New D.C. Cab Red and Silver Livery

Washington, D.C. wants to be like New York City with a taxi fleet painted the same color. Instead of yellow, D.C. taxis are slowly one by one switching to red and silver livery.

Photos: New Rosslyn Metro Entrance and High-Speed Elevators

With the beating Metro takes on a daily basis, much of it justified due to the poor state of the system and constant malfunctions of escalators, signals, trains, etc..., it is refreshing to see progress being made a little at a time to put the Metro system back into a state of good repair and moving forward into the 21st century.

Solar Power in Maryland and New Jersey

Maryland and New Jersey are two states moving forward with solar energy. The Garden States's Renewable Portfolio Standard requires that more than 22 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by 2021 and New Jersey is second only to California in the number of homes and businesses which have solar panels installed. New Jersey has installed 22,014 solar photovoltaic installations with a total output of 1,078 megawatts.

First D.C. Streetcar in 50 Years on Tracks for Testing!

After 50 years, streetcars will soon be operating again in Washington, D.C. The other day while biking around the H St. NE neighborhood, I witnessed the Czech-built streetcar on the tracks for testing that will take several months before the three new streetcars will start picking up passengers along the 2.4 mile route from Union Station through the revitalized H St. NE corridor to the Anacostia River.

Riding the Rails: Montreal to New York City

August 18, 2013 -- After spending time in the wonderful cities of Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa it was time to head back to the States. So I said au revior to Quebec, Canada and hopped aboard the Amtrak Adirondack train heading south from Montreal for the eleven hour journey to New York Penn Station.

New World Trade Center PATH Pedestrian Tunnel [PHOTOS]

I was visiting family in New York City for Thanksgiving weekend when I literally stumbled upon the most wondrous spectacle I have seen in a long time and it happened of all places while trying to find the exit to the World Trade Center PATH station that is still very much under construction.

Riding the Rails: Ottawa to Montreal

August 17, 2013 -- After spending the morning and early afternoon in Canada's clean and friendly capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, I took the VIA Rail Canada train back to Montreal. In order to get to the train station, I needed to take a bus rapid transit (BRT) -- Ottawa's bus system that runs on dedicated bus-only lines, thereby avoiding traffic and providing a fast and reliable ride in and around the city.

Green Traveler: Ottawa, Canada

August 17, 2013 -- Canada's clean and friendly capital city of Ottawa, Ontario is green as well. This past summer I took a day trip to Canada's fourth-largest city from Montreal. I rode the Greyhound bus there and took the VIA Rail Canada back to Montreal.

Boarding the Bus: Montreal to Ottawa

August 17, 2013 -- Rising before sunrise, I walked the empty pre-dawn streets of Montreal to Gare d'autocars de Montréal (English: Montreal Coach Terminal). I was ready to take a Greyhound bus to Canada's capital city of Ottawa, Ontario.

Riding the Rails: Quebec City to Montreal

August 14, 2013 -- After a short two-day trip to Quebec City, it was back to Montreal so I woke up before dawn and walked from the hostel to the train station for a very early morning VIA Rail Canada train ride back to Montreal. I took some pictures of the historic train station and video departing a rainy Quebec City and crossing the St. Lawrence river into Montreal's train station.

Green Traveler: Quebec City

While Quebec City doesn't have the bicycling infrastructure that Montreal enjoys such as dedicated bike lanes and bicycle sharing, the city does have many local bikers amid the many tourists. Quebec City is part of the Green Road (Route Verte) bicycleway that traverses the province. There is a nice stretch of bike lane along the St. Lawrence River called the Corridor du Littoral.

Riding the Rails: Montreal to Quebec City

August 12, 2013 -- I took an early morning VIA Rail Canada train from Montreal Central Station (Gare Centrale) to Quebec City Palace Station (Gare du Palais) for a short two-day excursion to the most European city in North America.

Green Traveler: Quebec Hydropower

The province of Quebec gets around 40 percent of its electricity from hydropower, which is clean and renewable power produced from the kinetic energy of falling water and running water. The government-owned public utility Hydro-Québec has been providing residents with clean energy since its founding in 1944 and currently operates sixty hydroelectric generating stations with a combined capacity of 35,829 megawatts (MW).

Guest Post: Ways To Make Your Home Really Energy Efficient

1. Insulation

When done properly, insulation is a really effective way of making your home more energy efficient. Insulation saves energy through its air-trapping properties. The advantages are that your home will be cooler in summer, and warmer in winter, and that you will be able to regulate the temperature in your home more closely without using as much energy. Hot and cold air has a harder time escaping through insulation, which is normally installed in your walls.

