Climate Cities

Kick It into Underdrive

Americans driving less, SUV fervor cooling Who woulda thunk it: For the first time in 25 years, Americans are driving less. A study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates finds that […]

A Grist special series on biofuels

What is ethanol, and how's it different from biodiesel, and where does fry grease come in? Are there cars that can run on biofuels, and who's making them, and where can they fuel up? Who sells it, who makes money off it, and why's it such a political darl

Top Goes the Diesel

L.A. auto show sees Germans, GM committing to clean-tech cars This week’s Los Angeles Auto Show has set the car world abuzz. General Motors, plagued by its gas-guzzling reputation and […]

A Bee in His Bonnet

London mayor proposes steep congestion charge for gas-guzzlers London Mayor Ken Livingstone has announced plans to make the city’s weekday congestion tax much steeper for drivers of polluting vehicles. Under […]

Wacky and weird

The Schwinn-Shank Redemption
While the use of prison labor is questionable in any context, about 20 inmates in a South Dakota state penitentiary are reportedly happy to be taking part in a program that puts them to work fixing up old bikes for disadvantaged kids. No word in the media on whether the program is voluntary or not, but given prison wages, there's probably not much difference in compensation. Now if only there were a program to teach the kids how to stay upright in all that wind.

The other kind of bicycle flasher
Police in Clinton Township, Pa., have been on the lookout for an alleged serial flasher who has been accused of cycling past women and revealing, unsolicited, his naked cycling self. Faced with multiple reports, authorities have been getting serious, if misguided.

Police detained several men matching the suspect's general description. But none turned out to be the suspect, police said.

Look, another guy on a bike! Pervert!

The Charge of the Ultra-Light Brigade

CyberTran is the fastest, most convenient public transit you’ve never heard of What if there was a public transit system one-tenth the price of conventional light rail, available 24 hours […]

Now Utah-kin

Salt Lake City requires LEED certification for city-funded buildings Salt Lake City, Utah, known for its salty lake and Mormons, may soon also be known for its green buildings. Developers […]

The Bane in Spain Falls Mainly on the, Um, Construction

Spanish coast being ravaged by development The Spanish coast is being ravaged by a decade-long building boom, and there seems to be no end in sight. About 3 million houses […]

First cradle-to-cradle house takes shape in Virginia

Nothing about this traditional design says “gray water treatment happens here.” Renderings: Southern Heritage Homes Lined with rundown, century-old houses and situated within a couple miles of downtown Roanoke, the […]

Nothing Could Prius Away

Toyota Prius tops EPA’s list of most fuel-efficient cars for 2007 Yesterday, the U.S. EPA released its 2007 ranking of the most fuel-efficient vehicles, with gas-electric hybrids sweeping the top […]