One of the highlights of my trip to the east coast for Blogher ’10 was attending an event GM hosted at Blue Hill at Stone Farms in Pocantico Hills, NY. The purpose of the #chevyblogher event was to showcase Chevrolet’s new fully electric car scheduled for release in 2011, the Chevy Volt. Planning the event at a working four-season farm and educational center (with FABulous kitchens and restaurant) 25-30 miles north of New York City was nothing short of brilliant. Learning about our food and how we farm in conjunction with learning about one of the most exciting developments in vehicle electrification made for a perfect day!

We departed from the NYC Hilton in teams of two, driving the 2011 Cruze. My fearless partner, Courtney Velasquez of Detroit Mommies, took the wheel and we actually arrived in once piece, no thanks to my navigation skills. The Cruze is a spacious and comfortable ride, and should you begin heading onto a highway in the wrong direction… well, let’s just say, that baby corners on a dime.

We were introduced to Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture by the adorable and knowledgeable, Jack, he’s the head agriculture guy.  The Center is a non-profit farm and education center and operates an 80-acre four-season farm. Their mission includes working on broader initiatives to create a healthy and sustainable food system. Their goal is to improve the way we Americans eat and farm by providing a Growing Farmers Initiative, children’s education programs, and other public awareness programs. They even apprentice young farmers, and by young Jack means farmers in their 20′s and 30′s… I really liked Jack’s sense of age.

Truth be told, I may be a hardy Colorado hiker chick, but my farming experience stops at the earth box on my brick patio. Listening to Jack speak was very inspiring. His passion for what he does was evident in the ways he described the land and what they were doing at Stone Barns. When he told us about the planned growing and soil preparation and then looked out over the field and described the landscape as a mosaic, well… I think I fell in love.  Uh, with the land that is.

Next, we headed to the kitchens and had a blast making raspberry preserves with Adam; although, I think he was a bit freaked out by all of us with our iPhones and cameras. In fact, if you look through my tweet stream you can see that he actually tried to provide us a safe place to put our tech-appendages down…

We all were all sort of, “huh?” Needless to say we cleared things up and moved on… (I’m saving lunch for another post!)

Driving the Chevy 2011 Volt

If you follow some of the conversations I’ve been involved in around the social media-sphere you’ll know that I am a huge proponent of renewable energy, in particular vehicle electrification. (Disclosure: it also happens to be the industry my husband is involved in…) I had lots of questions…. many that they could/would not answer, but in all fairness they are protecting quite a bit of new science with the release of this car.

Size Matters

The main thing I have heard people in the Mommy-verse gripe about is the size. We all need our carpool capable cars in order to make our worlds work. The way I see it, no family needs two gas guzzlers, so having one smaller more eco-friendly car in the household makes complete sense.  I’m a proponent of moving in the right direction, waiting for perfection will never relieve the U.S. of our dependence on foreign oil, nor will it help us achieve our environmental goals. That said, this car was extraordinarily comfy with 4 bucket seats – I sat in the back seat and found it to be rather pleasant. This isn’t some eco-bare-bones-crunchy car, the Volt is actually a normal sized car with pretty sleek styling.

The Basics

The Volt uses electricity as it’s primary energy source, so it will produce no emissions for up to 40 miles of driving in turn, saving approximately 500 gallons of gasoline a year (compared to similar vehicles that average 30 mpg).

We were show two different drive settings, so if you really want quick acceleration it is an option, although you’ll be using more energy.

At 10 cents per kilowatt hour, Chevrolet estimates that an electrically driven mile in a Volt will cost about one-sixth compared to a conventional gasoline vehicle. It is estimated that it will cost about two cents per mile to drive electrically vs. 12 cents using gasoline priced at $3.60 per gallon.

Cost

At $41,000 this isn’t an economy car. Joel Ewanick, vice president of U.S. marketing for General Motors, says “The The Chevrolet Volt will be the best vehicle in its class…because it’s in a class by itself.” After having driven in the car, I have to agree. The Volt isn’t intended to be a luxury vehicle, or an economy car. It is intended to fill a niche. We can complain all we want about the environment and oil wars, but the fact is we don’t want to give up our comfy rides. Well, folks, that’s gonna cost you and the Volt is just one solution. So if you want to complain about the price, get behind the technology and start supporting renewable energy efforts and gradually the costs will come down.  That’s about all I have to say about that.

