The aim of the original BUSTRIP project was to help cities in the Baltic Region to plan their development to in the short term minimize the environmental impact of increased transport growth caused by economic growth, and in the long term to produce a strategy for Sustainable Urban Transport Plans (SUTP). This project was partly funded by the European Union.
Ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the basket case economies of Eastern Europe have sought to develop quickly in order to improve the prosperity of their people and to align themselves with the successful economies of Western Europe with the eventual aim of integration into the EU.
Rather than repeat many of the mistakes made by Western European countries Eastern European governments and NGOs have sought the advice and technical support of the EU to create a smooth and low carbon transition to a modern free market economy. Among these developing countries the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all shown a keen interest to de-couple economic growth from transport growth.
The Baltic States are small nations. They have key natural resources of forestry and marine resources. They do not have any significant oil, gas or coal resources. In the past these states have been the meeting place between East and West where Gazprom Russian oil gets sent by pipes to Western Europe. Realizing the fragile and vulnerable state of Baltic State natural resources in the face of the immense flow of money represented by the natural gas business, initiatives to protect the quality of life for normal people in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania was a high priority.
BUSTRIP activities started in 2005 and came to a conclusion in December 2007. They were a great success. Of the 11 cities that participated in the program all managed to improve their GDP with a minimal escalation in carbon emissions caused by increased urban transport. Sadly, things were set back greatly by the Global Financial Crisis that started in 2008. Baltic banks like Icelandic banks took huge hits in the economic downturn and many projects aimed at protecting urban environments lost their government funding.
However, the lessons that were learnt from BUSTRIP are valuable ones that can used to improve urban air quality and lower urban carbon emissions in other developing countries.
Foremost among the actions to create sustainable urban transport plans was to focus on public transport. Improving urban transport so that it could increase its capacity, reached major urban and suburban population centers, was affordable for most people, and that was as low as possible in carbon emissions was key to SUTP. At the same time, urban and suburban transport plans improved bus shelters, train stations and bus stations to create better security and more amenities.
It was found that it is much better to provide an urban public transport system that people enjoyed using and felt safe using to discourage people from taking their cars to work and for shopping. This is the ‘carrot’ as it were to make urban transport more environmentally friendly. The stick of higher petrol prices, tolls on roads and at entry points to cities only creates resentment to local governments and often leads to fruitless political struggles within municipal governments that detract from the real job of keeping urban air low in dangerous particulates that cause respiratory diseases and carbon emissions that contribute to Global Warming.
It is important to adopt a plan for sustainable transport policies that works with the existing transport system. The carbon cost of scrapping old transport systems and starting again from scratch is prohibitively high. If buses were previously used then the buses must continue to be used. These can be made more environmentally friendly by using more fuel efficient engines and the old buses can be gradually phased out and replaced with electric buses.
Tram systems are ideal for using electricity as the main means of propulsion for urban transport. Trains too. Electricity represents clean energy. It is vital to invest in infrastructure projects to extend the grid of train and tram coverage to cover a city as it economically develops and creates new centers of employment and business.
Another effective policy for making urban transport systems more environmentally friendly is to encourage people to live near their work places. This can be done with city planning that allows pockets of housing to exist in all areas where economic growth is also developing. It is also possible to use the tax system to give economic incentives to people to buy homes near their workplaces. The closer a person lives to his or her work place the greater the likelihood of them riding a bicycle to work.
Bicycles are the ideal form of urban transport as they produce zero carbon emissions or pollution. Bicycle production should be subsidized if necessary to make them affordable to all. Bicycle theft should be prevented by better policing and bicycle lanes should be set up where ever possible.
Finally, it is in education, in schools where the real battle for sustainable transport systems needs to be fought. Young people must be made aware of the issues at a young age. They must be made to feel part of the city and its growing prosperity, and so they will naturally seek to lower emissions and pollution in the future.
This website is full of articles looking to address the many issues created by the drive to make city environments clean and safe. Everyone wants economic growth but not at the cost of lower life quality. It is this balance between economic growth and environmental protection that http://www.bustrip-project.net seeks to analyze.
