HOURCAR expands coverage
HOURCAR, the Twin Cities’ largest car-sharing organization, has partnered with developer Schafer Richardson to locate a shared vehicle in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. The fuel-efficient 2007 Toyota Yaris is parked at a hub on the corner of North 4th Street and 6th Avenue North, making it convenient to residents and workers in the Warehouse District, as well as the North Loop.
The HOURCAR Toyota Yaris will be displayed at an unveiling at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the North Loop HOURCAR hub. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, city council member Lisa Goodman, and Schafer Richardson’s Kit Richardson will speak in support of HOURCAR’s expansion.
HOURCAR is a program of the nonprofit Neighborhood Energy Connection. HOURCAR has 16 cars in Minneapolis and St. Paul, including Downtown, Uptown, Loring Park, the Wedge neighborhood, Northeast Minneapolis, the West Bank, Downtown Saint Paul, and the Macalester-Groveland and Saint Anthony Park neighborhoods. HOURCAR members make self-service reservations online or by phone, pick up an HOURCAR at a nearby hub, run errands, return the car to its reserved parking space, lock it up, and walk away. Cars have on-board computers to record trip information and members are billed monthly. Visit www.HOURCAR.org for rate plans, hub locations, and to sign up.
Top Green Student Projects
An innovative, proprietary composting process that would compost large quantities of food waste with a minimum of energy and labor, created by students from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, was named one of the top 10 finalists in the first-ever Ecomagination Challenge sponsored by General Electric and mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network. More than 100 student groups nationwide submitted for the competition, with ambitious proposals addressing everything from energy conservation to urban runoff and waste production to wildlife preservation. College students are encouraged to check out the finalists’ multi-media proposals on www.ecocollegechallenge.com and vote for the project with the greatest potential environmental impact – for both the proposed campus and beyond. Student votes, along with input from mtvU, GE and top environmental experts, will determine the winning team, which will receive a $25,000 grant for the execution of its idea and be featured on mtvU and mtvU.com. The winner’s school will also receive an mtvU Earth Day Concert headlined by college favorites Angels & Airwaves. – World-Wire [www.world-wire.com]
Green is the New Red, White & Blue
Call it the tipping point, a wake-up call, but "Green" is in the air. Irv Weinberg, John Biethan and Carolyn Parrs conceived "America the Green" – a podcast – after viewing Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth. In the first two weeks of America the Green’s launch, iTunes picked them up, featured their show and off they went with flying colors. "What’s needed are not just big solutions but many people doing small things that add up to big things," Weinberg says. "When enough people reach a critical mass of consciousness and don’t leave it for the next guy or girl to do it for them, real change happens. It always does." Listeners can check out America the Green at www.AmericaTheGreen.com or Mind Over Markets at www.MindOverMarkets.com. For more information, call (505) 989-4004. – World-Wire [www.world-wire.com]
Green Energy TV
Green Energy TV is passionate about exposing Green/Alternative/Renewable/Clean Energy to the world via video clips from those who have pioneered success. Public response to the company’s recent launch already has exceeded initial expectations. The goal of the clearinghouse is to allow participants to easily submit their videos of green energy projects that are underway or completed in cities and countries all around the world. Videos will be reviewed and accessible to anyone with internet access at no cost. Then, viewers can search and view the solutions that address their specific need. Videos are also sought from companies, inventors, colleges and universities with existing or breakthrough green energy technology that is waiting to be discovered and marketed to the world. Green Energy TV will develop revenue streams through advertising opportunities. According to founder Craig J. Zamary, "We will use some of the revenue to install solar/wind energy projects in third world countries," he said. "These energies can pump fresh/clean drinking water from deep below the earth’s surface and provide many other benefits to impoverished people." Participants can upload videos at no cost to www.greenenergytv.com. – World Wire [www.world-wire.com]
