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Author Archives for Josh Liberles

Carectomy Week In Review #6


In Norway, No Car Is "Green"


Apparently Norway takes the phrase “truth in advertising” to heart. New restrictions imposed by the state-run Consumer Ombudsman have banned the use of the words “green,” clean,” and “environmentally friendly” in car advertisements.

Model Green City: Treasure Island Starts from Scratch


Design firm Arup is looking to turn Treasure Island – a 400-acre man-made structure halfway across the bay Bridge, between Oakland and San Francisco – into a model of sustainability. The island, a former naval base decommissioned eleven years ago, currently features low- to mid-income housing for about 1,400 residents mixed with military and industrial refuse. The revamped area will house over 13,000 people, and the superfund site will be cleaned and greened-up.

Pedal-Powered Car Gets Pulled Over by Toronto Police


A renegade form of alternative transportation was outlawed in Toronto when the driver of a pedal-powered car was pulled over by local police. (According to the cop, "The safety factor [of the vehicle] is….unsafe.") The car, which uses muscle power in lieu of a motor, is propelled by four independent pedal and gear systems that are set inside of its metal body.

Amtrak Hopes to See More Green with Federal Funding, Increased Ridership


As fuel prices rise and air travel becomes more of a nuisance, Amtrak has become a more popular choice—especially among environmentally-conscious travelers who want to minimize their footprint. While trains are a lesser evil than cars or crowded, carbon-belching airplanes, Amtrak isn’t without its concerns. The company is $3.3 billion dollars in debt and is asking the government for financial support. Amtrak "gets enough funding to survive, but not to flourish."

Carectomy Week In Review #2


Two Blasts from Our Car-Past, Courtesy of Disney

I just came across two old Disney clips appropriate for carectomy patients. The first, Magic Highway USA (video below), is a 1958 television episode that looks toward the future of American transportation. Once you dig past the kitschy sci-fi aspects, this auto-pian vision terrifyingly reveals the values which have led us to our current predicament.

Copenhagen Girls on Bikes Gone Wild!

Ok, well perhaps not “wild.” The Copenhagen Cycle Chic blogsite is a celebration of women astride their trusty steeds. The site’s tagline: Bike advocacy in high heels, from the world’s cycling capital. The content ranges from cycling information with fashion style to poetry.

Lottery Pays 50M Pounds for Car Free UK

Sustrans, a 30 year-old nonprofit in the U.K. that advocates sustainable transportation, last week won The People’s £50 Million Lottery Giveaway. The purpose of the Giveaway is to fund projects which positively benefit “health, the environment, education and charitable purposes to improve communities and the lives of people most in need.” Citizens vote on the project they deem most worthy of the grant. Sustrans’ Connect2 project emerged triumphant, defeating three