The Blonde’s Take

I’m a car snob. I grew up with a Dad in the automotive industry. I know more about injection molding, interior acoustic textiles, and the inner mechanics of an automobile than a gal with a Master’s Degree in Music with a concentration in Violin Performance, should know. The best part of it all is that I can negotiate with a car dealer ’til he cries and just begs me to leave. I can’t believe I’m writing this but my day with the Chevrolet Volt team, completely changed how I view GM. They are clearly proud of their car and what it means for the future of electric transportation. They aren’t going to save the earth or end oil consumption, they are simply providing a vehicle that moves us in the right direction. And they are pretty darn excited about it.

Will I buy the 2011 Chevrolet Volt? I transport way too many kidlets and their gear around on a daily basis. However, if I were in the market for a new car, the Volt would definitely be on my list of automobiles to consider.

Check out our Whrrl Story!

*All meals, tolls, automobile gas (and trust me when we got lost on the way home… we could have used a battery or two…) were provided by GM. The opinions written above are my own based on my experiences.

One of the highlights of my trip to the east coast for Blogher ’10 was attending an event GM hosted at Blue Hill at Stone Farms in Pocantico Hills, NY. The purpose of the #chevyblogher event was to showcase Chevrolet’s new fully electric car scheduled for release in 2011, the Chevy Volt. Planning the event at a working four-season farm and educational center (with FABulous kitchens and restaurant) 25-30 miles north of New York City was nothing short of brilliant. Learning about our food and how we farm in conjunction with learning about one of the most exciting developments in vehicle electrification made for a perfect day!

We departed from the NYC Hilton in teams of two, driving the 2011 Cruze. My fearless partner, Courtney Velasquez of Detroit Mommies, took the wheel and we actually arrived in once piece, no thanks to my navigation skills. The Cruze is a spacious and comfortable ride, and should you begin heading onto a highway in the wrong direction… well, let’s just say, that baby corners on a dime.

We were introduced to Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture by the adorable and knowledgeable, Jack, he’s the head agriculture guy.  The Center is a non-profit farm and education center and operates an 80-acre four-season farm. Their mission includes working on broader initiatives to create a healthy and sustainable food system. Their goal is to improve the way we Americans eat and farm by providing a Growing Farmers Initiative, children’s education programs, and other public awareness programs. They even apprentice young farmers, and by young Jack means farmers in their 20′s and 30′s… I really liked Jack’s sense of age.

Truth be told, I may be a hardy Colorado hiker chick, but my farming experience stops at the earth box on my brick patio. Listening to Jack speak was very inspiring. His passion for what he does was evident in the ways he described the land and what they were doing at Stone Barns. When he told us about the planned growing and soil preparation and then looked out over the field and described the landscape as a mosaic, well… I think I fell in love.  Uh, with the land that is.

Next, we headed to the kitchens and had a blast making raspberry preserves with Adam; although, I think he was a bit freaked out by all of us with our iPhones and cameras. In fact, if you look through my tweet stream you can see that he actually tried to provide us a safe place to put our tech-appendages down…

We all were all sort of, “huh?” Needless to say we cleared things up and moved on… (I’m saving lunch for another post!)

Driving the Chevy 2011 Volt

If you follow some of the conversations I’ve been involved in around the social media-sphere you’ll know that I am a huge proponent of renewable energy, in particular vehicle electrification. (Disclosure: it also happens to be the industry my husband is involved in…) I had lots of questions…. many that they could/would not answer, but in all fairness they are protecting quite a bit of new science with the release of this car.

Size Matters

The main thing I have heard people in the Mommy-verse gripe about is the size. We all need our carpool capable cars in order to make our worlds work. The way I see it, no family needs two gas guzzlers, so having one smaller more eco-friendly car in the household makes complete sense.  I’m a proponent of moving in the right direction, waiting for perfection will never relieve the U.S. of our dependence on foreign oil, nor will it help us achieve our environmental goals. That said, this car was extraordinarily comfy with 4 bucket seats – I sat in the back seat and found it to be rather pleasant. This isn’t some eco-bare-bones-crunchy car, the Volt is actually a normal sized car with pretty sleek styling.

The Basics

The Volt uses electricity as it’s primary energy source, so it will produce no emissions for up to 40 miles of driving in turn, saving approximately 500 gallons of gasoline a year (compared to similar vehicles that average 30 mpg).

We were show two different drive settings, so if you really want quick acceleration it is an option, although you’ll be using more energy.

At 10 cents per kilowatt hour, Chevrolet estimates that an electrically driven mile in a Volt will cost about one-sixth compared to a conventional gasoline vehicle. It is estimated that it will cost about two cents per mile to drive electrically vs. 12 cents using gasoline priced at $3.60 per gallon.