I was recently heartened by the story of the creation of a product called Mira Hair Oil, a Canadian-sourced hair product that is produced in small quantities by a small, local company. It was created by a woman named Eva who traveled to India and noticed the beauty of the women’s hair. She researched the herbs used by the Indian women she visited and used them to create a hair product that is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
Listening to her story, the things that stuck out to me most were:
Her product is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
It is produced in small quantities locally, providing employment for local citizens.
It is a woman-created small business.
These are three things that we certainly need more of today for future sustainable economic growth. The original activities of BUSTRIP were successful, but those ended five years ago. It’s time to take the message of BUSTRIP and spread it across the globe. Women like Eva are already participating in sustainable economic growth — why not spread that even further?
I was recently heartened by the story of the creation of a product called Mira Hair Oil, a Canadian-sourced hair product that is produced in small quantities by a small, local company. It was created by a woman named Eva who traveled to India and noticed the beauty of the women’s hair. She researched the herbs used by the Indian women she visited and used them to create a hair product that is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
Listening to her story, the things that stuck out to me most were:
Her product is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
It is produced in small quantities locally, providing employment for local citizens.
It is a woman-created small business.
These are three things that we certainly need more of today for future sustainable economic growth. The original activities of BUSTRIP were successful, but those ended five years ago. It’s time to take the message of BUSTRIP and spread it across the globe. Women like Eva are already participating in sustainable economic growth — why not spread that even further?
Up until recently I always used a disposable razor to shave with, but it didn’t sit well with me that I had to throw it in the garbage as soon as it went blunt. I’ve tried researching just how many times this happens each year in America, but the numbers don’t seem to be available. If you do a little math though, you can come up with quite a scary figure.
There are approximately 120 million men of ’shaving age in the USA, and if just 50% of those use a disposable razor and they use on average 20 razors each per year, that’s over a BILLION razors each year sent to landfill sites around the country. It’s a crazy amount of resource wasted, and don’t forget the majority of those shavers are made in the far east and are transported across the world, adding to the environmental impact shaving has – what’s the answer though?
Well, I know electric shavers have their doubters in some corners, but there are some compelling arguments in their favor. For a start, they are durable and in general will last for a good number of years before they need replacing. It’s true they aren’t cheap, I bought the best electric shaver I could afford, but I still got some change out of $250. However, if it lasts me for 10 years, it will work out more than comparable to what I would have spent on disposables.
Sure it has to be charged on a fairly regular basis, but I’m finding that’s only necessary after a week or so. I’ve checked with the manufacturer and the amount of electricity it uses is quite minimal, so its impact is nothing to be worried about. What I like most about the electric shavers, is that when they have reached the end of their useful lives, you can return them to the manufacturers and they will recycle as many of the parts and materials as is possible.
Thailand is the most successful country in South East Asia. This is partly due to the fact that it avoided the disastrous economic policies foisted on its neighbors Laos and Vietnam by the ideology of communism. Moreover it has never suffered trade bans by the USA like Burma due to having a miltary junta in charge. Rather Thailand has prospered because of its laissez faire approach to economics.
This approach has had an unfortunate effect on public transport. While all the cities and Provinces are joined by government buses, inner city travel is not the same. Outside big cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai you cannot get on a bus to get from A to B in the city. There has been very little city planning for public transport. Rather the city officials have been content to let the private sector organize public transport. This means taxis and pick up trucks that ply fixed routes called songthaews. Also motorbike taxis (or motos) and tuk tuks offer cheap city travel. The carbon emissions from this mass of private vehicles is large. Many of the vehicles are old and have inefficient engines. This is causing pollution in the cities as well as congestion. The preferred way to get round for many, many Thais is on a motorbike as it is cheaper than taxis etc. currently on offer.
The situation is made more complicated by tourism. There are standard routes for tourists around a city such as from the main accommodation areas to the temples and night markets. The taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers make a good living overcharging tourists for these trips. The money involved in the private transport sector in Thailand is exerting political pressure to prevent buses being introduced.
