extinctions that wiped out scores of plants, reptiles, insects and amphibians.

Species that returned in the early Jurassic had to eat something, and plants were likely part of that diet, Kirkland said. It's still unclear how the plants being excavated in St. George fit into that puzzle.

"We've got a lot to learn," Kirkland said.

With the topsoil peeled back, crews have been going through the dirt by hand, looking for hard-to-find fossils and cutting out slabs with good material.

"You've got to really look hard to spot these things," Milner said.

Two plant slabs will be preserved and presented at the Dinosaur Discovery Site, he said.

Specimens have been requested by researchers elsewhere, including those at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, the Smithsonian and the Museum of Natural History in New York.

How to Go Green: Wine

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:26:00 GMT

How to Go Green: Wine

Ever since the days of Julius Caesar, wine has been big business-last year, California alone sold 554 million gallons at home and abroad. But back when Caesar and his men were toasting their latest military victory they weren't thinking about the ecological effects of that 100-B.C. vintage—because they didn't have to. Their vineyards weren't maintained with the same chemicals and pesticides that most modern wineries use; organic growing just came naturally.

These days, you'll have to look a little harder to find a wine that's not synthetically manipulated in any way, whether by man-made fertilizers, pest deterrents, or chemical-laden bottling processes. But even though they're hard to find, they're out there: more and more winegrowers are producing organic grapes using low-impact and biodynamic viticulture procedures, and upping the sustainability of their properties by controlling erosion, irrigation, and fertilization with the long-term health of the earth—not just their crops—in mind.

Still other vineyards are cutting back on their consumption and packaging-decreasing their wine's carbon footprint-while small, local wineries offer neighborhood customers an energy efficient alternative to vintages shipped from overseas. So whether you're looking for that perfect birthday-party chardonnay or just a merlot for sipping after a busy week, it's easier than ever to green your reds and whites.

By Blythe Copeland
Great Neck, NY, USA

Tropical Cyclones Wash Away Carbon

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:11:00 GMT

Tropical Cyclones Wash Away Carbon

Michael Reilly, Discovery News

Oct. 21, 2008 -- Hurricanes and typhoons, normally seen as looming threats from global warming, are actually helping to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Each year humans emit approximately 7.2 billion tons of the greenhouse gas, trapping vast amounts of heat in the air and oceans. Tropical cyclones derive their energy from warm seas, and some scientists believe global warming will spawn more frequent and more intense storms unless drastic effort is undertaken to cut emissions.

But Robert Hilton of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a team of researchers found that when two powerful storms lashed Taiwan in 2004, rains eroded thousands of tons of carbon-rich plant matter and soil. The material was sent coursing out of the island's steep mountain range down the LiWu River and into the deep sea, where it was buried in sediment.

"Over the last 30 years large storms, which only last a few days, dominated the erosion there," Hilton said. "Between 77 and 92 percent of carbon was eroded by these storms."

Globally, rivers slough vast amounts of carbon off continents and into the oceans. The Amazon River, the largest in the world by volume, dumps an estimated 13 million tons of carbon into the sea each year.

Related Content:

Michael Reilly's Blog: Strike-Slip
Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the 'Wrong Track'
How Stuff Works: Hurricanes

By contrast, the study published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience, Hilton and colleagues calculated that Typhoon Mindulle, the stronger of the 2004 storms, washed just 5,500 tons of carbon down the LiWu.

But huge rivers like the Amazon don't bury their carbon efficiently; most of it empties onto shallow continental shelf waters where it can be recycled and eventually emitted back out into the atmosphere.

When a steep river like the LiWu comes roaring out of the mountains at flood stage, its waters are dense with sediment and they quickly descend to the sea floor, where up to 90 percent of the carbon can be buried and removed from Earth's carbon cycle.

So-called "steepland" rivers are prevalent in the tropics throughout the western Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, making the region ripe for erosion by tropical cyclones. In the Pacific alone, some 50-90 million tons of carbon are sequestered in this way annually.

Compared to human activity, this isn't going to make much of a dent in global warming, though.

"Dotting an 'i' would be a good way of putting it, I think, in terms of the global carbon cycle," Basil Gomez of Indiana State University said. "But it's important because not a lot is known about these rivers. Many of them are in places that are increasingly impacted by human activity and will be even more impacted in the future."

