One city in France was wide-awake early in the trend of going green. Located on the country’s west coast, La Rochelle now has an eco-transport system to be proud of.
La Rochelle in western France isn’t just a beauty spot, it’s a city whose green credentials leave others green with envy.
What’s become the city’s grand project all began in 1976 with hire bikes, an idea many other cities are only now beginning to adopt themselves.
These pick-up-and-drop-off bicycles are available all over town.
With a monthly subscription of 25 euros they’re free for the first half hour, then half a euro per hour.
Users simply swipe a card and off they pedal.
The swipe-and-hire system now includes electric cars.
Local resident Peggy Landon explains why she sold her car when she started using the system.
[Peggy Landon, Local Resident]:
”Well it’s obviously much, much cheaper. But I think also the other aspect that I really like is the sharing aspect of a car; everybody doesn’t need to have their own car.”
Next came electric boats … park and ride … and even deliveries.
To cut congestion goods are dropped outside the center and delivered by electric vans.
On top of keeping La Rochelle clean and green, local Vice President Denis Leroy is keen to transform the citizens as well as the city.
[Denis Leroy, Local Vice President]:
“The coming generation will not own their own car, it is less into cars than us, it is our generation that put the car everywhere. The car is a practical object so they use it for the time they need it and, seeing how much cars cost, they would rather spend their money elsewhere.”
The plan is to get people out of private cars, onto the streets and back into the community.
Peggy is certainly a convert.
[Peggy Landon, Local Resident]:
”To do something like this, to use these electric cars, what I feel is that it makes you want to do more for the environment. And to try and maybe explore other different possibilities where we can each do just one little thing to make a difference,” said Landon.
City authorities say this is more than just going green, it’s a philosophical vision.
La Rochelle is blazing a trail and those who are green with envy are keen to follow suit.
There are a number of promissing new entries into the electric bike arena. Some DIY, some kits, and some manufacturers. They range all the way up to above $42,000. They market is really ready for multiple solutions and some are getting there. Below are a few very interesting videos and articles bringing light to this very interesting area of solutions that are moving away from the fossil age.
Here is a great website for conversion kits:
The “E-Rocket” from Berlin, Germany…
E-Bike by Volkswagen
electricmotionsystems.com
And for safety you might want to check this out…
2011 Mini Scooter-E electric scooter
2011 Yamaha Electric Scooter
2011 Honda Electric Scooter
The E-Bu Bu Scooter
BMW Concept Scooter… electric version coming soon
2011 Ryno Motors first ride in parking innovative self-balancing one wheel electric scooter
And then there is the UNOCycle…
http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2009-11/electric-unicycle-transforms-two-wheeler
There will never be another day like today… but there will be an endless stream of moments as you are reading this.
At 11:11:11, I would like to invite you to spend 11 minutes to visualize and FEEL everything you would like to see in your world.
There are many energies unseen and seen that have and are lining up for a truly awesome new world.
And the universe is conspiring to do this with us. How do we become a cooperative component in this alignment?
“Get Happy” and continue to step into your joy… deliberately.
Thank you for being yourself and sharing your light during this most amazing of times!
What you’re about to learn could likely save your life, or that of someone you love. This was certainly the case with my Father.
About 6 years ago my Father was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Depression and Anxiety. The best the medical profession could offer was a cocktail of medications to treat the symptoms and little in the way of hope for treating the underlying causes. Not surprisingly his health continued to decline.
At the same time we were studying nutrition and sending my father many books we had read but these didn’t seem to help convince him. So for the next 12 months (with 3 years of research up our sleeves) we set about creating the independent documentary film ‘Food Matters’.
‘Food Matters’ features interviews with leading health experts who reveal the best natural healing choices you can make for you and your family’s health. In the film you’ll discover what works, what doesn’t and what’s killing you.
Needless to say after my father saw the film he quit his pharmaceutical meds, changed his diet, lost 20% of his body weight and is now running 3 times a week which is a big change from being bed ridden for 5 years!
Thank you for your support in helping this lifesaving information reach more people, it would not be possible without you.
James Colquhoun & Laurentine ten Bosch
Producer / Directors ‘Food Matters’
PS: You don’t have to take our word for it, here is what others are saying about the film.
“Everything I have been harping on for the last 40 years, these two have brilliantly encapsulated in one beautifully produced, eminently watchable video.” - Harvey Diamond, Author of America’s best selling health book ‘Fit For Life’
“This film lays out the inconvenient truth the food industry doesn’t want you to hear — that nearly all degenerative disease is actually caused by the processed, nutrient-depleted food being consumed in first-world nations around the world. ‘Food Matters’ dares to reveal how we can stop this cycle of destruction and restore true health to ourselves and our planet.” - Mike Adams founder of Natural News.com
“Anyone who is serious about their health needs to see this stunning film.”