Green Traveler: Montreal Recycling

Montreal takes sustainability seriously and the recycling bins all over town are a good indication of that. The city makes it easy for people to do the right thing by providing recycling bins for sorting paper and plastic. There are even composting bins and battery recycling at select locations. I saw recycling canisters at Metro stations, the Bell Centre, shopping malls, public parks, sidewalks and other places.

Green Traveler: Biking Montreal

Montreal is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in North America. There are interconnected bike lanes across the city, Bixi bikeshare stations, bicycle parking every few blocks and a population with a more European sensibility when it comes to normalizing bicycling as a routine form of transportation for not just getting exercise but commuting, running errands, visiting friends and other daily activities.

Green Traveler: Montreal Canadiens Goal is Green! Initiative

While visiting Montreal, I toured the home arena of the Canadiens hockey team -- Bell Centre. I noticed that there are easily identifiable recycling canisters located throughout the building. In fact, there are approximately 945 recycling bins placed in concourses and offices. This is part of the Goal is Green! (Vert le But! in French) program that has been in place since 2007.

Green Traveler: Montreal Metro

A visit to Montreal, Quebec, Canada this past summer revealed a city that works. Commuters can hop on a Bixi bike or personal bicycle and easily navigate the many interconnected bike paths, or enter the clean, modern subway stations to ride on the reliably efficient Metrorail system. In this Green Traveler series, I'll be recapping my experiences in this world-class city -- from biking to riding the Metro to hydroelectricity to recycling and more.

Canada Summer 2013: Riding Amtrak Adirondack Train from New York City to Montreal

August 8, 2013 -- The trip began in Washington, D.C. where I boarded the BoltBus intercity bus service for the four hour plus ride to midtown Manhattan. I stayed with family in Battery Park City for the night and early the next morning took the subway to Penn Station to get ready for the 11-hour, 381 mile (613 km) train ride through New York State and Quebec Province to Montreal.

Writing for Inhabitat

I'm currently freelance writing about clean energy and alternative transportation for sustainable design site Inhabitat.com. Here are some of my recent articles. Click here for my bio page.

Japanese Government and Auto Industry Team Up on $1.025 Billion EV Charging Plan

Global Solar Power Passes 100,000 Megawatt Milestone and Continues to Increase Rapidly

U.S. Natural Gas Flaring Emissions Equivalent to One Million Additional Cars on the Road

California to Break Ground on the Nation's First High-Speed Rail Line This Summer

Guest Post: How to Cook Up More and Use Less Energy

The kitchen is probably the most used room in the house and it also contains some of the most energy-draining appliances.

There are a number of ways that you reduce your energy costs and boost your green credentials in the kitchen, whether you are cooking or preparing and storing your food.

Rally for Independence from Fossil Fuels

The Rally for Independence from Fossil Fuels was the culmination of the 2013 Walk for our Grandchildren from Camp David, Maryland to the White House for a clean energy future. The event took place at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2013 and featured climate activist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben speaking about where the fossil fuel resistance movement is right now. The main focus of the event was to keep pressure on the Obama Administration to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, which McKibben said would be historic because the president would become the first world leader to stop a project because of its contribution to climate change.

NYC Bike Sharing Observations

A visit to New York City recently brought the opportunity to try out the Big Apple's brand new bike sharing program -- Citi Bike. Here are some observations of the largest bike sharing system in North America.

• The stations and bikes are very similar to Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., which is the system I usually ride. So it was an easy adjustment. That's because Alta Bicycle Share runs both the D.C. and NYC systems.

Electric Vehicle and Charging Station Sightings

I've been seeing more Nissan LEAF electric vehicles, Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other EVs like the Tesla Roadster. I've also spotted more charging stations which is important because the more charging infrastructure there is the more comfortable consumers feel making the big switch from an internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle. All good signs as the nation shifts from dirty, polluting transportation to clean, electric transportation.

Metro Silver Line Construction Update

The Metro Silver Line expansion is moving full speed ahead. Phase one to Wiehle-Reston East is set to open January 2014, while phase two past Dulles International Airport to Loudoun County is set to begin construction soon and open to the public in 2018.