"This is a cool study that suggests erosion may not be as big a worry for carbon in some areas as we once thought it was," he said.

Top Ten Policies Necessary to Pursue Global Ecological Sustainability

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Top Ten Policies Necessary to Pursue Global Ecological Sustainability

Following are the most urgent policy prescriptions necessary to maximize the likelihood of a habitable biosphere and minimize human death as a result of collapsing ecosystems. They are listed in order of importance. To have any chance of averting global apocalypse these sorts of policies must be implemented with all haste. Your comments are welcome regarding this list and avenues for implementation - which will be enumerated further as the project progresses.

No. 1 - POPULATION - Human populations surpass what the Earth can bear. We must stabilize and then reduce human population to at most a third current levels. Global limits must be placed on the number of children born, using incentives at first such as tax benefits for smaller families. Humanity can reduce population on their own accord or the Earth will do so for us.

No. 2 - GREENHOUSE GASES - Abrupt runaway climate change is happening now as energy costs the Earth dearly. Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by at least 70% as soon as possible. Maintaining an operable atmosphere requires phasing out coal and oil, introducing a substantial carbon tax, investing in renewable energy, and rigorously pursuing conservation and efficiency. No large-scale new energy systems such as nuclear or biofuel until shown to be environmentally benign in the long-term.

No. 3 - PROTECT ECOSYSTEMS - Large, connected and strictly protected ecosystems over much of the land and sea are a prerequisite for provision of air, water, biodiversity, soil and other services upon which life depends. Large protected marine areas must be established, ending industrial fishing. And ancient forest logging must end, strictly protecting remaining intact natural habitats.

No. 4 - CONSUMPTION - Excessive resource use to meet frivolous human wants must be restricted by promoting a consumption ethic that stresses voluntary simplicity and a sense of "enoughness", and laws that minimize impacts. Simple reforms such as standardizing consumer packaging and making all waste recyclable will reduce necessary consumption's impacts.

No. 5 - AGRICULTURE - A transition must be made to sustainable agricultural practices and eating habits with the emphasis upon organic, non-GMO, low meat diets that are locally produced. Eating habits impact virtually all ecosystems, resulting in natural forest clearing, toxic food chains, depleted water, soil loss and reduction of ecosystems' ability to hold carbon.

No. 6 - SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES - Economic systems are a subset of ecological systems and as such all economic activities must maintain or expand natural capital. Growth that destroys natural capital is not sustainable, and growth as a measure of economic activity is an ecological malignancy. A steady state, sustainable economy must be business, industry and humanity's goal.

No. 7 - GREEN TECHNOLOGY - Technology by itself cannot bring sustainability, but clean and green technologies are important and provide huge economic opportunities. There is tremendous potential for development of energy efficient, more sustainable and fully recyclable buildings, products and services (including hybrid cars and fluorescent lightbulbs). But the use and trade of toxic chemicals must end.

No. 8 - ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION - Too many ecosystems have already been lost and diminished for humanity to persist. Achieving sustainability and preparing for post collapse societies depends upon targeted restoration of important ecosystems. Priorities for ecological restoration include watersheds, establishing ecological core areas and urban environments.

No. 9 - POVERTY- Billions living in desperate poverty is unethical and damages the environment. All cannot live like Americans, but if the Earth's wealth is shared we can all live well. The focus must be upon the overdeveloped world living more simply, sustainable development, equitable and just political and economic systems, and green technology transfer.

No. 10 - DEMILITARIZATION - Increasingly conflicts over resources fuel militarism and insurgency. Military budgets divert resources from crucial social and environmental investments, and must be slashed. Lasting security that is equitable, just and sustainable

HAVE YOU SEEN THE CLEAN AIR GREEN TOUR BUS

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:16:00 GMT

Photo contest for 2009 Clean Air Green Tour. If you see the National Clean Air Green Tour bus you will be able to submit your photos and have an opportunity to WIN $1000. Photo contest will start July 1st, 2009. Good Luck and if you have any questions contact us at the National Clean Air Green Tour.

Natural Shoreline Clean Up Day This Saturday.

