There are a few big myths that people just seem to "know" are true. This should clear things up and help you save a few drops of your own fuel with habit and choice changes.

1. * It takes more fuel to start a vehicle than it does to let it idle.

~ People are really confused about this one and will leave a car idling for half an hour rather than turn it off and restart.

Idling uses a quarter- to a half-gallon of fuel in an hour (costing you one to two cents a minute). Unless you're in traffic, turn off the car when stopped for more a few minutes.

The extra squirt of fuel that went into the engine adding validity to this myth went away with the advent of fuel injection. Even then, the squirt was so small there should have been a 5 minute rule of thumb to save fuel. Of course, in the 1970's fuel was cheap and we didn't fully understand the impact of its use on the environment.


2. * Vehicles need to be warmed up before they're driven.

~ That is a long-outdated notion. Today's cars are fine being driven seconds after they're started. In fact, some luxury car makers have a recommendation that you do not idle to warm up, rather drive gently as if you are trying not to spill your coffee. The engine is at it's optimum when cruising at a steady speed and this RPM is well above an idle.


3. * As a vehicle ages, its fuel economy decreases significantly.

~ Not true. As long as it's maintained, a 10- or 15-year-old car should have like-new mileage. The key thing is maintenance -- an out-of-tune car will definitely start to decline mileage-wise.


4. * Replacing your air filter helps your car run efficiently.

~ Another outdated claim, going back to the pre-1976 carburetor days. Modern fuel-injection engines don't get significant economy benefits from a clean air filter. The electronics will adjust fuel to suit the amount of air coming in. At some point, the filter becomes clogged enough that this claim has some validity, but it has to be really really bad.


5. * After-market additives and devices can dramatically improve your fuel economy.

~ There's not much evidence that "miracle products" do much more than drain your wallet. Both the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Reports have weighed in on this. There are no top-secret 100-mpg add-ons out there. Sorry.


5. * Using premium fuel improves fuel economy.

~ You might as well write a check to BP if you believe this. Only use premium if your car specifies it. Some high performance vehicles will specify higher octane fuel to maintain the output power. Of course low quality fuel can create sediment that will aid in the demise of your vehicle too. The best way for a manufacturer to avoid these situations coming back to them as their fault is to tell you that you can only use the best stuff from a high end company. This does not mean your vehicle will blow up if you put in less than stellar fuel once in a while or even all the time. But don't expect the best performance, longest life or best fuel economy from lesser fuels.

The project that broke ground in 2004 includes a 4.6-megawatt co-generation plant. The roof is designed to capture rainwater, while floor-to-ceiling windows reduce the need for artificial lighting. In order to save 8 million to 9 million gallons of water annually, the high-rise building has waterless urinals in men's rooms and wastewater from the sinks is recycled.

The certification is also supported with the massive amounts of recycled materials that went into the construction.

This is a good example for future construction.

See more images and find out about the architects by following the related link below.

Toyota just announced that it will invest $50 million in Tesla Motors and the two companies will partner to manufacture electric vehicles to meet California's growing demand for greener cars.

Since this has been covered many places, just follow the related link below for more information.

It has been almost a year since I wrote about sunscreen and the specifics of which ones offer the best protection. If you want to read the original article click here.

Today I want to remind you that sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin and keep a healthy young look. Also, the ingredients matter for protection against skin cancer. You want UVA protection. See the July 8, 2009 entry for specific brands, products and ingredients that offer UVA protection.

I also want to share the best rated non-toxic sunscreens being advertised right now. Keep in mind, these are rated for being non-toxic, not good sun protection. We ultimately need a best of both, but giving you the knowledge of key ingredients and a list of non-toxic options, you should feel good about choosing one for your own use.

The list:

Loving Naturals Organic SPF 30 > $20
Heiko 40 SPF Kids > $35
Goddess Garden Natural Facial Sunscreen > $15
Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunblock Stick > $8
Caribbean Solutions Sol Guard > $25

Again, as the song says, wear sunscreen.

It has been a while since I posted a vehicle here. Mainly because most of them are concept only and there are no prototypes. I prefer to include vehicles that have a real world version as it is more likely that some of the technology will work its way in to our next cars. However, this is a work of art and not unrealistic.

Deriving inspiration from kite boarding, the TEN11 has a motor placed in each wheel. The concept car derives its name from Bentley's logo itself, which sports ten feathers on the left and eleven on the right, Ten11. As this is designed to be an all electric vehicle, it is as environmentally friendly as the power source.

Follow the related link for more photos.