Drive smart. Save money. Save the planet.(Community environmental council)

car with flowersAre you cringing each time you fill up your car at the gas pump?  Walking, biking, and taking the bus will not only trim your gas bills, but you will be pleasantly surprised with its effects on trimming your gutt with all the calories you’ll burn.  Michael Chiacos from Community environmental council Santa Barbara (CECSB.org) answers the most basic questions about how to make more economical and planet-friendly transportation choices.  What is the best eco-friendly car to buy – diesel or electric?  What are some myths about the Prius? What are alternatives to ZipCar, bus, and bikes?  Is it cheaper to ride the bus? Michael tackles these simple, practical questions, and more.  Tune in and take the guesswork out of making responsible commuting decisions.

 

 

About our Guest:

Michael Chiacos leads CEC’s transportation program, where he focuses on encouraging alternative transportation and a transition to more fuel efficient and alternative fueled vehicles.  He is the principal author of CEC’s Transportation Energy Plan (pdf link), a comprehensive look at the various technologies, strategies, policies, modes and other options for reducing fossil fuel use in the transportation sector.  He also manages grants from the California Air Resources Board and the EPA to bring more alternative fueling stations and plug-in hybrids to our region.

Michael is a member of the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee, which oversees $1.5 billion in transportation spending, as well as the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District’s Community Advisory Council. He also serves as the Transportation Chair of the Los Padres chapter of the Sierra Club, is on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, and makes his own biodiesel from local restaurants’ waste vegetable oil with the Santa Barbara Biodiesel Co-op.

Michael previously worked at the Climate Trust, a major funder of energy reduction and carbon offset projects.  A native of Santa Barbara, Michael received his B.A. with Honors in Environmental Studies from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Show Highlights

  • Have you realized that choosing how we get from point A to point B is an enviornmental choice that we make everyday? And has one of the greatest impact on the environment?   If you are 85% of people that drive alone, learn about some other choices you can make.
  • What potential savings can you take to the bank by changing your driving choices? Is it better to buy a hubrid, diesel, or all electric car? What are the ecoonomics of one versus the other? Do the dispoosal of Prius batteries make them a bad choice for the environment?
  • What is a walking school bus? Hear how Santa Barbara’s consumers will use text messages to create carpools?  What city is spending more than $600m on bikes?
  • What are some options for folks out there that can’t afford to buy a new car, but still want to protect the planet?

Resources:

cjliu

As an Asian-American with 25 years in Corporate America AND an spiritual explorer, CJ is a bridge between science and spirit. Western and Eastern, as well as logical and intuitive, she seeks out ideas from seemingly opposite sides of an issue to help her audience plug into what’s unfolding on a global scale. From energy healers to surgeons, psychics to psychologists, and vegans to ranchers, her diverse guests reflect her commitment to engage, challenge, entertain and enlighten in every show.