GM calls on students to help build next EcoCar

Beginning Monday, engineering students in the United States, Canada and Mexico can begin the selection process to be part of a multi-year design challenge that could produce the next General Motors eco-friendly vehicle.

The EcoCAR: The NExt Challenge is a national collegiate competition kicking off next fall. It is sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy as well as Natural Resources Canada and others.

Students will work to create a zero emissions or near zero emissions fuel economy car and that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“EcoCAR is a reflection of GM’s philosophy that there is no single silverbullet that will solve the world’s energy challenges,”  said Tom Stephens, group vice president of GM Global GM Powertrain and Quality, in a Reuters press release. “Our approach is based on energy diversity and customer choice, using advanced propulsion technologies that play a significant role in displacing large amounts of petroleum and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

 Below are key EcoCAR dates according to www.challenge.org:

• Notice of Interest due — Nov. 23 - Jan. 4, 2008
• Request for Proposal available — Dec. 3
• RFP teleconference — January 2008
• Proposals due — March 3, 2008
• Teams selected — Spring 2008
• Kick off workshop — Spring 2008
• Fall workshop — Fall 2008

 

Green may be norm soon rather than later

 “It won’t be very long until we don’t use the word green anymore because it will just become the standard,” said Dan Harrison, owner of Harrison Construction Inc. in Marietta, Ohio. “It’s economic. We’ve certainly turned that corner because all of the green building today is all being driven from the top down. It’s being driven by money.”

About 24,000 people are expected to attend the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo at McCormick Place this week, nearly doubling last year’s attendance of about 13,500 visitors, according to a recent article from the Medill News Service.

The business world is starting to pay more attention to the economic potential and green marketability, as more and more consumers become environmentally conscious.

In fact, the green building market is expected to increase from 3 percent to 10 percent of all new construction, according to a McGraw Hill Construction spokeswoman.

For more information on the article click here.

Photo courtesy of Jim Collins/Medill

 

Green communities

There are too many online communities that discuss going green or alternative energy sources to list here, but I will do my best to list a few. One of the best sites I found was Alternative Energy. The site has an abundance of information on all different types of energy, including the latest news, diggs, videos, events and even a MySpace link. Created by Alex Ramon the site aims to raise awareness among the public. Below is AE’s mission statement

Alex makes no expert claims, as he is neither a scientist or an inventor of future technologies. The purpose of these sites is simply to raise public awareness by showcasing the many thousands of excellent bloggers, companies, inventors, organizations and websites that are working toward a solution. We do this by posting articles and a blog, hosting discussions, publishing daily news and press stories, listing events and organizing video and website resourcesin categories and playlists.

Another good site is GRIST.org, a nonprofit environmental journalism site, which sets out to find environmental trends before they are trends and news that may not be getting much attention.

Chicagoans looking to go green can check out MeGoGreen.com. The Web site sets out to guide Chicago residents to more environmentally-friendly products and businesses.

 

Key Web sites

As I stumble down the path to greener energy there will be a number of Web sites I study and cite. Major news sites, such as Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune will set the groundwork for my posts. The New York Times link also links to key government and association sites related to energy.

Other key sites:

• Archer Daniels Midland is a leader in bio-energy and is one of the largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat, and cocoa. Headquartered in Decatur, Ill., the company has more than 240 processing plants and more than 27,000 employees.

• U.S. Department of Energy has information on all forms of energy, including bio-energy, coal, electric power, fossil fuels, fusion, geothermal, hydrogen, hydro-power, natural gas, nuclear, oil, renewable, solar, and wind.

• The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

• The American Gas Association represents 200 local energy utility companies that deliver natural gas to more than 64 million homes, businesses and industries throughout the country.

• The Illinois Corn Growers Association is a grassroots membership organization with 5,000 members that lobby both in Springfield, Ill., and Washington D.C.

• The Illinois Coal Association has many links for coal-related sites listed on its Web site.

• The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation works with communities and citizens to improve the state’s environmental quality.