E-BIKES
Are electric bikes the future of transport?
Electric bike is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor which can be used for propulsion. There are a great variety of e-bikes available worldwide, from e-bikes that only have a small motor to assist the rider's pedal-power (i.e., pedelecs) to somewhat more powerful e-bikes which tend closer to moped-style functionality: all, however, retain the ability to be pedalled by the rider and are therefore not electric motorcycles. E-bikes use rechargeable batteries and the lighter varieties can travel up to 25 to 32 km/h (16 to 20 mph)
Electric bikes are now a popular choice for getting around. You get all the fun of cycling, the fresh air, the wind in your face, but you’ve got a little electric motor that will give you a boost when you need it.
Most electric bikes cost just a few pence per day to run, have a range of about 50 miles, will get you up to speeds of about 15mph (which is quite quick on a bike) and will recharge in around 5 hours. Decent electric bikes start at around £500, which is similar to a mid-range normal bike.
http://www.derbyconnected.com/getting-around-derby/cycling/go-electric/
E-bikes are zero-emissions vehicles, as they emit no combustion by-products. However, the environmental effects of electricity generation and power distribution and of manufacturing and disposing of (limited life) high storage density batteries must be taken into account. Even with these issues considered, e-bikes are claimed to have a significantly lower environmental impact than conventional automobiles, and are generally seen as environmentally desirable in an urban environment. One major concern is disposal of used lead batteries, which can cause environmental contamination if not recycled.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_bicycle#Environmental_effects
bikes all around the world
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
If the thought of experiencing a capital city on two wheels scares you, Copenhagen will soon change your mind. The city is built for cyclists and you’ll see more bikes than cars in the city centre. A third of Copenhageners commute to work by bicycle and it’s not unusual to see people in suits, heels and skirts effortlessly pedalling past. For two years running, Copenhagen has been voted the best cycle city by US sustainability experts Treehugger. Copenhagen excels because of its many, broad and widely-used cycle lanes. Copenhagen is covered by 350km of cycle paths and lanes which are raised from the road and really safe to cycle on. Some city junctions even have flashing lights when cyclists approach to warn drivers before they turn.
http://www.visitdenmark.co.uk/en-gb/copenhagen/activities/copenhagens-bicycle-life
The obvious way to get around Copenhagen is of course by bike and that is when the public bikeshare, Bycyklen, comes in handy. The Bycyklen bikes are available all over the city and are easy to use.
The City Bikes are intelligent electric bikes that are available 24/7, 365 days a year. Each bike has a touchscreen tablet which can be used for navigation, payment and guidance to points of interest in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg.
The ‘green wave’ for cyclists was one of the greatest ideas to come out of the brainstorm started by former actor Klaus Bondam when he was elected on to the city council. On most major arteries leading into the city centre, the traffic lights are coordinated to allow continuous flow of traffic, allowing cyclists to flow into the city in the morning rush hour without putting a foot down. The lights reverse in the afternoon to send people home on a simple, tech-based tailwind.
The simple things matter. Footrests and railings have appeared at a number of intersections, allowing cyclists to wait for the light to change without the irritation of having to hop off the saddle or put a foot down. Rumble strips on cycle tracks warn of curbs, and digital countdown timers 100m before an intersection let you know if you should speed up or freewheel to catch the light and maintain your flow.
The modern bike-share era started in La Rochelle, France in 1974 but it was the Bycyklen bike-share scheme from Copenhagen in 1995 that inspired 650 cities around the world – and counting – to start the bike-share revolution.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Cyclists rule in Amsterdam and great pains have been taken to accommodate them: the city is equipped with an elaborate network of cycle-paths and lanes, so safe and comfortable that even toddlers and elderly people use bikes as the easiest mode of transport. It’s not only Amsterdam which boasts a network of cycle-paths, of course; you’ll find them in all Dutch cities.
There are more bicycles than residents in The Netherlands and in cities like Amsterdam and The Hague up to 70% of all journeys are made by bike.
To make cycling safer and more inviting the Dutch have built a vast network of cycle paths. These are clearly marked, have smooth surfaces, separate signs and lights for those on two wheels, and wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and overtaking. In many cities the paths are completely segregated from motorised traffic. Sometimes, where space is scant and both must share, you can see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by the words 'Bike Street: Cars are guests'.
At roundabouts, too, it is those using pedal power who have priority. You can cycle around a roundabout while cars (almost always) wait patiently for you to pass. The idea that "the bike is right" is such an alien concept for tourists on bikes that many often find it difficult to navigate roads and junctions at first.
