GO GREEN

We welcome your interest in our eco-friendly ebikes and hope you'll join us in employing ways of going green into your lifestyle.

How using ebikes help the environment:

Veloteq ebikes emit ZERO pollution and operate with minimal sound. By comparison, gas motored scooters generate about 10 times more polluting emissons per mile than a passenger car, light truck or SUV, according to the California Air Resources Board. They are also much louder than automobiles, contributing to noise pollution as well. So while motorized scooters are more fuel efficient than automobiles they are also dangerously more polluting to the environment. Conversely, ebikes are an excellent form of alternative transportation for local commuting, errands and recreational touring because of their ZERO emissions, silent engine and minimal cost to operate.

Global Warming

Due primarily to our voracious consumption of fossil fuel, and the build up of waste gas emissions (CO2) in our atmosphere from this consumption, the earth's average temperature is rising, with many worrisome repercussions for our planet. This is known as GLOBAL WARMING. With our continued heavy reliance on gas, oil, diesel and other fossil fuels, our earth's average temperature will increase to a dangerous level within our lifetime (the next 25-30 years), causing significant natural disasters such as the melting of our glaciers and polar ice; and the rising of our mean sea level. These dramatic changes to our earth's ecosystem will among other things, result in the loss of many species as well as cause an increase in extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, tornadoes, etc. The only way to prevent these seemingly inevitable events is for each of us to drastically reduce our consumption (i.e., burning) of fossil fuels and related waste gas emissions TODAY.

Carbon Footprints

"Carbon Footprints" have been conceived as a way for each of us to figure out the amount of CO2 we contribute to global warming based on our current lifestyle choices during a one year period. Most people are shocked when they see the amount of CO2 their activities create! Becoming informed about all the various ways CO2 is produced by our lifestyles is the first step towards making helpful changes in the way that we live to personally contribute to stop global warming. Some of the key contributors to your carbon footprint include your transportation choices, the ways that you heat your home as well as the types of food that you consume.

Here are some examples of common activities that add1 kg of CO2 to a person's carbon footprint:

• Travel by public transportation (train or bus) a distance of 6.5 to 7 miles.
• Drive with your car a distance of 3.75 miles (assuming 39 mpg)
• Fly with a plane a distance of 1.375 miles.
• Operate your computer for 32 hours (60 Watt consumption assumed)
• Production of 5 plastic bags
• Production of 2 plastic bottles
• Production of 1/3 of an American cheeseburger (yes, the production of each cheeseburger emits 3.1 kg of CO2!)

Alternative Transportation

Since transportation is one of the most significant ways to impact your contribution to carbon emissions in the environment, seeking alternative transportation options is a good first step in reducing your own carbon footprint. As such, here are some suggestions for finding ways to drive less and integrate alternative forms of transportation (like ebikes) more:

• Give yourself a concrete goal and develop a strategy to reach that goal. You can start by figuring out how much you drive in a typical month or year. Then set a target of reducing your driving by perhaps 10%. Perhaps you could make every Thursday a car-less day, or you could eliminate one big trip each month.
• Whenever practical, walk, bicycle, and take public transportation. Before stepping into the car, try to think about whether the trip is one you could make conveniently with public transportation, walking, or biking. Veloteq ebikes make biking an easier choice since you don't have to worry about working up a sweat or the need to change your clothes once you reach your destination. Our ebikes also make bike riding a transportation alternative to a much wider audience since there are many folks who aren't into "cycling" or aren't able to bike ride due to health or fitness constraints.
• Look for opportunities to carpool. With a little planning, you can probably find at least a few trips each month where you can drive with a friend, neighbor, or co-worker.

Green Transportation Hierarchy

Below is a helpful reference tool known as the "green transportation hierarchy" which resembles a food pyramid, but illustrates your transportation options in order of their impact on the environment. The modes of transport that contribute least to global warming are at the top, and those that contribute most are at the bottom. As you can see, bike riding (which would include ebikes) is one of the preferred modes of transportation due to its low impact on the environment.

Links to Related Sites

Below are links to other sites for those seeking more information on alternative forms of transportation, global warming and carbon footprints.

Safe Bicycling-National Safety Council
Bicycling is one of the most popular ways to get around, whether for recreation, sport or transportation. An estimated 57 million Americans ride bikes ranging from high performance, 18-speed, touring models, to "dirt bikes" equipped with balloon tires-and dozens of variations in between.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is the nation's leading regional education and advocacy association that aims to accelerate the deployment and use of renewable energy, green buildings, and energy efficiency.?

Emagazine.com is an authoritative source for information about environmental topics that concern us all.

Click here for the EERE> Clean Fleet Guide from the Department of Energy Renewable Energy Lab.?List of alternate energy vehicles, ebikes and many other things of interest.