Welcome back for another edition of weekly green news featuring some articles from the past week focusing on the green movement. This week: digging a little deeper into the Chevrolet Volt fire; LG’s ambitious plan to reduce their carbon footprint by 50 percent within 9 years, and an Orangutan Salad sends a playful message to combat deforestation.

Chevrolet Volt Photo Credit: gm.ca

The New York Times reported earlier this month that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N.H.T.S.A.) crash tested a Chevrolet Volt as part of a standard vehicle safety evaluation and the subsequent result was surprising.  GM defended the incident saying the electric vehicle is safe but protocols were not properly followed to turn off the battery after the crash test.  The immediate reaction: GM shares diminished 3 percent as news of the fire and subsequent investigation spread. “Based on the available data, N.H.T.S.A. does not believe the Volt or other electric vehicles (EVs) are at a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” the agency said in a statement. “In fact, all vehicles — both electric and gasoline-powered — have some risk of fire in the event of a serious crash.”

The Chevrolet Volt Fire in Perspective from Triple Pundit offered a different view.  Statistics from the National Fire Protection Association indicated from 2003-2007, fire departments in the United States responded to an average of 287,000 vehicle fires annually. “But the point really is that there is an absolute fire risk in the car most people are already driving – and probably especially since they are carrying around highly flammable liquids. The Volt incident simply does not provide statistical significance to assert EVs are relatively more dangerous, so rationally, this should not be a set-back.”
 
LG Electronics USA to Cut Carbon Footprint in Half by 2020.  LG will use 2007 emissions levels as the baseline for determining the 50 percent reduction which will largely to apply to energy consumption. LG Electronics USA consumes approximately 19.4 million kilowatt hours annually. “The investment plans are relatively modest at this time as most of the reduction will be coming from employee activity and action,” the company said in an email. “A very detailed plan of action for employees is currently underway, which will include ways to reduce energy consumption both LG offices as well as personal reduction goals at home.”

A Chef Creates “Orangutan Salad” To Fight Deforestation.  No, there’s no actual oranguatan’s in the salad, it’s meant as a tribute to orangutan’s and preserving their natural habitat, the rainforest.  Andre Chiang, chef of Restaurant Andre in Singapore, plans to offer the dish in March with fresh ingredients from plants that orangutans might eat.  Chiang named the dish after the primates to increase awareness of deforestation. Chiang’s Rainforest Kitchen project will feature this salad and hopes consumers recognize that the dish was inspired by an animal that is having their home chopped down daily. Chiang’s restaurant was named one of San Pellegrino’s top 100 restaurants in the world this year, it was also rated one of the 10 Restaurants worth a plane ride by the New York Times.

So do you think the Chevrolet Volt is at risk of a fire more than a gasoline powered vehicle (I don’t)?  How about LG, is their goal of a 50 percent reduction in their carbon footprint realistic by 2020?  And if you’re ever in Singapore, wouldn’t you order an orangutan Salad just to promote deforestation awareness and preserving the homes of the cuddly apes?

December 1, 2011
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