Virginia voters should remember this November that right-wing Tea Party Republican candidate for governor Ken Cuccinelli opposes Metro's extension to Dulles Airport, while Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe supports the Silver Line and other public transit projects to relieve traffic congestion and clean the air. This one issue should be enough to vote for McAuliffe as Virginia's next governor.

Here are photos of the future McLean, Tysons Corner and Wiehle-Reston East stations.

Canada Pushing Dirty Tar Sands Oil in D.C.

If you need any evidence that Canada has turned into a rogue petrostate, look no further than the Canadian government's desperate attempts to influence policymakers in Washington by placing ads all over the American capital. The Alberta tar sands oil has blinded the Canadian government to the dangerous implications for global warming (the recent Calgary flooding being the latest example of a changing climate), pollution and health.

Us Americans will not allow a foreign government -- even one as friendly as our neighbor to the north -- to attempt to use our land to build a dangerous pipeline to transport dirty tar sands oil to Gulf Coast refineries to be shipped to China. All for 35 permanent jobs and the risk of another toxic pipeline spill.

Recycling and Composting at Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2013

It was great to see this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall promoting recycling and composting and labeling trash as "landfill," which is where all that trash really goes.

Here are photos:

The five best high speed rail networks in the world

Click here for my story on TheCityFix blog about the five best high-speed rail (HSR) networks in the world -- China, Germany, Japan, France and Spain. While California is starting construction this summer on America's first bullet train, the United States has a long way to go to catch up with these global HSR leaders.

Guest Post: Burning Firewood in Winter or in Summer

Having an open fire is about more than just chucking as big a pile wood as possible into the brick opening and lighting it on fire. If you’re lucky enough to have an open fireplace, you have to consider the best thing to do for your home, yourself, and also for the environment. Apart from being a great source of heat and providing a beautiful ambience in your home, wood fires can also be potentially dangerous and bad for the environment, so you should take these things into account when setting up the fire in your home.

Q&A: US High Speed Rail Association President and CEO Andy Kunz

I recently participated in a lengthy and wide-ranging phone interview with US High Speed Rail Association President and CEO Andy Kunz about the future of high-speed rail in America. Click here for the Q&A that was published on sustainable urban transportation blog TheCityFix.

Here is audio of the full interview:

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at Center for American Progress

Maryland's Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley spoke recently about his progressive agenda and strengthening the middle class at the Center for American Progress in downtown Washington, D.C.

Here is the audio:

Barack Obama Smartly Uses Soccer To Spread Clean Energy Message

Click here for My Rant Sports story on why President Obama is smart to use soccer to promote clean energy in the developing world.

Flooded Calgary Flames Arena Shows NHL Needs Climate Adaptation Plan

I'm currently writing about hockey, soccer and other sports at the popular website Rant Sports. Click here for my recent story on the how the National Hockey League needs a climate adaptation plan following the flooding of the Calgary Flames' home arena.

Photos: New NYC Bike Sharing Stations!

This Monday the nation's largest city launches the nation's biggest bike sharing program. New York City has been gearing up for the opening of Citi Bike for months and I happened to be in the Big Apple a few weeks ago shortly after the city started installing their bike station infrastructure and before the bikes were docked.

Here are some photos from the Bowling Green-Financial District and West Thames Street-Battery Park City bike sharing stations.

Photos and Video: Gun Safety Vigil in Vienna, Virginia

Pictures and video from a community vigil in Vienna, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. to remember the Newtown and other gun violence victims and for Congress to pass stronger gun laws. The gathering took place only days before the U.S. Senate shamefully voted down common sense gun reform.

The candlelight vigil was called "We Have Not Forgotten" and was an Organizing for Action event. OFA is President Obama's grassroots mobilization to help pass his second term agenda.

Photos and Video: K Street 5K To Get Money Out of Politics

Big money lobbyists had some unwelcome company on K Street this past April 13th as hundreds of demonstrators dressed in hundred dollar bills marched down "Influence Alley" to protest money in politics and advocate for anti-corruption reforms in Congress.

Check out photos and video from the "K Street 5K," which was organized by United Republic's Represent.Us campaign.

5 Infrastructure Gains Under President Obama

President Obama didn’t have to read the American Society of Civil Engineers‘ (ASCE) new report card on the nation’s infrastructure to understand why America was given a near failing grade yet again. All he had to to do was ride in the presidential limousine on Washington, DC’s bumpy roads, of which 99 percent are poor or mediocre quality, and then cross one of the capital’s 30 structurally deficient bridges.

Click here to read my full story on The National Memo.

