Inhabitat.com published an article yesterday about Vycon, a company that plans to integrate a system to capture the kinetic energy of moving trains. The potential energy that can be captured and reused when a train is decelerating is about 4 megawatts, which is approximately the amount of energy required to get a train moving. New York City is one the largest consumers of energy in the world. Implementing these types of systems would drastically affect energy costs and energy waste.

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Before reading, I just wanted to say that I do realize that some of these might be a lot to ask for, but as time goes by, and as the MTA piles up on their multi-million dollar surplus, it would be easier to achieve them - eventually. Would you like these improvements in your city, too?

• Compact Disposal Units
This idea came to me a long time ago since I've been riding with the MTA for quite a while. Trash disposal units can be deployed throughout the train carts, possibly in the corners or under the seats. Garbage has been a pretty big issue since people don't have anywhere to throw away their coffee and bagel wraps in the morning - it ends up on the floor. This system can be linked to an quick external emptying mechanism by MTA employees without having to bombard the carts during rush hour.
• Wide Availability of Maps
MTA passengers including tourists and NY residents are always looking at the map. If the maps were more widely available and easily accessible, things would be a lot easier for everyone.
• Digitial Notifications of Upcoming Stops
This is already being implemented in a few carts, and they're very handy! The digital display shows what the upcoming stop is. There are also displays where the ads are which shows each stop and the trains you can transfer to at those stations. This is also good because it can be read by more people at once instead of the 2 usual maps located behind seated passengers.
• Improved Communication Systems
This was a huge problem a few years ago, and the MTA did a fair job at fixing up the train speakers and microphones for the conductors, but there are still too many carts that sound muffled and too low to understand what's being said.
• More Garbage Disposal Units (on platforms)
There should be more places where somebody can throw out their trash on the subway platforms. I've seen people literally throw their trash on the ground because the nearest trash bin was too far away and they had to catch the train - which would've been okay for them to carry it on the train if there were disposal units in there, too. There were times where I had to walk about 100 feet to get to the nearest bin.
• Improved Train Operation & Scheduling
I know this is a lot to ask for since most delays are caused by the passengers getting sick, or holding the doors on the platform, etc. I guess that means that if there was more security, this wouldn't be as big of an issue, but what do I know?
• More Emergency Calling Stations
I'm mentioning this because you never know when there's going to be a situation where somebody would need to make contact for a medical assistance, or a security case. This coincides with having improved manned security trained to help aid those in need.
• Increase in Displays of Artwork
A lot of stations in the city have artwork all around the place. A times, you can even consider the architecture itself to be the art, which is the point here, nonetheless. It would give passengers something to observe and appreciate, while it would give artists great opportunities to have their work seen.
• Improve Internal Promotions
Improving this would help people pay attention to important issues and keep them informed of the things that matter. Proper conduct, service updates, as well as sanitary and environmental standards are some of the things that could be concentrated on to boost the condition of the MTA.
• Kinetic Energy Generators
Implementing this would probably be the most complex out of all the things I mentioned - not to mention it being quite costly. Millions of people use the MTA every day. The turnslides in terminals and underground stations are used very frequently. If electricity was generated from all the activity, enough energy would probably be gathered to power most of the lighting system. This is probably wishful thinking at the moment since setting this up would take A LOT of planning, wiring, and...money.

These are just some of the things that I've come up with in hopes that one day, the NY MTA will catch up to the standards of other subway systems around the world. Now, let's just hope I get an email from an MTA representative saying how much the thought that I've put into this. Haha =)

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One cool thing that made me smile is that as I was walking, I saw somebody stopping to read and acknowledge the sign! I'd like to see further developments with MTA's steps towards keeping the subways clean, and green!

In response to my excitement, I made a whole list of things the MTA can improve on to become greener, cleaner, and more efficient. I'll finalize this list and post in soon. Who wouldn't want to have energy generating turn-slides? From the millions of times these things go round and round, the carbon emissions will go straight down!

