Biking, or creating environmentally-minded transport – both make a huge impact. Welcome to Climate Ride and Progressive X Teams! (photo courtesy of Ocean Palms Beach Resort. )

We have two very exciting additions to the rally-sphere! Progressive Automotive X Prize is a competition sponsored by Progressive (the auto insurer) to give $10M a team that can design the most fuel-efficient vehicle. The first round of judging has already passed! While they are hoping to make a huge impact on the auto industry, they are also channeling the followers of the X Prize to CR to have a large, aggregate impact through everyday actions. And it’s really adding up: the team started yesterday, and they’ve already reduced 343lbs of CO2. Check them out here.

Brita Climate Ride is a movement to bike from New York to DC September 26-30th in support of raising awareness for climate change. They have guest speakers and events along the trek through NY, NJ, PA, MD, and into DC. Climate riders have already reduced CO2 by 589lbs. Say hi here

Courtesy of Sustainablog

This week, we’d like to give kudos to Chicago, IL. Our Windy City’s iconic Sears Tower will undergo a $350 million makeover this summer to render it much more environmentally friendly, reducing its electricity consumption by 80% (!), among other improvements. The retrofit will also come with a new name: Willis Tower, for the global insurance broker (not the actor who saved us all from impending doom…multiple times)

Putting Faces to Names: Reps Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA)

A big vote is expected on the Waxman-Markey Climate bill today or tomorrow. Whether you support it or not, it’s time for everyone to take action. Most people don’t think that a call or an email will make a difference – I actually used to intern for a Congressman in high school, and I was surprised by how seriously calls and letters from constituents impacted his policies and stances. Congresspeople are our representatives – let them know your stance on this bill!

Learn More
I have scoured the web, and “Grist.org”: http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-03-waxman-markey-bill-breakdown/ has a great dissection of the nearly-1000 page bill. The Breakthrough Institute argues against it, and The NRDC is a strong proponent of the legislation.

Take Action
Climate Progress and Al Gore make it easy for you to contact your local representative and state your opinion on the bill.

Coming soon to an airport near you? Courtesy of Green Inc

• This is just plain cool: a solar aircraft is supposed to be unveiled today! A project financed by companies including the Belgian chemicals and pharmaceuticals producer Solvay, the watchmaker Omega, and Deutsche Bank; with technical expertise has come from institutions including the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the French aircraft maker Dassault, the Solar Impulse is hoped to be able to fly for 36 hours straight with no external power sources (other than the sun, natch) by 2010 [Green Inc]
  
  
• We’re ones for keeping a neutral forum here, but we do support activism. Here’s a little boost in case you needed a reason to call your congressperson, some demonstraters were arrested in front of a coal mining operation in West Virginia, including 94 year old Ken Hechler, a former congressman; and Jim Hansen, a NASA scientist. If they can do it, so can you! [WorldChanging]
  
  
• This is also pretty cool. As a city dweller, I find that a lack of space usually foils all of my grand plans to create a beautiful, lush garden. Not so, according to Low Impact Living, which has an article (and loads of great pictures) on vertical gardening

Courtesy of Treehugger.com

Banks, and car companies, and insurance companies and everyone else is getting loads of government money. But lesser known is the fact that there’s a little something something in the stimulus for individuals who save energy. Jason, our Chief Rallyer, just forwarded me a newsletter from Zillow mentioning that consumers looking to green their houses and save are eligible for a tax credit for 30% of the cost of certain household energy efficiency improvements. There are so many other opportunities, too. Start Federal, go local. After checking the DOE site, try your state site, your town, your utility provider. Spending just 15 minutes will (hopefully) reveal loads of programs available to you (and hundreds of dollars in savings), from free energy audits to rebates on energy efficient appliances. And most of those investments would pay themselves off in savings, anyway! A penny saved is a penny earned…

Courtesy of TheDailyGreen

Here at Carbonrally, we’re always excited when we get new teams onboard. Especially when those teams are as in-the-know about all things eco as the staff over at TheDailyGreen. Pop on over and say hi or join the team if you’re already a TDG subscriber. In just two days, their team has already reduced 294lbs of CO2. Now that’s cause for some bragging rites.

Pretty up your yard / garden, but conserve water usage with some helpful tips. Courtesy of NashvilleTreeFoundation

• Dothegreenthing has brought my attention to an excellent billboard about conserving electricity via my favorite funny blog, Failblog
  
  
• I wrote a few weeks back about clunkers and a new bill incentivizing their early retirement. Businessweek has published a great article detailing the two versions of the bill (the House bill and the Senate bill) [BW]
  
  
• It’s going to be a great weekend for working outside! Green Home Hints and Tips has published a great guide for reducing outdoor water consumption.

Courtesy of Solar Power of Mississippi
This week I’d like to give a shoutout to Las Cruces, NM. Utility officials announced today that construction of the largest solar plant in the nation will be built by NJ-based NRG in the desert near Las Cruces. It will be run by El Paso utility company El Paso Electric Co. If all goes well, officials hope to roll similar facilities across NM. Soon residents will be able to supplement their electricity with solar power from their area! [Yahoo News / AP—}

Lobster rolls – my favorite summer food! Luckily most lobster is sustainably caught. Courtesy of GoNewEngland.com

As a pescetarian, I am always concerned with the overfishing in our oceans and thus, try to buy and eat farmed fish instead of wild. That is, until I saw this database, compiled by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which happens to be my favorite aquarium in the world.