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:05:00 GMT

Help protect our shorelines this weekend by participating in National Shoreline Clean Up Day. Choose any shoreline and if their isn't garbage great but if their is do your part and help pick it up. Trust me even if you only walk a short distance it is very rewarding to help out, also great exercise.

HURRICANES AND GLOBAL WARMING

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Is it possible that Global Warming doesn't exsist at all or does it. The Hurricanes have been strong but in past seasons know stronger then the current. We did have a big one with Katrina but look at many years ago when Hurricane Andrew hit Florida.

I do believe that some sort of Global Warming exsist but the most important thing I see is that we need to protect our natural resources.

Let us hear what your thinking.

Could Greensburg Kansas be the first model Green town

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:39:00 GMT

After a monster tornado devastated Greensburg, Kan., one year ago this Sunday, the city faced tragedy and the daunting task of rebuilding from scratch.

It also got an opportunity, Mayor John Janssen says.

This rural county seat 109 miles west of Wichita has made "green" its rebuilding mantra, declaring itself a national model for environmentally conscious living — and winning attention and resources in the process.

PHOTO GALLERY: Going green in Greensburg

"The tornado was one of the biggest blessings to hit our town," Janssen says. "We were like every other town in the Rust Belt and the Midwest. We were dying a slow, agonizing death. Suddenly, we don't have a town. So we're rebuilding a new green town."

The decision to rebuild in an environment-friendly manner is not just about feeling good, he says. Environmentally conscious design can cost more up front, but the costs are made up through energy savings, he says. The city hopes to attract new residents and businesses committed to green living.

"We've got green industry that has been looking for a green community to locate into," he says. He didn't go into specifics. "The contacts we've made boggle the imagination."

About 1,400 people lived in Greensburg before the twister, working mostly in agriculture, oil, gas and trucking. The town's main attractions were "the world's largest hand-dug well" and a 1,000-pound meteorite. Both survived.

After most of the homes and businesses were wiped out, the population fell to about 700, says Kim Alderfer, assistant city administrator. About 140 families live in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers, and 141 homes are under construction or completed. The water tower went up in March.

Run Your Car With Water

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:29:00 GMT

Run Your Car With Water & Stop Spending More Money On High Price Gas!

Welcome to the Water Fuel-Kit Reviews and Web Directory. Whether you're trying to save money on gas or just help the environment by cleaning your vehicle's emissions, converting your car to run on water (as a supplement to gasoline) provides the lowest-cost, safest, and most rewarding solution. The technology to run cars on H2O (derived from water) is proven.

Benefits of Water-Fuel Conversions

There are a variety of benefits of water-fuel conversions, both in terms of convenience and in terms of cost-savings:

To drive your vehicle more miles per tank of gas.
To reduce emission-related pollution.
To improve fuel efficiency with a "reversible" conversion.
To laugh at rising gas prices and be the envy of your friends and neighbors!

However, the information to do so is usually expensive and hard to find. Plus, it's difficult to know which information to trust. So, which water-fuel conversion kit manual is best? There are several factors to consider in picking the best conversion kit guide. The first factor is whether the technology works. There are a number of conversion plans floating around the internet that either don't work, or are extremely difficult to understand. However, other guides we reviewed provide exceptional simplicity and dramatically improve fuel efficiency. Another factor to consider is cost. While most H2O conversion-kit guides cost around $400, the necessary supplies alone can sometimes exceed $500.

Fortunately, we've been able to find a handful of effective conversion-kit guides that are not only affordable, but also use low-cost materials.

According to our surveys, RunYourCarWithWater offers the best value for vehicle conversion to water power. They provide an ideal balance of low price, easy-to-follow directions, and excellent results. We were most impressed with the affordable materials the directions required. As of our last price check on 4/12/2008, they are running an excellent limited time promotion. Their current conversion guide is being offered for $49.97 instead of their regular $297 price. However, there a variety of choices available for converting your car into a water hybrid. In choosing a service, it is important to compare features, because the complexity of the instructions, overall cost, and quality of results varies significantly between services.

The following reviews are based on our survey study with over 500 respondents who have used some or all of these conversion guides, combined with our research panel’s own first hand testing of each service. If you have used any of the services below, please contact us at support@articleanswer.com, and we will factor your feedback into our ongoing reviews.

