Eco-cute in English

http://www.mayekawa.co.jp/english/g/e_g02.html
http://www.sanyo.co.jp/comp-unit/english/co2/ecocute.html
http://www.r744.com/products.view.php?Id=63
http://www.itomic.co.jp/english/index.html
http://ex-blog.panasonic.co.jp/exhibition/en/eco2007/

Right to say NO to overcooling?

What is the most comfortable indoor temperature in summer?

I often see 78F for air conditioner setting as energy saving threshold. And actually I found that my office is kept at 78F.

Darn it, I feel cold.

I don't use air conditioner when I leave home, so I comfortably wear no-sleeve shirt + skirt+ pair of sandal. (Highest is around 100C these days) But once I am in the office, I am cold! I put socks on and add another layer of cloths when I am alone in my cubicle, even when I know it looks terrible with what I wear! I can't stand freezing feeling. What makes worse, I cannot stand the difference of temperature - I feel tired by going from 100F to 78F, then back to 100F and then back to 78F.......doesn't look like my body is responding well to the fluctuation.

The temperature is even lower in shopping malls, restaurants and a lot other places where they apparently set air conditioner lower than 78F.

I just have to wonder if I am the only one who is freezing at 78F?

Do I have the right to say No to overcooling? It makes me stupid especially when I think I am collectively emitting GHG just to freeze with my sandals on.

Recommended energy saving/GHG emission reducing air conditioning temperature in Japan is 28C (82.4F).

I am very curious to know if there is anyone else who wants indoor temperature higher in summer. I just wonder if we can collectively say NO to overcooling.

Nissan Cube launced in North America?

According to Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan, 15% of world's car use is for urban transportation such as commuting or shopping. Nissan considers this as potential market for EV and compact car.

It is targeting to introduce EV in US in 2010.

It also dubbes Cube (photo), a mini multi-purposed vehicle (MPV), a global strategic car for Nissan and will start marketing it worldwise in the near future. It will get 37 MPG. Nissan expects high gas price will help boost the needs for compact/small cars.

To me, it seems very straightforward. Dragging less steel requires less energy, therefore smaller car is better.

Cars, go small!

Best selling car in 2007 around the world: Big or small??

Japan: Suzuki Wagon R
Units sold: 224,082
Body weight: 810-900 kg
Fuel efficiency: 54.5MPG
CO2 emission: 99~128g/km

Europe: Vauxhall/Opel
Units sold: 437,673
Body Weight: 1400kg
Fuel efficiency : 37MPG
Co2 emission: 185g



United States: Ford F series
Units sold: 588,952
Body weight: 2029 kg
Fuel efficiency: 13~18 MPG
CO2 emission: 500g???




This page is still under construction: the numbers may change if I can find more reliable data. Please let me know if you can provide me with accurate data. I want to see the true numbers but having trouble . I am still not sure if Ford F series was America's No1. best selling car. Was it really?

Prius goes mini? Toyota launches iQ

Look how small this car is!

And look what this car can do!

2980×1680×1480mm --- designed to accomodate 3 adults and 1 child

Estimated MPG --- 70???? ( I took the info from Japanese news source that says 30 KPL (kilometers per litre) )

CO2 emission /mile -- estimated to be less than 160 grams (Prius is 166 grams)

Projected to be released end this year in Japan, next year in Europe.

I didn't see any information if Toyota is introducing iQ in US market in the near future.

Usually car makers don't market compact/small cars in US because there is not much demand. (By the way, Toyota does not make/sell trucks in Japan. Roads are too narrow, parking lots are expensive and not easily available. Garages are also too small..... There is no room for trucks for personal use, so there is no market.)

Given that, Toyota might not introduce iQ in North American market?? I don't know. But gas price is very high now, so there must be increasing demand for smaller, super-efficient and affordable cars in US? Probably??

iQ at Geneva auto show

Priu-sizing world, Priu-sizing life

Prius.

No explanation is needed....icon of energy-efficient, eco-friendly product.
Made the green the new black.



