Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Take a dump and drive further! No, not really. The Toto toilet cycle actually uses waste from livestock and sewage. On a full tank this vehicle can go 180 miles. (NY Daily News – Toto) We actually wrote about the man who travelled Japan in this same bike. (GR – Toto)
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You want to say good job. It appears that Japan is the foremost plastic recycling nation in the world. According to PSFK, “At 77%, Japan’s plastic recycling rate is about twice that of the UK, and well above the 20% figure for the US, which still depends largely on landfill, according to institute spokesman Takushi Kamiya. One major driver has been the lack of space for landfill close to crowded and sprawling metropolitan areas.” (psfk – Recycling in Japan) Everywhere you go, you do see recycling bins next to almost every vending machine which dot all landscapes. That’s just for the PET bottles (which are also changing little by little to being 100% recyclable), but there’s still room for improvement for the household plastics, and everywhere you go in Japan, you’ll see plastic.
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A green car pulls up with a driver sporting a big green. It’s a Mazda 2 in “Kermit Green” as the driver called it, but it’s actually called “Spirited Green” and stands out like none other. When I heard I was getting a test car, I pictured black, silver or maybe red, but it’s a metallic green! I’ll apologize in advance since there’s a lot of you out there who need a functioning car like this. I actually already have one, but I’m getting the opportunity to drive this Mazda 2 for a spell so I can tell you what I think. I’ll update the mini adventures of where this car will take me. So far, the response by everyone who has seen or heard about this vehicle, is the two words, “Zoom Zoom”. It’s manual so it has a bit of pep. I haven’t driven a stick shift in years but my skills haven’t diminished. Of course the first voyage was to La Isla Bonita taco truck in Venice. It’s safe to report that eating tacos in a car that can play mp3s off an iPhone is quite nice. This car only has 3000 miles. I hope I can put another 1000 on it.
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