Whole Travel Blog

On Tuesday, in Berlin, Germany, Daimler and Neste Oil announced the results of a year-long study in which 14 Mercedes trucks and buses ran entirely on sustainable biodiesel. The biofuel, made from palm oil, is a step along the path of Neste’s mission to creat 100% sustainably produced oil by 2015. The results of this study: a 60% decrease in CO2 emissions.

These young oil palms will grow up to be biodiesel.

The project has been extended for 3 more years, with more results to be reported in 2011.

Taiwan recently finished construction of an amazing solar-powered stadium that can generate 100% of its electricity from the sun. The dragon-shaped arena can hold 50,000 spectators and is made with over 8,000 solar panels.

Taiwan's solar-powered stadium can seat 50,000

The stadium will officially open in July for the 2009 World Games. In addition to the solar panels, the stadium integrates many other sustainable features such as permeable paving and maximum use of domestic materials and local labor. In addition, a plot of land adjacent to the stadium was set aside for development of public lands, including bike paths, sport parks, a pond system and green open spaces.

On days that the stadium is not being used, the government plans to feed surplus energy into the local grid, where it will meet approximately 80% of the neighboring area’s demand. This equates to approximately 660 tons of carbon dioxide per year!

From American cyclists arriving in Beijing wearing surgical masks to front-page photos of gray, haze-obscured Olympic venues, the lead-up to the 2008 Olympic Games was congested with complaints and controversy surrounding Beijing’s poor air quality. Focusing a significant amount of energy on the faults of the Chinese government, major American media outlets featured Chief Medical Editors and Air Quality Correspondents in order to highlight Beijing’s “poor preparation” and “failed attempts” to purge smog from the city’s skyline. Throughout this process, there was little mention of the drastic and progressive measures that the city of Beijing undertook in an effort to successfully reduce pollution for the duration of the Games. Where was the praise for the 1.1 million cars removed from Beijing streets from Aug. 8 – Aug. 24? Where was the recognition for shutting down polluting factories & harmful construction? Where was the applause for lowering city-wide pollution by over 50% in a period of only one month?

Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic Venue surrounded by blue skies!

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