Energy innovation

I have been paying about $4.00/gallon for gas in the U.S. and energy conservation is once again a hot topic. The French have mastered so many energy-wise approaches to life that we have yet to grasp.

Excellent public transportation gets people out of their cars. Gare de l'est in Paris is the departure station for the high-speed TGV trains leaving for eastern France. I'll be on one of these in a few days for the trip to Nancy.

The taxis outside the train station are much smaller than you see in the U.S. But unlike their Slovak counterparts that I saw last fall, they leave the engines idling while they wait. The Slovaks turn off the engines, and push the cabs forward, an energy saver I have never seen anywhere else.

Motorcycles seem to be everywhere, zipping in and out of traffic and getting, presumably, great gas mileage. Special parking areas are available all over Paris.

The city of Paris is trying to encourage more bicycle-riding for short trips in the city. These rental bikes can be picked up in one place and left at another. I saw these all over the city, although it takes a fair amount of courage to ride a bike in the French traffic here.

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.