New Year's Eve at the Hyatt

It's here: NEW YEAR'S EVE.

What are you doing tonight? Those of you heading to the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, make sure to book your seat BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. Go to thenightmove.com/booking.

Only $12 to celebrate responsibly. It's metro Detroit's green public transit -- make the resolution to be green.

Happy holidays from the New Kids

OK so this has nothing to do with our usual topics of the environment, transportation, the Night Move, and Detroit, but I came across it and had to share. It's the New Kids on the Block (minus Jon for some reason) performing "Funky Funky Christmas" on Arsenio Hall. Enjoy:

Yuck.

A plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills was using his patients' fat to make biodiesel. Yeah, I know, you want to puke. And yet, it's kind of a good idea... it was just going to go to waste, right?

Check it out on Forbes.com: "Fill 'Er Up With Human Fat."

According to the article:

Love handles can power a car? Frighteningly, yes. Fat--whether animal or vegetable--contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.

A gallon of grease will get you about a gallon of fuel, and drivers can get about the same amount of mileage from fat fuel as they do from regular diesel, according to Jenna Higgins of the National Biodiesel Board. Animal fats need to undergo an additional step to get rid of free fatty acids not present in vegetable oils, but otherwise, there's no difference, she says.

Um, ew. Apparently the doc and his girlfriend have fled the country because using human fat for stuff is definitely illegal, on top of the fact that he was letting the girlfriend and his assistants perform surgeries without licenses, and dozens of patients reported having too much cut off of them and "left them disfigured."

I'm totally disgusted and yet all I can do is wonder what human fat biodiesel smells like. Ew, I'm sorry.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (or) Auld Lang Syne (or) What's YOUR resolution?

The new year is upon us. Get ready to make some resolutions you'll never keep.

We thought you should know: there’s still time to book a ride for NEW YEAR’S EVE!

The Night Move is an official sponsor of both the NYE Rock 'N' Roll Ball and Eve 09, which are both at the very swanky Hyatt Regency hotel in Dearborn.

Celebrate responsibly this NYE by letting the Night Move be your DD -- and make your resolution to be green a resolution you’ll actually keep. SEATS ARE LIMITED, so book them while you still can at www.thenightmove.com/booking.

I get by with a little help from cow guts

So I'm not sure if this is how Clean Emission Fluids (our biodiesel supplier, located on the grounds of NextEnergy in Detroit) does it, but apparently turning corn into biofuel has gotten easier in the past year.

"An enzyme from a microbe that lives inside a cow’s stomach is the key to turning corn plants into fuel, according to Michigan State University scientists," and according to this article, on the Environmental News Network: "Cow stomach holds key to turning corn into biofuel". Um, gross?

Basically, they pull a specific gene from a cow's stomach. This gene produces the enzyme that converts grass and other food into the sugar that fuels the cow. And they've figured out how to grow corn that has that enzyme. Magicians, I tell you.

If they put it in the right place, the enzyme makes the whole corn plant is now usable for biofuel. According to the article, "If the cell produced the enzyme in the wrong place, then the plant cell would not be able to function, and, instead, it would digest itself."

Read the article for more info. It's really super cool, but for some reason talking about cows' stomachs and enzymes and things digesting themselves grosses me out.

Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart! Biodiesel!

It's been a while, faithful readers, and for that we apologize. Anyway, today we'll be talking about biodiesel. Enjoy...

The Night Move runs on B20 blended biodiesel. That means 80% of it is diesel and 20% of it is biofuel. Detroit's own Clean Emission Fluids has an on-demand blender, called a F.A.ST. unit (fluids affordably stored), which is where we get our blended biodiesel. The biofuel we're currently using is made of corn. Since I don't really speak biofuel, I found this explanation of biodiesel for your enlightenment, from biodiesel.org:

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products).

Anyway, we may move to pond algae soon instead of corn. It seems logical to me to make the switch, since using algae wouldn't threaten our food supply. Read about "Why Algae Will Save Us From the Energy Crisis" this Esquire magazine article.

Stay tuned for Night Move biodiesel developments, we'll keep you posted as they occur.

Learn more about biodiesel on Wikipedia.

Things That Make You Go, "Wow!" from Inside Detroit

Have you been to Detroit's new Welcome Center?

Find it at 1253 Woodward for answers to all your metropolitan needs. Jeanette Pierce and Maureen Kearns, who run the center and Inside Detroit, are experts. They'll provide you with any information you're looking for, as well as some you're not. They also organize walking tours and pub crawls to open people's eyes to the culture, history and a worthwhile perspective of the city.

