tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258875622011-12-14T18:59:31.870-08:00Dedicated to those who forego fossil fuels, embrace a slower pace, save money and resources, and strive to simplify while improving their health and that of our planet. Each day of riding reduces your personal consumption of fossil fuels, emissions and costs by 20% while carbon offsetting other travels. Plus, there's a health benefit, so listen to Freddie Mercury and: 'Get on your bikes and ride !'JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.comBlogger461100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-71117968447543499362010-09-09T18:25:00.000-07:002010-09-09T18:27:55.039-07:00

July 19th I joined ECOtality North America in the pursuit of creating the 'largest deployment of EVs and charge infrastructure, ever, in the world.'  I had no idea what the pace and depth of my involvement would be in the weeks and months ahead.  It can't be described any other way - it's just amazing. The Blink Network is the name for our EVSE (Electric Vehicle Support Equipment), which roughly

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-72896853651781296592010-05-01T13:04:00.000-07:002010-05-01T13:05:53.376-07:00

The title is linked to an article for the Center for Appropriate Transportation, or CAT, located here in Eugene.  While Sales Manager with Bike Friday Bicycles, I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremiah, the gent pictured shuttling the composting materials from restaurants to community garden, via human powered work vehicle.  I like to think this is a very reasonable means to employ people, while

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-65137049897441308342009-12-22T08:17:00.000-08:002009-12-22T08:17:41.495-08:00

I have known Paul Scott for a couple of years now since I became involved in solar. Paul is a consultant in California who is also very involved in electric vehicles, also called EV's. Paul has a Toyota RAV EV and a Vectrix... both of which I'm jealous of. For all the work I've done to Cut my transportation footprint by 20% by riding a bike, Paul has done much more by driving solar-powered

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-30105752294317033812009-06-15T20:27:00.000-07:002009-06-15T20:55:57.072-07:00

We made the trek across America in February, of all months, two years ago. We did not believe that enough of Florida would ever get a clue about organic, renewable, green energy, solar power, etc., so we left. We settled into a green, outdoorsy place - mixed with hippies, dippies, yippies, yappies and a few yuppies. You can let your hair down here, be yourself, live without a car, even walk

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-56869882276752233882009-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:002009-01-10T11:29:59.727-08:00

I admit, I haven't had time to sit down and figure out the President Elect's new Energy Program. Aside from some whining that we're supporting monopolistic renewable projects, I think most of us would agree we're headed in a much better direction than we have been.I have seen people returning to showrooms, test driving trucks and SUV's, still wishing for a cheap energy economy. My friends,

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-34180695715097677292008-10-01T05:59:00.000-07:002009-06-15T21:00:43.295-07:00

Good news for Oregon ! Sanyo has announced plans to build a 70MW capacity solar ingot and panel manufacturing plant, right here in my own backyard. As a commercial solar consultant for Advanced Energy Systems, I am fortunate and excited to be in the midst of this spectacular development. It makes me consider changing my Cut20 purpose from one of 'Ride your Bike and Cut your fuel and emissions by

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-84744062735655383812008-06-18T07:51:00.000-07:002008-06-18T08:14:07.697-07:00

President Bush just finished saying all the things I expected, before he steps down early 2009. He has finally 'come out' in full view to discuss the things that have been ultimately, his perfect agenda. Congress has rallied against the oil industry execs, trying to understand why we're paying record prices for oil while they're enjoying record profits. This explains how President Bush and the

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-69573326021670725042008-04-24T17:50:00.001-07:002008-04-24T17:52:38.481-07:00

Sign up for GreenDimes and cut your Carbon Footprint even more ! This calculator shows you how much junk mail ends up in mailboxes. There is a way to control this and the costs of not doing it are far more staggering. Contribute and win in the environmental payoff that's an investment in all our futures. Plus, who has time to read all that stuff we don't need anyway ?

