A Plan For CT House Employees To Stay Home

CT House Rules has a great post about a terrific idea being floated by Rep. Larry Cafero and "the Fighting 44"

Telecommuting

“We want to make Connecticut and its government ‘Leaner and Greener’ with a test program to allow staff to work from home one day a week,” said House Republican Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. of Norwalk. Four-day work weeks should also be considered, he said.

These House Republicans are really thinking out of the box, and it is extremely refreshing. It is more and more apparent that Republican House members really care about the issues that affect CT residents and how to save time and money and create efficiencies. This is the kind of thinking that we desperately need in our legislature. Kudos to Rep. Cafero and his forward thinking crew.



Here's some thoughts about the plan:

* House Republican staff members could telecommute one day per week, ensuring that all their legislative responsibilities are covered;
* Staff would use laptop computers that are already available to communicate easily with the Legislative Office Building;
* Because the telecommuting would be staggered throughout the office, no disruption of service for constituents or anyone else who contacts the offices would take place;
* Similar programs have been tried in other states such as Arizona where state workers have converted 181,000 hours of commuting time into productive working hours and reduced air pollution by 175,000 pounds;
* A 2007 national study by the Consumer Electronics Association estimated that telecommuting saves enough energy in the traditional workplace to power one million households for a year. The same study determined that 3.9 million telecommuters saved 840 million gallons of gas.
* Telecommute Connecticut estimates that employees who telecommute save an estimated $1,200 annually on gasoline.

Now, perhaps in November we can just get a bunch of the House Democrats to stay home entirely (big grin).

A Public Service - Find The Least Expensive Gasoline Near You

Because your time is valuable, I'd like to help you in your quest to economize. Here's a nifty little web page. Just enter your zip code on this site, and it tells you which gas stations have the cheapest prices (and the highest) on gas in your zip code area. It's updated every evening. You will see a map of your area and then scroll down and you will get a listing of gas prices in your area with addresses and brands starting with the cheapest and going up.

Here is also an interesting website - Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update

AAA also has average prices by state

And here is a list of Cheapest gas prices in CT of course if you live near the Massachusetts border you can pay about 15-20 cents less and avoid the higher CT gas tax.

Cheap Efficient Electric Cars For 2009

Their website says: TH!NK city cars, possess effective utilization of energy. A traditional car with a combustion engine that uses less than 30% of the energy from the fuel it burns. Up to 90% of the battery's energy is used too in the TH!NK city. This means that the energy efficiency is three times as high in the TH!NK city. You can drive three times as far with the same amount of energy!

As for availibility in the US:

OSLO, NORWAY/PASADENA, CA,

“The TH!NK city is the world’s only crash-tested and highway-certified EV and is ideal for markets such as California where we will initiate demonstration projects offering an exceptionally safe and fun car to drive” says Jan-Olaf Willums, CEO of Think Global. –“We are therefore proud to partner with the two pioneering investors in the clean tech field and to launch TH!NK city in North America with them.”

The new venture was announced at the 2008 FORTUNE Brainstorm Green Conference held in Pasadena, California, that brought chief executives from all over North America together to talk about the business opportunities of “going green”.

Ray Lane, a Kleiner Perkins Managing Partner and Chairman of TH!NK North America, says, “The transportation industry is undergoing its largest transformation since Henry Ford built the model T. Today we are witnessing a seminal event - the first highway-capable electric vehicle intended for mass production, representing a big step towards a zero emission transportation industry.”

“We believe there is a dramatic shift underway of how people think about mobility. Global consumer demand is forcing industry to come up with sustainable solutions, including the development of zero emission vehicles” says Wilber James, a Managing General Partner of RockPort Capital Partners, and acting President of TH!NK North America.

TH!NK city is an environmental vehicle, emission free and 95 percent recyclable. It reaches a top speed of 100 km (65 miles) per hour and can drive up to 180 km (110 miles) on a single charge.
TH!NK city meets all European and US federal motor vehicle safety requirements.

At the Geneva Motorshow earlier this year, Think announced a strategic partnership with energy giant General Electric, also an investor in Think. At the Show, Think unveiled its future car, the TH!NK Ox, the first 4/5-seater fully electric vehicle which is slated to begin production in 2010/11.

Think has also established partnerships in the US with battery suppliers A123 and EnerDel.

The TH!NK city is currently produced in Norway and international sales are slated to begin in Scandinavia, with Switzerland and France also being the initial focus areas. Sales other than initial trial and demonstration projects will begin in The North American market in 2009.

Vicki Northrup, an electric car veteran, has been retained by TH!NK North America as Operations Manager and will initially be based out of TH!NK North America’s Menlo Park Office.

I think electric cars have been under-rated. There is great potential here especially if electricity can be generated with wind, solar, and hydro power; all great renewable sources of energy.

We are witnessing the transformation of the auto and transportation industry. Perhaps slow in coming, but the entrepreneurs are out there and the new ideas are coming.


(H/T Jeff A.)

Zipcars - Smart Transportation

My son drove up to visit us on Sunday evening and he doesn't even own a car. He drove up from the New Haven area to Hartford in a Zipcar. It's convenient and hassle-free. He has the ability to have a car when he needs one without the expense of owning one.

Zipcars are parked around the city for members to drive by the hour instead of owning their own vehicles. Cars are equipped with a wireless technology, creating a hassle-free reservation system. The cars are strategically placed around key places in cities and neighborhoods.
The savings potential is obvious not only for the driver but for the community - especially in urban settings.

With each Zipcar replacing over 15 privately-owned vehicles, we're changing the urban landscape.

Older cars are replaced with new ones that have more stringent pollution controls.

Green space is preserved as fewer parking spaces are required to meet the driving needs of the same number of people.

Less strain on urban parking infrastructure — saving businesses, governments, and universities money.

Lower fuel consumption means less air pollution.

And yes, less congestion on the roads.

Zipcar is a critical element of the transportation network of many cities and universities, enabling residents, students and businesses to get rid of their cars and still meet their transportation needs.

It's really a terrific idea - especially if you live in the city.

It's as simple as this:
You become a member of Zipcar and you receive a special card. When you need a vehicle you reserve it by the hour or the day, online or over the telephone. When you make the reservation a wireless signal is sent to the car. When you go to your reserved car your zipcard identifies you and allows you to unlock the vehicle. Then it's yours to drive. The gasoline, insurance and reserved parking is all included. You just drive it away and return it when you are done.

They've got some great vehicles too - very clean and well maintained.

My son loves it.
We'd love to see Zipcars come to the Hartford area.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

"They say that breaking up is hard to do, Now I know, I know that it's true. Don't say that this is the end. Instead of breaking up, I wish that we were making up again" - The Carpenters and Neil Sedaka

I was at the Capitol and heard Governor Rell's opening day speech - one of many proposals was the breakup of DOT into a Department of Highways, a Department of Transportation and Ports, and a Bradley Airport Authority.

This is supposed to save money and be more efficient? Looks like a great way to grow government and create more commissioners and their associated staffs and budgets and salaries and benefits. Perhaps a real good reorganization of the D.O.T was in order, but a replication of their problems in triplicate seems to offer little in the way of progress in my opinion. While Governor Rell has not created any tax increases with her new proposed budget - this department mitosis could go a long way to bloating future budgets.

"Think of all we've been through, and breaking up is hard to do"