Many times, it is better to buy farmed seafood; but sometimes, when the wild populations are well-managed and the species are fast-reproducing, it is better to buy wild. For instance, wild Alaskan salmon is more sustainable than farmed salmon because salmon farms adversely affect the wild salmons habitat, and Alaskan salmon populations are exceptionally well-managed. You should also pay attention to how certain fish are caught. Sometimes, the method of fishing entangles other species, some of which are endangered. Also interesting is the wide variety of things like tuna and shrimp, and how variable each one is in terms of sustainability. Check out the seafood you eat on this list, and feel good about your choices!

This week, we’d like to give a shout out to Cambridge, MA, home of Harvard University (and, incidentally, Carbonrally). Harvard’s class of 1984 gave its reunion, taking place as we speak, a serious green makeover. Instead of plastic water bottles, attendees received reusable ones, and were able to refill them from jugs. Attendees will eat local fare on reusable flatware, where possible, and compostable when not. Most interestingly, the organizers will do a rough tally of the carbon produced from the event, divide it by the number of attendees, and give each suggestions for how to offset that number of carbon throughout the coming year. [NYTimes]

Courtesy of B&M Electric

• A 23 year old student at University of Portsmouth may have solved arguably the biggest problem facing the solar industry; energy storage. “Claus Volkening, 23, of the University of Portsmouth, has designed and laboratory-tested a solar updraft tower that uses water storage tanks to solve the problem of existing solar power plants which only generate electricity when the sun shines.” Awesome! [BusinessGreen]
  
  
• The EPA has published some interesting tips on keeping your energy costs (and emissions) down even though summer sizzles. There are some interesting tidbits – for instance, did you know that running your ceiling fans in a clockwise direction keeps you cooler than counterclockwise? [EPA]

Photo courtesy of TechDigest

Now it’s even easier than ever to incorporate Cr challenges into your lifestyle, with the help of your iphone. There are several cool apps available to help you choose local food, monitor your car’s emissions, and help you recycle your items. Here are a list of our favorites.

• Say you are taking the Ringtone Revival challenge and want to know where to recycle your old cell phone. Download iRecycle for free from iTunes and it will tell you not only where to recycle your cell phone, but also where you can bring any other recyclables you possess.
  
  
• 3rdWhaleMoble allows you to find local green businesses, including bicycle rental shops, for those of you taking Work Your Wheelies.
  
  
• GreenGasSaver tests your driving style and gives you personal tips on how to drive smarter and more fuel-efficiently. A perfect way to complement our Lowrider Challenge!

Soon to be many more! Courtesy of Poets and Writers Picnic

This week, we’d like to highlight New Orleans as it kicks off a pilot program called Project Sprout. Green Coast Enterprises, a real estate company that focuses on environmentally-friendly housing has partnered with Pittsburgh’s GTECH (Growth Through Energy and Community Health) to create this initiative, which has thus far cleaned and tilled five blighted lots and planted sunflowers in the place of trash. These tall, flowering beauties which will not only improve the air quality, landscape, and image of the surrounding neighborhood, but also will provide sunflower seeds to be collected for biodiesel. We can’t wait to see them in bloom in the next few weeks!

Read more about this project: Treehugger
New Orleans City Business
Echoing Green

Use your computer to plant a tree! Courtesy of AdWeek

• Odwalla plans to donate $100,000 to plant trees in state parks. Go online and vote for your state! Odwalla will donate $1 to each state per vote [Treehugger]
  
  
• Soon schools may operate without electricity or air conditioning during the day. Don’t worry though, you’ll still have light and cool air. Portland is rolling out a pilot program at DaVinci Middle School, using daylight diffusers and passive heating and cooling systems to significantly reduce its energy usage. If all goes well, such measures might be rolled out across the region! [NYTimes]
  
  
• Officials in the UK call on the rail industry to shorten their trains during off-peak periods, reducing emissions and helping Britain meet its environmental goals. The companies win because of reduced transport and electricity costs and the environment wins from reduced emissions. A win-win. [Guardian UK]

Feed your own Dirt Candy with Home-made Dirt!

San Francisco is thinking about mandating it, we’ve made a challenge of it, but what is composting all about? It’s basically recycling from organic matter. Everything living eventually becomes dirt, and plants take nutrients from the dirt and use it to grow: the original sustainable existence! In fact, last night I ate at a great vegetarian restaurant here in New York called Dirt Candy, so named because vegetables are “little more than dirt that’s been transformed by plenty of sunshine and rain into something that’s full of flavor – candy from the dirt.” Hopefully that dirt is nutritious! Your dinner scraps will keep your new vegetable garden going strong, and providing you with fresh produce – er, dirt candy. So the cycle goes on. Plus, composting reduces methane from landfills and the CO2 required to transport trash. It’s a win-win.

There are a few problems with incorporating composting into your everyday routine, though. It’s smelly. You don’t want to pick through old food and carry it outside of the kitchen. It’s unclear what you can and can’t compost. Luckily, there are ways around these! If you live in a city and don’t have the luxury of a backyard to keep compost scraps, the thought of a bucket of rotting food right next to your stove might not be the most appealing scenario. That’s where NatureMill comes in (shoutout to JDHudson4 for suggesting this in our Boast About Compost challenge). You can compost odorlessly from the convenience of your kitchen. Or, there are several municipalities which subsidize the purchase of the EarthMachine. Dirt candy is better for the waistline than the sugary kind, anyway.