We read a lot of stuff here to cover the world of green cars. No surprise there.

But there's a lot we see that doesn't lend itself to a full article, though we hate to let it pass by altogether.

So this is a new type of piece, one that brings together stuff that's sort-of-relevant to green cars, driving, energy politics, urban design, transportation policy, you name it.

The only criterion for inclusion: We thought it was interesting.

  • Cul-de-sacs, those exalted dead-end streets of suburban utopia, make you drive more and walk and bike less, which means higher fuel use, more tailpipe emissions, and fatter residents. (Harvard Business Review via Infrastructurist)
  • The number of miles driven per capita by U.S. residents has declined every year since gasoline prices started soar in 2006. One economist thinks it's only temporary. (The New York Times)
  • The amount of gasoline used per capita varies a lot by state, and the lowest-usage states may shock you: New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Utah. The highest usage states form an arc starting in New Jersey, running throughout the Southeast, and ending in Texas. (Infrastructurist)
  • A new book, Carjacked: The Culture of the Automobile and Its Effect on Our Lives, looks at how automobiles affect our lives, and considers whether we can use them less as gasoline costs rise, traffic gets worse, and environmental issues weigh heavier. (Infrastrurist again)
  • Between 2007 and 2009, half the previous 15 years' increase in U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions was wiped out, as the share of electricity generated from coal fell from 52 to 45 percent, and natural gas rose from 20 to 23 percent. (Worldwatch Institute via Spectrum)
  • On the other hand, China's demand for electricity from both oil and coal has produced a six-month increase in greenhouse gases that's the largest ever recorded due to human activity in a single country. Grim reading. (The New York Times)

Tell us what you think. Interesting? Deadly dull? Off the mark? And, most important, should we keep doing these irregular roundups?

Let us know in the Comments below.