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-34508771543032168452008-04-08T09:37:00.000-07:002008-04-08T12:54:22.333-07:00

Do we need local endowments for more Solar Challenges ? This blog is about reducing carbon footprints primarily through commuting by bike. However, with vehicle trends such as the Vectrix, Aptera, Zap Electric, BugEv, Myers Motors, Tesla Motors and hundreds of other electric vehicle projects, it just makes sense that we be looking at Solar PV to augment our power needs. When you consider what

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1719882777804176072008-03-31T16:33:00.000-07:002008-03-31T16:53:01.899-07:00

Craig Calfee had worked with the Earth Institute at Columbia University (EI) on a feasability study trip in June of 2007. EI continues to study the issues and how it can be integrated into their Millennium Village Program. With his own funding, Craig went back to Ghana in February to continue efforts to get bamboo bike building started. These bikes would be for local use although some may be

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-62349837661295780992008-03-20T12:14:00.001-07:002008-03-20T12:26:07.247-07:00

It turns out that there 'have been' kitchen gardens at the White House before. What a great way to Cut 20, you might say. Since I'd guess that 20% of the costs associated with the food coming into the White House are for transportation - namely, fossil fuels. So, if our next President were to restore a former tradition and begin using 20% of their garden staff to prepare fresh organic veggies

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-86128251401819987602008-03-20T11:46:00.001-07:002008-03-20T12:06:17.712-07:00

On Day One wanted to know what I thought we should ask the next President to do. There were so many good suggestions, but of course I always think about cycling - that totally understated solution to help ensure Global Cooling.I suggest we get Lance to be our Liaison to France and set about improving relations with our ally. On his returns to 'check in' he could do Critical Mass rides with the

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-57253473864816099462008-03-19T13:08:00.000-07:002008-03-20T12:04:47.916-07:00

Staggering ! I mean STAGGERING ! No, not just the equivocal greenhouse gases of 25 million cars, but the amount of money to achieve the renewables needed to reach a year 2030 target for reduction of global warming. As it stands, incentives for renewables are slated to end at the federal level - end of 2008. True, we wouldn't have spent this much on renewables, and we haven't really spent this

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-77550445638258284642008-02-20T19:01:00.000-08:002008-02-20T19:36:39.985-08:00

If you've tried to commute by bike and carry clothes that normally hang in your closet, you're like me and have tried a lot of different things. The best solution I ever had was a dry cleaning arrangement with our uniform company to take my personal clothes with our shop's uniforms and bring them back weekly, cleaned and pressed. Then all I had to do was ride and change at work - and it was

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-56122724319231926342008-02-18T14:12:00.004-08:002008-02-20T19:21:25.269-08:00

Click on the title to read today's Gristmill story about Lance Armstrong and a new bike store he's opening in Austin to encourage bicycle commuting - wow ! And, if you're not currently a Grist reader or supporter - please be encouraged to do both. Grist is where you can go to get your Climate update, as well as interesting and often funny twists on our fate... hmm.There's a good chance you'll

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-62417457726406510982008-01-17T11:53:00.000-08:002008-01-17T12:02:36.787-08:00

Can you imagine the greening of Apple ? Well, don't imagine. It's really happening and all us Mac supporters need to send Steve Jobs a note thanking him for this...This article from today's EcoSpace zine explains the alterations in the product and mindset of Apple, starting with the new MacBook Air.I suggest you read it. When you're done, if you agree it's great - send Steve a note. And,

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-58691460788412248062008-01-09T10:34:00.000-08:002008-01-09T11:02:14.360-08:00

Let's say we're about to experience a major upheaval, brought about by a seasonably accurate recession, but followed by something much more gloomy. The linked article on a New America was a most interesting read... (http://tiny.cc/NewAmerica339)After reading a comparison of Presidential Candidates and their 'Green Positions', I was impressed enough to post that we need to do more than what any

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-40461004464381320902007-12-17T12:50:00.001-08:002007-12-17T13:08:34.484-08:00

It's December 17th. It's been six weeks since I last reported for work at Bike Friday. In mild terms, I am now a member of the BF Alumni. I want to make a difference. I want to connect photons, geothermal energies, tidal forces, harness wind - in such a way that it could power a more peaceful planet. One that emerges from the gloom that is appearing on our horizon. For certain species, it's

