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.

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? 

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 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.

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? 

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? 

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.