Slow Boat

Hybrid electric vehicle leaves the dock under emissions free sustainable power. (Photo courtesy of Bob Duthie)

Yesterday, I wrote about one city's problems with vehicle-generated air pollution.

Look what's in the news today:

Package-delivery giant UPS just purchased 130 hybrid-electric vehicles.  (That's an ADDITION to the company's existing alternative-fuel fleet.)
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Not to mention last month Frito-Lay announced its intention to build the largest fleet of commercial all-electric trucks in North America
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And have you heard that the U.S. military is going solar?  





You heard about the closure of a Pakistani border, making it hard to resupply troops in Afghanistan. Well,  someone at the top seems to have been thinking proactively about how to address this issue.  

Last week, a Marine company from California arrived in the rugged outback of Helmand Province bearing novel equipment: portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment.

Read the NYTimes report

Finally, right here, in our Tennessee Valley cruising ground, the TVA this week begins a series of public hearings about plans to rely less on coal for power generation and more on . . .  nuclear plants. (There's a little bit of attention to alternative energy projects somewhere in this plan.)

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Today we'll get a visit from the local public radio station. Then we are on our way to tour a local boat factory.  The manufacturer is interested in sustainable boating and is designing lightweight, hydrodynamic hulls that require less fuel to propel through the water.  Stay tuned!