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-7659828540285808232007-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:002007-10-16T23:08:56.947-07:00

I cannot believe it's October, that we've been here since February, and that we haven't made time to post to our four blogs since arriving... or, that it's been a low priority compared to our work, new home, and new companion Bella... our 10 pound Pomeranian/Cairn terrier mix. With the leaves that are falling into our yard now and the obedience schooling our pet's going through, there's not much

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-7427338429398414222006-12-21T07:13:00.000-08:002006-12-21T08:26:27.716-08:00

What a great piece of artwork, borrowed from Christmas Treasures of Blue River, Oregon (www.christmas-treasures.com).Merry Christkwanzakkuh !!! Season's Greetings, and may we wish you all - time for reflection. To reflect upon all that we're blessed with in this great land. To appreciate others and what we can do for them. And when you can, give the gift of cycling. Borrowing from a Bible parable

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1163101713197929962006-11-09T11:22:00.000-08:002006-11-14T13:43:27.397-08:00

We're not actually going to Turkey, though we are headed to North Carolina during the week of Turkey Day. Personally, we have a lot to be thankful for, living in a free society, having money and food, the ability to travel and extend our outdoor experiences. We also enjoy the privilege of responsibility, trying our best to reduce our carbon footprint for this trip, conserve as much as possible,

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1158079853696825852006-09-12T09:50:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:27.321-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1158077390346330932006-09-12T09:01:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:27.226-08:00

My wife introduced me to Ken Kifer's website this week. We are planning a tandem tour during one of the cooler weeks of the year, Thanksgiving - on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tandem, BOB trailer, possibly panniers, bivvy tent, mummy bags, thermarests, etc... and as much as possible, primitive conditions. We want to remember this, good bad, or both. Ken Kifer's life as a touring cyclist and commuter

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1156280163151806392006-08-22T13:44:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:27.140-08:00

I learned that my Lithium Ion battery is the holdup to assembling my Electri-Xtracycle project. It seems the battery manufacturer in Taiwan is concerned with these new devices overheating during the charging cycle. He thinks he's concerned...? I'd be asleep in my wood construction house, less than ten feet away. The concept of adding a halon fire system in my bike parking section of the garage

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1155157357493009542006-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:27.042-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1155157208587623982006-08-09T13:55:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:26.970-08:00

The British Government is taking aim at 'Standby Mode' on TV's and other appliances as evil devices that waste tons of energy. They want it to go away. When I read other people's responses I was amazed to notice that nobody is doing what we've done, which is effectively turned them off.We connected our computer station to a UPS with surge protection. When we're done with the computer,

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1155057603690992442006-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:26.883-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1155057145330800062006-08-08T10:10:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:26.751-08:00

Today Umbra Fisk (Grist fame) wrote about a letter she received whether it's better to Bicycle Commute, considering alternatives and the air around you. Several readers posted grave concerns, some flippant. Here's what I wrote about our commute(s)...Recently, my wife and I were featured in the Newsweek article 'Going Green' by Jerry Adler. I was reminded again this morning on our ride - why we

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1152590696263442512006-07-10T20:51:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:25.564-08:00

Wow, we made it into Newsweek magazine... first paragraph ! We told them so much more, but the story was about a lot of things, people, companies. Even an antagonist. Our reporter, Jessica Ramirez, asked a bunch of questions and we filled her head with stuff she'd never imagined. She, amongst many millions of others, was unaware that we're in a crisis. Okay, so it doesn't quite look like a

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1152306733768418162006-07-07T14:11:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:25.471-08:00

 

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1152305344754031162006-07-07T13:38:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:25.372-08:00

"I feel famous already", I said while speaking to Jessica Ramirez from Newsweek. She picked up on a recent Grist.org article asking people to write and tell how they're reducing their carbon footprints. If you've read our blog you know we're up to lots. Now Jessica knows too. Maybe others will hear and get the message that it's not that hard to do.We sent Grist a laundry list of things we're

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1150923183546522212006-06-21T13:52:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:25.222-08:00

 

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1150816902372918702006-06-20T08:11:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:25.116-08:00

Are you carbon offsetting ? Have you heard or read about this ? Let us hear what 'you' are doing to lessen your carbon footprint. We've read that carbon credits are the easiest way to offset our carbon consumption. We're using TerraPass and Native Energy for our carbon credits.For the fossil foolish... TerraPass offers a way to annually offset fuel use based on mileage estimates and total miles.