Yes, that's right, pub crawls: turn getting drunk into a learning experience. How cool is that?

Courtesy of Inside Detroit, click here for some "Wow" facts about the city. A sample, quoted from InsideDetroit.org: "There are 125 bars and restaurants within the one square mile of downtown Detroit." Detroit is ripe for the exploring.

Why don't you check it out? Use the Welcome Center as a resource or (gasp!) dare to venture down on your own. Consider going on an Inside Detroit pub crawl or walking tour, especially if you're a Detroit novice.

Detroit has a lot to offer; it's time you took advantage. (And perhaps, nudge nudge, you could hop on the Night Move to do it.)

Driving is expensive (duh).

Even with gas prices falling again, it's kind of disheartening to see how quickly dollars can accumulate--outside your pocket. And it doesn't even include the cost of parking, or the cost of all the speeding tickets I get (I'm a terrible driver).

What we need is public transportation.

Wait, we have that now!

If you haven't yet used the Night Move to get around, now is the perfect time to start. Book a seat for this weekend at www.thenightmove.com/booking. Then ask the bus driver for a token for a free People Mover ride; AND use your ticket for a discount on a Michigan Green Cab ride, to get you the rest of the way home. The savings here are AMAZING, no?

ACCESS DETROIT is tonight!

Free block party in Detroit tonight! Celebrate the grand opening of the Cadillac Book Hotel and check out this awesome event.

And don't forget to book the free shuttle! Do it on the Night Move website. You know you want to.

For more details on Access Detroit, check out the site here.

Public Transit NOW

I went to a Model D event last night on public transportation in Detroit. One speaker said mass transit is the crucial element to connecting social and commercial centers, and that without such connectivity, we can never expect our city to grow or the community of suburbs and city to fuse.

You've heard talk about the light rail system that's being planned. Did you know the reason they're funding it privately, at least for stage one, to get it built as quickly as possible? Asking for federal funding would push the timeline at least five years. They're trying to do something about our public transit problem now.

The Night Move is a step in that direction. It's something we can use now.

If you're our fan on Facebook...

Hey fans!

Go to http://www.thenightmove.com/booking. Enter coupon code FANS to get 20% off your ride this weekend!

Just our little way of saying thanks for being you.

(If you're not our fan, this is the perfect time to become one.)

AND now you can book on your iPhone or Blackberry! Just show the driver the confirmation screen instead of a printed ticket. How great is that?!

See you there!

Detroit is awesome.

Read this, from Model D, by U of M kid Kimberly Chou: "Maize, Blue and Detroit, Too: U-M Grads Find Promise in City's Future."

The Night Move introduces mobile booking!

Did you know you can now book a ride on The Night Move using your iPhone or Blackberry? Just go to www.thenightmove.com/booking, like you would on your computer, and go through the booking process. Then, to get on the bus, you can show the confirmation screen on your phone to Dupree* instead of a paper ticket.

So if you're out Friday night and decide to hop on The Night Move to get you around between Royal Oak, Ferndale and Detroit, pull out that iPhone! Note: if no one in your group has an iPhone, I suggest you be the first. That way you not only have access to The Night Move mobile booking, but you also have a super sweet phone and all your loser friends will be jealous because they're still living in the past.

See you on the bus!


*For those of you who don't know, Dupree is our all-star, totally awesome and huge superhero driver. If you haven't met him yet, do yourself a favor. The guy is quite a character.

Launch party recap

LAUNCH PARTY PICTURES

Look for yourself in these photo albums:

• on Metromix, courtesy of Jamie Karosa: "Party pics: The Night Move Launch Party";
  
• on DetroitCity.com: "The Night Move Launch Party";
  
• on MotorCityBlog photographer Riaz's Flickr page: "The Night Move: Launch Party (For MOTORCITYBLOG.NET)";
• and on After5Detroit, by Lindsay Bryant: "Night Move launch."
  

And finally, here are photos Paul Hitz at MotorCityBlog took for us last week: "The Night Move."

Weekend link list roundup

Thanks to Steve Neavling for the Freep Sunday coverage: "Night Move bus rolls into city scene with green goals";

to Tom Greenwood for the Detroit News spot last week: "Uptown-downtown shuttle service starts";

and to Sarah Hulett for the Michigan Radio story: "Shuttle Service Starts for Weekend Nightlife."