- Christiane Northrup, MD, author of the Women’s Wisdom series
“James and Laurentine provide a radiant beacon of hope with steps you can do today to take control of your health and begin healing. This is such important information - and much aligned with my personal health philosophies. It’s time to get it out to everyone who will listen. I encourage you to order a copy of Food Matters today and watch it with your friends and family.”
- Dr Joseph Mercola - Mercola.com
—
“If you had three people sun-bathing, they would collect that amount of sunshine, [and] despite having to travel 93 million miles, [that amount of] energy from the sun can melt rock.”
The Story of Electronics, releasing Tuesday, NOVEMBER 9, employs the Story of Stuff style to explore the high-tech revolution’s collateral damage—25 million tons of e-waste and counting, poisoned workers and a public left holding the bill. Host Annie Leonard takes viewers from the mines and factories where our gadgets begin to the horrific backyard recycling shops in China where many end up. The film concludes with a call for a green ‘race to the top’ where designers compete to make long-lasting, toxic-free products that are fully and easily recyclable.
“Conscious Business”, “Conscious Capitalism” and “Natural Capitalism” are terms used to describe a business enterprise that seeks to be aware of the effects of its actions, and to consciously affect human beings and the environment in a beneficial way. They also refer to a movement towards “Values-based” economic value, where “Values” represent social and environmental concerns globally as well as locally. These movements have emerged from the theory of Corporate Social Responsibility, and is currently related to movements of Not Just For Profit Business Models, Conscious Consumerism, and Socially Responsible Investing. Most conscious businesses subscribe to a Triple Bottom Line model of success for their business endeavor. They aim to provide positive value in the domain of People, Planet, and Profit.
David Blood: The Case for Sustainable Business - Gresham College
TEDxToronto - Bruce Poon Tip “Beyond the Triple Bottom Line”
Village Earth is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable, community-based development around the world by providing innovative training, consultation, appropriate technology information, and project support services. Village Earth was born in 1993 at an International Conference on Sustainable Village-Based Development in Fort Collins, Colorado, where more than 300 participants from 30 nations created the Consortium for Sustainable Village-Based Development (CSVBD) and gave it the mandate to implement and train others in the strategies discussed during the conference. Since its inception Village Earth has trained and consulted with hundreds of individuals and organizations in countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Bosnia, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, Columbia, and elsewhere. Values We believe that communities must be empowered to access and manage the resources they need to be self-sufficient and sustainable. We trust and value the ability of local communities to shape and create their own vision for the future, as well as the path to move toward it. We believe that transparency and participatory decision-making is central to the goal of social justice and sustainability. We believe that working toward ecological sustainability must be a priority for all societies to ensure peace and prosperity for all peoples. We appreciate and respect the diversity and differences among our constituents and our collaborators.
Around the globe, Village Earth is allying with communities that wish to determine their own futures. Through our empowerment approach, Village Earth works with communities as they direct their own path of change and work toward a sustainable future. Village Earth has allied with Lakota families on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; the Shipibo Nation in Peru’s Amazon Basin; tribal communities in West Bengal, India; Mayan communities in Guatemala; and disadvantaged neighborhoods in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Learn more about our community alliances around the world.
awakeningasone.com
this is the first of five videos coming summer of 2010
Awakening As One exists for the sole purpose of inspiring and encouraging humanity to make the intelligent choice to unite and live for the peace and harmony of all, rather than for the material gain of the self.
Awakening As One commits the total sum of its available resources and creativity into the furtherance of the immediate divine objective for humanity and planet earth; which include 1) uniting those who hold a vision for a more harmonious existence, and 2) combining our diverse, yet complimentary skills, so that we may free ourselves from our dependency on our current self-destructive system, and thereby 3) begin the co-creation of a new harmonious Way of BEing, with each other… and the Earth.
June 2006 — A private retreat on long term national energy security and climate change among leaders and experts as divergent as Vice President Al Gore and Fred Smith, President, Competitive Enterprise Institute.
The best thing you could do for anyone that you love, is be happy! And the very worst thing that you could do for anyone that you love, is be unhappy, and then ask them to to try to change it, when there is nothing that anybody else can do that will make you happy. If it is your dominant intent to hold yourself in vibrational harmony with who you really are, you could never offer any action that would cause anybody else to be unhappy. — Abraham-Hicks
SolarEnurgy.net is powered completely by solar, wind and renewable energy to the tune of 130% of the data center power consumption, so we're not only neutralizing our carbon footprint, but also pumping an extra 30% of green energy back into the power grid! A light footprint.
Entries (RSS)