Is Sarah Palin Jealous of Electric Car Maker Tesla’s Success?

Why is failed vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin attacking a winner like zero emissions electric car maker Tesla Motors?

Click here for the story.

Exxon Oil Spill In Arkansas Raises Concerns About Keystone XL Pipeline

Environmentalists and Nebraska farmers are upping the pressure on President Obama to reject the controversial Keystone XL pipeline following an oil spill that took place over the weekend.

The rupture occurred in central Arkansas, about 20 miles north of Little Rock, as Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline spilled thousands of barrels of Canadian tar sands oil — the same Alberta crude the Keystone pipeline would carry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is calling it a “major spill” as officials from the EPA and Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are currently conducting an onsite investigation while ExxonMobil continues its cleanup efforts.

Click here to read the rest of the story at The National Memo.

America’s High-Speed Rail Future

Making high-speed rail a reality in America — something Western Europe and Japan have been enjoying for decades, with China and other developing nations rapidly getting into the fast train game — is the focus of the book "Fast Trains: America’s High Speed Future," by Emy Louie and Nancy Bolts.

Click here to read the rest of my story on The National Memo.

Documentary Hits Fossil Fuel Industry-Funded Climate Change Deniers

"Greedy Lying Bastards" is as timely a movie as you will ever see. The global warming documentary — directed, produced and narrated by Craig Rosebraugh — pulls no punches in a damning indictment of the fossil fuel industry-funded climate change deniers who have successfully deceived the public and prevented climate change action in Congress at a time when Americans are feeling the damaging effects of a changing climate — from Hurricane Sandy to western wildfires to devastating droughts.

Click here to read the rest of the story on The National Memo.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Climate Action Hero

Click here for my latest National Memo story on Arnold Schwarzenegger's call for bipartisan solutions to climate change and other issues.

National Memo: ‘Forward On Climate’ Rally Biggest In U.S. History

Click here for my National Memo story on the biggest climate change rally in U.S. history that took place on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Check out video, photos and audio from the "Forward on Climate" rally and march to the White House that drew an estimated 50,000 climate activists to the nation's capital.

Obama: If Congress Doesn’t Act on Climate Change, ‘I Will’

Click here for my latest National Memo story on President Obama's statement during the State of the Union that if Congress fails to act on climate change, he will take executive actions:

“I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago. But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”

Terry McAuliffe Calls For Clean Energy Jobs In Virginia

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Saturday said he will fight for clean energy jobs in the Old Dominion, telling the energized crowd at the campaign's first state-wide field office opening in Arlington that "I've been involved in a lot of businesses, including renewable energy. We need jobs for the 21st century. I've met some folks here doing wind and solar and I congratulate you. I promise you as governor we are going to do something about making our renewable energy standard mandatory. Because it's about job creation. We ought to have wind turbines. But we ought to build the blades and the rotors here in Virginia."

In Virginia, the 2007 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is voluntary, meaning the state is losing business to the 29 states and the District of Columbia that have mandatory renewable energy standards. Not a single solar, wind or other clean energy project has broken ground in Virginia since the law was passed.

Q&A: USC Schwarzenegger Institute Global Director Bonnie Reiss

Bonnie Reiss, Global Director of the Schwarzenegger Institute, introduces Arnold Schwarzenegger at the R20 Conference student event in Vienna, Austria on January 21, 2013.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is turning into a climate action hero.

The Hollywood actor and former California governor recently launched the University of Southern California Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, whose stated mission is "advancing post-partisanship, where leaders put people over political parties and work together to find the best ideas and solutions to benefit the people they serve."

Photos: Future L.A. Metro Purple Line Wilshire/La Brea Sation

Here are photos of the future L.A. Metro Purple Line Wilshire/La Brea station. Big, bold signs are up declaring that heavy rail trains will be zipping along underground and picking up passengers by 2020. Click here for L.A. Metro's page on the Westside subway extension of the Metro Purple Line.

Notice the new bus benches. When I lived in L.A. it always bothered me that many of the bus stops were in such disrepair and the bus benches were made of cheap brown plastic that was uncomfortable to sit on and primarily was used to plaster advertising on top of. Well, my recent visit demonstrated that L.A. is at least trying to make the experience of waiting for a bus a bit more humane. Not everyone likes the new benches, as an L.A. Weekly blogger wrote "the new green benches might look like an improvement, but they're actually a step back for Los Angeles. Instead of coming up with an innovative way to generate income, improve our streets, and serve transit riders, the city has simply swapped one vendor for another."