Here's the AP article, printed in the Chicago Tribune, among others: "Night Move bus offers green after-hours transport"

Here's the story Channel 7 WXYZ News posted: "Uptown Downtown Shuttle Available"

This is the Metromix article: "Night Move"

In case you haven't seen it or contributed: "New Bus Service from Suburbs to Downtown" a message board discussion on a site called Discuss Detroit.

We still have seats available for this weekend!

If you book for this weekend you can get our inaugural weekend deal -- only $6 for an all night pass! Use the coupon code launch.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to the booking page @ www.thenightmove.com/booking and click "Nightly Passes."
2. Pick Royal Oak (includes Ferndale) to Detroit or Detroit to Royal Oak (still includes Ferndale).
3. Pick the dates and times you plan on riding. Remember, you are not tied to these times. They are the only buses you're guaranteed a spot on, but as long as there's room, you can ride at any time you'd like, as often as you'd like (on the night you book for). This weekend's dates are: Friday, October 10 (duh, today), and Saturday, October 11.
   
4. Enter the number of passengers, and then their names. These names will be printed on the ticket and must correspond to the IDs of passengers who try to get on the bus.
5. Click "Book Now." When the page loads, click "Enter a coupon!" Type launch into the box as your coupon number. (Ha! That's not a number at all!) Click "Submit."
6. Assuming you're new, ignore the top two boxes and create a username and password in the lower section, and enter your info. Click "Register."
   Here's something sweet about being a part of a new service: there's a good chance no one has the username of your first name yet. My The Night Move username is Jennifer. That's never happened before! OK sorry back to the task at hand...
7. Review your ticket. If you missed the coupon code step back there, you have another shot now. Click "Next," then tick the box to agree to the terms, then click "Order."
8. Enter your credit/debit card info. Click "Submit." Print here or print the confirmation email in your inbox.
9. RIDE THE BUS!
   

See you there, homies!

In case you missed "Detroit Today" on Wednesday

...here's a link to the show: The Night Move (and others) on WDET's "Detroit Today." I've been told I was too casual, whatever that means. Apologies if you agree.

Thanks Motor City Blog!

Check out this awesome video our friends at Motor City Blog put together for us. We gave them the exclusive first ride on the bus, and they gave us this video and some super sweet photos. Check out their post here: Motor City Blog rides the Night Move.

Thanks a trillion, guys!

After 5 Detroit

One more and then I'll stop: "Let the Night Move Move You!" on After 5 Detroit. Thanks, Lindsay Bryant!

Detroit Today

Hey! Don't forget to tune in to Detroit Today on WDET (101.9FM) at 11 tomorrow to hear Chris and me on live radio! And please don't judge me if I stutter. Thanks.

MotorCityBlog

Thanks to MotorCityBlog for the shout-out: "The Night Move - All night shuttle service from RO to Ferndale to Detroit to Ferndale to Royal Oak to Ferndale to Detroit to Ferndale to Royal Oak." We'll be taking a test run with the MotorCityBloggers tonight while they shoot a video and gather their feedback to report to you soon. Thanks, Detroiter, for all your help! See you tonight!

Transportation Riders United

Transportation Riders United (TRU), found at www.detroittransit.org, found out about The Night Move and posted this on their blog and homepage: "A new transportation option is coming to metro Detroit!"

Thanks, TRU, for your support. We love what you're doing and plan to get involved in the very near future. (Note to others: According to their website: "The mission of Transportation Riders United (TRU) is to improve transportation access and mobility in Greater Detroit." Maybe you should get involved, too.)

Crain's!

If you subscribe to Crain's Detroit Business you can access our story here: "Nighttime shuttle to connect Detroit, Ferndale, Royal Oak." If not, pick up a copy at the bookstore and read about The Night Move on page 24.

Wow, when Crain's thinks you're noteworthy, you're in, right? The Night Move is huge. And I'm conceited.

Local shout-out

Check out photographer Heather Saunderson's post about us on her Green blog. Thanks Heather!

Blogging on Metro Mode

Chris and I have such valued and important opinions that we were asked to guest blog on Metro Mode. Check out Marvin Shaouni's sweet photo of us with moving traffic in the background -- very cool.

The Night Move is famous.

Sorry folks, the bus does not sign autographs.

Read about The Night Move in Real Detroit Weekly! Thanks to Travis R. Wright for being awesome.

Check out The Night Move on Model D!

