Goal For The Green

With gas prices quickly approaching $3.00 a gallon, perhaps you’re wondering if you will even get to go on a vacation this year.  Instead of another “staycation,” at least try and save some ” green” and plan a “green” vacation.

Did you know Cleveland is going green?  First time visitors my not realize that Cleveland, is situated on the beautiful blue shores of Lake Erie.  You can even, charter a fishing boat, and cruise the Cuyahoga River, or set sail for Lake Erie Islands.

Cleveland became known as the city of the burning river, after a huge industrial fire along the Cuyahoga River in 1969.  Now, you can visit and learn about the rebirth of the Cuyahoga River, and see why Cleveland has now become an eco-friendly hot spot.

Positively Cleveland,  has compile a wonderful list of 75 Green Things In Cleveland Plus , to check out and enjoy.   Thay also have a card called the Cleveland Plus Pass, that’ll make your trip easy and more affordable.  It gives you access to ten major attractions and other traveler discounts in the region.  You can purchase for Adult, Youth or Senior passes, for 2, 3, or 5 days.  A pass saves you 30% off general admission to the participating venues in the area.   They are making Cleveland a great place to save “green” and enjoy great family fun.  Now, you have no reason to not go on a vacation this summer.  So, jump on the fun wagon and enjoy!

See where the cutest ladybugs live!

The Montague Corporation Redefines Park and Ride with Swiss Bike

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Winter 2009 – With global warming and wild swings in gas prices
at the center of the evening news, many are searching for an easy way to save energy
while also saving money.  One by one, major metropolitan areas around the world have begun to place a stronger emphasis on alternative transportation as a means of reducing carbon emissions and congestion.  Just recently the U.S. government even went so far as to pass bicycle commuter legislation that treats those that ride to work similar to those that drive to work. Incentives, like new bike lanes and congestion charges, such as those instituted by London, Stockholm, and Singapore, have set the stage for a change in the way the world travels and commutes.  The century old bicycle is set to revisit its roots as a transportation vehicle.

Or is it? Simply jumping on a bike and pedaling off to work can be a far reach for many
Americans as long distances, adverse road conditions, and bad weather can all get in
the way, let alone asking that people give up the comfort of their car.

Recognizing the difficulties that most people have with taking the first step toward
bicycle commuting, Montague Corporation, a Massachusetts based bicycle
manufacturer has launched SwissBike™, a line of bicycles that allow people to choose
to the moment how they would like to travel or commute. SwissBikes are full-size bikes,
with full-size performance, but they fold to fit in the trunk of a car, on the train, bus, or
even in a cab. The multiple functions of these bikes neatly fill in the gaps that often
cause people to write off commuting and traveling by bike.

David Montague explains: “Most people’s commute to work is farther than they feel
comfortable riding a bike and as a result, they believe the only way to get there is by car.
In this case, you simply put a SwissBike in the trunk of your car, you drive part way to
work, park, and pull out your SwissBike for the rest of the ride. And if the day isn’t nice,
or you don’t have the energy, you simply leave the bike safe and dry in the trunk until
another day. We call it “Redefining Park and Ride” commuting. It’s easy, it’s good for
you, it saves money, and it’s a manageable step for most people.”

For 2009, Montague introduced a refined commuter model, the SwissBike TX that offers
21-speeds, slick tires, front suspension, disc brakes, and the CLIX™ Wheel Release
System, (see www.clixqr.com). The TX has an MSRP of $699.00, a price that can easily be recuperated in gas savings and health.  Montague also offers other SwissBike models.

“The SwissBike range of bikes offers a great ride for all levels of riders,” said Jonathan
Vandenberg, sales manager for the SwissBike. “The patented folding technology found
in the SwissBike provides the cyclist with a great combination of performance and
portability.  At the same time these bikes are fun, healthy and good for the
environment.”

SwissBike is a division of the Montague Corporation which is based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts and is dedicated to advancing cycling through the development of
inventive technologies that provide its customers with an unprecedented combination of
performance and convenience. Visit www.swissbike.com or call toll free (800) 736-5348 for more information about SwissBike products and technologies.

Ever heard of the Bakken Formation?

The U.S. Geological Service issued a report in April (’08) that only scientists and oilmen knew was coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn’t been updated since ’95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota; western South Dakota; and extreme eastern Montana … check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable… at $107 a barrel, we’re looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.

This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years,’ reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It’s a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the ‘Bakken.’ And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and into Canada. For years, U.S.oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the ‘Big Oil’ companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken’s massive reserves… and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!

That’s enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 41 years straight.

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction. Our government has know about this for at least the last two years!

We have more oil inside our borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

-8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia
-18-times as much oil a s Iraq
-21-times as much oil as Kuwait
-22-times as much oil as Iran
-500-times as much oil as Yemen- and it’s all right here in the Western United States.

So, my question is why are we looking at drilling in Utah? Much of the area they are talking about there is beautiful and pristine.  It would greatly deface the beauty of the area, to drill and put oil wells there.  Why are’nt we looking at The Bakken area to greatly help us get off of our foreign oil dependence? Why instead are we looking at drilling offshore? Why is this answer being ignored?

Yes, oil prices have dropped significantly since July of this year.  But, that doesn’t mean that we can return to our gas guzzling ways.  I’m not saying that oil is the answer, but this is like sitting on a gold mine. It can at least lead us to oil independence.  I can’t help but believe, that the Bakken holds many more answers to our energy crisis than just oil. It at the very least would be a great place to start the journey toward energy independence and conservation.