When petrol prices peaked at around £1.30 a litre in 2008, more drivers became conscious about the expense associated with motoring. As a result many looked at more fuel efficient vehicles – the majority of which offer the added bonus of being much more environmentally friendly.

There are a number of different types of `green cars` on the market including:

Hybrid cars
Vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic IMA, combine traditional petrol power with an electric motor. They use an on-board battery and a fuel powered source to gain propulsion and recycle energy through a process called regenerative braking.

Electric cars
Charged at home and capable of running up to a certain mileage range. Current models such as the G-Wiz, NICE Mega City and Quiet Car 1 have limited range making them best suited to inner city driving. They are zero emission vehicles if the electricity comes from renewable sources because they don`t produce any harmful emissions of their own.

Fuel cell cars
A gas, normally hydrogen, combines with atmospheric oxygen in a fuel cell creating a reaction that converts into electric power used to power the vehicle. Early models include the Honda FCX Clarity.

How do you insure an eco friendly vehicle?

Generally, car insurance costs for green cars are high because their parts are more unusual and as such they can cost more to repair. However, as these vehicles become more popular car insurance companies are beginning to offer incentives to eco-friendly drivers on the realisation that they are often safer drivers too – for example, an eco-friendly motorist is unlikely to travel at the faster speeds that pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Incentives include:

• Percentage discounts if you drive a greener car or travel for a reduced mileage.
• Percentage of profits donated to green charities.
• Fitting a green box in your vehicle. Providers may fit a box in your car which effectively monitors your driving and offers feedback on the journeys you make including how to reduce carbon emissions and drive in a more eco-friendly manner.

Can car insurance help to reduce your environmental impact?

Several car insurance companies are attempting to tap into the green market by offering `carbon offsetting` schemes.

Carbon offsetting involves calculating your emissions and purchasing an equal (or a percentage of, depending on the agreement) number of `carbon credits`. These are carbon reduction projects around the world such as replenishing the rainforest or building wind farms.

The idea is that the project will remove an equivalent amount of carbon to the amount of carbon credits the insurer has to sell. So for example, if one carbon credit is the same as one tonne of carbon dioxide then if a wind farm prevents 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere it will have 10,000 carbon credits to sell.

Therefore, the impact of your driving – which for most is unavoidable – is effectively ‘wiped out’ by the fact that the insurer is cutting out carbon dioxide emissions with other projects.

Who is eco-friendly car insurance right for?

Some critics of eco-friendly insurance have labelled it a gimmick as policies can be expensive. The argument is that drivers may be better off finding the cheapest car insurance and putting the money they save towards an environmental project of their own choice.

If you don’t trust yourself to donate on your own, but want to ensure you do your bit for the environment, then shop around for car insurance from specialist insurers including The Green Car Insurance Company, ibuyeco and CIS.

Photo credit: BinaryApe

Popularity: 1% [?]

In her Book of Rubbish Ideas, Tracey Smith takes us room by room through our homes and shows us how to reduce waste, or rather, how to reduce the amount of waste that we are sending to landfill.

In the first part of the book, Tracey explains all about the history of rubbish, how rubbish effects the planet and evil consumerist stuff like planned obsolescence.

The second part is the bit with the lists. Lots and lots of tips on how to be a pro-active waste reducer in the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, study, utility room, entrance, garage and even in the garden. Have you ever considered taking yourself off the Yellow Pages mailing list, using an old tin can as a cookie cutter, or using ripped bike inner tubes as draught-proofing? No? Then you need this book, because for the newly green, this book offers insights aplenty into reducing your waste. If you are already living a pretty green life and looking for bigger ways to go green, you aren’t going to find anything new here.

Part three of the book offers case studies and the obligatory celebrity tips on going green.

I enjoyed Tracey Smith’s engaging tone throughout the Book of Rubbish Ideas. This is a lady that walks the walk and is enthusiastic to spread the word about green living.

I would buy this book for someone who has just got interested in green living.

Popularity: 1% [?]

From Recycle For London:
Despite recent reports of a downturn in the market for recycled materials the Mayor is confident that the recycling market will recover. Over 60 per cent of the rubbish we throw away can actually be recycled and yet Londoners on average are recycling 20 per cent of their waste. Now everyone in London can recycle paper, glass and cans at the very least and the message from the Recycle for London campaign is to reassure people and encourage them to recycle more.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and Chair of the London Waste and Recycling Board said: ‘In London we throw away so much rubbish that could actually be recycled – it is an important resource which is simply being chucked away. I am very excited that the new Recycle for London campaign is using innovative technologies to boost recycling and my message is to starve your bins and recycle, recycle, recycle.‘

For the first time, the Recycle for London campaign will feature in TV adverts, in addition to radio, press and online adverts and bus and Tube posters. The campaign is funded by the London Waste and Recycling Board, which is chaired by the Mayor. The London Waste and Recycling Board has a budget of £84 million to deliver funding to boost recycling and ensure London’s waste is managed sustainably, with minimal damage to the environment.

Councillor Daniel Moylan said: ‘Because of the arrangements London boroughs have put in place, Londoners can continue to recycle safe in the knowledge that their efforts are not in vain. Along with reducing the amount of waste we send to landfill, driving up recycling is our top priority and we shouldn’t let a few scare stories in the media divert us from this important endeavour.’

For more information about recycling visit recycleforlondon.com or call 0845 3 313131.

Popularity: 1% [?]