Popular Science Eco Tour 2011 Set for May Launch

Nash Hoover with the chassis of the electric vehicle

How do you show your son that taking the time to turn off his room light - one single light bulb - makes a difference? If you're Pierce Hoover, you come up with a plan that involves traveling around North America in a vehicle that uses the same energy as a light bulb, bringing your 12-year-old son with you and getting Popular Science magazine and General Electric to sponsor the trip. "It's all just part of my ongoing effort to teach my son Nash energy conservation," says Hoover, who works as a brand manager for Bonnier Corporation, owner of Popular Science. "By turning off that light, he will provide us with the energy needed to cross a continent."

Hoover's lesson has become the Popular Science Eco Tour 2011 - a three-month long trip in a small electric vehicle with father and son traveling approximately 60 miles a day, kicking off on May 27 in New York City before moving on to Washington, D.C. and then into the heartland. "I hope others will get from this a greater awareness of how their personal habits can affect energy use," says Hoover. As a side benefit, he also wants to give Nash an opportunity to see the U.S. from a small, relatively slow-moving vehicle, using back roads and with plenty of time for stops at national parks and historic places.

"The trip will cover some 4,200 miles, and will cross five major mountain ranges," says Hoover. "And we are making the trip without a support vehicle, so we must make all repairs and rescues ourselves."

The Eco Tour will have its own sub page at Popsci.com, where Hoover will be blogging regularly. And Nash Hoover will have his own website as well at onebulbtour.com aimed at his schoolmates.