EARTH DAY NEW YORK - CO2 E DRIVE: PART 2 - TIMES SQUARE CATWALK 2012

Bob Lutz (the man behind the VOLT) giving a speech on Times Square about his perspective on why he think it is important to drive electric cars and pushing for his new project the VIA Plug in Hybrid Pick-up truck

See above video from CNN and hear more from Bob Lutz, saying that "essentially car companies are completely nutural to Oil and if cars could, he would be happy to run them on toothpaste"

The "E" tag Performance that was done in the streets of New York City, screened on the Toshiba jumbo screen on Times Square. Once the route was completed, the cars ended up on Times Square for a "Green Car Fashion Show" in collaboration with Mr. Green. 

First to enter the Blue Catwalk was the Nissan LEAF, tighly escorted by Mr. Green

The whole performance was also screened on the huge NASDAQ screen. The screen measures 12,000 square feet and uses more than 18 million LEDs on a display with a top resolution of 1280x1824. Read more about the screen in this WIRED article.

Dorothy walked down the Yellow Brick Road, while Mr. Green walked down the Blue.

New Jersey high-school teacher Ben Rich on his 2012 Zero S electric motorcycle

The White Toyota Prius with the classic Coke sign in the background

The Electric Hybrid New York City Parks Department Street Sweeper and Trash Truck in the background

The White Chevy VOLT - Hood Up!

The NYPD Chevy VOLT - Sirens On!

The ECOPIA car with Bridgestone's low resistance "Green" tires

The New York Mr. Green Team camping it out on the back of the VIA Motors Pick-up Truck.

Jumping Jack Lutz!

The Mr. Green Team pointing forward towards a sustainable Future and Next Years CO2 E Drive in New York City, this time on Union Square!

Earth Day New York's CO2 E Drive 2012 was yet another wonderful event. CO2 Green Drive thanks Pamela Lippe and her Earth Day New York Team for once again making it all happen!

Later in the evening after the long day of Earth, Yrs Truly took a walk in the city, where I found Empire State Building lit up in Green.What else can One ask for?

EARTH DAY NEW YORK - CO2 E DRIVE 2012: START AT SOLAR ONE

Earth Day New York 2012 was held on Friday the 20th of April. It all started early in the morning close to the East Side River on East 23rd Street, with sunshine and a mini car exhibition in front of the Solar One Building. In 2011, the CO2 E Drive was held on "Good Friday" that was also "Passover". This meant that we had more "Non-commercial" participants on the day, as they had a mini holiday. Personally, I missed Doctor Delman and his Electric DeLorean!

However, there was some new players on the Electric/Hybrid Car scene since 2011. What also coincided with Earth Day in 2011, was the premiere of Chris Paine's "Revenge of the Electric Car" during Tribeca Film Festival. Bob Lutz, who was one of the main characters in the film was the dynamic, hard boiled, old school, former fighter pilot and the man behind such Gas Guzzling Classics as The Hummer. This year, Bob Lutz was the spokesperson for VIA Motors who produces the above Plug-In Hybrid Macho Chevy Silverado Pick-Up Truck.

Another main character in "Revenge of the Electric Car" was Carlos Ghosn, who was in a head to head race against Bob Lutz to come out with the best mainstream "Green" vehicle first. The LEAF won the prize for the Best Car of 2011 and Bob Lutz's VOLT won it in 2012. Sam Smith from Esquire Magazine wrote about the LEAF: "So we don't have jet packs or glass elevators to the moon. But make no mistake: We live in the future. The Nissan Leaf is a real live electric car".

Bridgestone has made a new and improved set of tires called "ECOPIA", that is made to create lower rolling resistance and give a smoother and more a fuel saving ride. The combination of Electric cars, that to begin with is almost silent and the ECOPIA's sounds like a good match. The above VW Golf is also the official Earth Day Network car, as you can see on their logo on the hood.

Toyoata, that is a longtime collaborator of Earth Day New York brought their new Hybrid Armada, headed up by an updated Plug-In Hybrid Prius and all its cousins.

And a the Dark Grey version of the Prius.

The SUV version

And the Sedan version.

For the first time in New York, there was also an Electric MC called ZERO S, driven by New Jersey high-school teacher Ben Rich, that was able to get off work.

The Revolution Rickshaw was also a first timer and a great alternative to going around the city in a regular cab, if you have time and want to be closer to the street.

Chris Collins, who is the Executive Director of Solar One held a lovely speech. Chris also won Earth Day New York's Annual Prize for people who makes a difference in the Environmental scene of New York in 2012.

Pamela Lippe, who is the Executive Director of Earth Day New York also held a speech and thanked the involved partners and collaborators.

Yours truly held the final speech, telling about the fact that RIGHT NOW in the city of Horsens in Denmark, a caravan of Pink Bikes and around 20 Electric Cars are driving around the city in the shape of "CO2" and "this is part of a global attempt to heal Mother Earth or Gaia, with the help of art and the intent of Climate Awareness". There was also a list of "Thank You", including a "And finally Thanks to my Samoan Attorney in Yokohama and my Brother from another Mother in Dakar!".

After the Speeches and the explanation of how to download the GPS APP used to "paint" the E in the streets, the drivers took off in their cars ("the brushes") into the streets of New York that was the "canvas".

I sat in the Nissan LEAF together with a Car Journalist from Green Car Report's John Voelcker and the Nissan New York communications manager Steve Oldham, chit chatting about Art, Sustainable Transportation, September 11th, ROTEC, Nicolai Tesla and other relevant matters of conversation on a day like this. John Voelcker who is also a Burner later wrote: "...if you look at the pattern, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center can be clearly seen if you turn the capital "E" on its side--his acknowledgment of the power of global oil politics to shape our lives in unpredictable ways". 

