GPM, not MPG

Professors at Duke University sent a kind thank you note to the Sierra Club for stories earlier this year in the Compass and Green Life on why gallons per mile is better than miles per gallon. Here's the note:

Thank you for raising awareness about the problems with MPG. I wanted to let you know that we've created a web-based tool to help people convert MPG to "GPM". These calculators let people see the actual gas consumption (and savings) of different cars. One calculator can be used for a choice of MPG, distance, and gas price. Two other calculators allow consumers to examine new 2009 cars and evaluate them based on GPM (using MPG data from the EPA).

These calculations are critical to helping people see their true gas consumption (and carbon emissions) and not be tricked by MPG. I hope they'd be of interest to readers or could be posted with guides to car buying. I'm eager to see either the EPA or Consumer Reports adopt GPM, and am trying to provide the necessary tools in the meantime.

A few other links that might be of interest:

I'm maintaining a webpage here that explains the problems with MPG and argues for GPM.

And "gallons per mile" was featured in the New York Times Magazine's Year in Ideas.

Thanks again for your interest earlier in the year.

Best,

Rick,
Duke University

In this video, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (spelling?) defends the California Emissions Standards, which the Bush Administration has challenged. Hmm, emissions standards...what does California have to do with me?

Well, in the past session, state legislators passed the Clean Cars Study Bill, which examines the California emissions as they would be applied in NC. So, what the Governator is saying holds true to our Carolina Blue Skies, and the country at large, for that matter.

Sierra Club volunteer has ideas on reducing fuel prices

This nation faces an extremely significant problem with rising fuel prices. It is time for us to make a small sacrifice in order to have an affect on this problem.

In the early 1970's when we had a gas shortage we lowered the speed limit on the interstate highways to 55 mph. Implementing a similar policy at this time would help us use less gas and thus help reduce our energy consumption. We should immediately reduce the speed limit on our interstates to 60 mph.

At 60 mph the average trip from Raleigh to Wilmington would only be increased by a few minutes. Surely this is the very least we can do to lower the price of gas.

Millions of low and middle income people are struggling to make ends meet because of the high price of gas. With a little less speed and a little more patience we could go a long way toward helping solve some of our energy problems.

Marvin Woll
Raleigh, NC

P.S. If you have energy saving techniques you use at home would you please send them to: alan.wolf@newsobserver.com

Eco Design, and also the Governator

Check out this gorgeous slide show from the Guardian. One of the fastest growing green fields will soon be eco-friendly home design, and from this you can see how sustainable, efficient houses can actually look nice, too.

On a Governator note: Arnold asked US carmakers to ramp up fuel efficiency.

"Today, I made it clear to the automakers that California will not back down in the fight to protect our own environment by regulating pollution that causes global warming. We will continue to press the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to grant our request for a waiver, and we will use legal remedies if they fail to do so."

Schwarzenegger said hiding behind the federal government's proposed emission standards will not work, and it will not effectively reduce the pollution that causes global warming.

California, along with 13 other states, has proposed stricter limits on gas emissions for cars, but President George W. Bush's administration maintains that only the federal government has the right to set gas emission standards.