Green Traveler: Southern California

Signs in Los Angeles Union Station touting L.A. Metro's progress in building more mass transit.

A recent visit to San Diego and Los Angeles demonstrates how both areas are making progress in going green. Here are some observations along with photos and videos.

• Waste Management trash and recycling trucks in Southern California are powered by natural gas. The company also uses landfill gas for energy and converts waste into energy.
  
  

Green Traveler: Riding L.A.'s New Expo Line

Car-crazy Los Angeles is rapidly reinventing itself into a city with a world-class public transportation system. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates the second-largest bus fleet in the United States behind only New York City and the second-busiest light rail system behind only Boston.

While the Westside was getting left behind in the rush to build new rail lines, mass transit is steadily pushing into L.A.'s wealthiest neighborhoods as the dream of riding the rails to the edge of the Pacific Ocean becomes a reality.

Photos: Green Cars at 2013 Washington Auto Show

Green cars have gone mainstream.

Only a few years ago, green cars were a novelty relegated to the back corner of the convention hall. But in 2013 car companies are putting their green cars front and center because of new federal fuel economy standards put into place because of concerns about greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, high gas prices, and reducing America's dependence on foreign oil.

Green Traveler: Merrifield Mosaic District

Global warming is turning Northern Virginia into Southern California. On a recent sunny 70 degree January day I decided to bicycle over to the new Mosaic District in Merrifield. Growing up in Falls Church City, I remember seeing movies at the Multiplex Cinemas when Merrifield was a run-down industrial district.

All I can say is wow! Merrifield doesn't suck anymore! The old movie theater was torn down years ago to make way for the transit oriented development called Mosaic. And it's not just Mosaic, there are new hotels, condos and apartments and construction cranes rising up within walking distance of the Dunn Loring-Merrifield station on Metro's Orange Line. The bicycling infrastructure isn't quite there yet, but with the Silver Line coming to Tysons, Fairfax County has big plans to make the car-crazy county more bicycle-friendly.

Green Traveler: Obama Inauguration 2013

Washington, D.C. -- President Obama's climate change-themed second inaugural address wasn't the only environmentally friendly part of inauguration weekend in Washington, D.C. Here are a few green observations from the historic event in the nation's capital.

National Memo: Majority of Voters Want Climate Action

A new report that finds that a majority of American voters are concerned about climate change and want their elected leaders to take action. Click here to read my story at The National Memo.

National Memo: 5 Ways Obama Can Address Climate Change in Second Term

Photo credit: Rob Carr via Associated Press

Click here to ready my latest National Memo story on five ways President Obama can address climate change in his second term.

Guest Post: Gas v. Electric: Choosing the Right Water Heater for You

Hot water heaters consume a substantial portion of the electricity bill of a household. It is believed that water heating consumes roughly 15 percent of the overall energy used by a family. A water heater that is energy-efficient and economical should be preferred when you go buy a new hot water heater. The two types of storage tank or tankless water heaters available today are gas water heaters and electric water heaters. A few things to keep in mind when deciding which type of water heater is best for your household include the supply outlet or pipeline you have in your home, the space designated for your water heater, the amount of usage, and the energy source with which it has to be operated.

Gas Water Heaters

Gas hot water heaters primarily run on natural gas to heat your water. A small chamber filled with water is heated with the help of burning natural gas. These heaters were used before the invention of electrical appliances. Today, many natural gas water heaters are being used by households of various sizes. Natural gas is a cheaper source of fuel, and the cost is quite low when compared to electric hot water heater options. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a gas water heater.

National Memo: Big Oil Lobbyist Jack Gerard Lies About Industry Not Getting Subsidies

My latest National Memo story is published online about how American Petroleum Institute CEO Jack Gerard wrongly claims Big Oil doesn't get government subsidies and tax breaks.

Click here to read the story.

National Memo: The 5 Hottest U.S. States — And Their Legislators Who Deny Climate Change

‎2012 was officially the hottest year on record in the United States. Click here for my latest National Memo story on five states that broke high temperature records and their legislators who deny climate change.

National Memo: Renewable Energy Wins Big in ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Deal

My latest story on progressive political news site The National Memo has been published. I write about how renewable energy was the big winner in the "fiscal cliff" deal. Not only was the wind power production tax credit extended for one year, but biofuels got a boost with the reinstatement of the biodiesel tax incentive.

Click here for the story.