EARTH DAY NEW YORK 2012

Video by Shaky Jones



Produced by Urs Jakob in 2011, edited and shot by Shaky Jones

EARTH DAY PLANS FOR 2012

The plans are taking shape for Earth Day 2012 on three different continents this year around. As in 2011, the project will collaborate with Earth Day New York for the "E" Drive (above) with "Climate Friendly Vehicles" in the streets of Manhattan, ending on Times Square where the "Cat Walk" will take place. See last years version HERE.

According to Wikipedia: "Bangalore is the capital of the Indianstate of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration. Bangalore is well known as a hub for India's information technology sector." Here the CO2 tag will be done by runners and in collaboration with Dr Rajat Chauhan who is a Doctor in Sports - Exercise Medicine & Musculoskeletal Medicine. He is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi who said "Physician Wealth of a nation should be measured by health & fitness of its youngsters, not by pieces of gold & silver".

According to Wikipedia: "Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland. Its position, on the western edge of Africa, is an advantageous departure point for trans-Atlantic and European trade; this fact aided its growth into a major regional port." In Dakar the CO2 tag will be done in collaboration with the Danish NGO "Cykler til Senegal" who have been sending over 7000 Danish bikes to Senegal since 1996 and LEAD (Leadership for Environment and Development), which is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization promoting leadership and sustainable development.

We look forward to making this happen and the idea of celebrating and respecting Mother Earth on Earth Day in three different cities around the world, is also a dream come true for the project in general.

Pimped Out Biomega Bicycle by David Byrne

In connection to the projects collaboration with Exit Art and Earth Day in April 2011, two Danish Biomega bikes were donated to the project. One was given to Matthew Modine and the other was handed over to David Byrne to be pimped out with 12,000 Swarovski crystals and later raffled off by Exit Art to benefit their exellent non-profit Arts organization. Our good friends from Gold Mine Shit House came to the Exit Art Benefit Event and did silkscreens on clothes and such that people brought along, along with live music and a lovely party.

The bike was won by Sinclaire Marber and if all goes well, can be seen in the future at one of the Art exhibitions in connection to the project as a sculpture.

If you have not read David Byrne's "Bicycle Diaries" yet, you should!

EARTH DAY NEW YORK'S 2011 VIDEO - "I AM E"

Wonderful video from Earth Day New York's "I Am E" Campaign

THE TIMES SQUARE EXPERIENCE & CATWALK

The Mr. Green Crew was all over Times Square lead by Miss Green A.K.A Anne Gade Bjerrum, seen in the middle doing the double "E" hand sign. She is the younger sister of Mr. Green A.K.A Christian Gade Bjerrum that is currently teaching yoga in Mexico City, while preparing the city for CO2 E - Race in 2012.

There was posters all over Grand Central Station with the Earth Day announcement of CO2 E Drive and the Times Square fashion show of "Green Cars". The event included several aspects of Earth Day's awareness campaigns, such as "Reduce Carbon",  "Be Energy Aware" and "Travel Green".

In the above image you can see most of the GPS dots that represent the different cars are all in Time Square. The ones that did not go up to Time Square either went to Grand Central Station, back to the Solar One Building or to the premiere of "Revenge of the Electric Car" further down on 23rd Street. The interface and GPS devices was sponsored by US Fleet Tracking and the Re-play of the painting can be seen HERE

The Mr. Green Crew doing the "E" with the President of Toshiba, Mr. Fujii on Times Square, who was there to support Red Cross with their efforts in Japan.

President for Earth Day New York, Pamela Lippe talking to the audience at Times Square with two Mr. Green's on stage next to her, in good Old School Public Enemy styles. It is also lovely to see that a Turkish man reaches out his hand saying "Be our Guests", welcoming America to Turkey.

The Green Car Fashion Show on the dedicated and rather colorful plaza on the Times Square that is looking more like a Amusement Park than what some might remember no longer than 15 years back, or from classic films like Taxi Driver. In the above, the Novozymes Bio Fueled Ford Focus takes its place on the catwalk, while the MC gives a small talk about the details of the car and what it does to make Earth a better place.

The Electric DeLorean by Dave Delman with red reflexion in the stainless steele from the lights of Times Square.

The GM VOLT, about to cross the Yellow line.

The New York City Department of Transportation Plug-in Toyota Prius.

The NYC hybrid Trash Truck.

The All Electric Truck from Navistar

The NYC hybrid Truck

The New York Police Department Plug-in Toyota Prius

The NYC Hybrid Sweeper

The Nissan LEAF

The Li-ion Motors cars - the Red called Enizio and the Green called Wave

Lovely shapes and colors!

The Enizio parked with doors slid open and Mr.Green Crew guarding it.

The Wave won the The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE

The parked Novozymes Ford Focus

Once the Fashion show was over and the fences opened, the crowds flooded the parked cars and their representatives with questions about the vehicles.

Best Friends For Life - The Mr. Green Crew's "Green Nose" branding performance

"You've Made it Here" from Memphis and now you are wearing a green nose!

The Danish Wooden Kid's Bike from MILIOS

Mr. Green Flash mob performance with a Biomega Bike on Times Square

President of Earth Day New York, Pamela Lippe with her brand new Danish bike from ECO2 Bike

Miss Green on the "Copenhagen" Biomega Bike, that was donated to Matthew Modine, who just signed up for the next Batman film.

Times Square now also has an official "Naked Cowgirl" that is putting up a good battle against the "Naked Cowboy", who sued the first Naked Cowgirl because she was not up to par.

 

It was an amazing day and we were lucky with the weather, with sunshine in the morning. The very next day, the city was polished by a waterfall that gives the city a special vibe with the lights reflecting in the streets. Thanks again Earth Day New York for your huge effort in help making a dream come through and help spread the projects message of Climate Awareness.