Want to go electric but don’t want to buy a new car? These tinkerers are showing the way

Look at what else was found in Paris' secret storage!!

Even as we green folk take steps to reduce our ecological impact – diverting waste through recycling and composting, energy-proofing our homes, buying local – environmentally minded travel is still a challenge.

OK, I’ll admit it: On more than one occasion, I have put my beloved Toyota Prius into reverse and come uncomfortably close to running over a few bystanders. It wasn’t because I didn’t see them (I swear!) it’s because they didn’t see -- or, to be more precise, hear -- me. While operating on its electric battery, my car is silent as a shooting star, so the pedestrians waltzed right into my line of fire, having no audible warning that I was approaching.

Here's an encouraging sign – or rather, billboard: Cruise down the 405 Freeway in El Segundo, California and you'll see a giant billboard with a panel of numbers clicking forward every four seconds, approximating the millions of gallons of gas that have been saved in the U.S. since 2000 thanks to the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 400h SUV – hybrid-engine vehicles that are selling like hotcakes in America.