Well, it is official…my grant application was approved and now it is up to kind folks like you to cast your daily vote in December for my idea….

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Porsche’s upped the ante on their campaign of being green, luxurious, and sporty/high performance.

Yes, I could focus on the über 918 spyder hybrid. However, it seems that in my area of the planet a lot of people talk about having an SUV. And, although I don’t feel I’d ever go that route for a vehicle, I am fascinated by car manufactures like Porsche and their drive to balance the history, quality, and performance of their vehicles with environmental responsibility.

The Cayenne S Hybrid is a great example. With Porsche’s new parallel full hybrid system, the 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 engine churns out 333 horsepower, while the electric motor generates around 47 horsepower. That’s a respectable 380 horsepower with torque coming in at 428 lb.-ft. Not too bad for a hybrid SUV that gets to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds. This model is a tribute to Porsche’s goal of lowering fuel consumption and reducing CO2 emissions. Something, by the way, that they have been doing for well past a decade.

Read more about their focus on the environment here.

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Driving too and from a workout facility can be straining on the wallet and can take a toll on the size of your carbon footprint over time.

Yes, I understand not all have a vehicle and may walk to the club or bike. In addition, I understand that some enjoy the atmosphere and motivation a club can evoke. No, I am not suggesting you give up health clubs. Rather, I am pausing to reflect on choices we make.

I recently started the Beachbody Shaun T Insanity workout, which is one of the most intense training workouts I have participated in (at home or at a club).  And, in my quest to find additional ways of being green, I know that I am getting fit and saving resources.

Here are just a few things that would normally be utilized because of a membership I have to a local health club:

• Water used to wash the towels (if I forgot to take my own)
• Electricity used to power the building, the dryer/washing machines that process the laundry I may create there
• Detergents used to sterilize the facility or wash towels. These may be more harmful to the environment than my personal choices that minimize their impact with use
• Fossil fuels used to power my vehicle to travel to and from
• Paper statements and other marketing material that slipped through to me despite my request to remove me from snail-mail lists.
• The plastic that was used to make my membership identification
• Etc.

Okay, it may seem like a stretch with the above (no pun intended), but working out at home can be just as successful and rewarding with the added benefit of eliminating the car ride and doing a small part in helping reduce the impact on the planet and its resources.

Stay healthy and green!

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I have always been a huge Disney fan…and their recent efforts to place their eco-mindedness (Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green) at the forefront and helped generate more interest on environmental awareness. Check out this article from Treehugger.com on the subject – very cool stuff.

What do you think about it? Feel free to comment.

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I hope you are doing well.

PBS replayed the program “Silence of the Bees” which originally premiered on 10/28/2007. The program has everything to do with investigating the causes related to Colony Collapse Disorder (or CCD) and the decline in bee populations since winter of 2006. The topic also made it to one of the trivia questions in the hot environmental board game Mission Kijani.

I watched the program again and found myself glued to the television. Although I have a post that relates, I had not done a specific one on this topic. I wanted to be sure that I gave it attention here.

Without giving it away, I recommend you visit PBS.org for updates on the topic and even the chance to watch an episode. It is very educational and absolutely fascinating.

I hope you enjoy it. I know I did!

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