The eighties has been a good transition point for many, when the cult of American Top 40 went global. One of the hallmarks of this era is the birth of consciousness on how we as consumers kill the environment from the noxious gases produced by our hair sprays as well as our vehicles. Long gone were the days when everybody was busy dispensing chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) into our atmosphere. Presently, we can only look back and cringe at the time we cared more about how big our hairs are than if what we are doing is hurting the environment or not.

Car manufacturers have now taken heed to the call for more environmental friendly systems for our vehicles. At present, almost every car maker has sustainable development embedded within its DNA. Among the car giants, no one perhaps beats Japanese corporation Honda in coming up with technology that is not only efficient but environment friendly as well. Honda cars, both for its hybrid and pure gas models, have proven to be dependable not only in terms of producing less pollution but for not compromising performance.

Two of the engines from Honda which are certified ?green? are the i-VTEC engine and the i-DSI engine.

The i-DSI Engine

The name i-DSI is an acronym for Intelligent ? Dual and Sequential Ignition. This Honda engine has garnered a ?Low Emission Excellence? certificate from the Ministry of Transportation in Japan. This is the type of engine that one can find in the City and Jazz models from Honda. A characteristic preferred by many in this type of engine is its being light weight and compact while still being able to deliver a lot of horses and ample torque regardless of the RPM level. This type of engine produces high output with minimal fuel with its two-spark plug per cylinder feature, enabling rapid combustion of the air-fuel mixture.

The i-VTEC Engine

A few years ago Honda came with the VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) engine which was the worlds first valve mechanism capable of simultaneously changing the valve timing and lift on the intake and exhaust sides. It has been an innovation praised and appreciated by many in the motoring industry. This engine boasts of fuel efficiency while still delivering optimum performance, burning less fuel while producing less pollutants. The i-VTEC engine can be found in Honda models like the Civic (for its 1.8 SOHC and 2.0 DOHC models), the Accord (for its 2.4 and 3.0 V6 models) and the CRV. This is dubbed as the more intelligent incarnation of the VTEC engine which supports a more global thrust toward environmental conservation.

It is such a comforting thought to know that car manufacturers like Honda have taken the challenge of coming up with more earth friendly vehicles. Indeed, technology must be harnessed as a means of improving function without compromising the ecosystem. The technology that blends seamlessly to ones lifestyle without posing any threat to the environment is definitely a vision worth toiling for.