j3ns

An Icelandic technology institute has decided to take it's CO2 awareness to a new level.
2 years ago the institute analyzed which factors of it's existance cause CO2 release, and found out that it's the commuting part (i.e. transportation of people) that is by far the biggest factor.
Since then they have been encouraging their employees to bike commute, car pool or use public transportation.
The results have been really good, and the CO2 released has dropped significantly. Now the institute will fund a wood planting project that will grow enough trees to zero out the CO2 amount that is released by the commuting of their employees.

Here is the news report in Icelandic.

MacG

Interesting. But I have to admit that when I read the thread title, I half expected it to be about some hazard of CO2 tire inflation systems or something.

oboeguy

I thought this was going to be YATIT (Yet Another Tire Inflation Thread).

But seriously... that's pretty neat!

Edit: doh! beaten to the punch.

ItsJustMe

I was just thinking the other day that just a few of the trees along my route eat all the CO2 that I put out during my commute.
I don't know if it's just coincidence or the weather (rainy and damp) or what, but MAN the cars have been crazy stinky lately. I've gotten passed a few times lately and it's been like gargling paint thinner. There are some horribly out of tune vehicles on the road around here. I wish they'd institute mandatory emissions testing. I bet some of the cars that pass me are 100x more polluting than the max allowable; they're unbelievable.

TexasGuy

Most vehicles in texas here aren't that bad. and I'm living in Houston the "car". I think thats in part to yearly inspections and strict fuel emissions, not as strict as cali though. But for the most part I dont have much of a problem.

Houston ans San Antonio are both cities that are covered in trees. I think i can probalby see about 100 trees from my office amid 20-30 large buildings. parts of San Antonio were even more amazing.

ItsJustMe

Here in Michigan there are almost no areas with inspections. You could drive around in a pickup with the catalytic converter rodded out, burning 2 quarts of oil a mile, with a tire fire going in the bed, and it'd be perfectly OK.

TexasGuy

Heh, I didn't think it would be that bad, inspection requirements wise . Here in texas its mandated that vehicle get tested every single year. Which reminds me. I probably have to get my car done this month.

ItsJustMe

If they slapped a mandatory test on here, I guarantee it would take at least 10% of the vehicles off the road immediately. That's conservatively how many vehicles I'd guess are not worth the amount of money it would take to get them anywhere near passing.

I get passed by several cars a day that are just vile (out of well under 100 that pass me total). They've GOT to be puking as much unburned gas out the back than they're burning. It's a wonder I don't hear more backfiring. MOST cars are fine, even when I'm behind them at a light most new cars don't bother me at all, but then there are the ones that pull out of a side road 1/4 mile in front of me and drive away from me, and when I get to where they pulled out, it still smells like a fire at a chemical plant.