Taxis in Koh Samui and other tourist destinations generate a large income for pseudo gangster organizations. The drivers refuse to go on the meter. They keep the monetary cost as well as the carbon cost for short distance journeys in Thailand high.
It is time Thai authorities took less of a laissez faire attitude when it comes to public transport over short distances in cities and tourist areas. The concomitant benefit would also be more Thais using the system instead of motorbikes.
I was recently heartened by the story of the creation of a product called Mira Hair Oil, a Canadian-sourced hair product that is produced in small quantities by a small, local company. It was created by a woman named Eva who traveled to India and noticed the beauty of the women’s hair. She researched the herbs used by the Indian women she visited and used them to create a hair product that is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
Listening to her story, the things that stuck out to me most were:
Her product is 100% natural and environmentally friendly.
It is produced in small quantities locally, providing employment for local citizens.
It is a woman-created small business.
These are three things that we certainly need more of today for future sustainable economic growth. The original activities of BUSTRIP were successful, but those ended five years ago. It’s time to take the message of BUSTRIP and spread it across the globe. Women like Eva are already participating in sustainable economic growth — why not spread that even further?
Providing air conditioning on public transportation can be an expensive undertaking. It is definitely cheaper for municipalities if they offer bus services that do not contain climate control. Unfortunately, in harsh climates a lack of air conditioning on buses can discourage ridership – and even lead to illness or death for elderly or infirm riders. This means that in most locations adding air conditioning to local buses is a worthy goal.
Before picking a particular cooling technology, planners should ensure they have a proper understanding of the refrigeration cycle. Certain technologies are inherently more efficient than others. Purchasing the cheapest cooling solution upfront can be a false economy if it has substantially higher operating costs – through increased fuel usage – than more expensive options.
Rather than relying on their own knowledge, or that of the salesman for a particular HVAC technology, city planners should consult with experts in the field before committing to a particular cooling solution for their buses. A small consulting fee can result in avoiding bad decisions due to lack of expertise.
The greenest means of transport is without a doub the bicycle. The only thing more environmentally friendly is walking, and that might be considered too slow for the likes of many. The bicycle increases the range within which people can commute or make a journey in a comfortable manner. Moreover, riding a bicycle is good for the health. It exercises a whole range of muscles. It can also be fun. Especially when you pick up speed going down hill.
The only problem with bicyles as far the environment is concerned is the materials needed to make them. Bicycles require metal, rubber, wire and quite a big input of resources most of which are not sustainable resources. There is only a finite amount of metal ores in the world. The extraction of metal ores often require massive mining projects that go deep under ground. The Chile mine disaster in 2011 is an example of the extremes that industry will go to get metal ores. On top of that it is necessary to process the ores and then transport them to markets around the world. It is a carbon intensive process.
One solution is the better recycling of metals. Another solution is to try and subsititute the non-renewable materials on a bike with renewable materials. The fastest growing plant is bamboo. It is incredibly strong. Some types of bamboo have a better strength to weight ratio than most metals. Bamboo grows just about anywhere and provides more carbon recylcing than trees.
Already plenty of people have made bamboo bikes. There are projects that build bamboo bikes in the developing world. These reduce the amount of expensive metal needed to make a bike and thus make the bicycle industry more sustainable and reduces the carbon count per bike. In short the next step in green transport is the mass production of bamboo bikes. Making bamboo frames for bikes reduces the amount of metal used by over half. It is definitely a project sustainable transport drives should look more closely at.
I was recently heartened by the story of the creation of a product called Mira Hair Oil, a Canadian-sourced hair product that is produced in small quantities by a small, local company. It was created by a woman named Eva who traveled to India and noticed the beauty of the women’s hair. She researched the herbs used by the Indian women she visited and used them to create a hair product that is 100% natural and environmentally friendly. 
Up until recently I always used a disposable razor to shave with, but it didn’t sit well with me that I had to throw it in the garbage as soon as it went blunt. I’ve tried researching just how many times this happens each year in America, but the numbers don’t seem to be available. If you do a little math though, you can come up with quite a scary figure.