[ A Solar Car Inspired by Manisa’s Own Tarzan ]

Oguzhar Yalcin, a student at the University of Celal Bayar in Manisa, Turkey, explains the inspiration for his team’s solar car at Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2012 in Rotterdam.

The car is named for the “Manisa Tarzan,” the environmentalist Ahmet Bedevi, who is legendary for his work in the first half of the last century planting thousands of trees on Mount Spil, or Mount Sipylus in Manisa. Known by some as the “first environmentalist of Turkey,” Bedevi raised awareness of the need for protection of the Earth’s resources and remains a revered figure for the people of Manisa.…

[ Trier: Practical Experience in Efficient Design ]

Many engineering students, like Matthias Jungbluth of Fachhochschule (The University of Applied Sciences) Trier  in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, are attracted to a project like Shell Eco-marathon by the hands-on experience involved in designing and building a fuel-efficient car.

The Trier school’s team, called team ProTRon (a combination of the word “protype” and the abbreviation for the city name, Trier) wanted the number 701 for its battery electric urban concept vehicle, Jungbluth said. That’s because the number “7″ stands for the class of battery the car uses and the “1″ stands for  the first place the team took Eco-Marathon 2011, with a result of 233 kilometers (145 miles) per kilowatthour.…

[ Warsaw: Hussar Charge for Fuel Economy ]

Students from the Warsaw University of Technology in Poland conduct some final technical tests on their vehicle at Shell Eco-marathon 2012 in Rotterdam. Cars in the fuel efficiency race need to pass a battery of safety tests, including on the fueling and exhaust systems, the braking and steering, and the solidity of the chassis. The gasoline is colored blue and is stored in clear glass containers so that it can be easily measured, down to the milliliter.

One of four teams in the competition from Poland, Warsaw University’s SIMR Team has named this car Hussar, after the legendary Polish cavalry that gained a reputation of invincibility for its victories on numerous battlefields from the 16^th through the 18^th centuries.…

[ Tiles May Help Shrink Carbon Footprint by Harnessing Pedestrian Power ]

In areas with high foot traffic, installations of special flooring may prove that the answer to meeting energy demand lies right beneath our feet.

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[ Coming Together on Energy Efficiency ]

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Many wild places The Wilderness Society is working the hardest to protect are areas near towns and cities that are ahead of the curve on the energy efficiency front. Take Pitkin, Gunnison and Eagle counties near the Mount Massive Wilderness Area in Colorado. By working with organizations like the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE), thousands of businesses and residents in these counties have taken action to reduce energy use through innovative programs implemented at a local scale.…