A pretty typical American summer vacation is loading up the car and going on a road trip to see some of this nation's history - Washington, D.C. or that harbor in Boston, for example. If you're a little more concerned about America's future, take a page from the video-happy McCullough family that's planning a trip called Our Renewable Nation. Long-time AutoblogGreen readers will recognize the family as the one's who brought you Darth Vader's Hummer and other videos.

The family's idea for summer 2009 is to travel the U.S. in a veggie-oil-powered VW Beetle and visit sustainable energy locations as well as EV makers like Tesla, Zenn, Poulsen and Aptera along the way. The trip website is currently pretty sparse, but expect daily blog posts and lots of videos from the happy campers once things get roling in May. For now, watch the preview videos of the trip after the break and check out EVCast #58 for an interview with Colin.

[Source: Colin M.]

Whether at the Solar Decathlon, making clever environmental awareness clips or interviewing Darth Vader, young Carrick and his dad Colin have made some fun green transportation videos over the past year or so. The duo returns this week with a look at sustainable transportation in the future. Their new video was made as a submission to the US PIRG video contest, which asks the cloud for better ideas on shaping smarter transit plans. As the US PIRG puts it, "time spent stuck in traffic is time you never get back."

Colin writes:

Our video focuses on systems of mass transit such as personal rapid transit systems and high-speed trains, as well as making cars and trucks more sustainable with electricity. When we were researching for the video we kept coming across strong advocates of public transportation who clearly hated cars and would have them taken all away if they could. I don't believe that it is realistic for any vision of sustainable transportation in the future to leave out cars and trucks - it's unnecessary.

If you'd like to submit your own video, you've still got time. The deadline for entry is July 4. In the meantime, watch Carrick's latest star turn after the jump.

[Source: Colin M., US PIRG]

I'll admit, I've got a lot of respect for Colin and Carrick McCullough. The father-son team have been making environmentally-aware movies (including a rare interview with Darth Vader) for almost a year now and Colin (the dad) likes to let ABG know when they've got something new up on YouTube. The duo has just posted a three-part series on the Solar Decathlon, which is a competition for college students to build a solar-powered home that can power itself and something in the driveway. As Colin writes, "The requirements were that it had to be 800 sq. feet or less, had to produce all of its own power, hot water, and heat, it had to look good, and it had to produce enough extra electricity to power an electric car." In this case, the cars are GEMs, which Carrick doesn't think really qualifies for an EV. He's more of a Tesla fanboy.

800 square feet is not a lot of space, but I wouldn't mind if pretty much all of my daily energy use came freely from the sun. The homes were recently on display in D.C. and you can view the three-part series on the show above and after the break. For a look at a somewhat similar commercial solar option, check out SolarCity, the company behind the solar garage (for your Tesla Roadster or otherwise).

Related:

• Friday Humor: Darth Vader behind the Hummer and the Chevy Volt?
• Carrick, now age 8, only getting better with his environmental awareness videos
• EVS23: Tesla Roadster sittin' under a SolarCity roof

[Source: YouTube]

OK, little Carrick and his dad Colin have been making green car movies for a while now, but none have impressed me like their latest. Filmed at Boston AltWheels earlier this year, this six-minute clip features young Carrick (age 8) interviewing someone I wouldn't have the gall to question: Darth Vader. Apparently, Colin and Carrick have discovered that Vader is not only in cahoots with Sienar Fleet Systems (makers of the various TIE fighters) but also with GM and the Hummer and Chevy Volt programs.

There's a lot of love for both Star Wars and green cars in this video. It's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot more than I've done this week. If you can find a better way to start your Friday, share it with us.

More Carrick movies:

• Carrick, now age 8, only getting better with his environmental awareness videos
• Smile, you're in Treehugger's Convenient Truth video contest

[Source: Colin M. and YouTube]