But where does it come from? I mean, why did Prius have to come from Toyota, Japan?

Japan has no oil and very little coal or natural gas. Almost all the oil import comes from Middle-East. Clearly, energy security has always been a major issue.

In Japan, gas price has always been high. It was around $3.5o -$4.00 for the last several years, and now it's gone up to $5.5!!
In US, when the gas hit $3.5o - $4.00 level recently, I heard people saying "this can't be possible....this isn't right...... Hey I can't drive my truck anymore!"

But wait a minute.

Japanese car makers started to develop tremendous energy efficiency technology and skills in reaction to the "oil crisis" in 1973 (Middle East oil producers sharply raised the price of the oil due to political issues). The crisis triggered a panic and fear in Japanese society; people raided grocery stores to buy all the toilet papers they could find on the shelves! (why toilet paper, I don't know....)

Faced with the high energy price, Japanese businesses desperately sought the way to be super-efficient....to survive! It was a matter of whether they could overcome the high price, or go out of business. Over the course of variety of efforts, cars became one the most successful efficient products that made Japanese brands so strong. After decades, Prius now is sweeping the world in greening the industry.

Even when faced with hardship, people always have strength and power to come up with improvements/innovation to address issues. In a sense, oil crisis helped Prius come to the world.

I am sure many creative businesses/people will come out of today's high gas price to offer product/services that maximize output with minimized input. Efficiency and down-sizing is the key to survive low-carbon society toward sustainability.

Now is the time to Priu-size world, and Priu-size life.

What is an energy-efficient room?

In winter, we use heater for our house. In summer, air conditioner. Ordinary central heating system....nothing fancy. But is it just me who feel guilty to keep warming /cooling the rooms that nobody is using?

Typical North-American style home does not have many partitions between rooms. I can't stop feeling guilty to central-heat the house that ends up heating/cooling the space that nobody is occupying.

I don't mind living in rather a small house with doors in each room with localized heating equipments, because it is an easy way to reduce my carbon/ecological footprint. But I have never seen such a house, at least here in California. This idea wouldn't sell, I know.

So......what is the middle ground?

Japanese old style house uses fusuma (pic) and shoji for door/wall. Basically, it is a wall made of 4 to 6 panels that slide on the rail. If you wanted, you can leave 2-4 panels open, or close them all, or take them out all, depending on the weather, and the number of people you are accommodating. (With this old Japanese style, you can take the fusumas out and use two or three rooms altogether for gathering)

Most Japanese no longer live in such a traditional old style house. But I just wonder if this concept of "adjustable wall/door", hand in hand with localized heating/air conditioning system, somehow, can be Incorporated in eco-housing or energy-efficient home design.

Any views from professionals?

photo above by: yo kelley yo
photo below by: yuki yaginuma

Old face of energy efficiency

Pretty much everywhere in the world, people used to use energy for double or triple purposes. I'm not talking about complex energy efficiency technology. It's all about old lifestyle filled with rich knowledge base on how to live more efficiently with less resources.

Back in old days, it was common to use stove, and put a kettle or a pot on it. Stove heated the room, cooked food, and then boiling water in a kettle added some moisture to the room. A stove was executing three missions at one time.

Now, we might heat the rooms with central heating system, cook on the oven, and then use humidifier.

It should not be difficult to rewind our way of thinking a bit, and find one or two....or more places where we can "integrate" energy use. It was integrated once! It just got diversified over the course of modernization. We don't have to invent anything new. Just reflecting back a little bit and we can reduce our carbon footprint.


Winter is usually cold and dry in many regions. In Japan, people eat pot(nabe) a lot, especially when people get togheter for home party. Portable oven (on which you place a pot) is often used. People get together around the table on which the pot is simmering. They share meal, beer and laughter. And the pot, while providing nicely warm food, is also warming the room and adding some moisture.

You might want to switch to nabe from sushi during winter, if you like Japanese food!


photo by barron