Ever since I saw Super Size Me, I have not been to McDonald's. I have been afraid of eating greasy hamburgers and french fries. However, someone told me that their coffee was actually not so bad. So, today, I tried a cup of coffee at one of the stores in San Francisco.
Actually, the taste was really good, much better than Starbucks'. Also, I usually don't like the background music of Starbucks, but at least at the time of my visit today, McDonald's played a lot of my favorite music. They also have WiFi connections. So, I thought staying at McDonald's is actually not so bad as long as you can endure the smell of greasy food and screaming kids.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Wasteful California
Even though California is supposed to be the most advanced state in the US in terms of eco-friendly life, I still see a lot of wasteful use of resources here.
Usually, at public places, air conditioning is too strong. The temperature can be set higher in most cases where some people have to wear jackets. If you go to bath rooms in such places, the water pressure is usually too strong compared with that of Europe or Japan. By reducing the water pressure, the amount of unnecessary water that flows away into the pipe can be reduced significantly.
If we go outside, we don't see laundry hanging on balconies or gardens. In most places, hanging laundry is prohibited because it's eyesore and considered to be a sign of low-income district. I feel that such an idea is quite absurd, and I believe it's just the mind set of people who bring that kind of thinking. At least in Japan, hanging your cloths outside is nothing wrong at all. (Interestingly, ecologically advanced European nations such as Germany, the Netherlands, Francs, and England also don't have hanging laundry outside as well.)
At restaurants, we see tables covered with white paper. This may be good to preserve good looking of table sheets and may also save cleaning cost of these sheets. However, by using a number of pieces of such white paper, we are certainly cutting down trees somewhere on the earth. When I see restaurant workers throw away such paper, I feel a bit sad thinking about the amount of waste.
There are some restaurants where we can dine outside. However, in Northern California, it may become cold in the evening, and many restaurants prepare heater outside to warm tables. Why can't they simply close tables outside and only allow people stay inside to have dinner? Maybe restaurant owners think that it's still profitable to bring people outside even though they have to pay energy cost of outside heaters. This may be changed soon if the cost of energy keeps skyrocketing.
In general, the trend of being sustainable and eco-friendly is a very welcome concept. Even though I don't feel it's a good idea to prohibit plastic bags at supermarkets, bringing the awareness of preservation to people through such activities is a really nice effort. I would like to observe other kaizen points in my life here in California to contribute better sustainability and carbon footprint. Even though not so many people may see such postings, I hope it's still a meaningful act.
Usually, at public places, air conditioning is too strong. The temperature can be set higher in most cases where some people have to wear jackets. If you go to bath rooms in such places, the water pressure is usually too strong compared with that of Europe or Japan. By reducing the water pressure, the amount of unnecessary water that flows away into the pipe can be reduced significantly.
If we go outside, we don't see laundry hanging on balconies or gardens. In most places, hanging laundry is prohibited because it's eyesore and considered to be a sign of low-income district. I feel that such an idea is quite absurd, and I believe it's just the mind set of people who bring that kind of thinking. At least in Japan, hanging your cloths outside is nothing wrong at all. (Interestingly, ecologically advanced European nations such as Germany, the Netherlands, Francs, and England also don't have hanging laundry outside as well.)
At restaurants, we see tables covered with white paper. This may be good to preserve good looking of table sheets and may also save cleaning cost of these sheets. However, by using a number of pieces of such white paper, we are certainly cutting down trees somewhere on the earth. When I see restaurant workers throw away such paper, I feel a bit sad thinking about the amount of waste.
There are some restaurants where we can dine outside. However, in Northern California, it may become cold in the evening, and many restaurants prepare heater outside to warm tables. Why can't they simply close tables outside and only allow people stay inside to have dinner? Maybe restaurant owners think that it's still profitable to bring people outside even though they have to pay energy cost of outside heaters. This may be changed soon if the cost of energy keeps skyrocketing.
In general, the trend of being sustainable and eco-friendly is a very welcome concept. Even though I don't feel it's a good idea to prohibit plastic bags at supermarkets, bringing the awareness of preservation to people through such activities is a really nice effort. I would like to observe other kaizen points in my life here in California to contribute better sustainability and carbon footprint. Even though not so many people may see such postings, I hope it's still a meaningful act.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
One Passenger Car
Japan's Topia is demonstrating a proto-type one passenger car.
The electric-powered vehicle only weighs 150 kg. They achieved this lightweight by using CFRP carbon fiber ceiling, poly-carbonate front window, and High Tensile Strength Steel Sheets for the body frame.
This is a perfect car for narrow streets of Tokyo, Munich, San Francisco, and other cities!
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