Look! Coverage on Model D! Read it here, by Kelli B. Kavanaugh: Cue the Seger: Night Move launches shuttle service between Downtown, Ferndale and Royal Oak bars.

According to our favorite transportation writer over at Crain's, Bill Shea, "The public will get its first glimpse this week of a draft of a three-county regional transportation plan that spells out how to improve current regional mass-transit options, where to build new elements such as light rail, and how to pay for it all." We've been following light rail plan developments for a while, so this is pretty interesting stuff.

Shea says, "Both Woodward plans say the line would feed into the 48-mile Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail line under study by SEMCOG and targeted for 2010 operation."

2010?! That's so soon! How awesome would public transportation be? We're one step closer to building Detroit up to greatness.

You're interested, right? Us too. We'll keep you posted. For now check out the original article here.

More from Discovery News

Outer space is sweet. Rockets are sweet. This is not exactly relevant to what the Night Move is doing, but all this coolness simply cannot go unreported. Discovery News' Irene Klotz wrote yesterday about a privately built rocket that its creator wants to sell to NASA. The creator is a web developer, instrumental in the development of PayPal, among other things. He started a company called Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and built a rocket that's now in successful testing stages.

Talk about being able to do anything you put your mind to.

The current shuttle is to be retired in 2010, because it's old and unsafe, and the new one NASA is developing won't be ready until 2015. Meanwhile, we will soon need a way to access the almost-finished $100 billion International Space Station. Without depending on (and paying billions to) the Russians to transport us there, we need another solution.

Enter: Private rocket builder Elon Musk -- a true Rocket Man, if you will.

Read all about it here.

Run your car on trash!

Discovery News, on the Discovery Channel website, is my one of my favorite spots ever. Anyway, according to Discovery News writer Jessica Marshall, "Within the next two years, some of us may be running our cars on trash." Apparently there are two companies, one in Illinois and the other in the UK, claiming they can produce mass amounts of ethanol from garbage. Cheap, safe, non-foreign fuel, and landfill reduction, while preserving our food supply -- think of the possibilities! And check out the full story here.

Car runs on a wine buzz

Prince Charles has converted his 38-year-old Aston Martin into an eco-friendly vehicle, CNN reports. The car runs on -- get this -- wine. Check out the story. That is SO awesome.

Today we commemorate a moment of justice as criminal, gangster and general sleazeball (oh, and former mayor) Kwame Kilpatrick pleads guilty and goes to jail. Peace out, Kwam-ster.

Powered by Clean Emission Fluids

Take a look around the Clean Emission Fluids website. They're a local organization working to promote a better earth through the use of biodiesel. Biodiesel has been found to cause 50% less harm to the ozone layer than other types of gas and diesel fuel.

Clean Emissions Fluids is the source for the biodiesel the Night Move will run on.

Have you had your green today?

The Night Move reduces its carbon footprint (you could probably stand to do the same)

On top of just being awesome, the Night Move is also known for saving the planet.

We've paired up with CarbonFund.org to neutralize our carbon emissions. Isn't that cool? Check it out, it's a sweet way to eliminate the guilt you were feeling over the size of your carbon footprint. And from the looks of things, you've got a pretty big footprint -- what are you, a clown?

We have a bus! Woohoo!

Next step: drive you around in it. We plan to launch in early October. We'll keep you posted.

For now, get fired up. It's almost here. It's almost here!

Where did all the streetcars go??

Back in 1940 something, Detroit was canvased with electric trollies, allowing people to efficiently and safely commute to and from work and home. Wow, that sounds like a great idea, less emmissions, quality vehicles....happy people everywhere! 

So if they were so great...why didn't they last? 

Ahh, so here's the fun part....maybe some of you already know, and maybe some are just tuning in. The "Great American Streetcar Scandal", or the locally known "General Motors Streetcar Conspiracy".  Big automakers, banning together, to buy out light rail and electric trollies throughout the country. Well that just doesn't sound right....

Well, now it's 2008 and everyone from ABC to NBC to Ford to Ebay, have realized that action needs to be taken. We need to change, and we need to change now. "Be green", "go green", "live green", etc, etc, etc.

You don't need to turn off all the lights and burn candles for light and heat (though it could be kinda romantic...). But you could start by leaving the car at home for an evening out. 

The Night Move is coming. Run on Biodiesel, and ready to take you from here to there. Details will be announced in the next few weeks, so hold on to your hats. This is the Detroit Transportation Revolution.