Greening Hollywood: Solar Taxi's Bbq In The 'Bu

 On 3 July 2007 I set off on my first journey around the world with a solar powered vehicle. The solar taxi...should show that every single one of us can take a step towards preserving our planet." Louis Palmer, SolarTaxi Instigator



The bbq in the 'Bu was held out in the Malibu Colony after the SolarTaxi spent the day making friends and fans at the Malibu Arts Festival. Locals attending included Brian Grazer, James Cameron, Larry Hagman, and wife of Universal Studios President, Kelly Meyer.


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Larry Hagman (of Who Shot J.R. fame) is a big believer in solar power. "Before I installed solar panels on my roof in 2005, my electricity bill was $37,000. The next year, 2006, my entire electric bill was $13.00. I went off-grid," Hagman told Greening Hollywood at the bbq in Malibu Colony.

According to Erik Schmitt, SolarTaxi videographer and Thomas Gottschalk, team mechanic, China has proved so far to be the most receptive country to the SolarTaxi and the concept of solar-powered vehicles. China is cornering the market on cheap silicon production which is what's used to manufacture solar cells. Silicon is made from sand.

Also mentioned by the solar sojourners was that Japan did not allow them entry, due to some archaic law about Swiss license plates still on the books. India has 80,000 deaths from traffic accidents each year. And Saudi Arabia finally issued them visas, from the King himself, to allow them to drive across the country albeit with a police escort the entire way!

How It Works
The solar cells that trail the vehicle on the flatbed behind the car produce enough electricity to travel up to 100 km a day.
When they need to drive more than 100 km a day, they charge their ZEBRA battery with additional solar power. Their solar power plant lives on a rooftop in Berne, Switzerland.
The electricity created by these rooftop solar panels in Berne is fed into the grid, offsetting electricity generated by using fossil fuels. "It's like paying money into a bank account and withdrawing the money somewhere else: We feed solar electricity into the grid and charge it into our battery anywhere in the world, from the grid. If all cars in the world were powered this way, cars wouldn't cause global warming!" says Louis Palmer.

The Solartaxi proves it's possible to drive 15,000 km a year powered by 9 square yards of solar cells on a rooftop.

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Technology

The Solartaxi is a lightweight vehicle, about the size of a SmartCar.
* Ecology: Zero CO2 emission!
* A new energy solution provides independence: 6m2 solar cells on a rooftop yield power for 15,000 km per year!
* Freedom: To drive up to 400 km with the latest ZEBRA battery technology.
* Max. speed: 90 km/h
* Light weight: 500 kg (+ 250 kg for thailer)
* Energy efficient: Consumption of 8 kWh/100 km (equivalent of 0.8 l petrol / 100 km)
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Greening Hollywood: Solar Taxi's Bbq In The 'Bu

Greening Hollywood: Where Art and Nature Align

By Paige Donner



Art in harmony with Nature is what the G2 Gallery in Venice Beach is all about. The gallery opened March 11th on Venice's chic Abbot Kinney Blvd., and is housed in its very own eco-friendly building. The passion project of Dan and Susan Gottlieb, the G2 Gallery will only showcase art that has a nature or environmental theme.

The gallery's inaugural artist, the renowned nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen, said, "What the Gottliebs are trying to do with their gallery is new and different for L.A. I'm flattered that they chose me to be the first artist to be shown in the gallery. I'm proud to have my work in there." Mangelsen has dedicated his artwork to bringing attention to the need for conservation and protection of wildlife and its natural environment, "When I'm moved by something, such as images or experiences of nature, it helps me be inspired to protect it and talk about it," he said. He is the 2007 winner of the American Photo Images of the Year Competition, Nature category.

When asked if all the artists intended to be shown at her gallery will have a nature or environmental angle to their artwork, Susan Gottlieb answered, "That's what this gallery is about. We may do something other than photographs, we might turn to other art forms, but at this point in time we don't ever see ourselves straying from nature and wildlife, the environmental road," she said.

The G2 Gallery, founded to promote the appreciation and conservation of the natural environment through art forms, has collaborated with the Friends of the Ballona Wetlands and the Environmental Media Association to donate 15% of all sale proceeds.

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The G2 Gallery plans on being actively available for lecture series and conferences. "We really want to use this building to that end. We really do. It's a passion," said Gottlieb. "I'm on the Board of Directors for The Friends of Ballona Wetlands. In fact, we're holding our Board Meetings here, now." Any groups or individuals interested can direct their inquiries to Jolene Hanson, the gallery's director.

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Installations will last about 3 months. Robert Glenn Ketchum will be shown in the near future. Ketchum was acknowledged by Audubon magazine as one of the 100 people "who shaped the environmental movement of the 20th century."

Commented Susan Gottlieb about photographer/environmentalists Mangelsen and Ketchum, "I guess it would be hard to go out in nature and take these pictures and not see the devastation that is being wrought by our terrible practices."

The G2 Gallery
1503 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, CA 90201
Tues-Sun. 11-6 www.theG2gallery.com

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Greening Hollywood: Where Art and Nature Align

Greening Hollywood: Going Global and Green at The Oscars

What do these three things have in common? More and more, these days.
Oscars 2008 marks the second year in a row that the Oscars have gone Green, thanks largely to the non-partisan NRDC's initiatives spearheaded at last year's Academy Awards. To see the Environmental Achievements of this year's 80th Annual Academy Awards, please go here.


Global Green USA, another environmental organization operating in the crossroads of celebrity and environmental activists, is the American affiliate of President Gorbachev's Green Cross International which is an organization dedicated to stopping climate change. At this year's Pre-Oscar bash held at Avalon in Hollywood, Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green spoke to us about their philosophy behind galvanizing celebrity endorsements of environmental causes.





Follow Paige Donner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/greeninghollywd

Greening Hollywood: Going Global and Green at The Oscars

Greening Hollywood: Green With Music

Green With Music -- Grammy's



By Paige Donner

This year the Grammys showed off a distinctly green tint -- green as in eco-conscious and environmentally friendly. As you may know, award season in Hollywood offers a smorgasbord of gifting lounges for celebrities and entertainment industry-ites. Green With Music was an event held this past weekend during Grammys '08 that offered a new and distinctly Green twist on the concept of Gifting Lounges.

Green With Music, the first-ever, all-green gifting retreat held in honor of the Grammy nominees to help promote the ongoing awareness of the environment was housed at The South Collection, Los Angeles' first and only sustainably-built high-rise community. The Collection's Eleven building is currently the only LEED Gold Certified building in Los Angeles and offers eco-conscious design, greenspaces and on-site retail. The South Collection is just steps from LA Live and the Staples Center, home to the Grammys Award show, and have been created in concert to further the identity and aesthetics of the Green Renaissance promoting intelligent building sprouting up in Downtown Los Angeles.
Take a look at the video here to meet some of this year's Grammy nominated Rock'n'Rollers who use music and their lifestyle to promote healthy, eco-conscious living.




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Greening Hollywood: Green With Music