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1149104010108361832006-05-31T12:14:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.992-08:00

June 3rd, Thurston & Lovey aka The Howell's of Palm Harbor, celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (applause). With only 7 weeks separating our initial meeting and subsequent wedding, some may have thought we'd never reach this milestone, but we did. To celebrate, we rode our bikes and toured down the Pinellas Trail, south to St. Petersburg, and some points between.We feel it's important to

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1147207849192710472006-05-09T13:50:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.883-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1147120857150596762006-05-08T10:25:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.780-08:00

Just got my new Vectrix Scooter today !!! (oops, that was a dream). Can't stop thinking and talking about how quiet and powerful it was when I test drove it down in Miami Beach last weekend for Earth Day. October's going to be a long ways off. Here's another pic for those interested. I wonder if people will be able to make deposits when they start adding dealers. Can you say 'camp out'...?

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1146568213697161062006-05-02T03:56:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.655-08:00

The author strongly desires to transport around 'greenly', i.e., without the fossil fuel aspect. With that I've been riding my bikes as much as possible, working on an electrically driven Xtracycle design, and hoping for the day when I can park my Suzuki Burgman (63+mpg) and Forester (24+mpg) and going without fossil altogether. Well, this past Sunday I had a glimpse of the 'near future'. The

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1146245810827277232006-04-28T10:36:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.532-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1146245660949162162006-04-28T10:32:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.415-08:00

I heard an interesting LIME Planet podcast this week during a workday car commute (bad fossil fuels... really bad). They were interviewing David Zutler and his BIOTA brand bottled water. What's the big deal you say - well, their bottles will self compost in 80 days or less, and they're made from corn ! And, these people have a sense of humor. The name BIOTA stands for 'Blame It On The

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1146242760509022102006-04-28T09:45:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:24.304-08:00

  

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1146168574216314032006-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.952-08:00

When Kelley and I were traveling down the Brasstown Bald, opposite direction from Jason McCartney and Jeff Kabush (2005 TDG), we witnessed what appeared to be two riders who had collided with a guard rail. One wasn't looking too hot, and the other had a nice big shiny strawberry on his cheek. It made me start thinking about all the times I've slid across pavement, gravel, chunky hillsides, wet

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1145975844062696452006-04-25T07:37:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.838-08:00

Jittery's Cooper... 

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1145974318569122662006-04-25T05:50:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.739-08:00

We were fortunate enough to visit the Tour de Georgia for a third year in a row. Very exciting event with lots of spectating and camaraderie. It's exciting to see so many people riding their bikes everywhere in North Georgia. What's more, we noticed a remarkable number of riders when we were en route from start to finish, whom we presume, were just out riding - not particularly because of the

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1145361899854896302006-04-18T04:57:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.659-08:00

Kelley and I logged three more rides to work since last post. With my rides encompassing 40+ miles round-trip each day, that's considerable savings off my gas consumption. Since this blog began, I've commuted to work, via the long way, to the tune of 160+ miles. Not a bad start...I think we'll start soliciting the 'Ride to Work' concept of Cut20.com by getting a bumper sticker put together

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1144781482673139632006-04-11T11:51:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.526-08:00

JD & Kelley Howell 

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25887562.post-1144777165784946022006-04-11T10:28:00.000-07:002006-11-14T13:43:23.428-08:00

It was a cool 65 degrees this morning with light NE winds. My wife Kelley and I were headed to her bus stop and we met up with another cyclist. He was doing it for fitness and we were doing it for that, plus commuting to our jobs. We exchanged greetings, learned he was riding with a morning group out of a local bike shop and then we told him our destination. He commented, I wish more people would

JD and Kelley Howellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01313978174029250455noreply@blogger.com2