Ethanol: Plenty of Corn and Plenty of Water

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:18:00 GMT

   Your Oct. 17 editorial "Ethanol's Water Shortage" obfuscates the need for domestic energy solutions by torturing data and attempting to stir up those ugly polictical fights it warns about.
    No doubt, it takes water to make ethanol. Just as it takes water-about 1,851 gallons-to refine one barrel of crude oil, according to the Institute of Food and Agricutural Services at the University of Florida. For more perspective on water use about 183 gallons a day, and an average-sized Sunday newspaper slurps up 150 gallons of industrial water per day----twice what the average ethanol plant uses in a year. Who's holding your feet to the fire?
    That thirsty corn plant gives water back. As a corn plant grows, it transpires water, releasing it into the atmosphere and starting the hydrologic cycle all over again. According the U.S. Geological Survey, an acre of corn gives off 3,000-4,000 gallons of water each day through transpiration.
    What do Americans get in return for the water used to grow a bushel of corn? A bushel produces nearly three gallons of ethanol and 18 pounds of distillers' grains that can be fed to livestock. Or it can be used to make 68 boxes of cereal. Or it can be turned into 22.4 pounds of corn-based plastic, which is environmentally friendly than petroleum-based plastic.
    Growers are on the brink of delivering the largest U.S. corn crop on record---providing enough corn for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. And they're doing it responsibly.

Article from:
The Wall Street Journal Oct. 26th 2007

How much biodiesel can I use?

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:23:00 GMT

How much bio-diesel can I use?

The question yesterday after the Clean Air Green Tour was in the Rochester, New York newspaper was can I run bio-diesel in my normal diesel engine?

Their is debate on how much of a blend can be used or can I run 100% bio-diesel and cause no harm to my engine.

I am interested in seeing what your experiences are and what you have seen by using it. We received an abundant of information from the President of Northern Bio-Diesel which actually is one of few licensed plants producing bio-diesel in New York state.

Thank ahead of time for your comments. Also look for our article in the Rochester Democratic Chronicle Newspaper.

Ethanol and Food

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:47:00 GMT

As we have reached our sixth day on the road we have seen questions arise about Ethanol and our food prices. The fact of the matter is Ethanol fuels are produced in the United States and have created thousands of jobs for Americans and have increased the security of revenues to farmers. Ethanol fuel helps keep our air cleaner and the United States dosn't have to rely on foreign fuel supplies as much. I feel those benefits far out do the other concern.

We are interested to hear your comments about Ethanol. Please submit to the Clean Air Green Tour Blog.

From your director of the tour.

Clean Air Green Tour has hit the road

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:08:00 GMT

It is official the Clean Air Green Tour has officially hit the road for Chicago's debut. The first stop was at ABT Electronics, the largest electronic retailer in the world for a single location.

Within minutes of getting the tour on the road we were approached by a reporter for an interview and photos. With the 70 foot coach and trailer going down the highway we are turning heads. People speed up and get next to us on the highway to see the coach.

Our first stop at ABT was incredible, our staff interacted with over 600 consumers about our sponsors and the questions were abundant. We had many consumers curious about Ethanol including asking questions about how they can make a difference. The Bosch trailer was a hit and there was twelve actual purchases of Bosch appliances due to our presence. We did arrived late due to some mechanical failure but the time we did meet with consumers made a huge impact.

Today we are in Rockford at Lowe's.

Clean Air Green Tour covering the nation

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:25:00 GMT

2007 National Clean AIr Green Tour officially kicks off July 14th

Clean Air Green Tour Blog — Sun, 13 May 2007 23:09:00 GMT

The 2007 National Clean Air Green Tour starts July 14th and we are excited about our sponsors on the tour this year.

This year we have the opportunity to feature Ethanol Promotions and Information Council, Balanced Energy, Bosch Home Appliances, and Southwest Airlines.

The national tour will consist of over 150 cities over the next six months. We will have three dedicated event marketers on the entire tour, our staff will grow to as many as twelve individuals depending on the event we are at.

Our sponsors have the unique opportunity to monitor the tour through GPS real-time tracking updated every two minutes.

Our site will be updated frequently to allow the public to follow the tour and any developing news stories and headlines.

For more information on Full Motion Marketing go to: www.fullmotionmarketing.com .