Bike parking facilities are ubiquitous in The Netherlands - outside schools, office buildings and shops. In return you are expected to only lock up your bike in designated spots - if you chain your bike in the wrong place you could find that it is removed and impounded, and that you will have to hand over 25 euros to get it back.
"In town, the car is not the mode of transport," said Hans Voerknecht, international coordinator for FietsBeraad. "The bicycle is the grease in the traffic system, and in part, the economic system.... It makes everything possible." The group also reports that car trips in 2006 decreased by 14 percent compared to 1990. Downtown bicycle trips increased 36 percent, and cycling rates have remained steady elsewhere throughout Amsterdam. The Netherlands plans to spend about 70 million Euros on bicycling projects in Amsterdam between 2007 and 2010 - an average of 13 Euros per city resident. "They're really making bicycling attractive," Buehler said. "People who normally drive, they know it will take five Euros for parking and take 10 minutes more than if they bike."
How the Dutch got their cycle paths
LONDON, the UNITED KINGDOM
Following a national decline in the 1960s of levels of utility cycling, cycling as a mode of everyday transport within London began a slow regrowth in the 1970s. This continued until the beginning of the 21st century, when levels began to increase significantly - during the period from 2000 to 2012, the number of daily journeys made by bicycle in Greater London doubled to 580,000. The growth in cycling can partly be attributed to the launch in 2010 by Transport for London (TfL) of the Barclays Cycle Hire system throughout the city's centre.
HOW DOES E-BIKE WORK?
"There's no question that electric bikes are far better for the environment than petrol-powered car engines. But that doesn't mean they're completely perfect. Making and disposing of batteries can be very polluting. Not only that, but an electric bicycle is still using energy that has to come from somewhere. You may think you're using clean green power, but the electricity you use for getting about might have come from a filthy old, coal-fired power plant or one driven by nuclear energy. (If you're lucky, of course, it might have come from solar panels or a wind turbine!) Electric bikes are nowhere near as environmentally friendly as ordinary push bikes, but nothing is ever perfect—and, as people often say, "the perfect is the enemy of the good." Electric bikes are certainly a step in the right direction. If everyone used them to get about instead of cars, global warming might be less of a problem, and the world would be a far cleaner and healthier place!
"The batteries are the most important parts of the bike, because (if you don't do any pedaling) they contain all the power that will drive you along. Typical electric bike batteries make about 350–500 W of power (that's about 35–50 volts and 10 amps), which is about a quarter as much as you need to drive an electric toaster. In theory, you could use any kind of battery on a bicycle. In practice, however, you want to use something that stores lots of power without being too heavy—or you'll be using half your power just moving the battery along! That tends to rule out heavy lead-acid batteries like the ones that start cars, though some electric bikes do use them. Lightweight lithium-ion batteries, similar to those used in laptop computers, mobile (cellular) phones, and MP3 players, are now the most popular choice, though they're more expensive than older rechargeable battery technologies such as nickel-cadmium ("nicad"). Typical batteries will give your bicycle a range of 10–40 miles between charges (depending on the terrain) and a top speed of 10–20 mph (which is about the maximum most countries allow for these vehicles by law). You can extend the range by pedaling or free-wheeling some of the time."
SUSTAINABLE
DESIGN
According to the United Nations, our designs need to meet "the economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of the planet to provide for the needs of future generations". In other words, says illustrator, graphic designer and art director Philippe Intraligi, it's "much more than just sticking a 'green' label on existing products. It involves function, material and packaging choices."
http://www.creativebloq.com/design/sustainable-design-1131810
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Consider whether there is a way that the design or product could be smaller, lighter, made from fewer materials and designed so as to minimize waste. In the words of Sophie Thomas of Thomas Matthews: "waste is a design flaw".
Because of his design, it was estimated that 8,500 tonnes less paper would be used, 20 million megajoules of electricity would be saved, 1 million litres less fuel oil would be used, 1 million litres of water would be saved, 500,000 litres of diesel during transport would be saved and 275 tonnes of plastic would be saved.
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MAKE IT RENEWABLE! Try to use find potential for your design to run on alternative, natural energy sources such as the sun, wind, water or human energy
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Give your product a better chance at a second life - The ecologically conscious will want to create green-friendly designs that are still visually appealing and memorable.
http://designrfix.com/graphic-design/graphic-design-practices-sustainable
How Plantable Paper Works
Designer Yves Béhar created these awesome bags that not only use fewer raw materials and fewer resources to produce (like water and energy), but they can also be re-used afterwards. Puma estimate these bags save more than 60% of water, energy and diesel compared to traditional bag manufacturing processes.
What make good branding?