Cost

At $41,000 this isn’t an economy car. Joel Ewanick, vice president of U.S. marketing for General Motors, says “The The Chevrolet Volt will be the best vehicle in its class…because it’s in a class by itself.” After having driven in the car, I have to agree. The Volt isn’t intended to be a luxury vehicle, or an economy car. It is intended to fill a niche. We can complain all we want about the environment and oil wars, but the fact is we don’t want to give up our comfy rides. Well, folks, that’s gonna cost you and the Volt is just one solution. So if you want to complain about the price, get behind the technology and start supporting renewable energy efforts and gradually the costs will come down.  That’s about all I have to say about that.

The Blonde’s Take

I’m a car snob. I grew up with a Dad in the automotive industry. I know more about injection molding, interior acoustic textiles, and the inner mechanics of an automobile than a gal with a Master’s Degree in Music with a concentration in Violin Performance, should know. The best part of it all is that I can negotiate with a car dealer ’til he cries and just begs me to leave. I can’t believe I’m writing this but my day with the Chevrolet Volt team, completely changed how I view GM. They are clearly proud of their car and what it means for the future of electric transportation. They aren’t going to save the earth or end oil consumption, they are simply providing a vehicle that moves us in the right direction. And they are pretty darn excited about it.

Will I buy the 2011 Chevrolet Volt? I transport way too many kidlets and their gear around on a daily basis. However, if I were in the market for a new car, the Volt would definitely be on my list of automobiles to consider.

Check out our Whrrl Story!

*All meals, tolls, automobile gas (and trust me when we got lost on the way home… we could have used a battery or two…) were provided by GM. The opinions written above are my own based on my experiences.

As I sat down to write, my tummy rumbled, and I suddenly remembered Cheeseburgher! I popped down to the party and am so glad I did – check it out, they brought beds in!

And like in year’s past, the McDonald’s bag hat designs were creative and …. inspiring? Now I’m nursing my Cheeseburgher heart burn, looking back over the past few day….

It’s been a nice conference. The Hilton has been extremely hospitable and the staff has been incredible.  From housekeeping to food service, I was surprised by how attentive and reactive they all were. We come to New York City often because my in-laws live here. There are times when we have to stay in a hotel and I will stay here again soon.

I have so many great experiences to blog about when I get home and can’t wait to share!

Here I sit, sleep deprived, glistening in the humid glow of the un-air-conditioned upper east-side apartment of my in-laws. I brought Kelly (@childhood) home to meet the fam and being a Phoenix native, the only thing missing in the experience for her is a desert cactus.  Me? I’m just thoroughly enjoying nature’s 90+ degree Insanity Facial – correction Body-cial. There’s sweat coming from areas of my body I had no idea actually had sweat glands, the middle of my fingers, heck, I think the lobes of my ears just may be exhibiting a bit of condensation.

Sweet Kat is lying here next to me, the humidity has formed the most adorable tight ring curls in her hair, just like mine always was growing up on the east cost. It’s a right of passage for the Denver born children in our family to visit the healthy, open-air, summer sweat-lodge, Chez Bryan.  Kat will be hitting the city streets hard with Grandma while I’m doing the Blogher thang. Let me tell you this much, you won’t ever read any complaints about troublesome mother-in-laws from me.  I am so thrilled that Kat will be able to spend some special time with them over the next few days. I always enjoy my in-laws, and there’s nothing like a home-cooked “Grandma Meal”, so it was nice to come in a day early and spend the night here. This family likes it’s open windows year round and, while I’m feeling slightly delirious at the moment, I wouldn’t trade a night with my hubby’s parents for all the air-conditioning in Manhattan.

I’ll be showerin’ up in a few moments and heading over to The Hilton New York, where I’m excited to meet up with General Motors for the Chevy Drive Event.   We’ll spend the day at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. Don’t be too jealous but I’ll not only partake in one of New York’s most renowned culinary “experiences” (just wait until I explain in a future post), I will have the opportunity to learn more about and take a ride in ….. THE CHEVY VOLT!!

What’s on your schedule for today?

If you missed today’s LiveStream coverage of the Cox Communications Teen Summit on Internet Safety, you MUST watch the recording.  I feel extremely passionate about this topic.  I am still digesting, but this was an unbelievably well spoken group of teens and the discussion led by child advocate, John Walsh, and rock star social media guru James Andrews (@keyinfluencer), was … extraordinary.

I am so impressed by Cox Communications and their dedication to this annual event. Their Take Charge program and the pages dedicated to it on the website provide a wealth of information and tips, I highly recommend you take a visit.  I have no doubt that you will end up book marking it like I did.

I will have much to write but for now, I encourage you to watch this LiveStream recording of today’s very important event held in Washington, DC.

After the initial introduction I recommend that you forward to around 17-18 minutes for the official beginning when John Walsh arrives….