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AutoWeek reported that the reason why this bill was created is because cars that are too quiet pose a risk to disabled (primarily) pedestrians. This bill requires the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to undergo studies in order to determine whether or not a minimum sound level is needed. I understand the intention behind this bill and all, but I find it kind of humorous if auto makers were forced to make their engines go VROOM! More after the jump...

I remember reading an article over at AutoBlog about a sports car by Fisker Karma that'll have speakers placed inside and outside of the car to replicate engine sounds! This is definitely a logical solution, and would be fun to see how people hack their cars to make them sound like a Mr. Softee Ice Cream truck! Others would argue that speaker generated sounds would never be the same as a real engine, but I'd prefer cars that are a bit more earth-friendly than a 400HP V10 engine in a pickup truck.

As I was writing this, I just thought about what it could be like in the future. Imagine stepping out of your house and you see a lot of cars rolling down the block with barely a trace of sound. Maybe it's a generational difference, but I think I would need psychological help if that were to happen now. In the future, when it has already become a "standard," I guess people wouldn't have as much of an issue - especially if the cars are loaded with a killer speaker system that tells people to get the heck out the way!

I'm curious as to how this is going to turn out. If this bill passes into a law, automakers are gonna have to comply as early as 2010! That shouldn't be a problem as there aren't too many hybrids on the road (unfortunately!).

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I haven't yet mentioned it, but this is an electric sports car, people! It outputs zero emissions as you accelerate from 0 to 60mph, with a top speed of 125mph (which you should never be hitting unless under professional supervision), unless you count the fumes of the burning rubber! This is most definitely a luxury item and not something that the typical Joe who wants to get a Prius can afford. The technology put into the Tesla Roadster is highly advanced, innovative, and should be made mainstream for "every-day" automobiles. Now, this is definitely a bold statement, but it's more than possible! More after the jump...

Green technology has steadily been on the rise, but clearly, it's not fast enough. Companies, Governments, and People in general still need to be encouraged to act so the transition to carbon-free transportation speeds up, and becomes more seamless. It's not like huge corporations don't have enough money to invest in alternatively powered automobiles rather it'd be electric, hybrid, hydrogen, or ethanol powered! What needs to happen is that laws need to be passed that will restrict development of these fossil fuel burning machines. The United States is still the only country in the world that hasn't ratified the Kyoto treaty, and even if that were to happen, more would still have to be done to start making a difference that we can see.

The potential of this market can be huge, but companies out there need to realize it. Don't you think that if people can just as easily purchase environmentally friendly cars, electronics, and etc., they would do so in a breeze? Okay, okay...you might have the few that will never want to give up their 10mpg 1987 Supercharged SUVs, but a majority WILL want to purchase green automobiles. Who in their right mind doesn't want to save money on gas, lessen the amount of trips to the gas pump, and feel good driving around knowing that they're making a difference!

I am a strong believer of the idea that humans WANT to do good things, but when these "things" are not convenient enough, they get all lazy and whiny about it all. This is why I think that it is the responsibility of large companies and governments - they are the ones that can make it all happen to begin with. Now, I'm no business man, but should I force myself to believe that these big guys just don't care, or are they also lazy like the rest of us?

I have seen and read stories about the human race in the future. The stories that describe and show how we as humans have developed ourselves as an advanced civilization. Everything from unbelievable technological milestones, a flourishing and healthy environment, as well as a more peaceful race. You know, most people may think that this is a fantasy of a few minds, but a couple of hundred years from now, these fantasies will surpass reality and become every day life. I say this because I hold faith in us, and that we can and will learn to work together for the better. As Al Gore says, I just want our future generations to look back at us and be proud of what were able to achieve, not have them disgusted at us because we were too weak and stupid to act.

Who in their right mind would have ever thought a century or two ago, that we as humans would have come so far as we have today? The future is still ahead of us.

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