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Don’t ever laugh at spiders just because they see the world a bit different than you. New research shows that that certain spider species that live upside-down are more energy efficient. While this might not matter in the least to most people, it does present new energy-saving potential in the field of robotics. From Popular Science,

Scientists in Spain and Croatia have found that certain spider species that feed, breed and travel upside-down are more energy efficient because of it. For the spiders, it turns out, walking is more of a swing—they use gravity to their advantage. The interdisciplinary team of scientists—which included an astrophysicist, for some reason—studied more than 100 spider species, and found that the longer legs of the upside-down spiders enable more efficient inverted travel thanks to these pendulum mechanics, but that they aren’t so great for scurrying along the floor.

While we here at Groovy do not condone living your life upside-down (though those of us with little kids probably have the greatest experience), we do hope you’ll follow the spider’s example of saving energy where at all possible. And should this research lead to a new breed of killler-spider robots, please remember we warned you.

At least they’ll be eco-friendly.

Been wondering where Zap’s promised electric vehicles are? So have the journalists over at Wired. They did a little digging and came to the conclusion that the company has underdelivered and overpromised on a shiny future of fuel-efficient and electric vehicles. Of the eight models Zap has said it would sell, including the Smart ForTwo, only two are currently available from the company. The article, “Hype Machine,” is in Wired’s April 2008 print issue (also available online here). Here’s a highlight:

The ZAP-X and Alias electric vehicles are fast, sexy and affordable. But best of all, ZAP says they’ll be here within two years. Don’t bet on it. The technology is too elusive, the manufacturing challenges too great and the costs too high for ZAP to develop two vehicles in that timeline. “This is vaporware,” said Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst at Global Insight. “I’d take it with a grain of salt.” That’s wise when it comes to ZAP, a company known for funky electric runabouts and big announcements that go nowhere.

Ouch. Wired pretty much gives the company a slap upside the head and includes some complimentary online additions to the print article such as a stock price analysis, ZAP corporation fan mail, and a picture-by-picture look at the company’s vaporware products. Enjoy the brutality!

Later this year the 2008 Olympics will open in Beijing, China. When that happens, a country with both serious environment problems and a pattern of widespread social injustice will be given international attention. If the Chinese government has its way, that country will not be portrayed as a contaminated badland where political repression and established censorship smothers its citizens. It’ll be best faux foot forward as the world looks on, or perhaps better phrased, looks away as a deeply flawed nation tries to avoid criticism for its abominable record on the environment and human rights. The International Olympic Committee opposes a boycott as does the Bush Administration. And you can be sure that corporate sponsors of the Games will not advocate such a move unless more consumers, or ah citizens support a boycott. Until then they “are trying to appear sensitive while arguing that the Games should not be politicized.” So much for corporate leadership. Again it looks like no real change will happen unless public sentiment develops in support of directly addressing the record of China and its policies of devastation during past decades.

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I first discovered the concept of natural swimming pools a few years back and have been smitten with the idea ever since. Basically, these are pools that have no harmful chlorine or chemicals, low maintenance, natural heating, and a limited impact on the environment. They also help foster aquatic communities and can expand positively upon already-established ponds or springs. From one site,

Natural swimming pools are fairly common in Europe but just starting to take off in the United States as people are becoming more interested in a lifestyle of simplicity and natural beauty. These pools are fairly complicated to build and run 10-20% more than a traditional in ground custom pool. You can keep the size down and the landscaping around the pool at a minimum to cut down some of the cost. The goal is to achieve a balanced eco-system just like in a lake where rocks filter particulates, plants beat out algae and a natural bacteria additive keeps the water clear and safe. You can even add fish (in fact, it’s recommended!) to complete the cycle.

I stumbled upon one website for a company called Woodhouse and was truly impressed with their natural pool creations. They even have a photographic step-by-step for those curious how the entire process comes together. It may cost a bit more, but in terms of environmental beauty, you truly can’t beat it with the standard variety. More images available here.

Back in May of 2006, I wrote about a new natural cemetery outside of Ithaca, NY that was being dedicated. At that time, it was one of only a handful of green cemeteries in the United States. Then, there was also this frightening statistic:

“The average cemetery buries 1,000 gallons of embalming fluid, 97.5 tons of steel, 2,028 tons of concrete, and 56,250 board feet of high quality wood in just one acre of green.”

My hope was that this new cemetery, called Greensprings, would offer people with an additional option to avoid the conventional and environmentally detrimental funeral industry. I’m happy to say that nearly two years later, Greensprings is doing wonderfully. Here’s a recent update I received from their Executive Director:

“I just wanted to circle around with you on Greensprings. We had 80 plot sales in the first two months of this year. This is clearly a resounding success. About a burial or two a week now also.”

80 plots sold in two months? For something that two years ago was still considered “strange” to most Americans, I would consider that a tremendous accomplishment! Congrats to Greensprings!

If you’re at all interested in exploring this option for when you leave this world, check out their official website here. The video I produced for their dedication is also below.

[UPDATE] We’ve also received some new information from Memorial Ecosystems — one of the first organizations to open up a green cemetery in the United States. Here’s what VP Kimberley Campbell had to say,

“Sales are also going very well for us. We now have over 100 people buried at Ramsey Creek Preserve and a total Of nearly 500 pre-need sales. We are opening ur second site, Honey Creek Woodlands in Conyers GA, with the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, [a trappist Monastery] in late April. We will of course, be accepting everyone, not just catholics. I think we are the only company to have 2 sites. Although we are not officially open, we have already had 3 burials, and close to 800 people who have requested information for reserving places.”

Sure, we’d all love to drive a Tesla roadster, or to kick the car habit all together, but some of us just aren’t ready. Maybe you have an excessive commute or maybe you have to take the kids to soccer and music lessons. Maybe that Tesla roadster just isn’t in this years budget. Here are some steps you can take with your current car to save fuel.

First, we’ll want to know the current MPG (miles per gallon) and GPM (gallons per month). Normally, we’d just want to know miles per gallon, but we are concerned about lowering our overall consumption.

Tracking the GPM is very easy. Begin by filling up your tank on the first day of the month and making a note of the odometer (number of miles). Throughout the month, track all fuel purchases and on the 1st of the following month, fill up again, noting gallons purchased and odometer reading. You can then add up your gallons purchased to calculate gallons consumed through the month (GPM). You can also divide the total miles by the gallons consumed to calculate the miles per gallon.

Now that we can measure our efforts, here some steps to improve our consumption!

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I stumbled across a new website yesterday which I felt I should share. These Urban Homesteaders are in Rochester, NY. They’re a young couple who are just getting started trying to live sustainably and document what they are doing. I’m always interested in real life examples of what people are doing to change their lives. The most interested thing here though is that they document the good and the bad. They will tell you what worked for them and what they’re failing at. This is invaluable as we prepare for our energy depleted future and a lot of us have to make these changes in our lives. It will be helpful to learn from their mistakes.

Check out their website here. They haven’t updated their blog for a while, but I hope they get back to it.

Sick sense of humor? You bet! But with gas prices continuing to rise, the rest of us will truly have the last laugh.

via autobloggreen 

If you’re a regular reader, you no doubt know we here at Groovy have a fascination with the seemingly magical properties of the Luffa. Not only can it be harvested to create the sponge-like scrubber most people love in the tub, but it can also help shade your home and keep things cool in the heat of summer. Just ask John Lawvere — an entire side of his trailer in Arizona is shaded from the sun with several Luffa vines. Additionally, he makes some extra cash from his crop by selling the “sponges” for $5/each come harvest time. Says John,

“I teach Physics at a community college in Tucson, AZ. My remodeling/plumber friend helped me a lot at building supports for Luffa vines. We have an idea about building structures over parking lots (near apartment complexes and other businesses) to save those people money on air conditioning while producing a valuable crop.”

Not a bad idea, right? We applaud John and his amazing “Luffa Tunnel” — something he says “convinced my girlfriend’s mother (in Belarus) that I was a good man.” Ha, nice.

For our original classic, “How To Make (And Grow) A Luffa”, click here